Luke Cage S1 Ep8 – Blowin’ Up The Spot

Out of the frying pan… Well, no, not really out of anything at all.

I should have known things weren’t likely to get better for Luke in this episode. After all, it’s only just past the middle of the season. Also, Diamondback wasn’t about to show up and immediately be defeated. And furthermore, if I recall correctly, both Daredevil and Jessica Jones tend to have things go worse for them before they get better.

But man, things are not looking good for our not-quite-bulletproof superhero. The reprieve that he and Claire get from the shooter lasts just long enough for Luke to find out that his own powers are working against him, keeping the exploded shrapnel inside his body. And then the shooter comes back, just in time for Misty to show up, too. I wouldn’t exactly call her eager to arrest Luke for Cottonmouth’s murder, but at least there is real evidence that has led her there.

I’m glad she’s still very skeptical of Candace the “eyewitness” to Luke’s alleged crime. I wish she hadn’t gone a little crazy with Claire in the interrogation room, though, because now I bet she’s off the case. Claire probably won’t hold a grudge, because she’s smart like that, but still. Now Misty will have to investigate on her own. Hopefully she and/or Claire will figure out who Diamondback is very soon.

Don’t fight – you’re both so cool!

Which brings me to Willis Stryker. So far, what we know is that he’s Diamondback, and that something Luke/Carl did to him when they were younger has made him angry enough that he wants to kill Luke. Oh, and Diamondback was already moving in on Harlem before Luke started to make any impact on the scene, which puzzles me. Did he actually follow Luke there, or is it something of a coincidence that their paths have crossed? Also, did he mean that he’s Luke’s literal brother, i.e., probably a half-brother who came about due to the Reverend Lucas’ ‘sins’? Because whoa. That is some seriously messed-up family dynamics. I assume we’ll get more details about what actually happened.

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about Mariah. At this point she seems well on the way to becoming Mama Mabel, no matter what she says to her picture of the woman. I only wonder if she’s going to make a move toward running Cottonmouth’s crew, or if she’ll be satisfied leaving Shades to it.

So, yeah. Luke’s now been shot twice with the Judas bullet, plus a few times with a normal gun. He’s also been punched a few times in the wound area, and is now in the back of a garbage truck, headed who knows where. There’s also a warrant out for his arrest. This is really not good!