Age of the Geek

By: 
Travis Fischer

Like Unto A Thing Of Iron
     It's time for another binging session. Marvel and Netflix released the first season of "Iron Fist" this weekend, the last of the four series leading up to their crossover series, "The Defenders," later this year.
     I marathoned my way through "Iron Fist" and came out of it with pretty much the reaction I anticipated I'd have. It was enjoyable, certainly worth watching, but not without its problems.
     "Iron Fist" is by no means unique in that description. Every one of Marvel's Netflix offerings has been good overall, but still suffer some issues.
     "Daredevil" juggles a lot of characters, particularly in its second season. Between introducing Elektra and The Hand, setting up The Punisher for his own spin-off series, and keeping tabs on what 'fan-favorite' Kingpin is up to, there isn't enough screen time to do everybody justice, much less tie them all together into a single coherent plot.
     "Jessica Jones," on the other hand, suffered from the opposite problem by stretching about eight episodes worth of story across a 13 episode season.
     "Luke Cage" managed its pacing a little better, but at the cost of credibility, swapping out its antagonist part-way through the season and introducing a villain with a backstory so convoluted that even for a comic book adaptation it's hard to swallow.
     Regardless of these issues, I've enjoyed every show Marvel Studios and Netflix has put out, which hardly puts me in the minority. RottenTomatoes has "Daredevil" sitting above 90% fresh ratings among audiences, though the second season dropped from 98% fresh among critics down to 76%.
     "Jessica Jones" and "Luke Cage" have been met with similar positive reception. 93% of critics and 90% of audiences liked "Jessica Jones," while 96% of critics and 86% of audiences were favorable to "Luke Cage."
     Then there's "Iron Fist."
     "Iron Fist" is not without its issues. Like his predecessors before him, lead character Danny Rand spends the bulk of the show waffling between uncertainty and determination as he ponders whether using his abilities is the right thing to do. This has been the go-to source of character drama in these shows since the first season of "Daredevil."
     This issue is exasperated by Rand's constant declarations that "he knows what he's doing" and "he's in control of his emotions," which turns out to be untrue almost every time he says it.
     And I hate to say it, but for a show about kung fu fighting, the fight choreography leaves a lot to be desired. Which is not to say that the fights in the show are bad, but overall they pale in comparison to some of the amazing fight scenes that "Daredevil" has produced.
     But overall, I found the show's strengths overcome its weaknesses. "Iron Fist" easily features the strongest supporting cast out of its peers and the show's b-plot is often just as, if not more, compelling than the primary story. The Meachum family in particular is the most entertainingly messed-up family since "Game of Thrones'" Lannisters.
     It's an entertaining series, not much more or less flawed than any of the other Netflix shows Marvel Studios has produced. And audiences in general seem to agree, rating it 87% fresh.
     Critics, on the other hand, have been noticeably more critical. Among professional reviewers, "Iron Fist" sits at a mere 16% favorability rating.
     So how does that happen? Both critics and audiences have been mostly aligned on all the previous shows. What's different here?
     You could say that four seasons of similar issues have finally caught up with Marvel Studios and "Iron Fist" was the one holding the potato. It's been two years since the first season of "Daredevil" and the forgivable flaws are no longer as forgivable. "Iron Fist" might meet the bar, but it's not pushing it further.
     But there's something else that seems to have turned critics away from "Iron Fist," making it less forgivable than its predecessors.
     Danny Rand is white.
     For some reason the casting of Danny Rand as a white person has been deemed an unforgivable sin by the self-proclaimed authorities of quality television, who apparently presumed that after "Jessica Jones" and "Luke Cage" the Netflix series of Marvel shows would exclusively star under-represented demographics from here on out.
     This criticism isn't new for Marvel adaptations, but unlike Tilda Swinton's casting as The Ancient One in "Doctor Strange," Danny Rand has always been white. He's a rich white kid that grew up an outsider in an extra-dimensional Chinese themed city. That's his story.
     And yet, in spite of the fact that these shows have always been remarkably faithful in adapting from the source material, more than a few reviewers were shocked that Marvel didn't recast this white character with an Asian actor, and their reviews reflect this disappointment.
     Ignoring for the moment that "Asian guy knows kung fu" is just as tired a trope as the "white guy becomes martial arts master" trope is. Or the fact that Marvel has characters for both tropes anyway, with Shang Chi being Marvel's actual "Master of Kung Fu." Is it too much to ask that we review our entertainment based on its own merits, and not by how much is promotes under-represented demographics?
     Yes, there are a lot of under-represented demographics that should get more time in the spotlight. "Iron Fist" itself showcases several Asian actors, with Wai Ching Ho being especially entertaining in her recurring role as the villainous Madame Gao.
     Panning "Iron Fist" for not being what it was never supposed to be makes little sense and only discourages future attempts at improving that representation. As usual, the people seeking "social justice" against all else ultimately end up being detrimental to their own goals.
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and just wants to watch shows about people in silly costumes punching each other, no matter what race they are.

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