Luke Cage season 2 showcases the development of Our Power Man, the bulletproof black brother Luke Cage, as he continues with life in the aftermath of his battle for control of Harlem with Diamond Back.
Cage has become a celebrity, with D.W Griffiths trying to earn him some money through merchandise sales, and the Hero app, while Cage on his own struggles to close down the distribution of a new drug being sold under his name.
The season further introduces the Stokes family history, and the return of old foes in the form of a new player who seeks to gain control of the Harlem criminal underworld, as Mariah Dillard (Stokes) looks to retire and go legitimate. Will the choice she makes have untold consequences? Is she ready and prepared for what seeks her out from the shores of Jamaica? Is Luke Cage ready to once again protect and defend Harlem against all threats, both internal and external? Is Misty Knight still in the job of protecting Harlem?
One thing I can definitely tell you is that the second season of Luke Cage is amazing, brilliant and compelling. For the very first time ever, we had a marvel show whose second season was better than its first season.
The narrative in season 2 was amazing, the concepts were prim and proper, the villain was relatable and worth his weight in gold.
Let's begin the review with the storyline and plot theme elements. The story picked off from the conclusion of the first season. The season premier(by Lucy Liu) was brilliant, it warmed the viewers up, familiarised us with the cast from the first season, and how they have been able to move on with their lives in their own ways in the aftermath of the events of the first season, which culminated in the Showdown between Cage and Diamond Back.
We also saw the return of the Incredibly beautiful Misty Knight after the events of Marvel's The Defenders. The Devious Mariah Dillard and the always cool and Calm Hernan "Shades" Alvarez as they look to assert more control over the underworld of Harlem. Cage and his unending war against crime.
The incredible element about the season is the planned legitimization of the Stokes/ Dillard empire by Mariah. Whereas we the viewers felt uncomfortable about her intended switch from villain to law abiding citizen, the introduction of a ghost from the past haunting the Stokes name created for a compelling conflict and an even more compelling narrative. The season couldnt have asked for a better partner in the greatness of the season than the Incredibly rivetting performance of our co-villain Bushmaster. Mustafa Shakir's performance as Bushmaster was spot on, mastery of diction, choreographed moves, and an all encompassing mastery of emotional responses and presentation were all we wanted in a marvel villain.
We also got much kicks from the integration of Harlem's paradise into the overall structure and frame of the show. The daily rivetting musical performances at Harlem's paradise served as our go to source for soundtracks for each episode and we really didn't miss not having a recognised soundtrack for the season.
This move in the long run enhanced the outlook of the show as it saved us from unnecessary silences or irregularly long and boring conversations; it was just brilliant music that we could just gyrate to. Brilliant!
The presentation of the conflict was not complex neither was it simple, it was just the right mix. We didn't need a conflict that was Predictable in its mode or form of conclusion, and we got just that. The conflict was a 3-way narrative, between the Crime kings of Harlem(Mariah &Shades) Vs The Wannabe king (Bushmaster McIver) Vs The forces of Good( Cage & Knight). We didn't know which way it was going to go or which way we wanted it to go, coupled with a mix of emotional elements provided by Tilda and Claire, Ingrid and Anansi.
Oh the fight scenes were great. The ass kicking of Luke Cage was the highlight of the entire season, yes we are not ashamed to admit that we loved Bushmaster's ass kicking of Cage, and Harlem loved it too.
Mercedes Misty Knight, I have to dedicate one paragraph to her. Her performances on screen are always a beauty to behold. Simone Missick is a beauty, and her acting is a marvel. The loss of an arm made me uncomfortable, thereby achieving what the creators wanted us to feel. They didn't want us to at any point feel comfortable with the show. She is a proud woman suddenly thrust into a position of vulnerability. We didn't like it, and we were relived when she returned with a bang. We are however surprised that she still doesn't have a man. I am sure I am not the only one who would love to see her get down with a man( just saying tho).
Mike Colter( Cage) delivered yet another very good performance. Whereas I have never been a fan of Colter as Cage ( for obvious reasons), I must however confess that his delivery in the second season made me have a rethink. His overall carriage in season 2 sets him up perfectly for his role in season 3. He had an on screen presence that we can say created a triangle of good acting between Colter, Mustafa and Alfre Woodard. We however feel that his rigidity in combat movement limits his performances kind of, but we are happy Netflix factored this into the narrative, exploited it and presented fast-paced rivetting combat that was in no way one-sided... the cameo by student of Kun-Lun all but proved the point. We still rate him far above average.
No matter how hard we try, we can't cover all bases of this show. So we'll do a recap, the story line was solid, the plot theme was rivetting, it kept us interested till the very last episode( I kept wondering if nightshade could do one over on Luke Cage), the conflict was brilliantly constructed and presented, and the resolution of conflict was as unpredictable as they come. We didn't expect the turn of events, and while we may not really appreciate it, it however does set the stage brilliantly for the 3rd season. We just can't wait to see how Harlem would be run by its new "Bulletproof King", and how Tilda responds to the deprivation of her rights as a Stokes.
What we loved the most however is Bushmaster's decision to quit the race. The back story / development & evolution into Bushmaster of John McIver was brilliant, and it then presented us with a moral dilemma; should be fall? He has committed atrocious acts deserving of punishments, but again, he has been made to suffer and have been molded into the beast he has become, should he pay for what is not his fault? How about Shades Alvarez? I never thought Shades would ever be fazed! But the brutality of Mariah got his hands shaking, turned him to a rat( snitch). That scene and the following scenes were testament to the cold blooded brutal nature of Mariah.
Should we be bothered about her fate even? All we know is she is a cold blooded murderer and the show is definitely going to miss her character, unless maybe there could be a twist? The Jamaican accent, the combat scenes and the general swagger of Bushmaster,coupled with his untoward brutality may have just resulted into the creation of one of Marvel's most relatable bad man in ages. I mean, really? Heads on Pikes?!! That thing was finna make us all anticipate the season finale.
He is one villain I just won't mind seeing in the near future once again. In whatever way we think about it, we are undecidely not bothered by how they decided to conclude his saga. Perhaps we can expect to see him sometime in the future, bigger, better and stronger. We just can't wait.
Overall, a brilliant season, a better story line than the first, a far better and more relatable villain than Diamond Back. The presentation of pop culture and the integration of the Jamaican minority cultures added all the more to the already glossy repertoire of the show.
This is a very great show, with compelling narrative, brilliant story, intense conflict and a subtle conclusion/ resolution to the conflict.
We certainly rate this one very high and strongly recommend this to all of our readers. You just cannot hate on this one.
Mike Colter
Simone Missick
Theo Rossi
Mustafa Shakir
Alfre Woodard
FCA'S AppR :8.7/10
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