'Iron Fist' Recap: 'Shadow Hawk Takes Flight'

Written by Scott Edwards

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Returning home after being gone for fifteen years has not turned out the way Danny Rand has hoped for.  Having a target on his chest, he has had to fight off men with guns, but that might only be the start of his fight in the big city. With his childhood friends Joy and Ward Meachum not believing who he is, Danny finds himself strapped to a bed and being injected with something to keep him calm. As the flashes of his past grow stronger, the memories of his parents on their flight that went down in the Himalayas may be the only positive thing he is able to hang on to.
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After getting his instructions from his deceased father, Ward Meachum is ready to start moving on with his life, but the threat of this stranger impersonating Danny Rand can still be dangerous. With the man locked up in Birch Psychiatric Hospital, at least he can convince his sister that they are getting the fake Danny the help that he needs. But Joy is having more questions than answers when it comes to this person who claims to be an old friend. Getting a call from the hospital, Joy is convinced that the so called Danny is the boy that she knows and knows of a way to make sure that nobody is pulling her leg.

Every eight hours in Birch, Danny is fed another series of pills to keep him from being normal. Taking a walk around with one of the other patients and finding out the stories of many of the others housed there, he needs to get out as soon as possible. When being confronted by the passport in his possession that has the name John Anderson, Danny finally admits to where he got it, but it is not enough to convince his doctor that he is not crazy. When getting to another session, the doctor shows him an old commercial that the young Danny Rand was a part of and sees the grown man’s response. Thinking that it is strange, Dr. Edmonds calls Joy to check up on the story and is convinced that this actually could be the Danny he is claiming to be.

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While walking the streets alone, Colleen is noticing that she is being followed by a group looking to jump her. Being able to eliminate the threat, she is disappointed in her students' attempt at attacking and requires them to train more for these kind of real life situations. Getting back to her dojo and receiving a call from Danny who is asking for help, she also gets a visit from someone that she never expected, Ward Meachum. With an offer of money to keep her mouth shut about the stranger in the city and a statement saying that he is a danger to anyone that he passes, Colleen finds herself in the middle of something that she does not want to be a part of. Visiting Danny in the hospital, Colleen is able to come to her own conclusion, but it may not be what the Meachum family wants to hear.
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As it turns out, the dead Meachum father Harold is alive and well after all this time and is staying in his penthouse away from the world. Knowing everything that is going on with his son’s attempt to kill the stranger, he also has the Birch Psychiatric Hospital wired to the hilt. Listening to the sessions, Harold is starting to believe that this could be the real Danny and has a plan to find out for good. Getting admission to the hospital and talking to the drugged up patient, Harold hears the tale of how Danny survived and about the Order of the Crane Mother whose sole purpose is to defeat the Hand. With the newfound knowledge, Harold is forced to come up with another plan for what to do with Danny, as death might not be the best option for his former partner’s son.

Well damn, this is a pretty depressing episode overall as you see the Meachum family starting to not trust each other at every turn. Joy knows that this stranger that claims to be Danny is actually Danny, Harold wants the young man to be taken somewhere safe for reasons unknown (only that there is a handprint on his window) and Ward wants the imposter killed at all costs. The hospital scenes were great, yet very frightening as the medication flows like water and Danny is not able to meditate his way out of trouble. Keeping him in a fog, the friendly Dr. Edmonds finds out the truth that this is the actual Danny Rand, yet the man still has traumatic issues when it comes to losing his parents fifteen years ago. Colleen has found herself in the middle of something that she does not yet understand when it comes to Danny and the Meachum family, the only thing she does know is that she does not want any part of it, but I doubt that she will be able to sit back and watch from the sidelines. This seems to be a big set up episode for a battle that will be coming to the streets soon, I just hope that the Hand shows up for at least part of it. 

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