Repetition. Repetition, repetition. Repetition? Repetition.
The Defenders s01e07 Fish in the Jailhouse
writers: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich & Marco Ramirez
director: Felix Enriquez Alcala
Netflix
Quick Review:
I tend to enjoy talking about these shows at the beginning. By the end it has been more a test of whether or not I can finish what I start. Listen, if you are this far along and still enjoying this show, good for you. Don’t let me talk you out of it. Especially not of the same reasons that I didn’t get into the other episodes. Just like what you like.
Spoilers Lurk Below
Analysis:
Okay, so yet again our heroes are off to stop bad guys from doing bad things. I guess. I mean, those bad guys want to get to Kun Lun (I don’t care enough any more to deal with fictitious apostrophes,) which was a place that I am pretty sure they’ve already been. Wasn’t that the climax of Iron Fist? Or were those other faceless, generic bad guys? For some reason I’m having a hard time telling them apart.
And then there is a fight scene. A muddy, hard to decipher fight scene. I’ve watched a lot of action scenes and am generally good of telling what is happening. Here, I had very little idea of what was going on. I know there was punching. Maybe a kick or two. Oh! There was definitely fire at the end! Outside of that, I don’t know. The lesson is that mixing multiple scenes, all with weird lighting, where all the characters are dressed in roughly the same color and texture, with quick, close cuts means your fight scene no longer tells a story and is just a jumble.
I’ll admit, part of me feels guilty for not getting that much out of this episode. I kept finding my mind drifting. I would be thinking about how I should wash the dishes. Maybe do a load of laundry. And then I’d pull my attention back to the show to hear a conversation about how Cage is supposed to be a hero of Harlem, or how Matt needs to be the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen just one last time. And I’d think of how many times I’ve already heard that exact point made in episode after episode. That would start my mind drifting off again. I should cook dinner for my family. What do we have in the fridge? Do I need to go shopping?
So, yeah, I do feel a little guilty and it is very likely I drifted off while something important was happening. But at the same time, if the show weren’t such a rehash of all that came before it, without offering much motivation for following the action, I’d probably do a better job of paying attention.
Wrap Up:
Only one episode left. I have little hope this last episode will pull everything together into a satisfying ending. I can only hope for a bit more entertainment than the last few episodes have offered.
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Deadly Troubadour 