Marvel’s ‘Iron Fist’ rebounds for a great second season
By Drew Henderson// A&E Editor
It is no secret that out of all the Netflix-Marvel properties, many people think of ‘Iron Fist’ being the bottom of a barrel, but they did have good reasons to believe that. The first season of “Iron Fist” was the opposite of what fans thought it would be, as the season was filled with corporate drama, fight scenes that were spliced together with quick camera shots and changes. Most importantly, the main character, Danny Rand, was just completely uninteresting and annoying, spouting his “I am the Iron Fist” monologue ever other conversation he had. When he appeared in “The Defenders” and “Luke Cage,” the course correction for the series began, as Finn Jones became a more mature and at ease Danny.
People had good reason not to enjoy “Iron Fist,” but the second season improved on a lot of fan’s criticism of season one.
The story, for example, leaves the boardroom of Rand Enterprises and sees Danny and Colleen, making a life for themselves in Chinatown. But as the gangs of Chinatown start a Triad war, they must work to stop the city from tearing itself apart. Davos also returns to take back what is his. Like “Luke Cage,” this season of “Iron Fist” is affected by their last crossover, as Danny steps up to fill the void of protector now that Matthew Murdock is still MIA. Danny’s power is also shown more this time around as well with his first super-powered moment in the season punching the front off of an armored truck. The fights this season may not reach the brutality of “Daredevil,” but they are so much better than last season with little too few cuts in between fights. The actors appear to have been trained for months in combat prior to shooting and not a few days beforehand, which was the case with season one.
Even though the fights are better than ever for the series, how do the characters hold up considering the show has one of the best-supporting casts out of the entire Netflix-Marvel series? Jones seems more confident as Danny Rand this time, leaving behind the ignorance and immaturity that was present through season one. He has become a more humbled and calm person. Rounding out the cast, we also have Jessica Henwick returning as Colleen Wing, and Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum. These are two core characters to the series, as they are both going through their arcs, with Colleen readjusting to her life after finishing off The Hand in “The Defenders,” and Ward trying to reconcile with his sister while also dealing with his own demons. Joining the cast is Simone Missick as Misty Knight, making her crossover from “Luke Cage,” and Alice Eve as Mary Walker, a former military officer, with DID (dissociative identity disorder.)
The suprising-impressive-character-award would have to go to Mary Walker, as Alice Eve did a great job of switching between characters, being sinister one moment and then cheerful the next.
Overall, this season was a significant improvement from the first season. The first season was slow-paced and complicated this time around, and the plot is more straightforward and faster. Rand and Co. are also more interesting overall, and for a show about martial arts, they have some pretty intense fights. “Iron Fist” season two succeeds in correcting the series, and the end of season two sets up great things for a hopeful third.
While it may not come close to the comics, Danny Rand does come close to resembling the character. Photo by ComingSoon.net