Liam Hoofe reviews the fourth episode of Luke Cage season 2…
After getting taken off his feet at the end of the last episode, things continued to grow from bad to worse for Luke Cage in the fourth episode of season two, ‘I Get Physical’.
The episode picked up at pretty much the exact point the last one finished, only this time, we get to see Luke getting taken down from the perspective of Griffith, who has followed him using the Luke Cage tracking app. The ridiculousness of the app aside, opening with this does provide an insight into how much Luke is being watched, wherever he goes, which could prove to be a blessing or a curse as the season progresses. Anyway, we pick up with Luke being dropped by Bushmaster, Luke quickly jumps back to his feet, and while he manages to land a few blows, it quickly becomes clear that Bushmaster is a much more gifted fighter than Luke, and he quickly leaves him floored.
The video of Luke being dropped soon goes viral and it becomes apparent that this is the only start for Luke. His relationship with Claire continues to fall apart, and his temper continues to control the majority of his actions. The episode then finishes with his long-time confidante Bobby Fish leaving Harlem, and Luke being served by the courts. We do also get to see Luke meeting Tilda, Mariah’s daughter, who is quickly becoming one of the most interesting characters on the show. Her ambiguous intentions make for entertaining viewing, and I suspect she may try and take her mother down before the season is out.
While things are going from bad to worse for Luke, Bushmaster’s plans start to become a little bit clearer in this episode. We learn of his origins in The Yardies, and soon realise that he intends to reclaim power in Harlem for The Stylers, a group formed from former Yardie members. It would also appear as though he has some beef with Mariah, and the scene with the two talking was one of the strong points of this episode. The feud between these two will hopefully go a long way in establishing a real sense of history in Harlem, and it will hopefully add even more depth to Mariah’s character.
Elsewhere in this episode, Misty received a surprising gift from Colleen and Danny (Iron Fist), a drawing of a bionic arm. Having Rand Enterprises make the arm makes a lot of sense and I’m super excited about the prospect of Misty and Colleen joining up for a Daughters of The Dragon spin-off. What I’m not so excited about, however, is the potential arrival of Danny Rand later in this season. Rand has been the worst thing about this Marvel/Netflix universe and has managed to drag everything down with him, hopefully, his appearance in this is nothing more than a cameo.
‘I Get Physical’ was another solid episode from Luke Cage season 2. Bushmaster is starting to grow into a very strong character, and the prospect of him and Mariah going head to head is a promising one. Luke’s life seems to be falling apart more and more each episode, and it looks as though he may have a little bit further to fall before he can inevitably rally back and save the day.
Liam Hoofe
