Much of what made the first season great is still prevalent here. The atmosphere still feels natural accompanied by entertaining music (with another new song about Luke created in the finale) and Luke is still the "man of the people" hero, even embracing it a little more this season. Tonally, this season is very akin to "The Dark Knight". That's a comparison I do use a lot when it comes to sequels, but it's just where my mind goes, not to mention that said film did so well that it shouldn't be surprising when others try to emulate it. To get in specifics though, we have the hero getting comfortable in his position until a new threat (who has a flare for the dramatic) escalates problems to a new level, leading the hero to question his methods and what he's willing to do (or in some cases not do) to prevail.
One of the main threats this season is new villain Bushmaster, coming to Harlem for revenge on Mariah Dillard for what her family did to his in the past. Similar to Diamondback, he poses a real challenge to Luke, taking a concoction that amplifies his strength and durability, even allowing him to be impervious to bullets, but not at Cage's level. In addition, Bushmaster has some formal training and some tricks up his sleeve, making him more than just a physical threat to Cage.
That brings me to the action of the season. Along with the Luke/Bushmaster fight scenes, the season is able to come up with new ways to surprise me. One of my favorite moments is when Luke is able to ricochet a bullet back into the gunman's leg. Then there's the issue of the violence. Just when you think the Marvel Netflix shows can't take things up a notch, they do. I still find myself going "Oh ****" at some moments, and there's one scene in episode ten that's unnerving and kind of hard to watch, especially when you consider how frequent mass shootings are.
What I really think makes this season better than the first is that it has a bigger emotional punch this time around, and the best moments come from the relationships between characters. These were some of my favorites:
* Luke Cage and James Lucas: Luke's estranged father makes his debut, and is pretty much the catalyst of Luke's emotional journey this season. Seeing his father brings about the pain of Luke's past, and this has a major effect on his mission to protect Harlem and his relationships. Despite a rocky start though, the two slowly mend their relationship and their interactions are some of my favorite parts of the season. Colter and the late Reg E. Cathy have brilliant chemistry together. On that note, Cathy really is an amazing actor, and I did think he was good in Fant4stic despite not having much to do there. It's only a shame he won't be able to return for another season.
* Shades and Comanche: Comanche was in prison with Shades and Luke in the flashback episode in season one, and this season he's out and working with Shades and Mariah. It's here we see the bond between him and Shades, and what ends up happening between the two begins a real character turn for Shades, and you start to see there is a bit of a good side to him.
* Mariah Dillard and Tilda Johnson: Mariah sets out to make amends with her daughter this season, but things don't really go well with Bushmaster trying to kill her. As the season progresses, Tilda learns the horrible truths about her mother, eventually leading up to a pivotal moment in episode 9 with what some may see as a twist reveal. Alfre Woodard delivers one of the most powerful performances I've ever seen in this episode, and it's this moment that reveals how much of a monster Mariah is. But that's only the beginning as for the rest of the season, she fully embraces her dark side and in my opinion, cements herself as one of the MCU's best villains.
Another thing I liked about this season is that we see some real fallout from the Defenders, unlike Jessica Jones' second season. The prime example is Misty Knight, who lost her arm during the final battle with the Hand. Misty's journey is about trying to rise above her injury both personally and professionally, eventually receiving a cybernetic arm made by the company owned by Danny Rand (Iron Fist), which does give her a little strength boost. On that note, I liked Misty a little more this time around as she's more willing to work with Luke after all they've been through. She also still struggles with the line of working within and outside the law and I think it works better this season than the last.
And of course, episode ten of the season guest stars Finn Jones reprising his role of Danny Rand, "the immortal Iron Fist, protector of..." oh you know the rest by now. It's no secret that Iron Fist got the short end of the stick when it came to his series and his appearance in the Defenders. With the Hand defeated though, Danny's shown to become a more lighthearted character. Luke mentions that Danny seems different, and in my head I imagined him saying "Yeah, I got better writers". Seriously though, I guess when you can't keep claiming you're the chosen one in a secret war, you get a major personality overhaul. Much like in the Defenders though, I loved Luke and Danny's interactions; they just play so well off of each other. Like I said before, these two definitely need a "Heroes for Hire" series, but based on the way this season ended, I think we're going to need another solo season for Luke before we get there.
Speaking of the finale though, it not only wraps up some plot threads from season one but it also creates a massive status quo shift. What happens is kind of cool, but at the same time, kind of unsettling. It's going to be interesting to see where Luke's character goes from here as he now walks the thin line between hero and villain.
Overall, the second season of Luke Cage is one of the best to come from Marvel and Netflix, retaining and elevating much of what made its first season so great, as well as taking things in a bold direction for the future.
RATING: 10/10
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