What I’m Watching: Iron Fist

Iron Fist: Season 1, Episode 4 “Eight Diagram Dragon Palm” (B-)

Okay, so maybe now we’re getting somewhere. I don’t think Danny once uttered his signature catchphrase - “I’m Danny Rand” - in this hour, and that in itself is a tremendous improvement over the first three installments. Far more crucially, this whole charade of people pretending that he’s not who he claims he is and trying to make him seem insane is over, and that’s a relief. I was surprised with the level of honesty that Harold shared what had happened to him, and how the way he’s portrayed changed dramatically during this episode alone. Being given the opportunity to see Joy in person for the first time by the Hand showed that he hasn’t completely lost his humanity, and asking for the one favor of killing the person who hit her demonstrated his loyalty to family above all, though clearly his preferred child is the one he’s not allowed to see. Ward is becoming extremely jealous of Danny, and he didn’t waste any time in following his father’s orders to be clear about Danny’s radical new policies that came within moments of his being announced as alive and then given some say in the company due to his majority stakeholder status. At least Joy has the patience to deal with Danny, and now she owes him a lot after he saved her life in a big way. Colleen is embracing her underground fighter status, and her students were actually very into it, though I think she would rather keep that part of her life a secret.