Iron Fist season 2, episode 5 recap: ‘Heart of the Dragon’

Colleen and Misty race to find Danny in the fifth episode of Iron Fist.

The antagonists in the second season of Iron Fist have easily been the highlight thus far. Davos, Joy, and Mary have elevated every scene they’re in. A big reason why they’ve worked so well as that it’s easy to understand where they’re coming from. Davos, especially, gets even more backstory in “Heart of the Dragon” which explains why he’s so desperate to be the Iron Fist.

A large part of the episode is spent with him now that he has the power. However, he has a giant serpent tattooed on his back, which is probably a nod to his Steel Serpent name in the comics. Unlike Danny, who used to beat up thugs and turn them over to the police, Davos believes death is the only way to clean up the streets. His first stop? Murdering the leaders of the Tigers in their club by using his new powerful fist. Say what you want about Danny, but he definitely wasn’t one to use the power of his fist to blast a hole in a guy’s chest.

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How did Davos end up being this killing machine? Apparently, his mother treated him with utmost contempt when Danny became the Iron Fist. She’s cruel and abusive, which has left Davos scarred from those experiences. Before leaving K’un Lun, he promises to make her proud so she can eventually tell him she loves him. It’s a cruel way to treat a child, and Davos carries that desperation into adulthood.

While Danny is left for dead by Mary, both Colleen and Misty are desperately looking for him. The former feels guilty because she’s the one who encouraged Danny to go after Davos. However, Misty correctly points out that Danny would’ve done that with or without Colleen’s blessing. Iron Fist reuniting Misty and Colleen over these past two episodes is easily one of the highlights of the season. It would be shocking if Netflix isn’t considering doing a mini-series following Daughters of the Dragon.

Thankfully, Colleen’s new friend BB pulls through for her in this episode. After his squad grabs Danny hoping to get paid by the Tigers, they accidentally find themselves in trouble. The leader wants to break Danny’s finger in order to force him to pay up. BB manages to get in contact with Colleen though and she’s able to get a hold of Danny. Unfortunately, he’s not in great shape by the time he’s rescued.

Back at the apartment, Ward has called his sponsor/sort-of girlfriend to take care of Danny while both Misty and Colleen anxiously watch. My first thought was that Bethany would be able to take over the role of Night Nurse which has been vacated by Rosario Dawson’s absence. It doesn’t seem like she will stick around much longer on Iron Fist because she’s not a fan of surgery for billionaire vigilantes.

Ward and Danny get to relax together why the latter recuperates, which is one of the highlights of the episode. They’ve come such a long way where they now consider each other brothers. Danny is able to talk about the struggle he’s faced trying to manage the power of the fist. Ward finally is able to confront his own demons, and it’s nice to see them bond even when the rest of the city is falling apart.

Namely, Joy, who was hoping her partnership with Davos had been severed now that Danny lost his powers. Instead, he’s hoping she’ll continue on this journey with him. Joy hires Walker for protection with hopes that none of this Davos stuff will blowback on her. However, when Danny is found injured, he directs Colleen and Misty to save her from harm. The two manage to stop Walker, but it’s finally revealed to Danny just how much of a hand Joy has had in his suffering.

What did you think of this Iron Fist episode? Tell us in the comments below!