Luke Cage: Blowin' Up the Spot
October 1, 2016 4:51 PM - Season 1, Episode 8 - Subscribe
Mariah campaigns to turn the city and the police against Luke, and not even Misty or Claire may be able to save him.
AV Club binge recap - Luke Cage rearranges its chessboard
Bailey: Karma is a cruel mistress
Misty: She does not like being a side chick. She eventually gets hers.
****
Mariah: You never really know what anyone is capable of.
*Claire gets Luke into a discreet friend's ambulance, but the shooter knocks it over with a rocket launcher, then taunts Luke with The Warriors quotes.
*Shades talks Mariah through the murder cover-up, and Misty examines the crime scene.
*Candace, club hostess, says she saw Luke at the scene, Mariah slags Luke to the press.
*Claire tries to remove the bullet, but can't cut through any of Luke's soft tissue. Ultrasound shows that the bullet exploded internally and the bits of shrapnel are digging around inside him.
*Misty interrogates Candace but can't shake her story. Inspector Ridley and Mariah were sorority sisters, and she leaves the station with a hug and without granting Misty an interview.
*Shade tells Cottonmouth's men he's in charge of the club now.
*NYPD finds bloody glove Shade planted at barber shop.
*Misty finds the clinic, from Bailey tracing her call to Luke, tries to bring him in.
*The shooter attacks again. Luke recognizes him as Willis Stryker now aka Diamondback, former childhood friend.
*Stryker grabs Misty, leaves her knocked out outside.
*Luke follows Stryker's blood trail to the movie palace he escaped to, fight ensues, but Stryker gets away.
*Misty's interrogation of Claire goes badly, Ridley invites Claire to press charges.
*Mariah pays off Candace.
*Willis reveals that he is Luke's brother, then shoots him again into a garbage truck.
AV Club binge recap - Luke Cage rearranges its chessboard
Bailey: Karma is a cruel mistress
Misty: She does not like being a side chick. She eventually gets hers.
****
Mariah: You never really know what anyone is capable of.
*Claire gets Luke into a discreet friend's ambulance, but the shooter knocks it over with a rocket launcher, then taunts Luke with The Warriors quotes.
*Shades talks Mariah through the murder cover-up, and Misty examines the crime scene.
*Candace, club hostess, says she saw Luke at the scene, Mariah slags Luke to the press.
*Claire tries to remove the bullet, but can't cut through any of Luke's soft tissue. Ultrasound shows that the bullet exploded internally and the bits of shrapnel are digging around inside him.
*Misty interrogates Candace but can't shake her story. Inspector Ridley and Mariah were sorority sisters, and she leaves the station with a hug and without granting Misty an interview.
*Shade tells Cottonmouth's men he's in charge of the club now.
*NYPD finds bloody glove Shade planted at barber shop.
*Misty finds the clinic, from Bailey tracing her call to Luke, tries to bring him in.
*The shooter attacks again. Luke recognizes him as Willis Stryker now aka Diamondback, former childhood friend.
*Stryker grabs Misty, leaves her knocked out outside.
*Luke follows Stryker's blood trail to the movie palace he escaped to, fight ensues, but Stryker gets away.
*Misty's interrogation of Claire goes badly, Ridley invites Claire to press charges.
*Mariah pays off Candace.
*Willis reveals that he is Luke's brother, then shoots him again into a garbage truck.
I keep waiting for the show to reveal what the deal is with Shades and I thought that was going to happen when he took charge of the club. Looks like we will have to wait until they get to that particular fireworks factory.
We're 8 episodes in and they're introducing Diamondback as Luke's secret brother, which I don't really like. I mean, I guess it's his backstory catching up with him which is OK. One of the themes is that you can't escape who you are, so it is fitting that a figure from Luke's past would be the one who takes him down. He's hiding for a reason, right? So, I guess it's earned and it's not out of nowhere, but it still feels a little forced.
Anyway, he does give us the line "I sent you to Hell, and you came back with super powers!"
posted by Jugwine at 7:36 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
We're 8 episodes in and they're introducing Diamondback as Luke's secret brother, which I don't really like. I mean, I guess it's his backstory catching up with him which is OK. One of the themes is that you can't escape who you are, so it is fitting that a figure from Luke's past would be the one who takes him down. He's hiding for a reason, right? So, I guess it's earned and it's not out of nowhere, but it still feels a little forced.
Anyway, he does give us the line "I sent you to Hell, and you came back with super powers!"
posted by Jugwine at 7:36 PM on October 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
Maybe it would have been too obvious, but I kept waiting for one of Cottonmouth's henchmen to try something with Shades and get completely taken apart. Maybe that will happen now since Shades has assumed more of a leadership role and Cottonmouth isn't around to vouch for him.
posted by ODiV at 9:51 PM on October 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ODiV at 9:51 PM on October 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
Diamondback is an odd addition, not crazy about him being Luke's brother. The mystery of him is fairly well done though.
And yes, what's up with Shades? It seems as though he'll take people apart if they cross, but he hasn't has to do that yet. Will he? Can he? The mind wonders!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:19 PM on October 5, 2016
And yes, what's up with Shades? It seems as though he'll take people apart if they cross, but he hasn't has to do that yet. Will he? Can he? The mind wonders!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:19 PM on October 5, 2016
Shades makes me think of this scene from the Simpsons. He hasn't done anything yet. Look at him; he's gonna do something and you know it's gonna be good!
posted by Jugwine at 7:40 PM on October 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Jugwine at 7:40 PM on October 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
When he pushed the column under the balcony to shake Diamondback out (and that has to be a Samson reference, doesn't it, considering how much scripture has worked its way into the script), I blurted out "but it has to be a listed building!", before my wife reminded me that it was New York and they probably do things differently there.
Beautiful building, though. The location work in this episode really stood out.
posted by Grangousier at 10:14 AM on October 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
Beautiful building, though. The location work in this episode really stood out.
posted by Grangousier at 10:14 AM on October 6, 2016 [3 favorites]
When he pushed the column under the balcony to shake Diamondback out (and that has to be a Samson reference, doesn't it, considering how much scripture has worked its way into the script), I blurted out "but it has to be a listed building!", before my wife reminded me that it was New York and they probably do things differently there.
The columns were CGI-ed I think, I didn't remember them being there from when I've gone to movie screenings at the UPCA (posted a bunch to IRL previously), and I don't see them in their photo gallery (can't find a way to link to specific images, but there's a good shot of the pillar-less theater if you keep clicking).
posted by oh yeah! at 11:33 AM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
The columns were CGI-ed I think, I didn't remember them being there from when I've gone to movie screenings at the UPCA (posted a bunch to IRL previously), and I don't see them in their photo gallery (can't find a way to link to specific images, but there's a good shot of the pillar-less theater if you keep clicking).
posted by oh yeah! at 11:33 AM on October 6, 2016 [2 favorites]
Am I the only one who was half convinced that Shades actually was Diamondback until you finally see him?
posted by skycrashesdown at 1:51 PM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by skycrashesdown at 1:51 PM on October 7, 2016 [5 favorites]
yep, I thought Shades was that also. Something has to be up with that guy, secret powers or something!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:08 PM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:08 PM on October 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Am I the only one who was half convinced that Shades actually was Diamondback until you finally see him?
You're not!
I really love Shades. I kinda hope there's nothing actually going on with him and it turns out that he's really just a normal gangster dude who's seen so much shit that nothing fazes him. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be Diamondback's boss or a Head of Hydra or something like that. Or he's secretly an Inhuman (or does ABC own that word?) and his Inhuman power is to be 10,000% chill at all times.
Following up on my colour theory stuff that I've been guessing at, it became obvious during the prison flashback that blue is the colour of The Law. Fittingly enough, the police station's door frames are trimmed with it. But I also noticed that this episode has Misty wearing a lot more blue than in previous episodes -- which is odd, because this episode and the last were about her being let down by The System. It's especially noticeable when she wears a midnight blue sweater while interrogating Claire. Maybe that's her trying a little too desperately to cling to The System before she loses faith entirely.
(I'm still not 100% sure what's going on with the green. But it seems to be associated with stuff happening under-the-table. The clinic in this episode was green.)
posted by tobascodagama at 7:33 PM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
You're not!
I really love Shades. I kinda hope there's nothing actually going on with him and it turns out that he's really just a normal gangster dude who's seen so much shit that nothing fazes him. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be Diamondback's boss or a Head of Hydra or something like that. Or he's secretly an Inhuman (or does ABC own that word?) and his Inhuman power is to be 10,000% chill at all times.
Following up on my colour theory stuff that I've been guessing at, it became obvious during the prison flashback that blue is the colour of The Law. Fittingly enough, the police station's door frames are trimmed with it. But I also noticed that this episode has Misty wearing a lot more blue than in previous episodes -- which is odd, because this episode and the last were about her being let down by The System. It's especially noticeable when she wears a midnight blue sweater while interrogating Claire. Maybe that's her trying a little too desperately to cling to The System before she loses faith entirely.
(I'm still not 100% sure what's going on with the green. But it seems to be associated with stuff happening under-the-table. The clinic in this episode was green.)
posted by tobascodagama at 7:33 PM on October 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
Also, for a stone-cold killer, Diamondback is a terrible shot. (Yeah, yeah, he's probably just toying with Luke. But haven't we established that those bullets are expensive as Hell?)
posted by tobascodagama at 7:37 PM on October 10, 2016
posted by tobascodagama at 7:37 PM on October 10, 2016
For someone who was supposed to be an amazing prison fighter before he got superpowers, Luke sure let Diamondback get a stupid number of hits on his his only weak spot. He kept raising his hands to block blows that can't hurt him opening up the one place he can be hurt.
posted by straight at 12:50 AM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by straight at 12:50 AM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
And damn, Claire might be the coolest, most centered innocent interrogee I've ever seen.
posted by straight at 12:52 AM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by straight at 12:52 AM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]
And damn, Claire might be the coolest, most centered innocent interrogee I've ever seen.
I loved that. And I loved how the questionings are so not "Law and Order," in that the police are pretty much NOT getting what they want and the question-ees know their damn rights and aren't terrified of being at the precinct.
posted by desuetude at 10:15 PM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
I loved that. And I loved how the questionings are so not "Law and Order," in that the police are pretty much NOT getting what they want and the question-ees know their damn rights and aren't terrified of being at the precinct.
posted by desuetude at 10:15 PM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, that brother who framed him thing sure came out of nowhere!
So much for the alibi of "I was shot at the time," I guess.
Claire continues to be awesome. Is Luke just gonna cough up bullet bits, though?
I continue to be amused at the snake references and keep wondering when the rest of the crew from Kill Bill will show up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:18 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
So much for the alibi of "I was shot at the time," I guess.
Claire continues to be awesome. Is Luke just gonna cough up bullet bits, though?
I continue to be amused at the snake references and keep wondering when the rest of the crew from Kill Bill will show up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:18 PM on February 5, 2017 [1 favorite]
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First we had a scene with Misty and the (lying) witness Candice where the power dynamics were about Misty trying to win the truth from the younger, lying, pressured female witness who didn't back down in the face of pressure, followed by a scene where Misty became the weaker player with Mariah and Priscilla and also didn't back down. And then for bonus points a third scene kicked in with Rosaria Dawson.
I like this show!
posted by roolya_boolya at 5:10 PM on October 1, 2016 [1 favorite]