There's quite a bit to like here. Gao's scene was, not surprisingly, a major highlight. Her absence was felt, and Bakuto couldn't quite fill those shoes, though it made her return that much more satisfying. The fact that she manages to drop some bomb shells on Danny that alter his perspective on matters regarding his own life make the scene that much more powerful.
It turns out that Harold had arranged to have the Rands killed. While it was nice to see David Wenham finally get to go full heel, it does still seem like a drastic turn. Even Danny is perplexed as to why Harold stabbed him in the back when he helped Harold deal with the Hand and allow him to go back to living a normal life.
Granted, Danny doesn't have a whole lot of time to ponder this, as he has to clear his name after Harold had him set up with the DEA. This doesn't turn out to be the inconvenience that you'd think it would be. Much like Cap, all Danny has to do is wear a hoodie and he's pretty much able to move around freely.
Even more convenient, Harold Meachum, the man Danny now wants to kill, has the "true" documents that prove his innocence. Why would Harold even keep those? Isn't it standard protocol when doctoring documents to burn the originals in your trash can? Shred them up, do something besides keep them in a hidden safe. You could chalk it up to Harold's resurrections affecting his mental state, but he says that he had 13 years to plan this, so you'd think that hole would occur to him at some point.
I'm torn on the moral dilemma. On the one hand, the Iron Fist is a weapon, thus you'd think that he'd fall into the category of super hero who can and will kill if necessary. Sure, Danny's the sunniest of the defenders, but those two things aren't mutually exclusive. Wonder Woman is a kind and compassionate hero, but being an amazon, she's a warrior who will still kill when the situation calls for it. Oddly, the fact that Harold is already dead doesn't come up on either side of the discussion.
The fact that he's driven by vengeance more than justice is a fair point. I'm not sure if killing him would have affected his chi. You could make arguments for both sides. Gao insists the closure will be good where Claire says that it'll taint his chi. Considering what his anger and guilt did before, it makes sense though.
Even if the moral quandary is rushed and ultimately side stepped, it does at least show effort to bring some weight to the final showdown.
It was disappointing to see said showdown end up being in the dark again. You can somewhat justify it, as Danny is trying to level the playing field seeing as his enemies have guns, but it still makes it hard to watch. Him getting one of his hands shot is meant to level the playing field, though I wonder why Danny couldn't just channel his chi into his other hand. He might not be able to charge up both hands at the same time yet, but using just one should still be doable. You could say it's like being right handed or left handed, but if it's just directing energy, you'd think it would still be an asset. Either way, you can see why Danny puts such emphasis on Luke being bullet proof when they get together in "The Defenders".
Speaking of, Claire does make mention that she knows other powered people, but the idea of coming together doesn't come up in any capacity.
Instead, the show's final scene shows Danny returning to K'un L'un, only to find that the Hand had attacked and that it is now gone.
I had read about this ahead of time, and figured that it would be yet another instance of the show doing something awesome and not letting us see it. I mean, seeing a swarm of ninjas battle a stronghold of warrior monks would have been really cool. As it is meant to be a surprise, I can let it slide this time.
It does make you wonder what the Hand's endgame is. We've seen them deal heroine, raise an army of undead ninas, do something with "Black Skies", dig a hole in the ground, and make a city in another dimension vanish.
You could argue that they're mysterious and that the true motives won't be revealed until the big team up, but considering how prominent they've been, it seems like we should know more than we do at this point.
Still, though, I am very much looking forward to "Defenders". It looks like it's going to be big and satisfying.
As to this series as a whole, it had problems, though I don't think it warrants the hate that its getting. There were pacing issues, but that's a kink that can be worked out later. I'd still like to see "Iron Fist" get a second season. I've seen a lot of people talk about combining Luke Cage and Iron Fist into one series. Considering how close they are, it makes sense, though I think that should come later. Let Luke and Danny each get a second individual season, then to cut costs make their third season the combo and have the two partner up on a more long term basis.
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