These past two weeks, have been monstrous for Marvel fans and even the small amount of Iron Fist fans due to recent critical reviews. While it isn't out of the ordinary for a show or movie to get bad reviews, it happens. However with Marvel's case, one should turn heads when this happens, and this show further proves why you should turn your head rather than shrug it off as acceptable. As always Marvel does try to provide the best possible story telling for any character, but as many would say or maybe I am the only one, "They have dropped the ball" when it comes to Iron Fist
I'm not going into detail about how I rank or prefer which Marvel Netflix show, the purpose I see is that all three of the shows superbly handled each character rightfully well. I know care about Matt Murdock, I care about Jessica Jones and I also care about Luke Cage, they given us reasons to care without a doubt why we should root for these heroes, why we should care where they go in life, why we should further binge on a show. Iron Fist, does not give you that reason to continue other than "You're a Marvel fan, you might as well" which is exactly what I felt trap too.
Iron Fist is the newest action/adventure Netflix series, the final act before the big crescendo of Netflix's The Defenders. Starring Danny Rand (Finn Jones) who has returned 15 years later after a horrible plane crash killing his two parents, to New York City, his reasons aren't known why. Upon returning he is greeted with hostility from childhood friends Ward & Joy Meachum who own multi-billionaire company Rand Enterprises, this point no one believes he is who he said he is. He also meets Colleen Wing, master of her own dojo and also secretly likes to fight in cage matches while also telling her students not to.
I'm going to try and go ahead and name the good of this show as much as possible, some characters truly stand out in this show, Ward & Harold for example is one that aren't really written well but they are enjoyable to watch to how easily over the top both can exert. We also have Colleen Wing who is as beautiful and yet interesting as a characters to possibly stand on her own. I also need to take light of the shows choice in music, from Outkast to the 80's synth hints in the background the show does an impressive job with what it gives us. Not to mention some of the best moments are scattered through out each episode, and that is the sad part about this is that the show is riddled with moments that come across as OKAY or GOOD but the rest....
This is where the show takes the leap of faith into a concrete floor. One of the major gripes I had with this show is how bad they handle our main character Danny Rand. I don't understand why they ended up with this decision to make incredibly whiny, to start off his PTSD, while it does start to show that the could have PTSD which is very interesting, it is instantly ignored the moment people believe him to be Danny Rand in the third episode. At that point everything is just ignored about that aspect of his character through the miraculous power of CHI! We don't know how, or why he should be the Iron Fist, only that the show wants you to know HE IS THE IRON FIST. Nothing makes us believe why he should be, even when later on when we are greeted to Davos, a character who feels better suited to be the Iron Fist than Danny even that is rightfully ignored.
Also a lot of the story and character arcs are all over the place. Ward for example shows hints that he wants out of Rand Enterprises, where he could just leave and it wouldn't matter. Meanwhile his idea of what that is to leave is always blocked by Joy for some odd reason. Not only that, I find it hilarious where they want to say NO to $100 million dollars, a chance to run away including Ward who decides to lower from $30 million to half a million in a matter of two minutes, yet he wants to leave! Then leave! Why are we wasting time on corporate drama when we could be talking about what is going on in China. This is all in Episode 8 mind you when we finally do see some action, we get laughable fight sequences yet again.
Back to Davos, his importance is that he is Danny's best friend. The portal from K'unn L'un has opened and it is up to Davos to go back and bring Danny back. When Davos does finally get Danny they are on this crusade to which Davos has no interest in really doing. At this point the characters Danny & Davos later on become enemies, but why? Is Davos really wrong to be royally upset at Danny? Truth is he isn't. It's sad, because his best moment is when he is having coffee with Claire, and you honestly do get the sense that Danny was never meant to be the Iron Fist at all but that this man is right. Why didn't get the power? Or get the chance to punch the dragon through the chest? It's not totally clear, it just is.
This is where the final four episodes begin to make little sense and start to become worse than the first six episodes. From Bakuto, to Harold Meachum, everything just is such a coincidence. The most obvious main antagonist the Hand are the most confusing and idiotic gang in all comic book mediums. What they state is that there is The Hand that helps people through martial arts and helps them get better jobs and a better future. Okay, nothing wrong with that, but why are they bad? We are never fully shown why other than they tried to kill Colleen because she betrayed Bakuto, but that does make total sense in Bakuto's right. As for Gao, we know she is bad, and that is true but when an explanation is given the only true explanation is "THERE IS A GOOD HAND AND A BAD HAND" what the hell does that mean?? How unorganized is this clan, why should we fear them, why are they such a threat when they can't even figure out a clear direction for the entire organization. What is this comedy hour!?
At this point, the finale happens and you feel that maybe we might get a very good finale to a very so-so season of Iron Fist. However, we are greeted to probably the worst piece of writing the show has given us, with not just one or two writers, but a total of three writers who came up with a horrible finale. In the final battle after Danny does his mega punch to the floor, Harold runs off to the roof where Danny chases him. In a climatic battle, Harold after shooting Danny's hand tries to find him. In probably the most dumbest scene I have ever seen, Danny straight up knocks out Harold and RUNS AWAY. Mind you, knock out as in, hit the floor, eyes closed. Yet Danny, runs away. Not only does it get annoyingly idiotic from there, but Danny does it again but this time enters a small fight scene with Harold which Harold mainly gets the upper-hand. Mind you this is a kung-fu master who is up against some corporate cliche villain, and DANNY GOT KNOCKED OUT. Not by the Hand, not by Bakuto or Davos, those are lightweight compared to the incredible HAROLD. Again, what!?
The show is all over the place, none of the qualities we should like about this show are present, instead they are here and ther and that's it. The fight scenes are almost laughable that even editing couldn't fix. The characters are almost paper-thin that are given little to no use other than walk through the plot because the script calls for it. At the end, we are shown that Joy may have a villainous turn for some odd reason. We don't understand or need to know why, it just needs to happen because IT DOES. Ward is now running Rand Enterprises, after bitching and moaning on how he wants out. Danny decides now it is time to go back to K'unn L'unn, only this time he is unable to make it through. At this point, NO SHIT!
This show, is so bad that you just can't take your eyes off it. You need to keep watching, you need to know the next episode just to see how bad it gets because your just entitled too. These past three shows set a standard not just for superhero shows, but to prove that superhero shows can be taken seriously as Sopranos or Breaking Bad. They could be loved, they could be adult themed and well liked. Iron Fist is the total opposite. It could easily pass as the next CW hit, it as that bad. This is bad entertainment at its finest, but we should yearn and want for better, Iron Fist has gave us the power punch in the balls.