Luke Cage

While this is definitely Luke Cage's show, this isn't the first time we've seen him. Being an integral part of Jessica Jones season 1, this is the continuation of that character and while it doesn't exactly goes the same heights as Jessica Jones or Daredevil, it's a damn good time

Season 1; Fresh off the action packed season of Daredevil season 2, I seen this was where our Netflix MCU story continues, further establishing The Defenders roster. Really glad they explained Luke Cages powers in this season( machine used to heal faster malfunctioned while Cage was in it) Taking place sometime after Jessica Jones Season 1's ending, we see Luke Cage ditch Hells Kitchen for Harlem Which sets the backdrop for the many characters we meet. First we have Cottonmouth; a ruthless nightclub owner who gets a visit from Shades, an associate of Cottonmouths employer Diamondback. Now, before I start talking about the characters, let me first off and say how great some of these scenes in this very first episode was. That entire scene of Cottonmouth giving his "everybody want to be the king" monologue was *chefs kiss*. Anyways, I think Ali did a great performance, and sadly was cut too short midway through the season. Meanwhile we have another character named Detective Misty who becomes a integral part to the entire Defenders roster. And of course, the return of Claire... visiting her mother in Harlem, with a calling to help people with abilities. 2 more characters, Mariah and Shades, are also prominent in this, with becoming some of the best written villains in the show. And finally; Striker/Diamondback. Oh and he happens to be Cages half brother! S**t just got real. The ending fight between Luke and Styker was fun, but corny at the same time, A good season, although some stuff was corny, especially Diamondback, and there was a lot of uneventful episodes, but other than that, a great season.

Season 2: Now, this season is set after The Defender miniseries, so we see Cage becoming more of a celebrity, but he's also forced to deal with not only the partnership between Mariah and Shades, but he also has a newcomer in Harlem. Bushmaster proved to be a pretty convincing villain, with his goal to wipe out Mariah and take what what rightfully was his. While I don't think any of the characters quite matched Cottonmouth's, I think this season fleshed out and made both Shades, Mariah, and Bushmaster a trio of villains that each had their own goals and demons to figure out. Now, the ending was pretty interesting, and would like to see that more in the future, perhaps is a future Luke Cage show???

In all, this 2 season show was pretty cool. It gave this universe a vibe I think it may have been missing, and to see street crime being dealt with with such a charming guy as Luke Cage, you can't complain. Definitely recommended.

Luke Cage starts off great with a strong classic noire vibe in a modern coat of paint. A strong cast creates a powerful atmosphere and tone that draws you in. Mike Colter clearly looks the part of an indestructible giant and plays Luke Cage in a somber and traditional "tormented, silent protagonist" kind of way, but it is the surrounding cast that truly brings out this jewel: Simone Missick as the honest officer from the street, Mahershala Ali as the tormented gang leader, Frank Whaley as the smart mouth sidekick cop, Alfre Woodard as the congresswoman stuck in both the future and the past, Frankie Faison as the mentor and spot of light in the dark.

Sadly as the story progresses through the season and especially about half way through with some major shake up of the status quo, much of the great character nuances and complex relationships that had started to develop were taken in a very different direction and new characters were given more screen time. This I think was a mistake; not only because in its current iteration replaced focus of interesting characters and arcs with something very straight forward and boring, but also because it happened so soon in the series.

Such a significant shake up would have been much more suitable for a season finally and with a second season dealing with the fallout and changing landscape for our cast to traverse, not as a throw in at the half way mark.

All in all the first half of the series was a clear 8 for me and the second half about a 6 so on average it comes out a 7, Good, but not a must watch.

The show isn't without its flaws. There are elements of the script that feel slightly generic, cliched, unfocused, or heavy-handed, but the sheer strength of the performances, particularly Mahershala Ali's Cottonmouth and Alfre Woodard's Mariah, as well as Luke Cage himself and Rosario Dawson's Claire, keep the show engaging even when it occasionally stumbles. There's some solid action, too, and a quality rendition of Luke Cage's origin story.

As a huge fan of Marvel I'm a little biased because I pretty much like everything they put out. My bias aside, Luke Cage is terrific. If you don't believe me just read through the reviews here and look at the ratings. Even the critics loved this show. It's about a fugitive who gets super strength after an experiment goes wrong. He moves back home to Harlem to try to rebuild his life and make his home a safe place from all the terrible people try to take over. Now that it's on Disney plus maybe they can bring him back. They've already started to bring back others and recently renewed Daredevil so there's still hope. Even if they don't bring him back for his own show again, at least bring him back into the MCU through another show like the Daredevil revival. If you're a Marvel fan then this is a must watch.

Luke Cage, although not in the top three of marvel-Netflix shows is still really good. I think that it has the best presentation and aesthetic but lacks somewhat in execution. The latter half of season one takes a dive in quality and the final seconds of the show ruins the character of Luke Cage in my opinion. But I still think it had the potential to be so much better. If Disney gave this show another shot with the same people but maybe gave some course correction along the way with the other people from the marvel-Netflix shows it could be a really good stylish show.