Some much needed backstory fuelled an introspective outing for Luke Cage.
Following the explosive cliffhanger of the previous episode, it would be easy to assume that this episode would contain a similar amount of action in exploring the aftermath. Instead, Luke Cage took a much calmer approach, that was no less stunning in what it brought to the show. Moments in the present were fleeting throughout the episode, to the point where some really weren’t needed at all. Instead we were treated to an origin story, as the evolution from Carl Lucas to Luke Cage was charted.
I’ll address the present scenes first as there isn’t too much to say about them, but there’s enough. I appreciated the moments with Luke and Connie as segways into different parts of his backstory, and there were some satisfying moments that came from Connie’s awe at Luke’s super strength. In contrast, the scenes with Misty and Scarfe felt unnecessary. Sure they discovered why the building came down, but it’s nothing the audience couldn’t have assumed they’d done. Really the purpose of Misty’s appearance within the episode was to all but confirm her suspicions about Luke. Given what she already knew though, I’m not sure this was necessary.
Zipping back to the past however, Luke’s origins were a surprising reveal. I’ve not read the comics, so I don’t know how it all played out there, but the way with which Luke got his powers was surprisingly simple. Talk of experiments throughout the episode were brilliantly misleading, as it turned out the prison doctor was just trialling a significantly advanced method of healing. That Luke’s powers were once again the result of an accident is reflective of the grounded, realistic nature of the show. Advanced science is present in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it would feel out of place on the street level Netflix shows. The doctor’s invention just bordered on the line, but it’s not an aspect I would want to see again on any of the shows. Agents of Shield and the movies deal with the science, Netflix deals with the simple (but effective) things.
Away from his actual origins, we got the build up to what actually put Luke in such a position. Imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, we saw through these flashbacks both a different Luke to the one in the present, but also one that is much the same. His penchant for not being very talkative is a direct result of him guarding himself in prison, whilst we also unfortunately paid witness to his tendency to endanger those he surrounds himself with. In this instance it was prison mate Squabbles and a fantastic returning Reeva.
Both were moving relationships to see unfold onscreen. Despite being adamant he wasn’t in need of a friend, the entertaining and lovable Squabbles eventually wore Luke down, to the point where he was willing to risk everything for him. It was another of those friendships whose end you can tell is nigh from a mile off. Squabbles was too darn loveable to be a long term survivor on the show, with the friendly banter between he and Luke regarding women and Bruce Lee providing some fun moments amidst the grim surroundings. Likewise, Luke’s burgeoning romance with Reeva showcased an intimacy unseen from Luke even in his relationship with Jessica. Both Squabbles and Reeva provided a much needed respite from the veritable gloom of the rest of the episode.
Reeva in particular is a character who it was hard to identify with, or feel any real sympathy for in her appearance in Jessica Jones. We always knew she important to Luke, but they could never truly show why because of his solo show. Well the wait for an answer was worth it, as she turned out to be one of the best characters around. She’s the kind of person who truly cares about everyone, and is using her own guilt to fuel her potential to help people. It’s a testament to the writing of the show that she is such a good character. She could have simply been a one note love interest for Luke, who we only sympathise with due to her connection with him. Instead they made Reeva her own character, undefined by her relationship with Luke. The way she interacted with the prisoners displayed a unique kind of courage, especially given her own background, whilst the air of mystery that still surrounds her ensures the audience wants to know more. It’s just a shame that she’s now dead, as she’s the kind of character I want around always.
Despite his friendships with both Squabbles and Reeva, Luke’s time in prison was not an easy one. A brutal underground Fight Club spoke to the political aspects of the show once again, reflecting its willingness to challenge preconceptions of what things are actually like. For profit prisons have been studied in detail on one of Netflix’s other popular shows ‘Orange is the New Black’, and here was another example of how corrupt they can be. It’s not necessarily saying that all prisons are running illegal Fight Clubs, but it reflects the greed that fuels these kinds of places. This was personified in the officer that targets Luke as his ‘Gladiator’. In using the people closest to him, the man effectively controls Luke, and proceeds to reap the benefit of the pain he causes. As an audience we’ve been conditioned to like characters such as Luke and Squabbles despite what they may have done to land them in prison, so it’s all the more effective when they’re hurt by the people we full on loathe.
There were lots of little details and some particularly fun Easter Eggs scattered throughout the episode, so other notable highlights include:
- We saw Luke’s connection to Shades here and ultimately I have to say it was a bit disappointing. His appearances in the present have painted him as an intelligent calculating character, so to see him in prison as a common thug was a little underwhelming. It’s understandable though why Luke was so averse to facing him, given he knows his real identity and took part in Squabbles’ death.
- Luke’s attire once he’d escaped prison was a nod to the character’s original appearance when he first debuted. As Luke rightly said, he looked like a damn fool.
- Bruce Lee vs Jet Li? Fiiight!
- It seemed like the show wasn’t quite done with the mysterious Doctor Burnstein. Or at least I doubt Luke was done with him.
- I found Luke’s declaration of his name to the TV cameras to be a little out of left field. He’s so far been so reserved and cagey, even to those around him, so that he would now be ready to announce himself to the world was surprising. Could this mean he’ll consider the hero for hire title?
This was another fantastic episode of Luke Cage that was much needed to fill in some of the mystery regarding Luke’s origins. His relationships with both Reeva and Squabbles showcased different sides to the character that were refreshing to see, whilst other character reveals such as that of Shades fell a little flat. With Luke now surely outed as a man with abilities, this could be a turning point for the character as his effectiveness can no longer be ignored.
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Tim Burton’s Twitter Nightmare
Tim Burton‘s ill advised comments about diversity on Thursday meant he was trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. The veteran movie maker, and premier Johnny Depp employer, was doing the rounds promoting his latest cinematic offering Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, based on the 2011 bestseller by Ransom Riggs. Rachel Simon from online magazine Bustle asked the director why there was little diversity in the movie, and his comments didn’t exactly win him any fans…
“Nowadays, people are talking about it more, but things either call for things, or they don’t. I remember back when I was a child watching The Brady Bunch and they started to get all politically correct. Like, OK, let’s have an Asian child and a black. I used to get more offended by that than just… I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said, that’s great. I didn’t go like, OK, there should be more white people in these movies.”
Many people took to social media to air their grievances about the Edward Scissorhands director’s comments, especially after the article noted that his movies rarely feature any non-white characters:
To be honest, the film in question is set in Wales during WWII, so it probably wasn’t the most pertinent film to consider a diverse cast, but the question highlights a bigger problem in Hollywood: if a character carries no specific skin colour in the source material, why is it always assumed the character is white? For example, in the film Big Eyes, Walter and Margaret Keene are real people who were white, so it makes sense to cast white actors in those roles, however in ensemble films like Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Mars Attacks, any of the characters could have been non-white, so the idea of it being an ‘issue’ to cast a non-white actor is a bit of a flimsy excuse. Like, would casting a black actor as Mike Teavee or Harvey Dent really have made a difference to the narrative?
Billy Dee Williams who played Harvey Dent in Burton’s 1989 Batman movie has not commented on the scandal
Joking aside, Burton is clearly not as diverse as he could (should?) be, but he is by no means a white supremacist. As well as Williams‘ turn in Batman, he has also featured Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Michael Clarke Duncan, Evan Parke, Robert Guilaume, Ada and Arlene Tai, Deep Roy, James Hiroyuki Liao, James Saito and Samuel L Jackson in his work. I think the issue is less about what he has done in the past and more about what he has said. His comments come across insensitive and defensive, rather than reasoned. Seeing a diverse cast shouldn’t be a ‘thing’, it should be the norm. Maybe Burton can recover from this by becoming one of the directors that makes it less peculiar?
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was released in cinemas on 30th September 2016
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