Ironheart Recap: Friendship Bracelets of Betrayal

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Is there anything more cheesy than a money cannon? A clown is showering everyone with cash, and the gang is dreaming about how they’ll spend their illegally earned wealth. However, Riri keeps insisting: All her money will be invested in her suit (since the suit essentially defines two-thirds of her personality these days). She plans to leave this criminal lifestyle once the suit is entirely funded – she considers herself different from other outlaws.

The clown, true to her moniker, swipes Parker’s cloak from its secure storage and struts about their hideout with it until it becomes excessively hot. Riri cautions that they need to discover what’s powering this artifact to prevent an accidental cooking. John intervenes, subduing the clown by restraining her arm, but Parker interjects and diffuses the situation. I can’t quite figure out Parker’s intentions. He aims to project a positive image for his team, appearing kind-hearted, relaxed, and superior. However, he only manages to create an impression of being overly detached. He presents their next objective, Hunter Mason, a tech mogul planning to bankrupt local farmers. The team then disperses to ready themselves for the evening’s vigilante antics.

After finding herself alone with Parker, Riri reiterates to him what she had told everyone else, emphasizing, “I’m not a bad person.” This statement could potentially be used for a drinking game. However, Parker disagrees, stating that being morally questionable isn’t necessarily a problem. Look at him! He proudly proclaims his cloak has given him unstoppable power, even if it means sacrificing his own body. Riri becomes curious and asks directly, “What exactly powers that thing?” Parker answers cryptically, claiming the cloak’s energy comes from magic, leaving Riri to ponder if she’s being underestimated like Boo Boo the Fool in Hood’s eyes.

So far, we’ve reached episode three, and this mysterious figure hasn’t shown much action other than causing Parker to vanish. The writing is handling that part quite effectively, but there’s still a lot left unexplored about the character – his identity and motivations remain a mystery. It seems unlikely that he’s just an intriguing, quiet, attractive individual with a skin condition; there must be more to him than that, suggesting a larger storyline is on its way.

Joe goes to Riri’s residence with blueprints and threatening information. He coerces her into collaborating with him on his concepts for technology that enhances humanity ethically. Meanwhile, Natalie persists in advising caution towards Parker, fearing it could lead Riri into trouble. She expresses a desire for Riri to treat her as she did before, but Riri responds that N.A.T.A.L.I.E., being code, doesn’t form friendships or require trust. Therefore, it seems they won’t be sharing laughter and playful moments anytime soon.

Natalie manages to persuade Riri to meet at a park. When Joe texts Riri, Natalie playfully scoffs at her for liking him and labels them both as “neurotic and cool.” As the day continues, Natalie leads them to Gary’s old auto shop, but Riri is quickly reminded of the drive-by incident, causing a panic attack. When Riri becomes overwhelmed, Natalie falters. Thankfully, NATALIE recalls how to help Riri escape her troubled moments. Natalie coaches Riri through a breathing technique until she regains composure, and eventually, Riri begins to comprehend that NATALIE preserves many of her best friend’s memories and skills. This encounter is as close as Riri will ever get to having Natalie back.

Upon their arrival home, law enforcement officials are found in wait for Riri. It’s been confirmed that Stuart/Rampage/Eric André has passed away, and she is the final name on his phone contacts list. She claims to have met this individual just once, which seems to be our shared experience as well. Interestingly enough, this character appears three times more frequently in dialogue than we actually witnessed him on screen. The police visit leaves Ronnie with heightened unease about Riri’s recently acquired employment and its enigmatic nature.

Riri informs Nat that she believes Parker was responsible for Stuart’s death, and if she steps out of line, she could be next. She’s concerned he might target everyone dear to her as well. Coincidentally, Parker sends her a text: “Be mindful, we have another billionaire’s assets to rob tonight.

Riri requests that Joe lends her a type of technology known as biomesh – it sticks to the skin. In the chaos of the planned heist, Natalie advises Riri to secretly take a piece from Parker’s cloak for examination. Meanwhile, Parker is in a yoga pose with a man bun when John enters and mentions they must postpone the Heirlum gig since he hasn’t discovered any compromising info about the CEO that could be used as blackmail. Although John offers valuable counsel, Parker insists they are alright as long as they have Riri and her iron suit. John ponders if he, with his strategic insights, is being overshadowed by Riri in their own operation.

In the heart-wrenching scene at Joe’s place, I discovered my forearm horrifyingly split lengthwise. In an attempt to integrate one of my inventions, things took a turn for the worse. As I struggled to manage the chaos, I accidentally knocked over a sack of ashes that Joe identified as belonging to his father. Labeled with “Obadiah S.”, it struck me as highly unlikely that another Obadiah S. resided within a 100-mile radius, leading me to deduce that Joe’s dad was none other than Obadiah Stane, the former COO of Stark Industries and mentor to Tony Stark. Regrettably, I jumped to the conclusion that Obadiah perished in a plane crash, but Joe corrected my assumption, revealing that the public story was merely a facade. In truth, Obadiah had attempted to eliminate Tony.

Joe, who goes by Ezekiel Stane, expresses that his dedication to ethical behavior stems from not wanting to resemble his father. Riri acknowledges that she unintentionally drew him into her issues, but it seems like destiny was already at play regardless. As for apples and trees, that’s an old saying about cause and effect. Moving on to the topic of fathers, Riri admits that the main reason she’s so determined to perfect her Iron Suit technology is because Gary was a huge Tony Stark fan. He used to fix broken things, including Riri herself.

Joe allows her to use his biomesh on the condition that it doesn’t cause him trouble later. He advises her to emulate Gary by embracing courage rather than what seems to be her current actions involving Hood. It appears that things may lead to a more heroic or positive outcome for her…

In the heart of Heirlum, I stash the biomesh, first in the cozy lining of my hoodie’s sleeve, then beneath the protective layers of my iron suit. My team bravely navigates through Heirlum’s security, while I swim deep to penetrate Hunter’s office – a vibrant biodome and greenhouse sanctuary. Slipping in through a manhole vent, I find myself overlooking Parker engaged in a heated discussion with Hunter. I stay concealed, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch a piece of Parker’s cloak.

Parker brandishes threats of razing Hunter’s greenhouses to the ground, but his bluster masks a deeper game. In my eagerness, I inadvertently trigger an alarm, causing Heirlum’s facilities to lock down in response.

Now, we witness the cloak’s complete might being unleashed. Parker vanishes and swiftly strangles Hunter in under ten seconds. Riri is startled by this abrupt act of violence, but on a positive note: She discovers a fragment of the hood left on the ground. What are the chances that it would simply be there? It’s quite suspicious. By the way, the heist team remains captive within the Heirlum complex. Parker begins to eliminate every security guard approaching him.

Riri attempts to locate an escape path and asks Natalie for assistance, not only for her own freedom but also to unlock the premises so that the entire team can make their exit. Meanwhile, John blocks Riri’s attempt to flee and detects a Hood emblem in her possession. He accuses her of being a traitor, stating they don’t tolerate loose ends, and now she has joined the list of those who met the same fate as Stuart. However, you can’t bind up loose ends when you can’t survive. John and Riri are running out of breath due to thinning oxygen in their still-sealed chamber. Natalie arrives with the Iron Man suit, but her intentions are solely for Riri’s rescue. John is left behind, locked inside the chamber by himself. In hindsight, John was barely acquainted with us, and he deserved a more fitting nickname than just ‘John’.

When Riri encounters the getaway team on their dinghy, Parker implores Riri to depart and locate John. This is an uncommon display of genuine feelings from Parker; he’s parting ways with his trusted ally and keeper of secrets, but their relationship wasn’t developed enough for us to fully understand what Parker’s losing in this situation. Riri fakes a departure to search for John, only to later claim that she’s located him, but he had already left.

At home, Riri finds herself in another distressing situation. She’s stepped over a boundary she can’t seem to return from, and this time there’s blood on her hands – a regrettable consequence of not causing harm. To make matters worse, she has betrayed Joe by leaving his biomesh in Heirlum’s lab, potentially linking him to the criminal activities of their heist crew.

Parker is venting his anger towards nothing in particular, accusing an unidentified entity of betrayal along with John. Suddenly, a ghost-like image of John choking appears before Parker, causing distress. “Why are you showing me this?” Parker demands to the empty air. A dark figure then emerges, and it’s revealed that Riri is suffering the same breathing difficulties as John did last time she saw him.

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2025-06-26 17:54