Finn Jones as Danny Rand (left), and Mike Colter as Luke Cage (right). Photo courtesy of Netflix.
**This review contains spoilers for “The Main Ingredient” and events that occurred in Marvel Netflix shows prior**
“Power Man and Iron Fist…that’s got a ring to it. That’s going on a t-shirt!”
There he is! We finally got our team-up episode, and it did not disappoint. Luke and Danny got their time together as Danny arrived just when Luke needed some chi centering. It was great getting to see their bromance start to blossom, and I know I’m not alone in hoping that the pair of them will become a staple moving forward. How badass was that fight scene with the two of them at the Nightshade growing factory? Probably the show’s best choreography to date—I mean, even Danny was showing off some impressive moves. Their “Patty Cake” team-up was the cherry on top.
While the Hero for Hire storyline for Luke has been a constant tease this season, with Danny entering the picture that teasing intensified. The discussions about money, and how it may or not be power, play into all of that. More importantly, Danny made sure to note that he isn’t living off of his company’s money—so he could be in the position to be hired. Let’s talk about Danny though, because the Danny Rand we see here is a much more improved character—an all-around better portrayal of Iron Fist—than we’ve seen yet. He’s more relaxed, not as stubborn, and much easier to watch on screen. All of these things were playfully poked at through the dialogue within the episode. Netflix/Marvel knows that they got Iron Fist wrong out of the gate, and it looks they are making strides to right those wrongs (best they can).
Now…about Mariah Stokes. She has embraced her true name and heritage. The retaliation against the family name has been a nice running thread throughout the season. So there was immense payoff as Mariah rounded out and finalized her true villainess turn, and boy was it rough. This is the real Mariah: someone who would slaughter an entire restaurant of people and burn Anansi alive, just to make a point. It really was quite shocking to witness Mariah make such drastic moves—but they enhanced her character to new thrilling levels. For his part, Shades doesn’t look like he’s digging this new Mariah Stokes.
Finn Jones as Danny Rand (left), and Mike Colter as Luke Cage (right). Photo courtesy of Netflix.
Almost everything about the episode was fantastic—except detective Nandi. Throughout the season so far, I can honestly say she has had very little impact on me. In fact, she’s been annoying almost every time she has come around. That didn’t change when she got the spotlight this week. Two things fell through for me: The writing and her performance. For one, Nandi does not feel like she would ever have been a cop—nothing about her performance felt authentic. Also, how dumb is she? So confident, walking up to her private plane as the police pull up to arrest her. Did she think she was getting out of that situation? Why did it need to devolve into a silly fist fight?
Now the one shining light in all of the Nandi storyline was that Misty was potentially offered the position of precinct commissioner. It’s a curveball that I like, even though I did show hesitation earlier in the season when she started coming back to the force. Will Misty take the job at this point? Personally, I think it could go either way. I do look forward to watching her decide how to seek justice for Harlem—whether on the force or through vigilantism.
With the exception of Nandi’s storyline, “The Main Ingredient” delivered a great episode as we got to see Danny and Luke team-up to slow down Bushmaster and Mariah fully embraced her heritage as she slaughtered the Jamaicans. Why do I feel that Danny is simply going to slide out of the plot now? It would be a shame, as it would make sense for him to stick around to finish the Bushmaster fight. Fingers crossed that down the road, we get that Heroes for Hire show.
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!
Conclusion:
- Iron Fist wearing a Sweet-Xmas hoodie in his classic colors was a great choice.
- Great Turk scene. I had almost forgotten we hadn’t seen him yet.
- I’d like to take this time to remind Danny that he has two fists. Two. Not one. I’ll continue to say it until he realizes it.
- Danny didn’t need to take an episode to charge up his hand for one use. So that’s a big positive.
- That green and yellow lighting when Danny and Luke break into the factory was aces. Really pumped me up for that fight.
You can catch Luke Cage Season 2 available now on Netflix.
