The Defenders S01E06 Review: Divided

The Defenders, Season 1, Episode 6: Ashes, Ashes

This episode is another "things happen" episode. and, boy, while I think I still like the previous episode a lot better, so many things happened in this episode, huh? Whereas the last two episodes are the big mid-movie action scene, if we're taking the entire Netflix season as an equivalent to a movie (and you should, in some ways), this would be the part of the movie that raises the stakes as we're sent rocketing towards the grand finale. We've got the tensions built up in the previous episode boil over as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen does battle against the Immortal Iron Fist (I may have enjoyed the scenes of Daredevil whupping Iron Fist's ass a lot more than I should), as Daredevil and Jessica Jones investigate what the architect was working on, as Luke, Danny and Stick have a conversation, as Alexandra tries her best to keep her house in order, and as Elektra stabs Alexandra in the gut in the finale... not because she turned good, as everyone expected, but because she wants to take over. It all sounds great on paper, and while it's certainly enjoyable, there are some pacing issues that I wished was ironed out a little before

So let's try to dissect the various events that happened in this episode, where I think that the episode peaked in its beginning and end, but didn't have a strong enough middle section to really hold it. The final, oh, ten to fifteen minutes are just an insane whirlwind, with Elektra showing up at the warehouse that Luke Cage and Stick were holding Danny Rand hostage (long story, but suffice to say that it's for Danny's own good). Stick and Luke, who are fighting over whether Stick should kill Danny right now to deny him to the Hand, are caught unawares as Elektra shows up, knocks out Luke Cage, with Iron Fist being powerless, and murders Stick, earning our first named casualty in the series. And then Elektra manages to knock out both Daredevil and Jessica when they show up. And then, after Alexandra manages to quell rebellion from the other fingers... Elektra abruptly stabs Alexandra and declares her intention to take over. It's a twist, but one that I'm not sure the show neeeds. Let's talk about the elephant in the room, then...

Becuase, as much as I didn't expect the twist, it doesn't really mean that I consider it a particularly good twist insomuch that I feel like Alexandra's story isn't fully told yet. Sure, we know a fair bit about Alexandra's motivations and goals. She's an immortal woman who's dying, and has chosen to put all her fates in the Black Sky regardless of what her compatriots think. There is some mother-daughter thing going on. But all of that ends up still feeling like we're missing a link here and there that explains Alexandra's blind devotion to the Black Sky, or why the other Fingers fear Alexandra so much to only take a stand now. It feels like we're starting to really develop Alexandra beyond a (figurative) mustache-twirling villain, and then she gets killed off very quickly. I dunno. Maybe I expected more because she's played by Sigourney Weaver, but I feel like this ends up being a slight disservice for the character, because for all the hype she has as the person that unites the Five Fingers and brought back the Black Sky and everything... she doesn't actually do anything but sit and terrify people.

In this episode alone, her conversation with Madame Gao, where Gao plays the diplomat (RE: past treachery, Gao's nonchalant, cheeky "the past is the past." is perfect) and tries to get Alexandra to see reason (and, failing that, she's going to back the winning horse) is absolutely fantastic, as is the completely calm conversation she has with Murakami, who flat-out says (in equal calmness) that he's going to murder her and take over. Yet any potential Hand Civil War gets interrupted by Elektra capturing Iron Fist... and her subsequent murder of Alexandra. Which... really, is a bit of a sore point. It's not that I hate Elektra as a character, but it's just that she's spent nearly the entirety of Defenders as a mute brainwashed zombie, who's remembering fragments of her old life... and I feel that despite her sleeping in Matt's bed and stealing a bible verse or whatever, she doesn't do enough to really justify her sudden change of heart into being a full-on villain.

That said, though, there are some quality acting from Sigourney Weaver and Wai Ching Ho, the particular being absolutely fantastic playing the kind granny next to Alexandra in her room, transitioning quickly to manipulator when she passes Bakuto and Murakami, and that gasp of shocked grief and vulnerability when Elektra decapitates Alexanddra. The bond between Gao and Alexandra has always been well-established in the show, even if Gao condones Murakami's murder attempt that also takes place, having Alexandra be so brutally murdered as opposed to being killed by 'one of their own' horrifies Gao and this wordless scene speaks a fair bit despite my general disdain with the Alexandra/Elektra stuff.  Also really liked the expressions on Gao, Bakuto and Murakami's faces when Sowande's head was sent to them, showing that they truly are mortal now.

Which, by the way, is their main goal, as exposition tells us this episode. The 'substance' used to resurrect Elektra is the same substance that the Five Fingers (also Nobu) used to return from the dead, and the resources Alexandra committed to raising Elektra, at the cost of all their mortalities, is the immortality-granting substance itself. And apparently the Iron Fist can open a gateway to... K'un Lun (wasn't it razed to the ground?) or somewhere related to K'un Lun that would give them more of the substance.

Of course, the Hand isn't the only team having problems, because the Defenders are collapsing themselves. When the Defenders realize that the Hand wants the Iron Fist, the best plan is, of course, to keep the Iron Fist as far away from the Hand as possible -- something that the hot-headed, naive Danny obviously balks at. Yes, it's so easy to dismiss Danny as being an irresponsible twat once again (and he is!) but at least this time around he genuinely has a point -- he is the most powerful member in their group offensively, he is a mighty warrior,  and he would be a great asset against the Hand. There are many ways in which, and I cannot believe I'm saying this, that I agree with Danny Rand's argument. Of course, like any pampered bully, when others refuse to play ball, Danny jumps from "guys, come on, you need me on the front lines" to "I will BEAT YOU ALL UP if you don't let me fight with you!" and, yes, it's out of his own misguided intentions that this is all part of the Hand's mind-games and shit, but come on, man.

Of course, with his own investment in Elektra, and second-guessing Stick, Daredevil isn't the most objective person around. Add Jessica (naturally) pouring kerosene into the fire by egging the conflict and pointing out that Daredevil has been keeping secrets -- not just about Elektra, but also, as we find out this episode, about the hole underneath the Midland building from the second season of Daredevil. Of course, it turns out that when Iron Fist wants to fight, he fights. And god damn the martial arts battle between Iron Fist and Daredevil is gorgeous. It might just be my favourite fight in the entire show, without hyperbole. The fight is great, and as Jessica tries to stop Daredevil from beating up Danny, Danny reflexively pushes Jessica aside... causing her to retaliate... causing Luke to try and stop Danny... causing Danny to unleash the Iron Fist to lay waste to the entire base.

The rest of the episode, sadly, is a bit clunkier. The constant scene-changing from the pairs of Luke/Danny, Matt/Jessica and the goings-on in the Hand side of things... sprinkle copious amounts of Elektra ruminating the world, and the episode has one of the more uneven pacings I've seen. It's not bad, it just feels a wee bit too choppy.

Thankfully the actosr play off each other very well. Danny and Luke's chemistry are well done even if Danny's tied up and hostile, with Danny being earnest but so socially awkward, whereas Luke just exudes this aura of confidence. I did like how Luke starts to soften once he realizes even more that Danny isn't a horrible person, he's a nice dude that says horrible things because he truly is that naive. Everyone and their mother knows a Luke/Danny team-up in the future is all but certain, and this episode certainly sells me on that. By the time the bigger conflict looms, Luke was ready to divulge personal information about his and Jessica's past relationship, even if he doesn't quite buy the whole punched-a-dragon thing. Of course, and then Stick tries to get a third option and snuff out the Iron Fist before Elektra shows up, so there's that.

Stick's pretty cool, too, having a brief moment of tenderness against Elektra before expiring, while still being an extremist for the greater good, ready to snuff Danny Rand out of existence to deny the Hand the Iron Fist, which clearly is crossing the line compared to decapitating Sowande or training child soldiers. Stick does get some neat bits of manipulation with Luke and Danny, getting the two of them to lower their guard by talking about how he was adopted from hell by the Chaste, and as he's about to kill Danny, he notes how survivors make it up as they go along and apologizes for how necessary this is. Stick's role as a mentor, and a morally-ambiguous one at that, has always made him prime candidate for being killed off in a higher-stakes season, and this certainly counts. Stick's death is going to be missed, because I for one truly enjoyed Stick's jackass one-liners.

Jessica Jones and Daredevil, clearly, win the "most fun duo" award. Jessica's one of the angrier members of the group when she realizes Matt's deception last episode (and this one, too)  but the two's chemistry is absolutely excellent, with Matt's no-nonsense attitude and Jessica's fuck-the-world attitude playing off each other pretty well. It's a pretty great moment as Jessica tries to recount the story of Matt's father in front of that little girl, showing once more that, yes, despite her brusque exterior, Jessica Jones is a hero and a loyal friend.. The two discovering the blueprints in the piano is slightly convoluted how they jump from inspiring speech to "I believe the architect hid something behind the piano", but I'll buy it, simply because Matt acting extra-blind to reach the piano is hilarious (Jessica evidently thinks so too).

Also, they just have so much great dialogue. Matt: "You sure [this is the house]?" Jessica: "99 percent. -pause- 92 percent. But that's still a lot." or this: Jessica: "My past is none of your goddamn business. And it's not actively trying to kill us." or that hilarious eyeroll Jessica has when Matt tells her it's not a tunnel, it's a hole? The two's mutual respect, and Jessica's agreement to trust each other, is definitely well done.

And then there's Elektra. She has... dreams as she sleeps in Matt's apartment, and she is this weird mix of both the Black Sky and the old Elektra, and takes in everything Alexandra says or does... and decides to just, eh, stab Alexandra and take over. She remembers everything, it seems, because he calls Matthew by name, but she's unaffected by her parents in either life, stabbing Stick and later stabbing Alexandra. I'm not really sure I buy any of this, though, because moreso than the backstory Sowande exposits before his death, Alexandra has been built up for far longer, over the course of nearly the entire episode, but was never really allowed to act on that beyond the Black Sky stuff. And while there is never a scene where Alexandra was flat-out bad, I think the show could've done a lot better. I dunno. Maybe I just wanted to see Sigourney Weaver do a lot more? I feel like she's wasted as the villain that ended up as a mere stepping stone for Elektra. I dunno. I still feel a bit ambivalent about it.