'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 7: 'On and On'

 

The show's strong streak continues, as this is a jam-packed powerhouse episode.  Looking back on it, I'm surprised how much ground this one managed to cover, so let's just get right to it.

It opens with Luke sinking into the river, paralyzed after his fight with Bushmaster.  As he is unable to rescue himself, it's up to Namor to save the day.  No, that doesn't happen, though how cool would that have been?  The powder wears off rather quick.  It's unavoidable plot convenience, but at least Luke is still reeling, even when he does make it back to his father's church.  The subsequent power nap is enough to negate it, but at least there was some aftershock to the ordeal.

To add salt to the wound, Piranha left in Luke's absence, rendering him vulnerable to capture by Bushmaster's gang. While Piranha does comply with his captor's demands to transfer all of Mariah's assets to Bushmaster, it's only a matter of time before they have him head off to sleep with the fishes.  Why yes, I did word it in that specific way for a reason, why do you ask?

Really, with his nickname, it shouldn't come as a surprise how things turn out.  Some of Bushmaster's goons even poke fun at the name and you can tell by the look on the broker's face that he realized that it was a bad pick in hindsight.  

Luke does join forces with a newly resigned Misty to try to come to his rescue, but obviously, it doesn't work out.  Though, again, we see that the two work really well together.  The byplay between the two is still strong and Misty shows that she can hold her own in a fight with Bushmaster's mooks.  While the robot hand does prove useful, you can tell that she didn't really need it just by the way she was fighting.  Even Luke seemed impressed.  Again, the partnership only goes for a portion of the episode before the two part ways, but it was still fun to see.  Could have done without Luke's line about how it was his show when Misty pitched the idea that he was her sidekick.  That was a little too on-the-nose meta for me.  

Piranha isn't the only one who bites it this episode....what?  Misty's boss and Comanche are also killed off after Shades discovers the latter's informant status.  Seeing the two working well together last episode just makes it that much more brutal to watch.  That was likely intentional on the writers' part.  Shades himself admits that the bond the two shared blinded him to the idea of the possibility.

I think Alfre Woodard comes away the MVP this episode.  This chapter gave her a lot to work with and she did it all well.  Seeing her assert her authority in the first act when she realizes that she has a mole was compelling to watch.  She also has rather intense scenes with both Misty's aforementioned boss, as well as Bushmaster.  You can tell she's legitimately rattled at points, but she is still able to bring strength and anger to the table when the situation calls for it.

Bushmaster himself has some standout scenes.  Sure, he falls into the traditional villain monologuing trope, but he does it pretty well.  The latter instance also has the added benefit of giving us more information about the feud.  We knew the basics before, but it turns out that there was more to the story, giving Bushmaster more reason to maintain his grudge, even after he had taken all of Mariah's assets.

The episode tries to make a parallel with Luke's resentment towards his dad, but I'm not sure how well that worked.  If the arcs had played out differently, maybe something could be done, but the two situations aren't exactly the same.

Speaking of the Luke/dad relationship.  It managed to move in some capacity.  It's clear that the reverend has some regrets, and there is a point where it seems like the two might mend fences, but the two are both quite stubborn.  There is an initial wedge drawn between the two, but by episode's end, it does seem like they are taking the first steps towards patching things up.  You have to give Luke's dad credit, even though his son is bigger, stronger, a trained boxer and fighter, and superpowered; he isn't cowed and even says that he's not afraid to break his foot up in his son's behind.  The threat falls flat on Luke's end naturally, but still, props for standing up.

The episode ends with Luke coming to Mariah's of all people's rescue. She says she wants to hire him.  Her offer is understandable given her situation, but it does put Luke in a weird spot.  The fact that she's basically broke and Piranha never even ended up paying him for that protection gig only makes matters worse.

That is, of course, fodder for the next episode.   

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'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 6: 'The Basement'

 

Bushmaster's gruesome maneuver from the last episode sends shockwaves, as it puts just about everybody on high alert.

Even Mariah herself is clearly rattled, not so much by the macabre, but by the fact that her dream seems to be crumbling just as soon as she got it.  It seemed like she was starting to spiral, but Shades manages to snap her out of it.  It was nice to see, but seeing Mariah start to lose it seems like it could have been a compelling arc as we move into the second half of the season.  

There's still plenty else to keep viewers satisfied.  It's clear that a gang war is brewing.  We see Bushmaster's men fanning the city in their hunt for Piranha. Shades also starts to gear up, putting aside his differences with Comanche in the process.

That was also nice to see.  After so many episodes of the two butting heads over various things, this episode makes it clear that the two still have each other's backs and are quite tight.  The conversation they have while they stake out the barbershop is one of the episode's many highlights.  

Interestingly enough, Luke and Piranha bond a little.  It's reluctant on Luke's part, as he just wants to wrap things up quickly, but his guard does start to drop over time. Granted, it's clear that Luke's protecting Piranha has more to do with what he can offer as far as stopping both Bushmaster and Mariah, but progress is still progress.  Luke does make a point to drop the guy off at his dad's church, which also allows him to begin the process of mending fences.  

Having Piranha also enables Luke to call out Bushmaster...literally, he calls him on a cell phone and challenges him to a fight.

Considering how the last fight went, you might not have high hopes.  Luke does fare a lot better.  He still gets hit quite a bit, but he's able to dish out as much as he can take.  He is also able to get up more than he was before.  I guess either that sucker punch really did a number on him, or it was another instance of his body adapting to something that had hurt it before.  Granted, Luke still loses, but Bushmaster had to pull a dirty trick in order to get things back in his favor.  It still makes for a potent cliffhanger, but it's clear that Bushmaster is quite beatable.

As enjoyable as the fight was, I also enjoyed the pre-fight banter.  Bushmaster does make another pitch for the two to join forces.  The first time around his tone suggested that it was a joke and not meant to be taken seriously, but this time sounded much more legit. It makes sense, Luke is only an enemy by proxy.  Mariah's his real target and Luke has no fondness for her. Bushmaster even says near the tail end of the fight that in another life, the two could have been brethren.  Common enemy or not, Bushmaster is still a criminal, and Luke is still a hero. It does give their dynamic a bit of added flavor, though.

This was another strong episode.  It was very well balanced.  The episode managed to squeeze in some drama and character development, a decent amount of action, and a few bits of humor to keep things interesting.  As noted before, this shows that the stakes are going up and tensions are rising, so you get the feeling that things are really going to start gearing up going forward.  

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'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 5: 'All Souled Out'

 

Luke's assault of Cockroach comes back to hit him hard, as the abusive criminal hits the hero with a lawsuit.  

It's strange, we're supposed to sympathize with Luke, but the way Cockroach was talking, he wasn't entirely wrong about how things played out.  His suit very easily could have been legitimate.  Luke's beat down was severe and Luke is a vigilante who didn't have any legal authority to be there.  Rather than dwell on the moral ambiguity, the narrative pretty much absolves Luke by revealing that Cockroach was faking his injuries.  It's a little surprising, you wouldn't think he would have had to resort to that.

In any event, Foggy (who returns as Luke's counsel) suggests that Luke just settle and pay the money to make the case go away. 

As far as legal settlements go, $100,000 isn't terrible, but it is more than Luke has, forcing him to find some ways to scrape some cash together.  Luke explores several options, and Misty even suggests just asking Danny, but they all fall through for various reasons.  An opportunity does present itself, and while Luke isn't too enthusiastic, he does agree, as it would allow him to earn more than enough to cover the cost.

On the other side of things, Mariah has the opposite situation.  She made a killing with her stock (and blackmail) maneuvers and is ready to put that money to work.  Her first act is to open up a free clinic.  Hearing her talk about how she's going to pump her newfound capital into the community to lift it up was...oddly inspiring?  I mean, yeah, she's a villain and she's not the first one to go on about how she's acting in the greater good, but it does seem like she's turning over a new leaf and focusing on a brighter future now that she no longer needs to rely on crime to bring in money.  It was a highlight of the episode, oddly enough.    I think she also deserves credit for being clearer in her intent.  Fisk talked a lot about how he cared for the city and wanted to bring it to new heights, but Mariah shows it to a much greater extent.

The episode's third sub-plot focuses on Misty.  She gets her robot arm; but spends most of the episode reminiscing after discovering that Cockroach's claim of being arrested under false pretenses was valid.  A lot of her time is spent in flashbacks.  Given that we know of Scarfe's corruption, there isn't much in the way of development, but it was still nice to see him again.  He and Misty still played off each other well, though their friendship and banter do take on a darker light in some scenes.  

I was surprised by how much humor was in this episode.  There's usually a couple of good jokes, but this put quite a bit of emphasis on it.  Given that each character is doing their own thing, it adds to the "breather" feeling.  It also lowers the viewer's guard for what happens at the end.  Sure, the episode's quite old at this point, but I'll still avoid spoilers as I think the shock helps make that scene work. 

All in all, it was a very solid episode.  All of the plots worked well, the characters each had their shining moments and things moved at a pretty brisk pace.  The one time I checked the clock was more out of curiosity than boredom.  It's a solid 48 minutes of television.  

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 11: 'Seance and Sensibility'

 

It's fitting that I finally get around to this episode so close to Valentine's Day, as there is a heavy romantic element. The thought occurred to me that this did air around Valentine's Day, but that did not turn out to be the case, so there went that theory.

In any event, a lot of emphasis is put on love.  It is only fitting, then, that the historical figure du jour is none other than Jane Austen. She's not put in any mortal danger like so many others, but the works of a mystical fugitive do cause her to forego her writing career, prompting the Legends to go back and set things right like they do.

Interestingly enough, said fugitive isn't malicious in nature.  He's a (sort of) manifestation of the Hindu god of love, who is using his abilities to allow people to pursue their passions regardless of inhibitions.  It does have negative consequences at times, but his intent is well meaning enough.  He also has enough charm to win Zari over. 

Given the hinting of a brewing relationship with Nate, you'd think that this would create a love triangle, but Nate has his own things going on, and Zari breaks things off with the god before things get too far.  Now, if she had gone through with the wedding, that could have made things more interesting long term, but the resolution works well enough.  

The influence of the god goes beyond that, as he is able to influence Ray and Nora and their growing romance.  

To Nora's credit, she actually tries to make her case by talking to Ray via magical spell and explaining that she didn't kill Hank.  Why she didn't do it when everything first went down is a mystery, but at least she's trying to communicate and clear things up.    It also puts her on the Waverider, as Ray agrees to hide her, and this is where things start to go down.  She's still in seclusion by episode's end, but it's only a matter of time before the rest of the team finds out.  

Nate's aforementioned things mostly revolve around his dad's funeral.  He struggles to come up with a fitting eulogy given what he had learned.  The fact that Hank's ghost is lingering around doesn't faze Nate as much as you'd think (same goes for Jane Austen who doesn't even flinch when an enraged and wolfed out Mona attacks her.)  While he has no interest in what Hank has to say, John goes and does it anyway.

This does allow John to learn that Neron is tied to what's been happening and gives more context to how their arrangement was meant to work.

It also gives a twist regarding Hank's motives.  Up until now, it seemed like Hank wanted the creatures to be used as weapons.  I, myself, thought this, assuming that he was trying to use them in a defensive capacity, given the growing threats in the Arrowverse.  It turns out that he wanted to tame them so he could feature them in an amusement park.

I get what they were trying to do, send him off in a more positive light and show that he was a flawed but loving father, but this really doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  You could have played up Hank's nobility and well intentions, but still remained consistent with what we had seen prior.  On top of that, did he not read or watch "Jurassic Park"?  C'mon man.

Now, from what I read, the original idea was to have him be straight up evil and willingly in league with Neron.  I don't think that would have worked either, to be honest. It's a little too one note. Playing him as a sort of anti-hero (something akin to Amanda Waller or Nick Fury, which is what I had envisioned at the start of the arc) probably would have been the way to go.  Show a shade of grey.  This is, of course, moot hindsight.  Still, every so often, you can't help but armchair quarterback.

Overall, I'd say this was an average episode.  There've been funnier episodes, ones with stronger character arcs, and bigger action.  I think the only two things that stand out here are Zari's threesome dream and the Bollywood number.  Even that will probably blend in, as the show has done zanier.  Also, the lampshade hanging was starting to get to be a bit much.  The dream did it, the dance number did it, and the forced inclusion of the Bechdel test did it.  Some self-awareness can work, and has worked for the show on several occasions, but when used repeatedly in a short time span, it loses some of its spark.

We're actually a lot closer to the end of the season than I thought.  There's only five episodes to go.  It should be interesting to see how things play out in the time that's left.

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'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 4: 'I Get Physical'

 

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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'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 7: 'The Word'

 

This episode takes us back to the past.  Not to play bad video games, but...wait, I have deja vu.  We do kind of have another flashback episode fairly quickly.  However, where that focused on Annie's upbringing this one reveals the origins of the cult that is slowly overrunning the town.

I was expecting this to be a whole episode flashback, but instead, this intertwines those with events that are unfolding in the present day.  I think it worked out for the better.  While the flashback story did have highlights once it gained momentum, I don't know if there was enough there to carry a whole episode.

Annie and Joy mostly sit this one out.  There is one scene where Annie is trying (not very successfully it appears) to maintain the cover story that she was the one who committed the murder in the previous episode.  It seems like they're overcomplicating this.  The woman really was trying to do Annie harm, so wouldn't that give Joy a pretty strong defense in court?  It seems like they're lying when they don't necessarily have to.  We'll have to see where that goes.  In the meantime, though, the cult is still aiming to make her a vessel for their prophet, Amity, who's story is told in the aforementioned flashbacks.

Most of the present day plot focuses on Ace, as he is made aware of the strange things his son has been up to.  There's a little bit of dumb luck to get things started, but once Ace is put on the trail, his part becomes pretty compelling.  Even though he doesn't have all the pieces, it was interesting watching him put the pieces together to figure out that something is up.  He even tries to warn Abdi, who ignores said warnings.  The latter is later made aware when he sees 

It was also amusing to see Tim Robbins return to Shawshank.  Sure, it's a different character under entirely different circumstances, but that had to be intentional.

This also allows this season's plot to tie into that of the first.  While this season has done well telling its own independent story, the link was a nice touch.  The timing fits, as we are nearing the end of the series.  I doubt it'll tie everything up, but it does shed light on some things that were left hanging.

It's been quite some time since I was able to sit down and watch this.  Despite the gap, I was still able to keep up with what was happening.  Really, the only point my brain needed to stop and think about what was going on was with Annie and the cops.  Even that didn't take that long to click back into place for me.

The episode is fairly well paced.  I wasn't sure about the flashbacks at first, but they found their footing and became just as engaging as the present day plot progression.  

We're down to the final three episodes and it's quite clear that things are being set up for the final confrontation.  It'll be sad to see the series go.  This season has been quite strong overall, but I am still looking forward to seeing how things wrap up in the episodes to come.

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Content Creator Mk II

 So, I've been feeling the itch to get back to writing. A heckin' busy schedule and a slow as all get out netbook had been hindering me for some time.  While the schedule is still somewhat absurd, I am finding windows here and there.  This has been helped by the fact that the aforementioned netbook died, forcing me to upgrade.  I have also been making an effort to pull back at work, so as not to burn myself out mentally and physically.  

Now, this won't be like the last time around.  The jobs stay put.  This is going to be more of a "Buzz Beer" situation as opposed to trying to go the "self employed content creator" route again.  So, for all intents and purposes, I will be working three jobs as far as I'm concerned.

While content will be more consistent on both sites going forward, the plan is to ultimately move into fiction. I talked about it back when the Patreon was up and, while the means are different, the end goal does remain the same.  I do still like the idea of monthly novellas.  Short stories and full-on novels are also possibilities, but the novella seems like it would strike the right balance for me.

So, how does this little endeavor finance itself?  Well, from where I sit, there are four main sources of revenue.

1. E-Poll

Not a huge money maker, but every little bit counts.

2. Swagbucks

You know, it's funny, as much as I feature the referral link, I haven't really used the site that much. It didn't really get along with my old computer.  Now that my tech is more up to speed, I need to put this site to use to increase cash flow and boost my metrics even further.  I doubt it'll be big money, but again, every bit counts.

3. Reviewstream

This one is probably the best, as it is actually tied to writing.  Not only that, but I can throw the content on to either site. There is a pretty high payout threshold, so it'll take a while to get funds, but when they do come, the needle will move.  On the plus side, I don't need to come up with some outlandish number in terms of articles per day to ensure my bills get paid.  All that is already taken care of.  I can just work at a reasonable pace and still allow myself to put some focus on bigger projects

4. Dividends

This will really be the backbone of the operation.  It may not seem like it now, but as time goes on.  It's going to play a bigger and bigger role.

Wait, you're using side hustles to fund a side hustle?

Yes.  It's like seed money or startup capital.  

The Patreon...stays down.  It had its chance.  Truth be told, I think I put together a good system, but it didn't go anywhere after several years, so there's no sense in wasting time and energy with it.  I'm on a better path anyway.  Not only is this delivering much better results, but it suits me better.

I am toying with the idea of taking certain aspects of the campaign and applying them to the dividends, namely the quasi-basic income guarantee pledge (where at $1,200/month at least 10% goes to other creators to help build their income floor) and the charity milestone (where at least another 10% goes to charity).  Back when the Patreon was up, I had the latter milestone set at $4,000/month, but I am considering lowering it to $3,000.  Overhead isn't the concern that it was then and getting there sooner would be better.  We're still a ways away from that, but it is something to look forward to in the years to come.  Better yet, at that point, I'll be able to put E-Poll and Swagbucks points towards charities to bolster things even further.

One tricky thing, though, is that dividend payouts aren't even from month to month.  So, would I have to cross the threshold for all three quarter months before the perks get initiated or would I apply it to each quarter month as it hit?  The latter seems like the better way to go, but it is something that will have to be ironed out.  Again, I've got time on that one.

Could this phase out the current second job? Theoretically, it's a nice idea, but I don't want to get ahead of myself like I did the last time around.  I'm taking great care not to make the mistakes I made in the first go around.

I'm excited for this.  It'll be some time before you see anything substantial.  I still have brainstorming, drafting, and quite a bit of rust to shake off; but I think getting back into this will be good.  I think the setup is a lot better than the one I was trying to run on previously.  It's going to be interesting to see how things play out this time around.  I'm looking forward to it, though.  

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