What I’m Watching: Luke Cage

Luke Cage: Season 2, Episode 2 “Straighten It Out” (B+)

I watched the season premiere about a month ago and am now committing to picking this show back up, just as it was announced that it won’t be returning for a third season, which is a shame. I know that “Iron Fist” has premiered and even been cancelled during that time, which makes sense given its terrible quality, and “Daredevil” just returned. Truth be told, I’ve always found this show to be the second-best of the four after “Jessica Jones,” and it seems to hold up as I’m starting to get back into it now. The notion of Luke as a folk hero who’s testing his indestructibility with celebrity sports stars is fun, and I like that Bobby is negotiating his deal with Nike as his manager. Stepping in to save a kid and his mother from an abusive father was noble, but Luke has to be more aware of the fact that there are those Judas Bullets out there and that he can’t dare everyone to shoot him without occasionally getting hit with something that’s going to land. Claire trying to encourage him to be more careful and to give his father a chance didn’t go over well, and instead, we’re getting a surprise reunion between Mariah and her daughter, whose arrival did not please Shades at all. Shooting Arturo in the head before he got the money because he insulted Mariah wasn’t smart, and there are far too many new players in town for him to be killing those who are actually on his side. I had forgotten about Misty’s crime scene reconstruction skills, which are pretty cool, and hopefully she’ll be able to get back on the force full-time so she doesn’t have to butt her way in to every investigation.