Search results
Aug 18, 2017 · The H Word: Directed by S.J. Clarkson. With Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones. Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand investigate criminals and fight injustice, unaware their paths are about to cross.
- (5.2K)
- Action, Adventure, Crime
- S.J. Clarkson
- 2017-08-18
- Waiting to begin.
- Marvel Cinematic Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show
- Verdict
By Daniel Krupa
Updated: Aug 27, 2017 3:10 pm
Posted: Aug 18, 2017 7:05 am
Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode. Do not read unless you've seen it or don't mind.
When it was announced that Marvel was to bring its street-level heroes to Netflix, the endgame was clear: The Defenders, an Avengers-like culmination that would unite its four heroes to face an even greater threat. Sadly, the first episode of this crossover miniseries fails deliver on that promise. What we get served instead is a slow-paced and stodgy overture that has to spend far too long putting its pieces into position.
I’m not adverse to a slow build or having these characters come together in an organic way, but I can’t help be feel The Defenders – despite always being a part of the plan – wasn’t helped by the arcs of the individual shows. Showrunner Marco Ramirez and his writers are placed in the unenviable position where they have to undercut some of those shows simply to put characters back into play. For instance – spoiler warning – the end of Luke Cage sees its protagonist sent back to prison. It was a fairly-dramatic end-of-season cliffhanger for Harlem’s Hero. But obviously this show needs Luke to be back in New York, and so Foggy is lazily dispatched to get him out of prison in less than 2 minutes and 3 seconds. (Yes, I timed it.) It just retroactively dulls that ending, robbing it of its impact. It just feels like there was a lack of planning and coordination.
It’s not all clumsy. The show more elegantly builds on where we left Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Matt Murdock has hung up his horns and is struggling to be no more than a public defendant. Meanwhile, Jessica is drinking more possibly due to her experiences with The Purple Man, or possibly just to quickly establish that she likes to drink. I think that’s the other main problem with this opening episode. There’s clearly been some attempt to reintroduce all of these characters, just in case you’ve seen never watched the previous shows. The only problem there is if you have watched every episode, like myself, these characters almost slip into caricature.
The first time we meet Jessica she’s waking up hungover in a bar; the second time we see Jessica, she’s drinking a coffee with whiskey in it. OK, I get it; she likes to drink. It’s probably useful if you’ve never seen an episode of Jessica Jones, but if you’ve already spent close to 13 hours with this character, it feels laboured and unnecessary. Similarly heavy-handed is the treatment of Luke Cage. Whenever he appears on screen, he’s accompanied by hip-hop or RnB. OK, I get it: he’s the Hero of Harlem. Again, it just feels a bit clunky and lazy. I don’t want to be reintroduced to characters I’ve spent so much time with. I want the show to play with and reward the familiarity I have with these characters – something the Marvel movies do incredibly well.
Sigourney Weaver's Alexandra is also introduced as the leader of The Hand, an ancient organisation that has featured prominently in Netflix's other Marvel shows. Alexandra is wrapped in mystery, and while intriguing it's hard at this point to really regard her as a villainous force. The Hand instigates a major citywide disaster at the end of the episode, but their motivations remain frustratingly unclear beyond the vague destruction of New York. Hopefully she and The Hand grow in presence and threat.
Stylistically, each character’s scenes possesses a signature colour – Luke’s scenes are highlighted in a golden yellow, whereas Jessica’s are cold and blue. It’s stylish and creates continuity with their respective shows, but it unwittingly underscores the overriding sense of disjointedness that’s prevalent in this episode.
The Defenders should feel liberated by the groundwork laid down by each of its lead-in shows, but instead – at least in its curtain-raiser – is at pain to repeat so much, and in doing so wastes much of its own time. It’s certainly not helped by characters being left in tricky situations by their respective shows. This feels much more like a necessa...
Eric Calvin and Aaron react to and discuss season 1 episode 1 of Marvel's The Defenders The H WordVote in our polls and see certain Blind Wave videos early!!...
- 25 min
- 148.4K
- Blind Wave
Aug 18, 2017 · ‘Marvel’s The Defenders’: Episode 1 ‘The H Word’ Recap & Spoilers. 0 Shares. By Daniel S. Levine. Updated Aug 18, 2017 at 4:12pm. Netflix The Defenders.
- Daniel S. Levine
Aug 18, 2017 · “The H Word” basically functions as a 50-minute long “Where Are They Now” segment that somewhat stylishly catches us up with our favorite street-level Don’t-Call-Us-Heroes (or Legends), some...
Aug 2, 2017 · 1.7K. 57K views 6 years ago Collider TV Talk. The forces of TV Talk and Heroes collide to bring you the review of "The H Word", the series premiere of Marvel's The Defenders, with...
- 15 min
- 57.6K
- Collider Extras
Aug 18, 2017 · EPISODE 1: "The H Word" SYNOPSIS: Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand investigate criminals and fight justice, unaware that their paths are about to cross.
