This episode picks up right where the last one left off, with Bushmaster ambushing Luke on the street. Given that we're early in the season and this is the first confrontation with the "big bad", it should come as no surprise that Luke ends up with the L this round.
Credit to Luke, though, he doesn't get quite as curbstomped as I thought he was going to. He actually does an OK job dodging Bushmaster's attacks. Unfortunately, he can't land any real hits, so it's only a matter of time before he gets knocked the heck out.
The effects from the fight linger throughout the episode. Not only was the whole thing video-taped, eventually going viral to the point that Stephen A. Smith weighs in on it; but Luke is still physically reeling afterwards and many characters put forth the idea that he has a concussion. Luke mostly shrugs it off, but it's clear that he's faking. To his credit, he does try to call Claire for some medical assistance, but she doesn't answer given what happened when they last spoke.
The fight also triggers shockwaves in the criminal world, as Shades is made aware of just how dangerous Bushmaster really is. He's also able to pick up on the fact that he is likely gunning (ha, get it? Cause he bought her guns) for her. After all, he took down Luke Cage with little to no effort, why would he need to buy guns?
Mariah herself is spooked, as she is familiar with the name. Shades thinks it has to do with Cornell, but she's quick to correct him, saying it goes back further than that. She still puts on a brave front, though. While her facial expression makes it pretty clear that she's terrified, she still does a pretty good job of talking tough when he refers to her as "Stokes" as opposed to her preferred "Dillard".
The episode actually does flesh out Bushmaster's backstory quite a bit. We get his name and a rundown of his history. Even the source of his powers is made clear. It's peppered throughout the episode, so it isn't too much of an exposition dump.
The scene of him returning to his family diner also stands out as being an episode highlight. We've seen some interactions, but it was still nice to see him cheerful and in a good mood. Sure, friendly villains are nothing new for the Netflix wing of the MCU, but it was still well done here.
Speaking of character interaction, the portion of the episode where Luke and Misty partnered up to follow Bushmaster's trail also stood out. The two play well off each other. It's almost a shame that the plot has them part ways fairly quickly. On the plus side, Misty gets a note from Danny and Colleen showing her a robotic arm that they designed for her. I do like the fact that the show is keeping these characters close by. It helps sell the links that the characters developed over the course of "The Defenders".
Luke and Bobby also have a good heart to heart, where the latter reveals that he is leaving to donate a kidney. Bobby was always kind of peripheral, but he did have a knack for making every scene he was in count. It's a little sad to see him go, but this was a positive note to go on. As he notes, he gets to be the hero. He could come back later on, I don't know. Guess I'll just have to see.
Really, the only flaw this episode had was an overly long musical montage. The music was, again, provided by a performance at Mariah's club. The band was good, but the song went on much longer than I think it needed to. It's a pretty minor complaint in the grand scheme of things.
It was good to dive back into this show. Even after the long break, I didn't really have too much trouble keeping up, which is a good thing all things considered. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.
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