What I’m Watching: Luke Cage

Luke Cage: Season 1, Episode 6 “Suckas Need Bodyguards” (B+)

I’ve commented to many with whom I’ve discussed this show that it doesn’t compare to “Jessica Jones,” and therefore it was a nice surprise to hear Rachael Taylor’s voice in the “Trish Talk” radio segment that opened the episode, talking about whether Luke is good or bad for Harlem. What this episode did that was even more exciting was it totally reframed one of the characters and sent the show in a new direction based on that. Scarfe demanding more money from Cottonmouth turned into an unexpectedly violent situation, and the fact that he left him out there was a surprise. Scarfe showing up at Luke’s was totally unpredictable, and of course he’d have Claire there with him, who seems to show up whenever anyone needs medical attention, especially those in the process of breaking the law. Readily admitting to his murderous actions helped him become a much more sympathetic character, and by the time he bled out in Misty’s arms, he was framed as not so bad a guy compared to the rest of them. Kudos to Misty for faking a phone call with Scarfe to get out of a precarious situation and catch another turncoat cop, and it’s a shame that the justice system in Harlem doesn’t work as well as it should to keep Cottonmouth behind bars. Mariah got ambushed in her interview with a personal probe, and finding out that Cottonmouth had been arrested just dug the knife deeper. I suspect that reporter and her whole team are going down. Luke protecting Misty and Scarfe with his body and then ramming himself into the car was cool, and it’s easy to get behind this particular superhero.