Netflix ‘Luke Cage’ season 1, episode 12 review: Method Man helps turn Harlem around for Luke
Only one more episode of “Luke Cage” before we reach the season 1 finale! How is it all going to end? With Diamondback still on the loose and Luke Cage facing questioning by the police things are not looking that good. At least Misty is finally on his side and believes he’s a hero… now if Luke just believed it too.
On his way down to the station, Luke breaks out of the back of the van and with the help of a cop (who sees him as a hero as well) he is able to escape. With all of the hostages confirming that Luke never held them hostage, and Misty continuing to push at going after Diamondback, there should be enough to convince her captain to stop looking into Luke. Unfortunately, Luke’s escape hasn’t helped his not guilty plea. Misty needs more to help prove Luke’s innocence and when Candace calls her saying she wants to talk Misty jumps at the opportunity. She tells Misty everything, including the fact that Mariah is Cornell’s killer, and that Shades helped to cover it up.
Diamondback’s focus still hasn’t changed – kill Luke Cage. While his focus is on Luke, Domingo is looking to start taking over the gun running that Diamondback is letting slip. Diamondback doesn’t only have Domingo to worry about (and he later kills Domingo anyway) as Mariah is furious that he destroyed Harlem’s paradise and everything her family worked for. Diamondback springs Shades from prison to have him killed, but he flips the script and is able to get out alive after killing Diamondback’s men. Diamondback gives Mariah a bag of cash to fix up her club, but there are strings attached – he wants her loyalty. Unfortunately for him, Shades also wants her loyalty and is willing to give her something much more valuable then money… trust.
Shades reveals that he has the means to clear Luke Cage’s name and with that information he feels that they can get Luke on their side to get rid of Diamondback, frame him for Cornell’s murder and own Harlem together. They offer Luke the deal, but before he can accept, Diamondback shows up wearing a suit that gives him the same abilities as Luke, including being bulletproof.
We weren’t sure about the Method Man cameo at the convenience store robbery scene since at first it felt like the show was jamming a celebrity cameo in there just because they could, but having him go to the radio station later and tell his tale was a nice tie in to get Harlem behind Luke. Very good use of a celebrity cameo. More then that we loved the social commentary that came out of Method Man’s interaction with Luke, how it made him feel, and that he felt a duty to share it with others to help inspire. Episode grade: A-
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