Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes 11-13 review

It’s December, so here are the final 3 episodes of season 2 of Luke Cage, and of Luke Cage in general, spoilers to follow (obviously)

Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes 9-10 - For Pete's Sake/The Main Ingredient

We’re back with more Luke Cage, and things are beginning to pick up. In the last set of episodes, Bushmaster stole all of Mariah’s money and the club, leaving her on the run without a lawyer as he prepares to finish the job. Misty’s head of police but with the station compromised, her only option is to call in a favour from Danny.

Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 episodes 7-8 - On and On/If it ain't rough it ain't right

Well, the last episodes of Luke Cage were interesting, Mariah’s got it coming on from all sides. Luke wants to use Piranha to get the cops involved, Bushmaster wants him to steal her fortune, and Comanche is trying to convince Shades his involvement with her is a bad idea, we ended with Bushmaster cheating in a fight and Luke drowning.

Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes 5-6 - All Souled Out/The Basement

So, in the last batch of Luke Cage episodes, not a lot happened. I mean a few things happened. Claire left, Misty got over her funk, Luke’s ego has lead him to being served a lawsuit and Bushmaster kicked his ass, but this was nearly 2 hours. I guess Mariah is up to some things too but nothing important, yet.

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…

Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes 1-2 - Soul Brother #1/Straighten it out

OK, time to look at the next series along the line with Netflix’s Marvel shows, which has now come to a close. I can’t say I’m disappointed or even surprised about this, but I will say that Luke Cage is the series I dreaded to watch the most. Luke Cage is a problematic character to write, he’s invulnerable to conventional ammunition, and super-strong to boot so harming him by conventional means is impossible. So season 1 took the liberty of creating super-bullets to harm him and having them start to show up everywhere, rather undermining the point. Season 2 also suffered from a weak villain as the show’s biggest asset was tossed aside too early. Still, it’s the show that introduced us to Misty Knight, the NMU’s biggest asset so it can’t all be bad, right? Well, let’s dig into Luke Cage s2 and take a look.

Netflix Month - The Defenders - Fish in the Jailhouse/The Defenders

Let’s finish this series, and Netflix Month shall we?

Netflix Month - The Defenders - Take Shelter/Ashes, Ashes

We return with the next quarter of the Defenders

Netflix Month: The Defenders - Worst Behaviour/Royal Dragon

Welcome Back to our retrospective on the Defenders. I’m only doing recaps for Stranger things, alright, let’s get straight into this

Netflix Month: The Defenders - The H Word/Mean Right Hook

Phew, it’s a been big year for Marvel’s Netflix series. In 2018 they’ve brought all their individual shows up to s2 with new series of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and a shorter season of Iron Fist. And they’re yet to slow down with third series of Daredevil and Jessica Jones and another Punisher series (I’m not interested enough in the Punisher to review him, not the fault of the actor, but just the character himself)

We’ll look at Jessica Jones and Luke Cage’s second seasons next year and Iron Fist in early 2020, assuming I’m not burnt out. But before we get to that, here’s the moment this was all building to: The Defenders

After the initially positive but later mixed reception of Luke Cage and the initially negative and later mixed reception of Iron Fist, this series received mixed reception. Has Netflix lost its spark? Let’s find out as we begin Netflix Month

  

With the first 2 episodes of the Defenders.

Netflix Retrospective: Luke Cage Season 1 episodes 11-13 - Now You're Mine/Soliloquy of Chaos/You Know my Steez

Sorry this is late but let's finish this series up, shall we

Netflix Retrospective - Luke Cage Season 1 episodes 9-10 Review - DWYCK/Take it Personal

Who’s ready for more Luke Cage?

Netflix Retrospective: Luke Cage episodes 7-8 - Manifest/Blowin' Up The Spot

Netflix Retrospective: Luke Cage Season 1 episodes 5-6 - Just to Get a Rep/Suckas Need Bodyguards

 

Netflix Retrospective: Luke Cage Season 1 Episodes 3-4 - Who's gonna take the weight?/Step in the Arena

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.

4 Issue Test #42 - The Defenders

Note: At the point of typing the Defenders series hadn’t come out yet.

Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones, together they are the Defenders, a street level Superhero team that deal with things below the pay-grade of people like the Avengers. I’ve reviewed a lot of their individual outings with all but Jessica Jones not meeting the standard I look for in comics.

So, in the writer’s seat we have Brian Michael Bendis. If you ever want the definition of a hit-and-miss writer, look up Bendis. I literally did an editorial on why Civil War II was a piece of sh*t. But Bendis also wrote Jessica Jones which I enjoy and was responsible for all the Miles Morales Spider-man issues, which have mostly been good, so maybe something’s here to enjoy. Let’s find out.

4 issue test #37 - Jessica Jones

Next and actually last in the Marvel now stuff is Jessica Jones, a title I specifically picked up because of the Netflix series, for those wondering my opinions on DD season 2 and Luke Cage. I thought DD started strong but ultimately went off track around the half-way mark and was overly depressing and Luke Cage was average if not a little higher.

I know I'm cheating a little with this image but... I also don't care

Writing this comic is Brian Michael Bendis, who’s writing Spider-man which somehow I’m still reading and Civil War II, which was utter utter utter utter sh*t (see my recent editorial). So yeah, Bendis is hit and miss with me and mostly miss but the was the one responsible for the interpretation of Jessica Jones the Netflix series was adapted from so maybe he’s struck again, let’s take a look.

4 issue Test #29 - Power Man and Iron Fist

I loved Power Man and Iron Fist during the Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes stories. And whilst Luke Cage was hardly my favourite character in Jessica Jones, he left a decent impression and despite the production problems I am looking forward to Iron Fist’s series when it eventually comes out. (I will review Daredevil season 2 eventually)

But of course, something really grabbed my attention and if you were been hanging around my facebook page at the time of release, you know what I think of the #1 cover which was used as a promotional poster. So, will this series surpass my expectations? Let’s dig in.

Netflix Retrospective: Jessica Jones episodes 10-13 review

And our retrospective of Jessica Jones draws to a close, does the series end a high? Well, let's take a look