We pick up Luke Cage episode 3 where episode 2 left off – with Luke in Cockroach’s apartment, and with Cockroach bloodied and unconscious.
Claire arrives and she is none too pleased, so she calls Misty. Misty doesn’t want any more trouble for Luke from her colleagues and superiors, so she lets him leave. Of course, Misty’s colleagues and superiors don’t support that decision, and you can see that they are reaching their limits in terms of dealing with her less-than-traditional police work.
Let me get the best part of the episode out there – Colleen Wing makes a guest appearance, sparring with Misty in a boxing ring and trying to help her deal with her demons. But that’s not even the best part. They go to a bar for a drink after their sweat sesh, and they (well, mostly Misty) get hit on and harassed by some lame-line-spewing dude – and then they kick the crap out of him AND all of his buddies. Even with one arm, Misty makes the fight look easy – so maybe this will give her some of her confidence and swagger back?
While Luke goes looking for Bushmaster in Brooklyn (unsuccessfully – he isn’t revered there like he is in Harlem), Mariah is trying to make nice with Tilda. It’s unclear whether Mariah only wants her daughter on her side for appearances, or if she actually wants to rehab their relationship, but either way, Tilda remains suspicious – especially after she sees that Mariah isn’t completely legit (she witnesses the tail end of the blackmailing of Mark Higgins). Relatedly, every time Shades enters a room to find Tilda there with Mariah, you can see that he is concerned about his place in the family hierarchy.
Speaking of Shades … he finally closes the gun deal with Bushmaster, who implies that he is working on behalf of Nigel. However, included in one of the bags of cash is Nigel’s decapitated head. If he wasn’t already worried, Shades definitely is now – they’ve just sold all of their guns to someone who has made it clear that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to be the top dog.
Luke arrives at the scene of the gun deal after it’s already been handled, and Bushmaster’s men try to take him down (with guns … seriously, when will these people learn?) – but Bushmaster himself, rather than get in the ring with our hero, merely records the various battles. We see him later, watching the video and working to mimic Luke’s movements, so he can be prepared for their next meeting. Sneaky.
Whenever Luke is NOT combing the streets in search of ties to Mariah, he is fighting with Claire. In addition to being mad about her calling the cops about Cockroach, he’s incensed when she confesses that she went to see Reverend James. He wants her to stop pushing him to reconcile with his father, and he refuses to see where she’s coming from when she expresses her concern about his recent actions – instead of admitting that she’s right and that he shouldn’t enjoy the violence that he’s capable of, he snipes at her about how she gravitates towards people with abilities. Even though Claire is keeping her cool throughout their spat, Luke’s anger and frustration eventually elevate, and he punches a huge hole in the wall. That’s it for Claire, who says she needs some time and space to think. Only then does Luke look the least bit sorry – but it’s too late for now.
Luke’s bad night gets even worse after he leaves Claire’s place … he runs into Bushmaster, who promptly knocks him out. That can’t be good.
Do you think Claire will come back to Luke? Are there more severed heads in our future? Let us know in the comments where you think things are heading (pun intended, haha)!
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