We do get smidgeons of character development here and there. Danny's origin is essentially told to us during his interviews with doctors. It's quicker, I'll give it that; and Finn does what he can with the material, but it doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of momentum.
Things do start to pick up a little later on, as Danny starts noting specific details that help confirm he is who he says he is. Even the doctor seems to be more than willing to acknowledge the truth. It probably would have been easy to just have the hospital be on the Meachum's payroll, thus hell bound to keep Danny there by any means necessary; but showing that the institution is legit does make for a more compelling dilemma. While the doctors keeping him there is a negative from a meta-perspective, you can't fault them for thinking that Danny's nuts and their desire to help him is genuine.
Harold Meachum, the believed to be dead patriarch of that particular clan, also gets some layers added to him. He still pales in comparison to previous Netflix rogues, but this episode pushes him in the right direction. Just giving David Wenham things to do helped, but he develops a memorable dynamic with his put-upon assistant, Kyle; and also takes an interest in Danny's past, especially concerning The Hand.
The revelation that Danny is a sworn enemy to the organization was the real whammy for the episode. It helps to set up "Defenders", of course, but it also makes the conflict more complex, as apparently the cult is warring with more than one faction. Alas, no mention is made of the Chaste, but it's still early. The show could tie it all together later.
For his part, Meachum knows who they are. I'm not sure if he plans to turn Danny over to them in exchange for some manner of protection from their agenda, but that seems to be the likely route. Maybe he's not so nefarious, but we'll have to see.
Overall, though, it seems like the show took a step backward in characterization. It seems like the last episode did a better job showcasing the main cast and their personalities. Colleen Wing starts to connect a little with Danny, but we still don't know too much about her. Where Danny was quirky and pleasant, here, he's just dour. Given the circumstances, I guess you can't blame him, but it robs the show of the lighter tone that the last episode seemed to establish.
Also, for a show about a martial arts based superhero, there are surprisingly few martial arts on display. They try to justify it as the drugs messing with Danny's chi, but you'd think he'd still be able to stealth his way out or use his hand to hand combat abilities (which he still has as seen when a patient tries to attack him).
Having the episode culminate with Iron Fist receiving a power boost Goku Black style (something established via a Chekhov's Gun line of dialogue) and getting his groove back in order to beat up some thugs and chi punch his way out was satisfying and made for a nice end to the episode. It still seems like this was a problem that didn't need to take this long to solve, but I don't know how else you'd go about it.
The only other action beat is the Pink Panther style staged attack with Colleen Wing. It's an odd teaching strategy to say the least. It did seem a bit on the forced side. I have to admit, though, given how stylized that sequence was, her assertion that this was a real world application did come off as kind of funny to me. It's possible that was the desired reaction, but I honestly couldn't tell you.
I could see what this episode was trying to do, but there were flaws in the execution. There's some character development, but not enough to carry the full hour. There's still stuff to like here, so it does seem like some of the critics are blowing it out of proportion. The show still has kinks to work out, but it does seem like it's at least beginning that process.
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