Iron Fist season 2, episode 9 recap: ‘War Without End’

Collateral damage in this war with Davos makes the penultimate episode of Iron Fist season two an emotional journey.

Unsurprisingly, “War Without End” picks up with Danny trying to convince Colleen to take the power of the fist. However, this episode of Iron Fist is focused on the journey she’s undertaken throughout this season. She’s been trying so hard to avoid her past and afraid that is she jumped into the fray then more bodies would drop. This episode is her hero’s journey back to the front lines.

Starting with the discovery about her family. Misty stops by with some good news: she’s gotten the NYPD and US Marshalls on their side as well as tracked down Frank Choi. This detective certainly gets things done when she’s taking a break from an episode of Iron Fist! Turns out Choi was getting shuffled into witness protection after cutting a deal with the feds to turn on the Golden Tigers. Colleen is able to ask him where the box originated from, and he reveals the woman who dropped it off spun a tale of a princess who defeated a pirate to command a ship.

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Turns out Colleen’s mother used to tell her a similar story that she made up for her daughter. Which means that her mother has been somewhere in New York this entire time. The revelation is too much for Colleen to handle, and she hurriedly excuses herself. However, Danny is convinced the story might actually have been real. Could she be the descendant of the princess in the story?

There isn’t much time to let her cope with the news because the Triad forces are assembling at Bayard. Colleen and Danny show up to once again plead their case and point out the cops are on their way so the Triad will need to face two groups of antagonists.

"This community doesn’t need more martyrs, it needs leaders."

The line effects both Mrs. Yang and BB into choosing another path. Yang orders her forces to safely escort the community members upstairs to safety away from Davos. Meanwhile, BB hands over the bowl to Colleen and Danny before trying to talk his squad down from fighting. Iron Fist has done a great job of establishing him as a fun and sympathetic supporting character this season. It’s a great character payoff to see him finally pick a side outside of the fringes of darkness and encourage his friends to do the same. Which is why it’s all the more heartbreaking when Crank repeatedly stabs him.

Colleen is heartbroken, and she immediately reigns terror down on Davos’ group of teenage soldiers. After the majority of them got their butts kicked right away, it’s a little surprising to not see most of them drop their weapons and run. Crank seems to be the only one who completely drank the Kool-Aid when it comes to Davos. Nevertheless, she manages to stop them all and give them one last piece of advice: don’t turn on your family. Unfortunately, BB doesn’t make it out of the fight, and Colleen is left even more broken hearted.

Inside the Bayard, Danny is trying to reach Davos once more. He pretends to still have a crippled leg to make his brother feel more comfortable while he makes one final effort to convince him to give up this crusade. But Davos is too far gone, and he’s even willing to kill the innocent families within the community center because they are guilty by association. Thanks to some Ketamine in the Bayard confiscated drugs cabinet, he’s able to subdue Davos and prepare him for the ceremony.

Who will be taking the power of the fist? That would be Colleen, who is ready to confront her fears and step up. Whether she likes it or not, she has become a leader within this community. It’s time for her to fight for the people who live there. Misty tells Danny and Colleen to go prepare for the Crane Sisters ritual while she promises to go save Joy from Davos’ lair.

Joy especially needs to be saved, because Davos has finally discovered her treachery. While I haven’t always felt like Joy’s cruel revenge on Danny felt true to the character, her strength in “War Without End” does. Last season she felt weak and used, being constantly attacked and lied to. In season two, she’s taken ownership of her choices and her life. While she hasn’t always made the best decisions, like helping Davos in the first place, she went back into his lair to fix things on her own.

Even when he throws her over the railing, a bloodied and battered Joy isn’t going to beg for her life. She knew her choices would have consequences, and she’s willing to live with them. It’s a testament to Jessica Stroup that she’s able to make Joy an empathetic character even though she’s been an antagonist for most of the season. Luckily, she still has people fighting for her even though she’s been hurting her family.

Since Ward fulfills his end of the promise of getting Walker’s full military documents, she gets the two of them some guns. The two come in just as Misty is brawling with Chen trying to get to Joy. It’s fun seeing their two different fighting styles play out on Iron Fist. Misty is a boxer and she rarely uses kicks but her punches are explosive when they land. It’s a different style than what’s usually seen on the show. While Ward (who seems to be warming up to Misty) and Joy escape, Walker knocks out Misty before she can join them.

Finally, the tattooing part of the ceremony is over and Colleen is worried about taking the power of the dragon. Danny talks her through the hand movements but really settles back to let her have this moment. Unfortunately, Davos wakes up and uses two fists to fling the two away from him. Danny quickly grabs her katana ready to fend off Davos while Colleen recuperates but it turns out that’s not necessary. She stares shockingly at her glowing white fist before the episode ends. Do Davos and Colleen both have the dragon in them now?

What did you think of “War Without End”? Be sure to tell us in the comments below!