Luke Cage “DWYCK” focuses on Detective Misty Knight for a good portion of the episode. Cage and Claire Temple’s journey to patch up those wounds made by Stryker’s Judas bullets take up less time but are the highlight of the episode.
Knight’s interrogation and counseling sessions end with the new precinct head giving her back the badge (but not her badge. Ridley is quick to point out that the shield belongs to the department and the city, not to Knight.) and gun. Her instructions are to bring Cage in, never mind Mariah Dillard or the man who took her gun, Stryker.
It looks like the bond between sorority sisters is strong, perhaps as strong as Luke, when he is not being shot at with those explosive rounds from Stryker’s gun. Diamondback, aka Stryker, is not wasting anytime in taking over Cornell’s business in Harlem.
While taking out most of Domingo’s henchmen at the meeting Dillard called, he tells Stoke’s cousin that she is not “out” at all. Stryker is just getting started and it seems that Shades is not overly enamored at his bosses takeover move.
Claire and Luke hunt down the doctor who changed him in prison. It looks like Reva had a lot more to do with Cage’s change than he realized. The secret of this invulnerability has to do with abalone shells being part of the mixture melded into Luke’s DNA.
The doc’s idea for removing the bullet fragments in Cage’s body is centered around immersing the strongman into a vat of heated acid. Luke’s screams of agony are un-nerving. Claire tells Luke that if the pain is too much to make a fist.
After a second immersion into the acid, Luke’s heart stops and as the machine he is attached to flatlines, Cage’s hand forms a first and then relaxes.
“DWYCK” is, for the most part, a slow episode. It does give the viewer an in-depth look at Detective Knight. We see what drives the strong willed cop and why she lashed out at Claire Temple. In essence, the death of her partner Scarfe and the sudden appearance of Stryker shook the capable detective to her core.
The episode also shows us the strength of Claire Temple. It is Temple who forces Luke to focus on a solution, no matter how painful, to the shrapnel in his body. She also shows an enormous amount of faith in Cage. This not only endears her to us, the audience, but it will clearly form an unbreakable bond with Cage.
At the risk of banging the drum too often, we will sing Marvel’s Luke Cage praises yet again. Netflix have delivered what may well be the best Marvel adaptation yet. (Closely followed by Jessica Jones.)
Luke Cage is streaming on Netflix right now. Head on over and get turned on to this gritty “mean streets” comic book hero.
Cast:
- Mike Colter – Luke Cage
- Mahershala Ali – Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes
- Simone Missick – Misty Knight
- Alfre Woodard – Mariah Dillard
- Theo Rossi – Shades Alvarez
- Frank Whaley – Rafael Scarfe
- Cassandra Freeman – Partrica Wilson
- Jacob Vargas – Domingo Vargas
- Ron Cephas Jones – Bobby Fish
- Jade Wu – Connie Lin
- Thomas Q. Jones – Comanche
- Rosario Dawson – Claire Temple
- Jaiden Kaine – Zip
- Manny Perez – Lt. Perez
- Sonja Sohn – Captain Betty Audrey
- Tijuana Ricks – Thembi Wallace
- LaTanya Richardson Jackson – Mama Mabel
- Karen Pittman – Inspector Pricilla Ridley
- Erik LaRay Harvey – Willis “Diamondback” Stryker
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