Though this episode still suffers from a few of the last episode's biggest flaws - that being too slow of a pace and some script issues - this episode is comparatively leaps and bounds above it's predecessor.
John Dahl's second crack at directing an Iron Fist episode creates a much more coherent arc for the audience to focus on through a greater attention to camera framing and with a much greater focus on visuals to tell the story - which is what we want to see in a visual medium! However the episode ultimately suffers from the little progress that was made in episode one and the flashbacks which seem to be going nowhere. Also, it was strongly hinted to in the pilot episode that the Meachums suspect that Danny is who he says he is, but the same story arc and conclusions drawn by the Meachums is repeated in the second episode too, and why? It was quite a waste of time, really. Had a few tweaks been made to the script, episode one could have been cut out entirely and been replaced with episode two's arc, and having the pilot episode end with Danny breaking out for the mental hospital would have made for a much stronger start my opinion.
Elements of mystery surrounding Harold Meachum are also introduced and his character is established a little more. Unfortunately, he's virtually the only one. At this point in the series, Danny is a cliché and a half - all we know about him is that he is "haunted" by the crash, and that he used to be a whinny kid. For nearly two hours of episodes, that is not nearly enough for a protagonist, and it makes it hard to sympathize with him.
In summary:
+directed much better than the pilot episode - more cohesive
+iron fist scene
-pacing issues - too much pontificating for a small payoff
-where are the flashbacks going?? Also, they're not that well done, visually speaking.
-we know virtually nothing about Danny's character
-acting is still a little "eh"
7.8/10
John Dahl's second crack at directing an Iron Fist episode creates a much more coherent arc for the audience to focus on through a greater attention to camera framing and with a much greater focus on visuals to tell the story - which is what we want to see in a visual medium! However the episode ultimately suffers from the little progress that was made in episode one and the flashbacks which seem to be going nowhere. Also, it was strongly hinted to in the pilot episode that the Meachums suspect that Danny is who he says he is, but the same story arc and conclusions drawn by the Meachums is repeated in the second episode too, and why? It was quite a waste of time, really. Had a few tweaks been made to the script, episode one could have been cut out entirely and been replaced with episode two's arc, and having the pilot episode end with Danny breaking out for the mental hospital would have made for a much stronger start my opinion.
Elements of mystery surrounding Harold Meachum are also introduced and his character is established a little more. Unfortunately, he's virtually the only one. At this point in the series, Danny is a cliché and a half - all we know about him is that he is "haunted" by the crash, and that he used to be a whinny kid. For nearly two hours of episodes, that is not nearly enough for a protagonist, and it makes it hard to sympathize with him.
In summary:
+directed much better than the pilot episode - more cohesive
+iron fist scene
-pacing issues - too much pontificating for a small payoff
-where are the flashbacks going?? Also, they're not that well done, visually speaking.
-we know virtually nothing about Danny's character
-acting is still a little "eh"
7.8/10
