God. This show.
So, for the fourth piece of the Netflix branch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Television full on gave up on quality. While Daredevil season 2 and Luke Cage season 1 both had plenty of faults, they were at least anchored by some quality episodes, strong directing, and stellar performances from most of their respective casts. That is not quite the case here. It is the first piece of the MCU where the negatives outweigh the positives. A bulk of the blame can be placed on two people in particular: showrunner Scott Buck and star Finn Jones.
Each Marvel Netflix series, like I mentioned previously, had a clear set of themes they owned. Daredevil explores the struggles of faith and justice. Jessica Jones deals with trauma and abuse. Luke Cage examines gang violence and racial disparity. So what is Iron Fist about? Uh...corporate sabotage and loyalty, I guess? Oh, and there's Kung-Fu too. Unlike its counterparts, Iron Fist has no real purpose (except to set up The Defenders). Scott Buck, the same man who killed Dexter, shoulders the blame here. He decides audiences would be far more interested in corporate scandals, devoting way too much time to the struggles to take over Rand Enterprises than on potentially interesting material like the war between Iron Fist and the Hand.
Upon rewatching the first episode, it is astounding just how painfully dull this series is. The show is below every other Marvel Netflix series in just about every aspect. The most painful of these, without a doubt, is the show's frigid pacing. The first episode clocks in at just under one hour, but it feels almost eternal. There are a total of two action sequences in the episode, but they're both brief and very badly choreographed. The latter sequence holds up slightly better because it's interrupted by some inexplicable Chinatown parade that manages to build up tension, but it's still betrayed by shoddy choreography and editing that pales in comparison to what's already been seen in both seasons of Daredevil.
There are also several scenes that just meander. When Danny Rand tries to find a way inside Joy Meachum's home, the scene drags on for at least three minutes before he finally breaks in. Scenes like this are peppered throughout the entire show, as if the editor forgot to do his job in these sections, then went into overdrive when handling the poor action sequences.
So, between the awful pacing and the extremely disappointing fights, is there really any reason to watch this show? Maybe our lead is captivating? Sadly, that is not the case. Finn Jones is poorly miscast as Danny, although the scripts don't do him any favors either. Jones has a lot of issues with Danny's uncontrollable anger, never once feeling intimidating when he has his outbursts. He also cannot handle the fight choreography very well, failing to really sell his punches and kicks. And any time he spouts off Buddhist teachings, he's hard to take seriously at all.
Still, once again, the scripts fail him hard. He's written as a total freaking idiot, constantly making things worse for himself. He's naive, arrogant (and not in a fun Tony Stark kind of way), and lacking in any sort of charm. You could seriously make a drinking game out of how many times he spouts off that he is the immortal Iron Fist, defender of K'un-Lun and sworn enemy of the Hand.
It doesn't help that this is a show that's afraid to show Danny Rand being the Iron Fist. It may be somewhat of an origin story, but he uses his super strength incredibly sparingly (he doesn't even use it at all in the first episode). We only get snippets of his time in K'un-Lun, so it's hard to believe how a rich, entitled kid like Danny could have become their greatest warrior, worthy of the mantle of Iron Fist.
Thankfully, the show isn't a total bust. This is thanks entirely to its surprisingly strong supporting cast. The biggest highlight, without a doubt, is Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing. Not only does she carry herself much better in the action scenes she engages in, she also has way more range than Finn Jones in his role. Her role is much meatier, as she is revealed to be an agent for the Hand whose loyalty is tested when she falls in love with Danny, her sworn nemesis. It's cliched, but her arc is far more captivating than the endless power struggle between Danny and the Meachum family. She's simply a more interesting character, no two ways about it.
Another stand-out of the cast is Tom Pelphey playing Ward Meachum, the new "CEO" of Rand Enterprises. He struggles in the first few episodes because he's given the typical role of the drug addicted asshole, but his story becomes way more interesting when he's pitted against his psychotic father, Harold. As the series progresses, he has a solid redemption arc and even gets to have some of the best stand-out moments, like when he discovers his office is bugged by Harold.
Finally, David Wenham is freaking awesome as Harold Meachum, the show's main antagonist. Right from his first appearance in episode 1, he is immediately intimidating; thanks to his stern line delivery and unnervingly calm voice. When he becomes unhinged near the season's end, it's honestly pretty frightening as he beats people to death.
There are some standout episodes too, including one directed by none other than rap icon RZA. RZA is a hardcore martial arts fan, so he wears his heart on his sleeve and delivers an episode with extremely satisfying fight scenes and some of the show's tightest pacing. It makes one wish he could have directed more since he's the only guy who seems to get what the audience wants to see.
With all that said, Iron Fist was the first major misstep in the MCU. The whole production screams of sloppiness, as if the show was made purely as an obligation to set up The Defenders. Without a strong central vision, it looks absolutely amateurish compared to the other already flawed shows within the Netflix branch of the MCU. A series about a mystical Kung Fu warrior battling an ancient group of ninjas in the streets of New York City has no right to be this boring and poorly made, but here we are.
Will season 2 be better? Maybe. Scott Buck will no longer be showrunner, and there will be more incorporation of the other Netflix shows, including a supporting role from Luke Cage's Misty Knight. Still, unless Marvel, ABC, and Netflix are willing to give the second season more time to develop itself into a worthwhile series (such as not rushing the filming of the fights), then I don't see much room for hope. I'll be proud to be wrong (and I'll end up watching it regardless), but we shall see.
Next time, everyone's favorite ragtag team of interstellar heroes returns and this time, they've got family issues to take care of. Oh yeah, and I think it's better than the first film. Unpopular opinions ahoy!
Next time: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
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