Luke Cage

I binge watched Luke Cage a few weeks ago. Specifically, over the weekend it came out. I've taken some time to start writing this because I wanted to let it sit with me for a little while. I didn't want to go with my instant reaction on this show. NOW, I'm ready to talk.

Luke Cage is a fantastic show. Don't take this the wrong way when I say this, but it is an unapologetic black show. By this I mean, the vast majority of the cast is black and the dialogue feels authentic.

Even in this day and age, this show is a huge risk in my opinion. We're living in 2016 and the idea of a prominent black cast outside of a show on BET is such a foreign concept. I applaud Marvel for not only taking this risk, but letting the show be what it is. I also want to point out that it was written and produced by a man of color, Cheo Hodari Coker.

Before I get into the wonderful cast, I want to start by going over some of the little things they did that I truly appreciate. First of all, like the other marvel shows, they feature the primary color that the character is known for. In Jessica Jones, purple was everywhere. In Daredevil, red was prominently featured. For Luke Cage, it's the color yellow. You see this in subtle details, like street lights, desk lights and the accent color in Luke's hoodie. He even dons his iconic yellow shirt for a scene.

Then there is the soundtrack of this show. To me, it had the funk vibe you would get from 70's era blaxploitation movies, an homage to the beginning of the Luke Cage character. It also incorporated hip hop. To take it another step further, there were a cross section of well known black musicians, auditioning within the show at Cottonmouth's club. This aspect made me reminiscence for the days of the tv show, "New York Undercover", where popular music acts would appear every week.

The mark of a good show is the scenery. This show made Harlem it's own character and showcased its history. I know some may think that sometimes it was a little too overt, but I think this needed to happen. I like that this show and all the other Marvel netflix shows exist in their own ecosystem.

For those that also think that this show is "ripped from the headlines" in the topics it covers, keep in mind that this was filmed months ago. I think it speaks volumes that this show is still topical because the kind of issues that are raised here keep happening and have been happening for years. This show goes out of it's way to make a black man in a hoodie a powerful, positive symbol. I applaud this.

Let me go into the actors before I finish up with what I actually thought about the story. Mike Coulter is as cool as the other side of the pillow as Luke Cage. I like that he's older and is played as such. We don't need to see a young, twenty something, brash Luke cage running around. This was perfect casting. I can't remember if I have said this before, but I have a crush on Rosario Dawson. Her inclusion in this show was perfect and felt natural. Building off their first meeting in Jessica Jones, it makes sense she would show up here. Also, they referenced events in Daredevil, to make sure these shows stay connected. She is one of a number of strong, leading ladies in this show.

Simone Missick is great as Misty Knight. Like Cage, she is age appropriate and I am glad they didn't go for some young, twenty-something. It would not have had the same effect. I want to round out and say that Alfre Woodard was a perfect, slimy politician. She had layers, just like all the other characters. Another reason I like this show.

Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth was a wonderful villain. I know I keep repeating myself, but he also had layers. The best villains are those that don't see themselves as the bad guy. He and Woodard's character have that to a T.

Not to give anything away, but Diamondback was a lot of fun.. He was a force of nature that I think helped give an air of uncertainty to the show. You didn't know what he was going to do next. I just could have done without the goofy costume he gets later.

Finally, the story itself. What I like about these Netflix shows is that they are self contained and small in scale. They are not about world threatening events. They are deeply personal battles with the characters. I honestly wish the movies could start to reflect this, but I understand they need to be bombastic to make billions of dollars. That's just a personal wish that will never come to pass.

I thought it was a weird choice to make Cage originally from Georgia and not Harlem like he is supposed to be. To me, his affection for Harlem is not as genuine as it could be. Sure he lived there now, but he's not FROM there. So when everyone talks about him as one of their own, it doesn't ring true. I let it slide because I know what it's supposed to be. The Netflix shows do seem to fall into a patter where the halfway point is where the hero is taken out of their normal environment for a few eps to deal with something big from the first half. Also, I really don't need a scientific explanation of Luke's powers. I hated they did that with Killgrave in Jessica Jones. We're watching a comic book show, so there is already a suspension of belief. I think you make it even worse trying to explain it. Just let it be. We saw what happened when George Lucas explained what the force really was.

Alright nerds. Join me in repressing this memory back down to the deepest, darkest depths. I'm sorry for bringing it up.

Since I've already talked long enough about this, let me bring this to a close. There were a couple of easter eggs in this show that made me gasp. At the end, Misty Knight is seen wearing a fro and a specific red outfit. The one from the comics! Yes, I gasped. They also show Claire pick up an ad for martial arts training from... Colleen Wing! Again, this is a deep cut reference to the comic books and I loved it! She forms a team with Misty Knight. I hope she shows up in Iron Fist! I made a brief reference to it earlier, but he puts on his goofy custom from the 70's in a brief scene. Let's not forget that he also says, "Sweet Christmas" a lot and it doesn't feel goofy. I think Mike Coulter make's it okay.

If I had to rank this on the Netflix shows, it would probably be 1B to the first season of Daredevil being 1A. I think the impact is greater because we get a hero of color that is well represented. I don't feel embarrassed by this show and I gladly recommend it to anyone else.