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| Image Courtesy www.tvinsider.com |
Sorry for
the late review this week—and sorry in advance that it is shorter than
usual. We went to see Doctor Strange
again last night, this time in 3D. The 3D
experience is certainly worth it, particularly for the multiverse and fight
sequences. There is something to be said
for 2D making it easier to see details of what’s going on, but the 3D
definitely makes everything “pop” more.
But we’re
not here to talk about Doctor Strange; we are actually here to discuss
the fifth episode of Luke Cage, “Just to Get a Rep.” After the previous 2 episodes, in which
Cottonmouth made a direct attack on Luke, we see some of the fallout of that
decision as Cottonmouth goes after Luke’s reputation in the community. This episode is a lot of fun, particularly
for the indirect ways in which Luke and Cottonmouth fight each other.
Oh, and this
is also when Claire Temple shows up.
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| Image Courtesy www.screenrant.com |
Let’s get Claire
out of the way right up front. At this
point Claire is becoming a staple in the Marvel Netflix shows. She is already confirmed for both Iron
Fist and The Defenders, and it’s only a matter of time before they
confirm her in The Punisher—if they haven’t already. She is the glue that holds these shows
together: she is the normal human
character who experiences these events up close and personal and has to
reconcile them with what she understands.
It is a very safe bet at this point that she will be the one who brings
the team together in The Defenders and points them at Sigourney Weaver’s
character to fight her. So it’s not
surprising to see her show up here as the biggest connection to Daredevil
and Jessica Jones in this series—by which I mean she’s the one who talks
about them the most. However, what an
introduction she gets. We haven’t really
seen Claire fight thus far beyond a snatch or two in Daredevil, but she
actually holds her own very well (even if it’s just against a purse
snatcher). Following that incident, her
conversation with her mother gives a good indicator of her character and where
she is following Daredevil season 2.
Simply put, while she was already well on her way to becoming the “Night
Nurse” (a nurse who tends vigilantes), she is now to the point of embracing
this role as something she needs to do. This
is definitely significant for why she does what she does in this series, and it
also leads to her role in Iron Fist (teased at the end of Luke Cage). However, I do wonder just how well someone
would have been able to follow Claire’s summary of Daredevil season 2 if
they hadn’t actually seen that series.
The biggest
conflict in the episode is between Luke and Cottonmouth (who is now
broke). Cottonmouth refuses to leave
Luke alone and insists on sending all his guys to terrorize Harlem and tell
everyone that Luke is to blame:
Cottonmouth proved in the last episode that he can’t take Luke out
head-on, so he’s going to use the public against Luke. After all, just because someone’s skin is
bulletproof doesn’t make them immune to public opinion!
Luke,
however, does take the time to stop all Cottonmouth’s guys and return all the stolen
property. I do like how this series
shows Luke actively standing up for people rather than contenting himself to just
stop the bad guy and hope that’s enough.
However, you have to wonder how one man would be able to singlehandedly undo
the actions of a whole crew of thugs!
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| Image Courtesy www.screenrant.com |
The primary
setting for this confrontation between Luke and Cottonmouth is not the streets
and it is not when Luke goes to Harlem’s Paradise to force Cottonmouth to call
off his thugs. The primary confrontation
actually happens at Pop’s funeral—and it’s a “war of words” rather than
fists. That was quite the unexpected
twist, and one that I really appreciated.
Both characters get to lay out their case for their side of the conflict—Cottonmouth
is Harlem-raised; Luke stands for Harlem’s history. Both characters also call the other one out
for representing what is wrong with the city.
And at the end of the two speeches it is crystal clear that these two
are headed to a confrontation—or at least that is clear to Misty, who fears for
the fallout this confrontation would have on Harlem!
One hint of
just how this confrontation could wreck Harlem comes when Shades recognizes
Luke and tells Cottonmouth about the Judas bullet, an experimental ordnance
with the ability to absolutely destroy a person—it blows up inside them. Naturally it is Hammer Tech (and actually
works, unlike the “Ex-Wife” from Iron Man 2), and naturally Diamondback
has a source that can get it for him.
Cottonmouth wants to use it on Luke personally—do his own dirty work
since Luke ruined him—but apparently Diamondback wants to kill Luke himself. Why? Don’t
worry; we’ll find out in the back half of the season!
I really enjoy
this episode, even though there is very little in the way of “action.” That is something that sets these series
apart from a lot of other TV series:
they build tension and create drama in a way that does not require
violence. Luke and Cottonmouth do not
exchange a single physical blow, but we still feel the tension between them
mounting due to Pop’s death and Luke’s subsequent assault on Crispus Attucks. The confrontation at the funeral may be one
of the best moments in the first half of the season both for how well it
highlights the two characters and their motivations and for how unexpected of a
venue it is.
What is your
favorite part of Luke Cage? What do
you think Claire’s role will be in the rest of the Marvel Netflix shows? Let me know in the comments!
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