Luke Cage Season 1, Episode 13 "You Know My Steez" (USE SPOILER TAGS!)

[Mike Murdock]

Good fight with some good flashbacks. But, to be honest, the resolution is what matters. I really do like it from top to bottom. I'm glad the people who escaped are around for another fight and I'm glad this fight ended the way it did. Very, very enjoyable episode.

Spoiler

I do feel I need to comment on extradition. Extradition doesn't involve instantaneous transfer back. As a criminal defense attorney, I sometimes find it annoying because there's essentially nothing that can be done to stop it (even for innocent people). However, there is at least more to slow, it down (bringing it in front of a Judge to waste time). The comment about Luke Cage knowing a lawyer raised my interest It does raise my excitement for Defenders (although, to be honest, by the time Iron Fist finishes, he will already have finished). Overall, this leaves me waiting for what comes next with the Marvel-Netflix line.

Like I said, enjoyable episode. It leaves me wanting more going forward. Can't wait for the Defenders. I'm going Five Stars (the same as the rest). DD Season one was the weakest, so I'm goin better than that. It leaves me frustrated with Iron Fist since I want a team up now.

 

[TX85]

Great episode and fantastic season but hate Cage's ending!

 

[Mister J]

Spoiler

I felt the Diamondback/Cage fight was clunky and hollow. Maybe I would have found it more satisfying if Luke's comeback leading to the win was longer. It was odd; I needed to pause a bit after the fight and noticed there was 20+ minutes left and I'm thinking to myself 'How the hell are they going to fill out the rest of the episode now that the primary conflict is resolved?' Apparently, the answer was badly.

I have no interest in seeing Diamondback again, was a bit nauseated that Mariah skated, but am all in for more Shades. Things should have tied up better on this end leading into Defenders.

Liked the series overall, particularly the contrast to previous MCU fare, but it could have gone out on a better note.

 

[McSir]

Spoiler

This end fight made no sense. The whole fight and their previous one consisted of them punching and throwing each other a good twenty feet but the climactic fight ends by Luke just tossing Diamondback? Lame.

Other than that, I liked it. I admire that Marvel doesn't shy away from a bittersweet ending; and they usually pull it off well.

 

[Loki882]

Not here imo.

 

[Set]

Spoiler

So, random thoughts about the entire season;

The ending was a bit of a downer, but then again, so was Jessica Jones. He's obviously going to get cleared in time to be part of the Defenders, so leaving it that way just seems like a waste of time.

I was kind of hoping that Genghis Connie wasn't going to be the 'Mrs. Santiago/Ben Urich/Hope' character who dies to advance the hero's journey, and then it turned out to be Pops, instead. Sigh. Such a boring trope. But hey, Connie's still alive!

Cottonmouth was, IMO, many times more interesting than Diamondback. Alfre Woodard was amazing as Mariah Dillard, as was the dude who played 'Shades.'

The interrogation room scene between Claire and Misty was great, and I loved that neither of them would back down, and had to be separated by the boss (who I also found to be a great character, aware of the limits of her job, and doing what good she could).

There was quite a bit of humanizing of bad people, which I liked. It was easy to see how Cottonmouth, Mariah and Scarfe went the directions they went, even while accepting that they were bad-guys. Shades and Diamondback, more overt bad-guys, with less redeeming backstory. And other characters, like Connie and the police Inspector, *seemed* like bad-guys, but turned out to just be doing what they needed to do / being who they needed to be to get by in a sometimes-ugly world. I like that complexity. Few of the characters were just straight up evil. Even fewer were unalloyed good-guys (Misty, Claire and Luke had their dark or unheroic moments, and even saintly Pops started out as a gang enforcer with a reputation for violence, and had a son out there somewhere he'd regretted having never been a father to).

They gamed me with the 'will she or won't she lose the arm?' dance with Misty, playing on how comic fans knew Misty as having a bionic arm, and kind of waiting to see her lose that arm, only to have it not happen. (Which is fine. I'm not sure there's any in-story justification for someone like Stark or T'Challa to wander by and give some random Harlem cop a bionic arm...)

Little tiny shout-out to Colleen Wing at the end, there, with Claire picking up a number for her self-defense training course. Along with Claire herself, the Trish Tilby show voice-over, the mention of Jessica killing Kilgrave, etc. there were plenty of shout-outs to other NetflixDefenders shows, and to the larger cinematic MCU. I like that sort of continuity. Iron Man doesn't have to show up, or Thor go flying across the sky, for their impact on the world to get some attention.

 

[chamber-music]

Spoiler

Claire and Matt felt more forced than Claire and Luke in my opinion. I never really brought into their romance being a deep thing in Daredevil like they said it was.

Claire and Luke had some sparks that grew more into a romance over the course of the series.

Even if Jessica Jones and Luke is the end game I doubt it will happen for a long while. I don't see them having Cage and Jones settle down anytime soon.

The Jessica Jones showrunner also said she was shocked that the thing that certain parts of the audience complained the most about was the interracial relationship of Luke and Jessica. Interracial relationships apparently still bother people more than homicidal rapists.

Luke wasn't trying to kill Stryker so he was holding back a bit.

Cage could of easily ripped off diamondbacks power thing on his back and it looked like it would of probably killed power to his suit.

Justin Hammer or whoever is running his company must of got some Tinkerer level guy designing weapons for them now as they have these formidable alien bullets and super suits. I doubt Hammer would of been so dependent on Ivan to come up with Iron Man rip off stuff if he had this kind of tech.

Stryker will probably become the MCU Netflix version of Power Master.

Coffee is to Luke Cage what Fondue is to Cap except Luke Cage gets coffee all the time and Cap gets very little Fondue

I don't mind the ending. The whole justice system vs vigilantism has been a running theme throughout these Netflix shows.

Daredevil sent Kingpin to prison but he is still powerful and he let the Punisher out to murder all his competition. Besides exposing Fisk as a crimelord he Matt didn't really stop him.

Jessica Jones tried repeatedly to bring Killgrave to justice through conventional methods but all that happened is more people kept getting hurt. Eventually Jessica had to just kill Purple Man to stop him as nothing else worked for her.

Luke Cage couldn't escape the system while the villains (Mariah and Shades) played it to their advantage.

 

[BoredGuy]

I disagree about Claire/Matt & Claire/Luke
Claire and Matt I at least thought had some heat between them
Claire and Luke felt very forced imo, they came off more of a brother/sister kinda way until they started making out

But yeah, it's all about Matt/Elektra and Luke/Jessica anyway
Sorry Claire

oh yeah, and the final episode was terrible
poorly structured, weak ass final battle, hammy dialogue
I enjoyed 3/4 of the season and then it all fell apart

 

[javonstokess]

The only problems I had with the last episode was the fight choreography, the awkward "Luke" cheers and the weird flashbacks.

Otherwise it was a solid episode with a bit of a downer ending.

 

[AlluAllu]

I liked how the final fight was over so soon. A welcome departure from the norm.

 

[Web-Head]

That Colleen Wing/Iron Fist Easter egg

 

[samsnee]

Not sure why Luke just didn't tear the battery pack off his back. He had plenty of opportunity.

 

[Brother Jack]

I liked how the final fight was over so soon. A welcome departure from the norm.

Spoiler

Yeah, that was an interesting structural twist, even if the fight itself isn't that great IMO. Luke going back to jail felt like the most appropriate way to end the season's story. The story had the feel of a western. Luke being taken in by the feds was him proverbially riding off in the sunset. It's bittersweet. It also sets up an obstacle for the Defenders to take care of. Nelson & Murdoch may be the ones to acquit him.

 

[TheVileOne]

Spoiler

Yeah, that was an interesting structural twist, even if the fight itself isn't that great IMO. Luke going back to jail felt like the most appropriate way to end the season's story. The story had the feel of a western. Luke being taken in by the feds was him proverbially riding off in the sunset. It's bittersweet. It also sets up an obstacle for the Defenders to take care of. Nelson & Murdoch may be the ones to acquit him.

Spoiler

How was he riding off into the sunset? The woman who vouched for him just got murdered. The person who framed him is free and has taken over Harlem. He's going back to prison. Sure, he's seen as a hero by the people of Harlem, but Harlem is still being run by criminal scum. Now with all the competition offed, Mariah controls everything. It didn't feel victorious at all.

 

[Saitou Hajime]

Spoiler

I know I shouldn't really be rooting for them, but damn, Shades and Mariah were just so great at being bad that I couldn't help myself. Their ability to work the system and go beyond it when necessary to get what they want was incredible. They were like the Underwoods of Harlem.

Didn't really care much for the resolution of the Diamondback story, but I never cared much for him to begin with.

Misty getting crushed was heartbreaking.

 

[metaphysician]

Spoiler

Even though Luke was being taken away by the Feds, note the way they acted, compared with the way the police acted towards him earlier. It was a fundamentally different dynamic: they were polite, amiable, and offered him basic trust and consideration. To me, at least, this seemed symbolic of how this trip in custody isn't the same as the earlier ones- its a temporary obstacle, a hassle to deal with rather than a disaster.

I wouldn't be shocked if the weeks or months it takes stuff to get settled out ( via the proof Fish found, testimony about the crap at Seagate, public support, etc )? He basically spends in minimum security.

 

[TheVileOne]

Spoiler

Even though Luke was being taken away by the Feds, note the way they acted, compared with the way the police acted towards him earlier. It was a fundamentally different dynamic: they were polite, amiable, and offered him basic trust and consideration. To me, at least, this seemed symbolic of how this trip in custody isn't the same as the earlier ones- its a temporary obstacle, a hassle to deal with rather than a disaster.

I wouldn't be shocked if the weeks or months it takes stuff to get settled out ( via the proof Fish found, testimony about the crap at Seagate, public support, etc )? He basically spends in minimum security.

Spoiler

Except he's still forced to go away for crimes he didn't commit. Crimes that were orchestrated by his half-brother. Someone who vouched for him was brutally murdered. His enemies now rule Harlem after the competition has been wiped out.

 

[Lencho01]

Luke Cage and his corny ass getting to sample and drink all types of coffee. Damn.

I thought it was funny that the show ended with a fight in which the villain is in full costume while the hero was in regular clothes.

Uh... that club scene at the end... I know they hinted at it, but ew.

 

[metaphysician]

Spoiler

Except he's still forced to go away for crimes he didn't commit. Crimes that were orchestrated by his half-brother. Someone who vouched for him was brutally murdered. His enemies now rule Harlem after the competition has been wiped out.

Which is why its a bittersweet ending, but with a hopeful note. Its not "the hero loses", its "the fight goes on".

 

[Brother Jack]

Which is why its a bittersweet ending, but with a hopeful note. Its not "the hero loses", its "the fight goes on".

Spoiler

Yeah. Luke defeats Diamondback and fully cements himself as the hero of Harlem. It's more bitter than sweet but there is an aspect of muted victory at the end.

 

[TheVileOne]

It didn't even feel like a muted victory to me.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

"Most of these guys wear spandex."
Not in this world they don't.

 

[metaphysician]

I suspect he meant that figuratively, not literally. The Avengers may not wear literal spandex, but most of them do wear distinctive, oft-brightly colored uniforms of one type or another. Which is to say, not even close to street clothes.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

[blackout]She said it, the girl Luke bent her gun in Pop's memorial; Aisha.[/blackout]

 

[Babillygunn]

Good fight with some good flashbacks. But, to be honest, the resolution is what matters. I really do like it from top to bottom. I'm glad the people who escaped are around for another fight and I'm glad this fight ended the way it did. Very, very enjoyable episode.

Spoiler

I do feel I need to comment on extradition. Extradition doesn't involve instantaneous transfer back. As a criminal defense attorney, I sometimes find it annoying because there's essentially nothing that can be done to stop it (even for innocent people). However, there is at least more to slow, it down (bringing it in front of a Judge to waste time). The comment about Luke Cage knowing a lawyer raised my interest It does raise my excitement for Defenders (although, to be honest, by the time Iron Fist finishes, he will already have finished). Overall, this leaves me waiting for what comes next with the Marvel-Netflix line.

Like I said, enjoyable episode. It leaves me wanting more going forward. Can't wait for the Defenders. I'm going Five Stars (the same as the rest). DD Season one was the weakest, so I'm goin better than that. It leaves me frustrated with Iron Fist since I want a team up now.

Are you a real lawyer? Or a P.D.?