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Edited by Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM
OK, got to the scene with that Scythe dude singing karaoke in front of a bunch of people he killed, and Jesus fucking Christ I had to wait six episodes for this awesomeness? What pisses me off so much about the pacing of this show is that the first five episodes could've and should've been condensed into three episodes, and there should've been more scenes of Danny training in K'un L'un instead of useless padding to stretch out the Netflix episode requirements.
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?Taaaaake ooooon meeee'
TAAAAAAKE MEEEE OOOON
I'LL BE GOOOO
(chokes someone with the microphone cord)
"All you Fascists bound to lose."Like, I put this off for so long because there was absolutely no hook to keep me coming to it. The horrible pacing, bad fight scenes, and awkward writing left me with no impression that I should come back to it until now. The opening to this episode is exactly what I wanted from an Iron Fist show. The shot of Danny sitting on the couch in this badass meditation pose, the narration from his old master from K'un L'un, all of those assassins from The Hand getting rounded up, all of that was great. That opening alone makes me think that yes, the RZA should be the guy in charge of this show. If he wants to redeem both the show and himself after that eighty-eight year bullshit, then make him the showrunner for the series.
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?Amen, brother, Amen.
Episode 6 is by far the show's best and it really captures what this show could be if they play their cards right.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."In episode 8 is a fight which was handled by the Agents of Shield expert for episodes which are heavy on fight scenes. I would rather have him as a show runner or at least the to-go guy for all fight scenes in Iron Fist if not for the fact that we will need him for Ao S season 5...(yey!!!)
Yep, Iron Fist is pretty much the opposite of the other shows. You don't have to worry about pacing issues from now on forward, there will be now a steady escalation to the finale.
Also, the Karaoke scene is at least as unforgettable as the car door scene (as proven by the fact that everyone here even remembers the song he is singing). Too bad it is wasted on such a minor character...but then, he survived the fight, right?
edited 15th May '17 3:05:55 PM by Swanpride
And done with the episode. Fucking great fight scenes finally, though some are mired by shit editing. The fight between Danny and Scythe was great. Madame Gao keeps on acting awesome, and the entire set up of this episode reminds me of Game of Death. If I had complaints, it's that the Bride of Nine Spiders was, aside from the poison needles, kinda stupid. Her outfit is horrid and she's basically there to be sexy and threatening. Scythe and those two Russian guys had more personality to them.
Also, Jesus fucking Christ, the guys from K'un L'un must be assholes if they seriously think Danny should've just let the girl die over taking down the Hand. Like, yeah, fuck the Hand and all, but he came there to rescue her and letting her die for the sake of taking down the Hand would've just been fucking amoral as all hell.
edited 15th May '17 3:10:01 PM by AdricDePsycho
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?The show seems at least somewhat aware of this because Gao goes out of her way to save Scythe and have him remain under her employ. They might be planning to reuse him in future seasons.
Though the likely reason they didn't reuse him was perceived comics fidelity, the character was a one-shot antagonist in the comics too.
edited 15th May '17 3:30:18 PM by Gaon
"All you Fascists bound to lose."Also, something else about the episode I liked: I kinda pitied Ward here. He devolves into an ugly, messy drug addict, and it's kind of pitiful to watch but at the same time I kinda understand him a bit better now. He's cracking under pressure to keep up this facade.
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?![]()
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I agree. I do hope they reuse Scythe in the future.
Zhou Cheng is a bit weirder because he's one of IF's most impressive antagonists in the comics, the literal "Iron Fist slayer". That (and his dialogue making cryptic references to his darker side) are the reasons I'm almost 100% sure we'll see him again.
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The neat trick they pull around Ward and his dad is by far this show's best ace in the hole, writing wise.
edited 15th May '17 3:35:05 PM by Gaon
"All you Fascists bound to lose."![]()
Pulling your punches and not having confidence in your product doesn't do you any favours. Netflix shows release all at once anyway, so there's no point in waiting for the reaction. You're not going to be able to course-correct like a weekly show, you're just going to have to take another run at it next season. Go big or go home.
And acting-wise, too, gotta say.
edited 15th May '17 3:38:34 PM by Unsung
This isn't, however, a problem exclusive to Iron Fist. Daredevil likewise spent the entire first season doing an origin story for Wilson Fisk and Matt Murdock, and still hasn't featured foes like Bullseye, The Owl or Mr. Fear, some of his very best. Luke Cage did about the same.
IF is actually the show that tries the most not to pull its punches (post episode 5, that is), by using Scythe, Zhou Cheng, the Meachums, Bakuto (who isn't a Iron Fist villain, even!) and Mother Crane/Madame Gao.
They just chose the wrong punches the pull, so to speak.
edited 15th May '17 3:44:24 PM by Gaon
"All you Fascists bound to lose."I don't mind them keeping some villains in reserve, but Iron Fist is basically holding back almost all of its kung fu mysticism right now. Everybody can't be mysterious all the time. Somebody has to be the series' straightforward mid-boss, someone for the hero to fight and beat, like Nuke, Cottonmouth, or the various ethnic stereotype gangs in Daredevil. Someone that both the hero and the audience can use to put a face to the evil, someone they can share.
That post was actually more of a response to Swanpride, though. The punch being pulled is that of waiting for you audience to decide whether or not they're invested enough to buy into your goofy superhero martial arts story. If you have doubts about that, rewrites, rather than hard cuts, are in order.
edited 15th May '17 3:52:21 PM by Unsung
I agree with you entirely. I was referring more to the actual use of characters rather than plotline themselves.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."

Gary Shandling, who played Senator Stern.