Welcome to back to our review of Luke Cage Season 2. We’re up to episode four, “I Get Physical,” wherein Luke has a really bad day, Comanche’s day isn’t much better, and Bushmaster rocks Harlem.
1. Harlem’s Hero burns Luke again.
Bushmaster knocked Luke out, and the video went viral. Viral enough that ESPN featured it on First Take. Of course, the video wouldn’t exist if D.W. hadn’t found Luke using the Harlem’s Hero App.
I knew the app would cause trouble for Luke, but I thought it would be in a slightly different situation. Still, using it to get D.W. where he needed to be was clever. I hope we haven’t seen the last of the app, and I still think that whoever created the app is a story too.
2. Bushmaster is another great villain.
After “smacking the taste out of Luke’s mouth,” Bushmaster, when asked who he was said, “The stone the builders refused.”
This response is a reference to Bob Marley’s “Cornerstone:”
The stone that the builder refuse
Will always be the head cornerstone-a sing it brother
The stone that the builder refuse
Will always be the head cornerstone
It’s a song about rejection that Marley wrote after he was turned away by his father’s family. It fits very nicely into Bushmaster’s backstory and his belief that Harlem is his birthright.
Bushmaster has worn his motivation on his sleeve his first appearance, but he’s still somewhat enigmatic. He told Luke that Harlem was his yard, but when it was time to tell the rest of the world who he is, he replied with a reference to an obscure Wailer’s song.
This quote, and Gideon Shaw’s telling of the story of the “the man on top of the hill,” work together to both fill out some of a Bushmaster’s and somehow make him more enigmatic at the same time. He’s not quite N’Jadaka yet, but Bushmaster is turning into an excellent villain.
3. Double Agent Comanche.
The investigation into Scarfe led to the release of a bunch of criminals. It’s also made it easier to stick an informant into Shades’ crew. Ridenhour was able to put Comanche back into Mariah’s organization under cover of a tainted charge.
But it looks like Comanche is headed for trouble, which is a shame because I like both the character and the actor that plays him more than I like anything about Shades.
Shades dislike of Mariah’s plans has been interesting, but other than ruining the deal with Arturo he’s had no agency at all. His primary purpose has been to sit around and gasp his objections to selling the Paradise. (Honestly, whenever Shades sounds angry, I want to loan him my inhaler.)
Comanche is a much better character. He’s called it like it is many times and gotten nothing but crap in return. Honestly, I’d like to see him smack the taste out of Shades’ mouth.
4. Don’t forget your bag.
Luke needs a place to stay. Misty didn’t just refuse to let him stay at her place, she gave him a “Hell no” and laughed. I was relieved because I was worried that they were going to fall into each other’s arms as soon as Claire was gone, and even saw her referred to as Luke’s “love interest” by another reviewer.
Part of my thinking is, yes; I want to see the Luke/Jessica Jones relationship revived in the show. But another reason that I don’t want to see Luke and Misty together is it’s too easy. It would be lazy writing and this show is better than that.
5. Et Tu, Bobby?
While seeing Claire leave was almost a relief, seeing Bobby go hurts. He’s become a father figure for Luke, and this leaves Luke a bit rudderless while things have suddenly become complicated for him.
But it’s good writing. Make your characters suffer.
It was also a well-written scene. While Luke is looking in the mirror, wondering how he’ll cope without his friend and mentor, Bobby says:
“She called me her hero. Me! I ain’t gonna front; I lost it. You must feel like that every day.”
A shot right to the gut.
Continued belowI hope Bobby comes back. He became one of my favorite characters in that scene.
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That covers “I Get Physical.” What are your thoughts? What do you think of Bushmaster? Do you think the Harlem’s Hero App will end up being a bigger factor as the season goes on? Let us know in the comments.
