Luke Cage Recap: Episodes 1 & 2

The wait is finally over – season two of Marvel’s Luke Cage can now be streamed in full on Netflix. Does the premiere live up to the hype?

Spoilers for The Defenders and season one of Luke Cage.

Netflix released Luke Cage‘s second season on June 22, sending Marvel fans everywhere into the nearest burrow for a weekend of binge-watching. And for good reason: Luke Cage has turned into one of Marvel’s true must-see Netflix properties, both with the major acclaim for its first season and the nerve it’s hit at our pop-culture moment. More than just a superhero entry, Luke’s journey to clean up Harlem speaks to a broader moment in black American history. And with the highly anticipated ‘Heroes for Hire’ team-up with Iron Fist, we’re stuck to our screens ourselves.

But enough with the hype – do the first two episodes live up to the expectations?

Absolutely. So where does the season find Harlem’s favorite Defender?

Luke has a few demons coming out of the closet

The first two episodes form a perfect whole when getting back into Luke’s head. After getting outta prison in The Defenders, Luke’s a free man and enjoying the attention from a borough full of adoring fans.

But there can’t be a new season without trouble on the horizon, and Luke’s growing ego makes him take increasingly reckless decisions. A new app tracks hero sightings around town and Luke plays into the social media spotlight, calling out his enemies to take him head-on while trying to track down drugs that appropriate his brand.

As always, he’s trying to find a way to put councilwoman Mariah Dillard (and her lover-in-crime Shades) behind bars, and the first two episodes find him following up on leads. In his off-hours, he spends as much time with Claire Temple as possible, and the season starts strong with getting deeper into their connection and the tensions beneath the surface.

Marvel’s Luke Cage David Lee/Netflix /

A lot of said tension involves Luke’s perceived invulnerability: last season’s Judas bullet, formerly the only thing that could hurt him, proved harmless in an early sequence. But his enemies are trying to find more creative ways to wound him, and Claire keeps trying to warn him against hubris. Luke doesn’t quite seem ready yet to listen to reason, and this is only complicated when his father walks back into town.

Misty deals with her new life

After having her arm cut off in the finale of last year’s The Defenders, Misty Knight struggles to find herself again in her own eyes and those of her fellow detectives. The first episode spends quite some time getting into her mind. There’s never a drink far from her remaining hand, and she bristles when people express pity.

So what does a badass detective do when she’s on the down and out? Get back to work. Following up on the same leads Luke has on Mariah, Misty bumps horns with old colleagues trying to get back on her old beat. With her boss coming down hard on Luke’s vigilante ways and an old classmate moving in on her office turf, Misty takes no bull in her search for recovery and justice.

Mariah looks for an out

While Mariah Dillard is the reigning queen of Harlem, sitting pretty on top of the gun market and iconic nightclub Harlem’s Paradise, she’s got her hands full keeping a grip on herself. She feels guilt over killing her brother Cornell in season one and is looking to sell off her stakes in the weapons trade so she and Shades can have enough money to go clean for good.

But even on the rocks herself (to say nothing of her morning drinks), she still shows up in style to put a thorn in Luke’s side. Even though he’s onto her plan to get off clean, he can’t prove anything just yet and she continues to evade the law.

Marvel’s Luke Cage David Lee/Netflix /

In an effort to improve her image and take control of her life again, she finds herself making advances to reconcile with her daughter Tilda. They’ve been estranged for some time, and when Mariah walks into her shop Tilda knows there’s always a string or two attached. This doesn’t stop Tilda from wanting to give her mother another chance, and the two bond on the balcony at Harlem’s Paradise and in Tilda’s holistic medicine shop.

But soon Tilda finds herself a very disturbing customer.

Bushmaster is on the loose

Nailing down a compelling villain has always been a trait that’s set the Netflix Marvelverse apart from the movies: while one-off baddies on the big screen fail to leave an impression, the adversaries facing the various Defenders are often as compelling as the heroes themselves. So Bushmaster, the new man in town, has a lot to live up to.

While he makes quite the physical impression, there isn’t a lot until the second episode to really flesh Bushmaster out. Coming from Jamaica and with a bone to pick with Mariah, Bushmaster sees Harlem as his birthright and slowly starts closing in from the east side of the river. To make things worse, it seems he’s got a healing capacity that lets him take a bullet much like Luke does.

But in order to fully heal, he needs a special set of herbs that only Tilda can sell, setting up a collision course that’s bound to explode in the following episodes.

Next: Does Luke Cage need more Jessica Jones? Absolutely.

What were your thoughts on Luke Cage’s latest premiere? Sound off in the comments below!

Luke Cage season 2 is available to stream in full on Netflix.

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