Lets just get this out of the way, I really didn't like the first season of Iron Fist. After such amazing work on Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, Iron Fist was the tv equivalent of a soaking wet blanket. Danny was insufferable, the story was boring and worst of all the action was an absolute mess. After the first season I was ready to write off Danny Rand and his glowing fist but then there was The Defenders, not a great season by any means but we saw a glimpse of what the character was capable of. And then after the amazing Hero for Hire episode in Luke Cage season 2 where Danny and Luke kick some serious ass together, I was ready for another go at The Iron Fist.
The problem was that these were not solo ventures and I was worried that another whole season focussing on Danny would be just as horrible as the last but I'm so glad to say that it was everything but.
Iron Fist season 2 fixes just about everything that made the first season horrible and gives us an engaging story with an excellent villain, a great supporting cast, and some of the best action/fighting since daredevil.
After the events of the Defenders, and Matt's "death" Danny has taken over as protector of New York. This really does a great job establishing the tone of the season. No more irrelevant board room meetings, no talks of corporate shareholders, and most of all no Hand. This season, from the jump really wants you to know its listened and wants you to know its different.
Season 1's story was bloated, convoluted, melodramatic and boring. It felt like almost every episode was some sort of board room drama with a bit of fantasy elements sprinkled in. Every shroud of mystery or intrigue was fumbled resulting in something that was almost too painful to watch.Â
This season, we have a simpler and more cohesive story that ditches almost all corporate talks and focuses almost entirely on real, emotional and relatable relationships. This is a very personal story that tackles issues like family, mental health and addiction.
Taking over for Daredevil really helps Danny feel more grounded and less self righteous. You really get the sense that he just want to help and that really does wonders for his character arc. He's is no longer whiney (for the most part) and a whole lot less ignorant. He seems much smarter and this really gives Finn Jones room to show us he can be as compelling as the actors in the Marvel Netflix family. Though as much as an improvement his character got he still felt like one of the weaker links amongst the rest of the characters. This could be mostly due to the fact of trying to build his character back up from the fist season but its more likely because he still does not hold a candle to Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing.
Probably the only redeemable part of the first season Jessica Henwick's portrayal of Colleen is amazing. She is witty, smart, useful, and kicks a whole ton of ass. This season really gave her room to shine in the action department with some of the best fighting seen on all four of the Marvel Netflix series. Colleen is a force to be reckoned with and whenever she took center stage I was all in.
And lets talk about the action for one minute. The fighting choreography and direction were excellent here. Season one had some of the most boring fight scenes I have ever seen and the fact that Danny only lit up his fist for about 10 seconds throughout the whole season didn't help. Now the fights are fast, flashy, and bloody and we also get to see a great deal more of the iron fist in action.
This season also benefitted from a really great supporting cast. Ward and Joy Meechum return and are put to great use, especially Ward who turned out to be one of the shows most compelling characters and a true highlight. As we saw in the ending of the previous season Joy joined forces with Davos in hopes to take down Danny and the fist and for the most part plays out well. Joy, for me at least, just wasn't as threatening or arch as she tries so hard to be but is still interesting enough to warrant her being around but Davos on the other hand really kills it as the villain, being both sympathetic and horrifying, he demands your attention whenever he is on screen. He's powerful, threatening and most of all unpredictable so its always fun to see how a scene will play out when he is involved.
Another stand out character is Mary, a mysterious artist played by Alice Eve. Early promotions for the show revealed she is Typhoid Mary from the comic books, but me being new to the lore have no idea who that is. Thankfully, Mary was an incredibly and compelling character who continuously evolved and developed throughout the show making it so that she steels any scene she is in.
With only ten episodes (cut down from the previouse 13) the season runs at a decently brisk pace with only maybe 2 or 3 episode that really drag. Most episodes feel important and really push the plot forward but still suffer from some odd pacing choices but ultimately don't harm the show that much.
Iron Fist season 2 is an excellent follow up to a show I had absolutely no faith in. Its improved almost everything wrong with its first outing as well as introduced and re-introduced characters that quickly became some of my favorites within the Marvel Netflix universe. Danny Rand could have been a little more compelling as a character but Colleen Wing has enough charm and charisma for the both of them. They won me over and I can't wait for what will come next, especially after the incredible final scene which i won't dare spoil.