Boardroom battles
Finally, The Defenders has begun.
After two episodes spent manoeuvring people into position and laying down exposition, the show finally begins to enjoy itself, having genuine fun exploring potential of its exciting premise – seeing these characters interact and unite into a more dysfunctional team than we're used to seeing.
But before we get to that good stuff, the episode begins with an extended flashback showing the resurrection of Elektra. It’s a stylish, self-contained sequence, in which her body is retrieved, ritualistically wrapped in red fabric, and bathed in a mysterious black fluid. Once revived, she’s immediately put back into training by Alexandria. This isn’t the Elektra who Matty wanted to run away with at the end of Daredevil’s second season; she’s a cold, blank killer, remembering little of her former self. She’s now the Black Sky, the secret mythical weapon of The Hand. The fight choreography is way better than what we’ve seen in the show so far, and Elodie Yung brilliantly brings to life this new emotionless and deadly incarnation.
Even though The Hand feels more emotionally potent with Elektra thrown into the mix, as an antagonist it still feels frustratingly abstract to me. Alexandra’s immortality is once again hinted at in the opening scene – she refers to Istanbul as Constantinople, its ancient name – but we’re no closer to understanding their real, concrete intentions aside from the destruction of New York. We’re told repeatedly how terrifying The Hand is but their ideology is never elaborated on in any detail and we see little of the pain they've inflicted upon the ordinary inhabitants of the city. The closest we come is seeing Stick sever his own Hand off in order to escape their clutches. If Stick is willing to do that, they must be pretty bad, I guess.
Even if The Hand land their leader Alexandra lack potency right now, episode three remains a significant improvement in the show. Our heroes are paired up in organic ways: Matt acting as Jessica’s legal council and Claire Temple introducing Luke to Danny. Watching these characters finally come together, and start to size each other up and butt heads is a lot of fun due to some nice back-and-forth dialogue and prickly put-downs.
In particular, I enjoyed Luke’s incredulity at hearing Danny describing how he became the immortal Iron Fist. (Dragons? Seriously?) But this frivolous exchange nicely segues into a much more interesting conversation about their perspectives on being a hero and the ethical dilemma of using those powers at the street-level. Luke calls Danny out for beating up on thugs, instead of using his real power and influence as a businessman to take on the people who are really responsible – The Hand as a corporate entity.
Luke prompts Danny Rand to suit up. No, not that one unfortunately, but one with a tie and some smart shiny shoes. He confidently assumes the mantle of Danny Rand, billionaire and CEO of Rand industries, and takes the fight to The Hand in a literal boardroom. After a comparatively weak debut for the character, this is a far more assertive, interesting incarnation of the character; I’m so happy to see the moping hippie finally transform into some more like the confident, cocky hero he should be.
Of course, the episode doesn’t conclude with a corporate takeover but an actual boardroom fight. Finally, Finn Jones is given some half-decent martial arts choreography, which sees Iron Fist take on The Hand’s executives. This fight nicely escalates, adding Luke, Daredevil, and Jessica in turn, resulting in the hallway fight that’s featured heavily in the promos for the show. It’s a fun action sequence, watching the characters fight alongside each other, but it lacks the raw violence or scope of Daredevil’s two comparable sequences. In the second season of Daredevil, Matt fights his way across multiple floors, descending into a sort of figurative hell, with multiple hidden cuts. This just doesn’t feel as ambitious in comparison. It’s exciting, and there are some great moments – Danny and Luke teaming up nicely, with Cage acting as his personal bullet-proof shield or Danny’s iron fist shattering Elektra’s sword and saving Daredevil – but it's not quite on the same level.
The Verdict
Worst Behaviour wasn’t the most spectacular or dramatic episode of Netflix’s Marvel shows, it finally gets around to realising the potential of its basic brilliant premise. These are fun characters, and having them interact – whether it’s a tart exchange between Matt and Jessica or Luke and Danny fighting alongside – is what this show should really be about.
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