Iron Fist: Season One - TV review
Iron Fist: Season One
Plot: Danny Rand returns to New York City after being missing for years, trying to reconnect with his past and his family legacy. He fights against the criminal element corrupting his world around him with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.
Cast: Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick, Jessica Stroup
Number Of Episodes: 13
Channel: Netflix
Certificate: 15
Air Date: Friday 17th March 2017
The time of reckoning is upon us. Batten down the hatches. Prepare for our impending doom. The unthinkable has happened. It's the end of all things as we know it. Marvel Studios have made a misstep. OH THE HUMANITY!! In all seriousness, everyone has been hoping that the day wouldn't come when Marvel makes something that is slightly sub-par. For the most part, their track record is untarnished. They've had a few blips (Iron Man 2 & 3, The Incredible Hulk) but nothing released unto the MCU has been less than good. The same goes for their Netflix division. Daredevil is tremendous, Luke Cage was terrific and Jessica Jones was very good. Sadly, Iron Fist is the anomaly. If anything, it proves that the MCU is human.
Hopefully, the less than stellar reviews that this show is receiving might convince the Marvel/Netflix heads to fix the one problem that all of these series' have in common (no matter the quality); season length. Thirteen episodes is just too many. It would be fine if the showrunners are able to craft a story that is worthy of lasting the thirteen episodes but until that happens, eight, maybe ten at the most, would be far more suitable. Iron Fist suffers from this issue the worst. Its pace is terrible. For the first five episodes or so, the temptation to stop altogether was quite tempting. The only reason I did persevere was both that I'm a Marvel completist and I was hoping to see how it ties into The Defenders. From the first episode to the last, it's a challenge to adequately explain the overarching plot and the interweaving character stories. That being said, I'll try my damnedest. Danny Rand returns to New York after disappearing from a plane crash when he was young. He's also the Iron Fist. His intention is to come back and run Rand Enterprises but once he finds it under new management he has to prove his way back to the top. He's also the Iron Fist. Danny also struggles to convince those once closest to him that he is who he says he is considering he was presumed dead for many years. He's also the Iron Fist. Oh yeah, then The Hand is thrown in for good measure for Danny to actually use his Iron Fist because heaven forbid he use it too much. Danny Rand spends more time explaining to other characters that he's the Iron Fist and the sense of purpose and entitlement that comes with it than actually using the Iron Fist. It's like Iron Man hardly ever using his Iron Man suit. As for Danny himself, there has been a fair bit of controversy over his casting. Finn Jones stars in the role and there was uproar from fans claiming that it was another case of whitewashing. To clear that all up, Danny Rand is a white male. Finn Jones is a white male. I'm struggling to see the problem here. Where my issue lies is in Jones himself. He's not interesting in the slightest. Danny Rand is a bore of a character. He's either moaning about how he can't live up to the expectations that comes with the Iron Fist mantle or moaning about how he must destroy the Hand. Either way, he moans. A lot. Whereas Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter and Mike Colter all exude likeability in the lead role, Jones cannot convincingly lead a show of his own yet. He doesn't make me care for Danny. Marvel/Netflix's best idea would be to hear the fans out, understand that this plan for Danny didn't work out, hope that they've managed to sort him out for The Defenders and then go back to the drawing board for Iron Fist: Season Two.
FACT: Iron Fist's most well-known partner in the comics is Luke Cage, who also has his own show on Netflix. In both the comics and the show, Iron Fist's original working partner is Colleen Wing.
Iron Fist may have had a disappointing first season but something it did very well was supply a lot of promise for the future of the Marvel/Netflix universe, specifically, the introduction of one character specifically. Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing is the shining star and saving grace of this show. She's fantastic. These Netflix shows have done a great job with the female characters and Colleen stands alongside Misty Knight, Claire Temple, Elektra and Jessica Jones as some of the top characters in this pocket universe. Henwick's character is interesting, badass and very captivating to watch. If ever I was debating on continuing with the show, her performance would pull me back in. I was a fan of how her character developed as the episodes progressed but, she did become a person for Danny to continually save at a few points which detracted from her independent personality. That is just another example of how conflicted this show is. As for the other performances, most are mediocre or just about tolerable. David Wenham as Harold Meachum is probably the best of the bunch but even his character has no overall worthy place apart from tempting Danny to fight the Hand. Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum provides me anything but what her name suggests as she just sulks and questions her way through the season but do not get me started on Ward Meachum. Tom Pelphrey does what he can and he definitely isn't to blame but, and excuse my French, FUCK WARD! There is nothing redeemable about this self-absorbed, narcissistic, idiotic, drugged up businessman. I cannot stress how much every time he came onscreen, I either wanted to punch the screen in anger or quit the whole thing and delete my Netflix account. He's a stupid sod with major daddy issues and yet the show still expects us to hope that situations get better for him.
In my honest opinion, and take this with a pinch of salt considering I'm no screenwriter, this show would have been so much better if it followed the lines of Batman Begins. Our opening episodes would be focused on Danny's training at K'un-lun, he's bestowed with the Iron Fist, his friend (Davos, who appears briefly) is jealous so teams with the Hand. Then, when Danny comes back to New York; scrap the Meachum's entirely and simply make it Danny vs the Hand. Do you have any idea how infuriating it is to watch scenes of corporate management and business meetings when the dialogue has about as much punch than that of a blind beggar with rigor mortis? Now, it may seem like I'm totally bashing on the show but a lot of these comments are just from disappointment. Parts of the show work, in some cases really well, but when the show seemingly brushes past those parts to put the focus back on what is basically the show Suits with ninjas, it proves to me that there is no clear direction. There's a whole arc involving a trip to Hong Kong and those episodes are really enjoyable. We also meet a character called Bakuto who has a mysterious connection to Colleen. The build up to that and its eventual conclusion were really satisfying. Even Claire has a significant role, as she always does, and I thought that when the writers knew when to use her, it made me crave for more episodes like those in particular. Despite all of that, the one aspect of a Marvel/Netflix show I knew I could rely on were the memorable fight scenes. Daredevil's hallway scene is now a moment to beat in every new show this team produces. Jessica Jones didn't try to match that because the story wasn't action centric and Luke Cage gave it a bloody good go. Iron Fist's fight scenes are a mixed bag. Some, involving a drunken master and a raid on a Hand compound, are particularly impressive and brutal. With kungfu origins being the inspiration, my expectations were elements of The Raid spliced with classic Jackie Chan fights. The end result; over choreographed and poorly shot hand-to-hand combat sequences. The initial instance of seeing Danny's expertise as he faces off against Rand security guards is laughably executed as it almost seems like a rehearsal that was accidentally recorded.
Unsurprisingly, this is my least favourite entry into the whole of the MCU. It has really strong moments that, if the series continued like that, could have joined the ranks of its Netflix predecessors but Iron Fist fails to do so. Corporate litigation, financial blackmail and business espionage are not a good fit for a ninja who possesses a magical glowing fist and whose enemies include an army of evil ninjas and a freaking dragon. However, this isn't the end. Marvel are smart and I'm sure that this will simply be recorded as a minor bump in the road. At least I'm praying it will.
My Verdict: 5.5/10
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