Iron Fist Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Citadel on the Edge of Vengeance
Olivia Popp at .On Iron Fist Season 2 Episode 8, Danny tries to remedy his emotional issues while Colleen proves her worth as the better fighter and potential Iron Fist.
After facing massive backlash over the casting of Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist, there were a significant number of people who actually thought Colleen was a markedly better fit as the Fist.
Considering Colleen's training, character appeal, temperament, and Jessica Henwick's background, everything honestly seemed to make sense. No one truly pushed for it, but there's the opportunity for this to become real.
Now, it seems like the new showrunner M. Raven Metzner actually agreed with this assessment! Whether it'll actually be carried out (a considerable shift in the show) or simply a fan-satiating fake-out is tough to say.
This has never happened in the comics, but if Iron Fist really wants to make a change and go in a direction that may propel the show into more engaging territory, then giving Colleen the fist is a smart, bold move.
Nevertheless, I'm 100% on board, even if Colleen just gets the fist for a stint. Although unfortunately, besides this interesting development, the rest of the plot doesn't fare so well.
Colleen and Danny spend most of the time working through Danny's emotional issues, which were relatively undiagnosed through the entirety of the show with the exception of critical discussion of Danny's character.
This development thus seems so reactionary in an attempt to salvage the show rather than create an authentic storyline.
It's unfortunately quite disappointing and it's paired with an increasingly underwhelming two plots involving Davos' devolving scheme to conquer (save?) New York and Joy's frantic efforts to bounce back and forth between Davos' marketing expert and Danny's bowl-fetcher.
Joy's turn towards good, however, is also unconvincing. Not unconvincing in terms of whether the audience believes she's good, but unconvincing in that her turn was particularly weak. Davos has such mental strength that being deceived by Joy is quite an impossibility.
For your own safety maybe you should forget that I was ever here.
Walker
Why does he think that she's dilly-dallying at the warehouse? Use your head, Davos!
Even though the show is trying to humanize and justify Danny with his emotional flaws, everything that he does simply proves how much better of a fighter and person Colleen is.
This brings me to the question of whether Danny was ever even a better fighter than Colleen. Was he just so incredibly reliant on the fist that his skill was fabricated? This seems to be the case.
I need something that says, "Sorry I'm the asshole that got you knocked up and then fell off the wagon in front of you." What do you recommend?
Ward
Colleen nurses and trains Danny back to health, but she has such an edge on him that it's kind of laughable. Does anyone actually believable that Danny can defeat Davos by himself? Even with help?
Similarly, Davos' own delusion is starting to grow out of hand. Maybe that's the point, though -- the fist grants entirely too much power. In all honesty, Danny and Davos both seem like absolutely terrible choices for the fist.
Danny acts like a spoiled child when he has it and even finally admitted that he used it as a replacement for the comfortable childhood he had, while Davos uses it because he wants to show his power and prove his worth for disappointing his mother.
Is Colleen the only person left on this show with a hint of martial arts ability who has actually come to terms (at least somewhat) with traumatic pasts? Isn't that also the point of martial arts -- a calming and control of the mind as well as the body?
Either way, it's disappointing to see both of their characters grow increasingly unlikeable, not to mention unbelievable. Colleen and even Mary are growing into the most appealing characters, with Mary's background becoming eerily intriguing.
Ward: Do you want me to call the police?
Walker: Do you want your teeth ripped out of your mouth?
Ward: No. I don't.
It seems like she might play a part in the coming battle against Davos, but she also has her own issues to work out. Joy seems like she has her hands full with Davos, but Walker could lend Colleen and Danny a hand.
Colleen: If we take the power out of Davos it has to go somewhere. Someone has to hold the Fist.
Danny: I know. I think it should be you.
All in all, the show is really trying to turn the show around, and that's to be lauded. Whether the show has been successful in its mission is another question, but I appreciate that they're making an attempt to diverge from Marvel history and just make a good TV show.
There's only two more episodes left, so mtake sure to watch Iron Fist online!
Do you think Danny can remove the fist from Davos? Do you think Colleen will get the fist? Let us know in the comments below!
Olivia Popp was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She left the site in September 2018.