It’s really just occurred to me
that while we’re a fair way through Iron
Fist and yet we’ve had very little in terms of plot development. The first
three episodes were all about Danny getting back as head of Rand Enterprises,
and hints that the Hand are somehow involved. The whole ‘getting the company
back’ story was concluded last time, for now at least. So yeah, it’s overall
not much to go on. It’s high time we move the plot along, shall we?
We open to three women walking with
those rolling carryon bags. Each of the bags has a serpentine dragon on the tag,
very reminiscent of the Shao-Lo dragon on Danny’s chest. Very interesting. They
break apart and we see them meeting with various folks. What are these gal
pitching? Heroin. Really, really good heroin. Hm… good isn’t the right word, we’ll
say effective. This stuff is potent, chemically designed so that users don’t
build up a tolerance, and is designed to be absorbed through the skin. One
junky tests it out, gets high in seconds, and claims it’s like the first time
he shot up. Oh, that does not bode well at all.
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| Yeah, probably shouldn't have left this guy with Super-Heroin. |
At Rand Enterprises, Danny is having
a consultation with a Rand chemist. She examined a sample of the heroin that
Danny got his hands on. Did I forget to mention that? Oh, yeah, I did, sorry. The
Triad left him a sample at the end of the last episode. She explains that,
somehow, the drug is composed of 100% legal compounds and is also 100% synthetic.
Not sure if something like that is possible, but hey, disbelief is suspended.
Joy, meanwhile, is dealing with a
new potential lawsuit. Rand Enterprises may be facing a class action lawsuit. A
group of citizens are claiming that the RE chemical plant on Staten Island has
caused cancer in some of them. Joy is very firm that RE’s plant didn’t cause
the problem. And even if the chemicals are dangerous, RE has followed the law
to the letter. So, the group has no legal grounds to sue. That’s their story
and she’s sticking to it.
Danny shows Ward the Heroin. He
explains that, according to the info he’s received, that this is what the Hand
is shipping at the Pier RE recently purchased. He’s particularly disturbed by
the serpentine dragon symbol, as it is Shao-Lo, the dragon that gave him his
Iron Fist powers. Ward is instantly dismissive. He basically tells Danny to
buzz off and let him work. Danny leaves in a huff, leaving the heroin behind. As
soon as he’s alone, Ward pops a few pills. Did they establish that Ward had a
drug problem? I don’t think so. Either way, Danny goes to his assistant, Megan,
and gets info about the next shipment to the pier.
After getting the shipment info he
needs, Danny is ambushed by one of the women from the lawsuit meeting earlier.
She shows him a picture of her son, tells him the boy has cancer, and begs him
to do something. She claims that Rand’s company is behind it. Danny apologizes and
promises to do something. Her lawyer, meanwhile, recorded the whole thing. That’s
no good.
 |
| Damn, Claire Temple is everywhere. She'll be popping up in Spider-Man: Homecoming next. |
We then cut to Colleen training a
student. Who is the student? Claire Temple. What are the odds? She’s the former
nurse that has had dealings with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and (might be?)
dating Luke Cage. Danny arrives a few minutes later, bringing “take out” with
him. From a fancy restaurant. Like a place that doesn’t actually do take out,
unless you’re a multi-billionaire. He, Colleen, and Claire have a nice dinner
together. Kind of weird.
The Meachums are having a problem.
The lawyer had sent Joy the video of Danny and his client. They’re both rather
steamed as Danny, unwittingly, admitted that Rand is at fault, and thus the
group now has something to base their lawsuit on. Joy thinks they should settle,
Ward isn’t so sure. He wants to assemble the board and figure this out. Once he’s
alone, Harold texts him saying “Do what Joy says.” Ward examines the heroin
again, pops a few pills and looks rather glum.
Over dinner, Danny talks a little
more about his time at K’un L’un. After they’ve finished small talk, Claire
takes the hint and bails. Once they’re alone, Danny gets Colleen to agree to
help him investigate the pier. In exchange for a month off rent. He just bought
her building, FYI. Danny and Ward look over the pier. After some searching,
they find a truck with a bunch of boxes in the back. Danny sneaks in to
investigate, but gets taken along when the baddies shut the container up and
drive off. Colleen steals a van and follows. Inside, Danny finds…an apartment?
Two men are inside. One is called Radovan, the Chemist. The other is a nameless
goon. Danny fights the goon, Radovan is stabbed during the fight, and the two
escape. Danny and Colleen take Radovan to Claire, who patches him up. They
learn that the hand is involved, and that Radovan’s daughter is being held
hostage to keep him compliant. Danny, and Colleen, vow to help.
Meanwhile, Rand Enterprises is in
trouble. Despite his father’s warning, Ward convinces the board to not settle.
This leads to a media firestorm as the other side releases the video, like they
threatened. Ward ignores his father’s calls, and gets high out of his mind. Joy
finds him and tries to get him back in his right mind.
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| Ward is high as a kite And Joy looks so totally done. |
In the closing moments, Madam Gao
investigates the truck. If you don’t remember the name, she was one of the
Kingpin’s associates back in season one of Daredevil,
is Harold’s handler, and is implied to be one of the higher ups of the Hand.
She’s furious to learn that the Iron Fist is in town, and executes Radovan’s
body guard.
While watching this, I can’t help
but wonder how the show would have fared if Danny hadn’t gotten RE back right
away. We would have seen Danny struggling to get back his family companies,
while at the same time fighting to live up to his duties as the Iron Fist. Instead,
we see Danny buying his way out of problems, and getting his company in
trouble. I think part of Danny’s problem as a character, at least in this show,
is that he’s just a little too bland. Wealthy characters like Bruce Wayne and
Tony Stark are eccentric philanthropist. They literally throw money around and
look like they’re having a blast while doing it. Danny, meanwhile is a soft-spoken
man whom just feels like he’s just figured out what money is. It’s just not
interesting to watch. And, again, the show is just now getting into the overarching
plot of the season, five episodes in. So overall, passable, but for me the
cracks in the show are starting to become apparent.
Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero
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