Is this the end? Not quite.
Full spoilers for Marvel's Luke Cage continue below.
Luke Cage set out to arrest Cottonmouth, and he did exactly that less than halfway through Season 1. When we entered this season, it seemed like Cornell Stokes would be Luke's primary antagonist, even with the breadcrumbs scattered about Diamondback. But he's been so consistently ineffective, it seems like he must just be an opening act for whoever the real threat to Harlem is going to be. (RIP, Scarfe.) Will it be Diamondback? Or could it be that Mariah is going to finally step from the shadows and continue Mama Mabel's legacy?
Though she's been delivering a fantastic performance all season, this was Alfre Woodard's standout episode. Everything else felt like set up for seeing the multi-faceted and angry person trying to do right by Harlem. That's what's most compelling about her; she really does want to do right by her town, but by any means necessary. She is the hero of her story, and people like the reporter trying to pull back the curtain on her criminal inclinations are the villains. Because of that she'll fight tooth and nail to get what's hers, and now her reputation is in tatters she's ready to fight dirty.
Marvel's Luke Cage has done a great job folding in the events of the other Netflix shows and the larger MCU, and this episode underlines in. We open with a Trish Talk (!!!) voiceover, using Trish Walker to offer some insight into how New York City as a whole is viewing Luke's exploits. Claire Temple's interactions with Luke in Marvel's Jessica Jones are a key jumping off point for their relationship here and going forward. The parallels between Cottonmouth and Wilson Fisk prove to be a major problem for Misty Knight and the Harlem police department. This is larger world building done well, showing how each standalone series can enrich the other as we explore the street-level heroes.
And Luke Cage defines that terminology well. He's never afraid to go to a coffee shop, or walk the streets of Harlem, or do anything that a normal person would do. Part of that ties back to his ongoing identity crisis where he doesn't consider himself special -- something that's getting a little old, six episodes into his standalone superhero series -- but it is striking. Matt Murdock isn't out as Daredevil, so he still walks the street as a different person. Jessica Jones never broadcast her superhero abilities. But Harlem knows Luke Cage is the bulletproof man, and he doesn't set himself apart from the people he protects. It's an interesting dynamic, and one that feels fresh considering how many superhero projects are in the mix.
While this episode had some really great action set pieces, it was the scene where Mariah and Luke stood on the street in a rare unmonitored moment and Luke essentially said "I'm going to stop you" that stood out in "Suckas Need Bodyguards." As Cottonmouth became more and more neutered and one dimensional in each episode, Mariah has become a more interesting threat. Neither side is hiding from one another. And Mariah is probably more likely to find a way to debilitate and eventually kill Luke than her cousin is; poison and drowning seem like likelier options than expensive and rare explosive bullets.
Regardless, now with Cottonmouth behind bars and Mariah's reputation ruined, this feels like an oddly clean capstone on this part of Luke's story. Cliffhangers do enhance the binge-watching experience, making you want to click on to the next episode because you just can't wait to happen next, so I'm curious why showrunner Cheo Coker chose to wrap this up so succinctly when we're only on episode 6. Yes, there's Misty trying to change the perception of the police department and yes, there's an angry, vengeful Mariah to contend with, but Luke saying, "Cool, think I'm done here" doesn't exactly beg you to immediately click on to find out what happens next. Fortunately we're all going to do exactly that anyway, so here's to discovering what episode 7 has in store.
The Verdict
"Suckas Need Bodyguards" was a great episode of Marvel's Luke Cage, but the fact that it left few narrative ties to keep the story pushing forward did diminish the momentum the show's built up so far this season. Cottonmouth is defeated, Mariah's reputation is ruined, Scarfe is dead and the dirty side of the police department has been outed. Now Luke is looking to find some new ground to figure out whether he is special or not (spoiler, Luke: you are) and Claire is still trying to convince him to let her help him. Knowing there are seven more episodes to go this season is the biggest incentive to keep us plunging on ahead.
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