Iron Fist 1x12 Review: Pupil Surpasses Master

“Bar the Big Boss”
Written by Scott Reynolds
Directed by Andy Goddard
 
The Story
Bakuto comes to the mental ward to make a deal with Ward. He’ll give him the cure for Gao’s addictive heroin and get rid of Harold if Ward helps him get to Danny. Davos is super mistrustful of Colleen and being a jerk about it. Ward goes to see Joy to get her away from Harold, which he has to do at gunpoint, but then Bakuto shows up and pretty much double-crosses him. He uses Ward’s phone to video chat Danny so he can watch him nonfatally shoot Joy. He’ll kill Harold in half an hour. Harold uses his last words to diss Ward and tell Joy he loves her, but Danny arrives before the sword falls. Bakuto takes him away, a willing captive, but he’s trying to focus his chi. He succeeds and busts free, but Bakuto does something and the fist goes away. Colleen and Davos show up to help fight. Only Bakuto survives of all the fighters, and they chase him. Colleen fights Bakuto as a one-on-one challenge. Bakuto breaks her sword, but she kicks the broken blade into his arm. She stabs him in the gut and he falls. She can’t bring herself to deliver another blow. Davos wants to kill him, but Colleen is pretty sure they can put him in prison forever with what they know. Davos stabs Bakuto in the heart before they can stop him. Danny and Davos fight. Danny wins and is much more assured that he is both Danny Rand and the Iron Fist than he was before. Davos leaves, promising there will be consequences. Bakuto’s body vanishes while they’re watching Davos leave. Harold and Ward take Joy to the hospital. Danny and Colleen have some super cute domestic warriors moments until they get attacked by a DEA squad. Wow. They flee.
 
Okay, so in this episode I realized that I have more reasons to watch this show than just because I’m a Marvel Cinematic Universe completionist and I can’t just not watch one of the Marvel Netflix shows: Danny/Colleen (and Colleen in general). They are so ridiculously cute together. S2 had better not screw that up. I think the fight choreography has gone up a notch. Colleen’s final (or so we think) fight with Bakuto was very satisfying and there were some really clever moves. Danny vs. Davos was pretty good too (even though it was nowhere near as emotionally charged as it should’ve been, because Davos has been infuriating the entire time he’s been on the show, and Danny’s character arc has been confusing nonsense). What’s annoying is that, with Gao, Bakuto, and Davos out of the way, that means the Big Bad is just zombie Harold. Meh. That would’ve worked better if he and Danny had more time to bond and he hadn’t been so transparently horrible for most of the season.
 
Things I Liked

• Ward’s zombie Harold nightmare, about which I had completely forgotten
• Colleen’s awesome move kicking her broken sword blade into Bakuto’s leg.
• Harold being super grossed out by the sick people at the hospital
• Danny’s speech to Colleen about how she’s his family. Cuties!
• Colleen’s smile when she listens to Danny’s training music
• Couples training! CUTIES!

 
Things I Didn’t

• Joy getting shot. Dick move, Bakuto.
• Davos

 
The Characters
So what’s the deal? Danny can summon the Iron Fist but just for a few seconds at a time now? Is that because he’s close to a breakthrough with his sense of who he is, but not quite there? Bah. It’s weird. I’m pretty much here for the Danny/Colleen stuff now.
 
Colleen has gotten past her emotional crisis over everything she believed in being a lie quite tidily! She and Danny really do make a pretty great family.
 
Okay, I can see why Joy would be repulsed by the lengths Ward went to, but she was very clearly creeped out by Harold in the previous episode, so what happened there? I wish she would’ve just willingly left with Ward when he asked. She’s always been fiercely protective of him, and he isn’t scary like Harold.
 
Wow, Ward is actually the best Meachum now.
 
Overall Rating
4/5