Colleen and Danny grow closer; in a way so do Ward and Harold.
Convolution has been running rampant in Iron Fist. Character relativity does help focus it a bit but the sixty-seven plotlines all finding interconnectivity makes every step forward feel too scripted. For that, I appreciate that Felling Tree with Roots is more character study than it is plot heavy.
Yes, I’m a proponent of plot first. However with this show, the threads are getting so crossed that a break is welcomed. There are points of plot here but what I got out of this seventh episode is a slight improvement to most faces in the show. Danny is still in a fog but Colleen begins to find pride in herself and her students. And Tom Pelphrey. His portrayal of Ward is in the upper echelon of performances in the now five seasons long Defenders-verse.
Iron Fist’s Green Goblin 2
I’ve come to the conclusion that Ward is essentially the version of Harry Osborn we should have gotten over the course of two separate Spider-Man franchises. A man living in his father’s inescapable shadow who will either stand up against or become the thing that holds him down. In this case, a bit of both.
He’s fighting between loyalty to family and self. It’s by far the most intriguing plotline and performance in the series. Hoping beyond hope that it continues that way as it’s the only thing truly grabbing my attention.
Danny’s dialogue throughout the series is stilted and in this episode, it’s at its most unconvincing. Making Danny a lost puppy feels strange to me. It feeds a lack of conviction to engulf his character. Granted, it’s only half-way through the season and perhaps he’ll find himself by completion.
My biggest issue aside from social ignorance that hounds IF is honestly that of pacing. Every episode feels like it goes about four scenes too long and fades to credits in the middle of the following episode. There’s a lot of fat that could be trimmed which would greatly encourage the sense of urgency. By cutting down character establishment early the story would grip me more. It’s disappointing because this is the first entry in the Defenders-verse that I don’t need to binge.
Marvel’s Iron Fist is streaming now on Netflix.