Danny, Claire, and Colleen go after Gao's operation, while Joy and Ward fight for their place in the company.
- 555: In China, a truck at Gao's operation is painted with business information in Chinese characters, including a phone number that is nothing but 5's.
- The Alcoholic: Zhou Cheng is one, even drinking while he fights. So is a certain private investigator Joy hired. Neither are affected in their ability to do their jobs.
- Ass Kicks You: Zhou Cheng uses this move on Danny during their fight.
- Blackmail: How Joy proposes the Meachums get back into the Board of Directors. She has had Jessica Jones take pictures of Lawrence, among other members, either committing white-collar crimes or having affairs.
- Blood from the Mouth: Danny starts spitting this up after one too many kicks to the chest.
- Bonding over Missing Parents: After Danny tells Colleen and Claire about how his parents died in the plane crash, Colleen tells Danny how her father sent her to live with her grandparents after her mother died.Danny: It doesn't matter how much anyone else cares for you. It's not the same.
Colleen: Part of me is sorry you understand that.
Danny: And the rest?
Colleen: Is glad I found you. - Brutal Honesty: Claire is very blunt with Danny and what she thinks of his plan as well as the faulty logic behind it.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Gao thinks this of Danny, deciding instead to kill his friends. This is a mistake because it snaps Danny out of his Heroic BSoD to protect them.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Danny's memory of the pilots lying in the snow shows they have Tainted Veins. This explains the plane crash when he sees similar injuries from the Poisoned Weapons wielded by Gao's bodyguards.
- There's a shot of Claire's mobile falling behind the seat when she slams the car door, so she can't find it later when she has to warn the others that Gao has turned up.
- Consummate Liar: When Ward comes back from dumping his father body and Danny has found Harold's flat in a state that makes it look like Harold's been murdered, Danny assumes it's all his fault and that Gao decided to have Harold murdered because Danny destroyed her heroin lab. There is nothing for Ward to do but let Danny believe his own interpretation, and holy hell Ward sells it good to Danny.
- Continuity Nod:
- Claire refers to the events of Season 2 of Daredevil (2015) multiple times.
- Claire is seen reading a letter sent from prison, strongly implied to be from Luke Cage.
- Joy says she hired a private investigator some time ago to investigate the Board. She was worth every penny...when she was sober.
- Designated Girl Fight: Colleen gets into a solo sword fight with a female member of the Hand, though she fights men at other times.
- Did You Just Have Sex?: Claire easily figures out that Danny and Colleen are sleeping together.Claire: You don't have to say anything. It's written all over your face. "Danny Rand got some".
- Drunken Master: Zhou Cheng is this in spades, drunk off his ass and still throwing Danny around with ease.
- Elite Mook: The female Hand member gives Colleen one hell of a fight.
- Everyone Can See It: Claire at least can easily tell that there is something going on between Colleen and Danny. Danny in turn sees that she has a connection to Luke, as she keeps reading the same letter over and over.
- Failed a Spot Check: Danny doesn't look in the bag Ward is carrying, so doesn't see the bleach and other items he's brought to clean up the blood from where he murdered his father.
- Flipping the Bird:
- Colleen is honking the car horn to warn the others that Gao has turned up. One of the guards rushes out to stop her, and before driving off Claire takes the time to give him the bird.
- According to Danny, Madame Gao putting the marking of Shou-Lao on her heroin packets is this.
- Freak Out: Danny is noticeably uncomfortable (and even suffers what appears to be an anxiety attack) on an airplane, just like anyone who experienced an extreme trauma like that would be in that situation.
- Give Me a Sword: Colleen finds herself up against a female Hand fighter who knocks her katana out of her hand. Fortunately Claire smashes through the gates in her car, grabs the sword and throws it back to her.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Zhou Cheng uses his liquor bottles as improvised flails and projectiles.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: Claire denies that she has a boyfriend, though Danny notes that she keeps reading Luke's letter to her. Of course their relationship never had a chance to get started before Luke was hauled off to prison, so this is technically true.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: The factory guards wear dark security uniforms, but also the red sash of the Hand and carry bladed weapons instead of batons or firearms. Averted with Zhou Cheng who just looks like a drunken beggar lying in the doorway until he starts kicking ass.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: When Ward and Joy start making decisions behind each others back, Lawrence laments how their previously enviable Brother–Sister Team has broken down.
- Irony: Lampshaded. Lawrence offers Ward and Joy the exact same severance that the two of them had initially offered Danny to pay him off.
- It Has Been an Honor: Played for Laughs.Claire: I just want you to know... I wish I'd never come to China with you.
Danny: [deadpan] Seems fair. - Jerkass Has a Point: Despite it being a strong case of Never My Fault, Ward is ultimately correct that Danny was incredibly naive to think that the Hand would simply take him destroying their drug trafficking ring in New York without reprisal.
- Kick the Dog: Ward blames Harold's demise on Danny and tells him he is a cancer that needs to stay away from the Meachums. Despite him being the one who killed his father in the first place, and the fact that Danny hadn't really done anything to either of them. Also doubles as Never My Fault.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Claire, normally a bystander, puts on some Tekagi-shuko after being cornered by Gao and her mooks and even manages to kill one.
- Married to the Job: Joy laments to Ward how their only connection is their work, and they don't even discuss anything outside it like normal brothers and sisters.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: After seeing one of the chemically-blinded workers thrown out onto the street to beg, Colleen convinces him to reveal everything he knows about the factory.
- Moment Killer: Danny and Colleen are about to kiss after Bonding over Missing Parents when Claire wakes up from her nap in the car.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Even after Danny defeats Zhou Cheng, Danny continues to pummel his face bloody. After Claire and Colleen snap him back to reality, Danny is visibly horrified by what he did.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Danny delivers a brutal one to Zhou Cheng.
- Not So Above It All: Much to Ward's surprise, Joy, normally the far more grounded of the Meachum siblings, is willing to collect blackmail material against the board of directors.
- Office Golf: Lawrence is playing this when Ward turns up for a private chat.
- Oh, Crap!: The usually imperturbable Madame Gao loses her cool when it looks like Danny is going to punch her with the Iron Fist.
- Pseudo-Crisis: Danny calls to warn Claire of Gao's death threat. Someone is shown swiping her phone and Hand Gagging her. It turns out to be Colleen, who just shoves a chair under the door to stop whoever is outside, then later they show up completely unharmed with Danny.
- Rage Breaking Point: Danny has a brief one when Claire and Colleen ask him what he plans to do in China, not having made an exact plan because of the emotional pressure he is in.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Joy reveals she has always known about Ward's drug abuse, she just kept quiet because he was a Functional Addict.
- Smug Snake: Lawrence acts insufferably smug during the meeting with the Meachums.
- Tainted Veins: The poison on the Hand's weapons causes infected peoples' veins to turn black.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Claire holds this view and she doesn't approve of the idea of Danny killing Madame Gao. Colleen takes the opposite view, through she supports Danny and doesn't push him into making a decision either way.
- Took a Level in Badass: Claire is actually able to hold her own when helping Danny and Colleen fight Gao's bodyguards.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Danny is mortally afraid of the turbulence shaking the plane, thanks to what happened years ago. Claire is able to ground Danny by getting him to talk about his fear.
- Wolverine Claws: Prior to the fight with Gao's mooks, Claire grabs a pair of Tekko-kagi off of a nearby weapons rack.
- You Are Not Alone: Claire and Colleen are quick to tell Danny he will not be fighting the Hand alone, and insist on going to China with him.
- You Fight Like a Cow: Zhou Cheng taunts Danny throughout their fight, comparing his fighting style to a child throwing a tantrum.
- You Killed My Father: Danny learns that Gao poisoned his family jet's pilots, and nearly kills her in blind rage because of it.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: Joy's praise for his abilities as a businessman almost causes Ward to confess everything, but he backs out at the last minute, claiming she's just looking up to him as a Replacement Goldfish for their father.
