The Defenders S1:E1 The H Word

Simple Synopsis

And finally, the moment we’ve been building up to. The Netflix cast of Marvel superheroes comes together to, you know, defend something.

A mysterious woman fights a guy we don’t know in the sewers of Phenom Phen. Danny Rand arrives to help and starts fighting the woman, but she stabs the mystery man anyway, because Danny is THE WORST. He chases after her as Colleen arrives to tend to the man, but he punches her down a tunnel with his Iron Fist and loses her in the dark. He gives up looking for her after about two seconds and runs back to Colleen. The dying man tells him to go home, that the war they are fighting is in New York.

Trish tries to talk Jessica into getting back to work and rejoining society after her victory over Kilgrave, but she still wants nothing to do with it.

Luke, with help from Foggy at Hogarth’s law firm, completes his jail term and is released, a free man.

Matt struggles with giving up his life as Daredevil to focus on helping people with his skills as a lawyer. His skills win a case that gets restitution for a young man that was crippled. The press coverage puts him back in contact with Karen Page.

Danny, on the flight back, has a nightmare about a bunch of monks dying. His doppleganger tells him that he abandoned them, that the hand has won, and it’s all his fault. Very true. Colleen wakes up and tries to get him to talk, but he keeps it to himself, instead complaining about their failure to track the hand down, and punching himself for letting the woman in the sewer escape.

Meanwhile, an woman in white visits a medical facility for some bad news. She learns that she is dying and that there is nothing that can be done. She has only months or even weeks left to live.

Jessica arrives back at the office to find a potential case waiting. A woman wants her to find her missing husband. Jessica blows her off, but receives a phone call warning her not to take the case.

Luke returns to Harlem and meets up with Claire, consummating their relationship. He asks her for an update on what’s going on in Harlem, but she wants him to focus on himself for a while. They are soon interrupted by Misty, asking for a moment of his time.

Matt and Karen catch up over lunch, and discuss his secret life. He tells her he doesn’t miss it, but he does miss her. She tells him the city is doing better after Daredevil’s intervention.

Malcom comes in to Jessica’s office to find her investigating the missing husband. She traces the call back to a building in a shady part of town.

Misty tells Luke that she suspects some of the youth of Harlem have been being used as carriers for some unknown purpose. One of them was the brother of Candace, a girl that got caught up in everything that went down with Cottonmouth. She asks him to help the remaining brother, mentoring him.

Matt goes to confession, admitting that he lied to Karen, that he does miss being Daredevil. He also worries that leaving Daredevil behind is the same as forgetting about Elektra.

The woman in white meets with Madame Gao in Central Park. She is told that the final phase can begin in three months, but demands that they speed things up, even if it means that things cannot be done quietly.

Luke goes to see Cole, Candace’s brother, to pay his respect. He asks him to stay out of trouble, but Cole says it’s too late, and asks him to leave.

Jessica traces down the missing man’s hotel room and pays him a visit, but finds the room full of explosives.

Madame Gao tells the woman in white that the arrangements have been made, and is dismissed as Danny and Colleen approach the city. As they land an earthquake shakes the city. The woman in white turns to Elektra, and tells her she’ll get used to it.

Matt listens, overwhelmed, to the cries of panic the earthquake produced.

TL;DR
The Hand has plans for New York. Luke returns to Harlem. Jessica looks for a missing man and finds bombs. Matt questions giving up the mask. Danny continues to be useless and returns to New York.