“The Defenders’s” second episode, “Mean Right Hook,” finally delivers on the grand promise of the series, albeit in its final act. Jessica launches an investigation into why John Raymond had explosives in his apartment, while Danny and Colleen track the Hand’s operation. Alexandra turns to an old friend.
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Yet another slower pace this episode, but with a more thunderous conclusion. Jessica steals Misty’s case file on John Raymond, the missing husband who had bombs in his apartment, and tries to track down who hired him. She ends up finding records that go back to the 1800s about a mysterious company that keeps changing its name before she returns home to find Malcolm being held up at gunpoint by Raymond.
Turns out Raymond wanted Jessica to drop the case to protect his family, but Elektra arrives and tries to kill him. Raymond kills himself and Elektra bails, making it look like Jessica killed him. Misty arrests Jessica, in a scene straight out of the “Alias: Jessica Jones” comics, just as Matt arrives to represent her.
Elsewhere, Luke and Danny meet as Luke tries to find Cole’s whereabouts and discovers that he is cleaning up bodies for the Hand. Danny and Colleen assume that Cole is on the Hand’s payroll and try to take him out, but Luke intervenes. They fight and the Iron Fist manages to do some damage to Luke, but both parties escape as the cops arrive and arrest Cole.
“Mean Right Hook” begins the team up promise of the show in compartmentalized fashion, but it works for the show’s advantage. Matt and Jessica are a great duo, as are Luke and Danny, so splitting the team into pairs is a really smart move.
“The Defenders” is now streaming on Netflix.