“I am a black man in a hoodie, people have always been afraid of me,” proclaims Luke Cage (Mike Colter) in a heated conversation with Claire (Rosario Dawson) in one of the early episodes from season two of Netflix’s hit series Luke Cage. He may be a hero, but he’s still not afforded the same luxuries as his contemporaries. If the first season was all about empowering a community through the iconic image of a bulletproof black man, then the latest season is all about learning to rise above the crippling anger of the past. A pain caused by family bonds and the unresolved issues that come with it.
Assuming the mantle of protector of Harlem, and pretty much doing the cops’ job for them, Luke Cage continues his quest to weed out the crime that has infested his community. He has also inadvertently become a celebrity in the process. As selfie obsessed fans, and amateur TMZ wannabe journalists clamor for photos with him, Cage must adapt to life where his every move is tracked on apps and his name is used to sell bootleg items and drugs.
Everyone seems to be getting paid except for Cage himself.
Cage is not the only one trying to move forward in a world where everything has seemingly changed overnight. Detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick) no longer feels like herself after losing an arm. This makes her return to the police force, especially when confronting the jealousy and corruption that resides within it, even more difficult. Things are no better for those on other side of the law either.
The villainous duo of Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) and Shades (Theo Rossi) struggle to reestablish their criminal presence despite lacking the proper funds needed for such a venture. Mariah also wrestles with her desire to rule the underworld, while still wanting to be viewed as a legitimate entrepreneur. In regard to the latter, she hopes that mending fences with her estranged daughter Tilda (Gabrielle Dennis) might help revamp her public image.
Tying all these threads together is John ‘Bushmaster’ McIver (Mustafa Shakir, who is blisteringly good in the role), a Jamaican crime lord who is intent on taking Harlem, which he believes is his birthright, and settling an old family score with Mariah in the process.
Filled with a nice balance of action, depth and humor, the new season of Luke Cage is a vast improvement over its predecessor. While the first season was entertaining, it lost some steam halfway through. This time around the series adequately justifies its 13-episode length. The various arcs are fully realized and do a wonderful job of showing the complexities of the central characters.
As with the other Netflix Marvel series, there are plenty of nods to the comics that will keep diehard fans happy. This includes a wonderful bonding moment in a bar between Iron Fist’s Colleen Wing and Misty Knight that will have fans petitioning for them to get their own show. However, it is the sins of the farther, or in Mariah’s case mother style drama, and its generational ramifications, that will have one bingeing the series.
Part of the reason these themes works so well is because Bushmaster is such a compelling villain. He brings equal measures of charm, terror and deadly at the same time; and offers a thought-provoking contrast to the ways Cage and Mariah deal with familial demons. Most importantly he allows the show to steep itself within Jamaican culture and mysticism, in a way that is engaging, but not in a cartoony way like Marked for Death for example.
After misfires with both Iron Fist and The Defenders, though Jessica Jones was a nice bounce back, the new season of Luke Cage shows that Netflix has plenty of juice left in the Marvel tank. By the end of Season Two, you will be saying Sweet Christmas indeed.
