*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
JUST TO GET A REP
Episode 5 gets back to the main story line and starts off with Cottonmouth in his club listening to a rapper sing a song that, I’m assuming is called ‘Long live the chief’. They cut back and forth between the song at the club and Luke digging through the rubbage of the collapsed building he was buried under last episode. I really didn’t dig the song. Too many ‘N-word’ references. We find out that Luke was looking for Pops swear jar. Misty sees him lifting impossibly heavy wreckage and, after he leaves she picks through the rubble and finds a picture of Reeva.
Cottonmouth holds council with his inner circle, which now seems to include Shades, about what to do about his confiscated money and Luke. One of them argues to just leave him alone. Benign Neglect is how he refers to it. Cottonmouth presently takes out his gun and shoots him in the head shocking everyone else in the room except Shades. Cottonmouth tells his inner council to go hit up the businesses and wring them for half of what they have and to tell them when they complain that they are paying the ‘Luke Cage stupidity tax’ and to go see him at the barber shop.
Businesses get shook down and one particular girl named Ayesha who runs a sporting memorabilia shop based on her Dad’s former days playing with the Nines and let them to championship. Zip (one of Cottonmouth’s goons) stumbles upon her Dad’s championship ring and takes it. Ayesha goes to Luke who just got done getting fitted for a suit for Pops memorial service and tells him he has to get the ring back for her.
Luke hits back at Cottonmouths goons and gets back much of what was stolen from the different people and businesses in Harlem.
We finally see Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) when she goes to her Mother’s diner. She tells her Mom about the incident at the hospital that happened in Daredevil Season 2 and that she feels like she should be helping super powered people. I think she’s finally turning into Night Nurse from the comics.
Luke confronts Cottonmouth at his club. After dispatching a few more of his goons Cottonmouth (CM) threatens him but Shades recognizes him as Carl Lucas and fills CM in. Shades shows CM a video of an experimental bullet that he claims comes from a metal that’s ‘not from this earth’, possibly from ‘the incident’ and looks like it could, potentially, do damage to Luke. I’m a little skeptical but I guess when you’re talking about alien metals anything is possible. It’s called ‘The Judas’. Shades keeps referring to Diamondback, though, but we never hear much about him. He’s just this name that Shades keeps throwing around and just the mention of it makes CM get worried. But this experimental bullet is pretty expensive and Shades tells CM that Diamondback won’t front him the money for it because of the recent developments. CM comes up with a plan to get his confiscated munitions out of police impound and get his money back then get the bullet.
We also see the police chief and an Internal Affairs (IA) officer confront Misty about Scarfe. Saying that he may be on the take and the mysterious circumstances around Chico’s disappearance. Later, we see the same IA officer talking to Scarfe on a street bench about how he’s under investigation and that CM wants him to get his impounded munitions out of lockup.
Luke gets Ayesha’s ring back and goes to Pops memorial. He stops Ayesha from pulling a gun on CM in the service. CM gets up and gives a rousing eulogy. But Luke follows it up and basically stares down CM. His eulogy brings about greater applause.
Outside the church, Luke derides CM as he’s getting into his car. Then Misty confronts Luke as he’s walking back to the barber shop telling him to stop with ‘pissing contest’ with CM. Saying that more innocent people will get hurt even if he can’t. Luke says he’s not going anywhere.
We also see Scarfe taking a police van full of the confiscated munitions to a remote location. CM texts him and asks if he has his goods. Scarfe is about to reply but deletes the text and closes up the truck. Not sure what he’s playing at. Maybe he’s going to sell them himself or maybe he wants a cut. We’ll find out I guess.
I’m interested to see what they do with Diamondback. Will he have any super powers? Will he be any real threat to Luke?
Rating: 8/10