‘Luke Cage’ is one of those programmes which is effortlessly cool. ‘Daredevil’ cornered the slick and dark style, ‘Jessica Jones’ was more of a phycological thriller and ‘Iron Fist was heavily influenced by Eastern culture. I love all the various shows for different reasons but when it comes to pure swag, ‘Luke Cage’ takes the prize.
In the first season, we saw a transformation take place in Cage. Previously introduced in ‘Jessica Jones’, Cage was a man in hiding, trying to escape from his past. These aspects bled into the first few episodes of ‘Luke Cage’. Certain events forced him to come out of hiding to help protect people and very soon he became Harlem’s new hoodie hero. The second season picks up very much where things left off, exhibited through a montage of scenes of him locating and taking down drug operations, taking place in and around Harlem.
Much in the same fashion of characters such as The Punisher and Jessica Jones, Cage doesn’t hide behind a mask, not a physical one anyway. Instead, he operates in plain sight. In the first season, he soon becomes a public figure through word of mouth and on the radio. This time around, it is even more apparent thanks to the focus on social media. The character of D.W was introduced in the first season, selling footage of Cage’s activities. In this season, he has become Cage’s agent of sorts. Operating out of Pop’s barbershop, D.W sells merchandise, posts blogs and even has an app that lets fans know Cage’s location. Of course, these aspects have both positive and negative effects on Cage as both a hero and a person, and it is a nice touch that they have decided to include it in the show.
Core characters have returned for this season. Misty is on top form, her character development even more investing then arguably in the first season. Despite remaining a strong, impassioned and independent woman and cop, the loss of her right arm is a devastating blow, not only to her body but also to her mind. Simone Missick delivers a powerful performance, masterfully exhibiting her vulnerabilities every now and then but making sure to compose herself when dealing with difficult people and situations. One recognisable character from another ‘Netflix Marvel’ show turns up to help Misty learn to overcome her disability, both physically and mentally. Her mentor’s balance of occasional compassion and tough love helps Misty regain her kick arse skillset and attitude. With the help of her mentor, she also acquires a replacement for her arm, which if anything makes her even more bad arse.
This leads me nicely onto my next point, choreography. ‘Daredevil’ and ‘Iron Fist’ are both more choreography based, as far as the different shows go. This is mainly due to Matt Murdock and Danny Rand both being proficient masters in their own martial arts fields. Whereas Jessica Jones and Luke Cage tend to focus more on lifting cars and throwing baddies through walls. Cage’s fighting style in the first season, whilst entertaining with his head slaps and long-distance throws, lacked finesse. Obviously, this is kind of the point, he is after all a walking tank. But there is something a bit more inventive about the fight sequences in the second season. Luke Cage still flicks, slaps and throws but there is more fluidity to his movements. It is timed better with the accompanying music, Cage utilizing objects around him more often and it looks like an increased budget has allowed for more expensive cameras and extended fight sequences. When you throw Misty into the equation with her new, flashy replacement arm and the second season instantly benefits from a better use of choreography and camerawork.
There are more characters in this season that have more experience in fighting then the first, which is another reason the choreography is far superior. A certain other recognizable character from the ‘Netflix Marvel Universe’ makes a cameo in one of the later episodes and the fight scenes in which they team up with Cage are so unbelievably cool that I was squealing like an excited schoolgirl, especially when they utilized and combined their powers to best their opponents. The new nemesis of the season is a character called Bushmaster, a Jamaican Styler, in other words a Yardi, who is well versed in capoeira. This means that not only are his sequences a visual delight but also the scenes where his sends out his minions to take on Cage are refreshing and entertaining. Not all of them know martial arts but many of them wield axes, chains and machetes, which is a nice change from guns and grenades. Of course, it wouldn’t be ‘Luke Cage’ without a certain level of gangsters brandishing firearms but, on the occasions, that they are used, a deeper focus on the impact of ricochets is present. Cage uses this to his advantage, taking enemies down by turning his body to direct the rebounded bullets. This satisfied me immensely, as I was confused as to where the bullets went when they hit him in the first season.
At the end of the first season we saw Mariah and Shades take over Cottonmouth’s mantle as top dog in Harlem. Though they were enemies to Cage, Diamondback’s appearance in the latter part of the season, pushed them to the side-lines slightly. This time round they have more power, influence and screen time. Again, Bushmaster is set up as the main bad guy but unlike the first season the setup is reversed. Bushmaster starts off being Cage’s main opponent but as the season develops and it is revealed that his beef is with Mariah not Harlem, he takes a step back. In the last few episodes it is more about Cage and Misty trying to take down Mariah and Shades. Mariah was a good character in the first season. She managed to conceal her psychopathic nature until the later half of the season. The second season is very much the same in that respect. In all honesty I found her a little annoying during the first half of the second season, with her constant attempts to pretend she isn’t evil. However, as soon as she did away with the facade, her character became instantly more engaging to watch.
In the first season we saw a little of Cage’s past, explaining how he got his powers and who he was before calling himself Luke Cage. This is explored even more so in the second season. This is exhibited through the introduction of his father. With the arrival of his dad, comes Cage’s resilience to unpack and talk about his past. Although we saw some of Cage’s darker side in season one and ‘Jessica Jones’, he remained for the most part, a cool cat. For the first time we see Cage properly lose his temper and the result is shocking. His and Claire’s relationship is pushed to the limit, as we see Cage exhibit moody and volatile behaviour. It is a brave move but one that ultimately works, as it adds more dimension to Cage’s character, whilst also allowing another certain character to show up and lend a much needed helping hand. Cage isn’t the only character whose past is explored. ‘Netflix Marvel’ have a nice habit of dedicating a decent amount of time to studying the antagonist’s backstory. In the first season, we saw Cottonmouth’s past. It leaves you in a moral quandary, as you can’t help but feel sorry for him. In this season, it is even more challenging.
A lot of people found Bushmaster fell short of Cottonmouth’s stature, but I disagree. As the season unfolds we learn that his family suffered greatly at the hands of the Stokes’ family, from which Mariah is a descendent. Hence why he has such a vendetta against her throughout the season. This would perhaps make you sympathetic to his suffering but would not justify his actions. But this is where a problem arises. Bushmaster never directly causes harm to people who don’t deserve it. The exception is Cage but Bushmaster only resorts to fighting him when he gets in the way of his objective. There are several points in the season where he shows a surprising level of compassion and kindness. The writing and acting of Bushmaster was so impressive that it reminded me of the internal struggle, I felt between Matt Murdock and Frank Castle in the second season of ‘Daredevil’. Yes, he is lethal and unpredictable but his motives, whilst extreme bear merit.
Season two of ‘Luke Cage’ is knock out. Like’ Daredevil’, the creative team and talent have produced a season that is equal to its predecessor. They are hard to compare because they are both so good for different reasons. One thing is for certain though, the second season takes everything great about the first and builds upon it with style and swag. The antagonists are top notch, both well developed and crafted, as well as genuinely terrifying in their own ways. It feels like a direct continuation from the first season, with Cage’s and Mariah’s backstories coming full circle. Bushmaster whilst a new character is linked intricately to Mariah’s past, allowing for previous characters like Mama Mabel and Cottonmouth to be developed even after being long gone. Musically the season is phenomenal. The soundtrack for the first blew me away with its blend of hip hop, R n B, soul and funk. The second season has that and more. The integration of Reggae, Jazz and Blues was such a good decision. It also fed nicely into the story, which was focused on Bushmaster and his Jamaican community. The choreography stood out more prominently in this season, through several different approaches, adding to the visual enjoyment of the piece. Things were a little shaken up this time around, taking audiences out of their comfort zones. What they did with Claire I found a little irritating, but I can understand why they chose to purse it that way. Also, on first watch I wasn’t sure about the ending, as Cage’s final choice was completely out of character. However, on second watch I found the decision made perfect sense, after seeing Cage’s behaviour throughout the entire season. If like me you were a little disappointed with the second season of ‘Jessica Jones’, then you will be pleased to hear that ‘Luke Cage’ doesn’t make that mistake. It has everything quintessentially ‘Luke Cage’ about it but isn’t afraid to bring something new and challenging to the table.
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