Welcome to the Second Union Iron Fist watchalong event! Watch along with us for the next several weeks as we check out the next hero in making in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage). Iron Fist’s entire first season was made available for viewing on Friday, March 10 on Netflix. Every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) starting Saturday, March 25th we will post overviews and opinion of an episode of the series. WARNING: This article is full of SPOILERS!
If you haven’t already, read the previous article for “Immortal Emerges from Cage”.
This episode opens late at night in Harold Meachum’s (David Wenham) penthouse with Harold in a deep sleep in his chamber. The Hand shows up in the form of two of Madame Gao’s (Wai Ching Ho) henchmen. They forcibly wake Harold out of his slumber and question his knowledge of The Iron Fist. As Harold denies any knowledge, Danny suddenly appears right before the aides were about to chop off a few of Harold’s fingers as punishment. Guns start blazing. In retaliation, Harold violently kills both of Gao’s men. In the aftermath, we learn more about the limits of the Iron Fist’s power. Danny was unable to use the “Iron Fist” because he’d used it up during the tournament (last episode). And we learn how much of a sociopath Harold really is, effortlessly and with much composure, he severs his own fingers. In Ward’s office, Joy is very concerned about Ward’s emotional and physical health, but Ward responds by saying he can handle his troubles.
After Colleen stitches up Danny’s wound, she softly asks Danny about his tattoos and more details of his story. He explains that his tattoo is not a tattoo but a mark. Once its power is used, the Iron Fist needs a certain amount of time to regenerate. After a few drinks and his Iron Fist origin story, they have their “moment”, taking their relationship to the next level. This scene eerily reminds me of the Daniel-San/Kumiko sexual moment in Karate Kid II. Except this scene has no killer 80’s ballad playing in the background.
Meanwhile, Ward walks into a bloody array of carnage covering much of Harold Meachum’s living room and finds his father bashing in the heads of the two Gao henchmen he’d killed earlier. Harold orders Ward to dump the bodies at Pelham Bay Park where they will be discovered (but unrecognizable) by the Hand or the police. “Just like when we went deer hunting…. you have to clean your kill.” Ward looks at Harold, “I never went hunting.” Harold smirks as he goes back to hammering in skulls, “Maybe that was your sister.” After much effort, Ward gets the bodies in the car. Upon driving to the park he stops, and before taking them out starts a conversation with one of them, questioning the sanity of his current actions.
The next day after expressing his thanks for a good time to Colleen, Danny returns to the office and ask his assistant for all of his father’s files, but gets stopped by Joy. She informs him of the statement he needs to read at an upcoming afternoon board meeting. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Madame Gao at Rand Enterprises. She enters the office where Danny is standing. She tells Danny he needs to be “Danny Rand” and to enjoy the benefits of the Rand company’s relationship with the Hand. She insists that Danny left K’un-Lun voluntarily. Explaining that he left to be “Danny Rand”. “This city is no place for the Iron Fist.” Not getting any answers about Wendell Rand, Danny follows Madame Gao via an elevator jump to the Hand’s head office inside Rand: the 13th floor.
Ward is shown searching for a travel destination when he is interrupted by Joy. He quickly closes the window, hiding the results from Joy. She lets him know that Danny has agreed to apologize to the board members. Unknowing that Ward was searching for a private getaway, she suggests that Ward takes a break from the business and get help. And he agrees.
Back at Floor 13, Danny hangs outside a meeting room. Eavesdropping on a conversation between Madame Gao and a British Hand employee. Danny comes to the realization that the crime organization is indeed using Rand Enterprises to spread heroin across the city. After Gao and her minions leave the office room, the British employee remains in the room. Danny sneaks in and surprises her, and they start a short brawl. After she is overtaken, he coerces her into handing over a tablet that is loaded with Hand business information.
At the dojo, Collen is warming up when suddenly someone enters and calls out her name to which she replies, “Bakuto”. We can tell he is friendly, and that it’s been a long time since they have last spoken. Over tea, they discuss the presence of the Iron Fist. Who is this guy? The Hand?
At Rand HQ, Danny gets ready for his meeting with the Board of Directors with the help of his assistant. He opens a box of his father’s things only to find his father’s Rand Employee ID. He asks his assistant if she thinks Rand Enterprises is a good company. She responds, “I lost my dental benefits” and “My mother lives on Staten Island.” Rand has a plant in that area that may be exposing toxins to the community.
In front of the angry Board of Directors, Danny says he is shutting down the Staten Island plant until it is proven to not cause illnesses. The Board reacts with much disappointment as he pushes Joy’s statement aside. Then to dig a knife into the Board of Directors even further, he says they will keep everyone at the Plant on payroll and reinstate dental benefits. It is too late for the Board of Directors to disagree because Danny has already submitted the story to a local reporter, Karen Page. Danny then leaves to meet Harold and share the information on the confiscated tablet. On it, they target a warehouse in Brooklyn.
Later, Danny and Colleen make their plan to destroy the Hand, and Ward leaves town headed for rehab. But his escape plan is shortly interrupted when he receives a phone call. His credit card used to fund his rehabilitation has been declined.
Working late in her office, Board of Director member Lawrence and security stops by to give Joy some bad news. Joy, Ward, and Danny have been voted off the board and let go from Rand Enterprises.
That same late evening, Danny and Colleen get inside the Hand’s warehouse. They find the Chemist, Radovan on his last breath. He asks them for forgiveness. He told Gao the heroin formula and gave them important information on her whereabouts. Madame Gao is in Anzhou, a city in China. Did the Rand’s work with the Hand since that was where they were headed before the plane crashed?
Back at Harold’s secret hideout, Ward questions why his credit card was declined. It’s discovered that Ward was embezzling money from Rand Enterprise accounts and Harold emptied out his accounts. During the larceny, Harold protected Ward by covering his tracks. Now he needs Ward to stay. After telling his dad the last happiest day of his life was when Harold died, Harold punches him in the stomach, “You’re my creation, you belong to me”. Shockingly afterward Harold turns his back, and Ward begins stabbing him repeatedly. The last scene is Ward dragging Harold’s lifeless body in a deep, section of water at a lake.
Observations:
• Karen Page! Another link to the Netflix MCU via Daredevil. Love it!
• Now that Harold is gone, will Ward turn into our new head honcho for the rest of season? He definitely could based on recent events.
• Now that we are in mid-season and we have received a more in-depth look at what the Iron Fist is, what it means…we’re hoping there will be more to flush out his backstory as we near the finale.
