Marvel's The Defenders - Episodes 1-5 Review

After two years and five shows of build-up, Marvel and Netflix finally present Marvel's The Defenders, the big cross-over show between Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, pitting them against the big threat of the Hand.
It's worth noting that, for me at least, this is probably the most fun of the series' so far. All of the characters are fully-formed, the actors have their banter and interactions nailed down to a T and the writing is sharper and more witty than ever. Finally getting to see all of these wildly different characters band together in the show is just great to watch: Jessica's drunken disinterest, Matt's brooding attitude, Luke's down-to-earth persona and Danny's, frankly, quite childish nature. Whatever flaws you may have had with the previous shows, these characters arrive in The Defenders all ready to kick all kinds of ass, and also to take the mick out of one another.
But it's not all about the characters teaming up, as at least in the first three episodes there's a definite sense of all involved going on their own arcs and story-lines. We almost seem to be watching the next seasons for all of the leads, before the plot threads lead them all together at Midland Circle, in a big fight that's just plain awesome to see...until it just ends. Yeah.
The pacing is much stronger than in the previous shows, and somehow in four episodes we've had more interesting exposition and plot development with the Hand than on two seasons of Daredevil and one season of Iron Fist. The build-up always seemed to be a bit directionless, and while I could definitely buy that the writers of this series have retroactively made it all seem like build-up, the pay-off so far at least has been satisfactory. That being said, what was the deal with the giant pit from Daredevil? How did the Hand create those zombie people in the hospital? What exactly happened to Kun Lun? And, more importantly now, who exactly is Alexandra? The series seems to be building towards a big reveal as to her identity.
So, yeah, first few thoughts on The Defenders. Pretty good so far, although the music is bit bland. Title sequence is cool though, even if the episodes feel a little short. Let's hope it resolves everything by season's end.