Danny faces his fear, and Colleen meets her match. Joy makes a hasty decision, while Ward struggles to accept his sister’s admiration.

Iron Fist’s greatest enemy is… turbulence. Danny, Colleen, and Claire head to China in pursuit of Madam Gao and Danny loses his shit when they hit turbulence. That’s maybe the best use of the character so far in that it really explores his trauma, which while touched upon in the series, hasn’t really been used a lot. Finn Jones is decent in the trauma, but it’s Rosario Dawson who stands out in her reactions to it.

When the episode isn’t focused on Danny, Claire, and Colleen, it’s about Joy and Ward who have been ousted from the company. There’s a great nod to Jessica Jones in one of their scenes but this is the first decent sequence between the two. Each gets to show off real emotion and Tom Pelphrey as Ward is particularly good as a lot of what he says in his face and not his words. It’s actually really good acting between the two, especially because it hasn’t been all that great up to this point. While the two are interesting, their plotline overall feels rather superfluous in that it doesn’t directly have to do with Danny. Both have a history in the Iron Fist comics, but who knows where this is all going.

Claire, Danny, and Colleen assault Gao’s drug operation and it gives us some of the best fight choreography of the season up to this point. Colleen, in particular, stands out with a sword fight and Danny fights what I think is another Immortal Weapon, but I’m not 100% sure which. Drunk, flys, it all seems familiar from the comics.

But with the good, there’s also some bad. The end fight against Gao gives us some revelations, but the fight itself is a bit lackluster. It’s as if all of the energy has been focused on one point leaving little for elsewhere. The episode again makes the case that Marvel’s Netflix shows need to be more focused and trimmed by a few episodes.

Overall Rating: 6.05

Ward’s loyalty is tested. Danny discovers a rogue division, and the mysterious Bakuto visits Colleen’s dojo unannounced.

It hasn’t been mentioned much, but there’s a line about Danny taking a vow of celibacy. A virgin superhero is actually a breath of fresh air considering many of the previous Netflix series have been steeped in sexuality. But, this episode is really interesting because we see Danny actually ask permission to have sex with someone. It might seem like an odd thing to mention, but it stands out as it does make the character stand out.

Madame Gao is the big thing here as well as a greater focus on Danny’s promise he’d do something about the poisoning his company has done.

There’s a mix of plotlines in this episode and the season. It has the drug dealing plot with the Hand and Gao and there’s the company doing wicked things. Focusing on one or the other probably would have been better, but we get both.

Out of everyone this season, so far it’s Madam Gao who stands out. Here demeanor and how she presents herself is really interesting and she feels like a threat to Danny, even though she’s half his size. She has had great presence in the previous Netflix series, but here things really stand out.

What’s odd in the storyline is the fact that no one has noticed a drug dealing operation is going on within the corporation. A floor that no one goes to. Warehouses. Shipping. No one? Seriously?

There’s some maneuvering to take on the Hand is the most interesting thing of the episode and how that all proceeds from here will be the most interesting, but it also could be a plot point that’s brought up and then abandoned.

It’s a better episode than most of the season, but still something feels like it’s missing from the episode. It’s almost good, just slightly off.

Overall Rating: 6.05

Danny receives an invitation like no other. Colleen and Claire face a difficult choice. A worried Joy confronts her brother.

The sixth episode of Marvel’s Iron Fist is directed by RZA who gives us the most stylish of the episodes so far. The episode is a martial arts movie trope of the hero having to go through a string of battles to emerge out the other end a stronger warrior. In this case, the battles are against the Immortal Weapons, a relatively new addition to the Iron Fist comics world, introduced a decade ago by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, and David Aja.

The episode is broken down into two parts, there’s the tournament and then there’s Claire and Colleen dealing with their injured guest.

The episode is full of tropes. There’s the fighting tournament. The martial artist who listens to the “ghost” of his teacher. Each battle teaching the fighter a lesson. There’s not much new here other than it introduces an interesting aspect from the Iron Fists comics and it teases something greater is going on.

Madame Gao makes her big introduction as she’s the one who’s pulling the strings. She admits she knows where K’un L’un is, having been there, but more interesting is she knows Danny’s dad. It adds a wrinkle to things and actually makes the series start to get interesting.

But, the highlight is Clair and Colleen who have to save their guest and that leads to some action down the road in a familiar hospital. If there wasn’t a case in previous episodes that we need a series of just these two, then this completely makes it. Their scenes and interactions are the breath of fresh air this series needs and has been lacking. It’s night and day as far as the acting, the interactions, the delivery, it’s actually entertaining and fun.

It’s taken six episodes to get interesting. But, at least it’s gotten interesting.

Overall Rating: 6.35

An insidious new drug hits New York. Danny recruits Colleen for the fight, and Claire discovers that credit cards have many uses.

It’s Danny Randovich as Rand Corporation is poisoning the people and Danny Rand comes to the rescue! The series is diving into the average person versus the evil corporation story that has existed in previous Marvel live action series, but never quite like this. It’s a story that has been done before and done better. While the storyline is a nice change from previous series, it’s again a “paint by numbers” plot giving us nothing new and nothing all that interesting.

Finn Jones as Danny Rand shows off some personality though with his interaction with Jessica Henwick‘s Colleen Wing. That could be helped with the introduction of Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple to the series. There’s some personality given off by Jones and his interaction with the two. It’s almost a boy scout vibe about it and as the series goes on its becoming clearer that its a choice and not Jones’ acting itself. He lets his guard down a little bit showing off his swagger a bit more and opening up. But, it’s still bland overall and boring. I think that gets really noticeable around Dawson and Henwick where Jones’ tone and style shifts a little bit as he becomes more comfortable.

Much of the episode is laying out more of what the “villain” of it all is. But, the series seems to be in a “say” sort of focus instead of a “show.” We get Danny explaining things to Colleen or Claire explains things to the two. Instead of letting us figure things out through visual storytelling we’re presented with the situation in a blunt manner. It’s spelled out for us. There’s an almost lack of visual confidence in the series.

By the end of this episode we have a better sense of where things are going, or at least why they’re going the way they are. The plot is laid out clearly here after four episodes of build up, but that also brings up the biggest problem that has plagued Marvel’s Netflix shows in that sticking to 13 episode they’re drawn out where at times they could benefit from being condensed. These first five episodes are a prime example of that.

Overall Rating: 5.65

Danny makes a shocking discovery and a radical pricing proposal. Colleen’s extracurricular activities go viral, and Ward issues a stern warning.

Alright, the fourth episode shows a little life and has actual decent commentary with something to say. The issue with Danny and his company is resolved as he takes control and early on puts his stamp on things.

Finn Jones continues to be a little blah in the title character of Marvel’s Iron Fist, but he shows a bit of something interesting in that there’s an emphasis that he’s a little stunted and off from the years away. There’s a naivete about him that feels like a view a kid would have, add in his enthusiasm of hanging round Joy Meachum and what we’ve seen in his training, it all comes together as to why this Danny Rand is the way he is. But, he’s still very bland and not engaging on the screen. You need to give us something else if that’s the case and that hook has been missing for the four episodes. What seems to be missing is the PTSD that keeps on being hinted at. Even when he recounts his training and previous life, there’s an odd disconnect in how he recounts it all.

It all feels uninspired. That’s visually depicted in our first real fight scene featuring Danny taking place in a hallway and elevator. It is reminiscent of the excellent Daredevil hallway fight scene but lacks the choreography of that. Instead, we get what looks like sparring and individuals going through the motion instead of a real fight. There’s also a scene in an elevator that could have been the scene of the series, an iconic fight that’d define where things were going. Instead, it also feels like dancing and sparring instead of an actual fight. Like the series so far, it’s bland and forgettable.

The most interesting aspect of this series so far is Jessica Henwick‘s Colleen Wing who again takes center stage in another fight that actually is somewhat memorable or at least interesting to watch. The episode feels like it makes the case that this series should have been focusing on her more.

Instead, in this fourth episode, Marvel’s Iron Fist feels like a sequel to the second season of Daredevil with its focus on the Hand and some of the characters barely touched upon. I personally hated that second season, so it’s not really a surprise that this series hasn’t clicked for that reason alone.

The episode improves as it goes along but it’s still not nearly engaging enough giving us process and going through the motions instead of exciting and giving us something new.

Overall Rating: 6.15

Joy proves herself a shrewd businessperson, Danny recalls a painful memory, and Colleen puts her talents to good use.

How does one prove yourself alive, especially when you didn’t live a public life? That’s the issue Danny Rand faces as it’s clear that his fight for his company won’t be easy. The first three episode of Netflix‘s Marvel’s Iron Fist feel like the Star Wars prequels focused on parliamentary procedure compared to the more action focused previous series.

The episode shows a little life though as Finn Jones shows some emotion and actual acting as things become clearer who’s screwing around with him. The series is a bit odd in that it has Ward Meachum doing all of these things to keep control of Danny’s company, but these are all things he could have done over the past few years while Danny was “dead.” It’d have been more subtle and while it would have taken away some of the action of this episode, it’d have deepen the mystery and conspiracy a bit.

What the episode really does is have Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing take center stage in a fighting sequence that’s reminiscent of the first Spider-Man’s wrestling scene, but also the most action we’ve seen this entire series.

The episode isn’t all bad though. The use of Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth is a fantastic way to tie this series and the world of Iron Fist to the previous Netflix series. Also, how Danny’s identity is revealed is a creative twist to resolve the issue. But, it also emphasizes that the series feels like paper being pushed around. It’s slow, it’s full of process, it drags along.

Three episodes in and the issue is clearer. Marvel’s Iron Fist‘s greatest challenge is expectations. It’s different than what has come before and in being different it’s stumbling along the way. Again, not bad, but also not good.

Overall Rating: 6.0

Danny struggles with his new surroundings, Colleen dishes out a harsh lesson, and Joy sends an unconventional message.

This second episode continues the rather bland acting from the first as we’re bounced around as to whether we believe it’s really Danny Rand or if he really is crazy and not who he says. There’s a lot of potential is there but the frustration as a viewer is simple in that it’s actually not hard to prove that this is really Danny. Ask some things only he would know. Check dental records. It’s a simple plot that’s overly complicated.

But, we also learn a bit more about what happened to Danny in a way that’s not a flashback. That feels original in a rather odd way. There’s also his being the “Iron Fist” and a joke about how so many more people think they’re superheroes. Again potential that’s squandered oddly.

But, everything is resolved by the end of the episode as it’s clearer as to what the truth is. In that truth though we learn that Rand’s mission is to defeat the Hand, introduced in the second season of Daredevil and the Meachums may need to use Danny in some way…. though they also want him locked up!? It’s all rather drawn out and silly in a lot of ways.

The second episode’s greatest problem is the fact like the first it has no personality. It doesn’t go over the top with martial arts action or embrace its exploitative aspects. It’s bland, like white bread, and like white bread it’d probably be better as something else. On its own though, Iron Fist again isn’t bad, it’s also just not engaging.

Overall Rating: 6.0

After being declared dead 15 years earlier, Danny Rand returns to New York. But his welcome is a far cry from what he’d hoped.

Going into watching this first episode of Marvel and Netflix‘s latest series Iron Fist, you can’t help but think about the rabid negative reviews that permeated the internet just a week or so back. And while the first episode didn’t quite hook me, it’s also not the disaster depicted.

Finn Jones in the title role feels more like he’s channeling Danny Masterson’s Hyde from That 70s Show than the Danny Rand the classic Marvel character. But, what Jones does well is that his Rand is chill and zen, something you’d expect from a martial arts master of his sort, not quite a stoner like Hyde, though you could easily see him being so.

We’re also introduced to Joy Meachum (played by Jessica Stroup) and Ward Meachum (played by Tom Pelphrey) who have taken over Danny’s family’s business believing them all to be dead. Pelphrey as Ward feels like every slick businessman in a Marvel live-action adaptation. All that he’s missing is the signature bad guy three-piece suit. Both of their acting is flat and a bit bland, matching Jones’ in many ways.

The highlight of this first episode is Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick). The character’s brief screen time shows off a little sass and strength and compared to the other three main actors, she feels much more natural through it all.

We’re also thrown into some of the twists and turns of the series and we quickly learn someone we thought was dead isn’t and folks are sent to attack Danny weaving a conspiracy. But in that conspiracy reveal, we’re given horrible writing where a villain (spoiler the not so dead Harold Meachum played by David Wenham) literally says the plot questions out loud that will be answered throughout the series like “where has Danny been,” “how’d he learn martial arts,” “are his parents alive,” and “why is he back.”

Beyond the blah writing and acting, there’s a strange lack of attention to detail as a backpack Danny carries disappears and reappears in the first episode with little to no explanation as to where it went.

The first episode of the series isn’t bad, it’s also just not good. There’s some potential in the series, it’s just that it’s B-movie level of quality and generally boring, predictable and bland. Maybe it’s due to the other Marvel Netflix series delivering such an energetic punch in their first episode this series feels like it’s taken on too much of a zen philosophy.

Overall Rating: 6.0