written by Kiara Williams
SPOILER WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT
So the last episode ended with Bushmaster curb-stomping Luke Cage in the face, and I couldn’t help but feel it was kinda necessary.
You ever have a friend that does something…let’s say “unreasonable”, and you really wanna kick them in the face for their own good? Maybe get them to wake up and get their brain working again? Well, Bushmaster did it for me! Thanks, man!
Luke got his pride hurt. A lot. His Eddie Gordo-style beatdown was recorded and broadcast all over the country. (And maybe the world? We aren’t shown any perspectives outside of America, so I’ll just assume everyone else is preoccupied with the Avengers.) Even ESPN is talking about how Luke got Tekken’d into a concussion, when they were just singing his praises a couple of episodes ago. But there’s more to this episode than Bushmaster Tokyo Drifting his heel across Luke’s chin. Episode 4 is the beginning of a low point for Luke that only gets worse throughout.
From a character standpoint, I really like that Claire left Harlem offscreen. Luke doesn’t get to say goodbye beforehand, and there are questions left hanging about the nature of Claire and Luke’s relationship. It’s a natural part of life. Sometimes things aren’t cleaned up neatly, and Luke finding out that Claire left and the scene with Luke in Claire’s apartment left me with a feeling of hollowness. It’s raw, and it hurts, and it’s probably the best thing for Luke right now. The previous episode was proof enough that Luke’s anger is not good for anyone.
Meanwhile, Mariah tries to continue her plan of becoming a clean politician (oxymoron?), but Bushmaster confronts her and starts his own plan of revenge by finally revealing himself to be an enemy. We still don’t know the full story yet, but I suspect we’ll get more of that soon. Mariah’s last name is Dillard, dammit! On top of all this, Comanche is revealed to be a double agent trying to split up Mariah and Shades, which is likely why he planted the idea in Shades’ head that he was being replaced by Tilda.
Luke’s losses aren’t done yet, however. Bobby, who wants to support his sick daughter, is going across the country to give her a kidney, meaning he can’t be there to support Luke when he needs it. It’s a great thing Bobby is doing, but once again I’m left with a hollow feeling as Luke loses someone else, proximity-wise. Luke is being stripped of his family in order to see how much they mean to him, and in this war of families, it’s going to be necessary for Luke to see it.
But that’s not even the most important part of the episode. Last episode, Misty regained her strength as a one-armed person and embraced it, so she receives a message from Colleen and Danny. Basically, what I’m saying is:
BIONIC ARM BIONIC ARM BIONIC ARM BIONIC ARM.
I’m a little bit excited. Maybe. Just a bit.
Luke Cage is available now on Netflix. Kiara can be reached on Twitter @DJPrincessK and her webcomic can be found at http://www.electricrosecomic.com/.