Viewer Log: Luke Cage ep 12

So, last time, Diamondback goes on the run, Shades is arrested, and Luke surrenders to the police. For a moment, thing’s look like they’re about to wrap up. But, we still have another episode after this one, so it’s about to hit the fan again. While they’re covering Luke in completely useless chains, Misty walks over and they chat for a minute. Now, unless you’re an idiot, (cough) TV cops (cough), you can tell that they’re speaking in code. It basically can be summed up as Misty encouraging Luke to bust out before being taken to the police station. Which he does, because, again, chains are useless. He gives the majority of cops the slip, except for the overweight veteran cop that had been part of his detail. Said cop, realizing that Luke is ultimately a force for good, and encourages Luke to run and stop the villainous Diamondback.

Brothers are about to collide. 

With the bad guys, Diamondback is prepping for his Cain moment. He makes his new #2 Zip prep for this, which includes getting Shades’ bail paid. When Zip implies that it’s stupid to waste time on Diamondback’s previous #2, ol’ Willis chokes out the young man to remind him of his place. After sending Zip off, he opens a case and marvels at his “Sin of Wrath” that he’s about to unleash. With the other bad guys, Domingo and his crew decide they have enough, and plan to raid Diamondback’s warehouse and take over as Harlem’s new big big bad. With the other other bad guy, the cops prep to interrogate Shades. When Inspector Pricilla, Misty’s boss, actually talks with him, Shades’ new favorite word is Lawyer. He’s a tough egg to crack. With the other other other bad guy, Mariah, she freaks out pretty hard to see Harlem’s Paradise in shambles. She views it as Mama Mabel’s, and also Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, legacy. Her chief of security points out that the building is just that, a building. He encourages her to remake Harlem’s Paradise and make it her own legacy.

With Luke, he’s on the run but still stepping in to help folks. He stops a convenience store robbery, saving the owner and, for some reason, Method Man. From the Wu-Tang clan. No, there is no real explanation of why he’s there. Method Man and Luke swap hoodies, and the hero heads out. With Misty, the Waitress reveals what actually happened at Harlem’s Paradise on the night of Cottonmouth’s death. Misty uses her “Misty Vision” to visualize what actually happened, and then puts Waitress into her protective custody. Method Man goes on the radio, praising Luke as a hero, and reveals that a good chunk of Harlem’s populace are wearing “Holie” Hoodies to show solidarity with the hero with unbreakable skin.

At the Barber Shop, Bobby Fish is playing solo chess when the cops show up, looking for Luke. Bobby, of course, insists that Luke isn’t there and shoos them out. Just in time for Luke to sneak in the backway. The two spend a few minutes figuring out their next move. Their plan? Grab a known local lowlife, throw him in a dumpster and squeeze the information out of them. It’s effective. Meanwhile, Shades is sprung by Zip and taken to an abandoned building. Zip plans to murder Shades on Diamondback’s order, but Shades’ isn’t having it. He murders the guards, and then finally Zip, after asking the ghost of Zip’s father for forgiveness. He steals back his shades and escapes.

Domingo and co attack Diamondback’s warehouse. They have a major shootout, but Diamondback is able to get to his case and throws on his secret weapon. Shades goes to Mariah, offers her the lamp that she used to murder Cottonmouth as a peace offering. They plan the obvious strategy, to throw Luke at Diamondback, and to offer Luke his Seagate file to incentivize him.

Bet Luke is really looking forward to having a normal day, again.

Luke finds Diamondback’s warehouse, but finds a ton of dead bodies instead of his half-brother. He finds a barely living Domingo, who uses his vague dying words to let Luke know Diamondback has a personal weapon of mass destruction. Luke also finds a bomb that Diamondback left to destroy the evidence. He escapes the blasts, and returns to the Barbershop to rethink things. Then all sorts of things happen at one. Mariah and Shades’ arrive with their peace offering/bribes, a grenade is tossed through the door, and then Diamondback comes in wearing a brand new powersuit. The end is nigh.

Here’s the penultimate episode of season one. They seem to be doing their best to tie off a few loose ends. Zip’s little mini-arc about being a thug trying to move up to #1 thug, ends with a bang. Pretty much the only way it could end, really. Mariah and Shades working together is something that they’ve been foreshadowing for a while. Given that Shades’ is pretty much the ultimate opportunist, this was about as expectant as things could get. I’m a little surprised Mariah could work with the guy that brutally smacked around her cousin’s corpse, but then, she has been shown to be a little callous. I do find it interesting that they were so veiled about Diamondback’s battlesuit, when that was pretty much the only way Willis could throw down with his bro in a relatively even footing. The Judas Bullets were too much of an edge for Diamondback, and a bareknuckle brawl would be too much in Luke’s favor. SO, battlesuit. This fight should be interesting. 

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