'Iron Fist' Recap: 'Under Leaf Pluck Lotus'

Written by Scott Edwards

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

Getting a position at his father’s company Rand Enterprises, Danny only has a spot on the board with his 51% stock holdings, but that may be just enough. Trying to find out a way to help the only person he considers family, Harold, he needs to know what the Hand wants to do with the pier that the company just purchased. With an attack that focused on Joy, Danny finds out that the local triads have a stake in the pier as well, but when mentioning the Hand, they quickly back away. Needing information about what the Hand might be up to, Danny gets his first clue from the triads, but it might not be what he expected.
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Rand Enterprises has hit yet another speed bump in the corporate world as they are being sued for one of their chemical plants possibly causing cancer in its nearby residential areas. Joy has accepted the battle and knows that the plant has followed all of the government regulations, but that is not enough for the victims. Wanting more from the massive company, they have come up with a plan of their own to get their ultimate payday and while running into Danny Rand, they are able to get him on tape saying that he is going to make it right for the victims, but in reality, it is making another problem that the board will need to meet about and discuss and Ward is none to happy once again.

Getting a little packet of drugs analyzed by a company scientist, Danny finds out that there is a new synthetic heroin on the streets and it is going to be coming in on the pier that Rand Enterprises now owns. Taking his findings to Ward, Danny sees that he will not get any help from the businessman unless he is able to get some proof, so he had better find some before the drug hits the streets of New York. Being able to find out when the next shipment that will be coming in, Danny has a plan to get the evidence that he needs, but will need help as well and he only has one friend in the entire city that he can trust, Colleen. Setting up a lavish dinner, Danny is able to convince his sensei friend to join him, but neither of them know what they are getting into.

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With the new problems on the horizon, Ward is popping pills like they are candy to keep his cool. Getting a message from his father that he is being watched, the businessman knows that he will not be able to get away with anything in his office. Flipping the bird to the skies, Ward decides it is in the best interest to fight the lawsuit that is coming Rand Enterprise's way rather than pay off what has now become blackmail from the group behind the suit. The board however does not agree with this move and are worried about the future of the company and the bad publicity that it will cause in the long run. Believing in her brother and his decisions, Joy gives a passionate speech to the board to support him and the vote, as always, goes Ward’s way.
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Arriving at the pier, Danny and Colleen see that they have bitten off a little more than they can chew when seeing that all of security guards at the dock wear machine guns. Waiting to see the ship containers open up, the two discuss what is really happening in Colleen’s mind when she steps into the prize fighting ring, and it is not only the rush of victory, but the thrill of beating another person to a pulp. Not trying to judge his only friend, Danny sees the fear in her eyes, but before he is able to offer support, the container doors open exposing nothing but supplies. Seeing the last set of doors opening, Danny is not satisfied with what he is seeing and goes in for a closer look. Getting locked into the container, Danny goes for a ride that will change his life and possibly the Hand’s ability to ruin his city for the foreseeable future.

A lot more set up in this episode as now Danny Rand is not the only one that needs to know what the Hand is up to the in The Big Apple. Knowing that there is going to be a new drug coming in from his company’s pier, he sees the opportunity to take advantage of his training, along with getting some help from his best friend in the city. The ending of the episode was great, as everything starts to fall apart in every which way it possibly could. With Danny’s sympathetic clip going viral, Joy needs help in what to do next and Danny stumbles upon the great secret as to how the Hand is going to distribute their heroin and there's even another crossover guest in Claire, who as always has to patch somebody up. It is interesting to see the turns that the story is taking now that Danny is in control of his father’s company and all of the other trouble that is starting to come his way. But for goodness sake, stop talking about the Hand and let’s get some real fighting going on with their undying ninjas that destroyed Claire’s career in the medical industry when her hospital covered everything up. I want a big battle and I hope there is one coming soon, because these one on one fights are getting kind of old, but the Iron Fist is not.

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