Iron Fist Season 2 Review

I don't know what it took to turn this ship around, but in my eyes, the show has completely transformed. Maybe it was getting rid of former showrunner Scott Buck. Maybe it was the benefit of the character's evolution thanks to his arc in The Defenders. Maybe it's the return to more authentic comic roots, rather than trying to one-up the CW and their stereotypical "I'm so privileged but I have nothing, woe is me" attitude. In my eyes, it's a combination of all these factors. Stakes are raised, characters are expanded, and the overall quality has improved so significantly that I'm honestly so thrilled to have watched it. More than anything, Season 2 of Iron Fist has left me clamoring for more.

One of the things the show gets right is it re-works Danny Rand. No longer is he the mopey, loner warrior that he was. He still struggles with the history he has at K'un-Lun, the mythical world where Rand trained to become the Iron Fist, but he's not isolating himself. He's engaging with New York in a more personable manner. He's moved in with his girlfriend and the highlight of last season, Colleen Wing. He's working as a mover for a local company in the city. He's left the suits for the sweatpants. In the wake of The Defenders, Danny has really taken to getting to know the city, particularly his neighborhood of Chinatown, and it delivers a more satisfying approach to the hero. While Danny is still active as the Iron Fist, Colleen is trying to retire from training in that life. She wants to be more involved in her community, but not as a vigilante. She's working in a community center, she's trying to shepherd troubled kids away from gang life, but she's finding that the vigilante spirit within her is calling her back to the streets. The dichotomy of Danny and Colleen's relationship and how they mirror one another is an interesting arc to follow throughout the series.

Ward has some depth this season

Ward Meachum, Danny's adoptive brother, returns to deal with his own trauma of addiction and abandonment in the wake of last season. I've always admired the performance of Ward, even if it is somewhat samey every time. There's something enigmatic to the character's attitude that holds your attention when he's on-screen. It's unfortunate that his sister didn't get the same treatment. Joy Meachum is on a warpath for Danny and Ward, but it's stereotypical and not at all interesting; it's nothing you haven't seen before. The only different thing in her revenge arc is the recruitment of Davos, Danny's brother from K'un-Lun and the penultimate villain of the season, the Steel Serpent. While his interplay with Danny can be interesting, I found the performance of the character overall bland and disconnected. It's hard to make villains who have 'revenge' as their motivation interesting, and this season wasn't able to do much with that. The newcomer that held my interest the most was Mary Walker, a P.I. not unlike Jessica Jones, but most definitely far more volatile. She's got a secret that I won't spill here, but I thought her presence in the show added a ferocity the show was always lacking.

Mary's just a small-town girl...
or is she?

If I were actually to describe this show's tone, it would be ferocious. Season 1 always felt low-bar, bare bones, especially compared to its contemporaries. The action is significantly improved in this season, the choreography has taken a step up, and the camerawork has advanced greatly. The show has a better look overall, with more dynamic lighting and more interesting framing decisions. It's all a visual upgrade and can completely be attributed to the absence of bad leadership that the first season had. Not only that, but season 2 runs shorter with only 10 episodes. It makes the pace of the show move so much better, I sincerely hope the other Marvel Netflix shows consider adopting this format.

Technically, artistically, narratively, Iron Fist Season 2 seems to have learned from the mistakes its inaugural run made. It's not perfect, but it's far more entertaining than its predecessor and well worth your time and investment this fall.

Davos and Danny's fights are
electrifying

Rating: 8/10

Luke Cage Season 2 Review

In a tale of two's, I'm coming back to review Luke Cage. A year after the events of The Defenders, which crossed over Netflix's Marvel heroes in an eight-episode miniseries, Luke Cage returns to Harlem to keep the peace. In a markedly strong return and a refreshed focus on stronger villains and a more consistent arc, season two is a welcome return for the character, his world, and a vast improvement over the inconsistent inaugural season.

We're welcomed back to Harlem and Luke's world as he's riding a mix of highs and lows. He's at an all-time popularity with the community, but short on money and means to continue to live somewhat comfortably. He doesn't want to be a police officer, but he also doesn't want to use his powers to sell out. It's this personal conflict, between needs and wants, that provides the strongest through-line for Luke throughout the season. This theme intersects with discussions about race and manhood, particularly black manhood, but more than anything it's a very personal journey for Luke. His struggle is mirrored with his descent towards more vigilantism rather than protector.

Mariah's return adds interesting
layers to the overall conflic

Misty has more action
thank before, thanks to
her advanced prosthetic
arm

But season two has plenty of other characters to fill your time with. Misty Knight gets a significant amount of screen time, and it's gladly appreciated. To this day, I still believe she's the unsung hero of the series. She's tough, she's true, she's deep. But she's got her own battles. She didn't walk away from The Defenders unscathed, and the repercussions for those events ring in her life everyday; how she works, how she lives, how she fights. And she does fight, against the new arrival and the primary antagonist for the season: Bushmaster, a Jamaican gangster who can take a hit just as well as Luke can, but he's motivated with much more anger than his adversary. It's Bushmaster's presence in Harlem that provides Cage great retrospective on how he uses his own anger to achieve justice; justice, specifically, that needs to be dealt with returning villain Mariah Dillard, cousin to last season's villain Cottonmouth and now spiraling out of control with fear of what Bushmaster and Cage are coming to her for. While there's more interesting depth given to Mariah and her world, the star villain is most definitely Bushmaster. Calmer than Cottonmouth, more charismatic than Mariah, and more interesting than Diamondback, Bushmaster is the exact adversary that Luke Cage was needing.

Bushmaster has a lot of surprises

Something that definitely needs to be remarked is the music in the show. It's its own character, and it helps to shape the identity of the show. Whether it be during an action sequence, a dramatic monologue, or simply a montage of Luke Cage doing his thing, the music has a rhythm and soul to it that I don't know I've ever seen from any other television show. Even during a low point, you can't help but bob your head to the beat.

The season keeps you continually engaged, but it still feels like 13 episodes may be too long a slog, especially in the late game, where momentum is halted to give flashback context to some of the conflict in the season. Nevertheless, Luke Cage Season 2 is an overall better experience than its predecessor, and its surprising cliffhanger leaves you clamoring for more.


 

Rating: 9/10

American Vandal: Season 2 Review

I didn't review the first season of American Vandal, but suffice to say, I adored it. The expert cinematography that made me feel like I was watching a true documentary, the hilarious, albeit at times childish, themes and dialogue, and the wonderful characterization and acting was all spectacular; it hooked me so well that I binged all eight episodes the night the season dropped. The most fascinating thing about it, however, was the insight it had into the lives of teenagers in high school, the politics of running an educational institution, and the tragedy that can befall people who are taken over by the perception of others. As far as season two goes, you can expect more of the same, but being that it's the second time around, it's not as refreshing or original as you may remember it.

Peter and Sam, above, are all about
defending Kevin, below

Like I said, the cinematography, as well as the editing, are absolutely stellar. The production value in it of itself is part of the comedy when the context is presented that it's produced by a Californian high school AV Club. But we're not set in California this time around. Our main producers and investigators Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) and Sam Ecklund (Griffin Gluck) take their winter break time and travel up to Bellevue, Washington to complete their senior projects by investigating an out-of-state true crime mystery. It turns out that the Season One of American Vandal that we knew wasn't the same one Peter and Sam originally uploaded to Vimeo. After being reached out by Netflix, Peter and Sam are in the big leagues: bigger production, bigger team, and bigger mystery. Because up in St. Bernadine Catholic School, a vandal was able to poison the cafeteria lemonade, forcing all of the students to make a bowel movement immediately. Video was captured, shame was brought upon people, and the school board and local authorities were being heavily pressured to take action. And after seemingly forcing to take the fall, we have another supposed victim for a crime he didn't commit: Kevin McClain (Trevor Tope). Less immediately sympathetic than our previous victim Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro) and played with less humor, McClain is still becoming of a wrongly accused individual who is dripping with reasonable doubt.

Tillerman (left) is a prime suspect
this season.

Contrasting Kevin is the other star of this season, Demarcus Tillman (Melvin Gregg). In terms of character, Tillman is able to provide a number of interesting character perspectives; for starters, being able to follow someone who is so immediately likable is a character that wasn't accessible in the toolbox for season one. Characters and actors can be likable, but Tillman is most obviously the most popular person in school. He's got influence, he's got charisma, and he's got real social capital. It opens up avenues for discussion around the need for schools to use students to make money, something older high school students and college kids can speak to very clearly. But Tillman's charisma also provides some brevity in a somewhat darker season. Things get real this time around.

Not that things weren't ever real. The stakes simply feel higher. Peter and Sam are in a completely new environment, but the stakes are different. They aren't connect to these students in the same way they are to their classmates back home. They're free to get more into the down and dirty. They've got the liberty of the school to be more investigative. The problem becomes, thematically, that they don't go quite as deep as they do with their previous investigation. That can come down to the fact that they found answers elsewhere, but I was personally disappointed to see that seeds planted about investigating school corruption weren't really followed up on; and if they were they were in the most minute of ways. It leaves for opportunity to focus more on students, but even then it feels lesser. Teachers aren't as involved (despite the fact that they probably should be) and the number of the students that feature importance seems lesser. Being in a private religious school should be a perfect avenue for this kind of social commentary, and offer more voices to be heard, but they simply aren't. It's one of those shortcomings that doesn't detract from the actual finished product, but it makes a viewer and audience member wish there was more done to explore on that particular front.

But overall, it's still a strong season for this show. It proves that American Vandal has the strength, wit, and talented storytelling to continue on for years to come. Peter and Sam should be finished by high school by the time a season three (fingers crossed!) should be coming around, so what's to explore? They're clearly both intelligent and set to go to successful colleges, which offer more beyond a high school AV club. But they're working with Netflix, the most successful streaming entertainment service around. Why should they slow down? I'm personally invested for the long-term future of this show. It's now a tradition that I binge it all at once the Friday that it's released in September. I can't wait until next year!

Rating: 8.75/10