Iron Fist Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Citadel On The Edge Of Vengeance

This Iron Fist review contains spoilers.

Iron Fist Season 2 Episode 8

Any thoughts that Davos might be redeemable (in his current state) can be pretty much crossed off now that he’s gone and killed someone who was completely innocent, though the kids who are following him would have to be fairly mad not to see that they’re all only one misunderstanding away from an Iron Fist-shaped hole in their bellies. Yeesh.

That said, I did really enjoy that scene of Davos trying to convince Mr Yip that everything was gonna be fine now and then going crazy and killing him, just because there’s a comedic juxtaposition. Davis is admittedly becoming slightly cartoonish and I think he’d be a stronger villain had he not crossed into the outright murder of innocents, but someone obviously disagrees…

further reading: Iron Fist Season 2 Villain – Who is Davos?

However, the episode’s big twist comes at the end, when – as Colleen tries to make Danny less rash and emotional – she accidentally hits upon the core issue with the character: being the Iron Fist isn’t a means to an end for him. He just likes having the fist, and now he’s seen what that obsession has done to Davos he’s not even sure he wants it back. The suggestion that Colleen takes it on is a fantastic one and I’m already sad that the show probably won’t do it in any permanent way.

Admittedly, they’ve seeded this direction quite well from the start, with Colleen pointing out that Danny is getting too addicted to the fist – but would they really let someone else be the Iron Fist? I’m not sure. It seems more likely that she’ll end up helping him find his new mission. But imagine if they do find a way to give Colleen her own Iron Fist, even temporarily. I’m extremely there for it, if only to see the look on Davos’ face when he watches a former Hand student wield it.

All that aside, I did also enjoy the return to the cage-fighting arena, framed along the lines of “Hey, remember when I was really badly written last season?” – this new direction has done a lot of good work and it’s admirable (if not necessarily smart) that they’re trying to reconcile some of the crazier stuff from last season with this new, more straightforward and frankly better-constructed outing.

Joy and Davos’ alliance seems destined to end badly for Joy at this point, and even she knows it. This was one of the better moments between Ward and Joy, as she tried to reach out to him even while being angry, largely because she fears for her life. The bowl everyone has been obsessed with is finally on its way to the right people, so that’s a plus, though if they are going to talk up its importance I want A) some backstory and B) a decent name.

There’s a certain irony that Davos has finally achieved the goal of uniting the Triads, although their attempt to wage a war on him seems like it’s going to put innocent lives in the crossfire, and that can’t be good news. The good thing about this show is that I don’t really know where it’s going, but the stakes are ramping up nicely.

In terms of comics references, Mary’s suspicions that she may have another personality at work is clearly a nod at the idea that the comics version has more than two identities. The most violent – Bloody Mary – would be the one being broadly skirted around here. Still no sign of superpowers outside that, though. And finally, the title is from Marvel Premiere #17 (1974).

further reading: Iron Fist Season 2 – Complete Marvel Easter Eggs Reference Guide