We finally come to it: the final Defender, Iron Fist. By now, you’ve been treated to the full live tweet of Iron Fist, led by our very own Alice W. Castle. Now sit down, get some tea, and get ready for these full breakdowns of each episode. In “Dragon Plays With Fire,” it all ends. It’s finally over. Let’s jump into this but be warned, there will be spoilers.
1. The Worst Timing
Harold Meachum spent 13 years manipulating Rand and his son Ward in the shadows. He never told his daughter he was alive and he worked for The Hand in secret. Even though he isn’t the same after dying again, I have an incredibly hard time believing that he would just wake up and waltz into the office and decide to expose his fraud. It was made very clear that what was broken inside of him was more about violence, hence his outbursts and killing of Kyle. Harold still manipulated things and was aware enough to manipulate Joy the way that he did which led the DEA to hunt down Danny. Yet Iron Fist now expects us to just believe that after 13 years and 12 episodes that Harold is just throwing all that work out to come out of hiding. What really happened is that the show realized it needed a final fight and they chose Harold Meachum to be that instead of reorganizing this season to make it be a big showdown with The Hand. This finale decided to just throw out all that it built to give us a fight that was lackluster and ultimately ruined anything good about Harold Meachum.
2. You Wouldn’t Like Danny When He’s Angry
I love comics books and the fantasy and ridiculousness that comes with them. I will believe anything if you give it the right build up. Danny’s chi, which is what allows him to harness the power of the Iron Fist, was something that was brought up when it was convenient. His inability to keep his emotions in check, particularly his anger, is something that was worth exploring. Instead, it was used when the writers needed to give Danny a reason to not use his power. Danny became bratty, which, given what happened to him, you can kind of believe his growth has been stunted. However, this came off more like The Hulk rather than Danny Rand. Finn Jones became annoying when he had to convey this and is another example of unrealized potential thanks to a muddled script.
3. I Like Ward Meachum
I can’t believe I’m saying this because I’ve been nitpicking at Ward all season but damn it, Iron Fist got me to come around and it’s the one thing it did well. Ward Meachum is a jerk and unashamed in that. He had a drug problem and inherited some of his father’s worst aspects but underneath that there is actually something else. There is a decent human hidden deep down inside him and the only reason I’d watch a second season of this series is to see what kind of struggle he has taking over the company and not becoming his father. Tom Pelphrey did a wonderful job committing to this character and doing something with him in a mess of a show. Ward will never be a hero but he has a chance to do better than his father and be better than he was under his rule.
4. Now You’re Mad?
Joy Meachum went through a lot over these 13 episodes. She lost her company, got shot, lost her family and not until the end does she decide to be mad at Danny for any of it. After she sees that her father and brother were really the problem here, she decides, through a conversation with Davos, to take out Danny. Why? It becomes extremely clear that the problem is within her own house. Danny’s biggest error was being a bad businessman so now is when she’s decided to be angry? It makes no sense. What makes less sense is just throwing Davos in the end here after just tossing him out (literally) in the rain and even more random is Madame Gao’s presence! All of this was meant as a tease to next season but ultimately, I don’t care.
Continued below5. And In The End, Danny Is Still Useless
Being the Iron Fist was never something Danny was good at. He left behind his actual goal of protecting K’un Lun and when he decides to go back, he’s somehow shocked that the entrance is gone and that The Hand has gotten to it. Buddy, you left your task behind unexpectedly, fought The Hand in New York and thus exposed yourself to them. They know everything about you which means they know how to beat you, because really, you’re still a helpless puppy. None of this should shock Danny yet it does and it illustrates all that was wrong with his character development. He never grew. His mission became a selfish one and all that is against what he was taught. He never really grew up and if you look at each of the other Marvel Netflix series, each lead earned growth. Danny didn’t get this and the character really deserved better than this.
Iron Fist from start to finish was a mess and honestly felt rushed. We spent so much time not hearing any news about this show which led a lot of people to believe this was only existing at this time to lead in The Defenders. It never had a real vision and didn’t have a unique point of view the way the other series have. Danny Rand’s casting ultimately ended up being a problem among problems as the series only showed tiny glimmers of hope but just kind of kept stumbling along, going nowhere.
What did you think of Iron Fist? Let me know in the comments below!
