"The Defenders" The Defenders(2017) ##BEST##
For Alexandra and the Hand, the executive producers suggested the color white as a repurposing of the phrase "the light at the end of the tunnel" given the group are immortal supervillains. Alexandra's costumes also feature metallic elements to suggest that she was more of a warrior in a past life and has that "fierceness or a power within her".[78] In general, her costumes are European inspired and of "an older world" to create "a global feeling to her wardrobe, very lush ... her wardrobe reflects that kind of ancientness".[26] The resurrected Elektra receives a new costume inspired by her comics appearance.[80] Because it would look out of place on the streets of New York, Maslansky also designed a coat for her to cover this up that was inspired by The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981) and The Matrix (1999), and meant to appeal to Alexandra's taste in clothing.[75]
"The Defenders" The Defenders(2017)
In February 2017, John Paesano was announced as the composer for the miniseries, after previously composing for the first two seasons of Daredevil.[98] Paesano felt "there was more license to push the envelope and lean a bit more into the orchestral colors" of each character since they were "dealing with outright superheroes that [their] audience is familiar with". His score, which was a hybrid of synthesizers and a 30-piece orchestra, borrows the "color" of each character's themes from their individual series "to remind viewers of their individual personalities".[99] The music of Johannes Brahms is used throughout the miniseries, first in the second episode where Alexandra is shown listening to a performance of his First String Quartet by the Aeolus Quartet. The scene establishes Alexandra to be "a Brahms aficionado". The composer's First Symphony is then heard as the leaders of the Hand prepare to attack the Defenders in the miniseries' fifth episode. Finally, Alexandra listens to a defective recording of Brahms' Tragic Overture.[45]
The Defenders is the final series of the initially ordered Netflix series, after Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.[84][85] In August 2014, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Fisk in Daredevil, stated Marvel Television planned to "branch out" after the Netflix series.[101] In March 2015, Loeb confirmed that there was potential for the series to crossover with the MCU films and the ABC television series since they are all set in the same universe, but said they would each remain self-contained at first because "the audience needs to understand who all of these characters are and what the world is before you then start co-mingling".[102]
At the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, a teaser trailer was shown featuring the word "Defend" forming from pieces of the logos from the four previous series over "the ominous shape of a giant hand", along with Glenn providing a voice over as Stick, asking how the four heroes plan to save New York when they cannot save themselves.[104] For New York Comic Con later that year, the four Defenders' actors appeared together on stage, along with Weaver, to promote the miniseries.[27]
Reviewing the first four episodes of the series, Katharine Trendacosta for io9 appreciated the writers for addressing the questions viewers wanted answered and depicting moments that fans wanted to see without "sacrificing the characters or the story". She did criticize the amount of exposition, the unoriginal story, and the "over-the-top" villains, but felt that "the good of The Defenders far outweighs the bad ... it's all a canvas to showcase Matt, Jessica, Luke, and Danny coming together [to be] more entertaining".[125] The Washington Post's David Betancourt also gave a positive review, calling the event "well worth the wait", enjoying the pairing of Cage and Rand and calling Weaver's "compelling" Alexandra the "biggest surprise" of the series.[126] Jeff Jensen for Entertainment Weekly gave the series a "B+", calling it "lively genre entertainment that recharges your interest in Marvel pop". He praised the fact that The Defenders was only 8 episodes long, compared to the 13 of previous Marvel Netflix seasons.[127] Dan Jolin of Empire gave The Defenders 3 out of 5 stars, finding "enough joy" in the interactions between the Defenders to make it feel "worth the wait". However, he felt it failed to "up the ante story-wise", and was disappointed that Weaver's Alexandra was "yet another businessperson baddie whose dirty deeds are hidden by sharp suits".[128]
USA Today's Kelly Lawler was more critical of the series, awarding it 2 out of 4 stars. Lawler felt Rand was the "undeniable handicap" of the series, having hoped that "The Defenders would shy away from Danny and his petulance, but unfortunately, Iron Fist is integral to the larger plot". She also felt the series had pacing issues, and said the Defenders as a group "lack chemistry". Lawler felt Weaver was "a bright spot" but concluded "viewers who were attracted to one or more of the Netflix series for their unique perspectives will be disappointed" by The Defenders.[131] Reviewing the entire miniseries, Daniel Krupa of IGN gave it a 6.5 out of 10, saying, The Defenders felt "uneven, hastily-planned, and ultimately like a missed opportunity". Krupa pointed out the pacing issues and described the Hand as "an ill-defined, confused and confusing antagonist" that did not compare favorably to previous Marvel Netflix villains such as Wilson Fisk, Kilgrave, and Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes. Krupa did call the chemistry between the main characters "excellent", and praised Yung as providing "the most credible and emotionally-rich villain" in Elektra. The highlight of the miniseries for him was the Chinese restaurant scene in the fourth episode.[132]
In January 2015, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos said that The Defenders was "eligible to go into multiple seasons for sure" and Netflix would look at "how well [they] are addressing both the Marvel fanbase but also the broader fanbase" in terms of determining if additional seasons would be appropriate.[138] However, in July 2016, Loeb referred to the miniseries as a one-off event rather than a season of an ongoing story.[52] Jones said the miniseries "feels like the end of Phase One" of the Marvel Netflix series, with the events of the miniseries leading into "the beginning of another phase",[139] while Ritter said she would be happy to return for more after enjoying the experience making these episodes, despite it planned as a one-time event.[140] In mid-2018, Loeb and Netflix vice president of original content Cindy Holland both said that there were "no plans" to continue the series.[141][142]
Contains the largest amount of series regulars out of any of the Marvel Netflix series. All previous shows have had thirteen episode seasons while "the Defenders" is the shortest at eight episodes. This was the case as production had to begin on the second seasons of "Jessica Jones (2015)" and "Luke Cage (2016)." 041b061a72