Taking place after the events of Jessica Jones, the series focuses on the life of Luke Cage (Mike Coulter); wrongfully incarcerated, he participated in a risky prison experiment that imbued him with superhuman strength and bulletproof skin. After making his escape, Cage finds himself laying low in a Harlem barbershop owned by Henry "Pop" Hunter (Frankie Faison). After the criminal activity of local nightclub owner Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Mahershala Ali) begins to take its toll on Cage's neighborhood, he's forced to step out of the shadows and become a bonafide hero. Noble as his deeds are, Luke's actions have consequences; though he may be bulletproof, the same can't be said of the people caught in the crossfire.
The performances here are for the most part strong, despite dialog that tends to fluctuate from "powerful and engaging" to "trying a bit too hard for its own good". Coulter does a fine job as Luke, though his range occasionally leaves a bit to be desired. He can command attention like no one else when a scene requires him to be angry or passionate, but its when he needs to be more subtle and reserved that his performance lacks a certain energy compared to his supporting cast. Frankie Faison is sure to be a fan-favorite as Pop, and Simone Missick manages to be both flawed and endearing as Detective Misty Knight. Rosario Dawson returns again as Claire Temple, fulfilling her role as the unifying thread that ties each Netflix series together. Her role here is more prominent than ever before, easily a point in the show's favor considering how soundly Dawson manages to sell it every time.
As is usual for Marvel's entries on Netflix, however, the heroes tend to pale in comparison to the villains. Mahershala Ali is a dynamo as Cottonmouth, playing the classic role of "despicably likeable gangster" to a T. Despite all the awful things this character does, you can't ever really bring yourself to totally hate him; he's just too endearing. Playing the part of his cousin/partner-in-crime, we have Alfre Woodard as "Black" Mariah Dillard, a local politician who hopes to use the racial divide of Harlem to deflect attention from her own criminal activities. She's a thoroughly modern, painfully relevant villain, and watching her slowly transition from crooked civil servant to full-on crime boss was definitely one of the highlights of this season. Both Cottonmouth and Dillard manage to be layered, sympathetic, and despicable; all the marks of a truly great villain.
The only antagonistic element I wasn't totally sold on was Willis "Diamondback" Stryker, played by Erik LaRey Harvey. While Harvey's performance commands attention whenever he's on screen, I felt as though not enough thought went into this character. He's built up for the first few episodes, then introduced practically out of the blue. He feels somewhat vestigial, compared to Ali and Woodard, as if the only reason he was introduced was so Luke could be faced with a more obvious physical threat to go up against. There's definitely a lot of potential with this character, but I can't help but feel that he should have either been introduced earlier or not at all, as what we have currently is somewhat half-baked in execution.
It's a prime example of what's becoming a recurring symptom of Marvel's Netflix shows; with the exception of Daredevil's first season, every one of these series is met with a mid-season slump. Roughly halfway through the thirteen episodes we're given, something abruptly changes the status quo and the entire season is left feeling somewhat stunted, as if it is two short seasons being passed off as one full-length arc. Both Jessica Jones and the second season of Daredevil are guilty of this, and Luke Cage is no exception. While I still enjoyed all of these shows overall, this trope tends to make the entire thing feel poorly thought-out in hindsight; it may just be a side-effect of marathoning the entire show in one sitting (rather than watching an episode a week, as though it were airing on network television), but it's still a wrinkle I would like to see ironed out as these shows continue on (especially with The Defenders just over the horizon).
Arguably the show's strongest feature, however, is the atmosphere. This is a series that is able to immediately distinguish itself from the rest of the MCU, as well as the rest of Marvel's Netflix series. The vast bulk of the story takes place in Harlem, and Luke Cage positively revels in the culture. Everything from the sets to the struggles to the dynamite soundtrack helps sell the setting, making this the most believable, down-to-earth thing to come out of the MCU. The only thing I can fault it for is an immersion-shattering scene in the latter half of the season involving Method Man. When your protagonist is a bulletproof black man in a hoodie, some social commentary is inevitable (if not openly expected). The show handles this touchy subject matter very well, with the exception of this one scene; it's the only thing that feels as though it was added in reshoots, coming right out of nowhere and interrupting the tense flow of the episode. This very well may be a personal gripe, but it completely took me out of the episode like a GI Joe PSA about avoiding downed power lines. It's the one smudge on the show's otherwise sterling sense of tone and immersion.
All things considered, I honestly really enjoyed my time with Luke Cage. While many seem to be dissatisfied with the ending, I felt as though it kept the tension and excitement going until the last second, leaving me genuinely engaged and eagerly awaiting Season 2. The argument could be made that a lot of the MCU is somewhat homogeneous in terms of theme and story; with that said, Luke Cage manages to be totally original and unique in its own right. Despite some hiccups here and there in terms of story and pacing, the show's strong tone and endearing characters more than make up for any issues I have with it. Whether you're a Marvel fanatic or someone who's starting to get burned out on the whole superhero thing, it's hard not to recommend Luke Cage.
