Elektra Appreciation: Lady in Red

[TurboTaj]

spoilers:

I really didn't like how she basically just reverted back to the exact same person she was in Season 2 of DD in the last 2 episodes. What was the point of doing the whole amnesia thing if you're just going to undo it all at the end anyways without any new growth for the character? I feel like after Elektra killed Alexandra she should have had fled (with an amazing escape fight scene.) This would have then been a great starting off point for a solo series (but if not it could work in DD or the next Defenders) where she's being hunted down by any remnants (Gao for example) and where she is now trying to cope with the whole light vs. dark aspect of herself. Its a missed opportunity to progress the character forward instead of having her regress back. And what is the symbolic purpose of having her pick the sais if she is going to just revert back to being a sociopath? I was hoping the entire thing with the sais would be a build up for her to take a set of sais while fleeing after killing Alexandra to symbolize her change in character with the sais being a defensive weapon as opposed to a more offensive-styled weapon that she had throughout the series. It just seems like a giant missed opportunity to me. Episodes 1-6 felt like they were trying to set up something big for the character but then 7-8 it was just like... nope. She just went back to being who she always was in DD season 2. Maybe I'm more upset because I didn't like a lot of the aspects of her portrayal in season 2 (they made her a sociopath from the get-go rather than having her make a decision to be the kind of person she is after seeking power after her father's murder.)

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[Punisher007]

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Yeah it didn't feel like anything really changed as a result of all of this, and she lacked any real believable motivation after killing Alexandra. AND they still didn't make the Black Sky nonsense any less lame imo. Misfire here imo, at least in the last few episodes.

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[phonogram12]

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I kinda didn't like where they left the character, either. I mean, I like the fact that they didn't go the easy route of making her all good at the end and appreciate that they stuck to the fact that the truest version of the character is just that she's incredibly morally ambiguous, but I dunno, just something about it felt off. I'm not sure where I would've taken it, mind you, but I wasn't thrilled where they did. That said, while I like the character and the actor who portrays him, I'm glad they went the extra mile and killed Stick. Pretty gutsy.

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[Harpsikord]

spoilers:

I'm not going to miss Stick, and I'm glad that it was Elektra that did away with him. I think that they left Elektra where they did to pick it up somewhere else eventually - either in the third season of Daredevil or in her own solo series, and to be honest, I think that I would prefer a solo series. I'd love a series that's based around Rucka's run on the book where she realizes that it isn't just Matt that thinks she's good and develops into who she was there, even though I doubt that they would be willing to do that. It could lead to an interesting dynamic for a second season of Defenders, where everyone other than Matt - or even including him - doesn't trust a "good" Elektra to help them stop whatever big bad.

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[Judge Ted]

spoilers:

I'm not going to miss Stick, and I'm glad that it was Elektra that did away with him. I think that they left Elektra where they did to pick it up somewhere else eventually - either in the third season of Daredevil or in her own solo series, and to be honest, I think that I would prefer a solo series. I'd love a series that's based around Rucka's run on the book where she realizes that it isn't just Matt that thinks she's good and develops into who she was there, even though I doubt that they would be willing to do that. It could lead to an interesting dynamic for a second season of Defenders, where everyone other than Matt - or even including him - doesn't trust a "good" Elektra to help them stop whatever big bad.

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spoilers:

Thought they did a great job with Elektra. The point that she didn't seem to have any real motivation in the series is a good one but her actual character portrayal was great.Keep her as the villain and kill her. Thats where she is/was most interesting. The redemption story is very tired and there is no need to have her retread it. Plus I don't want to see characters brought back to life. If they die they should die.

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[Harpsikord]

spoilers:

Only that I disagree with the assessment that Elektra is best as an antagonist, and also I'm pretty sure that she wasn't killed off. If Matt survived, one has to assume that Elektra did as well. She's already had her death, they aren't going to kill her again.

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[Judge Ted]

spoilers:

Only that I disagree with the assessment that Elektra is best as an antagonist, and also I'm pretty sure that she wasn't killed off. If Matt survived, one has to assume that Elektra did as well. She's already had her death, they aren't going to kill her again.

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spoilers:

Yeah I doubt they have killed her at the end of this series either but I would rather they killed characters properly on the show rather than do the whole meaningless back from the dead thing. I don't see how Elektra sits better in any other role than antagonist on the show. The most interesting element is her twisted relationship between her and Matt. Elektra gong down the road of "redemption" means that is lost. Its more interesting when she is at odds with Matt.

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[Mike_Murdock]

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I don't think they killed her off, but I also think her story is more or less done. To me, I don't think she's a character that should be redeemed since that's part of the original point. In Miller's Daredevil run, it took supernatural effort to redeem her. She had moments of goodness, but that was a soft spot for Matt and not an inherent conscience. In Defenders, she killed Stick and Alexandra, not The Black Sky. She's an inherently selfish character. And I don't mean that to be a knock on her, I love Elektra, but I don't want them to change her by making her generically nice. I'm also uncomfortable with the idea of a man changing her to good, even though it's a noir trope. I thought Frank Miller subverted it in the Elektra Saga (I'm leaving aside the resurrection arc) by having Matt ultimately fail. Long story short, if they bring her back, I think they need to have a good reason to use her. I wouldn't want her to just be a regular character. I also hope we're done with the Hand and, if they do an Elektra story, it's something completely different.

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[tsaimelemoni]

I'll post detailed thoughts when I'm not working from a tablet, but long story short I'm pretty happy with how they handled Elektra in Defenders

[Judge Ted]

spoilers:

I don't think they killed her off, but I also think her story is more or less done. To me, I don't think she's a character that should be redeemed since that's part of the original point. In Miller's Daredevil run, it took supernatural effort to redeem her. She had moments of goodness, but that was a soft spot for Matt and not an inherent conscience. In Defenders, she killed Stick and Alexandra, not The Black Sky. She's an inherently selfish character. And I don't mean that to be a knock on her, I love Elektra, but I don't want them to change her by making her generically nice. I'm also uncomfortable with the idea of a man changing her to good, even though it's a noir trope. I thought Frank Miller subverted it in the Elektra Saga (I'm leaving aside the resurrection arc) by having Matt ultimately fail. Long story short, if they bring her back, I think they need to have a good reason to use her. I wouldn't want her to just be a regular character. I also hope we're done with the Hand and, if they do an Elektra story, it's something completely different.

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Agree 100%

[scouse mouse]

I'll post detailed thoughts when I'm not working from a tablet, but long story short I'm pretty happy with how they handled Elektra in Defenders

Me too. Judging from the reactions on Twitter lots of people were enjoying Elektra in this series and the demand for her to get her own series is huge!

[vitaminbee]

spoilers:

I don't think they killed her off, but I also think her story is more or less done. To me, I don't think she's a character that should be redeemed since that's part of the original point. In Miller's Daredevil run, it took supernatural effort to redeem her. She had moments of goodness, but that was a soft spot for Matt and not an inherent conscience. In Defenders, she killed Stick and Alexandra, not The Black Sky. She's an inherently selfish character. And I don't mean that to be a knock on her, I love Elektra, but I don't want them to change her by making her generically nice. I'm also uncomfortable with the idea of a man changing her to good, even though it's a noir trope. I thought Frank Miller subverted it in the Elektra Saga (I'm leaving aside the resurrection arc) by having Matt ultimately fail. Long story short, if they bring her back, I think they need to have a good reason to use her. I wouldn't want her to just be a regular character. I also hope we're done with the Hand and, if they do an Elektra story, it's something completely different.

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I could totally see her haunting Matt's dreams in Season 3 like in Elektra Lives Again.

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[Punisher007]

spoilers:

Only that I disagree with the assessment that Elektra is best as an antagonist, and also I'm pretty sure that she wasn't killed off. If Matt survived, one has to assume that Elektra did as well. She's already had her death, they aren't going to kill her again.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Elektra is best as a morally ambiguous character imo. Not really good, and willing to be extremely ruthless. But also possessing a code of ethics (albeit a skewed one). I just wish that the show had done something to set that up, but I don't think that it really did. She seems more or less back where she started in DD S2.

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[Mike_Murdock]

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I could totally see her haunting Matt's dreams in Season 3 like in Elektra Lives Again.

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Would you recommend reading Elektra Lives Again? My understanding is it's out of continuity (and would require buying it in trade since it's not on Unlimited). But I'm a fan of Elektra Assassin.

[vitaminbee]

Would you recommend reading Elektra Lives Again? My understanding is it's out of continuity (and would require buying it in trade since it's not on Unlimited). But I'm a fan of Elektra Assassin.

It is out of continuity and doesn't have much to it, but if you enjoy Elektra, it's worth a read. I would say, the larger format is better than the release that they recently did with Elektra Assassin. The art is stunning with Lynn Varley's beautiful coloring. Though I do believe it was when Miller's work started to veer down the "everyone has an ugly face" look.