Title: Marvel’s The Defenders Season 1 Episode 2: “Mean Right Hook”

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Superhero

Platform: Streaming – Netflix

Director: S. J. Clarkson

Writers: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Douglass Petrie

Rating: TV-MA

Release: August 18, 2017

Cast: Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Finn Jones

Feature image: Source

[Spoilers]

Daredevil

Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) is on the roof listening to the crime below him, and people’s pleas for help. He can no longer restrain himself and he heads down to help. He beats up a gun toting storeowner who is trying to shoot a couple of teenagers who robbed him. He asks Matt, “Who are you?” Matt stumbles back into his apartment and hyperventilates. He washes the blood off his hands. Matt is angry with himself, he opens his footlocker and looks at his Daredevil gear. Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) calls to meet him. They later meet at a bar. Foggy is checking on Matt; he figured after last night’s earthquake, Matt would be out there. He knows he was right looking at Matt’s bruised knuckles. Matt is ready to walk, but Foggy assures him he isn’t there to judge. He has extra work to keep Matt busy, hopefully too busy to go back to being a vigilante. Matt asks what if that doesn’t work, Foggy tells him they tried.

“In a city of nine million people, we just happen to bump into each other?” Jessica Jones – The Defenders

Jessica Jones

Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) calls Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) to see if she is all right, the epicenter of the earthquake was in Hell’s Kitchen. People are calling in to Trish’s talk show. The city says it was a 4.6 earthquake. The public is panicking, they don’t know if this was another alien invasion. A geologist calls in to say it wasn’t an earthquake; the earthquake was only 300 feet deep rather than three miles, before the geologist can continue the line goes dead. The station cuts off the call and wants her to stop talking about it.

Misty Knight (Simone Missick) is in the apartment Jessica was in the night before. Jessica is in the other room; she called this in to the police. Misty asks Jessica some questions and lets her go. She notices Jessica take a piece of evidence. Jessica uses this evidence at public records. She is looking up transfers of assets, the transfers she is researching keep going back in time, the oldest record goes back to 1820. She notices that even though the transfers have different names, it is the same handwriting. Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) appears and tells Jessica they have to talk.

Jessica: “In a city of nine million people, we just happen to bump into each other?” Hogarth tries to warn Jessica to stop investigating this case; it is a federal matter now. It is a terrorism case. Jessica says this guy doesn’t have a background that suggests this. Hogarth counters that with all the C-4 Jessica found, what would the government think. Hogarth tells her to take the day off, have a “drink or five.” She doesn’t want Jessica to be caught in the crossfire. Jessica sarcastically thanks Hogarth for her concern.

Hogarth tells Foggy that when Jessica gets into trouble, help her but make sure it doesn’t come back to their firm. Foggy asks can she stay out of trouble. Hogarth: “I wish. With Jessica, it’s just a matter of time.” Trish calls Jessica to tell her that her studio wants Trish to sweep the earthquake stuff under the rug. Jessica can see that someone has broken into her place; she will call Trish back. When she walks in, John Raymond (Alex Moggridge) has Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville) at gunpoint. Jessica: “Your wife came to me, she was worried.” He tells her I told you to stay away. Raymond tells her that they plan to bring the city down. Before he can tell her who, Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung) breaks in. Before she can get to him, he tells her, “You can’t have this,” and shoots himself in the head. Jessica tries to stop Elektra but she knocks Jessica away. Jessica gives chase but Elektra gets away. Before she can go back inside, Misty tells her to put her hands up, Jessica has John Raymond’s blood all over her face.

“You have been a huge pain in my ass all day, you know that?” Misty Knight – The Defenders

The police handcuff Jessica in the interrogation room. Misty comes in, “You have been a huge pain in my ass all day, you know that?” Jessica might have interrupted a citywide investigation. Jessica tells Misty that she was trying to help the family; they were worried. Misty says that now they will have to worry about a funeral. Misty knows Jessica didn’t kill Raymond but she wants to know whom Jessica was chasing. Jessica warns her, “You are walking into some weird ass shit.” Before she can tell her more, Matt walks in and tells her to stop talking; he is her attorney.

“But a lock is not a lock without a key.” Alexandra – The Defenders

Alexandra

A quartet is conducting a philharmonic concert for Alexandra (Sigourney Weaver). She is a major contributor. She asks them to play a piece from Brahms that sounds a bit like Beethoven. Alexandra has some insider information of the rivalry between Brahms and Beethoven. You would think she was there when it happened. Madame Gao (Wai Ching Ho) limps in on her cane. She informs Alexandra that there is a wall blocking them from K’un-Lun. Gao wants to turn back, but Alexandra wants to continue. She doesn’t think it’s a wall, but a door. She tells Gao, “But a lock is not a lock without a key.”

Much later, Alexandra goes to see a man they have handcuffed and hooded. She tells the hooded man, “Let’s skip the wartime banter.” She removes the hood revealing her prisoner is Stick (Scott Glenn). Obviously, from their conversation, they know each other well. She tells him they need to talk.

Iron Fist

Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) finds Danny Rand (Finn Jones) at her dojo meditating. He says he is preparing for a rematch. Colleen tells him that even though things haven’t gone like they would have want them to; she thinks they aren’t alone; they have allies. Danny feels guilty for their failures and feels this is his responsibility alone. Colleen has a plan, the weapon the mystery man had was a Tsukamoto, and there are only ten in the world. There is a shop in New York that might have some information on it. Danny and Colleen go to the sword shop and find a Tsukamoto laying on a table. They also find a room full of dead men. A banner on the wall is a picture of K’un-Lun. Danny: “It doesn’t make sense. Why do these people have a picture of K’un-Lun?” He and Colleen hear a van door open and hide. People with cleaning gear and gas masks are there to clean up the crime scene.

Luke Cage

Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) is treating an injured girl. Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is lifting huge blocks of cement off the street. Luke wants to find the person who is recruiting the young men of Harlem for the courier service. He plans to go to this underworld bar, but Claire corrects him, the criminals have a new bar they hang out. Luke goes to the new bar and runs into Turk (Rob Morgan), everyone’s favorite snitch. He asks Turk who is hiring these kids. When Turk tells him he doesn’t know anything and won’t help him, Luke throws a keg at him. Turk is cooperative now. The culprit isn’t Mariah, but an African man he calls White Hat, because of his fashion sense. Later, Luke sees a van pull up with the White Hat man, he is about to call Misty to get a warrant, but decides to deal with it himself.

“In between gigs, huh?” Luke Cage – The Defenders

The Confrontation

The van Luke sees contains the cleanup crew Danny and Colleen hid from; they attack the cleanup crew. After easily beating up the cleanup crew, Danny catches the one who is running away. He asks him if he is with the Hand. He doesn’t know what Danny is talking about. Danny thinks he is lying and tears off his facemask. It is Cole (J. Mallory McCree). Before Danny can hit him, Luke grabs his arm and stops him. They ask each other, “Who are you?” Luke tosses Danny aside and asks Cole, “In between gigs, huh?” Danny gets up and the two Defenders begin to fight each other. Danny hits Luke with his best shots, but they don’t affect him. Danny wonders what Luke is made of. Luke knocks him down again. Danny summons the Iron Fist and punches Luke in the jaw, making his head vibrate in slow motion. It knocks Luke off his feet into a wall. Before they can continue fighting, the police show up and arrest Cole. Colleen gets Danny and they escape. Luke quietly slips away.

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This is more like it; the Defenders begin to meet. Neither of the meetings are friendly. Luke and Danny immediately begin to fight, and Jessica is confused who her attorney is. She didn’t hire him and had never met him before. She doesn’t know it is part of Jeri Hogarth’s instructions to Foggy to help Jessica, and part of Foggy’s plan to give Matt enough work to keep him from his vigilante activities. The circle is tightening, Foggy has already met Luke, and he works for Hogarth who is connected to Jessica and Danny. They all know Claire and of course, Luke and Jessica have enjoyed ‘coffee’ together. The only ones who haven’t met yet are Matt with Luke and Danny, and Jessica with Danny. Many of the side characters like Misty are meeting the different Defenders. I’m enjoying the four shows casts intermingling.

There was more action this episode, with Danny and Colleen beating up the cleanup crew, and Danny and Luke fighting. It displayed both men’s powers. Matt also had a brief action scene with the shopkeeper. Jessica had her run-in with Elektra, but that was very short, we really didn’t get to see Jessica do anything. I’ve enjoyed the production team’s use of color for the four main heroes. All of Matt’s scenes are tinted with red, Jessica’s is tinted with purple, Luke’s is yellow, while Danny’s scenes are green. It will be interesting how the colors will be mixed together when all four defenders are together.

Grade: B+