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EPISODE 3: "Worst Behavior"
SYNOPSIS: Elektra's secrets are revealed. Danny changes his tactics. Mattgives Jessica some legal advice. Luke searches for the White Hat.
REVIEW: Three episodes into an eight episode series is far too long to wait for a super team to finally come together. But, I have to admit they do so in stellar fashion. After forty minutes of narrative build-up, we get to see The Defenders fight alongside one another, even if not as a truly cohesive unit just yet. As great as the concluding fight scene is, what comes before it is equally befuddling. I continue to find myself interested in the exploits of three of the four Defenders with the sole outlier being Danny Rand. The way Rand is written on his series and now on this event is annoying and just plain wrong for the character of Iron Fist who continues to come across as one of the dumbest comic book characters ever to appear in the MCU. Luckily, this hour also features a lot of important development for both Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra and Elodie Yung's Elektra that helps save this third hour of The Defenders.
The bulk of the first act of the episode focuses on the aftermath of Elektra's death from the second season of Daredevil. Set an indeterminate period of "months ago", Alexandra is eating in a restaurant where she learns from White Hat that the Black Sky has been found. Before departing to the ancient tomb we saw during Daredevil, a tidbit about Alexandra's age occurs when she refers to Constantinople instead of the more modern Instanbul. Is Alexandra an ancient goddess of some sort? That has yet to be revealed. We get to see the ceremony that resurrects Elektra who emerges as feral and childlike with no memory of who she used to be. But, her training as a warrior comes back to her naturally and Alexandra tests her skills, honing her abilities to allow her to be used as the weapon she was prophecized to be. There are elements of a parental relationship budding between Alexandra and Elektra, but it could also be reverence on the part of the elder character which we have yet to learn the reason behind. We also see the pair confront Stick who fights them both off and then escapes by cutting his own hand off. Ouch.
Jessica Jones and Matt Murdock's relationship starts out rocky as he gets her out of jail. Jessica then follows her attorney and sees him leaping and scaling a building using abilities he has done well to keep hidden. The pair have some decent banter as they test each other's mettle. They then go their separate ways as Jessica further investigates the mysterious Midland Circle corporation she researched in the prior episode. Posing as a client for an architecture firm, Jessica learns that the company has developed a skyscraper to be built in Hell's Kitchen. Midland Circle has played a part in both the recent season of Iron Fist as well as part of Wilson Fisk's master plan during Daredevil. How it comes into play is yet unknown, but we learn in this episode that The Hand and Alexandra are at the top of Midland Circle's leadership.
When Luke reveals to Claire about getting punched by a guy with a glowing fist, she and Colleen get the two men in the same room to hash out the fact that they are both on the same side. While Luke's motivations are more purely based on the company hurting kids in Harlem, he finds common ground when Danny reveals that The Hand are the nefarious group behind the drugs and killings. The pair seem to be on the way to becoming friends and banter like classic comic book characters and it teases that maybe the pair will have their own Heroes for Hire miniseries in the future. But, when Danny begins talking about chi and K'un Lun, Luke gives up and decides to investigate on his own. Eventually, all four will find their way to Midland Circle's offices for the final act of the episode. But, first we have to talk about Danny Rand.
During the entire season of Iron Fist, Danny Rand made dumb decisions that made no logical sense, not even for a superhero story. Whining about his righteous quest, Danny used his pull as the majority shareholder of his father's company to unravel The Hand. Now, he decides to try doing things a different way….by using his father's company to try and unravel The Hand. Yeah, he and Colleen go to a receptionist at Rand and learn that Midland Circle was behind some dealings with The Hand and Rand. So, what does Danny do? He decides to go, on his own, to confront the board of directors of Midland. There, he meets Alexandra who is presiding over the meeting. She then unleashes the table of executives who brandish martial arts weapons and attack. Slowly, all four Defenders unite and fight Alexandra's warriors before she releases Elektra. Matt senses that it is her but they manage to beat her back long enough to escape to safety. The team then head down the elevator, sizing each other up and wondering what the hell just happened.
The best episode of the season so far if only because we finally get to see all four Defenders sharing screen and battle time together. The convergence of them at Midland Circle was well executed and seeing them kick ass was worth the wait. I also loved the developments about Alexandra and Elektra. Elektra is a great hero but she is shaping up to be a better villain, even if her arc seems to be foreshadowing her eventual turn on her savior and redemption by sacrificing herself. I could be wrong but that is what feels like is coming. I would have given this hour a higher score, but dumbass Danny Rand ruined it for me. Everything about this episode was so good, but Danny just seems to out of place in this group of characters, all of whom make stupid decisions but not nearly as many or as frequent as Mr. Rand. Hopefully this series serves as a turning point for Danny to truly become the cool character he is in the comics. Until then, he is bringing the team down.
NEXT ON MARVEL'S THE DEFENDERS: "Royal Dragon" – As The Defenders get to know each other over dinner, they're greeted by a series of party crashers — none of them friendly.