Iron Fist Season 2 through episode 8

[lunabee34]

This season started out slow for me. I wasn't sure about the Walker/Mary character. I definitely didn't like the trajectory Joy's character was taking.

But, boy, has it picked up!!!!



DANNY JUST TOLD COLLEEN SHE SHOULD BECOME THE IRON FIST!!!!! OMG OMG OMG THIS IS ALL MY HEART HAS WANTED!!!!!!

I literally squealed with an unholy sound of glee last night as we finished episode 8. I cannot believe the show is even contemplating going there, and I love it love it.

As I have watched this show, I have been so surprised at all the negative comments I heard about the actor playing Danny. He seems to be widely regarded as a bad actor by fans of the other MCU shows, and Iron Fist seems to be the least popular of the MCU shows. I just don't get it. All I can think is that Danny doesn't perform hyper and toxic masculinity in ways that a lot of these viewers have come to expect from their superheros. He's kind and gentle. He respects women. He's civically minded. He has his asshole moments, but he's not gnawing on gravel in the dark like Bruce Wayne or covering his trauma with a veneer of quips and substance abuse like Tony Stark. And I'm not trying to imply that those character don't respect women or behave kindly or whatever, but Danny's just different. He's easier. He spends a lot of time admitting that other people are right, saying he's wrong, making different choices. He listens. I just love him so much.

And I have never loved him so much as when he looks Colleen in the eyes and says that he never wanted the Fist for anything other than the power itself and that she should be the next to wield it.

Everything about Ward and Danny being brothers in this season is gold for me. I love how hard Ward is trying, how he isn't afraid to be honest with Danny. The conversation they have about addiction and love is one of my very favorite things I've watched in any show.

Davos's back story is so tragic and makes me like him more as a character. He never had a chance. Kun Lun is shit. It's an abusive hellhole, and it's a wonder that Danny retains anything of his sweetness after being ground down by that horror show.

The second Misty showed up, the show started improving for me. I love her so hard. I love her recruiting the hell out of Colleen. I love her having zero time for Joy's nonsense. I love her clocking that fleeing tattoo artist with her robot arm. *dies*

I don't like the way Joy is depicted, but at least these later episodes start to give some depth to the ridiculous way she's been acting. It becomes clear that she wasn't trying to kill Danny but just hurt him. She's also visibly appalled when Ward mentions the physical abuse he was trying to protect her from (his "car wreck" and etc). And then, of course, she decides to get the bowl back from Davos in an attempt to undo the harm she's done. I will say this for her--she's got balls. She has been many things this season, but cowardly has not been one of them.

Colleen is just magnificent, the way she starts blossoming and coming into her own. That little smile on her face when she starts beating down the Crane sisters -- *loves* I adore that she gets all the amazing fight choreography. She is the physical star of this season.

I am uncertain how I feel about Ward's surprise dad arc, but I like his sponsor, and I think it could be interesting. At this point, there's not going to be too much time devoted to it because there's only a couple of episodes left.

And now I'm even interested in Walker/Mary's story. I wonder who saved them from the prison if neither of them remember doing it.

I cannot wait to see how this season ends. I hope it's not on too much of a cliffhanger.

Comments

[sholio]

I LOOOOOVED SEASON TWO and these are so many of the reasons why. *___* Those scenes with Danny and Ward talking about feelings while the girls were out kicking ass was just pure delight. Colleen is getting such good material this season, and MISTY!! I also love how we get so many scenes this season that are 3 or 4 women interacting with each other, and it's no big deal, just because so many of the plot-driving characters this season are women.

As I have watched this show, I have been so surprised at all the negative comments I heard about the actor playing Danny. He seems to be widely regarded as a bad actor by fans of the other MCU shows, and Iron Fist seems to be the least popular of the MCU shows. I just don't get it. All I can think is that Danny doesn't perform hyper and toxic masculinity in ways that a lot of these viewers have come to expect from their superheros. He's kind and gentle. He respects women. He's civically minded. He has his asshole moments, but he's not gnawing on gravel in the dark like Bruce Wayne or covering his trauma with a veneer of quips and substance abuse like Tony Stark. And I'm not trying to imply that those character don't respect women or behave kindly or whatever, but Danny's just different. He's easier. He spends a lot of time admitting that other people are right, saying he's wrong, making different choices. He listens. I just love him so much.

Yeah; I think the hate for the character and the actor started out with the show casting a white guy as Danny, and it didn't really do itself favors with a couple of questionable choices such as casting a guy with no martial arts background. But I do actually think a big part of what kept it going is venomous comics fandom dudebros, at least based on what I've seen on Tumblr and various geek sites, because he doesn't do toxic masculinity and is basically the opposite of a brooding, serious superhero, and people who wanted Daredevil 2.0 really hated that. I do love me some brooding, dark characters, but I also absolutely love that he's sunny and sweet and just wants to make friends with everyone and support his friends. I also feel like the actor who plays him isn't as versatile as he could be with some of the more serious material he gets, but where he really shines is when he's doing this warm, funny, sunshiney stuff that he gets a lot of this season.

[lunabee34]

I didn't realize that the comics Danny has a different back story for Danny. I can totally understand being disappointed if his original race and circumstance were changed.

I hear you so hard on all the women. It's fantastic. I love Mrs. Yang. I love Misty. I even love the Snake Women.

No lie, I would watch just for Misty and Colleen. She is so so good this season. And Misty just elevates every second she's on screen.

I love when she tells Joy something like, What made you choose to be a sorry asshole? LOL

[sholio]

No, he's a white guy in the comics, too! And pretty much has the exact same backstory. There was a significant contingent of people who felt very strongly that an Asian actor should be cast as Danny in the show, and were vehemently opposed to the casting that happened. I know that some people still refuse to watch the show because of that.

(I get where they're coming from on a purely philosophical level, but also really liked the show and the comics, so I'm not the most objective person to explain this.)

[lunabee34]

Oh, okay. Gotcha. That makes sense (both your perspective and theirs).

I'm just really hoping it doesn't end on a terrible and unresolved cliffhanger. Eeeeep.

[lyr]

I wonder who saved them from the prison if neither of them remember doing it.

I really liked Walker and Mary coming together to communicate to figure out that, oh shit, it isn't just the two of them in there. Stuff each one has been assuming is the other is a third self, existing in the dark spaces left unknown because Mary and Walker couldn't get along well enough to communicate and strategize together about their shared life. That's a pretty accurate depiction of how it happens for people like her, minus all the death.

[lunabee34]

I'm looking forward to that. I hope she can end up with her happy ending once she gets that key piece of information.