Cottonmouth strikes back at Luke by taking his vengeance out on the people of Harlem, while detectives Knight and Scarfe face an unexpected threat.

This fifth episode really lays out what a lot of this show is about as Luke Cage eulogizes Pop. Kids need to see a man at work… and that feels like it sums up a lot of what Marvel’s Luke Cage is about, someone for kids of color to look up to as a hero. Not someone who is fighting aliens but someone who is trying to do good in their own community.

In the scene I reference above, which isn’t a spoiler, it feels like Luke Cage is addressing us the viewers as much as he’s addressing the congregation. Again, this is a show with a message.

We also get a much better sense as to where this series falls when it comes to its fellow Marvel Netflix series. Rosario Dawson’s Claire Temple, the only character to appear in all three series, debuts in a way to help set straight some of the timeline and also set up the future.

If there was doubt this was a show with a message that’s erased here as it’s delivered directly to the viewer in no uncertain terms. In that way this is a show of recent times as well as paying homage to its roots.

Overall Rating: 8.5

As he rescues a victim of Cottonmouth’s vengeance, Luke remembers his earlier life and the conspiracy that led to his superhuman strength.

The origin story is really here as we find out how Luke Cage became Luke Cage, his powers, his name, everything about him.

Marvel’s Luke Cage in its fourth episode answers a lot of our questions about our mysterious lead, including why he’s been getting paid in cash. It’s an interesting origin story, really the first real one we’ve had out of the three Netflix series. Sure we saw hor Daredevil got his abilities, but there really wasn’t an entire episode taking us through an origin in a traditional way.

The episode is straight up that as Luke is trapped after having a building dropped on him in the last episode. As he struggles to get out he recounts the story behind his powers.

The episode is a birth in many ways with straight up imagery of the hero emerging through a tunnel to face the public. It continues the symbolism that has been front and center in all of the episodes so far.

For comic fans, there’s lots of love too with nods to his signature catchphrase and also a classic look that’s pretty damn entertaining.

The episode and origin isn’t quite as good as previous ones, but it’s pretty damn solid. My issues is that it feels like it treads in things we’ve seen before so many times borrowing from films where prisoners are forced to fight to even Captain America’s origin in some ways.

Still, the series is so entertaining and continues what is easily Marvel’s best series yet.

Overall Rating: 8

In the aftermath of a chaotic event at a favorite Harlem hangout, Luke heeds the call to action — and hits Cottonmouth where he’ll feel it most.

A hip hop driven superhero is the best way to describe Luke Cage and that’s apparent in this third episode of Marvel’s Luke Cage. From what’s being played in music to the focus on Crispus Attucks, this third episode is full of symbolism.

With Cage strolling around in a black hoodie for his first major action as a superhero, it’s hard not to think of things like the murder of Trayvon Martin. As the bullets bounce off of his chest and the holes pile expand it’s hard not to think of what a black man in a hoodie with bullets bouncing off of him represent. And what the situation this occurs in adds to that meaning. Symbolism is front and center in this episode.

Crispus Attucks is considered the first American death in the American Revolutionary War and you have to wonder who in this series is Attucks? Is it Luke Cage the man? Replaced by Luke Cage the hero?

Through all of the action. Through all of the music. This is a superhero series that wants you to think about the current political and social climate. Its focus is on the local community, and wants us to think about ours. Gentrification is brought up. Community centers are mentioned. Political corruption is there. This is a series that is more than the bulletproof hero that adorns its title and a lot of that is on display here.

Another solid episode that entertains and more importantly gets you to think.

Overall Rating: 9

Luke is pulled deeper into the fight for his neighborhood when, as a favor to an old friend, he tries to help a kid who’s in trouble with Cottonmouth.

Two episodes in and things are really set up as Marvel’s Luke Cage dives deeper into the history of various characters, but  what really struck me here is how much the series is paying homage to what has come before. This episode especially has moments that remind me of Do the Right Thing as well as Malcolm X, two films by Spike Lee. That’s not a bad thing at all, its just interesting at how much the show is willing to show its roots and where it came from.

That’s apparent in the beginning which opens up with Luke staring at a building with a gun to his head, a flash forward that we return to at the end of the episode. And that moment, like much of the episode is an origin of Luke Cage the hero.

The first episode showed his reluctance to use his powers and stand up. Sure he does a bit at one point, but it takes a lot for him to really get involved and act, and it’s clear it’s been some time for him to determine what he wants to do.

This episode is that moment of change where Luke Cage the man goes away and Luke Cage the hero arises. There’s something at the end of the episode that I don’t want to spoil because of how powerful it is, but it really sets the tone of this character and his principles. It’s a defining moment, for the character, the series, and in many ways Marvel as a whole, a discussion for a whole other time.

Luke Cage is a hero for the time and one that has come at a perfect moment, something the show is keenly aware of, and really we’re seeing the rise of a hero we all need.

Overall Rating: 9

With tension building in the streets of Harlem thanks to ruthless club owner Cottonmouth, Luke finds it increasingly difficult to live a quiet life.

I can’t quite think of any television show that’s driven as much by its soundtrack as the visuals and what is said. Marvel’s Luke Cage is the latest in Marvel‘s live action Netflix series following Daredevil’s two seasons and Jessica Jones. A string of connected live action shows which expand the shared universe that began on the big movie screen to the small television screen. And that shared universe is checked in many ways as the show early on sets the stage referencing events that we saw in the Avengers. There’s also name checks like Justin Hammer, a character we saw in Iron Man 2.

But, that’s just a small detail for a show that is more of a continuation of the gritty street level blaxploitation films of the 70s such as Shaft, Super Fly, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and others. Like those films, this show is fueled by the thumping funk and soul music setting a tone and direction.

The first episode feels like it’d be right at home during that time period with a look, tone, and characters that would fit into any of those films. The first episode sets the tone and what we cna expect going forward for this season’s thirteen episodes, the characters, the conflict, and some of the noir-ish aspects.

The acting is solid, and Mike Colter as Luke Cage presents a character who is clearly haunted by his past and unsure what he should be doing with his future. It adds much more depth to a character introduced in Jessica Jones and wasn’t given much in the ways of all of that.

The first episode sets it all up as to what we can expect from the series and much like the previous two Netflix series, this one stands out on its own in tone, look, and what it has to say. While Daredevil and Jessica Jones used New York and Hell’s Kitchen as their setting, it’s clear Harlem is as much a character for Luke Cage as any other. And in doing so, it may be giving us our truly first “street level” character.

Overall Rating: 9