IRON FIST Season 2 Reviews Hail Rand's Second Outing As An Improvement Over The First - But Not A Huge One

While this didn't knock me out the way the sophomore Luke Cage effort did, Iron Fist Season 2 certainly feels more like the show I thought we were getting the first time around. Better writing, better fight choreography, and an increased focus on the wider cast all make a difference, and help smooth over many of the usual Marvel Netflix problems.

There is a lot going on in the six episodes made available for review by Netflix, but all of it is good. And by good I mean really good. I love everything about the second season of Iron Fist. With role reversals for many of the supporting characters, namely Joy and Ward, the first half of the season definitely sets up a drama that takes a lot of cues from the source material of the comics while delivering a original story that fits in with this Marvel universe. Without divulging the twists and turns that populate these episodes, there is clearly a lot more care taken to ensure that these characters are more balanced and three-dimensional than they were in season one.

Congratulations to Iron Fist, which just leveled up from unwatchably bad to merely boring. Thanks to new showrunner Raven Metzner (Sleepy Hollow), Marvel’s worst Netflix show now features competent writing, decent action scenes, and a hint of actual personality. It may not measure up to the panache of Luke Cage or Jessica Jones, but at least watching it no longer feels like a stint in purgatory.

Alice Eve's Typhoid Mary is a major standout in season 2, but beyond that character, Iron Fist once again suffers in the villain department. The first six episodes do set up an arc with Davos and Joy Meachum that could pay off in a big way during the back half arc - but to call that buildup a "slow burn" would be an understatement. Joy and Davos aren't exactly compelling villains on their own (in fact, their mutual turn towards villainy seems forced), and their chemistry as co-conspirators is strange at best, awkward at worst.

Overall, there are notable things worth pointing out about season two of Iron Fist. It’s much better paced and way easier to watch. But coming back from what was a truly lack-luster first season was going to take far more than a few kung-fu classes. It was going to take a complete overhaul of the series and it’s hard to say if that was ever going to be possible.

The first six episodes set the season up for an exciting second half, with action sequences coming thick and fast. There are still plenty of jump cuts, but the punches and kicks feel a lot more real this time. But I'm still missing the stylistic kung fu from older Chinese kung fu flicks (pick any Bruce Lee movie) or even the awesome Matrix.

Fans who truly hated the first season of Iron Fist might not find enough in Season 2 to change their minds. But for the most part, the show displayed superior story in its second time at bat, with a stronger focus on the good characters, better fight scenes and a more intriguing, developing plot.

Even if you hate Iron Fist, it might be worth checking out Season 2 just to see Danny finally brought low--though no doubt he'll bounce back by the season's end. That is, of course, if you don't mind the generally slow burn of all of Marvel's Netflix universe shows. That lethargic pacing is one of the worst things you can say about Iron Fist Season 2--at least based on its first six episodes--and that alone should speak volumes as to how big an improvement it is.

Although most of the second season has been a disappointment, Iron Fist’s single saving grace is the relationship between Colleen Wing and Detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick). A handful of scenes from this season showcase the crime-fighting duo front and center, complete with some of the show’s best action scenes (though that’s not saying much). Missick and Henwick’s chemistry is begging for more screen time, and I can only hope that Netflix decides to give these two a proper Daughters of the Dragon-inspired spin-off.

I’m not gonna front like Iron Fist Season 2 is perfect. Few TV seasons can be Mad Men Season 5 or Buffy Season 3, after all. Even on the grand scheme of Marvel/Netflix shows, this one falls squarely in the middle of the pack because there are still scars from Season 1 on this mostly healed show. Finn Jones is much more comfortable in the role, having found his footing in Defenders and his Luke Cage episode. But he’s still playing a privileged doof that’s as intimidating as a pound puppy. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and the show knows that’s his whole deal. Still, he’s way less charismatic than Colleen and Misty–but also, everyone is.