After a fair amount of anticipation, the next chapter in both the MCU and, more specifically, the Defenders branch arrives as the first season of Luke Cage hit Netflix today.
While there was some benefit to having Luke appear in Jessica Jones beforehand, I think this episode does a pretty solid job of giving viewers an idea of who he is. Despite his powers, he's still more interested in just laying low and working odd jobs to make rent (or to try and make it anyway.) His explanation of his back story could be viewed as a little clunky, especially considering I have a feeling that we're going to get a more in depth look at his origins through flashback as the series progresses, but for now it gets the job done.
The supporting cast also really shined. The opening scene in the barbershop was rather enjoyable. The Netflix shows are notably darker, but it's always good to see that they aren't completely devoid of humor.
Stokes, the antagonist du jour, also gets a fairly strong showing. There are some echoes of Wilson Fisk, but he has his own mannerisms and quirks that make him feel like a distinct villain as opposed to a complete rehash. Mahershala Ali is clearly having fun with the role as he gets to put on a confident, quasi-friendly air while also showing a penchant for violence when people dare to cross him.
Oddly, it's almost immediately made clear that he isn't the biggest fish in this particular lake. You'd think that they'd want to build him up as a power player, given that he seems to be the main antagonist for the series as a whole, but he seems to be strapped for cash and one scene has him deferring to someone known only as Diamondback, who sends one of his lackeys to let Stokes know that he isn't happy when a deal goes south. Whether this is just a traditional fight between rival gangs or a hint to something regarding the Defenders has yet to be determined. I'm, of course, hoping for the latter, though the specifics of how that would work elude me.
There are a few nods to the larger MCU. Both Jessica and Daredevil are indirectly alluded to when the barbershop owner is nudging Luke into becoming a hero, we see someone selling video of "the incident", and Fisk is even directly name dropped when a politician is talking about Stokes' enterprise. The fact that the weapons being sold were made by Hammer Industries was also a nice touch.
We also get a few subtle winks to the comics. Luke himself is referred to (jokingly) as "Power Man". Near the end of the episode, someone offers to hire Luke to protect them from Stokes' goons on a recurring basis. Given that he's literally a "hero for hire" in the comics, I was surprised to see him turn the offer down, though this is, admittedly, the more noble route.
The episode is largely stage setting, but it all works well. Even though the episode is fairly light on action, the character moments are pulled off effectively enough that it isn't to the episode's detriment. There is an extended shootout sequence that was fairly well done, though I think the musical accompaniment helped on that front significantly. It's a fairly old trick to put violent scenes to more upbeat music, but it can still work and it did here.
It's kind of weird that this takes place before the second season of Daredevil. I know the timeline for these shows is somewhat nebulous, but you'd think that they would want to release them in the order that the events occur. It just seems easier. On the other hand, it does yield some benefits, as the Sokovia Accords aren't a problem just yet. Even if you were just looking at the Netflix shows, Frank's crusade would have created waves that would have made it more difficult for Luke to do his thing, so it also works to the show's advantage on that front as well.
Overall, this was a strong start for the series. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season plays out.
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