'Luke Cage' Recap: 'Just to Get a Rep'

​Written by Scott Edwards

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

After pulling his land lady out of the rubble of her fallen building, Luke has finally accepted his role in life and that is to take care of everyone that is being hurt. Not shying away from the camera and making sure that the baddies in Harlem know that he is looking out for the little guy, Luke Cage is on the minds of everybody.  Watching as the massive man digs through the rubble of his own home, Misty does a little digging herself and when she finds the picture of Reva, she wants to know what she is up against. Knowing that Luke is going to cause more of a problem than being the solution, she has to find a way to make sure he does not get anyone else hurt and hopefully she can help him to understand the tough road ahead for him.

After losing over seven million dollars in the Luke Cage raids on his money, Cornell is ready to try a different approach to get to Cage.  Sending out his goons to go and collect everything they can from the neighborhood, he wants the people to turn against the new savior that is walking the streets. Over thirty shops are hit and people are told that it is Luke Cage’s fault and they all want their new hero to deliver a little payback on Cottonmouth’s men. Luke has other things on his mind for the day, since it is the memorial service for Pop, but if he is able to help the living, he will have to do that first. 

Claire Temple has returned home to Harlem and has seen that not much has changed. Having her purse stolen after getting off the train, it is easy to see that she knows how to protect herself.  Kicking the crap out of the mugger, Claire makes it back to her mother’s shop to try and figure out her next move after being fired from the hospital. Talking it out with her mother, Claire has come to the realization that the super hero people need her help after all she has done for Daredevil and Luke Cage in the past and that is what she wants to do, help those with super abilities recover from their crime fighting. Although her mother thinks that she is crazy, she knows that there is nothing that she can say or do to keep Claire from following her path.

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After picking up a picture of a woman at the blown up restaurant, Misty returns back to the station to get ready for Pop’s funeral, but the top brass is waiting for her. Getting word that her partner is being investigated by Internal Affairs, Misty does not believe what she is hearing. But when the facts are laid out in front of her, since Rafael was the last person to see Chico and he arrived at the blown up restaurant long before she did, she may have to ask some questions of her own. Being told by a lieutenant that he is being watched, Rafael has bigger problems as he will have to get the guns from the heist a few days ago out of lockup for Cottonmouth. Knowing that there is going to be more trouble coming his way, Rafael is being very quiet about what is happening and is trying to find a way to break free before he gets caught.

Today is the day for Harlem to come together and pay tribute to Pop for all that he did for them over the years. While Misty wants Luke to stay away from the ceremony, she knows that he will be there come rain or shine.  Wanting to clear his slate after talking to Luke earlier in the day, Cornell wants to pay off his debts to Domingo so he can get some help to kill Luke once and for all. While it may seem like a somber day, so much has happened around the city, but everyone drops their guard for a couple hours so proper respect can be paid to Pop. While Cornell has known the man the longest, Luke has the fonder memories of the old man and they two try their hardest to win over the neighborhood for the war that is coming.

The only person that ties together the Netflix Marvel Universe returns in this episode, that’s right, Claire is back and looking for a new job. I don’t know how long this will last, but I think it will be fun to see what she brings to Harlem when Luke and Cottonmouth go at it once and for all. I was a little more blown away with Shades character this week as he is trying to advise Cornell on how to handle his business around Luke and with the easy way out being thrown out the window by the gangster, Shades knows that his employer will not help unless a price is paid. It should be interesting to see what Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ is able to work out with the mysterious Diamondback who is only looking for power and nothing else.  As Misty has said in the past, Luke being in the city is going to cost many more people their lives and when the war comes to the streets, it will be difficult to guess who will be caught in the cross fire. On a finale side note, this episode's music act is a rapper named Jidenna whom I have not heard of, but he gives us a good beat and I may want to hear a little bit more when after the series ends.

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