Liam Hoofe reviews the first season of Iron Fist…
Warning: Contains mild spoilers…
To say Iron Fist has been a critical disaster would be something of an understatement. Marvel’s fifth overall season on Netflix and their final stop before The Defenders is currently sitting at an embarrassingly bad 18% on Rotten Tomatoes, which, just for context is 10% lower than Batman v Superman.
But is the show really that bad? Well, partly yes and partly no. Iron Fist suffers from some serious flaws, but it isn’t without its redeeming qualities as well, but in the end, unfortunately, those flaws become catastrophic and the show falls apart.
The biggest issue Iron Fist has is its lead character, Danny Rand. An orphaned rich kid who lost his parents in a plane crash at 10 years old, the young Danny was raised by a secret society of monks in the hidden kingdom of K’un Lun. He was turned into the legendary Iron Fist, defender of K’un Lun and sworn enemy of The Hand, who we were first introduced to in Daredevil.
If we look at the other Defenders characters we will see flawed, multi-layered human beings who we have become invested in. Matt Murdock is a man at constant war with his own morals and belief system, Jessica Jones is a tortured alcohol with an abusive past, and Luke Cage is a former convict battling to defeat his past and also to overcome black prejudice in modern-day America. Danny Rand, however, just comes across as an entitled whiny rich guy, who can’t help but preach to people. He is that guy you know who went on a gap year to India on Mommy and Daddy’s credit card, and now think he’s knowledgeable. In short, he’s about as likable as Piers Morgan.
His back story is also never really fleshed out very well following the death of his parents. We sort of get to see him become the Iron Fist, but it’s more the aftermath of the incident and the show doesn’t really give us that until very late on either. The fact that K’un Lun is under threat never really bothered me because I’d never actually seen K’un Lun outside of a few shoddy CGI moments in some snowy mountains. It never develops a sense of threat and this is another blow to the series.
Danny’s inability to connect with the audience exists for a number of reasons. One, as I’ve mentioned, he’s incredibly annoying. Two, he has no relatability whatsoever and three, Finn Jones brings very little to the role. Which, perhaps is not his fault – the script is, for the most part, quite cringeworthy and cliche riddled.
But Iron Fist really doesn’t start out all that bad. The first six episodes, as have already been explored here on Flickering Myth are very reasonable. The show establishes some okay plot points, which whilst derivative aren’t badly executed and we get treated to some solid if not spectacular fight sequences. I was fairly on the side of Danny and Co until the whole thing just began to rapidly fall apart around episodes 7-8.
If we are to compare it with each of Netflix’s other Marvel outings then it really, really suffers from a lack of clear direction and a notable antagonist. Throughout the show it changes its focus on several different occasions, leading us to believe someone is the main villain, only for them to be brushed aside a few episodes later. This reaches its pinnacle in the final two or three episodes, where it becomes increasingly unclear as to who the final showdown of the series will be with. The lack of focus really damages the product and the whole thing becomes laughable at times.
Any sort of character or narrative development is thrown to the wind as the show chucks contrivance upon contrivance at us, hurtling its way towards its incredibly underwhelming final act. Naturally, the show has plot flaws, but they become increasingly laughable as time wears on.
However, while Danny is certainly the show’s weakest point, several of the supporting characters are fairly solid. The Meachum family storyline is an interesting portrayal of family abuse and addiction. David Wenham’s chameleon-like portrayal of Harold Meachum is particularly enjoyable while Tom Pelphrey’s Ward becomes increasingly interesting as the show progresses. The problem though is that as the show draws to its conclusion it becomes something almost entirely separate from the rest of the show’s conflicts and when the two stories are brought together in the final episode, it isn’t really rewarding at all.
Jessica Henwick’s portrayal of Colleen Wing is one of the show’s consistent highlights. Her charisma really helps carry the show through it’s tougher episodes. The same can be said for Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple, who has become the Nick Fury of the MCU. Claire has become a staple of the Netflix branch of the MCU and she is a delight to share any time with, bringing rare pieces of comedy to an otherwise humourless show. The development of The Hand as a force to be reckoned with is also built on a lot here, though the lack of a clear figurehead (likely saved for The Defenders) is perhaps a reason for the lack of focus in the show.
Some might argue that the whole thing is a case of high expectations and hype not being delivered on. However, I can’t help but feel that’s not the case. It’s undeniable that Daredevil did set an incredibly high standard for its fight sequences and I didn’t expect them to be any better here, just enjoyable. The majority of fights here are just that, but some are just outrageously bad and/or stupid. The quick editing of some scenes make them incomprehensible and Danny’s inconsistency (being able to take out a whole army of Hand people at one point, then being unable to battle a middle-aged man in the finale) just makes the whole thing seem a little silly.
In the end the show just fails to deliver in most departments. It’s perfectly okay at times, especially in the first 5 or 6 episodes, and I really, really wanted to like it more than I did, but in the end, it just feels rather lifeless. It never develops its own identity and it feels like a spin-off more than anything else, kind of like when a band breaks up and someone tries to go it alone, you listen out of respect for the previous work, but you always end up disappointed. Hopefully, Marvel will learn from this and focus on the good elements of the show next time around – Danny Rand is going to prove a difficult sell, though so hopefully, we get to see a different side to him in The Defenders.
What did you think of Iron Fist Season One? Let us know in the comments and let Liam know on Twitter here- @liamhoofe
