‘The Defenders’: Marvel’s Netflix Game Hasn’t Improved [Review]

What is it about Marvel TV shows and their inability to tell halfway redeemable superhero stories that pale in comparison to even the most mediocre big screen counterparts? Marvel’s ABC series are abominable (the upcoming “Inhumans” looks like it’s about to be savaged by critics), the FX shows aren’t great (sorry, I don’t love “Legion,” though it’s definitely the best of the bunch so far) and the comic book studio’s Netflix shows are largely hit-and-miss, at best. Even when they’re adequate (the glowering “Daredevil,” the snippy “Jessica Jones”), there are qualities within —  soap opera-ish melodrama, tons of plotblocking — that are so hard to tolerate.

READ MORE: ‘The Defenders’ Trailer: The War For New York Is Here

Maybe the question should be: what’s up with superhero narratives on TV and their atrocious attention to quality control? And it’s not a question of budgets and VFX that can’t compare; they can’t, but strong characters and story should always trounce these issues.

Perhaps the Marvel TV problem is the lack of MCU mastermind Kevin Feige and the surplus of Jeph Loeb (and perhaps Ike Perlmutter, who now has no purview over Marvel movies but still has input on their small screen fare). Say what you will about Marvel Studios, but they are very good at what they do and generally nail the absolutely critical tone of their superhero movies. And they’re not unimpeachable. I haven’t liked a Marvel movie since ‘Civil War,’ but tone and consistency of brand is not something they need to worry about.

Marvel shows on Netflix suffer from a litany of issues. Plotting is rote, actors are an issue unless your name is Krysten Ritter (the less said about Mike Colter and Finn Jones the better), the angst-ridden characters are largely one-dimensional (everyone), their problems tend to be a wounded-bird variation on “what’s your damage?” and the tone is…well, fairly consistent, but it’s a superficially dark and moody mien that never convinces. It’s cheesy and hackneyed, to be honest, like watching a bunch of B-list actors who failed their audition to play Christian Bale’s Dark Knight thinking to themselves, “if I can just express a little bit more inner torment and anguish, I’m gonna nail this role.”

Apart from half a season of “Jessica Jones” (until it restarts itself all over again midway through the season with big plotblock 2×4 to the face), elements of “Daredevil” like Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) (please don’t insist on those poorly choreographed hallway fights; one long shot doesn’t inherently make that shot good), and the introduction of the Punisher, Marvel’s Netflix shows are largely unremarkable. Like the problem with many superhero narratives in movies and TV, they place a high premium on brooding aesthetics while offering very little in the way of persuasive emotional, psychological or moral depth (the gaslighting moments of “Jessica Jones” being the exception). Even classic good vs. evil archetypes (we’re not asking for a lot) aren’t very compelling.

Which takes us to “The Defenders,” Marvel’s latest show. The confluence of all the superhero shows that have come before plays more like “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist” (the worst of the bunch) and less “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones.” “The Defenders,” like all of the other Marvel Netflix shows, is a passive rather than engaging experience. It’s like a lot of TV, which is incredibly easy to digest but extremely difficult to gain nutrition from. It’s classic Television, before the age of engaging Peak TV: you can switch your brain off for a minute because there is virtually nothing to think about other than what’s on screen. No pesky subtext, none of that nuance stuff, no mystery other than where the plot will go, but even blockbuster escapism is far more interesting than what little is given here.

Diagnosing the issues of ‘Defenders’ is somewhat difficult because the show has zero to say other than the now-clichéd notion that there’s no I in team if you want to defeat the bad guys (the mother hen of which is Sigourney Weaver). This version says: reluctant, sort-of super heroic people can still be superheroes.

“The Defenders” is more plot follow through than anything else, essentially a continuation of the “Iron Fist” story that was weaved through “Daredevil.” That narrative focused  on the evil, mystical ninja force known as The Hand, which is trying to take over and destroy New York City (for reasons unknown, but surely feel weightless). If that sounds lame, that’s because it is.

The petulant and privileged Danny Rand (aka Iron Fist, and played by a perpetually huffy Jones) and Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil, and played by Cox who is no thespian) are trying to defeat The Hand in parallel, but unbeknownst to one another and not in conjunction. Sucked into their efforts is the unenthusiastic Jessica Jones (Ritter) — whose character is really just the annoyingly sarcastic and insufferable Daria of the super hero world—and more accidentally, Luke Cage (the still utterly wooden Mike Colter), the earnest and easily most blandly written character of the bunch. (Special shout out to Scott Glenn‘s particular brand of awful as the character Stick).

These disparate forces of good in New York —  not heroes, just regular Manhattanites with special abilities — unite to fight the forces of evil and it doesn’t get much deeper. What’s supposed to differentiate “The Defenders” is the idea that none of these characters are traditional superheroes, and most of them are incredibly averse to working with other people. So while a threat to New York lives below the city, the Defenders vote against their own best interests and try and work solo, rather than recognizing the strength in numbers. Until they don’t and they figure shit out. That’s pretty much the show.

There’s been some talk of “The Defenders” characters crossing over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For one, you can bet that’s never going to happen for political reasons (Feige hates Perlmutter and basically all the TV shows, and for good reason, as they cheapen the Marvel Studios brand) and two, quality control. These shows simply aren’t up to par. So you can cross that pipe dream off your list.

While only four of eight episodes of “The Defenders” were made available to press (the show is truncated compared to the thirteen episodes of the previous shows), nothing about the series sparks or catches fire. Even the fourth episode that finally teams up all characters is underwhelming.

With lackluster characters (and flavorless actors) picking up where their facile story left off, “The Defenders” doesn’t offer much to viewers. Mind you, fans of superhero TV shows will probably leave feeling satisfied. It’s standard, digestible, easy-to-following storytelling that is at least marginally entertaining. And truth be told, “The Defenders” is moderately watchable, but it’s just not any good. [C]