What I’m Watching: Luke Cage

Luke Cage: Season 1, Episode 7 “Manifest” (B+)

When I watch these streaming shows that are meant to be binged, I sometimes lose track of where I am during the season and forget that I’m far enough in that major developments, like main characters dying, are totally plausible. At the end of the previous episode, Cottonmouth got arrested and immediately managed to get himself freed and safe from any potential imprisonment. Calling Luke for a parlay seemed like it wasn’t going to end totally peacefully, but I didn’t expect that this would be the last we saw of Cottonmouth, especially considering the flashbacks to his past as an up-and-coming musician that were prevalent throughout this episode. It was interesting to see how Cottonmouth became the man he is due to the furious maternal influence in his life, and how Mariah went in a different and less criminal direction. Yet the tables were turned in this episode when Mariah went ballistic following her political downfall and some egging on from Shades, and now we have a situation where Luke is less in danger of being found out for his prison past but likely to be headed back there now that he’s been framed for murder by a conniving Shades, who’s helping a hysterical Mariah. Claire managed to convince Luke not to run, but that may have been the best option for him considering what he’s now going to have to face. What he has to do is come clean with Misty and figure out a way to show that he’s the good guy in all of this and that he can help her clean up Harlem.