LUKE CAGE on Netflix

2 2

Where the hell is Mass Appeal?

Where the hell is Mass Appeal?

Where the hell is Mass Appeal?

Premo's work with KRS-One almost rivals that of Gangstarr. Just brilliant.

Popcorn. check.

Chips. Check.

Drinks. Check.

Standing by for binge mode.

Just woke up (it's 6.20am here) and remembered it's Luke Cage day

Time did a really long piece on the history of the character, and the development of the Netflix show and universe. Well worth the read.

Time Magazine: The Making Of LUKE CAGE

Coker, 43, compares himself to a football coach and the writers to his coaching staff. (His roommate at Stanford was David Shaw, now the head coach of that school’s football team.) In a TV show, Coker says, “dialogue is the offense and structure is the defense.”

 

If so, actor Mike Colter is the quarter­back. Colter, who broke out in Million Dollar Baby and has starred on The Good Wife and The Following, turned down many roles that he felt perpetuated the same black tropes. “I didn’t know whether I was going to be successful in this business because I think you have to ignore the fact that sometimes you’re strictly a stereotype or at the very least you’re not doing anything to undo a ­stereotype,” he says.

 

Not so for Luke Cage. Beginning with his first appearance in an earlier Marvel-Netflix collaboration, Jessica Jones, the Luke Cage character has defied convention. Luke becomes involved with a superhero named Jessica Jones, who is white. While most shows might ponder the differences between the two characters’ backgrounds, Jessica Jones treats the couple like any other, a tact Colter found refreshing. “I was tired of seeing interracial couples that shared a bond over alcohol or drugs or something deviant,” says Colter. “Every other version I’ve seen of that relationship reinforced this idea that there was something strange about an interracial couple. But Jessica and Luke make a real, authentic connection that has nothing to do with race.”

 

Luke Cage diverges from the pattern in other ways. Luke is a physically imposing man hesitant to use his strength. He carries himself with integrity and ease. He’s thoughtful and reserved. Even his theme music combines hip-hop beats with under­tones of blues and jazz. He uses his comic-book-­originated one-liner “Sweet Christmas!” sparingly, opting instead for pensive silence. The show’s palette is brighter, the music throbbing with energy, the themes “unapologetically black,” says Younge. “He’s a black superhero, but he’s a different type of black alpha male. He’s not bombastic. You rarely see a modern black male character who is soulful and intelligent.”

Just finished the first episode and loved it. The writing definitely feels more forced than the other two but I actually really like it given the actors' ability to deliver.

Since I thought Jessica Jones was that good I stopped watching that series after 3 episodes. Do I need to watch Jessica Jones to really get into Cage season 1?

Since I thought Jessica Jones was that good I stopped watching that series after 3 episodes. Do I need to watch Jessica Jones to really get into Cage season 1?

Not at all. So far, the events of that show have been mentioned once and honestly, it was blink and you miss it and served more as exposition for Cage's character than an actual important plot point. Don't worry about it!

I liked that first episode. Although it had some rough scenes. But that's the environment Luke Cage is dealing with that will force his decision.

i'm liking it!

12 minutes into the first episode and I don't know if I can continue. Worst. Acting. Ever.

I was worried about Colter being able to handle a season in his own, and yes he's truly awful, but I think some of the supporting characters are waaaaay worse. Yeeesh.

I really like a lot of the small references like Power Man and when he was getting experimented on where his head band and outfit was what he wore in the comics.

I really like a lot of the small references like Power Man and when he was getting experimented on where his head band and outfit was what he wore in the comics.

Just finished Episode 4 with his origin. Not bad!

Now I can see why this character trusts people so little.

Dialogue seems forced. Only Cage seems to be pulling it off.

I really like the guy from House of Cards, but even he isn't pulling it off.

12 minutes into the first episode and I don't know if I can continue. Worst. Acting. Ever.

 

I was worried about Colter being able to handle a season in his own, and yes he's truly awful, but I think some of the supporting characters are waaaaay worse. Yeeesh.

I wouldn't give up on it. That would be too quick a decision. I'm through episode 4 and it leaps forward in interest and quality in Ep 2 and again in 4.

Really enjoyed it, great atmosphere. Neo-noir with a 70s vibe.

Loved Jessica Jones. I got through Cage episode 1 and I don't know if I'm going to make episode 2. Acting stinks, story is soft so far, not much of interest. Hope it picks up.