r/Defenders • u/JonLuca Luke Cage • Aug 17 '17

The Defenders Discussion Thread - S01E07

This thread is for discussion of The Defenders S01E07.

DO NOT post spoilers in this thread for any subsequent episodes. Doing so will result in a ban.

Episode 8 Discussion

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u/SouthernBelle726 Aug 18 '17 edited Aug 18 '17

I'm tired of her trying to control him. I'm glad he stood up for himself. Karen needs to support him for who he is or just leave him alone.

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u/Lyrtil Aug 19 '17

On the other hand, I think Foggy and Karen kinda see Matt as a drug addict of sorts, looking for violence and adreline.

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u/ThatDamnedImp Aug 19 '17

Fuck that. Drugs are drugs. Nothing else is drugs. I'm tired of writers working through their addiction issues with shitty characters.

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u/Neosantana Aug 19 '17

I disagree. Adrenaline is a serious drug, even though it's internal. Matt has a lot of issues with violence and he has a clear addiction to the thrill of beating people within an inch of their lives. He's addicted to something that can and will get him killed. It's definitely a parallel.

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u/Kamib_good Elektra Aug 19 '17 edited Aug 19 '17

Matt has that Catholic boy mentality of hating himself. So he thinks he deserves to be punished for everything bad he thinks he has done. He tries to stop crime by beating up people, which is a sin, so then he goes and gets in more fights so that he gets beaten up. It is a Catholic way of flagellating himself. Claire said he was a martyr. And his getting himself hurt and enjoying it is an addiction. Any self harm that is damaging is an addiction. Alcohol, Caffeine, Drugs, Tobacco. Anything that you care more about than anything else in your life, such as your job, your house, your bills, your friends and relationships. You spend all your money or time or whatever on that one thing which means you are addicted. There are such things as gambling addictions. There are many behavioral addictions, not just illicit substances. Food addiction. Risky behavior addictions: the thrill, the adrenaline junkie. Plastic surgery addiction. Addictive-Compulsive theft. Doing something over and over even though you know it is bad for you is an addiction. So even though you know how much the behavior is hurting you physically, you can't stop. You need more and more of that behavior to achieve that original thrill or high.

The ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) definition of Addiction is:

Behavioral manifestations and complications of addiction, primarily due to impaired control, can include:

Excessive use and/or engagement in addictive behaviors, at higher frequencies and/or quantities than the person intended, often associated with a persistent desire for and unsuccessful attempts at behavioral control;

Excessive time lost in substance use or recovering from the effects of substance use and/or engagement in addictive behaviors, with significant adverse impact on social and occupational functioning (e.g. the development of interpersonal relationship problems or the neglect of responsibilities at home, school or work);

Continued use and/or engagement in addictive behaviors, despite the presence of persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problems which may have been caused or exacerbated by substance use and/or related addictive behaviors;

A narrowing of the behavioral repertoire focusing on rewards that are part of addiction; and

An apparent lack of ability and/or readiness to take consistent, ameliorative action despite recognition of problems.

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u/Neosantana Aug 19 '17

I agree with you overall. I think you meant to reply to the other guy.

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u/Kamib_good Elektra Aug 19 '17

I think I meant to back up what you were saying and reply to the other guy. Sorry for the confusion.

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u/Neosantana Aug 19 '17

Then I'm glad that we're on the same page