The Netflix corner of the MCU is gone from strength to strength in its most recent efforts. Yeah, The Punisher left me feeling a bit disappointed, but only because of its aloofness to the other MarvelNet offerings, while The Defenders and the second season of Jessica Jones have been solid. Jeph Loeb and company seem to be content to run a gauntlet between serious cable drama and comic book fan service, and Luke Cage S2 delivers on both accounts.
Mike Colter continues to be the bedrock of the series as bulletproof brother Luke Cage, defender of Harlem, but even that foundation can be allowed to show cracks. Luke's doubts about how to make a difference while protecting those he loves, and his complicated relationship with his father give him a much needed vulnerability.
His father is played by the late, great Reg E. Cathey, who you might remember as councilman Carcetti's advisor on The Wire. His smooth baritone coupled with his preacher's conviction make him a delight to listen to, and compelling even when he is wrong.
On the villainous side of things, Black Mariah (Alfre Woodard) and her right hand man and paramour Shades Alvarez (Theo Rossi) are looking to finance a quick transition to legitimacy by selling the arms business which has underpinned her family's criminal empire for decades. This leaves the door open for Jamaican yardie John 'Bushmaster' McIver, played to chilling effect by Mustafa Shakir, to settle his own familial score. And what role will Mariah's estranged daughter, Tilda (Gabrielle Dennis), play in the settling of his inherited score?
You could be forgiven for thinking season 2 was taking a turn into soap opera, or at least telenovela territory, but none of the connections feel contrived (well, not too contrived anyhow), characters behave in a manner consistent with their goals and previous behaviours, even when this plays out in unpredictable ways, and the theme of family is always there to tie things together.
Best of all, the pacing feels much tighter this time around, thanks to Luke not spending three episodes gutshot this time around. I still think all the Marvel/Netflix shows would benefit from ten episode seasons, however.
Showrunner Cheo Hodari Choker and his staff have found ways to portray the modern black experience without ever having to get up on a soapbox to do it. The soundtrack, another assortment of black talent, is still one of the best thing in the show, although nothing stood out to me this time the way that Charles Bradley or Bulletproof Love did last time around. The use of reggae as a Jamaican counterpoint to the jazz/blues sound of Harlem's Paradise works tremendously well, especially The Upsetters "Chase the Devil" ("I'm gonna put on a iron shirt/ and chase Satan from the Eart'").
Despite the seriousness going around though, they still find a few ways to keep it light and remind people that Luke Cage comes from the comics. D.W. Griffith for instance, has transformed from the white kid running his uncle's theater in Harlem and renting a room to Luke Cage to the streetwise video huckster now trying to turn a profit by merchandising Harlem's hero (I may have to go to the Edmonton Expo in September just to track down an "official" 'Sweet Xmas' hoodie...)
Misty Knight (Simone Missick) starts the season short an arm (c'mon Man, The Defenders was almost a year ago now!), but with just as much indomitability as last season. Her too brief team-up with Iron Fist's Colleen Wing made a lot of us comic nerds salivate for a Daughters of the Dragon series, or maybe a one-shot Netflix movie. More importantly though, Misty finally gets one of her signature features from the comic: a bionic arm.
Effects-wise, they have kept it on the cheap, which is understandable, but distinct, which is appreciated. It would be all to easy to put her in long sleeves and throw a flesh-coloured glove on it and play things as status quo, but having it attract stares and comments or cause collateral damage on the rare occasions where she loses control is a better play, especially in the long term.
Best of all though, the rehabilitation of Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist (Finn Jones) continues apace, building on the goodwill earned during The Defenders. New Danny is far more relaxed, way less uptight, more...at peace with himself, and wishing the same for his friend Luke. Sadly, Jones is not any more convincing a fighter yet, but if they go the dancer's route like they did with David Carradine in Kung Fu, I will be content.
Critically, however,, the whininess and petulance that was so unbecoming of Iron Fist seems to have been put aside, and he's gotten his zen on a little bit, which feels closer to the truth of the character, at least for me. With a new showrunner on the second season for that show, I find myself drifting towards guarded optimism.
Like Jessica Jones S2, Luke Cage is not afraid to play rough with its toys, changing relationships and ending lives in a way that feels unexpected in the source material, but plays very well in deluxe television. The streets get grittier and grimier, and all the while, you wonder when Luke might just have to buckle. By the end of the 13th episode, the pieces have all be rearranged, the status quo has been almost completely upturned, and we are left hungering for the next installment of tv's best superpowered soul food.
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