 |
| Image Courtesy www.tvinsider.com |
After the
excitement in the last episode, “Code of the Streets,” you would think that Luke
Cage needed to take a moment to reflect on what happened to Pop and Chico. However, that is absolutely not the case in “Who’s
Gonna Take the Weight,” as Luke gets right back into the action. There’s plenty of exciting action in this
episode, but that doesn’t mean it’s all action; there is still plenty of
intrigue, as well as a few moments for reflection.
The
episode kicks off with a flash-forward of Luke assaulting the Crispus Attucks
community center, which is guarded by a large group of Cottonmouth’s
thugs. This is a pretty awesome way to
begin the episode, particularly when the previous episode concluded with Luke
standing outside the Crispus Attucks center and scaring off the lookout. What is most effective about the opening is
that we do not know what is going on (because we are outside hearing the action
take place), and we do not know why it is happening. It is only at the end of the sequence when
Luke walks out that we figure out exactly what is going on. This is a similar opening to one they used on
Daredevil, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In both cases the opening works to set up the
episode in a certain way.
This
episode is the first place we really see Luke actively getting involved in the
larger events in his city. In episode 2,
Luke got involved searching for Chico, but only because Pop asked him to and
pushed him to do it. However, once Pop
was killed, Luke gained exactly the motivation he needed to get involved. In fact, he says as much to Cottonmouth when
they meet at the funeral home. This
interaction may be one of the best indicators of both their characters at this
moment in the series. Cottonmouth is
still grieving Pop’s death in his own way—he never wanted Pop to be murdered,
especially in his own shop. Consequently,
Cottonmouth feels guilty because someone under him had killed him. It is clear that he hoped taking care of all
the arrangements for Pop’s funeral would help appease his guilty
conscience. Luke, however, also blames
Cottonmouth for Pop’s death, but he cannot be assuaged. He sees Cottonmouth’s actions as disingenuous
and threatens to continue going after Cottonmouth to get revenge for Pop. Is Cottonmouth to blame for Pop’s death? Yes, in the sense that his employee killed
him. Did he want Pop dead? Absolutely not, though Luke doesn’t believe
it. Is Luke in the right for wanting
revenge against Cottonmouth? He
certainly thinks he is, though Cottonmouth tells him it is unnecessary as he
has already avenged Pop by killing his murderer.
 |
| Image Courtesy www.screenrant.com |
To
avenge Pop, Luke works with Chico against Cottonmouth by
hitting him where it hurts: his
money. It is quite clever of Luke to
push Cottonmouth into moving all the money into Crispus Attucks by attacking
multiple stash houses, and it certainly makes for a good sequence as Luke takes
down rooms full of guys. The action is a
definite positive all through the series; Marvel and Netflix really do
understand how to make their action sequences exciting and intense. The stash house attacks are not very long
sequences, but they do whet the audience’s appetite for the main action
sequence of the episode, which is when Luke makes his assault on Crispus
Attucks. That he rips a door off an SUV
and uses it as first a shield and then a restraint is a very clever addition; for
me it calls back to Captain America: The First Avenger, when Steve does
the same thing with a taxi cab door within his first 15 minutes after the experiment. This is actually a really good callback to
include, considering the connections between Luke Cage and Steve Rogers: both are given super-strength and enhanced
durability by super-soldier experimentation, and both serve as the leaders and
(eventually in Luke’s case) moral center of their respective teams. The series itself calls Luke “Harlem’s
Captain America” on a few occasions, which is definitely appropriate.
In
my estimation this fight sequence isn’t quite as impressive as the one-take
hallway and stairway fights from Daredevil seasons 1 and 2,
respectively. It is still very
technically impressive and a lot of fun to watch up close, particularly when Luke
just allows the thugs to waste all their ammunition on him without even slowing
down.
 |
| Image Courtesy www.screenrant.com |
Misty
and Scarfe both get some good development as part of this episode. Yet again Misty’s investigative skills are on
display, particularly with regard to Luke and the mystery of his lack of
injuries from the barber shop shooting. The
relationship between these two may be the most fun aspect of the series, which
is highlighted in this episode when they are discussing the shooting and Scarfe
observes that the only reason she suspects Luke of any wrongdoing is because
she slept with him.
However,
this relationship takes a decidedly shocking turn when Scarfe is revealed as
dirty. The fact that Scarfe was actually
working for Cottonmouth—and the fact that it is revealed when he murders Chico
in cold blood to prevent him from testifying against Cottonmouth—is something
that I had not seen coming before it actually happened. Credit where credit’s due, the writers did a
very good job of making Scarfe a likeable character so that the reveal would be
that much more powerful.
The
series does a good job of working in a lot of references and nods to the
commends, and this episode is no exception, as Cottonmouth actually uses Mariah
Dillard’s “comic book name” (“Black Mariah”) once. However, for as much as I appreciate their
incorporation of comic book nods like this, this one just didn’t fit all that
well. I understand that her main
political platform is “Keep Harlem Black,” but that’s not quite enough for me
to start calling her “Black Mariah.” I’m
not sure what would be enough, but I would just as soon leave the “Black
Mariah” reference out.
I
really enjoyed this episode for how well it develops some of the characters and
the amazing fight sequences. The fight
at Crispus Attucks may not be the most technically impressive fight in the
Marvel Netflix shows, but it is still an awesome fight and a great use of Luke’s
unique abilities. Misty and Scarfe’s
interaction is a lot of fun, and makes his betrayal all the more powerful. All the villains in this series are really
good, especially Cottonmouth in this episode.
And after watching Cottonmouth blow up Genghis Connie’s to try and kill
Luke at the end of the episode, you really can’t stop watching here!
What do you
think of this episode? Did you think
Scarfe would be a dirty cop? Let me know
in the comments!
No comments:
Post a Comment