[Poison Shadow]

I think Iron Fist is just a casualty of the initial Marvel/Netflix deal and the agreed upon production schedule. I was anticipating this show after the initial Defenders announcement, so I followed every rumor, interview, and news story pretty closely. Here's what I think went wrong:

The Netflix/Marvel shows do not have individual budgets, the money all comes from the same pool. Iron Fist seemed to be a tough nut for the writers to crack, as there has been numerous reports (some of them 100% verified, from what I remember) of production trouble where they just could not decide upon a direction for it. Scott Buck was the showrunner who finally got it off the ground (which seems to have earned him his position on Inhumans), but a lot of time (and presumably money) had already been wasted with the previous failures to launch. What didn't help matters is that The Defenders HAD to start filming production by a certain date or the original contract would have been breached (this has been reiterated at various times). Naturally, Iron Fist needed to come BEFORE The Defenders.

So, Iron Fist was placed as the last solo Defender series after LC, JJ, and 2 seasons of Daredevil had eaten up the budget -- and let's not forget that there had to be something left for The Defenders itself afterward. I'm assuming this is why all of the aspects I wanted to see the most, like Danny's training in K'un L'un, were skipped over entirely. Budget constraints.

But you can work around the budget. Problem is, you can't hide a rushed production. Casting took longer than the other shows, and Finn Jones had three weeks to train in Martial Arts before filming began. And apparently the actors often had only 15 minutes to learn the choreography of each individual fight. Beyond that, rushed production means less time for multiple takes in addition to less time for shot coverage. Choppy editing doesn't help, but I'm sure the editor did their best. It's easy to see why the fights were so underwhelming.

I'm not using this as an excuse, mind you. I was hugely disappointed in it after the first viewing, but upon watching it again with family, I enjoyed it quite a bit more. It's not bad, just okay. It's about on par with Luke Cage to me -- except IF was more consistent, while LC had 6 or 7 great episodes and then fell off a cliff.

Arguably, they should have cast a lead actor with prior experience in Martial Arts to begin with. But I'm sure they picked the best guy who could portray the character the way they intended, and I'm fine with that. He did more talking than fighting anyway. Personally, I liked Finn Jones and the more childish Danny Rand a lot. Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing was my favorite character though.

*Daredevil's season 2 may not have been part of the initial contract, it may be separate like The Punisher. Can't remember off the top of my head.