Last night I finished watching the second season of Luke Cage. It wasn't as strong as the first season but it was still lightyears beyond the new Marvel shows on Disney+, at least in terms of writing. Some of the performances are top notch, too.
The second season lacks the presence of Mahershala Ali, who played villain Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in half of the first season. I think it's likely Ali's memory of the good writing on Luke Cage led him to demand better writing on the upcoming Blade film he's set to star in, for which he's forced Disney to recruit Nic Pizzolatto. Good for Ali. I hope the deal survives the strikes. Someone really needs to sit Disney down and talk to them about writing, it's beyond embarrassing at this point.
It's hard to believe Luke Cage's second and final season was only five years ago. It seems like a lifetime. The writing on the show isn't always perfect. There are a few episodes of padding in the second season, like episode 11, where scenes and dialogue get a little repetitive. But one episode that seemed mostly filler, episode 9, where several characters are forced to lay low in one of Danny Rand's buildings, turned out to have one amazing scene thanks to Alfre Woodard.
On paper, it's basically just a rehash of her character's, Mariah's, backstory established in season one. But Woodard's performance as she tells her daughter about being raped, is truly amazing. She really is this show's Wilson Fisk. She refers to her rape again in the final episode, where she uses it as an excuse for the fact that she's unable to feel love for her daughter. That was a bold move from writer Cheo Hodari Coker who forces the audience to think about it and ask, "Does rape do this or is this something unique to Mariah's experience?" This is how you do MCU for adults.
Simone Missick continues to be captivating as Misty Knight. She had a courtroom drama series after Luke Cage that's been cancelled. I hope that means she's free to show up as Misty in future MCU projects.
Mike Colter as Luke Cage disappointed some fans of the comics but if nothing else he's physically right for the role. I can suspend disbelief and think of Krysten Ritter or Finn Jones as super strong but it helps a lot when you can actually see massive muscles on your star.
Finn Jones guest stars as Danny Rand in the season's tenth episode and I was amused to see him brace himself when he gave Luke a hand to get to his feet. Colter has really quick reflexes, too. Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all had some amazing fight scenes, especially compared to what we get in the MCU now, Shang-Chi being the sole exception. I wonder what the odds are of Shang-Chi ever meeting Iron Fist.
Luke Cage is available on Disney+.
X Sonnet #1731
Potato schisms ever split the roots.
Implore the feather bed to fly away.
For while the rest awaits she'll wear her boots.
There's precious little else the elves convey.
The stalwart zebra stood and spoke a word.
Returned and now a carrot, flesh revives.
And yet excitement rates about at curd.
But little depth through mindless haze survives.
A gentle whistle closed the club at dawn.
And now the mighty fold a song inside.
Removing brains enhanced the latent brawn.
But smaller ears have set the sound aside.
In hollow hay, nutrition kicks the horse.
An angel's dreams were dragged a diff'rent course.
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