While Luke struggles financially and Misty struggles morally, Mariah is in for a huge shocker regarding her now-legit business dealings.
Luke Cage – “All Souled Out”, Season 2, Episode 05
Airdate: June 22nd, 2018
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Writer: Ian Stokes
Based on Marvel Comics Characters by: Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, and John Romita Sr.
What You’ll Find Out:
Luke’s subpoena turned out, unsurprisingly, to be because Cockroach is suing him for assault, and despite a guest appearance from Foggy Nelson as Luke’s lawyer, the situation looks dire should the case go to court. This prompts Luke to explore his endorsement options to raise the $100,00 to make it all go away, however in the wake of the Bushmaster video, the line of people looking to capitalize on Luke has dwindled significantly. Looking for another way out, Luke decides to try out a celebrity appearance. Upon finding out that Piranha, who is currently working deals with Mariah, is not only a creepy stalker of a fan, but also willing to offer exorbitant amounts of money to have a “pet superhero” for his party that night, Luke reluctantly agrees.
While Luke is busy selling out, Misty is seen adapting to her new arm, courtesy of Rand Corporation, as well as coming to terms with the history between herself and her corrupt former partner, Scarfe. As Misty flashes back, her hindsight clearly shows moments in which Scarfe all but revealed his nature to her. Rather than learn from his mistakes, however, Misty seems to read the flashbacks as some sort of a how-to manual, claiming and planning to plant evidence at Cockroach’s apartment, but instead finds him decapitated.
As the party progresses and Luke slowly begins to see what he sold his soul for to “earn” his get out of jail free card, and just when things appear to have spiraled completely out of Luke’s control, he spots a Styler lurking in the crowd. After a brief shootout which paired the unlikely duo of Shades and Luke on the same side of the fight, a pair of Stylers drag Piranha out and throw him in a car. Luke thwarts the getaway and rescues Piranha, telling him that he wants a hero for hire, the cost just doubled.
Across the neighborhood, the Mariah narrative progressed slowly. She introduces Tilda to her new facility, asking Tilda to become the head of medical there, and through a series of conversations in which Mariah is uncharacteristically honest, she convinces Tilda to join forces with her on the Family First Initiative. However, at the press covered unveiling of the facility, the doors are opened to three severed heads on pikes.
What Just Happened?
This episode was somewhat slowly paced, yet still crucial to the overall advancement of the season. Luke’s path to becoming a Hero for Hire is somewhat disheartening to watch, as we see a once noble, if slightly out of control, hero struck blow after blow by a system that is created to be pay for play, problems many of the other heroes in the greater MCU simply do not have to confront.
While this episode did not feature a single moment of the marvelous Bushmaster, it did happen to feature Ghostface Killah (the second Wu Tang Clan member to be featured on the show) spitting bars at Piranha’s party over a track from Adrian Younge, one of the men responsible for the music featured in the series.
I’ve noticed a growing pattern of referencing Jay-Z, both offhandedly (the comments about “going Eric Benet” are likely in reference to it being brought up on the track “Kill Jay-Z” from 4:44), Foggy references a friend who brokered a deal for a Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child appearance, and Che tells Shades to say hi to Puff and Jay as Shades headed out to Piranha’s party. It’s quite possible there have been other references that I wasn’t looking for, so perhaps that will be something fun to do on the re-watch.
Rating: 7/10
Final Thought: As Luke sits in Pop’s, he gathers his books and glances at the covers, eventually shelving them. The man who will correct Cockroach from citing Prodigy as the source of “survival of the fittest” has moved beyond a time where he can sit and appreciate his books a mere three episodes later, and that moment, while hardly crucial, was very saddening to me.
Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook!
Join our Age of Social Media Network consisting of X-Men, Marvel, DC, Superhero and Action Movies, Anime, Indie Comics, and numerous fan pages. Interested in becoming a member? Join us by clicking here and pick your favorite group!
