Thread:BEJT/@comment-27496405-20170830154244/@comment-26838855-20170904211209

T-888 wrote: I liked them all. To me the whole Inhumans thing seemed to be Kevin Fiegie killing the former Marvel President's dreams of a Inhumans movie because that was his pet project and then Fiegie took over and it got turned into a rushed TV show. I just like the serial nature of thr Netflix shows. That and the more mature tones, that makes them better to me. I generally enjoy the Netflix shows. The five in the lead-up to The Defenders I felt were as good as the order they came out:
 * Daredevil: Season 1 - exceptional, a fresh take on the MCU, really well-written with great characters and an amazing villain, a fantastic lead and a good story to carry through.
 * Jessica Jones: Season 1 - overall, great. A bit slow in places - the first few episodes feel like they alternate between kicking it into gear and then stalling, before kicking in again, but especially the run of Episodes 7-10 are fantastic. Really had something to say, great themes and characters, strong writing, a brilliant villain, a solid finale, but a little bit padded.
 * Daredevil: Season 2 - a really enjoyable but inferior sequel season. Some incredibly written episodes and scenes, especially with the Punisher in Episodes 3 and 4 - New York's Finest being my favourite episode from all of Marvel Netflix. The characters continue to be great, Jon Bernthal also shines, the court drama is good, the action is mostly great, Fisk is used perfectly, and Elodie Yung is a great choice for a mostly great Elektra - but the season does lose its way. It feels towards the end like it has run out of plot and drive, as it just falls into a vague ninja show with nonsensical revelations, underwhelming villains, and unnecessary drama, and the season lost track of Matt's character a little, losing sight of the brilliant Catholicism and morality arc of Season 1 and making him make some odd, bad choices. But still really solid.
 * Luke Cage: Season 1 - I loved a lot of Luke Cage. It was so stylish and cultured and effortlessly cool, and Mike Colter and Mahershala Ali brought real class to it. It again had something to say about African-American/Harlem culture and the numerous references to important black history were really well-informed, and the music was a wonderful addition. Killing Cottonmouth in Episode 7 was an intriguing choice - could Marvel Netflix have fixed their 13-episode problem? Like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 4 went on to do, a great way of solving the extensive seasons is to break it up, with overall arcs but different sections, and it felt like Luke Cage was going to do just that, to keep things moving. But one thing the first half of the season lacked was a sense of direction. It was really enjoyable to watch, but it was unclear where it was headed, though I felt sure it had a direction - and that direction was Diamondback. Erik LaRay Harvey was great, making Diamondback unhinged and wild and crazy, and Episode 8 felt really promising - this was the goal. Diamondback, this force of nature, was the direction the show was headed. And then the show just grinded to a halt for me. Mariah was interesting, Shades was slick and sly and brilliant, but the Diamondback arc felt uninteresting, two episodes of Luke just going to get his bullet removed felt unnecessary, and the whole thing about Willis being his brother felt forced and not quite justified. The season then reaches its climax as Diamondback enters in a suit which is much worse than anything the MCU had produced until then, and the finale, while interesting, felt more like a recap of the season, putting characters into new places, and then just fizzled out. Luke Cage: Season 1 was inspired and risky, and killing Cottonmouth was ballsy, but in the end it didn't service the show well, and the season fell a little flat on plot and excitement, while remaining bright and stylish throughout, and full of great performances.
 * Iron Fist: Season 1 - Sigh... It's not terrible. It was just poorly written, lazily put together, questionably cast, and had nothing to say. I like Finn Jones, I think he seems like a fun guy, he's good in Game of Thrones, but the show and its writing does him disservice and while he's not a bad actor, he's not great enough to elevate it. Some of the action is good, such as in Episodes 8 and 12, but otherwise the show just felt at times like it was plodding through the episodes and repeating itself, and Danny was often being obnoxious. I get that they wanted his character's arc to continue into The Defenders, but if so, what do you do for 13 episodes? The show didn't feel like it justified its existence. Daredevil had great stories to tell and themes to explore, Jessica Jones got to tell a great story about consent and female strength while also exploring the aftermath of mental and physical abuse and victims, Luke Cage explored black culture and brutality and a moral, bulletproof hero who stands in the way of the bad things in his neighbourhood, and Iron Fist... had minimal martial arts, did little to explore the Asian cultures that come with it, and had half the cast be rich 1%ers, and had nothing to say. Colleen is great, Ward and Joy became more interesting, Harold was good at times, Gao was still good, Claire is good, and I'm sure there's more to like because I remember finding it alright in the end I just can't remember much that stands out. Episodes 6 and 12 were solid, it's enjoyable still being inside the MCU, and there was some interesting stuff with the mythology it teases and Danny's naivety, but he just didn't grow or learn, and his incompetence with the Iron Fist felt unnecessary, especially when he didn't improve or even learn a new skill/get a costume. It just felt like an afterthought of a season - Danny could have been introduced or teased in a previous show, and then just been our new member when the Defenders come together. Plus he has a stupid haircut that doesn't help his likeability.

With a decline in quality over time, I was worried, if anything more about shows like The Punisher - a great supporting character and a fantastic portrayal, but a full 13-episode season of just grim Punisher stuff? However, while The Defenders was far from perfect, it was definitely a step back up, somewhere between Daredevil: Season 2 and Luke Cage: Season 1 for me. And Iron Fist definitely improved as a character as well. They have had time to learn from complaints and mistakes now, and while it still concerns me that they might be rushing out these shows too fast, I am more excited for the shows moving forward. Jessica Jones: Season 2 had a while to be in development before filming began and should be very interesting, Luke Cage: Season 2 could be cool, Daredevil: Season 3 has the potential to do some very interesting stuff with Fisk, Born Again and other stories to tell, and Danny is in an interesting place at the end of The Defenders to carry into his Season 2. He is confident and brave and ready to protect the city (not sure if he'll still be like that come his own season, since Daredevil will presumably be known to be alive by then, but hey), plus with practically the promise of a costume, and the fact we'll get the Daughters of the Dragon. Plus, hopefully, more crossovers now - Luke Cage and Iron Fist especially would/will benefit from guest stars, pairings, and Heroes for Hire/Daughters of the Dragon. Plus, The Punisher does look kinda awesome from the little we've seen.