Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 1 Episodes 1-2 - Moment of Truth/Code of the Streets

Well, let’s continue these retrospectives with Luke Cage. Last seen in Jessica Jones getting a shotgun to the head and getting himself repaired by Claire Temple (and yup, she has a sizeable role in this one) my initial reaction to Luke Cage is that whilst it doesn’t reach the lows DD s2 reached, it didn’t reach the highs, in particular with the action, but a re-watch may do this show credit (or possibly not) so let’s do it.

Moment of Truth

After the opening titles we open in the area of Harlem and the Barber Shop of Pop’s, they start talking sports stars or something. I don’t understand half their references. Luke is basically a cleaner here but has another job after this one. The mother of one of the customers comes to collect her child, she’s training to be a lawyer but hasn’t passed the bar yet. She gives Luke her number because flirting. Oh yeah, and Pop’s has a swear jar, why not?

Luke goes out back, and throws away the piece of paper with the number on it. He begins pacing, missing Reeva, you know the one Jessica Jones killed whilst under the influence of Kilgrave. Pop encourages him to try and help people, although Luke is less inclined. We’ll get more into his history later.

He bumps into a guy named Chico, holding a gun. He’s defensive when Luke tries to ask him about it. Chico gets into a car and it’s made pretty clear they’re planning a robbery. Apparently Pops has to pay him in cash and since there’s only so much he has in the kitty, he isn’t able to pay him the going rate and because of this, Luke is behind on his rent. He gives his Landlord $300, but it’s not enough, she wants the money tonight, but lets Luke go to his second job to pay for it.

That second job would be a dishwasher at a Harlem club, the club is owned by the gangster Cottonmouth, who we’re introduced to in this scene as he stands over club, enjoying the music. One of his assistants enters the kitchen where Luke is washing dishes. Another assistant asks Luke to take over as a waiter in the bar, you remember Luke owned a bar in Jessica Jones so he knows the drill. He can take home tips but isn’t getting paid till the end of the week.

Cottonmouth speaks with his sister, apparently when their Mama Mabel died, the place was a ‘roach trap,’ but they’ve managed to transform it into a swinging joint. They’re both there to meet with a guy from ‘Colon’s gym’ who is about to give them a sizeable donation. He has history with dealing drugs. Luke serves a woman called Misty Knight and they engage in small talk as Luke gets her a margarita.

Cottonmouth is running guns, and we get a few more references, including to Justin Hammer and the fate of Wilson Fisk. Meanwhile the boys from earlier wear black masks and try to steal the money for themselves, killing several of Cottonmouth’s guards. There are 3 of them, Shameek, Dante and Chico, Dante acts scared that Cottonmouth will find out so Shameek shoots him, much to Chico’s horror.

Luke starts flirting with Misty but is interrupted by a woman named Candice, who wants to help bring up some alcohol for the boss, she’s scared of going up there on her own. Cottonmouth grabs Luke and offers him a job involving a gun but Luke declines. Probably best not to do that kind of talk in somewhere so public.

Dante meanwhile wakes up and makes a call to one of Cottomouth’s guards, who proceeds to inform Cottomouth about the robbery. Off shift, Luke and Misty flirt some more, Misty inviting Luke for a coffee, but not really a coffee. Jeez, what is about this guy that makes every woman want to f*ck him?

Luke has a flashback to being beaten in prison as Misty gets a call. She tells Luke she’s an auditor which is a blatant lie but let’s ignore that for now. Luke sees Misty get into a black car and drive off. The Police have found the crime scene, and Misty identifies Dante’s body, they’ve also seized the guns. Cottonmouth is on the phone to his supplier who he is scared of, Diamondback

Diamondback has sent an enforcer named Shades to back up Cottonmouth’s trade, after getting insurance this wasn’t an inside job. Luke is sweeping the streets and sees a paper, providing details of the robbery and implicating both Shameek and Chico. Pop tries to keep people straight, but both of them are too proud to ask for help.

Meanwhile the councilwoman is doing a press conference, but Cottonmouth and his sidekick are right on her tail. Look, I know she has a name, but it’s yet to be stated, ah, here we go, it’s Mariah, she’s been sent guards, she confronts Cottonmouth, wanting the money to plug a hole in her finances, if she doesn’t get it, they may all face jail. Cottonmouth also gets confirmation that Shameek and Dante were the ones behind the robbery. Cottonmouth offers $20000 for whoever finds them.

Cottonmouth is playing the keyboard in another scene with a woman laying on a table behind him, and another woman on a sofa behind him. Shameek is brought into the club, as the boss refuses to pay Luke, and give the money he needs for his rent. Luke spots Shades, who he recognises from his time in prison. Shameek is brought before Cottonmouth. And begins slapping him silly so they can find Chico and get the rest of his money back. Shameek spits in his face, which allows Cottonmouth to feel satisfied beating him to death.

Luke’s worries about Shades, although it didn’t seem like he was recognised. He flashes back to being in prison and having Reeva as a psychologist, that’s how they met. Shameek is found dead outside on the street, and they think Chico might be the culprit. Misty is told to meet with Luke, since he replaced Dante at the club that night.

Speaking of Luke, 50 minutes into this episode and we finally get an action scene as some idiots who I didn’t bother mentioning earlier are trying to get money from the restaurant Luke lives above, owned by a Chinese couple. The fight badly injures them and shatters the window, and ensures a larger force will be back next time. They want to hire him as their defender but Luke refuses, including an offer for money. He does promise to have their back though, which, well is gonna backfire quite badly later on.

That was the first episode and by god is it a slog to get through. Luke not being interested in fighting is understandable but needs to be dealt with quickly. I’ve known shows finish this arc in half the time, but this has a lot to set up for the coming episodes

Rating 6/10

Code of the Streets

Luke is for some reason in a park when someone comes up to him, and puts a gun against his head, he hates being called a ‘nigga.’ And because I’m white, I’m gonna stop using that word now, it makes me uncomfortable. Roll credits

I guess that’s a preview for later on because now we cut to Misty, Misty is at the scene of the robbery and demonstrates Wolverine powers as she sees the crime play out in front of her. Although she may not even be at the scene but actually in the police station, looking at the photos of the crime scene, she suspects Chico didn’t have the stomach for the kind of violence, remembering the vomit found at the crime scene.

Back at Pops, Pop confronts Luke about the incident at the restaurant. Luke asks about them and finds out that Mariah and Cottonmouth are cousins, not siblings as I stated in the last episode. People have a code which means that people don’t touch Pop’s. But Cottonmouth and Shades enter the barbers. Cottonmouth wants a shave and Pop notices his bruised knuckles, which Cottonmouth says is down to him trying to shave himself. What he tried to shave his knuckles? Weird.

Anyway, Luke clocks guns and in his anxiousness, breaks his broom, getting Shades’ attention. Luke now gets Cottonmouth’s attention as well, noticing how he works both in Pops and in his club. Pop says he worked out who killed Shameek, and wants Luke to find Chico, since he did used to find people, and bring him to Pop’s, where he might have a chance to survive. Pop rather insists on it

Cut to basketball, Misty Knight and her partner confront the players, apparently Chico was a legend there, but so is Misty; so when they challenge her to a round of HORSE, she manages to surprise them by doing well. Luke is playing around the town and finds Chico within 4 hours, which means both the police and Cottonmouth, who have money backing them up, are entirely incompetent. Unfortunately, Chico refuses to come with, hoping to take the money and run.

Luke informs Pop but Pop tells him a little about himself, he worked with Cottonmouth and Shades running drugs and being a heavyweight thug until he was caught. After he got out, he decided to work on his skills and open a barbers. Chico comes around on his own and he and Pop embrace, unfortunately he’s spotted by one of the customers, Turk. Misty confronts him, and tells him to leave the area.

So Luke confronts Misty and argh… this pacing is killing me, we’re half way through this episode, and next to nothing has happened yet! So after that scene, with Pop worried they police have eyes on the place, he entrusts Luke with setting up a meeting between him and Cottonmouth, since he has a reason to be in the club. Luke basically ignores his manager, who even says he has the money he needs, and heads to talk with Cottonmouth. He’ll get his money back, if Chico stays safe. Cottonmouth rescinds to this, telling Luke he’ll come by for a haircut the same time as before. Unfortunately one of the guys there gets a text, saying he knows where Chico is. Cottonmouth fires him, but Luke apparently already quit. Cottonmouth tells his lieutenant to handle it ONLY if he’s out on the streets, if he isn’t, he’ll sort it out with Pop personally.

Unfortunately the lieutenant shoots up Pops, killing him. Luke tries to protect Chico and is somewhat successful, telling him to play dead. They come in and take the money back. Mike Colton’s acting is a little forced here, but sadly there’s 15 minutes left of this goddamn episode.

The police arrive but with and Luke not really saying much, they have little to go when it comes to finding the shooter. Shades and the lieutenant report to Cottonmouth. Cottonmouth accepts his decision until he finds out that Pops died in the gunfire. Now, that’s enough to piss him off and shove his lieutenant over the building. Goodbye, whatever your name was, you won’t be missed, not by me anyway. Oh and Turk, who sold them out heads back to Hell’s Kitchen. I hear Daredevil isn’t around the break him anymore so, good choice.

Mariah watched the entire thing, but isn’t ok with any of it, still she gets the money she needs to close the books. Misty Knight wonders how Luke didn’t get hit as she drinks away her sorrows. Luke mopes about, but eyes up a target so he can finally have some action. Cottonmouth cries over Pops’ death and we’re back to the scene from earlier. Luke scares the kid with history, seriously, and I can’t deny it’s super badass. Although crushing a bullet with his skin helps too, I guess.

He sees Mariah heading into the building with her money, and Luke remembering Pop’s motto about forward, never back.

Sweet Christmas that was a drag, it had some great moments, don’t get me wrong but the pacing is far too slow. And this is a problem that plagues this series. I think a good 20 minutes could’ve been cut from both of these first 2 episodes. Hell, the intro of this episode was completely unnecessary as it was barely even resolved by the end.

Rating 6.5/10

We’ll be back again Next week as we continue to look at Luke Cage