Iron Fist S01E05 Review: Stealing Takeout

Iron Fist, Season 1, Episode 5: Under Leaf Pluck Lotus

We get the ball rolling in more ways than one. Apparently, Wang's little package from the last episode's cliffhanger was a sign to tell Danny about the heroin trade that Madame Gao -- who's now explicitly working with the Hand -- is running right under everyone's noses. We get another returning player in Claire Temple (a.k.a. the nurse that's a main supporting character in literally every single Netflix Marvel show). We get some actual superheroing (finally good lord) done with Iron Fist and his trusty sidekick Colleen Wing. The first stakes of war has been stoked. Ward gets high. Claire steals four boxes of expensive takeout. 

Claire is a pretty consistent character in both Daredevil seasons, Luke Cage and a relatively bit role in Jessica Jones, and while her introduction here in Iron Fist would kind of confuse anyone who hasn't watched this show's predecessors, let's be honest... the only reason we're watching this is because it's a Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show, and I don't get to pretend like I don't know who she is. Her role here is pretty minimal, showing up for a sparring session with Colleen, stealing Danny's takeout and later helping to patch up the plot device chemist they rescued... and inadvertently tells Danny that she knows way more about the Hand than Danny himself does. She's not the most compelling of characters, that's for sure, with her purpose being an expository tool to connect the multiple series first and character second, but she's at least somewhat interesting to follow around even if her introduction isn't the most organic of things.

Of course, why Claire's first reaction at the end of this episode isn't "wait, let me call Matt Murdock right now" and instead goes "well, I guess I'll trust you... you have abilities like my other three friends, right? ... right?" Could've been a little better in that front, really. 

It really helps that the writing around Danny really works so much better in this episode, too. Bringing in a very fancy dinner from what looks to be a five-star restaurant for 'takeout', and not even a date-style takeout (apparently he took a vow of chastity) either. His idea to help out with Colleen's rent is to buy the building, unaware of how creepy and how much of a billionaire-dick-waving move it was. It really shows how Danny's mixture of 'billionaire heir' and 'humble monk' doesn't necessarily meet in the middle, but a combination of two extremes. His motivations are also a lot more distinctly altruistic, whereas the previous episodes flip-flop on making him a bit of a insensitively dickish billionaire. Here he's just a guy who wants to do the right thing, which flows more smoothly to his decision to recruit his friend to play ninja.

Ward refuses to entertain Danny's rant about Shao-Lao the Undying, the Steel Dragon, K'un Lun and everything else that Danny spouts, so Danny goes off to Colleen Wing to investigate on his own. While there's a bit of a fake-out that seemed to indicate that the crates only carry normal equipment instead of a huge heroin shipment, Danny infiltrates one of them (purely by accident, too) and discovers that the cargo isn't the drug, but rather the chemist that'll allow the Hand to basically manufacture their dragon-heroin en masse. As far as plotlines go, stopping a ninja drug cult operating on a pier isn't the worst you could come up with, so I'm definitely intrigued. There's nothing particularly special, and the reveal that the Chinese lady is actually Madame Gao is absolutely blindingly obvious to anyone who knows that this is a sequel to Daredevil, but at least we're getting somewhere.

So yeah, the pier really seems to be bought over by the Hand simply to get the chemist in, and he's far more willing to do the Hand's dirty work because they've got his daughter. It's a bit disappointing since drug trade feels a bit of a letdown from the more mystic feel of this season, and I assumed they needed the location for a portal or something similar to the weird huge pit in Daredevil's second season, but eh.

Joy's more ruthless businesswoman side is shown in this episode when she shuts down an inquiry about their factories allegedly causing cancer. It's business as usual, of course, and she might be a little too brutal, but she feels absolutely sick about it mostly because her father died (well, she thinks so, at least) of cancer and she knows the feeling of being lost and looking for any kind of hope or justification for the things that has happened. And, yes, Rand Enterprises may or may not have been responsible, but they're operating within the law.

Danny, of course, is absolutely new to all of this more nuanced stuff. He's smart enough to know not to call the police lest his company's name is dragged through the mud, but he doesn't quite now how impactful the CEO of a company taking responsibility and being caught on camera would be. Regardless of the trickery involved in taking a video of it, the other board executives decides to, well settle it out of court in order to save their reputation. They're at least not cartoonishly evil bastards but are sensible businessmen and businesswomen. Joy initially goes for a similar 'settle this out of court', but during the actual meeting she backs up Ward.

Ward's motives, on the other hand? It's partially motivated by his need to take down Danny a peg, as well as out of spite for his father, who tells him to 'follow Joy's lead' with a text message, revealing that Ward's every move is being monitored. That scene with him flipping off the room is absolutely hilarious!

And, well, Ward ends up hitting rock bottom after so many cock-ups, and while his reliance and addiction to what I'm assuming are painkillers is one thing, the little pack that Danny leaves on his desk intrigues him, and he hops up on it. He's all conked out when Joy confronts him, and very, very nearly reveals that Harold's alive... but only manages to pull off a couple cryptic and easily-passed-off-as-drug-caused "he's always listening..."

Colleen Wing doesn't get to do much, other than a brief nice scene of both her and Danny showcasing their katana and nun-chuck skills, but we do get acknowledgement that her fighting ring career was caused by bloodlust more than actual need. It's a little jarring that she's quite a fair bit more bubbly and flirty in this episode, after spending the previous four being cold and practical, but it's definitely a change for the better.

So yeah, strongest episode so far, and easily Danny Rand's more powerful and well-done performance as well. The Hand and the Meachum plotlines are moving along pretty well, which is nice. And the Iron Fist finally decides to take the fight to the Hand, now that he's absolutely sure that it exists and is operating. By, um, selling drugs. 

Whatever the case, this is starting to at least be somewhat enjoyable to watch. So yay for that.

Marvel Easter Eggs Corner:

• Madame Gao was a relatively major villain in Daredevil's first season and had a brief role in Daredevil's second season. Unless I'm mis-remembering things, she doesn't seem to be explicitly allied with Nobu's Hand forces. She also ran a drug smuggling ring in the first season of Daredevil.
• Claire Temple originated in Daredevil, and has been a recurring major character in Daredevil and Luke Cage, as well as having a brief supporting role in Jessica Jones. She saw brochures for Colleen Wing's self-defense class at the end of Luke Cage. Claire references her encounter with the Hand in Daredevil's second season, her co-worker's death, the usage of kidnapped and brainwashed children to control powerful parents, the assault on the hospital and its subsequent cover-up, as well as her superhero hijinks magnet.