Netflix's Marvel series have had a pattern: a great first season followed by a lackluster second season. The pattern was first broken by Iron Fist, which didn't wait for a second season to become terrible. It started out that way. The Defenders was alright, but was marred by Danny Rand's terribleness. Now here comes Luke Cage, a second season of a Netflix Marvel show in which Danny Rand makes an appearance. I recently posited that Luke Cage may have gotten its bad second season out of the way with the bad second half of its second season. Was I right?
A flawed hero. All images are promotional materials
Not gonna make you wait too long with the answer to this one: I was right. Luke Cage Season 2 is the best second season of a Marvel show by a mile and a half. It's the first ever second season of a Marvel Netflix show to be better than the first. It is, in fact, the second best Netflix Marvel season after the first Jessica Jones season.
This season deals with the themes of the first season, family and being a minority in America, but goes deeper on them. And in 45's America, the second theme becomes that much more relevant and resonant. It is also a season about revenge, about chickens coming home to roost and the sins of the parents being visited on their descendants.
Most of the cast members who survived season 1 make an appearance, with some more significant than others. And new folks show up, but all have some relation or connection to the people we already know. It's a well woven pattern, and it all revolves around Luke Cage, Mariah Dillard, and Misty Knight.
Stepping up as a villain
As Luke deals with his celebrity as a famous hero, Mariah deals with her new status as mob boss, and Misty deals with being sidelined due to losing her arm in The Defenders, none of them get the time to deal with the status quo, as everything is shaken up with the arrival of a new power in town, in the form of Bushmaster, a man bent on righteous revenge, by any nefarious means.
Bushmaster is a terrific villain, because his cause is just and his means are monstrous. That's a compelling combination. He's also able to go toe to toe with Luke, which not a feat many in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can achieve. The means by which he achieves that are extremely strongly tied to his character in a way that really works.
Say hello to the new bad guy.
I would be remiss if I did not highlight the diversity of this show, both behind the camera and in front of it. Six of the episodes of this season were directed by women, as compared to zero in season one. And this story is as much about the women in it as it is about the men. Even in small, random roles, there is more gender equality than one is used to seeing. If you see a bunch of gang members in a scene, some of them are women, as they are portrayed as being as badass as the men.
Luke himself still has issues on this topic. I could do without him talking on and on about "women and children." Protect people, dude. People. But I think the show sees this as a flaw, one of many for the man with the iron skin.
I definitely think you should watch season 1 before watching this one. It is a direct continuation of the story. But if you want to skip most of the episodes of the second half of s1, and just skip to the last one? I get and support that. You'll know when the story shifts.
