LUKE CAGE season 2 - Definitely not bulletproof

Luke Cage is a Marvel-Netflix series created by Cheo Hodari Coker starring Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Alfre Woodard, Mustafa Shakir, Gabrielle Dennis, Theo Rossi, and Rosario Dawson. The second season follows Luke Cage as he starts to embrace his status as Harlem's local hero for hire before being entangled in a feud between Mariah Stokes--a secondary antagonist from the past season--and Bushmaster, a long-time rival of the Stokes' who wants to claim the throne to Harlem. Both prove a substantial threat to Cage as Mariah Stokes slowly begins rising up the ladder of the criminal underworld while Bushmaster reveals his own superpowers which rival those of Cage.

Times have been a bit rough for the Marvel-Netflix franchise for the past few years, with every entry (except The Punisher) since 2016 ranging from "it's pretty good" to "this is so bad my brain hurts". Unfortunately, Luke Cage season 2 is no exception, and while it eventually gets pretty good with its last four or five episodes, its overall pacing, narrative, and structure do it more harm than good, giving us a very lackluster season that really doesn't go anywhere.

Luke Cage's first season was very impressive and surprisingly political, noticeably its iconic imagery of a bulletproof black man in a hoodie. And even though its overall story wasn't the most memorable or the most well-written, I still find that its strong imagery alone is enough to carry it for most of the season. While the leads were strong actors, I felt like most of the characters in the first season were a bit too... stiff and not very human. Unfortunately, the season did come crashing down in its last stretch, with a pretty horrible final villain accompanying a far too on-the-nose Cain and Abel storyline that really wasn't necessary.

Funnily enough, its second season has all the opposite problems. The first half of the season is such a slog only to have a surprisingly strong finish at the end. The first few episodes of the season have a completely unrelated Hero for Hire storyline in which Luke Cage slowly accepts his role as Harlem's hero, although it really goes nowhere that I wish they had cut it out in the first place. The season sort of drops the bulletproof black man imagery, and doesn't seem to really do much to keep the political narrative alive. 

Luke Cage is about as charismatic and kind of boring as he was in the past season, while Misty Knight and Mariah Stokes/Dillard are elevated from their previous appearances. Newcomer Tilda Johnson has some great moments as well, particularly for those who are familiar with her comic book origins. But for me, it was always Shades who was a definite highlight in the season, quickly turning from a generic henchman from the past season to my favorite character in this one.

What definitely shines in this season is just how human the characters feel (in the best moments, that is). Like I said, I was extremely bored with the season's first few episodes, but a definite highlight is one scene depicting a very real, very believable argument between Luke and Claire, one which left be quite literally breathless. Another scene between two gangsters Shades and Comanche also touched me a bit more than I care to admit. It's this level of writing that truly shine in the season, and it's a damn pity that these precious few moments are surrounded by hours and hours of sloppy, incoherent, unstructured writing.

It's when the season really starts focusing on the feud between Mariah Stokes and Bushmaster and their family legacies that the show really starts to find its footing, which leads me to believe that the season would have been so much better had they switched to an eight-episode format rather than the thirteen episodes they had. But other than the last few episodes, there really isn't much to love. Everything about Luke Cage's personality and abilities is kind of old news now, and he doesn't really develop as a character until a very, very interesting plot twist in the season finale. Misty Knight, while much more charismatic than her previous appearances, is still kind of... there. And while Mariah Stokes' descent into madness and simultaneous rise in the criminal underground is probably the best part of the season, I wouldn't say it's enough to carry the show.

Final Verdict

Somewhere in the season, Luke Cage says, "Man, I am so sick of this shit. It's always rinse and repeat," and I wholeheartedly agreed that this was a great descriptor for this season. Luke Cage season 2 isn't BAD--its last few episodes are actually quite good and it has some really great writing at points--but it's just so bogged down with so much nonsense and filler that it becomes a repetitive slog. More than any other season in the Marvel-Netflix franchise, this season is brought down by their pattern of taking a 6-8 hour long story and stretching it to 13 hours, ending up with a show that, ironically, is definitely not bulletproof.

Although the season finale makes me really interested in the future of Luke Cage, it's hard for me to recommend anyone watching this season unless they have a lot of free time and are really committed to the Marvel-Netflix franchise.

Score: C-