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TV/Film Review

Review of Luke Cage, Episodes #5-8

TV/Film ReviewLuke CageMarvelMarvel Cinematic UniverseNetflix
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ā€œAnd with my unique skills, nah, you canā€™t compare meā€- Guru ofĀ Gang Starr from Mass AppealIn the Netflix series Luke Cage, Marvel introduces their third hero to be givenĀ their own series via the streaming service. Much ofĀ the showā€™sĀ structure is similar to theĀ series that haveĀ proceeded it but Luke Cage distinguishes itself in itā€™s voice while stretching out itā€™s dramatic moments. Like in past Marvel Netflix series, the middle section is where the show really picks up the plot of the series while throwing in a couple curve balls and red herrings to keep viewers on their toes. Luke Cage is another success for Marvel and Netflix, yet itā€™s greatest strengths come from itā€™s subtle differences.Ā 

Episodes five through eight represent the meat of the TV series as it makes the most story advances, completely reconfigures the dynamic for the protagonistā€™s against his adversaries while fleshing out the backstory of itā€™s supporting cast. By the time these group of episodes finish; Cageā€™s standing in the community has taken two complete 180ā€™s, the series main villainā€™s backstory getā€™s told before the show fakes out the character being taken off the board and then is actually taken off the board later on, a new villan is introduced that further complicates Luke Cageā€™s back story and we get a deconstruction of the Misty Knight character through a therapy session that is stretched out for an entire episode, and thatā€™s just the big stuff; it doesnā€™t even touch on Mistyā€™s near death experience, Lukeā€™s standoff with Diamondback, council women Mariah Dillards political downfall, Luke Cageā€™s identity getting leaked or the ascension of Shades. But episodes five through eight donā€™t feel like theyā€™re moving nearly as fast as those events wouldĀ indicate and thatā€™s because of Luke Cageā€™s stylistic choices. Luke Cage tellā€™s you itā€™s perspective immediately from the first scene and it rarely letā€™s up, that perspective being generation x black male.


Sometimes, that can telegraph itself to the point of absurdity (ā€œLemonade is a popular drink and it still isā€ the Notorious B.I.G poster, a Ghostface Killah song being played over a scene where Shades is establishing his dominance to Cottonmouthā€™s former employeeā€™s with a hook going ā€œWhoā€™s the King of New Yorkā€ repeatedly) but when itā€™s right, it feels effortlessly engaging and natural. Conversations and dialogue getā€™s stretched out but it often works because it feelā€™s real while itā€™s cast has a depth of character that is well mined without coming at the expense of one another or the showā€™s overall storyline. Luke Cage is very clearly being informed by 1970ā€™s cinema and African American literature of the 20th century, two subsections of pop culture that had a profound effect on the artistic visions of black men of thatĀ generation from Spike Leeā€™s first films toĀ rap music from the 1990ā€™sĀ to the current writings of Ta-Nehishi Coates. Luke Cage shareā€™s it measured tone and deep convictions of purpose with those influences and it ends up being the shows best and most distinguishing attribute. That is a testament to the range of talent that Luke Cage has working on the show on almost every level.
The acting of Simone Missick as Misty Knight, Alfre Woodard as Marian Dillard and Rosario Dawson reprising her role as Claire Temple are especially strong in these episodes for their versatility and range. Dawson nearly steals the show as her character takes on her most active role to date and it pays off in some of the episodes best moments. Missickā€™s performance continues to add nuance and layers to the Misty Knight character while Woodard is nearly flawless in her portrayal of the increasingly erratic Mariah Dilllard. Writer and show runner Cheo Hodari Coker feelā€™s as if heā€™sĀ putting everything he has into his writing here and while the more personal aspects at times feels as ifĀ they might overshadow the primary narrative, he has a lazer like focus on plot, characterā€™s and world building in equal measure and ultimately, his strengthā€™s power the series on a fundamental level. Directors Mike Jobst, Sam Miller, Andy Godard and Magnus Martens have an excellent eye for detail while presenting a pretty authentic vision of New York City. Even the score from A Tribe Called Questā€™s Ali Shaheed Muhhamad and frequent Ghostface Killah collaborator Adrian Younge bring a unique soundscape that fitā€™s perfectly within the shows overall voice. With such strong work from so many involved in theĀ series production, itā€™s little suprise that these episodesĀ of the highest quality for itā€™s genre and narrative constructs.
While Luke Cage doesnā€™t announce itself with the same bombast as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, it manages to do a lot of the same things as itā€™s predecessors, but in a voice that is completely singular. While itā€™s perspective isnā€™t new for American popular art, itā€™s the first time weā€™ve seen it in a live superhero adaptation and itā€™s that whichĀ setā€™s the series apart. These episodes are far from flawless and donā€™t feel as visceral as the middle sections of Daredevilā€™s two seasons or Jessica Jones, but itā€™s no less engaging and enjoyable for all the thingsĀ that make it unique from itā€™s predecessors.Ā Episodes five through eight have a lot of plot movement and lotā€™s of information but what sticks out about theseĀ installments is the lens from which theyā€™re viewed and ultimately, itā€™s all the work used to give life to that vision which makes Luke Cage worth watching.

Tags:Luke CageMarvelMarvel Cinematic UniverseNetflix

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