Marvel’s The Defenders season 1 episode 2 recap and review: Mean Right Hook

As storylines start to intertwine, “The Defenders” finds its footing and our super-powered friends find their paths beginning to entwine.

We’ve moved onto the second episode of The Defenders. If you missed our first episode recap, check it out over here.

Let’s keep moving!

Not-So-Short Summary

We’re going to break this up a little differently for this episode.

Still from The Defenders official trailer 2, featuring Charlie Cox as Daredevil. Image via Netflix (via Netflix official YouTube)

Matt Murdock/Jessica Jones

Matt Murdock’s Daredevil sense goes haywire in the aftermath of the earthquake. He springs into action when he hears a gun, beating up a couple guys and freaking out after the fact. He can’t stop his Daredevil instinct to help those in danger.

We get a slower scene with Foggy where they go to Josie’s and reconnect. It’s nice to see they can still be friends after all the crap that’s gone on between them. And that Foggy still cares about Matt.

On Trish Talk, a geologist (seismologist?) calls in to say that it was not an earthquake despite what the mayor’s office says, but the call gets cut off from the upstairs. That’s not strange at all!

Jessica’s on the hunt for something in the local library, but she needs to go to the historical district. Which isn’t going to happen right away because Jeri Hogarth shows up and warns her to be careful and stay out of it. With the Feds involved? Not a chance.

She comes home to find John Raymond holding Malcolm at gunpoint.

“They’re going to take down the city!” he cries, and before Jessica can get an answer out of him, Elektra shows up and attempts to kill him. Too late—he shoots himself in the head. He knows too much.

Misty shows up and arrests Jessica. Their paths crossed earlier in the episode when Jessica called in the explosives. There’s a lot at stake here for both of them. And that’s when Matt Murdock shows up and tells her to stop talking.

Danny Rand/Luke Cage

Colleen and Danny brainstorm about the man they tried to track down in the sewers in Cambodia. She thinks they have allies against the Hand (and they do!), so when do we think Stick is showing up?

They find where the sword came from the gentleman in Cambodia had, and discover a room full of dead men. Someone was dragged out of there. And there’s a banner of K’un-Lun. Seems odd. What’s odder is that a group of guys come in wearing hazmat suits and start to clean up the place.

Colleen’s not having that.

Marvel’s The Defenders, photo credit Netflix

Luke’s cleaning up his neighborhood in the aftermath and wanting to find some criminals who are hiring young men, who end up burned in cars. Claire tells him the latest hotspot hangout. He finds Turk, who tells him about the new guy, White Hat.

Rather than following White Hat where he staked him out, Luke follows Cole driving the van, and it leads him to the dojo where Danny is currently about to fight Cole in the alley.

Oh my goodness, the fight between Danny and Luke is everything you wanted it to be. Sure, they’re friends (and coworkers) in the comics, but it’s so fantastic to see Danny trying to hit him and Luke just rolling his eyes and literally pushing him away. The slow-mo punches of Danny landing hits on Luke’s chest and Luke just not moving make it even better.

And one final punch to the face brings out the Iron Fist, which actually throws Luke across the alley and takes him by surprise.

I’m sure they’ll never see each other again.

Badass Moment of the Week

I already gushed about that Luke vs. Danny scene, so let’s go with Luke just easily taking the giant-ass piece of concrete off the top of the car.

Best One-Liner

“If I come back, you won’t like me then,” Luke threatens.
“I don’t like you now!” Turk replies.

I didn’t cover Alexandra’s handful of scenes. Only one big thing comes of them: she has Stick. He had to be the one dragged out of the dojo, right?

This episode definitely slowly entwines all of our characters together. Of course Jeri’s going to show up to try to tell Jessica to stop, but who knew she’d ask Foggy to keep an eye out for her?

Or that Luke and Danny would already have a ridiculous fight and only in episode two!

Next: Marvel’s The Defenders season 1 episode 1 recap and review: The H Word

Buckle in, guys, we’re just getting started.