What does the MCU have against secret identities? Alright, coming out of the tights and capes and closet does save its heroes from having to make a lot of really bad excuses about where they’ve been and just why they’ve returned with minor to moderate injuries, but that’s also part of their fun. We want to see them struggling to make their double lives work but alas, Kevin Feige has other plans. Granted, Netflix has given one of the few exceptions in letting Matt Murdock keep Daredevil a secret (Am I right that the only other is Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man?) it shows no sign of repeating it. Jessica Jones eventually came out of the shadows and now, so do we see Luke Cage embracing the public spotlight as the series progresses. Who knows? Maybe they’ll let Danny Rand keep his mask on.
Episode 2, Code of the Streets – With the police and Copperhead both looking for Chico, Pops calls in a favour with Luke to find him first and save his life before it’s too late.
This feels like a Part 2 episode to the opener by carrying over themes of Luke’s motivation. He begins the episode on a step back, viewing his Chinese restaurant intervention as more of one-off before ideals of responsibility and stepping to do what’s right get compounded in to make driven by the time the credits roll. It’s more of a slower-paced story than the last episode but it achieves the results it needs. As Gang Starr title suggests, the other big theme here is honour amongst thieves. That’s an approach that typically endears an audience to villain by presenting them some sense of values. That works here for Copperhead via his connection to Pops as we just know how much it affects him when an unbreakable line is crossed. In fact, he goes as far as being the standout character this episode. His rooftop disposal may well become his equivalent Fisk car door moment, and his remorse in the climax instils him with a sense of vulnerability. Even more surprising is the way this service is extended towards Shades. Last episode, he came across with a more ruthless and stone cold persona but he too shows the fallout of the group’s actions. Given that the main arc of Shades still looks to be is connection to Luke’s past, it now becomes more interesting as to just how that will play out. At the moment, Shades doesn’t appear to recognize Luke. When he does, the pair finally discusses old times. Something about Shades doesn’t seem to add up though. He’s clearly got an agenda besides helping Cottonmouth, which is most likely connected to the eventual reveal of Diamondback.
Misty Knight continues to impress as she literally brings her game this episode. We also get some good credibility towards her intelligence as she already starts to piece together the things about Luke that don’t add up. Typically, detectives get a harsh ride in shows like this, having to ignore the obvious connections until later in the series, making them seem almost incompetent for a lengthy period of time but thankfully, showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker (Southland Tales) is favoring a more realistic approach. In fact, that’s been beat of the show so far, with Luke’s abilities barely featuring in the show drills down on the human in superhuman.
It’s likely the action levels will increase as the series progresses but for now, giving the stunt team a rest is good thing. I’m also really liking what they’re doing with Mariah Dillard as she’s slowly getting dragged into darker territory. In this episode, she may voice her disapproval at certain developments but still does nothing to stop them. It’s already pretty clear that she’ll reach a point of no return and Cottonmouth gains the leverage to make their partnership far more one-sided but they should take their time to make that transition as slow and unpleasant for Dillard as possible. Daredevil fans will also notice Rob Morgan’s gangster/arms dealer Turk Barrett make an appearance. Hi jibe about leaving again because the locals are too crazy gets the episode’s biggest laugh.
It’s a strong follow-up episode that completes Luke’s transition from hiding to fighting once more. With that in place, what the show needs now is to start thinking long term by giving Cottenmouth an objective or any event that the episodes can build towards. The early scenes of Cottonmouth visiting the barbershop are wonderfully tense and the character investment of these early episodes really pays off to make this episode’s conclusion emotional. Luke, the Force is strong with you.... oh come on, you all new that joke was coming!
Episode 3, Who’s Gonna Take the Weight? – Still reeling from the recent events, Luke decides to hit Cottonmouth where it hurts: his wallet. Meanwhile, Misty Knight and her partner Rafael Scarfe start to figure out that Luke is much more than he seems.
Well, we knew it was coming eventually and in this episode, Luke Cage delivers its first big action sequence as Luke “brings to ruckus” to Fort Knox and sweet Christmas to our screens! What really makes it standout is Luke’s almost complete indifference to his many gun-toting foes. He’s like a gorilla surrounded by flies as he swats many away with a single blow like they’re just not worth him really fighting. It’s best viewed in comparison to Daredevil’s stairwell sequence as Luke stalks through the corridors with such ease. Then on top of that, it delivers moments like the car door, ripping the pipe out the wall to truly make this badass set piece (and that’s a 2-syllable “bad”). There are moments when the camera work could be better in how in captures it (especially in the sofa room), and it’s still a big win. Although the episode's final moments do come close to eclipsing this for sheer shock and surprise value alone.
Action aside, easily my favourite scene episode was the vigilante ethics exchange between Knight and Scarfe once they conclude Luke to be an enhanced individual. Scarfe’s revelations about feeling demoralized and devalued as a cop following the Chitauri attack on New York is such a realistic emotional extrapolation. Just as The Avengers become the heroes, they took that away from people like soldiers and law enforcement by showing them to be incompetent when it comes to these new kinds of dangers. Yet Knight argues back well, sitting the lack of training in vigilantes and that just because they can fight the bad guys, doesn’t mean they should be the ones dispatching justice. It’s an excellent reflection of the Civil War mindset and the implications of the Sokovia Accords. Although the later has yet to be name-dropped, it might not yet have taken place due to the timeframe. Luke’s been quoted as working in Harlem for the last 5 months. If Jessica Jones took place in the fall of 2015, it’s possible Luke Cage is taking place before Civil War. Either way, this surprising clash of ideals between detective partners really brings Scarfe to life as a character in his own right rather than just being Knight’s sidekick. This episode now makes him one to watch.
The plot seems to thickening elsewhere too as Cottonmouth has a crocodile snapping at his door for a gang war. That combined with this episode’s financial inconveniences should push him into good measures of desperation and see Dillard dragged along for the ride less she be exposed for collaborating with him. Resolving this war looks to be the big story for this half of the series. It puts Luke in an interesting position as a rogue 3rd party trying to reduce the collateral damage of their dispute. He wants neither faction to win also needs things to end as quickly as possible before too many innocents get hurt.
So Luke Cage has now proved it can to action and surprises well. Let’s see what other tricks it’s got up those bullet holed sleeves.
Episode 4, Step in the Arena – The incapacitated Luke’s mind drifts back to his time in Seagate prison and the origin of his abilities. He meets his wife Reva for the first time but also gets forced into an underground fighting ring.
So Luke pulls another classic trick out of the bag in delivering a flashback-heavy episode while his present day character is otherwise indisposed (in this case, he’s quite literally buried). Just like the power and responsibility beats of the opening episode, there’s nothing wrong in reading from the tried and tested playbook if you do it well, and that’s what we have here. The episode flicks back to the present just enough to keep the narrative feeling fluid while still spending much more time back in the prison days. Luke’s incarceration immediately conjures images of Denzel Washington in The Hurricane from being setup and openly stating he wants nothing to do with the other prisoners. Luke’s hair overload feels a bit much at times, but otherwise there’s a lot to enjoy during his stay at Seagate even if he didn’t see it that way. Firstly, there’s his first meeting with his later wife, Reva, as his group therapist. Their scenes have an interesting cat-and-mouse appeal, as Luke tries breaking her down just as much as she councils him before they open up to each other. It builds their connection upon mutual need and consolement, and by making the pair so endearing, adds more weight to Luke’s events in Jessica Jones.
Then we have the titular feature of the episode. In episode 2, we had some Django Unchained references and that’s taken further here as Luke effectively joins the prison Mandingo fighting ring, “Guess I found me a gladiator”. As well as being a punishment ordeal, this doubles up as training montages, showing Luke refining his fighting skills before he had his skin to fall back on. The fights play a very brief role in the episode but we get bits of hard-hitting action and hints of a darker side to Luke’s character as he starts to lose himself amongst the endless fighting, causing him to disconnect with Reva. However, this road has one all important destination and that is Luke’s power bestowing experiment. Sadly, this comes with a few weaknesses. While the chamber machine itself looks cool like something out of The Fifth Element, it’s almost too white and pristine when compared to the more grimy prison conditions. It’s a real snap transition when we enter the room, which makes it feel a bit out of place. That said, the post-experiment is all nothing but net. There are shades of Wolverine as he emerges from the machine and in his escape, a superb inclusion of his classic comics costume before remarking that he looks ridiculous. There’s one more down note about these prison flashbacks, and that’s the use of the Shades character. He’s supposed to be a big figure from Luke’s past but he barely features leaving us with a real feeling of, ”Is that it?”. Of course, there may be more story still to come, or rather there should be.
The present day scenes have their moments too. While the pair are trapped in the rubble Luke’s former landlady (well her building is gone now) has some great moments as she reacts to discovering what Luke can do, “The best way I can put this is... I’m kinda strong”. Luke breaking his way out also delivers a subtle yet brilliant MCU reference. Remember that in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, the final Hulk Vs Abomination showdown took place in Harlem, a sequence that began with Bruce Banner falling into the street only for The Hulk to break out of the ground. Now here again, we have similar rumblings and tremors before Luke busts his way out in Harlem. In many ways, it’s a shame it’s so subtle (or maybe even unintentional?). All it would have needed was one of the nearby police or fireman to look shocked and say something like, “Wait... I’ve seen this before” to have so much more fun with it. However, Luke making a more public entrance achieves its purpose and builds on the hints of earlier episodes that Luke would be going public with his abilities. His final naming moment to the camera is almost a riff on Wilson’s Fisks in Daredevil but delivered in a different context.
We often remark that the origins story of a superhero is their weakest part of any movie incarnations but television equivalents with time on their side frequently produce better results and Luke Cage is no exception. We’ve still to learn how he wound up in prison, and it seems like we will before the end of the season. In keeping with the pattern of the Marvel Netflix shows, the episode feels like a chapter ending point so role on chapter 2.
Episode 5, Just to Get a Rep – As Pop’s memorial service comes around, Cottonmouth extorts the people of Harlem, telling them Luke is to blame, prompting Luke into some corrective action. After her experiences in Hell’s Kitchen, nurse Claire Temple has moved back to Harlem where she sees a familiar face on the news.
We’ve already seen that Cottonmouth likes a bit of theatricality (the man used a bazooka for Odin’s sake!) but this episode actually sees him become Harlem’s Sheriff of Nottingham by translating his frustrations against Luke/Robin Hood into misery and suffering for its common people. Ahough he probably won’t try to cut out Luke’s heart with a space metal spoon. this is a great direction for the show as it makes the Luke/Cottonmouth conflict bigger than the men themselves. They are now competing for the very heart and soul of Harlem as they both seek to be rallying figures in the community. The memorial service becomes an ideal medium to showcase this. We know that from both Cottonmouth’s code as personal feelings for Pops that the service will be considered a ceasefire in their conflict. Yet each is able to give a speech to their people as they seek to inspire them via different methods and they’re good speeches to. The “Luke Cage stupidity tax” events also serve to channel Luke’s motivation from restoring his personal reputation to more selfless acts of helping others. In many ways it’s pro bono hero for hire.
The episode delivers some action but it feels a bit tame by recent standards. Luke is starting to win things a bit too easily and the sight of him doing the Superman walk towards a thug with bullets bouncing off him is starting to lose its shine.... and he’s doing the whole gun-bending thing way too often now. What he really needs is a matching opponent. Someone that can go toe-to-toe against him so that he doesn’t seem like a John Cena-esque obvious winner every time. He’s a street level hero. He should be getting his ass kicked more often! There are teases that this on the way like the magic bullet presentation that Shades provides.
It’s good to see Claire Temple appearing so early in the series to confirm reports that she’ll be playing a more significant role than her single-episode Jessica Jones appearance. Her mugging attempt serves as an excellent character re-introduction and leaves us in no doubt of her Harlem origins, and we even meet her mother for good measure. It’s if not overly-surprising to learn that Claire’s character has taken a similar path to Luke’s. That cover up of Daredevil’s hospital attack has left her an occupational fugitive, no longer able to get work as a nurse.
On a final positive note, it’s a good surprise to see the story of detective Scarfe progressing much faster than expected as Knight’s tipped off that he’s under suspicion of being dirty. This could easily have been drawn out all season but instead making Knight aware and refuting it builds up more emotional stakes to the eventual truth bombshell. The pair has a Jim Gordon/Harvey Bullock level of trust and respect, so it makes sense for Knight to reject such claims until she starts she gets more solid proof. Plus when the Scarfe/Knight bandwagon finally falls off the bandwagon, it will naturally throw Luke and Misty together as Luke becomes her surrogate partner as they fight against Cottonmouth.
So these last two episodes have seen the show take its first misteps but there’s no denying that it’s a product of the expected high quality. Mike Colter is magnetic whenever he’s on screen and whole soulful vibes of each episode, spearheaded the singers at Harlem’s Palace keep this feeling a very unique superhero show. It might cost me a dollar in the jar but Luke, you’re the ****.