- "The story of the Hand was like a fable. More like Satan and his demons than anything real. Nothing I thought I'd actually have to fight."
"Oh, they are very real." - ―Danny Rand and Harold Meachum
Eight Diagram Dragon Palm is the fourth episode of the first season of the television series Iron Fist.
Synopsis[]
Danny makes a shocking discovery and a radical pricing proposal, Colleen's extracurricular activities go viral, and Ward issues a stern warning.
Plot[]
Being pushed off the building, Danny Rand manages to survive by falling on a ledge and loses consciousness. He wakes up inside and confronts Ward Meachum who pushed him, but Harold Meachum then reveals himself to them. Rand cannot believe that Harold is alive, realizing that their meeting at the Birch Psychiatric Hospital was not hallucination. Harold tells him that when he was diagnosed with cancer, he was approached by the Hand who brought him back for dead only to exploit him and Rand Enterprises. Rand is uncertain about he was supposed to fight them as he used to think that the Hand was a mere fable, but Harold asks for his help to get rid of their control, as well as keeping it a secret from Joy Meachum.
Rand says he cannot commit himself to fighting the Hand just now as he is still stuck in legal procedures to return to Rand Enterprises, and Harold tells Ward to let him back into the company immediately, despite his protests. Talking about the Hand's activity within the company, Harold admits that he does not know what they want but they recently demanded to acquire the Red Hook Pier, which Joy managed to pull out. Rand is happy to see Harold alive, but on their way out of the penthouse, Ward warns him to be careful about Harold, saying that he is not the person Rand wants him to be.
At Chikara Dojo, Darryl and other students watch the video of Colleen Wing's cage fights, but Wing interrupts them, clearly upset that they saw that. While proceeding with the training, Wing talks to Darryl and apologizes for her hypocrisy as she did partake in underground fights, but Darryl assures her that it is not needed. He also admits that he posted the video online to attract more students for the dojo, but Wing is against fighting for money, claiming that she made a one-time mistake. Darryl disagrees, mentioning that none of them will get any scholarships anyway, but Wing cuts him off and starts the training.
Joy is confused by Ward's sudden decision to drop all legal procedures and walk back on his decision to keep Rand out, to which Ward says that their father would want that, also reminding Joy that she was the one who helped Rand out. Ward organizes a press conference, officially welcoming Rand back into Rand Enterprises, and Rand gives him speech about the plane crush and his return to the company he considers his home. New York Bulletin inquires about the rumors that he was in the psychiatric hospital, which Rand confirms but makes it look like the Meachums sent him there for his sake. Ward then ends the press conference, and although Rand tries to talk to joy about the pier deal, she is too busy for that at the moment.
Rand then meets with Jeri Hogarth at his new office, that used to belong to his father, who gives him necessary legal paperwork to complete his return to Rand Enterprises. Hogarth explains that technically, Rand does not have a position in the company but as a 51% shareholder, his decision holds sufficient weight in the executive board. Rand then asks Hogarth would he be able to acccess the company's old business records, which Hogarth affirms. Later, Rand attends a board meeting regarding the pricing strategy of the leishmaniasis cure developed by Rand Enterprises that they want to sell at $50 a dosage. Rand is against profiting off other's misery and as a major shareholder, he ignores their arguments and demands to sell the cure at a cost, which Ward and the board have to comply with.
Harold calls Ward and praises him on how he handled Rand's introduction to the world, although he raises concern about New York Bulletin prying into Rand's story too much. He also is displeased with how the drug pricing situation went down, to which Ward promises that he will handle everything in due time. Meanwhile, Joy walks with Rand, chiding him for his brazen action with the board, although saying that he what he did was not necessary wrong. He asks why did Joy give that bowl to Hogarth, and she says that Rand's return reminded her of all the people she lost and it unlocked some feelings she locked away a long ago. They also talk about Harold and how Joy misses him, to which Rand says that he would have been proud of her.
Despite what she said before, Wing attends the underground fights one more time, asking to be put against two fighters at once to double her winnings. She faces both Duke and Jim Pierce in a fight, but despite the disadvantage, she defeats them and emerges victorious.
Rand and Joy discuss the Red Hook Pier deal and Joy says that she had it purchased because Ward told her to and she did not question his decision. Rand tells her that in K'un-Lun, he learned about the title of the Iron Fist and wanted it for himself, although he was treated as an outsider by pretty much everyone there. He admits that he did not think through why he wanted the title and simply assumed that it was his destiny, and he went through a lot of hardships to earn it. Suddenly, a group of men come to the penthouse and attempt to abduct Joy, forcing Rand to fight them off to protect her. Defeated, they are forced to retreat, while Rand takes Joy to somewhere safe.
Ward organizes the meeting with Jennifer Many from New York Bulletin, ranting about how hard it is to do business with someone like Rand. He also tells Many about the leishmaniasis cure and how Rand Enterprises was going to use the profits to fund the pharmaceutical division but Rand demanded to sell the cure at cost. With that information, Many then abruptly ends the interview and leaves, telling Mitchell Ellison that she will have a front page story ready soon.
Rand brings Joy to Chikara Dojo and asks Wing to look after her for a while, and asks about the Golden Sands restaurant and the men who attacked them. Wing tells him about the Yangsi Gonshi triad based in the city, so Rand goes there to have a talk with their leader, Hai-Qing Yang. Yang tells him that the Red Hook Pier belonged to them before Rand Enterprises bought it out, so they tried to kidnap Joy to reverse the deal. Rand warns Yang that he better not push the issue any further, informing him that the Hand is involved, which prompts Yang to immediately extend his apologies and back down, ignoring Rand's questions about the Hand. Rand then returns to the dojo, assuring Joy that she should be in the clear now, while also offering Wing to pay the rent for the dojo but she declines again.
Harold is approached by the Hand representatives and Madame Gao who praises his performance as their servant and rewards him with an opportunity to see Joy from afar. He notices that Joy is hurt and Gao tells him about Yangsi Gonshi's attack on her and how Rand was able to protect her. Harold is infuriated that someone dared to raise a hand on his daughter, so he asks Gao for a favor to make them pay for what they did. Harold and a group of Hand members, all in masks, arrive at Golden Sands where they confront the Yangsi Gonshi members and Harold personally executes the one triad member who hit Joy, before going back.
Next morning, Ward reads New York Bulletin and sees Many's article that presents Rand as a corporate hero who put saving lives over proft with his pricing strategy. Meanwhile, Rand meditates at his suite and receives a package from Yang that is intended to answer his questions. Inside, Rand sees a package of the Steel Serpent heroin with a symbol of Shou-Lao etched on it, the same mark that he carries on his chest.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist
- Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing
- Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum
- Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum
- David Wenham as Harold Meachum
Special Guest Star:
Guest Stars:
- Wai Ching Ho as Madame Gao
- Marquis Rodriguez as Darryl
- Barrett Doss as Megan
- Clifton Davis as Lawrence Wilkins
- Henry Yuk as Hai-Qing Yang
- Russell Arden Koplin as Jennifer Many
- Samantha Herrera as Becca Yoo
- John Sanders as Donald Hooper
- Elise Santora as Maria Rodriguez
- Craig Geraghty as Ringmaster
- Jay Hieron as Jim Pierce
- Ying Ying Li as Hostess
- Jonathan Lee as Triad Fighter 1
- Alex Huynh as Triad Fighter 7
- Shane Yan as Triad Fighter 8
- Paugh Shadow as MMA Club Bouncer (uncredited)
- Ludovic Coutaud as Photographer at Press Conference (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Duke (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- New York City, New York
- K'un-Lun (mentioned)
- Asia (mentioned)
- Africa (mentioned)
- South America (mentioned)
- Europe (mentioned)
- Shaolin Monastery (mentioned)
Events[]
- Colleen Wing's Cage Fights
- Attack on Joy Meachum
- Assassination of Wendell and Heather Rand (mentioned)
- Escape from Birch Psychiatric Hospital (mentioned)
Items[]
- Mark of Shou-Lao
- Yangsi Gonshi Hatchets
- Steel Serpent
- Mu ren zhuang
- Resurrection Elixir (mentioned)
- Rand Enterprises Leishmaniasis Cure (mentioned)
Concepts[]
Creatures[]
- Dragons (mentioned)
Vehicles[]
To be added
Organizations[]
- Rand Enterprises
- Hand
- Order of the Crane Mother
- Yangsi Gonshi
- Hogarth, Chao & Benowitz
- New York Bulletin
- WHiH World News
- WJBP-TV
- WZVR News
- WNEX New York
- New York City Police Department (mentioned)
- Everlast (logo)
- World Health Organization (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- Daredevil
- Wendell Rand
- Heather Rand
- Harold Meachum's Wife
- Kyle
- Paul Edmonds
- Yü-Ti
- Lei Kung
- Mitchell Ellison
- Karen Page
- Raj Patel
- Jesus
- Illuminati
- Satan
- Bushido
- Tarzan
Trivia[]
- In the Italian and German dubbing of the episode, Ward Meachum mentions Spider-Man when he compares Danny Rand's scaling of a building, instead of Daredevil.[1]
- Some of the old stickers left by Danny Rand under his father's desk are classic Marvel Comics monsters, like Mangog/Iso-8 Power Source, the Crawling Creature, Kraa, Xemnu and Orrgo.
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Hang N' Bang (feat. A$ton Matthews) | Vince Staples |
|
| Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1 | Run The Jewels |
|
| Unexpected Guests | Trevor Morris |
|
| The Iron Fist | Trevor Morris |
|
References[]
External Links[]
Eight Diagram Dragon Palm on IMDb- Eight Diagram Dragon Palm on Disney+
- Eight Diagram Dragon Palm on Marvel Database
