Liam Hoofe reviews the season 2 finale of Marvel’s Luke Cage…
Harlem is out of control and in need of a new leader in the season finale of Luke Cage season two.
Luke Cage season 2 has been a bit of a mixed bag at times but everything comes together quite nicely in the season finale – ‘They Reminisce Over You’. Opening with Mariah’s court case, the episode deals with the aftermath of Mariah’s arrest and what that means for the future of Harlem. Mariah kept in the position she was in for so long by always being one step ahead of those who were after her and we see that again as she manages to orchestrate chaos on the streets of Harlem after her arrest.
Without her ruling over crime in the neighbourhood, things soon turn pretty nasty and it quickly becomes apparent that someone is going to have to fill her boots. Alfre Woodard has been the star of the show this season and it was fitting that her final appearance in the show was an episode basically focused on her influence, both good and bad.
We get one scene of her quickly taking over the prison from the inside and it’s a shame that she didn’t see it past the end of the episode because watching her ruling the inside of a prison could have made for excellent television.
Elsewhere, her former partner, Shades is doing his best to keep his head down but he is dealt a blow at the end when he is arrested after Mariah’s death. Theo Rossi has also been excellent throughout this season and the show has been considerably better when he and Woodard are sharing the screen.
After all of the attempts on Mariah’s life, it was Tilda, her own daughter, who delivered the killer blow. Visiting her Mother inside, Tilda had put poison in her lipstick and delivered it to her Mother with a parting kiss. It was a fitting end for Mariah, who died in Luke’s arm after realising what her daughter had done to her, and it sets up Tilda as a future antagonist quite nicely.
Talking of antagonists, Bushmaster basically just decided he had enough and hopped on a plane to Jamaica, which was slightly underwhelming considering all that he has done throughout the season. He even passed on his blessings to Luke at the end of the episode, which means that will probably be the last we see of him. He has been a fun character to have around, and a better payoff would have been welcomed.
Then, there is Luke. After Mariah’s death, he realises that he has to take over her role as head of Harlem. Mariah having one last twist in store for Luke was a nice way to say goodbye to her character, and seeing Luke in charge of Harlem’s paradise provided a nice visual, as did his decision to replace the picture of Notorious BIG with Mohamed Ali. Luke’s slow turn towards the dark side was interesting but it never really felt earned. The forced Godfather reference felt a little too on the nose, and while there have been some seeds planted during the season, it never really felt like it was going anywhere. It is an interesting route to take though and offers plenty of interesting angles for the next season.
On the whole, Luke Cage season 2 has been fairly solid. The show probably should have been titled ‘The Harlem Chronicles: Season One’ because Luke himself often felt like a secondary character in his own show, but the ‘secondary’ characters here were often the highlight. Alfre Woodard’s Mariah will be sorely missed and hopefully, we see more of Shades in future seasons.
Liam Hoofe
