The Daughter of the Dragon enters the ring, Danny confronts the Meachums, and a familiar face makes an appearance.
Full spoilers for Iron Fist's third episode follow.
In this episode, Danny Rand was ultimately able to legally prove to the Meachums that he is in fact Danny Rand.
Danny’s confrontation with the Meachum siblings at the restaurant was silly. Ward’s hissy fit about always hating him was laughable, while Joy’s reactions to Danny were contradictory. One moment she said, “We don’t want you here!” and then just moments later, “Danny, we can work this out!” Well, which is it? Do you want him gone or do you want to work it out?
Danny’s drawn-out feud with the Meachums at least led to the welcome return of lawyer Jeri Hogarth, and Jessica Jones actress Carrie-Anne Moss brought a much needed wit and vitality to the proceedings.
Jeri explained to Danny that any record of his identifying information had been erased. But then, in a ridiculous contrivance, both Danny and the Meachums (off-screen) remembered an injury he sustained as a kid at the exact same time! When Danny showed up at the hospital to attain his medical record, it turned out he was beaten there by a Meachum henchman. The odds of such coincidental timing are astronomical!
This same goon also then easily got the drop on Danny who was, in case you’d forgotten, trained in martial arts since childhood by warrior monks. Seriously, THIS guy somehow won the honor of becoming the Iron Fist? The resulting, overly choreographed fight between Danny and the goon lacked any real punch (pun kinda sorta intended).
A better fight scene appeared later in the episode as Colleen Wing entered an underground fight club under the name “The Daughter of the Dragon.” It was a cool David vs. Goliath confrontation that also had shades of Peter Parker battling the wrestler in Spider-Man’s origin story. So far Colleen is a more interesting character and better fighter than the show’s hero.
Danny’s ultimate proof of his identity was a ceramic knickknack he made as a kid that had his thumb print on it (and bore the same jade and yellow colors as Iron Fist’s comic book costume). It was a fairly contrived way out of this identity storyline, but ultimately I’m just glad this subplot was finally over.
All of the Meachums, who had plenty of screen time in this episode, remain stock soap opera characters. Joy wasn’t exactly a wellspring of compassion for Ward when he confessed to wanting out of the family business, was she? Maybe she’ll end up being more of her father’s daughter than anticipated.
Harold had some pretty lousy dialogue here, especially his “I’m Doing This Because I Love You” bad dad exchange with Ward. Harold’s been a prisoner in his own home for a decade now, with The Hand punishing him for even venturing out to see Danny in the previous episode. I’m curious how Harold’s Faustian bargain with The Hand plays out, but I wish he wasn't so close to twirling his mustache at times.
Danny’s tracking of Ward to Harold’s building ended with a cheap cliffhanger (like the title character is going to die three episodes in!), although we at least got to see Danny perform some physical feats that he seemed more convincing at than his fights (well, so far anyway).
The Verdict
On the upside? Iron Fist’s third episode resolved Danny’s identity/battle for his fortune storyline. Unfortunately, Danny’s action scenes remain stagey and unconvincing (Colleen's underground bout was better) and the Meachums are too soapy and mundane to be worthy antagonists. But at least Jeri Hogarth is back!
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