Coming on the heels of the attempted mass shooting by Diamondback and his crew, this episode throws us into a hostage situation. Having the whole episode largely take place in one location really worked to its benefit. Sure, things were happening in different rooms, but it felt more focused as a result.
It seemed like everybody got a highlight moment. Misty and Claire got to make amends and fight Shades, Luke got to be the big hero and save everybody..well almost everybody, and Diamondback got a rather sweet monologue detailing his history and the reason for his animosity towards his half brother. Again, Harvey has the gravitas to pull it off, as one of his hostages can only look on in a mix of awe and confusion while this psychopath tells him his life story. Having "Son of a Preacher Man" playing as this all went on worked, not just for the parallel, but because it made for effective background music to complement the scene overall.
At first, it might seem like the driving force behind Diamondback's vendetta is a little thin, but it's possible that his resentment has been stirring his whole life. On top of that, it's well established that the guy's more than a little off his rocker, so there's that.
Even the mooks got to shine. Sure, Shades ultimately lost his big fight, but he spends a lot of the episode keeping a cool head and trying to encourage Diamondback to do the same. Where Diamondback is dead set on screwing Luke over every which way he can, Shades knows when to fold em and that puts them at intriguing odds.
The other goons are also able to garner some degree of sympathy. They're not good by any stretch, but this is way outside their wheelhouse and their discomfort with the new management is palpable.
I'll even give Diamondback credit, where his last frame up was lazy and poorly put together, this one shows degrees of thought and effort. He notes that they were hosting an anti-Luke rally, Luke showed up and now people are getting hurt. There are no surveillance cameras to ruin his narrative and the more they stall, the more likely it is that things will play out the way he wants them to.
Ironically, this episode ends with the tide of public opinion turning in Luke's favor. More people are starting to see the truth about Luke. The hostages who are released don't hesitate to vouch for him and even Misty notes that she was wrong about him. It was nice to see. While the episode ends with Luke in police custody, it does seem like the police are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, considering he is technically an escaped prison inmate, that might be short lived.
For a tense, hostage situation centered episode, there sure are a lot of quips and one liners thrown around. It's a nice release and all of the jokes work, but it's weird to think that this is one of the funnier episodes of the show overall. Between Shades making a random yet still inevitable reference to "Diff'rent Strokes" and Luke nonchalantly tossing a mook aside after said mook approached him with fancy martial arts moves, there's a lot to laugh at here.
We even get to see a few nods to the larger MCU. The ADA from Daredevil's second season shows up to help keep things under control. He also makes direct reference to Frank Castle's activities. I'm surprised it took this long to come up, but good on them for working that nod in. Comic fans should also appreciate Claire being casually referred to as "Night Nurse". Also, from what I read, Misty's arm injury and the possibility of losing it is also a nod the source material.
If what I read is true and that in the comics Tony Stark makes her a new arm, it would be a great way to unify the MCU. Admittedly, that would only work if they could get Downey to cameo. Just having it be mentioned is nice, I guess, but the shows have always been good about referencing and tying in the movies where the track record going the other way hasn't been so hot.
All in all, this was a very solid episode. It put the ensemble to good use and balanced action, drama, character, and humor very effectively. We're down to the final two episodes, so I have a feeling things are going to really kick into high gear from here.
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