Defenders Assemble But Not Yet Though

Yup, this one is a bit of a Marvel/Netflix special in some ways as I completed two of their shows and started the other one though.

Game Of Thrones: The last three episodes of Season Seven certainly ramped up basically everything, didn't it? We had some welcome deaths (Littlefinger, you won't be missed), some shocks (Viseron being taken over by the Night King) and that melee with Jon, Daenerys and Cersei as the latter took her self preservation to a new level, which meant even isolating Jaime of all people. The reveal of Jon's heritage from last season got more expansion during the worst/most clickbait grabbing moment and with six episodes left before the end in 2019 (the current rumour for the eighth season to air), the final moments as the White Walkers make their biggest attack yet was a hell of a way to end an overall excellent penultimate season.

Iron Fist: The weakest of the Marvel/Netflix shows still, but I'll admit things did pick a little in the second half of the season. Adding both Bakuto and Davos into the mix livened up the interactions between Danny, Colleen and Claire as the Hand storyline took something of a brief pause in the finale while Ward and Joy both had to deal with the fallout of Harold's increasingly unhinged behaviour. While I do think there were times where Finn Jones struggled a bit in the role, I am hoping that between The Defenders (which I've just started) and this show's proposed second season the show gets a better handle on Danny. There's certainly potential for that.

Luke Cage: Like it's other Marvel series, this is a show that could do with better pacing but saying that, the second half was pretty solid stuff. I liked the Mariah/Shades team up after Cottonmouth was taken out of the picture along with Luke and Diamondback finally going head to head. The finale didn't feel quite like an event compared to other ones but it was a good way to end the series. I also have to give props to both Misty and Claire, both of whom got better as the series went along, so I'm looking forward to seeing more of them next season.

Midnight, Texas: I've been sticking with this show and while it's not gripping as True Blood was back in the day, it's still a lot of fun to watch. Focusing on characters like Lemuel, Olivia and Fiji certainly doesn't hurt the series as they're easily the three strongest of the bunch but there isn't anyone I actively dislike. Manfred and Creek's budding relationship isn't hugely compelling but it's nice enough and the mix of baddies like a Succubus and that biker gang does keep things moving along at a nice pace along with the arc hints here and there. Just five more episodes to go.

Orange Is The New Black: I've loved this season and given that the riot arc could've easily wore thin after a few episodes, I'm genuinely surprised that the writers managed to get a whole season's worth of a story out of it. Of course it had to come to an end but with the cliffhanger we've got, there's also the chance we might lose a character or two going into the show's sixth season. In terms of flashbacks, I quite enjoyed Piper and Alex's (even with the return of Larry) and their engagement was rather sweet. Next season should be very interesting.

The Defenders: Blitzing through both Luke Cage and Iron Fist in the last week meant getting to the first two episodes of this team up and so far, so good. I've loved seeing the various characters from each show interacting with one another and while we've only had half the gang interacting so far - Luke and Danny, Matt and Jessica, the build up has certainly been rather fun to see. As for Alexandra/Madame Gao/The Hand stuff - at least it's actually going somewhere now and with Elektra and Stick in the mix, I can imagine a lot of bad shit is about to go down in the remaining episodes of this crossover series.

- Ben Platt will be guesting in Will & Grace while Minnie Driver will also reprise her role as Lorraine in the upcoming season.
- Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose will be returning for Season 11 of The X Files.
- Lena Dunham will be playing Valerie Solanas in American Horror Story: Cult. Emma Roberts will be playing a newscaster named Serina Belinda for an episode. Angela Bassett will direct the ninth episode in the upcoming season.
- UK viewers will be able to see The Gifted on FOX from October.
- UK viewers also can see the first season of Star on 5* from this Thursday. It's also been rumoured that Empire will be moved there as well instead of E4 for it's upcoming fourth season.
- Jane The Virgin's fourth season will now be 17 episodes.
- Richard Flood will recur in Shameless's eighth season.
- Kevin Ryan will guest in Once Upon A Time's seventh season.
- Anna Diop and Teagan Croft have been cast as Starfire and Raven respectively for the upcoming live action Teen Titans TV series.
- Katee Sackhoff has a recurring in The Flash's fourth season as the villain, Blacksmith.

A Town For Outcasts

Summer's nearly over but there's still be some highlights (and catching up for me) as I look into some of the recent stuff I've watched.

Game Of Thrones: It seems that moving this mammoth of a show to the summer for it's seventh and penultimate season hasn't hurt it in the slightest as the ratings have continued to impress. In spite of leaks and one truly unwarranted cameo from Ed Sheeran in the opening episode, this season has been amazing so far. We've had two epic battle sequences as both Cersei and Daenerys have fought for supremacy while the latter's meeting with Jon Snow has intensified pretty fast too. Along with some characters (Sand Snakes, Ellaria and Olenna) and the reunion of the three Stark children, this season certainly hasn't been idle so far and with three episodes left to go, I can't wait to see what else is in store for us.

Iron Fist: I'm halfway through this series and it's still in dire need of picking up the pace. Out of all the Marvel/Netflix shows, it's definitely emerging as the weakest as even I'm struggling a little with Finn Jones as Danny Rand. So far, he's been a bit too meh for my liking in the role. On the other hand, Colleen is more interesting, Claire has popped up and the Meachums are also picking up a little as well. The plotline with the Hand isn't much better than what we've gotten on Daredevil so far but hopefully it'll pick up in later episodes.

Luke Cage: Like it's other Marvel/Netflix show, there are some pacing issues but I am overall finding this one a bit better than the other one. Once again, you've got Claire Temple added into the mix and the ongoing rivalry between Luke and Cottonmouth has heated up nicely along with Mariah's own machinations as well. Much as I like Misty though, the show could do a little better with her other than her finding out about her corrupt partner and being a thorn for Luke though. I did however enjoy the flashbacks to how Luke got his powers though.

Midnight, Texas: Nine years ago, HBO adapted Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books and turned it into one of their most successful shows with True Blood, which ran for seven seasons. Now in 2017, NBC have done the same with one of Harris's more recent works and are probably hoping for a similar success story. This show has a lot in common with the former HBO hit  - a medium type protagonist, an assortment of colourful characters and an array of all kind of craziness and monsters that go bump in the night. Manfred might be our leading man but it's the other characters that I think people will stay for. Whether that's vampire Lemuel and hitwoman Olivia or witch Fiji (and her talking cat) or angel Joe and his husband, Chuy, this is a show that's hokey but filled with a memorable group of characters but whether or not it will around for long given NBC's history with supernatural themed shows is the other thing. Here's hoping though.

Orange Is The New Black: I have only two episodes left to go and I'm still rather surprised that the riot storyline hasn't completely tested my patience. Maybe it's because we've had some interesting flashbacks (Piscatella's) or the whole situation with Red and Piscatella coming to a head while Tasytee has also been trying to get Joe and Figuaro to actually work things out for the prisoners but either way, it's worked out pretty well so far. That said, after the last two episodes are watched, I do wonder how the show will go as things have definitely been changed a lot this season.

- Jeff Ward will have a recurring role in Agents Of Shield's fifth season. His character name has yet to be revealed.
- ITV are planning another adaptation of Pride & Prejudice for 2020 from the same production company as Poldark and Victoria.
- Hartley Sawyer has been cast as Elongated Man for Season 4 of The Flash.
- Carlos Bernard will play Maggie's father in Season 3 of Supergirl.
- Annabeth Gish will return for Season 11 of The X Files.
- Will & Grace has been renewed for a tenth season while it's upcoming ninth season will now be 16 episodes.
- Brianna Brown will recur in Dynasty's first season. Netflix have picked up the show for UK viewers.
- Emma Roberts will be returning for American Horror Story: Cult but Kathy Bates will not.
- Esai Morales and Benito Martinez will be back for How To Get Away With Murder's fourth season.
- Sydelle Noelle will recur in Arrow's upcoming sixth season.

Riot, Riot

A bit of a Netflix special here with three shows I've been catching up on.

Iron Fist: The most divisive of the Marvel/Netflix shows and aside from the moaning about Finn Jones's casting, which I've long since decided to drown out, the biggest crime this show has committed has been how ridiculously slow paced it is. I'm all for build up as much as the next person but even I have to admit that the first two episodes were something of a slog to get though. As for Jones himself, he's okay as Danny Rand but I'll admit the fight scenes are a little underwhelming so far while the flashbacks are only okay. Other characters like brother/sister duo, Ward and Joy Meachum are pretty decent and I already like Colleen Wing. Harold Meachum on the other hand is a little hokey on the baddie front but at least we're getting more on the Hand threat though.

Luke Cage: Like the other Marvel/Netflix show mentioned, I've only just started this one and while there are some pacing problems with this show too, I didn't find the first two episodes to be quite as slow moving though. The Harlem setting and the use of musical acts like Faith Hill in nightclub Paradise are a high point of the series along with the deft handling of Luke's backstory and characters such as Misty Knight, Cornelius and Mariah herself. The gang and political related storylines are also strong enough so far too. In some respects, the series feels like something from a different era and that's one of it's strengths so far. I plan to have both this and Iron Fist completed before moving onto The Defenders.

Orange Is The New Black: The fifth season of the popular prison drama came back last month and I've so far managed to watch about seven episodes. Setting the seasons entirely around a prison riot in the aftermath of Poussey's death seemed like a risky venture but so far, it's actually working pretty well. While the prisoners themselves are going overboard in getting their revenge on the guards, I've liked the various group dynamics and the flashbacks have helped break up the riot scenes a little so things haven't felt too bogged down. Now onto the remaining six episodes of the season.

- Colton Haynes, Charlie Carver and Tyler Hoechlin will be appearing in the second half of Teen Wolf's final season, starting later this month.
- Jared Gilmore will appear in Once Upon A Time's seventh season in a guest role. Dania Ramirez has also joined as a regular this season.
- The 13th Doctor will be revealed tomorrow on BBC1 after the Wimbledon's Mens Final.
- Brit Morgan will recur in Riverdale's second season.
- Manu Bennett will be returning for Arrow's sixth season as will a rumoured character from the show's first season.
- Lady Gaga will not be appearing in the seventh season of American Horror Story but Allison Pill will be while Twisty the Clown will also be returning. Adina Porter and Cheyenne Jackson are also returning.
- FOX are planning a crossover event with both Empire and Star this season.
- Erica Durance will be playing Alura in Supergirl's third season, replacing Laura Benanti in the role.

Luke Cage/Iron Fist/The Defenders - Comic Con Trailers

Comic Con is officially here and over the next few days, we're going to be getting some great treats, First up, a look at the trailers for some upcoming Netflix/Marvel shows.

Luke Cage: I've been waiting a while for a trailer for Mike Colter's super strong heroic, bar owner and it did not disappoint in the slightest. The minute and a half trailer saw Luke ripping off a car door and using it as a shield against some gun toting baddies while telling us that he's ready. It's also another two months before the series gets it's release on Netflix so I'm imagining that more trailers and promotion are imminent for the upcoming series.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ymw5uvViqPU

Iron Fist: I wasn't expecting a trailer for this series but I'm really glad one appeared. As well publicised by now, former Game Of Thrones actor Finn Jones has taken on the role of rich boy, Danny Rand/Iron Fist and despite one or two Arrow type reminders, this trailer certainly set up things well for the upcoming series. Now all we have to do is see Danny in costume and unlike Daredevil, I really hope it doesn't take all of the first season for that to happen.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCSPda7xQ3s

The Defenders: And finally we got this trailer. Less of actual footage and more of a voice over from Stick (Scott Glen) as he questions whether or not the combined forces of Matt Murdoch, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Danny Rand are enough to take out the Hand once and for all and ultimately save New York from destruction. I can't wait to see all four characters meet and interact with each other during this particular event series.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBZtM8q2Z1g

Also in the least shocking news ever, Marvel confirmed at Comic Con that Daredevil will be returning to Netflix for a third season. However due to the character's role in The Defenders, the wait will be a little longer but either way, it's good news though. The show's second season certainly gripped and ended on a high note and I am intrigued to see what a third year will offer.

Daredevil News: http://comicbook.com/marvel/2016/07/23/marvel-and-netflix-announce-daredevil-season-3/

Luke Cage will be released on Netflix from September 30th while Iron Fist and The Defenders will debut in 2017.

Luke Cage - Casting Information

Well, I'm nearly finished Daredevil (one more episode to go), will definitely watch Jessica Jones (though it might take a while due to other shows) and then there's also Luke Cage, which I hadn't been paying attention to but the casting has certainly gotten me a little more interested though.

The lead role of course will be played by Mike Colter, known to audiences for the short lived series Ringer and guest roles in such shows as ER and American Horror Story. Of course prior to seeing Colter on his own show, he'll be popping up in Jessica Jones first (as will Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple) but casting for his own show has also gotten rather interesting in recent days.

Alfre Woodard best known for her roles on Desperate Housewives and Hill Street Blues has nearly finalised a deal to appear in the upcoming series. Woodard will be taking on the role (or a version at the very least) of Black Mariah, a character who in the comics is a nemesis to both Luke Cage and Iron Fist as well as being a professional criminal and a drug dealer. The casting has yet to be confirmed, but I'd say it's pretty likely to be honest.

It's still a while off before this series debuts so it'll be interesting to see who else the series gets given that both Daredevil and Jessica Jones so far have pulled in rather impressive actors.

Casting Info: http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/08/luke-cage-alfre-woodard-cast-as-lead.html

Luke Cage will debut on Netflix in 2016. The character can be seen soon in Jessica Jones, which will debut in late 2015.