Here's another one of those items on my to do list before The Defenders so let's get to it. I'll keep this relatively brief, and just stick to what I thought were the strengths and weaknesses of Luke Cage. The good Misty Knight is awesome If there's one character I care about more than any of the others on this show, it's Misty Knight. She manages to be both adorable and genuinely hardcore, a combination that makes her human and relatable. She loves her job deeply, gets invested in it – more than she should – and cares deeply about justice. I even dig the way she talks. When I think about what I liked most about Simone Missick's Misty, it really comes down to a series of strong and well-acted scenes. There are the montages of her … [Read more...]
Playing “odd one out” with The Defenders
Hey guys! Well, the bad news is I'm back at work. The good news is that we're only just over one week away from the premiere of The Defenders! For both seasons of Daredevil, I've actually taken the day off, but that won't be doable this time, so I'll start watching in the late afternoon my time and just make an evening with. There's a lot to get to before then, but to warm up I thought it might be fun to compare and contrast the Defenders and look at what the various team members have in common. When I was a kid, there was a hugely popular children's show on Swedish television called (roughly translated) "Five ants are more [numerous] than four elephants." It was one of those shows that managed to be both entertaining and pedagogical – … [Read more...]
The silent ninja conundrum
Well, I could have saved this little detail for my big post about the tail end of Daredevil, season two. But, fearing that it would swell out of proportion in that context, I'm turning this into its own post. Besides, this way it also doubles as a Daredevil science post, and you guys know I can't stay away from those! So, what am I talking about here? Well, at the very beginning of episode eight, when Matt and Elektra are still checking out that mysterious hole in the ground, they're surrounded by a band of ninjas. The thing with these ninjas is that they manage to elude Matt's senses, presumably by moving so very quietly that only their weapons can be heard. There's one (big) problem with this: It suggests that Matt can only detect … [Read more...]
Review: “Regrets Only” – Daredevil season 2, episode #6
You may think I'm crazy for reviewing an episode that came out over a year ago, but what better way to get caught up, work through my issues with the tail end of Daredevil season two, and prepare for The Defenders? After just re-watching all of episodes six through thirteen in preparation for this review though, I've realized its probably wiser to cover all of the rest of them in a single post, just looking at the major themes and developments. That would be less time-consuming, and help me squeeze in other types of posts as well before The Defenders hit in less than three weeks. If there's time, I'll even try to do a post on Luke Cage as well. He's the only one of the Defenders that I haven't at least discussed in his own post. … [Read more...]
Defenders at SDCC and the new trailer!
Hey guys! I hope all is well with you. Well, it's been a pretty exciting weekend with a new trailer for The Defenders, the panel at San Diego Comic Con and even a couple of clips. Not to mention a truckload of cast interviews, and reactions from people who got to see the first episode when it was shown at the panel. We're now also beginning to see reviews for the first four episodes after they've been released to select news sites.Brett White's for Decider.com is free of spoilers and covers the first four episodes. An here's an equally spoiler-free review of the first episode, by Rhiannon at the MCU Exchange. That site is also collecting links and quotes from other reviews, if you're interested. When it comes to the actual panel... … [Read more...]
Digging into the Defenders trailer
Well, The Defenders trailer has been out for a while now, and I know I'm the last person (with an interest in said trailer and access to a blog) to talk about it. But hey, at least I got to it before there was a second trailer. Speaking of which, when do you suppose we'll get to see additional footage? I'm sure they're saving a lot of stuff for San Diego Comic Con in July, but surely we must be getting some little treat before then. Anyway, as I said, many others before me have analyzed the trailer in some depth (a search on YouTube will serve up a handful, complete with speculation), so I just put together some still from scenes and shots that I wanted to comment on. Here goes. Jessica meets Matt One thing you see throughout this … [Read more...]
Thoughts on Marvel’s Iron Fist
I know some of us already started a discussion on The Other Murdock Papers Facebook page, but I felt that this show deserved a proper review. If you want to call it that. In all honesty, it's more like a list of thoughts and observations. (One of these days, I'll get to Luke Cage as well. It came out in the middle of my hiatus, but I'm currently watching it for the third time). Oh, and I seriously started this post in the middle of March, before a shitload of "life" happened (some bad, most of it good) and got in the way. I really am making a comeback. In fact, I’m looking forward to finishing another handful of half-finished posts after this one. Oh, and we also need to talk about the first proper Defenders trailer. To be continued. … [Read more...]
‘Twas the night before Iron Fist
I know what you're thinking: "Did hell freeze over? There's a new post!" Personally, I knew this day was coming eventually, and for the last couple of months, I've known that it's been drawing nearer. Having said that, going on hiatus for close to a year was an absolute necessity for me. Come December, this site will have been online for ten years, so in some ways it's probably more remarkable that this has been my only long hiatus (I've taken shorter ones in the past), considering all the changes any person's life goes through over the course of a decade. For me, this hiatus has coincided with plenty of time-sucking projects at work, as well as a big move. Some of you might remember that I also moved in the fall of 2015, but this … [Read more...]
