The Defenders The Defenders Discussion Thread (NO SPOILER TAGS NECESSARY!)

The only number that got thrown around was $200 million for 60 episodes of TV. That was for the first seasons of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Defenders.

 

And I don't think that $200 million is accurate. We don't know the line-by-line budget for each show. I do believe that Daredevil season 2 was budgeted separately given that it wasn't part of the original deal, but that's all.

 

That sounds like a decent budget, although I don't know much about TV budgets.

 

That's the number that got reported in the trades.

http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/di...uomo-set-11-am-et-news-conference-1201121502/

$200 million for 60 one-hour episodes. That means 13 for the first season of each show and eight for Defenders. Each show's first season got 13 episodes, and Defenders got 8 episodes.

No, we don't know the line-by-line budget for each show. But this is the only number we got thrown out there to roughly approximate anything.

 

Frank Castle has his own war, against the guys who killed his family, and the last thing Matt needs is someone with guns showing all the Defenders how easy and good it feels to kill. Also how do they contact him? He didn't give Matt his phone number and aside from the earthquake, the Hand kept most of their action secret. So unless his crime sense is canon Frank has no way to go "crime is happening there, I'll grab my gun and shoot everyone".

Plus, Matt already disagreed with Frank’s methods when they first faced off and I doubt the rest of the group would be any more accepting of his methods. It’s possible that they could work together, but they’d be keeping Frank on a short leash. In the comics, Frank usually works well with those who are able to tolerate his methods or resort to similar methods themselves, like Elektra, Ghost Rider and Wolverine

 

Especially when she's missed out on Jessica Jones season 2 now.

 

The budget must get eaten up on a BIG scale due to actually filming in NYC.

Netflix knows these shows were big hits, why weren't they reinforced with larger budgets for their second seasons.

 

This show was absolutely terrible. Best moment was probably the last fight between Matt and Elektra and the very end.

 

I've never really commented on this show since took my time until saw some of it late last year and just sort of fastfowarded it feeling like they're not really putting much effort into the story (really decompressed and Netflix tries to churn too much out all at once and it tells).

Action was good if not a bit repetitive is about all I could say about it. The least viewed show really says a lot when this was supposed to be the big one. Story was quite a letdown overall and really seemed like a poor man's Avengers that didn't really play off one another at all which was intentional but unlike the Avengers not entertaining nor engaging for me.

I'll watch the Sabrina show coming up to see what that's like but this is it for me with these Netflix shows for a while now. I will not bother with them until they're all done with I don't think. Even though Punisher had a pretty interesting trailer and all, I checked a few clips with him and the bikers or wielding a hammer hitting people and just like whatever. It kind of makes me annoyed cause there are such great moments especially in some of Daredevil and to lesser extent Jessica Jones that really are trampled over by the product as a whole.

The lost opportunities at fitting story into each episode or selectively ignoring things really make me hope the DC streaming service takes a queue on what did and didn't work with the Netflix shows.

 

I think we needed a stronger threat or end boss basically. And not "The Hand was just digging up Shao Lao's bones to live longer and return home." It's an underwhelming reveal.

 

Without even telling it was really Shao Lao. It was just a dragon. Fans just speculated at it being that particular dragon.

 

I think the black sky should've been a vessel for mephisto or something ridiculous like that. They could've made it interdimensional instead of mystical and everything. Maybe ghost rider could've been involved in Johnny Blaze played by Jensen Ackles.

 

Just something cool and interesting taken from the comics. It doesn't have to be Mephisto necessarily.

Black Sky was a McGuffin really.

 

Elektra was hit-or-miss. Like, back in Daredevil, she had some pretty funny moments when she wasn't being bloodthirsty. But there were also a number of moments where there's too much "Uhh...what?" going on with her and the Hand for me to care. If there had been more foresight during the writing stage of Daredevil season 2 for what they were going to do with The Defenders, this could've been pulled off better, but I really wasn't into the Hand as depicted there at all, if only because they were the villains during the part of the season where Matt was being unnecessarily self-destructive (which is the reason I like to pretend Daredevil season 2 ended at episode 6).

(On a related note, I also don't think anything with present day Matt has ever reflected the kind of almost last-minute "Turns out I actually love you, Elektra" decisions that the writers make to show him get really emotional over her in the climaxes of both Daredevil season 2 and The Defenders; a lot about Elektra and her relationship with Matt along with the entirety of the Hand is really messy.)

I would say that the writers did not have any real idea when they started, as to how the Defenders story would play out. The Daredevil showrunners seem to have had one plan for The Hand and Elektra, and then it got really messy trying to also add in all the stuff established of the Hand over in Iron Fist.

 

I honestly really liked Elektra's part in DDS2 (both the character and Elodies portrayal), she was pretty much the girl from the MWF miniseries, not so much how she was when she was first introduced in the comics.
I also think it's interesting that in one of the very first issues of her Matt actually comments on that there is something inside of her "some kind of beast", and that they used that in the show.
I do agree on that her part in Defenders, and also much of the Hand should have gotten a few more rounds around the thinking table before filming began. It was highly enjoyable though but it didn't really deliver for me.
Actually, anything revolving the Hand, Madame Gao and Nobu that came after DDS1 seemed poorly thought out, like they forgot to share notes between the shows.

 

I didn't dislike Elektra on certain moments, but some felt unnatural. Like the writers didn't have the pacing to create the right circumstances for certain scenes, that now feel rushed.
Plus the planning overall between the shows was something that was really hanging on the storylines of DD2 and IF1, so 3 parties needed to figure this out, felt indeed like they should've taken an extra meeting for this to feel more fluent.
Maybe a second season will be without these issues.
I still love The Defenders series, just skip a few moments here and there ;-)

 

Fan made?

 

Official... They had it last year but not in HQ.

https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2017/08/marvels-the-defenders-gets-a-new-poster/

 

Darn. I was hoping that poster meant we were getting a blu ray release or something LOL! Along with Iron Fist

 

That is an awesome poster

 

Can anyone tell me when Season 1 is coming out on Blu-ray / DVD please ?

 

I didn't like this show besides a couple of moments, but when I usually have in my mind several scenarios of "what they could've done", I'm completely blank with this one. I don't know how they can make this work as a series and with TV budget. This was supposed to be the 'big crossover' but it felt like any other season of the characters. What bothers me the most is the lack of momentum, of pacing. I think maybe they should do like a 6-episode season in real time with a big threat, like 24. A ticking clock plot to give everything some much needed fast-pace. Have them together in a couple of episodes and then make different combinations of characters, which is usually the most fun part of a crossover like this.

 

I had wished that the Sowande character wasn't killed off when he was. I would have liked to have see him go on to become a villain for the Luke Cage show, and it could have been useful for him to have encountered one of the Black Panthers of the past, since he's apparently hundreds of years old and established Africa as his continent of influence.

 

Not that the season was entirely bad, but it was a little dissapointing and could/should have been WAY better. It had all the exact same problems all the other shows but Daredevil had. Too little budget and too much filler, even when it was just 8 episodes. More budget and better planning for next time please.