Monthly Archives: March 2017

Iron Fisting, pt. 2: Conclusion

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So I finished IRON FIST.

A lot of people don’t like this show, and for a number of good reasons. A lot of people *do* like this show, and for understandable reasons.

What needs to be remembered here is that 1) You like what you like, and that’s ok, no matter what the content, 2) criticism of something you like is not a personal attack on you, and 3) we can criticize elements of things and still like them. Being a fan of something does not require fanaticism–not anymore, anyway–and you don’t have to assert that something is 100% amazing or it’s 100% crap. One is allowed to take a nuanced stance.

Art is subjective. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise–usually as a prelude to shaming you for liking something you did, or for not liking something they think is objectively awesome–don’t listen. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life.

If you liked IRON FIST, great–I’m happy for you. I’m jealous, in fact, as I would have loved to have a 100% positive experience with the show.

(And this review will contain spoilers, because hey, finally something happened, and I’ve gotta talk about it.)

OVERALL

Generally speaking, this show was hit-or-miss for me.

It had a number of flaws, was somewhat entertaining, and could have been a lot better. I’ve seen a number of suggestions that production was rushed, and it feels that way. Early draft writing that didn’t see a lot of development. Disconnected ideas. Plot lines that don’t really go anywhere (maybe Bakudo is a set-up for the Defenders?). Very limited flashbacks that don’t tell us much about K’un-Lun. Superficial characterizations. Danny is always right, Colleen is almost always wrong, etc.

Don’t get me wrong–there are things I enjoyed about this show. But mostly it felt like a meandering mish-mash of other Marvel shows that never really broke out into its own thing.

THEME

Overall, IRON FIST could never quite decide what it wanted to talk about, and the result was a little bit of a jumble. LUKE CAGE was definitely about racial tensions and the intersection between identity and politics. JESSICA JONES was definitely about trauma, relationship violence, and PTSD. DAREDEVIL was mostly about guilt: survivor’s guilt, catholic guilt, guilt about acts of commission and omission, etc. And all of those are very true to those character from the comics. At their best, that’s the power of those characters, and they deliver memorable stories about those themes on the page.

Iron Fist, on the other hand? This show never spent enough time on any given theme to do it justice.

Was it about conflicting cult mentalities? The show brought this up a couple times, particularly when Bakuto and even Colleen Wing tried to convince Danny that Kun-Lun had brainwashed him into believing something about another group that wasn’t true, but it turned out to be true almost immediately, vindicating Danny’s cult upbringing. (It is yet another example of “Danny right, Colleen wrong,” which this show does a lot.) Yes, the monks were a cult in some way, but they seem to be 100% correct in their beliefs and aims. It’s not generally ambiguous: they were right Danny’s apparent destiny, they were right about the Hand, they were right about the need to defend the pass, etc. *Maybe* their insistence that Danny kill people without regard for morality is pushing it, but frankly, every time Danny doesn’t fulfill his mission to *destroy the Hand,* it gets worse for him. If the writers were trying to talk about the danger of cults, they didn’t take enough risks or really delve into the subject to say something lasting. (Not like THE PATH, for instance, a Hulu exclusive you should absolutely check out.)

Is IRON FIST about mental instability? There’s certainly a lot of time spent in mental institutions and we see gaslighting and other manipulative tactics from several of the characters. But again, I don’t think they go in depth enough to warrant this. Ward’s descent into madness, paralleling Danny’s misadventures with mental treatment, seems like it will be a major arc for him, but it doesn’t get a lot of resolution (other than Ward using a gun on the source of most of his problems, which didn’t work out so well when he did it before with a knife). I don’t know, this felt like a minor plot element, hardly treated all that seriously by the writing.

Is IRON FIST about PTSD? Sure, that comes up periodically, but after JESSICA JONES handled it so primarily and brilliantly–after a show saturated in trauma and regret and pain and coping–the short shrift it gets in IRON FIST seems like way too little, and way too redundant. It dabbles unsuccessfully and doesn’t earn this as a narrative hook. I guess there had to be *something* to keep Danny grounded, as he doesn’t seem to suffer all that much. Occasionally circumstances conspire against him, but he always punches his way out eventually. He suffers no lasting repercussions for his actions, and always has a safety net of friends and/or money to fall back into. There are a couple of low points–when he’s wounded escaping the Hand, for instance, or when the DEA is after him in the last episode (a really, *really* late development that was basically never explored again)–but in both those cases, he had friends to help him through, and his own righteous anger.

Anger seems to be just as important a part of this Iron Fist as the power itself, which suggests that maybe this show isn’t actually about Eastern Philosophy, either. For having spent 15 years ostensibly learning to control his emotions, Danny demonstrates a remarkable tendency to lose control and throw honest-to-Stan tantrums that his more mature friends (i.e. *all* of his friends) have to do the emotional processing to manage. He’s like a child–a literal man-child who gets frustrated and whines when he doesn’t get his way, and those around him make allowances to soothe and appease him until he calms down.

Is lack of control what K’un-Lun teaches its students? Is this what growing up among the monks gets you? Maybe it is, because we see some of that from Davos when he’s chatting with Claire. I half-expected that scene to turn into some mild flirtation, because honestly, he’s a chaste monk, but she’s Rosario Dawson. But instead, we got an insight into someone else who’d gone through K’un-Lun re-education, and he seemed just as unbalanced and seething with rage as Danny himself. This is obviously setting up Davos as a foil to Danny, but he’s used so little in the show as to seem more like an after-thought. I guess we’ll see more in season 2.

CHARACTERS AND SUB-PLOTS

Danny Rand

I’ve said a lot about Danny in the past, and it holds true through basically all of the series. Even in episodes 12 and 13, he’s whining and throwing tantrums until the other characters (usually female characters) concede to his way of thinking, and he pulls everyone down his sinkhole of grumpiness until they have to take care of him. And that’s really disappointing. I know I’ve been like that at times–by virtue of my entitle white boy upbringing–and it’s something I hate about myself. If it were played as a flaw, I’d be more intrigued about this characteristic in the show, but no, Danny essentially always gets his way after enough angsting and groaning.

I guess, what do we expect from a 10 year old raised for the next 15 years by monks who have no concept of parenting and even less interest in doing so?

An emotionally stunted man-child who never learned to deal with his emotions, except by repressing them and pretending they don’t exist.

Finn Jones said on Twitter that maybe we don’t like Danny Rand because of Donald Trump–that we don’t root for rich white guys any more. And maybe he’s partly correct. Maybe the thing we don’t like about Trump, and thus about Rand, is that he whines to get his way, and everyone just capitulates.

At least he doesn’t complain about it being cold outside.

I’d like to say this gets better, but, eh, not really. He doesn’t really do anything to address his child’s way of processing emotions. He just adds a little more sense of responsibility, when he realizes that accomplishing his purpose to “Destroy the Hand” requires him to do some things that not everyone is 100% on board with (particularly but not only murder). Unsurprisingly, Claire is the voice of reason/conscience for Danny, and kind of pulls him back from the unrestrained Id driving him to kill and destroy the Hand. (Along with a healthy meta-dose of the old “heroes don’t kill” yarn.)

And as I implied, this makes sense in the context of his upbringing, but this is one of the difficult elements of this particular story. Marvel wrote itself into a corner with Iron Fist: an entitled rich white boy goes to the east to learn martial arts, does martial arts better than all the easterners, literally appropriates a great source of power, then returns to New York to punch baddies in alleyways with it. And in the 1970s, when we were less sensitive to racial politics and everyone was super keen on kung fu movies, Marvel could get away with it without loud criticism. And there’s a significant percentage of their fanbase that 1) doesn’t get why this is a problem (“but Iron Fist was white in the comics! why wouldn’t he be in the show?” *) or 2) doesn’t care. But Marvel is now writing in a more culturally diverse, socially aware time. This was an opportunity to address this issue, and Marvel just didn’t.

(* As though they haven’t seen Much Ado about Nothing with Denzel Washington. Or the Avengers with Samuel L. Jackson. I mean, c’mon.)

OK, enough harping. Some good stuff.

Finn Jones does a decent job with the material he’s given to work with. You get the sense he really does care about the character and story, and if he’s not conflicted, exactly, he gets across the sense of rudderless, disoriented hero pretty well. He’s never really belonged in any world–not K’un Lun, not New York, and (for a while, anyway) not Colleen’s arms. He’s looking for his place in the world, and Jones acts up to that admirably.

Some of Jones’s best work comes when he’s dealing with other people’s issues/problems without trying to lecture them. When he’s earnestly expressing concern or fear for others, then his compassion shines through. If and when Iron Fist is to continue with season 2, the writers would do well to play up Danny’s growing sense of compassion.

I’m also hoping that his time with the Defenders is helpful for him.* Based on his comics incarnation, Luke Cage is in the best position to make Danny grow up, but Jessica Jones has a LOT to teach the kid. Specifically about how other people can be damaged by trauma and are worthy of respect and compassion. Daredevil is probably too damaged to be all that useful, but maybe Danny can garner a few insights. Talking less and listening more can only help him going forward.

(* On that note: I’ve gotta admit, I have trepidation regarding the Defenders. Danny and Luke, best friends in the comics, seem galaxies apart in the show. Luke is a grown-ass man, and he feels like an adult who has suffered through shit in his past and has managed to deal with it. Danny, on the other hand, feels more like an immature 20-something who is just now starting to experience emotional problems. How will those two fit together? Unless Danny is radically different in the Defenders . . . and is he ever going to get with Misty, the way he does in the comics? Seems unlikely, since she’s a grown woman and he’s, well, him. I don’t know, I guess we’ll see.)

The stunts–meh, it’s not the best fight choreography, but he makes a good faith effort. I’m no expert. I’ve done a fair deal of fight training and have several friends who are fighters. I’m an enthusiast. I know nothing about kung fu, really. My assessment is that the fighting in this show seems slow and plodding and not particularly stylized and made super entertaining. It looks real and efficient, if not engrossing. It’s a different type of stage fighting from what you’d expect in a more action-focused show. Whether that’s a strength or a weakness depends on what you’re looking for in your entertainment. Me? I wouldn’t mind seeing flashier and cooler kung fu in a show about a kung fu master.

Tangent: What would have been gained by making IRON FIST Asian-American?

Plenty.

I think of the way the comedian Aziz Ansari dissected and told us about being Indian-American in America in his show MASTER OF NONE. Which was fascinating and compelling.

IRON FIST could have been that for comic books–about an Asian-American boy far removed from his cultural heritage who has to struggle with the feelings of isolation and uncertainty that come with having that identity in America. This fourth or fifth generation Chinese-American Danny Rand feels unconnected to his culture, and then he gets suddenly dunked in K’un-Lun, where he grows up for 15 years, learning a different way, and heads back to New York, where he’s just as much an outsider as he was before. He doesn’t really belong anywhere.

You get the same story we currently have with Danny Rand (the eternal outsider), but you add that whole element from the perspective of an Asian-American person: a group that all too often grows up with feelings of being perpetual outsiders in their own home.

That would have carried the same level of powerful commentary as JJ and LC, and it would have held true to the themes of the comics IF whilst also addressing the problematic orientalism embedded in the story during a time when Marvel didn’t know any better. This show could have taught us something or at least made us think about something not in our common experience.

(Who would they have cast? I don’t know–Lewis Tan, maybe?)

So much potential, but Marvel took the safe, boring option. Alas.

And maybe–MAYBE–if the white audience currently being pandered to by IRON FIST used the character to see what being an outsider in your own home felt like, that would be something. A silver lining and purpose behind a white Danny Rand, but I don’t think we get that from this show. He may suffer a few inconveniences, but essentially his handsome pale visage gets him through it all, even if he couldn’t talk or charm his way out of a paper bag. That’s white privilege staring us in the face, but as usual, we don’t see it.

Colleen Wing

She remains pretty much as cool as she seemed at first, though she loses a little of her luster when she falls under the spell of the IRON FIST. (Ahem. Euphemism.) Basically, after her inexplicable attraction to Danny Rand puts them in bed together, she either immediately or eventually sublimates all her own impulses to pave his way. She compromises her standing with her chosen family (the Hand, which turns out to be as awful as Danny told her it would be), doesn’t kill Bakuto (she’s very ambivalent about it), and essentially devotes all her time and energy to fulfilling Danny’s quests and interests. I mean, I know he’s the hero and all, and the plot requires you to be his unflinching support, but c’mon, Colleen. Take a night out for yourself. Go hang out with Misty and do some Daughters of the Dragon thing.

And when you go fight crime, please wear the white suit, Colleen. 🙂

The show attempted to do something about this by outing Wing as a member of the Hand (the ostensibly softer, gentler Hand that was all about empowering people to get them off the streets and infiltrate them into hospitals and mayoral offices and… oh shit, evil!), and thus taking away a pillar of Danny’s support, but he doesn’t stay angry at her for very long, because she helps him almost immediately. There’s no showdown between them–no physical confrontation filled with pathos and hurt feelings. (And wouldn’t that have been cool? Colleen Wing vs. Danny Rand? But I digress.)

The Colleen Wing of the show has the same sort of moral distance (geek alert: true neutral? maybe) she seems to have in the comics, which is great. But the writing makes her too infatuated with Danny Rand, and for no real reason. It honestly would have made more sense–and made their eventual reconciliation more powerful–if the Hand had instructed her to seduce Danny and she’d come to develop real feelings for him and regret her actions. But no, instead the show expects us to believe she wanted the Iron Fist before she realized it was the Iron Fist because . . . why? (Maybe it was the hair.)

Anyway, despite this weakness in the plot, Colleen Wing remains one of the best elements of Iron Fist, and her arc about being true to herself persists throughout the show. I think she ends up in a pretty good place, even if her climactic showdown with Bakuto isn’t entirely resolved. (And I’m so glad she got to fight that guy at least mostly on her own.)

I mean, I wouldn’t have minded seeing her dye her hair red and wear the white jumpsuit more, but this was a pretty true and cool interpretation of the character from the comics.

(More about how Colleen Wing is the Hero Iron Fist Deserves)

Claire Temple

Thank STAN this woman is in the show. She is the moral center and the voice of reason, and she also provides some much needed levity. I’ve noticed she tends to take a much larger role in these shows as time goes on, having appeared in just a few episodes of Daredevil Season 1, like 2 episodes of Jessica Jones, and then a few of Luke Cage, etc. As of Iron Fist, she’s a major supporting character, and the series benefits from her presence.

REALLY, guys? Seriously? Let’s think this through just a little bit.

In many respects, she’s also the voice of the audience. She’s the one who will get in Danny’s face and say “slow down, think this through,” etc, and she is basically the only reason he doesn’t get arrested, shot, accosted, or otherwise fail his mission half a dozen times in the course of the show. And does she get thanked for her efforts? Well, the show doesn’t kill her, so I guess that’s a thank you in and of itself. And Danny *does* get around to being appreciative–eventually. (And at least there’s no romantic connection between Claire and Danny. That’d be a little much after her fling with Daredevil and near-tryst with Luke Cage.)

I’m also glad and intrigued to see her sharpening some fighting skills. The clawed gloves are a nice touch. A friend suggested to me that Marvel-Netflix might be pointing her down a path to become White Tiger, which is an interesting concept that bears further consideration.

The Meachums: Harold, Ward, and Joy

The writing seemed to do pretty great with these three characters, and even if their arcs weren’t perfect, they were solid.

Regarding the patriarch of the family, David Wenham is very well cast as Harold. (Faramir as a villain? Sure!) He does an admirable job throughout the series as a morally ambiguous manipulator with serious rage issues. Which only get worse every time he dies and comes back (long story). He plays the role with such palpable menace, oozing anxiety producing pheromones that set everyone around him on edge. Watching him keep all that darkness seething just below the surface–outrage born of undeserved power, moral turpitude, and trauma–makes Harold an excellent bad guy. He might show up on camera a little too much for my personal tastes: I’m not sure I want to see him humanized as much as he is.

That said, I don’t think his portrayal quite matches up with D’onfrio’s Kingpin or Tennant’s Killgrave. I think of the episodes about Wilson Fisk staring at the mostly white wall and listening to the symphony coupled with flashbacks to his childhood, or sociopath Killgrave’s struggles with what emotions are supposed to be like, and I shiver. Harold didn’t have a stand-out scene like that, at least for me. He’s just a superficially charming bully from the beginning, and he remains that way.

The most poignant part of his story is when Danny accuses him of destroying both his (Danny’s) family and his own (Harold’s), because Danny is absolutely right: Harold is a victim of toxic masculinity, the way so many men are. He has poisoned his own family by attempting to sculpt it the only way he can: through violence against his son and invalidating his daughter. He beats Ward to “toughen him up” and casually keeps Joy at arms-length “for her own good” and is extremely controlling of her actions and invalidates her agency at every turn, treating her like some sort of doll. I believe he genuinely loves both of his children the only way he knows how, which is destructive to both of them.

Ward is a victim of his father, who was in turn victimized by his own father. The cycle of violence continues, with Ward bullying Danny for no better reason than that’s what he went through. And with Ward, we see the devastating consequences: it has driven him to drink and pills, and plays a significant part in his mental instability. (See themes, above.) I started off the show with zero sympathy for Ward and finished it with about 20% sympathy for him. He’s still a raging asshole, but at least you get a sense of why he is the way he is (at least part way). Even toward the end, I wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing because he had an awakening and realized it was the right thing to do, or he was still trying to manipulate Danny. He just needed more story to fulfill–shooting his abusive father off a building is not a satisfactory resolution to his story. Maybe we’ll see more in Season 2.

I was pleased to see Joy‘s evolution toward an antagonist. She started off the show as tentatively and hesitantly going along with her brother, but she had a front-row seat to his self-destruction and reacted very much against that. Instead, she reached out and grabbed what she really wanted, and I can’t fault her for that one bit. Things came to a head when Ward betrayed her and got her shot, and then she didn’t accept his apology or let him back into her good graces. (I wouldn’t have either.) And fortunately, she didn’t get enough time with Harold to see him for the monster he had become–just a few glimpses here and there, which may or may not haunt her going forward. I’m expecting good things from her in the future.

OTHER CHARACTERS

I was actually somewhat intrigued about Davos. As I’ve said before, I know the comics only in a very limited scope, but so far Davos seems true to what I expect. He has a certain Baron Mordo quality to him–an indirect antagonist acting out of something like jealousy buried in righteous indignation. He’ll be a bigger deal in Season 2.

Bakuto I hated from the minute he showed up (and Wing basically calls him “bae,” which was a little unsettling), and I kept hating his smarm until he dies (kind of). That’s not to say I didn’t think he was an effective villain–quite the opposite. I think the show didn’t give him enough time to be a significant force, but I’m sure we’ll see him again.

Always good to see Carrie-Anne Moss as Jeri Hogarth, and she had some legitimate warmth and humor in this show. I’d like to see her more in these shows, rather than just as a small cameo.

Madame Gao really came into her own in this series. She’s been a lurking, sinister presence in other series, but she lent some gravitas and genuine menace to IRON FIST. And I’m glad they didn’t wrap her up as a character. She’ll definitely be back.

THE ENDING

Ok, so I’m very glad it ended the way it did, with *something* happening to K’un-Lun and it being kind of Danny’s fault for not being there to guard it. *Finally* he has no choice but to be accountable for his mistakes. And it leaves this intriguing plot hook.

We’d probably have cared more about the mystic city if we’d seen more of it, but I wonder if Marvel was operating under too strict budget and time constraints for that to happen. Maybe next season.

OVERALL

I’m not going to condemn this show or advise anyone not to watch it. In fact, quite the opposite: you should check it out. You might like it, and that’s perfectly ok. Or you might turn it off after a few episodes, and that’s perfectly understandable.

At times frustrating, at times boring, punctuated by quick bursts of action and some goofy dialogue, IRON FIST is the weakest of the Marvel Netflix shows. But that still places it at a cut above a LOT of SFF TV out there, including a lot of superhero fare. If Arrow is too depressing for you, for instance, IRON FIST might scratch that itch.

It’s worth a watch.

Cheers,
Erik

Further Reading:

Here’s part 1, based on the first third or so of the series: https://erikscottdebie.com/2017/03/18/iron-fisting-pt-1/
Don’t miss my “Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk” quick entries:

Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk, pt 2

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Marvel: “Hey fanboys, are you socially awkward and don’t care about women’s feelings or autonomy? It’s ok, they’ll sleep with you anyway!”

Fanboys: “Yay!”

. . .

I’m to that point in Iron Fist (spoilers for episode 7, I think) where there’s an entirely unearned sex scene coming up, and it just makes me roll my eyes so hard my head hurts.

“Unearned,” in the sense that the narrative doesn’t justify it in any way.

What about this guy is Colleen Wing supposed to be attracted to?

Is it the bad hair?

The constant disrespect for her teaching methods?

The one or two compliments that he gave her in the last couple episodes? (Compliments that came totally out of the blue, “you’re the strongest person I know,” ah, you’re an idiot, Danny Rand.)

How about the stalking?

The breaking into people’s houses?

The inability to take “no” for an answer?

The vow of celibacy that he apparently swore but discards in a HEARTBEAT as soon as there’s a sexy exotic/erotic Japanese poison woman in the previous episode? (Yeah, don’t think I missed that little gem. [1])

I get that it’s a vulnerable moment with her manufactured anxiety about failing to protect a mostly dead guy, and that Danny tells her some cute stories about little boys being doofuses, but c’mon, seriously? How are we supposed to take this seriously? They’re not Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. Heck, they’re not Matt Murdock and Elektra.

Maybe she’s just really into fake-looking chest tattoos.

Yeah, that’s probably it.

Are Colleen Wing’s initials “CW” because this is a CW show? Maybe that’s it.

If that sounds harsh, it’s because Marvel keeps digging that hole for The Great White Hope, and doesn’t seem to realize it’s digging.

Flawed people, I’m cool with–I *prefer* flawed characters, in fact–but I expect there to be narrative consequences to their flaws or an exploration of their flaws.

So far, Danny’s only “flaw” is that he’s too compassionate, refusing to kill the Hand warrior so that Madame Gao wouldn’t kill the damsel in distress. And then he angsts about that, because that’s apparently a good thing.[2]

His seeming inability to respect women or boundaries is a significant flaw, but there’s been zero sign that he’s even aware of that problem, much less that he’s going to address it. And why would he? Even the women he disparaged, disrespected, and harassed fall into his arms without any real effort on his part. No doubt Colleen and Joy will end up fighting over him, because that’s how these rich white boy wish fulfillment stories usually go.

Every episode, I like him less and less, which is pretty remarkable, considering how little I liked him initially.

Jessica Jones, for instance, was an incredibly flawed character who made all kinds of bad decisions and disrespected the hell out of basically everyone, but she suffered for it. She had to earn every ounce of good that happened to her in that show (and there wasn’t a lot of it). Her whole story was a compelling climb up a rugged mountain during a lightning storm without so much as a jacket or even boots.

Danny doesn’t struggle or suffer or have to earn anything. Sure he gets hurt on occasion, but it’s never a big deal. Everything just kinda works out for him, because it’s destiny.

And that’s a lame story.

This is a lame story.

I hope it gets better.

Cheers

Notes:

[1] The Japanese spider lady who fights with sexiness was really, REALLY bad. (Orientalism, anyone?) I mean, I want a Spider Woman show as much as the next hot blooded Marvel fanboy but c’mon.

[2] Also, can we have a conversation about how eastern philosophy is a stand-in for psychopathic disregard for innocent lives here? Maybe it’s an Objectivist thing–that in order to truly excel at your calling, you have to put petty things like morality aside. (Maybe the “Rand” part of his name isn’t a coincidence.) Maybe this is the conversation Marvel wants us to have, but that’s really weird.

(See also, Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk, part 1.)

Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk pt 1

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This regards IRON FIST on Netflix, and contains spoilers for episode 4/5 (not sure which).
At one point, Danny shows up at Wing’s dojo, uninvited (red flag) and clearly unwelcome after he has been stalking her for some time (red flag) and assaulted one of her students (not that he cares, because Iron Fisting or something, red flag), with “takeout” (a catering service from a romantic food place, as a result of his cluelessness, but red flag) so he can “talk to her about something.” (Red. Flag.)
He interrupts Colleen when she’s in the middle of teaching Claire (yay!) how to fight. (You know, that whole female agency/empowerment thing? Gotta interrupt that, right away.) And then he won’t leave despite the fact that they’re in the middle of a lesson. I mean, if he can’t respect women or boundaries, at *LEAST* he can respect actual training sessions, right? Nope, apparently not. (RED FLAG.)
She asks if it’s a date, and he assures her that no, it’s not a date, definitely not, unless *puppy eyes* that’s what she wants. And thank God she says “no, it’s not,” because *Jesus*, man, get it together, just a little. (Also? RED FLAG!)
When Colleen is understandably hesitant to have lunch with him (because ALL THE RED FLAGS!), Claire volunteers to give up the rest of her session and join them for lunch. And note–this is important–Danny says “no, that’s not necessary,” and Colleen says “no, that’s a great idea.”
She is visibly and narratively relieved to have an ally at that table. It’s flagged quite clearly right here.
And then during the conversation, it comes up that Danny has sworn a vow of chastity, and Colleen is OMG relieved, because *Jesus.* But at the same time, creeps sometimes trick their marks into a false sense of security, so she stays super wary. (Which is good, because she’s the best character in this show.)
And the worst part for me, I think, is that we’re supposed to root for this relationship. We the audience are supposed to wonder why Colleen’s not falling into Danny’s arms. Because he’s the hero, of course he gets the girl. (And let’s not kid ourselves here–he will. That’s just how Marvel rolls.)
I’m deeply suspicious of any message that justifies stalkery harassment with “social ineptitude” or “cultural difference.” We get enough of that “oh, he’s just socially inept–don’t mind the sexist rants on Twitter” crap in real life. Danny grew up in a context of respect and acknowledgment of others, right? So why does he do this shit? If I were Danny, I’d back way the hell off and exercise a little patience and, I dunno, *wisdom.*
This is a terrible, *terrible* message that they’re putting out there.
Maybe the show is going to redeem this kind of stalkery, boundary-pushing behavior, then ok, but considering the graceless way they’ve done everything so far, I’m not holding my breath.
(See Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk, Part 2!)

Iron Fisting, pt 1

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So I’m currently watching Marvel’s IRON FIST, and I haz the thoughts.

I write this review while I’m watching Episode 4 (spoilers for that far), having seen the previous three. I will watch more. Read on to find out why.

Iron Fist: Marvel’s participation in the kung-fu craze of the 70s, translated into today’s world

Let me preface this by citing my own biases: I’m a pretty big comics fan. Within the fandom, I’m probably only considered minor, but I’ve read a lot of comics and know a lot about Marvel’s principal gravy trains. I’ve seen all the Marvel movies, most of them several times each, and more importantly I’ve caught the majority of the references and know what’s going on. I know very little about Iron Fist, however. I’m pretty neutral as regards the character, much like Luke Cage (if I go back and do a review series about that show as well). Haven’t read many of his books or thought much of his crossover appearances. So I’m not coming into this with any particular biases for or against the character, nor do I know much about his supporting cast and rogue’s gallery. This allows me to watch the show without preconceived notions.

I’d also like to acknowledge the review work that has already been done here. There are a lot of critics out there who have disparaged this show for a lot of reasons.[1] There is an important conversation to be had about the problematic ways this show deals with race, orientalism, and the white savior trope, all of which arise from the subject matter and are carried over into the show to some extent. This review entry will not address those in detail, as I haven’t watched enough of the show to present a full opinion on those subjects. In the meantime, there’s lots of reading out there to be done regarding cultural appropriation and the racial politics inherent in IRON FIST.

I’ll get into all that later. For now, I want to talk about the characters and structure of the show, trying to table those major issues for the moment. I have made an effort to watch the show without all of that in my head and just judge it on its own merits.

The result? Kind of a mediocre show that’s just kinda there.

It follows the Marvel Netflix structure pretty well. It follows multiple characters, it uses brief flashbacks that only make sense as you watch the show, it explores multiple themes, it could use more lighting, etc. But for some reason it’s less compelling than other Marvel Netflix shows. It’s ok, and you might really like it, but it’s just not up to the same level as the other Marvel Netflix shows.

Why?

I’ll watch more of the show, but so far, I’m not particularly impressed. The writing is not great–it lacks the sparkle of previous Netflix Marvel shows. The acting is mediocre and some of the scenes could use better direction. The fight scenes are just ok. They do look more like the unglamorous but efficient reality of martial arts–more about holds and leverage and knowing how to move than brute strength. But this is TV, and *superhero* TV at that, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it taken up a notch. I mean, the DAREDEVIL fights were brutal and realistic and great. Compared to those, IRON FIST’s fight scenes are just kinda meh. Think of the DAREDEVIL corridor fight in season 1, episode 2 and the stairwell fight near the beginning of season 2, compared to the fight scene in IF episode 4. It doesn’t feel as epic or immediate or powerful.

As a fantasy writer, I wouldn’t mind it all being a little more fantastic.

But my main problem is, there’s just nothing to latch onto.

In DAREDEVIL, we had Matt’s pathos and drive to punish the wicked, assuaging his own guilt (survivor’s guilt, catholic guilt, lying-to-my-friends guilt, all the guilt). In JESSICA JONES, it was all about trauma and the fallout of sexual assault (something TV/movies almost never deal with). In LUKE CAGE, it was the racial tensions of his situation and the struggles of being black in America.

What do we have in IRON FIST? A clueless white boy who wanders around hoping things will work out for him, and they generally do, because why wouldn’t they? He’s a good-looking white boy, even if he’s an example of a monk character with a low charisma. He’s rich, or at least should be, which he ostensibly doesn’t care about but hires Jeri Hogarth (yay!) to fix for him. What’s he fighting for? What’s his purpose? He says he’s the sworn enemy of the Hand and the dedicated protector of K’un-Lun, but we know almost nothing about that city or that story. When is this show gonna throw us a bone?

This is like reading a book that you think *might* get good, but is just a tedious slog for the first hundred pages or so.

About the Characters:

Finn Jones as Danny Rand is ok, but the material he’s working with is pretty generic. He isn’t Arrow (and that’s good, because he lacks Amell’s charisma or physicality)–his character is much less driven, less in control of himself or his surroundings, etc. I understand that’s part of where he’s coming from (Zen? Buddhism? Some sort of eastern philosophy, the show can’t seem to decide.), but he wanders around the set like he’s some Calvin Klein model on rumspringa. When he interacts with Joy and Steve[1] Meachum, he’s clueless, graceless, and just expects everything to be fine. Yes, maybe that’s the philosophy he comes from, but as pasty and handsome as Jones is, this just comes off as rich white boy entitlement. (And I’ll bet Marvel never addresses this.)

Finn Jones as Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, aka white boy *really* into tai chi

And it’s really weird that Rand would be an entitled white boy, because he didn’t grow up that way. Jones doesn’t have the sense of calm and presence that he needs to come off as believably steeped in eastern mysticism or Buddhism. I don’t want him to be some sort of stereotype, but I want him to bear the mark of his experiences, not look like he spent the last weekend at a yoga retreat + tai chi in the mornings.

And then, when he interacts with the amazing Henwick as Colleen Wing, where he just starts talking to her in Mandarin (which to my untrained ear sounds like they at least made an attempt) or all the bowing or questions her martial arts skills… It’s unclear if he’s really trying to be respectful or if he’s making fun of her. And she knows it, too–you can see it in her face.

(Is this what racial minorities deal with all the time from well-meaning but clueless white people? Spoiler alert: it kinda is.)

I think this is a writing mistake. I think the writers did not consider any of these issues when they crafted this character. Because there are so many ways they could be addressing this, but they aren’t doing that.

Maybe it’s the hair. The messy mass of gold curls has got to go.

Or maybe it’s his tendency to talk down to everyone and ignore their “no thank yous” or just plain “no.” He doesn’t respect anyone’s consent, iron fists his way right through boundaries, he’s somehow above everyone in his own mind, and pretends it’s all him being kind and/or respectful. Rather than coming off as respectful or humble, he comes off as an entitled jerk.

I do appreciate that Jones seems human and disoriented. He’s obviously suffering from severe culture shock, though I’d like to see them play that up more. Have him go into a department store, look around, and just go “why?” Why so much excess? How do people live like this? Marvel could really play this up. We’ll see if they do.

We get a healthy dose of “cruel mental hospital” in episode 2, and it does make us start to wonder whether Danny is really Danny, just like everyone else wonders. You know, after “the Incident,” I’d expect people in the MCU to be a little more credulous when it comes to super powers and mysterious backstories. But I guess it’s reasonable.

Colleen Wing is my favorite character thus far. Not surprising, since the Daughters of the Dragon are great in the comics. Can’t wait until she catches up with Misty Knight.

She’s beautiful, obviously, but she’s also tough, independent, and has more of a moral compass than most of the other characters. She’s way more grounded than Danny with his hippie zen white boy act. And she’s gonna be a great martial presence in the show, assuming Marvel doesn’t frat-boy out and make Danny her savior at every turn. Also, the little nods to her white costume from the comics are pretty great. (The more that happens, the better as far as I’m concerned–episode 4 is very rewarding in that respect.) She’s also not exoticized but allowed to be the cool American young woman she is whilst maintaining her very specific philosophies.

Her arc is thus far about remaining true to herself. Adhering to a code of conduct and behavior based on Bushido vs. the needs of the living in the real world, like money to run her business, etc. We see this when Chris[2] Meachum tries to bribe her to lie on a form to get Danny committed, and then again when she goes to an underground UFC fight, despite telling her students that fighting for money is dishonorable. I’m interested to see where this goes.

Colleen Wing aka the Daughter of the Dragon, scrappy martial arts instructor, and basically the person carrying this whole show

It’s unclear what ethnic heritage Colleen is supposed to have in the show. In the comics, Colleen is a red-haired Japanese-American, having a white father and a native Japanese mother. Henwick is from Singapore, so at least she’s East Asian, but it’s unclear how the show is intending to present her. Danny started speaking to her in mandarin as soon as they met, suggesting he read her as Chinese, but she corrected him pretty quickly and asked him to “speak English or Japanese–I haven’t spoken Mandarin since I was a little girl.” Which suggests she’s fluent in Japanese, which is also the source of the martial arts that she teaches at the dojo (near as I can tell–their exclamations were Japanese, and their prayers in episode 4 are Japanese). And–and here’s the big one–she is all about Bushido, which is the code of honor followed by samurai, who are distinctly *Japanese*, not Chinese.

A Chinese-American fluent in Japanese and only passable in Chinese, who holds herself to the code of Bushido (a Japanese philosophy)? Sure. That’s possible. But I also know TV and films have a tendency to look for “Asian” in their actors, and not be a lot more specific than that.

The part in episode 3 where Colleen spars with Danny is interesting, but probably not in the way Marvel intended. Yes, he’s kind of mansplaining/whitesplaining martial arts to her, but it could be that he’s just talking about a different style than her own, and he’s teaching her. The optics of that aren’t great (white dude better at martial arts than Asian lady! Yay!), and he’s being hugely presumptuous. Which kinda fits in with his “I grew up in a monastery for 15 years and have no social skills of any kind.” But that’s no more an excuse here than it is on Twitter. If a guy is disrespectful to a woman, “he’s awkward” isn’t an acceptable excuse. And Wing did indeed call him out on it, albeit indirectly–she showed him the door–though he managed to weasel his way into her good graces for plot reasons. Obviously, she is fully within her rights to forgive him for being a clueless dick, but I’d like to see Danny come to terms with how inappropriate his behavior often is, and make efforts to make amends. The chances of that seem low, but it’s always possible.

If anything is going to keep me watching this show, it is gong to be Colleen Wing.

On the Meachums:

These are pretty interesting villains. Joy is caught in the middle of it all, though I’m expecting a heel-turn at some point. She reminds me of Laurel from Arrow, mostly because of the hair (I don’t know what it is about haircuts in this show) and because Danny is constantly mooning over her the way Oliver does Laurel. I’m not sure if Joy’s going to be a love interest, but he’s really committed to her. And she twists him around her finger like it’s no big thing.

(Note: See footnote 2, but I’m apologizing in advance for any confusion raised in using multiple names for Ward. The show also confused me, and I’m making a point here.)

Her brother Chet[2] is a cartoonish bully type, but at least we’re seeing some of the reasons for his behavior and outlook. Barron Meachum boasts one of the most punch-able faces in all of these Netflix Marvel shows, and I am very much looking forward to Danny punching him right in the kisser. Or maybe Colleen Wing, which would be even better.

Their father Harold Meachum is intriguing as a behind-the-scenes Kingpin type, and I’m wondering about his moral dimension as well.

Ward and Joy Meachum–spoiler alert, they’re the bad guys

Mostly the value of these characters, as I see it so far, is the discussion of bullying and the ongoing cycle of violence. Trent bullies Danny, Grant is bullied by his father Harold, who was in turn bullied by his father, and probably his before him. It’s the whole fratboy mentality: violence is learned and passed on to the next generation. When will the cycle end, one is led to wonder? Are bullies redeemable? I mean, I’m not invested in Chaz being redeemed–that guy is a major asshole–but they’re setting this up as a useful side story.

Also, yay for Jeri Hogarth and Madame Gao!

Well, I’ll keep watching. You might like it as well.

Cheers,
Erik

[1] A friend of mine recently said that Iron Fist is worse than any superhero movie or show he’s ever seen, including Green Lantern, which is fighting words. 🙂

[2] I know his name is Ward, but he’s such a generic white rich corporate frat boy bully villain that I was initially confused about what his name was supposed to be, even when they’d just said it thirty seconds before. There is nothing that stands out about this character. He’s just “mean entitled white boy.” And so I find myself giving him a succession of such names. See also: Donald, George, Mike, and Dick.

Further reading:

http://io9.gizmodo.com/it-actually-really-really-sucks-that-tv-s-iron-fist-is-1762435382

http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-iron-fist-killed-marvels-winning-streak/

Completed Iron Fist review, part 2: https://erikscottdebie.com/2017/03/27/iron-fisting-pt-2-conclusion/
Don’t miss my “Iron Fist is an Entitled White Boy Jerk” series:
That makes it sound like I hate this show, which isn’t the case, but there are things that grate on me. Final review to be written once I finish it.

5e: Barbarian Ookie Mode

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When I was a wee lad playing D&D with my middle and high school friends, we had a term for a thing the dual-wielding fighter/mage would do. We called it “ookie mode,” where he put a huge string of buffs on himself and then just buzzsawed his way through the enemies with his two magic longswords.

We were young. Powergaming was a thing.

Cut to today, several editions later.

A guy on the 5e D&D page has apparently posted a couple times about his character (let’s call him Ookie, for reasons that will become obvious), a mid-level barbarian 5 (berserker)/fighter 5 (champion) who regularly gets 6 attacks a round.
 

I assume Ookie looks a little like this.


This he does, apparently, through getting the extra attack ability twice plus action surge plus frenzy plus haste (from a ring of spell storing).
 
Some clarifications:
 
* Extra attack (barbarian 5 PHB49 or fighter 5) means that he will attack twice whenever he takes the Attack action.
 
* Rage (barbarian 1 PHB 48): You go into a rage as a bonus action, and during a rage, you gain numerous benefits, including extra damage, advantage on strength checks and saves, and damage resistances. Rages last 1 minute at most and you can’t cast or concentrate on spells during a rage. A 5th level barbarian can rage 3 times a day, needing an extended rest to replenish his rage. A rage ends voluntarily (as a bonus action) or if you end your round without having 1) attacked a hostile target or 2) taken damage since your previous turn.
 
* Frenzy (berserker 3 PHB49) means that Ookie can make a single weapon attack as a bonus action once on each of his turns (not the Attack action, mind you). Note that a creature can only take one bonus action per turn. Important note: if you frenzy as part of your rage, you gain a level of exhaustion after coming out of the rage.
 
* Action surge (fighter 2) allows Ookie to take an additional action on his turn (it is not an action itself to activate it). He can only use Action Surge once between short or long rests.
 
* Haste (PHB 250) gives Ookie dexterity, speed, and AC benefits and allows him to take an additional action on his turn that must be a weapon attack or a dash, hide, etc. It will require an action to activate this effect, but after that it lasts for up to 1 minute. And let’s not forget that the spell requires concentration to keep going. That’s important. (And another example of how the concentration rules muck up buff spells.) Also of critical import is what happens when haste ends: a wave of lethargy hits you and you can neither act nor move for a round.

* Ring of Spell-storing (DMG) stores a spell in it, which you can activate just as though you had cast the spell yourself.
 
So here’s how this would go down, as I see it.
 
Round 1 (Fight!): Ookie uses a standard action to cast haste on himself from the ring, then uses a bonus action to go into a rage/frenzy. If he has a friendly wizard to cast haste on him, then he has a standard action he can use to charge into combat or attack (twice, thanks to extra attack). Number of attacks this round: 0-2 (if there’s a friendly wizard)

Round 2 (Fight!): Ookie is now hasted and raging. He takes the Attack Action, which allows him to attack 2 times (1 standard attack, 1 extra attack). He also gets a bonus action to attack from Frenzy and a free attack from haste. He then uses Action Surge, giving him an additional action, which he uses to attack 2 times (1 standard, 1 extra). At the end of the round, he cannot concentrate to maintain the Haste effect, because 1) barbarians can’t concentrate on spells while raging, and even if they could, 2) odds are he’s taken some hits, which require concentration checks. Thus, the Hast effect ends, and a wave of lethargy sweeps over him.. Rage has lasted 1 round, will last nine more. Number of attacks this round: 6. (FTW!)
(You may have spotted a problem with how I describe haste working. More on that in a bit. Just roll with it for now.)
Round 3 (Haste ended last turn): Ookie cannot move or take actions this round. Since he can’t attack any hostile targets this round, that means his rage will end unless he takes damage (from an enemy or an ally, doesn’t matter–he just needs to take the damage). Number of attacks this round: 0 (wah-wah). Assuming it’s still going, rage will last 8 more rounds.
Round 4: If the rage ended last turn, Ookie gains a level of exhaustion but can still fight. He can take a standard attack action, attacking twice this round. If he was lucky enough to take damage and the rage is still going, Ookie can still make an attack as a bonus action. Number of attacks this round: 2-3.
The battle continues like this until round 11, at which point the rage ends if it’s still going, Ookie gains a level of exhaustion. He could in theory rage again

Cut back to round 3:

Assuming Ookie set this up so that he didn’t have to concentrate on the haste (he has a wizard friend or the DM is ignoring the concentration rules), that means the haste didn’t end in round 2 and knock him out of commission in round 3. Thus:
Round 3 (Haste hasn’t ended): Ookie is still hasted. Ookie takes the attack action to attack twice (Extra attack), and uses his bonus action to make a weapon attack (Frenzy). Rage has lasted 2 rounds, will last 8 more. Number of attacks this round: 4.
Rounds 4-11 are the same, number of attacks 3-4, depending on whether haste goes.
Round 12: Haste ends at the end of round 11, knocking Ookie out of commission in round 12. He also gains a level of exhaustion when his frenzy ends. On subsequent rounds, he can make the standard 2 attacks, or he can throw himself back into a frenzy to get 3. Maybe he even has another haste effect to pop. He cannot, however, use another action surge until he completes at least a short rest.

Or Ookie could be a woman. Who knows, really?


* Note that a lot of this relies on an extremely generous interpretation of the concentration mechanic. RAW, concentration spells end the instant you stop concentrating on them, which means that haste would have ended not on the second round, but as soon as Ookie started raging in round 1, meaning that he’d be out of commission in round 2.
I’m a just my own house rule that concentration spells finish out a round from when you break concentration. I was being very generous.
If your DM interprets concentration strictly, there is no reason for a barbarian to cast haste on himself and then rage, because that instantly dispels the haste and knocks him senseless for a round.
It’s got to be from a third party caster.

So what’s the conclusion?
 
Yes, in theory, *at best* Ookie could go nova and get 6 attacks in one round, and 4 in the other rounds within his one minute rage. He wouldn’t even have to be level 10 to do it–just barbarian 5 (berserker) / fighter 2. That’s right. A 7th level character could attack six times in a round! Assuming he has a spell caster of comparable level backing him up–a spell caster willing to concentrate on maintaining Haste.
 
However, and this is important: he would only get six attacks in a round ONCE per rage (the round he uses action surge), and he could only rage 3 times per day at his level. He only gets action surge back when he takes a short rest (about an hour long rest), so he can’t do it twice in quick succession.

Not to mention that after he rages three times in a row and thus gains 3 levels of exhaustion, he will have disadvantage on all ability checks (level 1 exhaustion), his speed halved (level 2), and disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws (level 3).

In addition, every time is Wizard friend slaps that haste on him, the consequence of that spell is that it paralyzes him when it wears off (no move or action for 1 round), potentially leaving him very vulnerable. If he cast it on himself, it’s almost certain to end at a perilous moment, and having a friendly caster place it on him is a dicey proposition.

So Ookie Mode *is* possible, but it’s costly and difficult to set up.
And honestly, don’t bother with the haste. Odds are you’ll get in the same number of attacks *or more* if you just frenzy.
Not hasting:
Round 1: 2 attacks (rage kicks in for next round)
Round 2: 5 attacks (with action surge)
Round 3: 3 attacks (no paralysis)
Round 4: 3 attacks, etc.
Total: 13 attacks in 4 rounds
With haste that only lasts 1 round:
Round 1: 0 attacks (rage and haste kick in next round)
Round 2: 6 attacks (with action surge)
Round 3: 0 attacks (paralysis) and rage has a good chance of ending
Round 4: 2-3 attacks + exhaustion (if rage ended)
Total: 8-9 attacks in 4 rounds
With haste someone else casts on you (and they maintain it for the full duration):
Round 1: 2 attacks (rage and haste kick in next round)
Round 2: 6 attacks (with action surge)
Round 3: 4 attacks
Round 4: 4 attacks
Total: 16 attacks in 4 rounds

Is the World of Ruin epic fantasy?

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From The Toast

There’s this quiz going around, and I thought I’d apply it to the books….

1. The Elders would like a word with you. – No “elders” in the World of Ruin. Circle of High Druids, yes, but they prefer actions to words. #MaskoftheBloodQueen

2. The Ritual is about to begin. – If you mean ritual combat, then yes.

3. Something that has not happened in a thousand years is happening. – Doom happens in the World of Ruin on the order of every 5 or 10 years, actually.

4. You are going to the City. There is only one City, etc. – There’s only one civilized mage-city left, yes, but everyone calls it Tar Vangr, or the City of Steel, or the Winter City.

Also, put a shirt on, it’s cold outside. 🙂

5. Certain members of the Council are displeased with your family’s recent actions. – Most of my heroes are orphans. They make their own family.

6. A bard is providing occasional comic relief. No one hired or invited him. – Comic relief? In the World of Ruin? Yes, but no bards.

7. The High Priest is not to be trusted. – No priests to speak of. The Gods died or fled long ago.

8. Someone is eating an apple mockingly. – Have to remember to put this in book 4.
9. There is one body of water. It is called the Sea. The Great Sea, if you are feeling fancy. – The Grey Sea, but yes, this one.

10. You live in a region with no major exports, no centralized government, no banking system, a mysteriously maintained network of roads, and little to no job training for anyone who is not a farmer. – Nope, most of those places in the World of Ruin have been trampled by barbarians.

11. You have red hair which you wear in a braid. Your father was a simple man, etc. – Ovelia and Garin both have red hair, and either occasionally braids it. Their fathers were anything but simple, however. #LoveTriangle #KingsShield

That’s Ovelia. Her hair looks pretty loose to me.

12. You’re going to have to hurry or you’ll miss the fair. You never miss the fair. – Ah, for happier times, when the mage-cities held fairs.

13. There is trouble at the Citadel. – Well, there’s often trouble at the castles, which tend to explode with some frequency.

14. Your full name has at least one apostrophe in it. – Thankfully I ducked that in this series.

15. It is the first page and you are already late for something. – Five years late for your own death, Ovelia. Oh and your mother won’t be dead by page 42—she’s been dead for nearly 40 years. You killed her.

16. There are two religions in your entire universe—one Islam, practiced by villains, the other “being a Viking.” – Civilized folk in the World of Ruin may worship lost gods (each city has a patron deity) but usually don’t. Barbarians worship Ruin herself, who has nothing to do with Islam or any other religion. That faith is mostly “bring death to those too weak to resist.”

17. There are new ways in the land that threaten the Old Way. – The Old Way died out when the World of Wonder magically nuked itself. I *wish* we could practice the old way.

18. The real trouble began the day you arrived in court. – Well, that *is* how Shadow of the Winter King ends . . . #regicide

Take me to your leader, that I might KILL HIM.