Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes 3-4 - Wig Out/I Get Physical

Thanks to the heatwave and several other things going on in my life, it’s been a few weeks since I last talked Luke Cage, it isn’t for you though, so let’s dive right into…

Wig Out

What?

We open pretty much where we left off, Cockroach moaning in agony thanks to the beatdown Luke laid on him whilst his wife and child are f*cking terrified of him. Claire shows up and sees what’s happened, she’s quick to see if Cockroach is alright and finds that he has a concussion and several broken ribs. Luke wants him handled quietly, hoping he’ll talk about everything that’s been going on, but the police arrive and he’s taken to hospital. Claire says if Cockroach dies, he’ll be heading back to Seagate. Technically, what he did was aggravated assault, that could send him to prison too.

Misty arrives, hoping she can smooth things out before it gets worse, but Luke is being an egotistical idiot, this isn’t the first time I’ve thought this but here he’s made a genuine mistake and is too broiled up in his own ego to admit it to himself. Misty lets him go, but is hesitant about everything she’s seen. Roll credits.

Meanwhile, we get a 3-way with Bushmaster and 2 girls who the camera loves to show us every detail of, charming. He doesn’t like Luke Cage, because of reasons we established in previous episodes, moving on. He’s still willing to pay Mariah for her guns, since now they’re her only buyers, Bushmaster justifying this as ‘fattening the turkey.’

Tilda shows her prowess with the piano, which Mariah admires, before the two sit down for breakfast. Tilda has fond and not so fond recollections of the place. Shades watches from a distance as Mariah tells him not to come unannounced, she wants to keep Tilda out of their shady business dealings. Shades tells her that things with Cockroach went south and the Yardies are now their only option, Mariah just wants it done.

Mariah’s not making the best impression in front of her daughter. And Luke is at Pops, feeling in the dog house I guess. Cut to Misty next morning at the hospital, with Cockroach, he wants to lawyer up and begins pushing her buttons. They’re interrupted when the other two cops whose names I forget show up and show her out.

Claire confronts Luke the next morning and Luke continues to be an idiot. Misty is chewed out by Riddenhour but thanks to her injury, it would be tough to get rid of her without causing an incident. Luke walks into the café the Yardies frequent, and begins asking for Nigel. Despite them trying to push his buttons, he ultimately walks out empty handed.

Of course, we know Nigel’s dead but Shades shows up to make the trade with Bushmaster. He finds Nigel’s severed head among the money, with Bushmaster saying he needs to assess the value himself. Luke plays it smart and follows one of the guys from the café. The guy loses him briefly, or so he thinks.

Cut to a fundraiser for Mariah, Tilda is introduced to Alex, Mariah’s more legit assistant. Mariah uses the girl she calls Billie to seduce Mark Higgins, the guy they need to sell the stocks. Misty is training with Colleen. The boxing helps Misty vent her frustrations but Colleen tries to use her mystical mumbo jumbo to help. Misty and Colleen make a great duo, which Iron Fist will rightfully recognise.

Back to James Lucas, Carl’s father, Claire pays him a visit. And we get a reference to Titanic of all things. I’m skimming most of this scene because Claire is being vague for no particular reason. Luke storms into a Yardie hideout that he found following the guy and he and Bushmaster finally meet. Luke tells him to sod off and he ain't having it. He’s surrounded by guards with such non weapons as knives, guns and baseball bats. *Yawn* even a hand grenade is no threat. Luke walks out, his threat made.

Mariah is talking about her Family First initiative and a particular centre to help children with single parents. Talking about the mother’s touch makes Tilda uncomfortable. Especially as she begins telling everyone about how Tilda came to be.

Misty and Colleen are having a drink or several when a guy who’s brother was apparently put away by Misty approaches, and he’s not happy. It leads into a fight and it’s more impressive than anything we saw with Luke. A little cheered up, they leave, probably gonna forget about it all tomorrow.

Bushmaster begins preparing his nightshade and practising martial arts, using footage from the fight. How that angle was recorded I have no idea. Mark arrives with Mariah so she can begin her blackmail. Tilda stops by to say goodnight, right at an awkward moment. Mark leaves so the two to have a heart-to-heart.

Shades arrives to tell her the good news but there’s bad news for them on the horizon as Billie reports her findings to Bushmaster’s brother, including the full details of the deal and Piranha, the broker. Luke returns home to find Claire, where Luke continues to parade his ego, anger building to the point where he punches a hole in the wall. Claire has had enough and decides to leave.

I… I don’t know why but since the last season of Luke Cage, Claire’s character arc just kinda fizzled out. I wanted something to be drawn from the line about setting up a surgery for gifted people but nothing came of it. Which is ultimately why I’m not that concerned about Claire’s moral aggrandising being gone from the show for a while.

Luke heads out and is immediately punched to the ground by Bushmaster, who warns that Harlem is his yard now.

I liked the bits that didn’t involve Luke Cage, pity the Luke Cage stuff aggravates to the point of frustration, also the pacing remains slow

Rating 4/10  

I Get Physical

OK, no… We literally had domestic violence as a theme in the last episode, let’s not go there again?

DW is using the Harlem’s Hero app to track Luke and arrives just in time for Bushmaster’s attack, the fight continues after the initial punch, but Luke ultimately loses. Bushmaster makes his introduction, and leaves. Roll Credits

Luke recovers and limps away to Pops, clearly suffering a concussion, and begins spitting up blood. He calls Claire but it goes to voicemail. Thankfully, Fish is conveniently about to help. The footage of the attack reaches the police but none of them really care except Misty.

Meanwhile, Mariah’s deal with the plastics company was a success, on paper they have $350m, ON PAPER. And this has Shades worried, especially with Piranha given limited power of attorney over the club, so legally it looked like the money was from there rather than the illegal sources. Shades is not convinced, but that’s put on-hold when they see the footage of Luke being attacked.

DW is, of course, selling DVDs of the attack, which has made the news. Luke pays him a visit, but hearing that Claire’s heading out is enough to put him on the right track. Shades tells Mariah about Bushmaster and Nigel’s death, he’s concerned that he didn’t really need their guns except to weaken them ready for an attack, which Mariah doesn’t want to be true.

Luke and Misty meet and they head off together in pursuit of Bushmaster. With Claire gone, Luke is basically homeless. Anyway, back at the Yardie’s old HQ, they find the rest of Nigel’s body, which Misty has to call in. Comanche tries to convince Mariah she might be getting scammed here, but she’s having none of it.

The local cops of Brooklyn deal with the body, the warehouse in question belongs to a guy named Shaw…

Not that Shaw! He was busted for drugs and is awaiting deportation. OK, look, I’m getting sick of these band shots, they fill up space, and don’t do anything else useful. Tilda sees that the guy who conked out Luke Cage is the same guy who purchased her herbs, and begins researching what it is he could do with them. Luke heads into the Tilda’s herb shop, having connected a bag he found at the warehouse with this shop. She gives him a little herbal remedy for the concussion

Misty pays Shaw a visit. He tells a story of 2 men and hill and I’ve lost interest, time for Bushmaster to walk right into Harlem’s paradise. A war of words, of sorts erupts between him and Mariah but it ultimately amounts to nothing. Bushmaster returns to the café, as Shades has his eye on things, but he’s also aware of Comanche’s disappearance. Turns out Riddenhour has him as a mole inside Mariah’s organisation.

Misty returns back to the station, to find a note from Danny and Colleen and specs for a mechanical arm, which has piqued her interest. Luke returns to Pops to rest, and Fish is still here because… Apparently his daughter has kidney issues, needs a transplant and is all the way in San Diego. He’s volunteering as her donor and is heading off tomorrow. The episode ends with Luke being served notice for appearing in court

*Yawn*

Rating 4/10