Iron Fist season 2, episode 2 recap: ‘The City’s Not For Burning’

A storm is brewing the second episode of Iron Fist that could have ramifications throughout the whole city.

“The City’s Not For Burning” has the Tigers and the Hatchets declare open war in Chinatown. It has everyone on edge, especially Danny who witnessed the death of a Tiger in the beginning.

However, his meeting with Davos in the premiere has clearly left him on edge, and the fact that this power vacuum only exists because he helped take down The Hand. However, the real mystery thus far has been what Mary is up to in this season of Iron Fist.

Danny is on his way home after securing a day off from work and runs into Mary who’s drawing at a local coffee shop. She’s effusive and happy to run into him again as she talks about her hopes and dreams. Honestly, for a second it seemed like Danny would just give her a design job at Rand so she could get work.

However, instead, the two bond over her talent and a few sparks seem to fly. He offers to take her to a subway she can take to get to Columbus Park because he doesn’t think it’s safe for a newcomer to walk alone right now. She graciously accepts but ends up having an odd dizzy spell.

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Being the hero he is, Danny offers to take her up to his apartment for a glass of water. Mary emotionlessly tells Colleen how “sweet” her boyfriend is before quietly disappearing into the bathroom.

It’s a light-hearted moment to see Colleen joke about how Mary has a bit of a crush on Danny and see him respond with some good-hearted narcissism. Things aren’t going great for Mary, who has a complete personality change in the bathroom going from her friendly Midwestern girl to a distant but calculating woman.

Both Danny and Colleen don’t seem to question the new personality as their houseguest quickly leaves their house. The two of them represent a younger idealism version of heroism, that neither are immediately suspicious of her appearance.

However, in this episode of Iron Fist Danny is still plagued by thoughts of his time in K’un Lun. In a scene teased before the season started, viewers get to see Danny in the iconic mask fighting Davos for the opportunity to challenge the dragon.

Meanwhile, Colleen is still on the hunt for Frank Choi but isn’t finding much information. Her friend at the center claims his file might have gone missing in the shuffle, but she isn’t willing to give up.

Not to mention, he seemed like he could be lying to help cover something up. Especially when Iron Fist reveals Ms. Yang, a high ranking board member keeping the lights on, is the wife of one of the most notorious Chinatown criminals.

However, she’s quickly making friends in the criminal underground as well. The kids she beat up the night before are trying to “kill” her on orders from their leader. Colleen makes easy work of them and follows the main kid back to their “lair”.

Turns out these teenagers are neither Hatchets or Tigers, but local kids trying to protect themselves from the other two big gangs. He informs her that the Hatchets are planning to take out the Tigers and that he knows everything going on in the streets. Seems like BB (“like the little bullets”) is going to be a wise contact for the future on Iron Fist.

When Danny is unable to convince the Hatchets to call off whatever they’re planning, Colleen steps in. She appeals to his wife at her gambling event at the center who ultimately agrees to talk with her husband.

Iron Fist has always done a solid job showing that these two heroes can use their idealism to make a change without resorting to violence. Unfortunately, their good work is cut short because Davos murders Mr. Yang during his pursuit of peace.

Joy isn’t above resorting to questionable tactics in “The City’s Not For Burning”. Ward has tracked her down to an auction house where the Meachum siblings have another fantastic scene together. However, she’s more interested in getting an antique bowl with Davos that’s imperative to her plan.

She records Davos sleeping with the woman in charge of the auction, knowing they can blackmail her later and receive the bowl. It’s tragic seeing how a woman who used to be such a force of good has been dragged down to the same level as her father.

Meanwhile, Iron Fist spends a great deal of time having Danny reflect on his victory in K’un Lun. We discover that during the fight, Davos was able to take down Danny multiple times but the latter refused to yield. Eventually, the sunlight momentarily blinds Davos, allowing Danny the opportunity to brutally strike.

While Davos doesn’t yield, his father eventually announces Danny is the victor. It’s certainly much more understandable why Davos feels as if he was robbed of the opportunity to face the dragon.

Finally, what is happening to Mary? She finds another post-it note which tells her to stay away from Danny Rand. However, her gentle personality is horrified to find stalker-like photos at her house of Danny and Colleen. Is someone manipulating her or is she manipulating herself? Alice Eve’s new character is quickly becoming one of the most compelling parts of the new season.

What did you think of “The City’s Not For Burning”? Be sure to tell us in the comments below!