Season finale finished the season in a big way, and now that ?. "I'm not a hero, I just loved her."
Best episode so far. I pride myself on seeing most things coming in a series, but this episode blew my mind. I had no idea Bernard was one of them untill he said 'What door' near the end of the episode.
Oh, this was fantastic. Such an intense episode that also did a great job of getting me excited for the next season.
"Haven't you learned anything this year... week... season?"
"It's the end of the season, er, semester."
Fourth wall? What fourth wall?
Shirley's tale of woe complete with seductive poses made me cry with laughter.
I'm really sad that we watched the Quagmires' daring escape and journey from Peru back to their home just for them to perish in a fire. I knew it was coming, but it still hurt.
That musical number at the end was unexpected, but I loved it. Somehow it just fit right in with the rest of the weirdness and absurdity.
Overall, this was an amazing season. All the actors were superb in their roles. Shoutout to Patrick Warburton in particular for being the perfect Lemony Snicket. His smooth voice and calm, somewhat deadpan delivery were exactly what I'd hoped for. NPH IS Count Olaf. He absolutely nailed the role. Malina Weissman and Louis Heyes were a bit stiff and awkward at times, but I still think they did an excellent job, especially considering that they're both just 13 years old and have very little acting experience. I'm sure they're just going to get better with age. And Sunny... Sunny is wonderful. I love her. I love all three of them, actually. They're my children now. I'm going to protect them and keep them safe and comfortable. They're going to eat ice cream for dinner. Their bedtime is never.
My girl Daisy finally getting the recognition she deserves. It all went to shit after 5 minutes, of course, but it was still nice to see people appreciate her for a change.
I wasn't really surprised when Mace turned out to not be an Inhuman. I've never noticed that briefcase before, though. It's entirely possible that I just didn't pay attention to it until it became relevant to the plot, but I could've sworn that we'd never seen Burrows carry it before this episode.
Stop hurting Melinda May 2k17. Please.
I get that Radcliffe created Aida, so obviously he trusts her, but still, letting an android poke you with acupuncture needles? This guy doesn't have common sense.
Decoy May and Daisy had a cute scene sitting inside Lola. I still catch myself thinking of them as mother and daughter.
Can the writers stop dicking around with FitzSimmons? Seriously, Fitz is lying to Jemma now? Yeah, sure, because that's not out of character for him at all. Just leave these two alone and let them be happy! We don't need more drama!
Jemma just walked into that interrogation room and broke the guy in 20 seconds flat. If you think that Daisy or May are the biggest baddest badasses at SHIELD, think again. Jemma Simmons is a small unassuming murderous science child who will rip you to shreds with a polite smile on her face and a cup of tea in her hand.
I'm writing this based only on the pilot, but OMG! There are Nazis and the Imperial Japanese, and they occupy America. This actually gives us a perspective on ourselves. In the show, the Nazis torture people, and the Japs invade someone's home, calling it a matter of "national security". In our reality, the CIA tortures people, and the NSA invades our homes, calling it a matter of "national security".
It's not simply a matter of an alternate reality. There is an object from our reality in theirs. That moves the show from pure fiction to science fiction. Our reality affects theirs. Does theirs affect ours?
Set in past, but not our past, the show requires a lot of careful details in the shots. The San Francisco skyline is an old one, and yet there are modifications for the increased Japanese influence.
The show is dense, and I found myself rewinding multiple times. One example is the origami unicorn. This was very significant in the movie Blade Runner (director's cut), and I'm guessing it is here too. Blade Runner is a movie that is like great literature, and I've always wanted a TV show that is like great literature, so maybe the Man in the High Castle is it!
Thank you Philip K. Dick!
"Our friends in 2016? They need our help."
Oh, man. I'm so freaking excited for this crossover. We just have to wait one more week!
I can't believe that I almost stopped watching this show halfway through season 1. I absolutely adore it now. Season 2 has been amazing so far.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: it wouldn't be an episode of Legends of Tomorrow without a bar fight. Sara fucking shit up with a whip was fantastic. I rewinded that moment like 12 times when I was watching the episode.
"This isn't my first rodeo." - Sara Lance at her second rodeo
I love her so freaking much. She could punch me in the face and I'd probably thank her.
Nate's suit is so dope!
The first Wild West episode was great (definitely one of the highlights of an otherwise uneven and messy season) and I had high hopes for this one. It didn't disappoint. It was hilarious, it was action-packed, it was just incredibly fun. I enjoyed every minute of it.
"Ward Meachum sends his regards."
Silly show, Danny Rand is Loras Tyrell not Robb Stark.
Flash's new opening:
"My name is Barry Allen, and I'm not the fastest man alive. To the outside world, I'm the fucker of past timelines, but secretly, with the help of my friends at the S.T.A.R. Labs museum, I train Kid Flash to be faster and fight metahumans like us. In an attempt to stop the evil speedster Savitar, I supposely didn't lock him up in the speedforce as I should've, and I saw him murder the woman that I love. But I won't screw it up this time. I'm going to take a step back and let Wally do the work, because I am the only one fast enough to screw it. Iris is screwed"
Well I'm never going to be able to look at puddles, shower drains and mirrors the same way again.
This has probably been the best episode in the Capaldi era so far. Been waiting a long time for the show to return to its best moments.
Watching this I couldn't stop thinking about the original Pilot.
1) Susan, whose photo we got to see so many times <3, was the one that named the Tardis
2) The ones that happen to find de Tardis, and The Doctor, in the junkyard were Susan's teachers (Ian and Barbara) whereas in this case was a student (Bill)
3) Susan is the one that has that thirst of knowledge. Though she loved Earth she was very curious, just as Bill.
Also, there were what to me felt like hints to the other Pilot this show had: Rose. The idea that Bill was almost not to travel with the Doctor, but he decided to look for her and remind her that his machine also travels in Time (which is part of my favorite headcanon about Nine and I'm glad to see it protrayed here: the idea that between invitations, Nine travelled alone and decided that he needed a companion and went back to look for her).
And, last but not least, the chips. Remember how much fun Rose and Nine had eating chips? And how Rose also worked in a school cafeteria serving chips? And how she, like Bill, had a regular job, came from a working class and was, by The Doctor's standards, sometimes a bit slow at first?
Finally, I never thought we'd see the time when we were reminded that the habit of erasing someone's mind without their consent was absolutely not right. I already love Bill and her determination.
I also love the bit with Clara's song, which I also thought we wouldn't hear again.
Overall, sooooo good. I just hope the season continues in this line.
I'm literally shaking right now. These Framework episodes are really freaking stressful.
Aida/Fitz is such a disturbing relationship. It's so creepy that Aida manipulated the Framework to make Fitz love her. She brainwashed him not only into having feelings for her, but probably into having sex with her too, which basically means that she rapes him. She's doing to him exactly what she resents Radcliffe for doing to her: turning him into a thing to be used however she pleases. That makes me nauseous and I can't imagine what Fitz will feel when he wakes up.
Jemma "I'm tiny but I have more than enough rage to go around" Anne Simmons is so going to fight Aida when she gets the chance. At least I hope so. It would be amazing to see her cut the bitch.
Elizabeth has no fucking chill, does she? She just goes and gives us these incredible, deep, powerful performances every week, never failing to bring tears to my eyes and turning me into a distracted, weepy mess for days. Jemma pouring out her heart talking about Fitz was too emotional for me to deal with this early in the morning. And that moment when she screamed his name and their eyes locked? I'm still in shock. The raw intensity of that entire scene killed me.
I never thought I'd be scared of Iain, but I am now. That smile at the end made me want to crawl under my bed and stay there for the rest of the season. How are FitzSimmons going to recover from this?
Stop hurting my baby Daisy! She's already in emotional and psychological pain 99% of the time and now she's going to be tortured? Just fucking rip my heart out while you're at it. I hate that they keep making her suffer. Daisy Johnson deserves the world. And yes, I will fight anyone who thinks otherwise. I love my emo daughter.
Mack joined SHIELD! Also, Hope is adorable and now I feel bad that Mack will have to live without her in the real world. The hits just keep coming, I guess.
The Framework is an absolute nightmare for a lot of reasons. And now it looks like regular people don't have access to the Internet. No smartphones, a woman getting arrested for having a laptop... We've officially crossed into the hell territory in my book.
A part of me wishes I hadn't discovered this show until season 4 ended. That way, I could just binge watch the remaining episodes instead of having to wait a week or longer for each new chapter and spending my days doing the mental equivalent of pacing nervously around a room. I just want to know what will happen next and it's killing me.
I'm a simple girl. If a show has anything to do with superheroes, if it's in any way connected to Marvel or DC, there's a good chance I'll watch it. And I'll probably love it, whether it's dark and gritty like Jessica Jones or charming and family-friendly like Supergirl. Legion is no exception to the rule.
I'm not a comic book reader. I didn't know the first thing about the character when I started the episode, and I had no idea what to expect. Having just finished it, I think I can safely say that this show is unlike anything I've watched before. In a good way. I enjoyed every second of the pilot. The cinematography is spectacular. The bright colors, the flashing lights, almost horror-like moments, blurring the lines between reality and David's delusions, scenes of people dancing - because why not?, seemingly random shots and flashbacks, and the general insanity all create a completely unique atmosphere. It's almost hypnotizing, making it impossible for you to look away, drawing you in. The plot isn't the most revolutionary, but the way the show is shot and edited still makes it feel fresh and original. I like the characters and I'm excited to see what will happen next.
I don't do drugs, but after watching this episode, I'm not so sure anymore.
A refreshing change from mediocre CW-style superhero series. The plot has an arc, and doesn't come off like writers are winging it each week -- some actual thought went into a story. And it's done without the emphasis on flashbacks to create a backstory. Quirky... unique... engaging... worlds better than the cookie-cutter Marvel franchise.
Pretty solid episode. I love the Black Canary character and Laurel was amazing. But I feel bad for Katie Kassidy, working that hard for four years, about to be the female hero and they threw her character to the trash. Dinah this episode was everything that the BC is, and this should've been the story Katie Kassidy got since the beginning. Dinah Drake totally felt like the BC from the comics. She did an amazing job, she can fight, she has the canary cry and above all, she's well written. I'm not a fan of what they did to Laurel, but Dinah's pretty awesome. They shouldn't have fucked Laurel.
The MVP was THE BURGER. The disgust on Ollie's face was hilarious. I love this non-addition to the plot devices. These are the ones that make us relate to the characters. And that 3 patty, oh boy, now I relate to Rene on a spiritual level. That's character development, lol. Plus, they should've had Wild Dog eating a Hot Dog instead.
And why miss the opportunity to open a Big Belly Burger franchise. The same with SPN's Biggerson's. I would fly over there just to have one.
I loved Curtis and Wild Dog chemistry together. He certainly surprised me with his nom-outburst when Curtis called him nutcase. They balance each other and I love it. Wild Dog is growing. I want an ep focused on him/his family.
Badass Ollie's back. He did some cool stuff. That chopper scene was badass as hell. Just standing there not giving a fuck while being dizzy. Man, you're cool.
And Talia Al Ghul. I like her character so far, even more if she's brings badass Oliver S1/2 back. That "something else" and his first suit gave me the goosies. She knows way too much. My gut tells me she trained Prometheus because Ollie lost his way.
My thoughts when I saw that other hacker: oh no, now there's two of them.
Great episode but I need more Adrian Chase: the most badass Vigilante/DA I've ever seen. And the Diggle subplot had a satisfying resolution. The fight scene in Russia was superb. God I miss good old Ollie!
In a time travel/loop themed episode, the"Allons-y!" moment from the Android was priceless for a Whovian like me... but what the hell were those jumps to the future? And that ending!? Explain! EXPLAIN! (Dalek mode off)
Danys back! That last scene was amazing. It was a long time coming and it was worth it, now lets see what she does next.
The scene between Cersei and Jamie with Euron was great. I wonder what the gift could be? Maybe he is bringing Robert's last bastard, Gendry? Jamie's look on his face when Euron said you should try killing you brother made me laugh. It’s like it just crossed his mind that she is actually capable of doing that.
Arya is not content with just killing Walder Frey, she had to kill them all. I realized about halfway through that scene and it was awesome to see her be a badass. The North Remembers! Oh and there is Ed Sheeran I wonder if we will see him again?
I loved that The Hound basically made fun of Thoros for having a man bun. Its crazy to see the way he has changed as a person and burying the people he left for dead a few seasons ago.
Sansa questioning Jon in front of everyone makes me think she wants to be in charge. I wonder if Littlefinger is rubbing off on her? Jon is concerned with the North but I think Sansa has more knowledge of everyone else and she is going to be important going forward.
I can’t get enough of Tormund hitting on Brienne. "You're a lucky man."
Sam's poop/soup montage was disgusting. He might be the most important part of this epsiode though. Finding the Dragon glass "mountain" might give the living folk an actual chance. Jon will probably be going to Dragonstone next week and we will finally get Jon and Daenerys face to face. And we get a glimpse at poor Jorah which seems the grey scale has gone into full effect.
Great episode to kick off the new season. We don't have a full 10 episodes so hopefully some big things happen next week.
Welp, like Tryion said, We're fucked. Living vs. The Dead. Season 8 A fight that only comes once.
The dragon pit scene was awesome. Getting so many characters all in one place at the same time was great to see. So many quick “oh, hey you’re still alive” moments. One of the best was Brienne and the Hound. Speaking of the Hound, we did not get the Cleganebowl we have been wanting for so long but at least he was able to tell his brother off. Maybe next season…
Cersei, as the hound would say, is a real cunt. She truly is the biggest villain this show has seen. She is lying to everyone about sending her armies north and bringing in more mercenaries to help fight while Dany is a little occupied. She not only threatened to kill not one of her brothers but both of them is the same episode. Jamie is finally getting smart and getting away from her, even if he is leaving to go fight an army of undead. I honestly think she might stick around to the end and keep the iron throne. She has no problem doing whatever it takes. She has a kid on the way and that is all she is worried about now (I still don’t think she will have the child because of the prophecy said she would only have three). Oh and the shot of snow falling on King's Landing was a beautiful reminder that winter is here.
The winterfell storyline finally did something amazing. Sansa’s “trial” of Littlefinger was a long time coming and with Bran there was no denying. I’m so glad Arya got to kill him with his own dagger. The sisters finally started acting like family.
Nice to see Theon having another chance at redemption. He had a nice moment with Jon about their dad, well technically Ned was neither of their father. I hope he gets to save Yara next season. I wonder where she is if Euron is going to Essos or could she already be dead?
The show finally says what all the fans have know for years, Jon is a true Targaryen and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. And they say it just as the two have sex for the first time, nothing new for this show. I’m sure this won’t be a problem. Dany will be cool with it, right? I mean the old Targaryens were into incest too. Maybe not we'll just have to wait and find out.
That last scene really was a little frightening, to see something that has been keeping the white walkers out for 8000 years to just go down like that. Now that the Night King has a dragon they are really going to cause some havoc. RIP Tormund and Beric? I don't think there were able to get off the wall in time but were they on the part still standing?
Great season, moved a little too fast and missed some of the slower character moments from old season. They definitely had some of the largest battle scenes TV has ever seen and I’m sure we are not done yet. Let the wait for season 8 begin…
[9.0/10] Not since The Sopranos has there been a show on television so devoted to examining the psyches of its characters. I feel like I need to rewatch this episode five times to truly unpack everything there is to glean from such a dense, psychologically complex episode. If there’s been a consistent theme to Season 3, it’s been digging deep into what makes the show’s main characters tick, what makes them who they are, and “Rest and Ricklaxation” both literalizes that (by separating its title characters into their constituent parts) and plays it out in fascinating, emotionally-wrenching detail.
The impetus for that is Rick and Morty going into a psychological toxin-clearing chamber at an intergalactic spa. The catch is that the chamber doesn’t just free you from harmful it elements, it removes those elements, personified as “booger” versions of you, and keeps them trapped in a chamber. So while the real Rick and Morty are feeling happier and more relaxed in the real world, the concentrated toxic parts of them are caught in the chamber working frantically to get out.
The initial results seem predictable, if a little twisted. Toxic Rick is even more hateful and self-aggrandizing than Real Rick. He’s constantly touting his own genius, constantly belittling Morty, and constantly lashing out at the world. Toxic Morty is entirely self-hating and debased, little more than a subservient wart of a person accepting any and all abuse.
What’s interesting is that it seems to flip the good/evil dynamic in Healthy Rick and Healthy Morty. While Healthy Rick feels compelled to rescue their toxic counterparts once he knows of their existence, Healthy Morty likes his own happiness and is constantly resisting any attempt to set things back the way they were under a the guise of not questioning it.
Now splitting protagonists into their good and evil sides is nothing new. (Lord knows the Star Trek franchise returned to that well time and time again.) But the twist, and the thing that makes the episode really stand out from the pack, is that the divergence point for “healthy” Rick and Morty isn’t some arbitrary definition of toxicity, it’s what they themselves view as the toxic parts of their being.
Which leads to all kinds of interesting complications, not the least of which is that Toxic Rick isn’t just some personification of bad, and Healthy Morty isn’t some noble personification of good. It’s a brilliant, fascinating choice to depict Healthy Morty as this honest but heartless, manipulative douchebag. The things that Morty sees as toxic in himself -- his self-doubt and self-loathing -- weigh down an overconfidence and disregard for others’ that, left unchecked, turn him into an uberpopular, successful stock broker, but one who doesn’t really care about anything else or anyone.
It’s a deranged echo of Inside Out’s thesis that negative emotions are vital and valid and help make us stronger individuals. There is something so frighteningly recognizable about Healthy Morty, between his offhand quips about his food being organic to maxims about saying important things face-to-face that reveal a deeper soulless beneath despite all the crowd-pleasing pablum. Toxic Morty isn’t a pretty sight or an encouraging reflection of the real Morty -- he’s deeply unhappy, horribly self-defeating, and outright declares that he wants to die. But the idea that these are the things keeping Morty from becoming a wide-eyed, smiling little monster is one of the boldest and darkest takes this show has offered on one of its main characters.
But that’s only half the impact of the twist. The other, and arguably more foundational reveal in the episode is that Rick really does care about the people in his life, at least Morty, but he views that as toxic, as “irrational attachments” he’d rather overcome. It’s striking in that it answers one of the basic questions the show has been teasing out forever now -- whether despite his protestations to the contrary, Rick loves his family. “Rest Ricklaxation” suggests that he does, but it’s something he hates in himself, which explains how and why he’s always trying to disclaim any such affections.
Rick may acknowledge the other parts of his personality as “toxic.” He admits narcissism, of disregard for the rest of the universe in favor of his own brilliance. But without that, without the parts of him he views as holding him back psychologically, he only has a general care for the world, about the impartial welfare of all, without any personal attachments to his grandson or anything else. The episode digs into who Rick and Morty are, what they hate about themselves, and the people they become without that, which tells you so very much about the show’s title characters.
Meanwhile, amidst all this deep psychological examination is an episode that just works on a nuts and bolts level. The conflict of reconciling toxic and healthy versions of Rick and Morty propels the episode nicely. Seeing a Rick-on-Rick battle throughout the Smiths’ house is thrilling with plenty of creative turns. Healthy Morty’s quiet psychopathy builds and builds keeping a comedic hum the whole time. And there’s even some amusing social commentary as Rick’s toxicity ray covers the globe and Morty’s restaurant acquaintance yells out “sea cucumber!” The main event of “Rest and Ricklaxation” is the show boring into the mental processes and damage of its protagonists, but it keeps the tension and the excitement up for what could otherwise be an overly cerebral exercise.
Like nearly all sitcoms must, it then returns things to the status quo. But while for most shows that’s a return to normalcy and sanity, for Rick and Morty it means returning those two characters to the fraught place where they began the episode. One of the most harrowing scenes in the entire series is the two of them sitting in Rick’s craft in the intro. Morty cries; Rick screams in anguish and admits he wasn’t in control, and the episode doesn’t turn away from the unnerving distress and damage these two individuals have accumulated over the course of their adventures.
This is what the combination of good and bad in Rick and Morty gets them. There’s the sense that both need that balance, to keep them tethered and, in different ways, to keep them caring about people, but the results of that cocktail -- of self-glorification and self-loathing, of brash confidence and debasement, of personal fulfillment and global concern -- doesn’t create a pretty picture for our heroes either.
One of the most creative things I've ever seen. And almost as much of mindfuck as A Rickle in Time and Total Rickall were. I imagine this one will only get better the more I watch it. Jeez.
In Season 3, she's going undercover in the seediest government agency of them all, the DMV!!!
Elliot and Mr. Robot talking in unison was horrifying. Actually the whole therapy scene was. Esmail really turning up the horror this season.
I've been waiting for this show with a lot of excitement. The Netflix shows are probably my favorite part of the MCU. DD and JJ were simply excellent, with compelling stories, great cast and a dark tone, although each of the two had its own unique atmosphere. DD played out like a crime procedural/legal drama with phenomenal fight scenes, while JJ was a gritty psychological thriller with incredible depth mixed with some neo-noir detective stuff. And I loved them both. Luke Cage was more of a mixed bag for me, but the first half of it was great and it had some of the best music I've heard on any show in a long while, so I still liked it. And Iron Fist... I mean, I didn't hate it? It was just kind of meh. But still, seeing these four characters together was something I've been looking forward to for months.
This episode is your typical introducing-our-heroes-and-setting-up-the-overarching-plot pilot. Except we already know the heroes, so instead, we catch up on what they've been doing. Matt's given up on the vigilante business and his relationship with Karen is visibly strained, he's also having trouble moving on from Elektra. Jessica drinks hard as ever and doesn't want to be anyone's hero, thank you very much (although she can't help but follow the mystery that quite literally knocks on her door), Luke has a delightful reunion with Claire (I love them!) and is determined to continue his mission of fighting crime in Harlem, and Danny... spends most of the episode on a plane. Doing nothing. Oh well. There's a reason Iron Fist was the weakest show of the four.
We're also introduced to our main villain. Sigourney Weaver is one of those people who just radiate elegance and steal any scene with their presence. That's the kind of person I strive to be. She's so... regal, I guess. They couldn't have chosen a better actress.
We see Foggy (who is rocking the hell out of his new haircut) for a second as well and Elektra, The Actual Love Of My Life, makes a short appearance at the end. I forgot how beautiful she is. Elodie can kick my ass anytime.
I love how they used colors in this episode. Matt's apartment was bathed in red, Jessica's scenes were sort of pale blue with hints of purple, Luke was surrounded by different shades of yellow, and Alexandra's signature hue seems to be white, from the sterile hospital rooms to her coat to the pidgeons in the park. I also love the way the show fluidly moves from one character to the next with some really neat editing. The older I get, the more I find myself paying attention to those more technical aspects of shows and movies - cinematography, editing, sound design. The opening episode of The Defenders is incredibly aesthetically pleasing and it seems a lot of thought went into the visuals, which I appreciate.
Can we just skip Luke and Dannys respective second seasons and just do Heroes for Hire?
And that first teamup fight was just fucking fantatstic. Nuff said.
[8.0/10] One becomes two, two becomes four, four get into an epic hallway battle. So goes The Defenders, as we reach our big team up beat-em-up moment. I have to once again compliment the season-long pacing, as the show reestablishes the characters independently, establishes them as duos, and only then brings them together as one big, happy, bad guy punching family.
But before it gets there (or to the opening credits) it gives a little series of vignettes on how Elektra became The Black Sky. It’s a pretty standard slow burn training montage kind of thing, but it has a lot of evocative imagery that makes it work. The image of Elektra’s bloody hand emerging from the sarcophagus, her baffled feral person slipping in a puddle of blood on the ground, the soothing but forceful struggles with Alexandra who goes from pugilistic to calming nicely.
This is where I’ll admit that I’m a fan of Sigourney Weavers, but I’m not loving her in this. There’s something kind of stilted and unnatural about a lot of her delivery, and while I suspect she’s going for a certain superior aloofness, and the writing for her character isn’t great (ugh that Constantinople line) it only really works when she’s calling Danny Rand on his bullshit, which everyone looks great doing. Still, Elektra had the same problem and The Defenders has the good sense to mostly keep her quiet, expressing her character’s journey through candle-ringed ninja fights and well framed action. It’s a nice choice that give us some backstory and makes her The Hand’s yin to The Iron Fist’s yang.
But Danny gets another foil here, this one more directed at his personality and position, in the form of Luke Cage. Again, the plotting so far has been solid, as the episode doesn’t beat around the bush but instead has Claire organically figure out the connection between Luke and the guy who punched him and bring them together. There’s a certain retrograde “oh you boys” quality to Claire and Colleen leaving the two guys to hash things out, but it provides one of the most interesting scenes in the episode, to I’m willing to excuse it a bit.
That scene comes when Luke and Danny disagree with one another’s perspective with regard to Cole, the young man who Luke was trying to protect and Danny was trying to strongarm for information. What I like about the scene is that while I tend to side with Luke (and lord knows Danny is just the worst), the show gives both characters good reasons to feel the way they do about this. Danny knows that The Hand can’t just be bought off; he has resentments for these people since they killed his parents, and that taints anyone who would associate with them in his eyes, or at least makes them a means to an end to cut out the cancer that’s plaguing New York City.
Luke, just as understandably, doesn’t see it as a mystical warrior (and Luke’s chagrin at hearing about dragons and chi is well-played by Mike Colter) out for justice. He sees it as a privileged white boy beating up a good kid wrapped up in something bad who ends up in jail while Danny gets to continue on his one-man crusade (give or take Colleen). Look, I’ve thought Danny is kind of a dweeb, to say the least, for a long time for it’s easy for me to side with Luke here, but I appreciate the way the show dramatizes his feelings about what Danny’s doing, and gives Danny good reason to approach this the way he does. It’s a good outing for the fated series of personality clashes.
It works with the other half of The Defenders equation as well. I get a big kick out of Daredevil and Jessica Jones playing cat and mouse with one another. As Mrs. Bloom observed, Matt and Jessica make pretty great foils for one another too, with the caustic sarcasm of Jessica blending nicely with the martyr-y do-gooderness of Matt to create some real sparks. We don’t get that much of the two of them here, but Matt being able to track Jess to the bad guy hideout, Jessica being able to figure out that Matt isn’t what he seems, and the contrast between Matt borrowing Jessica’s scarf (with amusing repartee about it) and parkouring his way to the top of the building while Jessica just takes the elevator is brilliant.
Again, in terms of plotting, the episode parcels out good reasons for all our heroes to make to the Midland Circle building. Luke finds Cole’s money box with the name on it. Jessica uses her P.I. skills to ferret it out from an architect. Matt follows J-Jo with his super-hearing. And Danny uses his corporate connections to figure out who they are and, idiot that he is, just walks in and declares that the jig is up, much to Alexandra’s amusement. (Again, he really is an idiot, though I like the idea that Alexandra wants him alive since he’s the key to the mystic wall thing.)
So we get our big fight, and while it doesn’t match the best hallway fight of the Defender-verse we’ve already seen, it’s still cool to see our heroes actually teaming up to take on the bad guys. Iron Fist hiding behind Luke to stay safe from bullets, Jessica and Matt walking down the hall when Luke just bursts through a wall, Matt going toe-to-toe with Evilektra -- it’s all well-done with the right “the gang’s all here” note to go out on.
The Defenders has pretty well mastered the escalation game over it’s first three episodes. It’s planted seeds for the conflicts, provided convincing reasons for our heroes to coalesce, and hinted at the bigger badder stuff that is progressing on the periphery (I forgot to mention Stick’s badass, handchopping escape!). It’s been a stellar build so far. Let’s see if The Defenders can pay it off now that all the pieces are where they need to be on the board.
No better ending for an episode than Jessica ex machina.
I haven't talked about the opening credits yet, so here goes: they're amazing. And the music is very Avengers-y. It has that larger-than-life, epic feel to it.
Danny is so fucking annoying, acting like those three strangers he just met are supposed to drop everything and join his mystic quest. But it was interesting to see his world view clash with those of Luke and Jessica, who are both very pragmatic and don't want any part of all the supernatural stuff. And poor Matt. He's so traumatized. He and Elektra were kind of my OTP, so it's incredibly heartbreaking for me to see him like that, still reeling from his loss.
Of course that fucker Bakuto is alive. I hate him so much. He's an awfully weak villain and the actor who plays him definitely didn't go in the right direction with his performance. It's like he was aiming for the Charismatic Bad Guy, only he's yet to show any actual charisma. I want to roll my eyes whenever this guy is on screen.
So we got all the people that the Defenders care about in one room and they didn't interact with each other? That's bullshit.
I don't like how the others ganged up on Matt because of Elektra. Tone down that holier-than-thou attitude. You all have your secrets. And it's not like any of you would've acted differently if you were in his situation.
The overhead shot of Elektra curling up on Matt's bed surrounded by gray with her red costume spilling out from underneath her coat looked like some kind of a baroque painting. I would totally frame it and hang it on a wall in my living room. It was exquisite.
If only we lived in an alternate universe where Iris actually died last season.
Our name is West-Allen and we are the fastest couple alive. To the outside world, we are a happy couple, but secretly with the help of our non-communication we fight crime and repress our feelings. In an attempt to understand what happened over six months, we got an appointment for couple's therapy and we saw all the problems that we have. But we won't let that happen. Barry's gonna do everything in his power to listen to me, and we're the only ones fast enough to solve our drama. We are the Flash.
