Netflix has pumped out a ton of original content. Some of it good, some of it terrible, and some of it just mediocre.
Little Evil is one of the just mediocre pieces. It is funny and has an interesting premise. However, it does very little with its strengths. It turns into just a silly brofest.
It is nice that the ultimate resolution is that a man learns that loving a child no matter his lineage is valuable. I just wish it came in a better package.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
The Defenders
As the culmination of five seasons of Netflix super hero shows, The Defenders had a lot of expectations. I knew it would never be as good as Daredevil season one or Jessica Jones, but I hoped it would be better than Iron Fist. I hoped it would be as good as Luke Cage. I hoped it avoided some of the pitfalls of Dardevil season two where the sheer number of characters and plot lines got muddled.
I ended up satisfied. It was a good, entertaining romp. The myriad of characters did mean a lack of depth. However, keeping the plot tight meant things never got muddled.
Sigourney Weaver’s villain was deliciously evil and her downfall at the hands of her own creation was as surprising as it was inevitable. Madame Gou is also an enigmatic shade of grey. The male cast of the Hand were predictable and boring. They hardly seem dynamic enough to be the fallen angels of Kung Lo.
Electra was never stable and never a follower. She, like the other female leaders of the Hand, powerful and grey. Her internal conflict makes her powerful and dangerous.
On the righteous side of the battle, it is also the female characters that come out as the truly dynamic and strong members of the team. The boys in many ways are the muscle and the laugh track. Colleen, Clair, and Misty take great risks and provide the true moral spine of the group. The “super” heros do a lot of the fighting and are constantly at risk, but they are super.
One surprise in the series was its rehabilitation of Danny Rand. In the The Defenders Danny becomes more human and more likable. He has been humbled by the loss of Kung Lo. The interplay between Danny and the rest of the more seasoned members of the team also makes him funny. His brashness and immaturity seem less smug.
The most static member of the group is Matt Murdock. He has not grown much since we first met him. He is self righteous and conflicted. His decision to save Eclectra is predictably noble and predictably self-destructive. Unlike many people, I was not shocked by it or by the fact that he survived.
I also don’t find that his survival cheapens the ending of the series in any way. The rest of the group rightfully mourn his loss. Karen, true to her character, is a sucker for lost causes and would mourn for Matt alive or dead.
I ended up satisfied. It was a good, entertaining romp. The myriad of characters did mean a lack of depth. However, keeping the plot tight meant things never got muddled.
Sigourney Weaver’s villain was deliciously evil and her downfall at the hands of her own creation was as surprising as it was inevitable. Madame Gou is also an enigmatic shade of grey. The male cast of the Hand were predictable and boring. They hardly seem dynamic enough to be the fallen angels of Kung Lo.
Electra was never stable and never a follower. She, like the other female leaders of the Hand, powerful and grey. Her internal conflict makes her powerful and dangerous.
On the righteous side of the battle, it is also the female characters that come out as the truly dynamic and strong members of the team. The boys in many ways are the muscle and the laugh track. Colleen, Clair, and Misty take great risks and provide the true moral spine of the group. The “super” heros do a lot of the fighting and are constantly at risk, but they are super.
One surprise in the series was its rehabilitation of Danny Rand. In the The Defenders Danny becomes more human and more likable. He has been humbled by the loss of Kung Lo. The interplay between Danny and the rest of the more seasoned members of the team also makes him funny. His brashness and immaturity seem less smug.
The most static member of the group is Matt Murdock. He has not grown much since we first met him. He is self righteous and conflicted. His decision to save Eclectra is predictably noble and predictably self-destructive. Unlike many people, I was not shocked by it or by the fact that he survived.
I also don’t find that his survival cheapens the ending of the series in any way. The rest of the group rightfully mourn his loss. Karen, true to her character, is a sucker for lost causes and would mourn for Matt alive or dead.
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