What I’m Watching: The Defenders (Season Finale)

The Defenders: Season 1, Episode 8 “The Defenders” (B-)

I think Jessica said it best: “Let’s just get this shit over with.” It’s not as if this entire series took us anywhere new that we needed to get these four characters together, and I think every fan is probably excited to get back to the original standalone shows that made these characters (or most of them) great in the first place. I’m thrilled that Malcolm restored the Alias Investigations office, also known as Jessica’s apartment, and I’m so eager for that show to return since it’s much better than this one. And I liked the reference to their relationship that Luke made when he ended up on top of Jessica in the middle of all the fighting. This show was much more focused on regularly-incorporated elements of “Daredevil” and “Iron Fist,” and the destruction of the Hand in an explosion after some unnecessary hand-to-hand (no pun intended) combat doesn’t feel particularly impactful, surprising, or satisfying. Elektra survived, as did Matt since there’s no way he would have died, and the only casualty on the good side was Misty’s arm, which was just part of the seamlessly brutal violence on this show, like Colleen slicing off Bakuto’s head. I think that, with different villains, this show could have been more worthwhile, but I also don’t know that it’s necessary to team these four up. It was just announced that “Iron Clad,” as I might now call him thanks to Jessica, will appear on Luke’s show this coming season, and my hope is that this will mean that Jessica can show up to improve the other series as well. I don’t think a second season of this show is expected, but I’m not sure I’d be all that excited for it given that this season wasn’t so bad but also just didn’t need to be made considering it didn’t really take us anywhere. If the Hand – an element of “Daredevil” I never liked and a big part of the awfulness that was “Iron Fist” – is truly gone, I’ll be happy, but that’s it.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Krysten Ritter as Jessica