6.9/10. This was a very confused episode, that was trying to do a lot of good things, but never really manages to get them off the ground due to, at times, incoherent plotting or just plain dumb logic. Let's go through them!
Clare and Dr. Burstein managing to fix Luke was a fairly tense scene...that didn't make much sense. I mean, to some degree you have to go with comic book logic and accept the technobabble, but why heat was necessary to make Luke's skin more pliable, when that level of heat was what made his skin strong in the first place, is fairly puzzling. Still, the show replicated the sort of ER hecticness of a patient flatlining to keep the intensity of the scene up, so you can kind of let them get away with it.
But that's not the only piece of dumb logic in the episode. When Diamonback is trying to frame Luke, and get him tarred as copkiller, it's pretty ridiculous that he himself goes out in a hoodie and uses some superpowered punch thing to do it. The reveal of his shared biology with Luke means there's the grain of a good idea there, but the two don't really look alike, in build or in their facial structure, and Diamondback yelling out "I'm Luke Cage!" just seemed humorous. Maybe you can cut the show some slack for trying to provide a commentary on the problems with cross-racial eye-witness identification, but I'm not sure I give the show credit for such headiness, and either way, it doesn't really work within the logic of the show.
But it works flawlessly, to where Misty is the only person who seems to doubt that Luke was the one who punched that nice cop to death. What, however, is her argument beyond the fact that she just doesn't think Luke would do that (despite the fact that there's dashcam footage of him punching other cops across the block when feeling cornered)? This assailant was wearing a backpack. Luke doesn't wear a backpack! This case is airtight! It's not like Luke could have just put on a backpack for some reason! Yet again, the show tries and fails to show that Misty is a sharp detective. It knows how it wants to present her, but doesn't have the writing to actually demonstrate that she's good at her job beyond the "visualize the crime scene" ability.
Of course we jump back to Dr. Burstein's barn, where Luke uses the laptop to discover that Reva was in on the whole thing. What should be a piercing emotional reveal falls flat due to Mike Colter's acting, which continues to be not quite enough at heightened moments like these. It's an interesting story, feeling betrayed by the one person who gave you hope in a dark place, but Colter can't really sell the moment. His anger and destruction of Burstein's lab/barn feels more like a plot save than a canny narrative choice. it's supposed to be cathartic and feel like justice in Luke preventing someone else from going through what he's been through, but it's shortsighted since he may need those facilities again if he gets shot once more.
It also leads to more dull non-chemistry between Luke and Clare that doesn't really add up to anything but Luke going back to visit his dad's old church in Georgia. I really like the way the scene is shot and edited -- with smooth transitions between the past and the present as Luke stares at the dilapidated chapel and remembers what happened when he was a kid -- but the reveals are underwhelming. There's a fairly direct Isaac and Ishamel parallel going on, and I can I appreciate that as thematic subtext to the issues between Luke and Diamondback, but the show does a pretty weak job at showing how young Luke could have missed his Dad having an affair with Diamondback's mom, while adult Luke can put the pieces together. The things he remembers aren't exactly subtle, and while you can handwave it with Luke having repressed the memories until the site of his dad's church made them all flood back, it seems very strange that he wouldn't have put this together sooner.
Things get dumber still after the cops start beating around the block trying to get info on where Luke is. Again, I like what the show is trying to do here. There is a The Wire-esque quality of these scenes of cops being angry at the loss of one of their own, and taking it out on the streets, hassling corner boys and being needlessly rough. That side of things rings true and feels motivated, even if, again, everyone feels like a sucker for falling for Diamondback's ruse so easily. The cop interrogating Little Lonnie and going too far feels like a bit much, a bit too calculated to tug on your heartstrings, but it works for what the show's going for.
The problem is that since Mariah is being strongarmed by Diamondback to try to sell the public on Luke Cage and powered people generally as a threat, the show has to tie her pitch for the police department buying superpowered weapons from Diamondback to the cops beating up this kid, and it doesn't really add up. There's a strange "the cops abused their power, so we should give them really powerful weapons" logic that doesn't make any sense, but for this episode in particular, you just kind of have to go with the flow and accept that nothing makes sense and the story's just going where it needs to go regardless of the demands of basic logic.
So of course, Luke returns to Harlem (this whole thing seemed to happen very quick, how long did his trip and curing take and visit home take?) and Misty is after Diamondback at Harlem's Paradise and Luke jumps into save her as we hit a cliffhanger. Why the hell not? It's vaguely action-y, and it gives us some cool scenes of Mariah riling up the crowd and showing herself as an expert manipulator and showman even when the pitch makes no sense. With Alfre Woodard's delivery, I almost believed it.
That's the big problem though. This show wants to traffic in real life tensions between police and the black community. It wants to play in the realism of its setting and the genuine issues facing the people of Harlem and similar urban areas. But it has to marry all of that with an out there comic book storyline, involving secret brothers, magic labs in barns, and elaborate schemes to sell superguns. The result is something that often feels very stitched together and not really doing justice to either side of the equation. You can employ comic book logic the whole way through, or you can try to ascribe for something approaching realism, but finding the balance is a tricky business, and it's something that all of Marvel's Netflix shows have struggled with to some degree. Luke Cage in particular seems stuck in the middle, with no clear idea on how to reconcile its hardscrabble atmosphere and its superhero roots.
8.3/10. Best episode of the season so far. I've appreciated the show's resistance to doing a straight up origin story up t this point, but it was actually fascinating to see how Luke Cage became the superhero he is today. The dialogue was still pretty rough, especially in the scenes between he and Riva which were exchanges of either wooden exposition or silly cliches, but it's a cool story.
Also, it's the most I've liked Mike Colter in the title role. Maybe it's just the fact that he was doing the strong silent type a little better here. There's a purity to Luke Cage that can be a little annoying (Bullock on Deadwood is a good analogue) but seeing him be a little less in control, to the point where he's basically lost hope and is letting himself be sullied but slowly building himself back up, makes the character and the performance much more compelling.
There's also some fun mythology stuff. While the cuffs and the headband and the loud shirt come off a bit cheesy these days, making them be part of the magical machine that gave him his powers, in addition to a good ol' clothesline borrow, only to have him declare that he looks like a fool once he sees himself in the mirror is a nice way to nod to the source material without doubling down on it. At the same time, I appreciate the symmetry of Luke being at his wits end on his first day in prison and punching the walls, only for him to pull the same trick after recovering from the experiment and seeing the extent of his powers. The "Sweet Christmas" exclamation is corny, but ya had to do it. (That said, the explanation for how he got his name was really forced.)
In truth, there's a lot that's corny about the episode. The love story between Luke and Riva is a generic prisoner/Florence Nightingale routine. The asshole Warden is a cliche, as is the beloved friend who gets used as leverage and eventually killed because of things you've gotten mixed up in. Still, it gives us insight into Luke's psyche and how he got this way. Even little touches like his hair being wilder all around show how this was a more unrestrained, shaggy time in his life, and that he resolved to pull through.
The frame story of him helping his landlord out of the rubble was mostly just there, but worked well enough as a break between the backstory. Seeing him punch through the rubble at the same time he was punching through Seagate succeeded as a juxtaposition, showing how the things he's doing now are advanced versions of things he's been doing for a long time, and drawing a straight line between his time in prison to his time helping people now. We'll see what repercussions him announcing himself publicly have.
Overall, in the midst of all the major plot machinery that's been moved around in the first few episodes, it's nice to see Luke Cage take a step back and do what amounts to a character piece on its protagonist. There's a lot of narrative shortcuts (and I'm curious to see what role Levy from The Wire will have as the experimenting doctor), but it made the character less monolithic and more interesting, which goes a long way.
Is it just me or this episode very structurally similar to the Corbanite Maneuver?
"You were warned to stay away! We Kill you!" "The Situation is impossible! We solved it! Let's not kill!" "Okay let's be friends now."
I'm not sure why I watch this show. The jokes are forced and you can see them coming from a mile away. They actually brought in skilled actors this episode, but even they couldn't make up for the bad writing.
That was the worst episode in my opinion. It wasn't actually that bad, but it lacked any suspense or surprises the previous episodes had. There was no real twist and the ending seemed a bit over the top. Also, I hated Waldo.
Geeze Teddy just can't catch a break can he?
Black hole sun on a player piano. Fantastic.
Well, again, one great scene goes a long way. The scene where Frank and Karen converse in that diner is one of the best in the show. The way that Deborah Ann Woll conveys that she's at her wits end is superb, and Frank's monologue about how feeling hurt means there's a connection to something, and he'd kill to have that connection back is a little trite, but wonderfully performed. It's a powerful, human moment at the center of all this chaos, and the performances make sure it work. The ensuing scene where Frank beats up the mooks in the diner to get the info he wants about the Blacksmith is pretty horrifying, but then again it's supposed to be, and I appreciate the show not pulling punches about how brutal Punisher is, even if it's a bit grusome to watch in practice.
I was less enamored with the whole bit with Clare Temple and Matt. It's always nice to see someone like Clare cut through Matt's martyr complex B.S., but the hospital staff covering up what happened was really vague. I get that they're presumably leaving plot threads that this show or The Defenders can pick up in later seasons, but it didn't feel well developed, and Clare quitting over it seemed like piece-moving rather than something that stemmed purely from her character.
Madame Gao was a treat, and again, I think I find Daredevil's scenes the most entertaining when someone clearly smarter than him is calling him out for not really looking at the big picture. The actress who plays Gao has a great presence about her, and that helps keep the tension up during the expository dialogue. Plus, I even enjoyed the creativity of Daredevil darting among the clothes in the dry cleaner in order to hide. It's a little silly, but it makes sense for what he's trying to do, and helped distinguish this fight from the dozens of others he's had with faceless mooks.
Speaking of which, the final scene on the boat was so-so. Thematically, I like the idea that Daredevil is offering to help Frank, and even to violate his no-killing code in order to do it, at the same time Frank is upset that Daredevil won't even allow him the false moment of peace from killing one of those henchmen. The dialogue itself is clunky, but I like the contrast, that Daredevil doesn't believe in wanton destruction, but maybe in the fact of what Karen's told him and he's learned himself about Castle's background and The Blacksmith, he's willing to make an exception given all that this guy has taken away from Castle and others. Matt crosses himself before saying this, which is another nod to the religious themes that have been floating in the background this season.
The show's pretty much reached the point to where it's mostly just enjoyable pulp with a few scenes that rise above that, but I can appreciate it as slightly heady entertainment, even if it feels like the show is aiming to be more than that at times.
Look, pairing up Fisk and Punisher, arguably the two characters who've made the biggest impression on this show, is just a recipe for success. It admittedly wasn't perfect. The plot reasons for them getting together and for Fisk releasing Punisher are vague, convenient, rushed, or all three. It's hard to keep the characterizations for the two characters consistent and still have them plausibly team up with one another, even as a marriage of convenience, and the show ties itself in a few knots trying to make that work. And Jon Bernthal's very naturalistic performance as the wounded-if-determined soldier isn't a perfect tonal match with Vincent D'onofrio's very good but much more mannered and affected take on The Kingpin.
But damn if it isn't captivating to watch the two of them react to each other in that prison. Just seeing Fisk plying his trade in the "big box" is a sight that makes me wish there could have been a mini-movie or something just focusing his Orange Is the New Black-esque adventures. Punisher's scene getting his answers from Dutton (who informs him that the crossfire that resulted in his family's deaths was the result of a police sting), was nicely intense. The ensuing scene where Frank takes out an entire cell block was uncomfortably gory, but it fit with Castle's M.O. and the gore served a solid purpose of elucidating the lengths Punisher will go to in contrast to Matt. And though things got a little overly theatrical at times, the scene where Fisk and Castle went toe-to-toe was absolutely electric, enough to where the somewhat suspect plot elements faded into the background.
Speaking of convenient plot elements, it's quite a coincidence that Karen finds herself with a de facto job at the New York Bulletin just when Matt and Foggy are so much on the outs, and the aftermath of the Castle conviction still so fresh, that Nelson & Murdock is shutting down. Still, it's nice to see Karen be able to continue her dogged investigator routine, and taking over Ben's post at the Bulletin is a nice organic way to make that work. It helps that Ben's editor (a poor man's Paul Giamatti who's endearing from the getgo), is there to be a foil and friend along the way, with Karen pushing back on him just enough to keep it interesting.
Unfortunately, Daredevil is, once again, the least interesting thing on his own show. His fight with Nobu is fine, and there's something quite creepy about the blood farm he uncovers, but his whole breaking off ties so as not to hurt the people he cares about routine is pretty cliche. That said, his is the most minor story in the episode, and since the Punisher/Kingpin stuff soars and the Karen stuff does very well too, the episode overall works quite well.
i just watched this show for the second time and i truly don't believe i'm going to experience true happiness ever again
i can't believe i just finish the best show ever???? i'm crying?? what do i do :(( i love them so much
farewell, pawnee. it was quite a ride.
By the rules established in this episode, couldn't the sane Lazarus just commit suicide or destroy his ship? Wouldn't that be preferable to the plan he came up with?
Khan's all like "I would like to catch up on things, study the technical specifications of this ship, this specific ship... purely for academic curiosity, you understand, Captain?"
And Kirk is all like, "Sounds legit!"
this is episode is such good television. the character driven season 4 is paying off in a big fucking way, and finally beyond a shadow of doubt, Paige knows exactly what her parents are.
Those dinner scenes were amazing.
Darkest episode yet. O_O I can't even....
Elizabeth's "Yes" there at the end was absolutely pivotal to her character development from here on out. I didn't think that she had it in her.
The acting in this show is just so fucking good. That scene between Elizabeth and Paige where she's reprimanding her daughter literally gave me the chills.
Directed by Amanda Tapping, nice!
I'd like to note at the outset that I'm watching the episodes in the order outlined on Memory Alpha. As such, it will be out of sync with the order outlined here and on Netflix.
It's difficult, I think, to approach Star Trek with anything like a critical blankness as I'm trying to do throughout this project. Its cultural influence is so pervasive that watching this episode for the first time I'm already familiar with Kirk the cad, Spock the logical but trusted deputy and all the tropes that will undoubtedly play out over the course of the series. I doubt that this will dampen my enjoyment at all, but it's worth taking into consideration. The episode opens well as both Kirk and Spock's characters are established, in broad strokes, in the first two minutes or so. From there the viewer is taken through the scenario: through an encounter with a magnetic storm, crew member Gary Mitchell is changed somehow and begins to develop latent psychic powers at an accelerated rate. His concerns become less human, leading him to become a danger to the rest of the crew as he seeks to transcend humanity.
The effects are dated and the writing isn't phenomenal, but the episode does a solid job of portraying Mitchell's change while revealing more about Kirk. What was less convincing was Dehner's sudden willingness to follow him but she acts as a convenient stooge. The confrontation allows all-action Kirk to reveal himself and Mitchell is defeated accordingly. What is most important is that the Enterprise's mission has been established, Kirk and Spock and their individual traits have been introduced and emphasised and the format that I gather the show will follow is demonstrated - the ship encounters an external force and Kirk, along with Spock, uses his ingenuity and brawn to overcome it. Once I know all this I'm able to sit back and enjoy it all - the effects, the bad one-liners, the occasional lack of forward momentum. One of the things I find compelling about the Star Trek universe is the expansiveness of it, and I'm looking forward to delving into it.
Oh gosh, Nina, so sad to see her go like that. That was so so depressing.
Oh my fucking god . . I did not see that coming. I probably should have, but FUCK. That was crazy. Sweet, sweet Nina, just brutally killed in the span of a few seconds. One second you think everything might just turn around for her, and the next - BAM. And at the end of the episode!
conflicted twist towards a dire outcome. the kill gets done whle they're still around. all the more paige will hate 'em and then the real damage goes beyond repair
Well, Paige wants to know what their parents really do, now when Pastor Tim ends up dead she'll know what kind of things they do.
6.8/10
Lincoln is one of the most boring characters on a show that has had to fight accusations that it's dull. Focusing the main story of the episode on him was a recipe for doldrums that the show lived up to. Even seeing him go all Static Shock on the power lines or bus or guards didn't do much for me. Accidentally killing a friend who's mistrustful of you should be a meaningful event, but it was constructed so haphazardly, and with such an uninteresting character, that I barely cared. The lack of chemistry between him and Skye/Daisy meant that I only groaned when they kissed. Daisy herself has had to overcome bland mary sue characterization, and pairing her with a piece of stubbly milquetoast doesn't do anything to help that.
I did appreciate Coulson's part of it. I go back and forth on his interactions with Rosalind. On the one hand, at times it feels like a dinner theater version of Hepburn and Tracy. On the other hand, when things are clicking, it makes Coulson feel like a human being and not just a delivery mechanism for exposition, high-minded ideals, and ill-fitting quips. I'm cautiously optimistic about the storyline, and especially pleased that they tied it to Coulson learning lessons from the "Real Shield" debacle.
Hunter and May's storyline worked well enough, as they're two of the better characters on the show, even if the "fight club to get into Hydra" plot felt a bit tacked on. May struggling to not just get right down to business in the pub while Hunter and his mate were Brit-ing it up was amusing, and her and Hunter feinting toward what happened during May's vacation was nice. I was surprised at how bloody they let the Hunter fight get, and it's always nice to see May kicking some ass, even if it felt shoehorned in. Again, we'll see where it goes.
And as usual, Fitz and Simmons are the best thing about the show, with Fitz doing everything he can to get things back to normal even if it's not what Simmons needs, and Simmons convincingly showing the psychological scars from her experiences. Are Fitz and Simmons's storylines any better than anyone else's? Probably not, but they're better actors than most on the show, and they sell the emotional undercurrent of all of their stories, which gives them greater weight than anyone but May can muster.
(Oh, and what was with all of the dutch angles in this episode? Seemed like a weird quirk in the way the episode was shot.)
6.8/10
Lincoln is one of the most boring characters on a show that has had to fight accusations that it's dull. Focusing the main story of the episode on him was a recipe for doldrums that the show lived up to. Even seeing him go all Static Shock on the power lines or bus or guards didn't do much for me. Accidentally killing a friend who's mistrustful of you should be a meaningful event, but it was constructed so haphazardly, and with such an uninteresting character, that I barely cared. The lack of chemistry between him and Skye/Daisy meant that I only groaned when they kissed. Daisy herself has had to overcome bland mary sue characterization, and pairing her with a piece of stubbly milquetoast doesn't do anything to help that.
I did appreciate Coulson's part of it. I go back and forth on his interactions with Rosalind. On the one hand, at times it feels like a dinner theater version of Hepburn and Tracy. On the other hand, when things are clicking, it makes Coulson feel like a human being and not just a delivery mechanism for exposition, high-minded ideals, and ill-fitting quips. I'm cautiously optimistic about the storyline, and especially pleased that they tied it to Coulson learning lessons from the "Real Shield" debacle.
Hunter and May's storyline worked well enough, as they're two of the better characters on the show, even if the "fight club to get into Hydra" plot felt a bit tacked on. May struggling to not just get right down to business in the pub while Hunter and his mate were Brit-ing it up was amusing, and her and Hunter feinting toward what happened during May's vacation was nice. I was surprised at how bloody they let the Hunter fight get, and it's always nice to see May kicking some ass, even if it felt shoehorned in. Again, we'll see where it goes.
And as usual, Fitz and Simmons are the best thing about the show, with Fitz doing everything he can to get things back to normal even if it's not what Simmons needs, and Simmons convincingly showing the psychological scars from her experiences. Are Fitz and Simmons's storylines any better than anyone else's? Probably not, but they're better actors than most on the show, and they sell the emotional undercurrent of all of their stories, which gives them greater weight than anyone but May can muster.
(Oh, and what was with all of the dutch angles in this episode? Seemed like a weird quirk in the way the episode was shot.)
6.8/10
Lincoln is one of the most boring characters on a show that has had to fight accusations that it's dull. Focusing the main story of the episode on him was a recipe for doldrums that the show lived up to. Even seeing him go all Static Shock on the power lines or bus or guards didn't do much for me. Accidentally killing a friend who's mistrustful of you should be a meaningful event, but it was constructed so haphazardly, and with such an uninteresting character, that I barely cared. The lack of chemistry between him and Skye/Daisy meant that I only groaned when they kissed. Daisy herself has had to overcome bland mary sue characterization, and pairing her with a piece of stubbly milquetoast doesn't do anything to help that.
I did appreciate Coulson's part of it. I go back and forth on his interactions with Rosalind. On the one hand, at times it feels like a dinner theater version of Hepburn and Tracy. On the other hand, when things are clicking, it makes Coulson feel like a human being and not just a delivery mechanism for exposition, high-minded ideals, and ill-fitting quips. I'm cautiously optimistic about the storyline, and especially pleased that they tied it to Coulson learning lessons from the "Real Shield" debacle.
Hunter and May's storyline worked well enough, as they're two of the better characters on the show, even if the "fight club to get into Hydra" plot felt a bit tacked on. May struggling to not just get right down to business in the pub while Hunter and his mate were Brit-ing it up was amusing, and her and Hunter feinting toward what happened during May's vacation was nice. I was surprised at how bloody they let the Hunter fight get, and it's always nice to see May kicking some ass, even if it felt shoehorned in. Again, we'll see where it goes.
And as usual, Fitz and Simmons are the best thing about the show, with Fitz doing everything he can to get things back to normal even if it's not what Simmons needs, and Simmons convincingly showing the psychological scars from her experiences. Are Fitz and Simmons's storylines any better than anyone else's? Probably not, but they're better actors than most on the show, and they sell the emotional undercurrent of all of their stories, which gives them greater weight than anyone but May can muster.
(Oh, and what was with all of the dutch angles in this episode? Seemed like a weird quirk in the way the episode was shot.)