'The Defenders' Recap: 'Ashes, Ashes'

Written by Scott Edwards

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

After freeing himself from his restraints and taking Danny hostage, Sowande is no longer tight lipped when it comes to the plan of the Hand and Iron Fist. Stating that Danny is the key to their survival, Sowande is not able to make it to the door with his prize as Stick takes his head clean off. As the group stands in disbelief of what Stick just did, it is time to make a decision on what their next move is going to be, but they all agree that Danny needs to get as far away from the Hand as he can. Not agreeing with this decision, Danny tries to fight his way out past his new team, but three super humans against one, the odds are not in his favor. Knocking out the Iron Fist, the talk turns back to what is happening at the Midland Circle location and Matt lets the group know what he found there previously.
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Waking up in Matt’s bed, Elektra is starting to remember her past life with the man, even the secret that the Hand does not know yet about his identity. Digging through his locker, she finds the announcement of her funeral service and heads out to find her grave. Trying to find out who she really is, Elektra is approached by her giver of life once again. Alexandra is trying to explain to the Black Sky that Elektra’s body is just that, a vessel for carrying the prophecy forward. Finding out that there is a substance of life that she needs to survive as well, Elektra heads out to fulfill her current mission, to bring the Iron Fist back to the Hand so he can unlock it for them.

Getting a present from Stick, the head of Sowande, the Hand elders are trying to pass on their respects, but Alexandra is not having it. As everyone in the group dislikes each other and have even tried to kill each other in the past, she knows what needs to be done next and is ready to move forward. But Murakami and Bakuto are not on the same page as their leader, knowing that the fight will be more difficult than they could have imagined. Madame Gao on the other hand continues to back Alexandra in her pursuits, even though she does not have the same beliefs. Getting a private audience with her leader, Madame Gao sees the pain that the woman is suffering from and knows that Alexandra is only trying to move forward to save herself and not the betterment of the Hand. With a new plan being devised, Alexandra is about to get a rude awakening since she might become a possible target by her own family.  

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Telling the group about the large hole he found under Midland Circle, Jessica comes up with the idea of trying to follow up with John Raymond’s family to see what they might know about the building.  Arriving at the Raymond house and getting invited in to speak to his daughter Lexi, Jessica starts her normal form of questioning. Hearing that her father changed his habits drastically, Matt sees that Jessica is not going to get what she is looking for directly. As Lexi continues to talk about her father, Matt grasps on to one thing that she said and heads over to sit at the piano to play a song for the group. Hearing a distortion in the keys, the two find that the blueprints for the building have been hidden inside. But that is not the only thing that Jessica sees as she finds plans for something that is thirty stories underground.  Knowing that they have hit the jackpot, the two head back to their hideout, only to find it is far from hidden.
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Staying behind to keep an eye on Danny, Luke knows that he is the only one that can handle the Iron Fist’s powerful punch. Seeing his new teammate waking up, Danny wants to know why he is being treated like a prisoner when the two should be out looking for the Hand. Luke tries to keep his buddy calm and the two get to chatting about their battles from the past and why they should never get on Jessica Jones’s bad side. Listening to everything that is going on, Stick is sure to remind Luke that he and Danny are not on the same side of the fight, at least not yet. Getting his own clarity of the situation, Stick has a new plan that was not discussed the group, but it is the only way he can guarantee that the Hand will not get the Iron Fist. Getting ready to take his final blow at Danny’s neck, another person emerges from the shadows who cannot allow the Iron Fist to be taken just yet.

This has to be my favorite episode of the season thus far, you get a little bit of everything and you are just exhausted when the credits roll. I must admit that I did not see that ending coming, but finally Elektra is taking back what is hers, her life. The distrust runs strong with both the Defenders and the Hand in this episode, as each group has their own internal struggles and no good way to resolve them.  There are some good fight scenes in this episode as well, which I have not brought up in many reviews yet, since very few have managed to amaze me. The working as a team thing is starting to come together for Matt and Jessica as they are able to find a vital clue about the Midland Circle building, Danny and Luke kind of had some good bonding time and Stick got to face off against his second favorite student when Elektra was able to track the hideout down. My mind is blown a little bit right now, so I hope that is not the biggest surprise that the series has to offer.  

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