As to this episode, it certainly has its moments, but it isn't without problems either. A part of this could just be hype. I was excited for this, and any ending would fall short of expectation. Maybe, but at the same time, the episode did have issues.
While Luke does protest, the team does ultimately decide to go through with the plan to just blow up the building. Granted, they say that no innocents will be hurt, but it still seems like a pretty big line to cross. I'm also not sure how this ends the Hand for good. Don't they have global influence? I mean, yeah the dragon skeleton is under there, but they don't know that.
In either case, they have to get Danny first. Naturally, it means we get a big fight scene where the team takes on another group of ninja mooks. It's a fun sequence and there is a moment at about the halfway point where it looks like the four heroes are about to make their last stand, but considering that this is the "war for New York" that has been teased since the first season of "Daredevil", you might find it underwhelming.
Even the Hand's ultimate objective was rather blase all things considered. All the talk about the rising was just bunk. The shock wave seen in the first episode? Who knows? I'm also not sure how sucking the bone marrow out of a dragon skeleton is going to collapse the city. I mean, the thing is big, but not that big.
Again, because the fight takes place in a cave, lighting becomes an issue. It's frustrating, but at least you do get to see most of the memorable blows and hits.
The inclusion of a rap song was...jarring to say the least. I know a lot of people lambasted it...but I thought it kinda worked? In some ways it is out of place, I can't argue that, but hearing it while watching the team kick ass did make for fun watching.
We also finally get our 4 on 1 fight against Elektra. That undead ninja assassin is one tough cookie, let me tell you. That was cool to see. It was also interesting to see Jessica's fighting style improve. She's not a highly trained martial artist, but her punches look cleaner and she generally does a better job holding her own.
Colleen Wing fans will also be happy to see her get in on the action, taking on Bakuto in a one on one sword fight. I've seen people insist that she should be the defender instead of Danny, but I think it's clear at this point that she is essentially the fifth member. It's not really an either/or deal.
Speaking of fifth member, I was kind of disappointed that there was no appearance, or even mention of Frank Castle. If you're talking about going to war, he seems like a natural pick. I know I joked about it before, but I didn't really expect a Spider-Man appearance, but at least a mention would have been nice. Maybe that'll be something Marvel can work on later on down the line. I still think that a Spider-Man/Defenders team up not only seems natural, but maybe even inevitable.
But I digress, of course, ultimately the episode boils the final fight down to Matt vs. Elektra. The fight is more drawn out, but these two have a more personal connection, so in some ways the fight carries more weight. The whole thing was very reminiscent of "Return of the Jedi", with Matt trying to bring Elektra back into the light. Or, if that doesn't float your boat, think Batman at the end of "Batman Returns" with Selina. Cox really sells the sincerity in Matt's pleas and it gives the scenes the emotional umph they need to ascend beyond melodrama.
For Elektra's part, she initially scoffs at his naivete, but slowly seems to come back to the fold, though maybe not in the way Matt intended. Did anyone else find it odd that Elektra went from fearing death and never wanting to go back to insisting that she and Matt were destined to die together? It was a pretty drastic switch. Also, if she said that there is no afterlife and that there is only empty darkness beyond the mortal coil, than why would them dying together have any sort of symbolic meaning? Very strange. You could argue that she's nuts, but still.
I'm torn on the whole plot point regarding Matt's "death" (spoiler alert: he's not dead.) On the one hand, you could argue that it was a waste of time. "Daredevil" is getting a third season, so there's literally no tension from the viewer's perspective.
On the other hand, Matt's sacrifice does affect the other characters. Foggy, Claire, and Karen obviously; but even the other heroes are changed by what happened. There was some solid character growth and progression on that front. Luke and Jessica begin to mend fences and Danny finds new purpose in becoming New York's new street protector in Matt's absence. Hopefully, finding out that Matt's still alive won't undo that.
Really, I think the episode's biggest problem is the hand wave of the fact that the team blew up a building. The cops don't bother pressing charges? OK, it's nice that Luke won't be going back to jail, but that really strained suspension of disbelief. Even if they were going to argue it was in the defense of others (which they could honestly try, the cops did say that they were aware of the Hand before,) I don't think that the case would just be dropped like that.
All in all, though, I'd say the finale worked. It gave everybody a highlight, moved characters forward on several fronts, and closed the book on the Hand (theoretically anyway, though I'm not sure what else could be done with them at this point.) It'll be a couple of years, but I'm still hoping that the team can reunite for another adventure in the future.
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