Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing (left) and Simone Missick as Misty Knight (right). Photo courtesy of Netflix.
**This review contains spoilers for “Wig Out” and events that occurred in Marvel Netflix shows prior**
“I’m rough…but I’m still a hero.”
Wow…what a great episode. Luke’s anger was once again the focal point, and it led to some serious fall-out. Initially, I thought that the return of Luke’s father was the sole reason for all of this sudden anger. However, It would seem that James’ return simply exacerbated deep seeded anger already present within Luke—something that he has been embracing as he tries to clean up the street. The episode opening on the traumatized family was heartbreaking, really bringing into perspective the powerful destructive force that Luke is becoming.
There were plenty of stand-out moments in this episode, but I think I would give the prize to the final scene with Claire and Luke. They shared a lengthy, completely raw, and emotionally charged scene as Claire confronted Luke about his anger and how he was losing himself the more he fed into it. Both Mike Colter and Rosario Dawson were on the top of their game. This is by far their best scene together, and one of the most emotional scenes that their relationship has experienced. The moment Luke punched through that wall I nearly gasped. Claire’s reaction was devastating. She has come to realized how close she is to finding herself in an abusive relationship similar to the one in which she grew up. I felt the dread—that silence, as Claire declared that she needed the Ocean. That she needed space. Luke has screwed up big time, and I don’t know if he can come back from it.
Bushmaster continued to make a great impression. First, we had a great foreboding moment with Shades, when he came to get the Jamaican money—money that Bushmaster handed over fairly easily, but with the added gift of Nigel’s head. Bushmaster is playing a game, and I can’t wait to see more of his moves. We also got our first scene between Bushmaster and Luke Cage in this episode. It was a fantastic scene, that led to some really cool action sequences as Bushmaster tested Luke with his Yardie goons. That final grenade catching act was top notch. I really like the feel that Bushmaster is observing and testing his prey before pouncing and tackling the problem himself.
Mike Colter as Luke Cage (left) and Mustafa Shakir as Bushmaster (right). Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Mariah, if anything, was kind of the weaker aspect of the episode. Her charades at the charity led to her using her daughter to further her influence and reputation. I wish that Tilda had caught onto this more, because while we don’t know Tilda very well yet, it should be fairly obvious to her that she was being used. Nonetheless, to this point, things are going Mariah’s way. Her daughter is in her good graces; she got the money she needed from the Jamaicans; and she blackmailed Higgins into giving the vote she needed. Little does she know though that her precious puppet Billy (hired in the first episode) has really just been a Jamaican spy this whole time. That was a nice little twist that I didn’t see coming, and it will be interesting to see how the Yardies use that to their advantage. Their plan isn’t very clear now, but I’m kind of excited to see how they plan to topple Mariah, because things likely won’t be going her way for much longer.
When it came to Misty, she started to lose her way as the force sidelined her big time. She felt incapable of leading the life she once led. This gave a fantastic–and unexpected–team-up this episode as Colleen Wig showed up to talk some sense into her. Their scenes were really great, and the connection between the two of them is a strong one. They have more similarities than Misty may have realized, and their boxing/bar outing may have been just what she needed to get back on her feet. Speaking of that bar scene, that was a pretty awesome fight sequence. I also really enjoyed Colleen’s hard-ass approach to Misty, especially when she was trying to explain Chi.
A lot happened in a strong episode that showed Luke falling further into his anger, leading to devastating consequences for him and Claire. Not only that, but Bushmaster has studied his enemy and has made his move on Luke Cage at the moment when Luke is least ready to handle it. It’s been fun seeing Bushmaster slowly seed his plan, but I’m happy to start watching it grow.
Mike Colter as Luke Cage. Photo courtesy of Netflix.
What did you guys think about the episode? Make sure to leave your thoughts down below! Please be courteous by not talking about any details or spoilers from future episodes. Also make sure to check out our Luke Cage Season 2 HUB to keep up to date on all of our reviews for the new season!
Bonus Notes:
- Again, I’m digging all of the outside references to other shows. From Colleen, to Chi, and so forth.
- In that bar fight, where was the bartender the whole time?
- Is it too soon to start routing for Luke and Jessica again?
You can catch Luke Cage Season 2 available now on Netflix.
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