Iron Fist, Season 2

A Tart Roundtable

By Wolfen Moondaughter
October 1, 2018

Danny's bestie from Kun-Lun, Davos, is determined to become the Iron Fist. Joy, having estranged herself from her brother Ward and blaming much of her recent ills on Danny, sides with Davos -- and brings a woman of questionable mental health on board. Colleen's efforts to distance herself from the world of martial arts are curbed when the local gangs come to the brink of war; she also finds a clue to her past. Ward tries to juggle sobriety and a new relationship while running Rand Industries and trying to repair things with Joy. And given the problems with Davos and the gangs, Misty lends Danny and Colleen a mechanical hand.

Katherine Keller

Staff Writer

After two very hit-or-miss Marvel offerings so far in 2018, Iron Fist S2 hit a solid home run. The story fit perfectly in the 10 episodes allotted; there was no filler, nor did the action and character development feel rushed. The overall quality of the writing was better, the camera work was much better, and so was the fight choreography. I loved S2 and cannot wait to re-watch it as soon as my schedule settles down a bit.

Misty Knight is, of course, always awesome. But everybody already knows that, so it's not a spoiler.

Major Spoilers ahead.

If I had to pick one song to sum up the theme of the season it would be David Bowie's classic "Changes" -- because hoo-boy, does everybody go through some changes over the course of the season. I'm not going to give a blow by blow of the multi-threaded (and neatly so) plot, but will mostly focus on character development.

I have mixed feelings about the handling of (Typhoid) Mary / Walker. Typhoid Mary is one of my all-time favorite comics characters and I have cosplayed her on a couple of occasions. The character we meet in Iron Fist bears only a passing resemblance to the famous Daredevil foe, and I'm not quite sure why they introduced her in an Iron Fist story and why they re-wrote her origin story. In the comics, there is some ambiguity as to what caused the shattering of Mary Walker's identity. In the TV series it came about as a result of prolonged torture when she (an elite soldier) was captured by a terrorist faction during the sectarian violence in the former Yugoslavia. Typhoid Mary (in the comics) is also a low-level mutant, possessed of weak telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers, which she can only access depending on which personality is in control. It's hinted in one scene that Mary might have some "code 616" abilities, but nothing definitive. And while this may be coming off as my hating the Netflix version of the character, I did like the actress they chose, and the sympathy with which her illness was explored -- how utterly disorienting and even frightening it can be to suddenly be some place and not know where you are, who you're with, or even what happened during the missing time ... and discovering that there is yet another "alter" and you don't know what triggers her.

(As an aside, I guess the Netflix take on the character will be: "Mary," a shy, sweet, and naive artist; "Walker", a cool, and calculating mercenary; and the as-yet-unseen ultraviolent "Typhoid".)

When the season opens, though he has, more or less, learned to summon his Iron Fist at will and is still 51% owner of Rand Corp, Danny Rand is working for a moving company and is in a relationship with Colleen. They live in the space that used to be her dojo. In some ways, Danny is trying to keep his promise to Matt, to keep an eye on things and keep Manhattan safe. He moves furniture by day and by night he fights crime. He is still estranged from Joy and Davos, and his relationship with Ward is uneven. In short, for all that he said in Luke Cage about having inner peace and clarity, Danny Rand is not really his own man, nor is he following his own purpose.

In addition to helping Danny keep a lid on a brewing tong-war, Colleen Wing now works for a non-profit agency in Chinatown that runs a community center. Her life gets upended when, by sheer chance, a toiletries box decorated with her family crest ends up as a donated item to the community center. She becomes determined to track down the person who donated the box, in the hopes that they can tell her more about her family -- specifically, the mother she lost at a very young age.

Joy Meachum is still bitterly estranged from Danny and Ward over the handling of her father's (un)life and death and the way in which they conspired to keep the truth from her. She negotiates for a buyout from Rand Corp, during which she asks for a series of "junk" patents. (There's a hidden diamond in the mix.) She has formed a partnership of sorts with Davos (whom she vastly underestimates) and throws a friend under the bus to get a sacred bowl that Davos needs for a ritual. Joy has hired Walker to stalk Danny Rand, drug him, humiliate him, and send pictures, after which she's fine with turning him over to Davos.

Like Joy and Danny, Ward is also trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. As part of his ongoing Narcotics Anonymous treatment, Ward tries more than once to mend his relationship with Joy and make amends, but he also does it in a way that is white-knight-ish and puts Joy off. He has entered into an impulsive and not healthy relationship with his NA sponsor. When he attends meetings, he does not say much of anything and only reluctantly participates. On the one hand, he's trying to come to grips, and he wants to be truthful, but he's so used to lying about everything and needing to be seen as strong and in charge, and on the other hand, he can't really go in and start talking about The Hand, the Iron Fist, the vast global conspiracy, and the fact that his father died and came back to life ... more than once. He is extremely alienated.

Unfortunately for the world, Davos has clarity of purpose, and that purpose is that the Iron Fist should've been his, that Danny cheated (protip: in a no-holds barred, winner take all fight, there is no cheating), that Danny forfeited the right to the power when he failed in his duty. Davos also believes that he is morally upright and deserves to be dispensing judgement on those he deems unrighteous and unholy. He is a man obsessed. The problem is he's cruel and sadistic, and his idea of justice is untempered by compassion or mercy.

By the end of the season, everybody except Davos has had a transformative journey. All of them are, in one way or another forced to confront their past failing and take actions in the present to correct them.

Danny has the Iron Fist power stolen from him by Davos, and from there comes to the realization that it's not what should define him as Danny Rand, and that he's been using it as crutch. He re-dedicates his study of the martial arts, and he turns to Colleen to be his teacher. This also causes a change in their relationship as they go from being lovers to the kind of exes who are better off as friends. Danny also comes to the conclusion that, while Davos absolutely should not have the Iron Fist, he's no longer the best person to wield it, either. He convinces Colleen to take on the mantle. At the end of the season, he and Ward go off on an adventure together; they end up crossing paths with Orson Randall, and basically set up the plot for Season Three.

Yes, Colleen ends S2 as the new wielder of the Iron Fist, and as an aside, I like the fact that those who gain the power by means other than facing down Shou-Lao have fists that glow a color other than yellow. Davos's fist glowed red (suggesting the anger and violence that rules him), while Colleen's fist glows a pure white. But beyond the changes in her relationship with Danny and her taking on the power of the Iron Fist, Colleen finds out some priceless information about her heritage. The ancient box with Colleen's family crest was linked to the legendary Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay, and after it's shattered in a violent fight, Danny discovers the Iron Fist sigil on the backside of the crest and makes a connection. Colleen, it seems, is descended from an Iron Fist named Wu Ao-Shi ... who was also the Pirate Queen. This whole thing makes me just giddy with delight, and it's been weeks.

Joy gets her revenge, but ... it leaves her hollow inside. Nor does it solve her other problems in life; it simply creates new ones, namely a monster named Davos. When pressed, Joy does have enough integrity to come clean with the truth of what she did, and she's also sane enough, smart enough, and reasonable enough to see what a monstrous person Davos becomes once he gains the power of the Iron Fist. She redeems herself when she knowingly puts her life on the line to allow BB, a street kid that Colleen has befriended, to recover the sacred bowl needed to perform the ritual that will strip the Iron Fist power from Davos. When he realizes what Joy has done, Davos knocks her over a second-story railing on to a concrete floor and leaves her for dead. When she comes to, Joy still does not betray Danny or Colleen. By the end of the season, a much sadder and wiser Joy no longer seethes with malice towards Ward or Danny. She still doesn't want to talk to them, and simply wants to put it all behind her and leave. However, Walker shows up and makes it clear that she's not done with Joy, who is now as useful to Walker as she was to Joy. The whole scene drives home the theme that, however much you might want to, there is no escaping your past.

Ward takes a lot of literal and figurative lumps and bumps in S2 and is learning more about how to be a better man. In an emotionally harrowing scene, Ward finally reveals to Joy the extent of what he was protecting her from when he kept the secret of their father, and what keeping that secret cost him. And, he comes to the realization that Joy is her own woman and that he will be a better big brother to her by staying out of her life as much as possible until things settle down for both of them. Shortly after he and his NA sponsor break up (in part because Ward is a drunk asshole on a very bad day), Ward discovers that his sponsor is pregnant. When they talk about it, she sets some very firm boundaries for the immediate future, and Ward, who has learned from his drunk asshole mistakes, does respect them. Although the viewer can very much see that he wants to tell her that he'll be there for her and the child and that he will take responsibility, he realizes that now is not the time to have that conversation with her, that she needs her space. He also has his first truly honest participation in an NA meeting. As part of coming to grips with the fact that he has let Danny down, and working to strengthen their friendship, he takes the radical step of joining Danny on his (mis)adventures as he tries to track down more information about past Iron Fists and where, exactly, Davos got the body of the dead Iron Fist he used to perform his ritual. The season ends with him and Danny showing that they make a very effective ... if unorthodox team.

Unlike everybody else, Davos ends the season where he has started. He's still a self-absorbed, sadistic, cruel, and murderous narcissist.

Other things ... Misty Knight's story arc and a few things she said make me hopeful that we'll get a Daughters of the Dragon series out of Netflix yet.

This season pulled in two key bits from the Brubaker-Fraction run on Iron Fist and both of them delighted me to no end. I shrieked with joy when they first mentioned the Pirate Queen, and it only got better when they made Colleen her descendant. And finally, I screamed again when I heard "Orson Randall" and Danny pulled out those pistols and went to town. I cannot wait to meet Orson Randall, see more of those very very special Colt 1911s in action, and, hopefully, see the Book of the Iron Fist.

Wolfen Moondaughter

Art Director and Assistant Reviews Editrix

I'm in agreement with my Tart-sister Katherine: this season is a vast improvement over the first season, in all respects! I would have given the previous season about a 4 out of 10 in the beginning, gradually sliding up to an 8 with the last two eps or so; I would give this season an 8 overall, with a 10 for the finale, as well as 10s for eps 5 and 6.

Danny is far more likable now. The fight choreography, especially Danny's, is much better (although he also admittedly doesn't fight as much as Colleen does). The pacing is significantly faster. And the story is better, in that it's not hokey, and is more organic and personal. The only arena it falls short in compared to the first season is its lack of twists -- the only arguable twists are less a matter of surprise and more a matter of being logical ways for things to go. What it lacks in shocking twists, though, it makes up for in wonderful parallelism between the characters, all of them having subtly different ways of looking at and handling similar problems, all with the common thread of exploring the concept of personal responsibility.

We see how responsibility is often shared amongst many, and how being responsible can even cause clashes with others who are being (what they see as) responsible! We learn that, sometimes, doing what one thinks is right turns out to be more about making one's self feel better, and potentially makes things more difficult for the wronged party, even robs them of agency, so the best thing to do then is just leave a person alone. We see that doing the right thing doesn't always mean things will be fixed. In the end, we find, none of us live in a vacuum, and therefore we can't be either a hero or a villain alone, with our own actions affecting the heroism and villainy of others in turn.

A secondary parallel explored is addiction, and the forms it can take: drugs, alcohol, sex, power -- even, arguably (and subtly), pain and abusive relationships, and the lies we cling to out of comfort. And it's not just being addicted that's explored, but trying to overcome addiction, and being sober.

Also, the season features some great hurt / comfort and redemption -- two of my favourite themes!

I'm getting sliiightly spoilery now.

About the only thing in this series that I felt let down by was Mary Walker's arc -- she's significantly different (so far) from her comics counterpart (she's shown no sign of her mutant powers), and the role she played in the narrative was pretty interchangeable, could have been filled by just about anyone (or even not used at all, really). Still, what we did get of her -- an ex-military woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder -- showed potential on a level independent of the show's narrative. Her arc was intentionally incomplete, so I may be more satisfied by future appearances -- I suspect they just included her here so they wouldn't have to waste time introducing her elsewhere. I'm betting she'll be in Daredevil Season 3, which hasn't dropped yet as of this writing.

Davos, as a villain, is a great example of the idea of how we all think ourselves the hero of our own stories: he takes it a step further in feeling that Danny has stolen the starring role from him. But Davos behaves with little compassion and a very narrow field of vision, in a way that seems rather 2-dimensional and mustache-twirly � yet we see moments from his past (including a very poignant, heartbreaking one) that humanise him. His story also nicely demonstrate how the Order of the Crane Mother (the group that raised Danny in K'un-Lun) may have been just as much of a brainwashing cult as the group that spawned from them, The Hand, was (or at least had elements of one). This highlights how far Danny, too, has come -- and still has to go -- in comparison with Colleen, making them even more relatable with one another.

The chemistry between Danny and Colleen really is fantastic: they may disagree at times and not always be on the same page, but they successfully work through problems more often than not, and are equals. They listen to and support each other, and she is as much of a series lead as he is (and their chopstick battle at dinner is adorable!). Their story is proof positive that a couple in a story can consummate a relationship and still stay compelling -- and that, whether a couple hooks up or not, they don't need to be constantly in conflict with each other in order to be interesting, nor does their interest have to center on sex. Facing problems together can be just as interesting. Moreover, they feel very natural in their reactions, both to each other and to things outside of their relationship.

Similarly fantastic is the chemistry between Colleen and Misty -- Colleen even remarks at one point on how they don't really know each other, but they work together, like one would expect buddy-cops or a pair of private investigators to do. And the way things are left with them by the end of the season, I'm with Kate, reiterating my hope from my review of the second season of Luke Cage: that we get a Daughters of the Dragon series. I'm bummed that Luke couldn't be worked into this season of IF, but having Misty around as a series regular more than made up for that absence.

Not to mention, I would argue that Danny still did have a male bestie around: Ward. I love, love, love Ward's character growth this season, especially how much he's come to care for Danny! First season, he was bitter and cynical and downright vicious, but we saw bits of good in him in his protectiveness of his sister, his sense of honour and fair play when he objected to his father's intentions for Danny, and his desire to be Danny's business partner after all in the end. The man can do a 180 emotionally, but it's believable when he does, doesn't feel plot-convenient -- he applies logic, and adjusts his thinking when presented with new information. This season, those seeds of goodness planted last season have blossomed. He still has his bad moments, but he truly works to check himself and move past them, and most importantly, he listens. He's currently my favourite Marvel-Netflix character (well, tied more or less with Shades, of Luke Cage).

I respect that Colleen still doesn't really like Ward, though -- she and Danny both really have plenty of reason not to trust him, thanks to his actions first season. I'm also really glad that Colleen is trying to like him regardless -- and that Misty doesn't brush Colleen's feelings aside, but is still willing to give Ward a chance. (I really hope that Misty's words about how people can change and wanting to give them a chance to will be applied to the character Shades -- and that he will prove worthy of that chance.)

Ward and Joy's interactions, meanwhile, are, as with the first season, a highlight of the series for me, always full of strong, complicated emotions. Joy this season seems similar in temperament to Ward last season (sans drugs) -- bitter, angry, and cynical -- but she's on far more equal footing with Davos than Ward was with Howard. It's a delight to watch Ward struggle between frustration with and love for Joy -- especially as, by the end of this season, he more or less finds the ability to both give her the distance she demands and still be there for her when she needs him. And while Joy frustrated me, too, I'm as proud of her by the end as Ward is. What's particularly interesting is that, when Joy speaks ill of Ward at one point, what she says could be applied to herself, and when Ward speaks well of her at the end, what he says could be applied to him -- but neither of them seem to see that.

Moving along, I deeply love that there's a transfer of power this season that's made in a positive way: it's done by choice, and empowers a marginalized character without de-powering the original character for significant time in the narrative. We gain something without actually losing something else -- in fact, one might say we gain twice as much! It leaves me wondering, though, if we should be worried about someone else who had and lost power turning out to still have that power after all �.

There were some rescues that happened, but even with the weakest characters, I wouldn't call it a matter of damselling; people who got saved caused their own messes, and did show strength and bravery. There was a fridging of sorts, but it was a male character used to further a woman's angst (so, kinda rare) -- and he did create his own mess, and got fridged while trying to fix things, rather than being made a victim with no agency.

Still wish he hadn't died, though; I liked him, and I think the point would have worked just as well if we later learned he survived. There's another character who bites it, but entirely through his own actions. It's kind of a shame, as he was entertaining, but in his case, it seems more a matter of a character that could have just been 2-dimensional was made more dimensional anyway -- which is a good thing!

Okay, full-blown spoilers now!

I love how complicated the situation with Colleen accepting the Iron Fist is! It's great that Danny recognises that he isn't (at the time) a great candidate to be the Fist, and is not only accepting, but enthusiastic and adamant about Colleen, a woman, being a better candidate than him. No fragile male ego here! It shows how much vastly a better man he is compared to Davos (who was completely non-self-aware and lacking in critical thinking skills, adhering strictly to what he'd been programmed by his mother to believe). But on the downside, the situation smacked of a guy expecting a woman in his life to do his emotional labour for him. But back on the upside, it was ultimately her choice, and the situation granted Colleen clarity of purpose: she wanted to do good and help people, but couldn't seem to see the good in the skills she had, and the Fist helped her to do that, if her last scene is any indication. And now that Danny has regained the power himself (without her losing it), they can be even better partners (if they wish), more equal than ever!

Meanwhile, the situation of Colleen training Danny (arguably another instance of her being pressured to help him with his emotional labour), with the necessity arising of him having to see her as a teacher rather than his lover, and then, at her demand, having to be able to put aside his love for her completely and defeat her, in order to prove he could strike Davos, has put an awkward strain on their relationship. Now he knows he can hurt her -- no wonder he left! I hope this is something they can come back from!

I love that he's dragged Ward along with him, though, that he still doesn't want to be alone. In fact, I suspect that Ward's anger about Danny leaving had nothing to do with annoyance at Danny shirking Rand duties -- Danny hasn't really been working at Rand for a while -- and everything to do with not being able to handle one more person leaving him, since Joy and Bethany (his NA sponsor / sort-of ex-girlfriend) have both pushed him away (meaning he won't have a part in his future child's life either for the foreseeable future). I'm glad he cares enough about Danny to be that upset to see him go -- and to decide to tag along with Danny on some vague trip through Asia, leaving his safe office life behind. (Granted, he may also feel Danny is right about possibly finding the man he wants to be along the way, and so hopefully win back Bethany and Joy.)

Meanwhile, I think Bethany had a realisation, when she tried to get him to leave the bar and he said the only man he wanted to be was one who was drinking, that she'd been trying to fix him (in part to make herself feel better, just like how Joy accused Ward of helping her to make himself feel better), which is not a good reason to date someone. Further, I think she realized that he might see their baby as a reason to fix himself (as Joy herself seemed to suggest; while it's good to want to be better for the ones you love, it's not a good reason to have / see a child, should not be the core of your relationship with anyone).

As for other women, I love that, when Ward spoke abusively to his assistant Katie (the only time he was really unjustifiably disrespectful to a woman), he realized what he was doing, checked himself, and apologised, and she felt comfortable enough to talk to him casually after. Not to mention she was willing to tell him about Danny leaving! I mean, yeah, maybe she was worried he would be upset if she didn't, but then again, since Danny was never there anyway, maybe she did it because she was actually concerned for Ward. When he was in the flower shop and got an upsetting call from Joy, he didn't take out his aggravation on the clerk (if you've ever worked retail, I'm betting you've had customers take their frustration out on you), instead intentionally overpaying for his purchase (which he didn't even take, meaning he felt she deserved to be compensated regardless).

It's funny that Joy tells him to stop making her a surrogate for their mother, when (while she did have mothering moments in the first season, regarding his drug use), he's the one who acts like a(n overbearing) mother to her, constantly worrying about and protecting and trying to support her! I loved that he finally told Joy about the abuse he'd suffered at their father's hand; it pinged my love for hurt / comfort nicely, at least until she all but sneered at him for not going through with his plan to free them both. Way to victim-blame, Joy, faulting him for not having enough strength to overcome his fear of his abuser! I love that he was willing to give Joy the benefit of the doubt about whether or not there was any altruism in her actions against Davos; if only she were willing to see that same altruism in him, and not assume he's only been serving himself in his efforts to apologise. I think we've seen plenty of examples that show he really does tend to put her first -- like how he kept saying "Not Joy!" in his delirium first season, and like how he dropped dealing with his own broken love life to be there for her when she called, asking him to take over her legacy, and took up a gun and teamed up with scary Walker to save her, despite how vicious Joy had been.

The hurt / comfort scenario with Danny was soooo satisfying! I love that Ward reached out to pat Danny comfortingly on the leg whilst Bethany was treating Danny. I love that Ward was the one left behind to tend to Danny when Colleen and Misty went to talk to Joy. I love that he didn't just sit there, but cleaned Danny's head-wound (very tenderly, no less!), and kept fussing over Danny, telling him not to move. I loved his and Danny's conversations, how they found common ground regarding their addictions, and how Danny said that he loved Ward, and Ward seemed touched even as he admitted he had a very hard time saying "the 'L' word". I even loved how Ward would get amusingly frustrated when Danny would start talking about the mystical side of the Fist (but didn't ever scoff at Danny about it); it read very much like the fake sort of angry one might feel comfortable indulging in when talking with someone you're very close to and relaxed around. And I loved that he referred to Danny as his brother / family, and his reason for dragging Bethany into things was that he was so very worried about Danny, who didn't want to go to a hospital (with both Ward and Danny being protective of Rand together).

And I loved that he said that he was drinking because his brother almost died again. (Of course, I don't think that was the only reason he was drinking, but I do think it was part of it.) I loved that he was always there when they needed him -- not just for Danny, but for Colleen and Joy, too, ready to help as best he was able (and at times even having to be talked out of doing things). Danny spoke so often of Ward and Joy (and Howard) as being the only family he had left; I'm glad for Danny that Ward has embraced that notion.

All in all, I'm very glad Ward turned out to, ultimately, not be much like his comics counterpart. I hope we get more bits of his adventures with Danny (and that he appears in the next season of The Defenders)!

Marvel's Iron FIst — Official site.