Always forward.
Full spoilers for Luke Cage's second episode continue below.
After a slow start easing viewers into the Harlem-set world of Netflix's third standalone Marvel series, Luke Cage is picking up speed thanks to an untimely death and a rightfully angry titular character. Pop's death seems to be what is going to be kicking off Luke's journey to bulletproof heroism.
The bookended scenes with Luke standing outside of Mariah Dillard's New Harlem Renaissance headquarters with one of her goons' guns pointed to his head are the most impactful work showrunner Cheo Coker has done in the series' first two episodes. From the use of the N-word to Luke no longer hiding his bullet proof nature, this marked a much-needed turning point for the series.
While the premiere started off solid, Coker was smart not to wait past the second episode to really set events into motion. Pop's death will have ripple effects through every corner of Luke Cage's world, to Luke himself to Misty Knight and the police to Cornell Stokes and Mariah Dillard.
This is the tipping point, though the heart of this season's conflict has yet to truly reveal itself. Now that Luke's place of refuge is gone and his moral compass is dead, it's exciting to imagine where he will go next. He certainly won't be forgiving Cottonmouth or Shades or Mariah any time soon, and he's got his eyes on the New Harlem Renaissance.
But Luke isn't the only wonderful hero here. If the first episode introduced viewers to Misty Knight through Luke's eyes, now we get to see her through our own. Simone Missick nailed every scene in this episode, showing Misty's ease in Harlem and her strength as a detective. The basketball court scene showed her as someone not to be under estimated.
The relationship between Cornell and Mariah also popped in the second episode of Luke Cage. The bones of their dynamic was already established: they're family, and though they need to use underhanded means to be successful, Mariah isn't very comfortable with all of Cornell's criminal dealings. Here we see some of the complexity unfold, with Mariah challenging Cornell's decision to be a gangster and him feeling like he doesn't have a different road to travel. These sentiments are brought to a head with Pop's death -- and don't you dare call him Cottonmouth.
If Cornell was grappling with which sort of criminal to be, Luke has been grappling with how to be a hero. An early scene in the episode shows Pop and Luke having a discussion about the best black heroes, and Pop pushing Luke to take advantage of his particular set of skills. Pop's final words, telling Luke to keep looking forward, are going to force our titular hero to go on his hero's journey whether he wants to or not. The real question is whether heroism will be as easy to pursue as revenge.
The Verdict
Marvel's Luke Cage shifts into high gear at the end of its second episode, moving past the dramatic build up into more interesting territory. The Netflix drama is establishing the shape of things to come, with Luke finally ready to take up his hero's mantle after tragedy struck. But being forced into heroic action isn't the same as choosing it, and it will be interesting to see how challenging Luke's journey ahead is.
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