'The Defenders' Recap: 'Royal Dragon'

Written by Scott Edwards

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

After defeating the first wave of the Hand, Matt, Jessica, Luke and Danny find refuge in a Chinese restaurant to come up with a new plan. Trying to wrap his head around who these strangers are, Danny is happy to introduce himself and sit down with the group to see if they are willing to join forces. Matt is having a hard time with the idea, but after a talk with Jessica about who he really is, he removes the scarf from his face and decides to hear the group out. Knowing that it was not just coincidence that the group all arrived at the Middle Circle building at the same time, Danny believes that they were destined to join the fight against the Hand to save the city.
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Seeing that the Black Sky is having a hard time finding out what her body has been through, Alexandra continues to treat Elektra as her one and only child. Explaining that the body is only a vessel, she is able to keep her control over the newly reborn woman, which is good because she will be forced to fight again and soon. Finding her old friend Murakami after his recent hunting trip, Alexandra is calling together the elders of the Hand to take control of the Iron Fist and finish what they have started in New York. But time is not on her side as her body continues to fail her, so a full effort is underway to get Danny to see the light and command her army.

Hearing the door open in the back of the restaurant, Matt is surprised to see his old mentor Stick has found the group. Talking with the group of heroes, Stick believes that they will all join the fight and decides to give them a little background about what they are about to experience. Telling the group about the founding members of the Hand, Danny is learning much more about what his destiny really is and wants to know more, but Matt continues to caution everyone in the room against what Stick is staying. But the old, now one-handed Stick will not be deterred by his prodigy’s objections, and knows that if they are going to win this war for the survival of the city, all four of the heroes will have to fight together for the greater good.

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Being on the fence about what is happening to her and the group, Jessica has had enough and leaves. Not believing the stories that are being told about magic and such, it is not her fight, she is only trying to finish her investigation. Returning to her office to start deleting things that do not matter from her last fact-finding stint, Jessica notices that there is a common thread in the asset transfer documents. Going back to the 1820’s, she notices that the signatures with different names are all signed by the same person. Trying to piece together what is really happening, Jessica visits Mrs. Raymond to put some things in perspective and seeing that she is being watched by the Hand as well, it may be time for her to join the fight.
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Everyone in the restaurant seems to be hesitant about Stick and Danny’s plan to unite under one banner. While Luke only wants to get his payback for the kids being killed in his neighborhood, he sees that there is plenty more that is about to happen to not only Harlem, but New York in general. Matt and Stick continue to hold something back from the group, as they have both encountered the newly risen Elektra and don’t know what to think about it. As the night continues to be quiet however, a new visitor has entered the restaurant with an offer that the group should not refuse. Talking to the Iron Fist, Alexandra is willing to give him everything that the Hand can offer, but Danny is not having it. Seeing that the conversation is not going anywhere, the Black Sky is called in to take care of the only people that can keep the Hand from achieving their goal.

Now that we are getting into the real story, the series is finally starting to take off. Like I said for the last episode, the characters are starting to show who we are used to from their respective series and that is making it much more enjoyable. It seems like Jessica is going to be the foundation for this group overall, which would be great as she is able to convince Matt to stay and at least listen to what the group wants to do. Leaving and coming back after seeing what the Hand is willing to do to the innocent, she has a vested interest in the upcoming fight. Danny keeps trying to understand who these other heroes are and what they are capable of doing, kind of like a kid in a candy store and is forced to make the decision of a lifetime that may save or destroy lives. Although being hesitant, Matt will join the fight against the Hand once again, but wants to understand what has happened to Elektra. Stick has a way of getting people to do the right, or wrong thing, hopefully by sticking with the group, he will have them do the right thing. Luke knows that the fight is bigger than himself and will do anything he possibly can to keep his friends and family safe. Elektra is still growing into the killing machine that she formally was, and during this cycle, she may be able to get some of her memories back of who she used to be. The Defenders is really cooking now and I don’t know if we will be able to catch our breath until the fighting comes to an end.

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