- It's very interesting how the Hand is more or less an Asian Hydra, complete with splinter groups and infighting. A lot of buildup kinda lead to very little, which is very frustrating with all the questions DD left about the Hand. Also it seems very odd that Stick wasn't involved in all this crazy business being that he also specifically wants to destroy the Hand. Another oddity is the complete lack of ninjas considering everybody involved.
- While the actual moves are authentic, most of the fights in this of all shows have way too many cuts. I would have Kevin Tanchoron do all the fights, dare I say run the show, in S2. His episode had the best fight sequences and there's no reason for Iron Fist to not have fights on par with Daredevil's show. In fact I would make it a point that the show have the most elaborate, martial arts of all the shows. While DD retains the korean 'real fight' choreography, Iron Fist could really showcase the longer take, chinese choreography it really should.
- Kinda disappointing that all that mystique and apparent power Madam Gao has (as well as one hint that she's much older than she looks), she's reduced to a literal old lady in a room. It's even mentioned why she doesn't just magic palm her way out of the situation, and it was waved off as another one of her mind games. Except she could still see Danny anytime she wished. Perhaps her old lady ploy really is her long con, but after swiftly humbling Matt and then Danny with minimal effort when they got too close, it seemed absurd that she could be 'caught' and 'held'. I'm forced to interpret this as a part of her game, but imo it kinda buried one of the strongest presences of the Netflix sub-universe.
- Claire Temple continuing to link everything is fun and fine and I just love to see her. It's about time she takes up the Night Nurse thing, since her macro-arc along the shows is pointing her to the answer she's been asking herself - she is one of the special people. She's the fifth Netflix hero. She's a Defender. It would be very sweet for one of the heroes to recognize this and give her the credit she deserves.
- Coleen is hot. And it's great what they did with her actual role and I wonder how much is still in her head. Would love to see her vs Elektra.
- I would have certainly made a gag about Danny lasting .3 seconds losing his virginity to Coleen of all women.
- Harold is at times hilarious and comes close to over the top but I rather not have had him be the 'final boss' of all this. The final battle was just 90's bad with some millionaire pointing a gun at the much more physically capable hero, taunting him and blah blah. And to think I swear they dropped hints that he knew a thing or two about combat as well as strength increase. But here we are looking at a non-kung fu final battle on a show about Iron Fist. Just really jarring. And then it seems they kill him off for good so he can't even stick around as a sort of Lex Luthor type villain running Rand while Danny or the other Defenders try to stick crimes to him. Would have made his very odd character arc work but no... He's out. Still I thought he was kinda funny and if anything should have made him more over the top if you were gonna kill his ass. His 'final words' were great.
- Ward also had a very bizarre arc that just wasted a lot of time. Him and his sister. Just completely uninteresting.
- I told my buddy that Danny Rand is essentially Goku in a lot of ways whether the writers know this or not. Now they could run with this with more borrowed tropes from the Monkey King legend or do something else, but I think they should stay that course. They show very clearly that there's a final level to being the Iron Fist, footage of guy in the classic mask destroying armed soldiers with TWO iron fists as it's supposed to be. So Danny has more to learn, which is good. And they really should have had his hand glow green when used for healing, and red when his chi is charged by rage (just my personal visual idea, not completely comic accurate). I liked Finn Jones as Danny overall.
- Not as strong as DD S1 (nothing really has, tbh) and I could honestly say it's perhaps the weakest Defender show. But given the spectrum we're working with it's still a good show. If S2 can alter the choreography to be more Asian styled and Danny's arc follows more anime/Monkey King tropes than it would stand out much better.
