Luke Cage Episode 1 "Moment of Truth" Podcast

[00:00:00] - [Speaker 0]
This is Defenders TV podcast episode 75, where we're starting off our new coverage of Luke Cage with season one episode one, the moment of truth. You think I'm holding back? You think I'm holding back? Welcome back, Defenders. Welcome to our coverage of Luke Cage.

[00:00:40] - [Speaker 0]
We're back with our regular coverage of a Defenders TV show. And if you haven't watched the episode, we are gonna spoil the fug out of it. Yes. Fug. I'm one of your hosts, Derek, and I don't curse.

[00:00:51] - [Speaker 1]
I'm your other host, Chris. I'm gonna open with this just very quickly. I watched Michael Coulter. I want his abs. I went to the gym today.

[00:00:59] - [Speaker 1]
I no longer want to be Michael Coulter. Michael Coulter. It's too much. It's too much. I am never gonna have those muscles.

[00:01:06] - [Speaker 1]
If you if our listeners can see me now, I I my every muscle is quaking and is just like, no. No. No.

[00:01:15] - [Speaker 0]
You could do the thirty day shred like John did.

[00:01:17] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. And laughing in the background is one of your other hosts, John, who will hold the the swerving for this series of podcasts. And I think maybe the first one, Derek?

[00:01:29] - [Speaker 0]
No. It was Fug, John. Fug.

[00:01:31] - [Speaker 2]
Ah, Fug. Okay. For payments to John of Defenders TV Podcasts for all that swearing. Excellent. Excellent.

[00:01:38] - [Speaker 0]
Well, we could probably charge most of the cast a lot of money. This is a very different Netflix show. There's definitely a little more little more adult content in here than than we've seen in the past. But we are here to cover every episode of Luke Cage in our normal format. If you're joining us for the first time and haven't heard any of our podcasts before, the way we cover each of the Netflix shows is that we cover each individual episode with a podcast.

[00:01:59] - [Speaker 0]
So this episode is gonna be about episode one of Luke Cage, and then the next episode, obviously, episode two, and and on we go. We have been lucky enough to get a preview screening of, the Luke Cage. First seven episodes, we have them available to us to watch. So we're actually recording on the September 24, a couple of days before it goes live on Netflix, which allows us to put the show up the minute after you've watched it, on on Netflix. So, really kinda cool to have us ahead of time this time.

[00:02:27] - [Speaker 0]
So a huge thank you to Netflix.

[00:02:28] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. We cover the shows, on each of our podcasts. We all pick our favorite or top five points, some good, some bad, maybe something different depending on what the episodes or in fact the series is like. And and our new episodes will drop on Fridays and Tuesdays each week. We're gonna try and get two out, each week now.

[00:02:51] - [Speaker 2]
And so episode one will drop on the day of release of the Luke Cage, Marvel Netflix series on the September 30. So definitely, subscribe to us on defenderstvpodcast.com forward / iTunes or any other good podcast catcher. Just search Defenders TV Podcast. Subscribe, leave a review, and of course, that will really help other people find out and listen to our podcast.

[00:03:21] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. And one of the other cool things about the show, because everybody watches it at their own pace, you can leave your feedback for us as you go watching through the episodes. All you need to do is send us feedback to feedback@defenderstvpodcast.com, or you can pop on our website defenders t v podcast dot com, click the feedback button, and record ninety seconds of your thoughts about each of the episodes. I just ask that if you are gonna do that, just make sure you mark it with the episodes you're speaking about, just because we're gonna be while we are ahead to begin with, we will be behind. Most of our listeners are gonna binge watch the 13 episodes of this show, so at least we know that we're not gonna be spoilt about any future developments in the episodes.

[00:03:56] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. So some of our theories that we might draw out from each of the episodes may absolutely turn to dust. And and you will know this, but hopefully, it will be a bit of amusement and some good fun whilst you hear us theorize about what may happen. Some of it might actually happen. Others, of course, may just be absolute rubbish.

[00:04:18] - [Speaker 1]
John, are you trying to tell me that my theory from season two of Daredevil where a giant hand suddenly came out of the hole in the floor was wrong? Are you trying to tell

[00:04:29] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. That was wrong.

[00:04:31] - [Speaker 0]
Well, hang on. Not to be proven yet. They they still haven't gone into the hole that could be defenders.

[00:04:36] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. But you were you were right about that with regards to Empire Strikes Back. Yeah. Exactly. I think I saw the Millennium Falcon and

[00:04:45] - [Speaker 0]
I think

[00:04:45] - [Speaker 2]
some came out of the hole.

[00:04:47] - [Speaker 0]
That would the old movie. Yeah. Yeah. With the with the That

[00:04:50] - [Speaker 2]
should be an old movie.

[00:04:52] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, hey. It's my Spider Man. Just because Tom Holland gets away with doesn't mean you can't.

[00:04:57] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. I'm definitely not the same age as Tom Holland. Anyway, finally, before we go into our cover to Luke Cage, just wanna say a huge thank you to those of our listeners who've been leaving us reviews over on iTunes as part of our Summer of Strange competition or prize draw, really. We will be announcing the winner at the end of the podcast. What we're actually gonna do is record that closer to the day of release because we wanna give a little couple more days for for people to leave some more reviews for that.

[00:05:20] - [Speaker 0]
So the prize draw itself is for two Doctor Strange comics, two preludes to the Doctor Strange movie, the vinyl pop of Doctor Strange, which everybody seems to love, and we've got one on our desk, is awesome, and also for a digital code for the first six issues of the current Doctor Strange series. And finally, a cap, a Doctor Strange cap with the seal of Ashanti on the front.

[00:05:40] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. And our Doctor Strange final pop is nodding furiously in agreement here on our desk. So, yeah, absolutely. And we will probably be looking to hold our Luke Cage competition for this series of podcasts. Mhmm.

[00:05:57] - [Speaker 2]
Yep. So I don't even know

[00:05:58] - [Speaker 0]
what that is yet. I'm looking

[00:05:59] - [Speaker 2]
No, we don't. We don't know what it is yet, but, we will do by our second episode.

[00:06:04] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. So stay tuned to the end of the episode where the winner of the Summer Strange competition will be announced. I think it's time to get into our coverage of Luke Cage, A Moment of Truth. Yay.

[00:06:14] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. I'm looking forward to

[00:06:16] - [Speaker 0]
it. I'm really looking forward to getting into to hear all the thoughts

[00:06:20] - [Speaker 2]
there'd be spoilers, there'd be.

[00:06:21] - [Speaker 1]
You suddenly became an international pirate? I did. It's a techie. It's just like, you I know it was International Pirate Day this week, but I'm just so pretty sure it's a day, not a week.

[00:06:32] - [Speaker 2]
And there is the pirate party in Germany, no less. Yeah. Political party. Interesting. There'd be weirdness there'd be.

[00:06:42] - [Speaker 2]
So with that, let's get into moments of truth episode one of season one of Luke Cage. I am salivating over this. But Derek, can you give us a few little details about who wrote, who directed, this first episode?

[00:06:57] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. This first episode was written by Chiyo Coker, the creator and and showrunner for this show. So he's been heavily involved in it, but wrote the first episode. What he's well known for, one of the interesting points that I've seen here, is that he is the writer of the biopic for Notorious B. I.

[00:07:13] - [Speaker 0]
G. Called Notorious. So that big poster that we see in episode one on the back wall with the Notorious BIG with his king, with his crown on, his king hat, I was gonna call it, with his crown on in Cottonmouth's club. That's kind of a reference for, for Chee O'Coker's career, one of his one of his biggest, one of his biggest hits, I suppose.

[00:07:32] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. That great moment where Cottonmouth walks forward and it looks like it's on his own head. He is the king of Harlem. Fantastic.

[00:07:39] - [Speaker 0]
Very cool. And the episode itself was directed by Paul McGuigan, who's known from the movie Lucky Number Seven, and also from many episodes of the TV series, Sherlock. So we did about five or six episodes of that, so quite cool to have him on board directing this episode.

[00:07:53] - [Speaker 2]
So we have a Benedict Cumberbatch link here and obviously by reference then a Doctor Strange link. Nice. Well, we're on firm ground then. Excellent. Hooray.

[00:08:03] - [Speaker 2]
Everything leads to strange. God.

[00:08:05] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely.

[00:08:06] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. Can we just take note? We haven't even gotten to the point yet and he's managed to reference Doctor Strange. I'm kind of impressed. I'm kind of impressed.

[00:08:14] - [Speaker 2]
Uh-huh. To anyone who's who's started listening, you'll realize I'm a big Doctor Strange fan and of course, it is slightly relevant. His movie is coming out on the October 25, in Europe, so not long left. And that is early November in, USA and Canada.

[00:08:32] - [Speaker 0]
So And there is another very strong tie, just quickly, obviously, to Doctor Strange. He is the defender. So, you know, he is one of the main defenders that started up the defenders. So, not not out of character to reference him in here.

[00:08:45] - [Speaker 2]
But no more talk Yes. Of Doctor Strange and let's talk Luke Cage. Absolutely. John, do you

[00:08:50] - [Speaker 0]
wanna give us the synopsis for this episode of Luke Cage moment of truth?

[00:08:54] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. After the destruction and loss of his bar in Hell's Kitchen, a penniless Luke Cage moves back to Harlem. He takes on two low key jobs, one at Pop's Barbers and the other as a kitchen hand in a local club as he tries to figure out what to do next and so as not to draw unnecessary attention to his powerful new abilities. However, Harlem is in flux as rival gang leaders Cornell, Cottonmouth, Stokes, and Diamondback seek new partnerships and to influence the political campaign of Mariah Dillard. As Luke is forced front of house at Cottonmouth's club, Harlem's Paradise, he encounters Diamondbacks enforcer shades that brings back painful memories of his time in Seagate Prison.

[00:09:36] - [Speaker 2]
Meanwhile, an important money exchange between two gangs is crashed by Chamique and Chico, both known to Luke Cage. As retribution falls on Shamik and Costermouth attempts to recover his money, detectives Misty Knight and Raphael Scarf investigate the series of killings linked to the failed money exchange. And Luke Cage becomes increasingly embroiled in the Harlem scene as an unwilling defender. So, yeah, loads going on

[00:10:01] - [Speaker 0]
there in in our synopsis of setting up a new area of New York here in Harlem. We've we've spent loads of time within the three series so far of the defender shows over in Hell's Kitchen. Our first experience of Harlem here, and they're really setting up a lot of it with with all this wide cast of characters that we haven't seen before.

[00:10:16] - [Speaker 2]
Definitely. Loads of interaction between the characters, a real kind of setup here for for the audience. And it it was really good. It gave, like, this fantastic flavor of the the community of Harlem. And, of course, not only the the place in New York, but also Luke Cage's place within Harlem Yeah.

[00:10:36] - [Speaker 2]
And and his environment and the people he is having to deal with or or or relates to. So really, really cool, I thought, on this certainly as as a first impression. Absolutely. Definitely. So before we

[00:10:50] - [Speaker 0]
kick into our top five points, Chris, what's your general thoughts overall on the episode? Do you like it? Dislike it? Nice start.

[00:10:57] - [Speaker 1]
It's tough to read it just on one. Mhmm. So this is very much a set up episode. Yep. I enjoyed it.

[00:11:03] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:11:03] - [Speaker 1]
I think straight after watching it, I tweeted out something along the lines of my jaw was dropping and I was a little spasm attack. Because I was just like, ah. It was great to be here. It's great to be at this point where we're seeing this new area. They they got very close.

[00:11:23] - [Speaker 1]
I thought it was going to be a huge setup with no payoff.

[00:11:26] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:11:26] - [Speaker 1]
But by the end of the episode, we do get a payoff.

[00:11:29] - [Speaker 0]
Yep. Yep.

[00:11:30] - [Speaker 1]
And the trope hating element of me Uh-huh. Was gonna go was like, oh god. This is gonna be a really bad episode, first one. And then, like, literally, it was gonna like, the second and third one where we get everything would happen.

[00:11:45] - [Speaker 0]
Right.

[00:11:46] - [Speaker 1]
It's not.

[00:11:46] - [Speaker 0]
It's not.

[00:11:47] - [Speaker 1]
It's a brilliant opening. It all comes together.

[00:11:51] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:11:51] - [Speaker 1]
It's just slower than I think anything we've seen to date

[00:11:55] - [Speaker 0]
That's true.

[00:11:56] - [Speaker 1]
Marvel next episode.

[00:11:57] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. I I would I would agree with that. But I I would say rather than slower, I think it's gradual. Yeah. I think it's like Yes.

[00:12:03] - [Speaker 2]
You know, it it it's kind of introducing. It's the politics with Mariah, Dillard. It is the whole Harlem community Mhmm. That melting pot, you know, the different cultures that that are in there. There's the the gangs.

[00:12:19] - [Speaker 2]
There's obviously Luke Cage. And but it it's it's the the cops. It's all of those things. I I love the idea that there's the political element

[00:12:29] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely.

[00:12:29] - [Speaker 2]
In this. You know, you you really much you very much have the the legal aspect with Jerry Hogarth and Jessica Jones and obviously in Daredevil. And you had this whole aspect of of, you know, the courts and the district attorneys.

[00:12:42] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

[00:12:43] - [Speaker 2]
Here, you know, we're really seeing the the politics led by Mariah Dillard Yeah. And this kind of murky association with some of the less salubrious parts of of Harlem with regards to the gang leaders and then trying to buy that kind of influence and so on. I really like that and that that's definitely a huge gradual buildup. So I I would definitely agree with with Chris. And for

[00:13:08] - [Speaker 0]
me, there's something about this about this first episode that makes Luke Cage feel a lot broader than than Daredevil and Jessica Jones. There seems to be a bigger cast of characters around them. There seems to be more of this the outdoors and the more of the city that are being shown. It doesn't feel like a huge amount of interior, moments. There's also a lot of exterior work with, with Maria Dillard when she's, going on the campaign trail almost.

[00:13:31] - [Speaker 0]
So it does feel like we're seeing Harlem, as filmed for the show rather than, there being a lot of interior, discussions and offices a lot, which was what we were seeing in in Daredevil and Jessica Jones. So I'm really intrigued, so far. It really set it up really well for me so far.

[00:13:46] - [Speaker 1]
The the one thing I'll say, and I think, like, we can move on now at this point, is that it is a different show. They have not done Daredevil

[00:13:55] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:13:56] - [Speaker 1]
In Harlem. They have not done Jessica Jones in Harlem. Mhmm. This is as unique as probably anything that the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Netflix, the Marvel Netflix Universe, depending if they are connected or not, depend blah blah blah. Yeah.

[00:14:13] - [Speaker 1]
This is the most unique. Definitely. This is depending on your which it's a step to the left or step to the right, and no matter what, it is a new show. It's a new direction, and it feels good.

[00:14:24] - [Speaker 0]
Yes. Yeah. Totally.

[00:14:25] - [Speaker 1]
That, I think, is the best way to describe it.

[00:14:27] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. Totally agree. And I think that leads me on to my first point. It's a new direction for our podcast almost because I think this is gonna become my first point in every episode. I have mentioned in our kind of lead up episodes, to Luke Cage that, Chicoker was a former music journalist and has brought that idea of music to the show of, of Luke Cage.

[00:14:48] - [Speaker 0]
Two of my points are gonna be referencing music in this episode, but the number one is about the, the name of the episode, which is Moment of Truth, taken from the Gangstar song of the same name. So what I've done is had listened to the lyrics of the song and tried to see if there's any connections in it to this episode of Luke Cage. What do you think, guys? Good idea? John?

[00:15:06] - [Speaker 1]
Sounds good.

[00:15:07] - [Speaker 0]
I might need the swear jar for this. So so the main lyrics in in this song, Gangstars Moment of Truth are, it's lonely at the top and whatever you do, you always gotta watch around you. The same shiesty cats you hang with could be the same ones to wet you up. So the meaning of that really is that when you're standing at the top like Cottonmouth seems to be here, you gotta watch everybody that's around you because someone could turn on you at any minute. So I definitely think that's a reference to the fact that Cottonmouth is trying to further his business within Harlem, the people that are actually sabotaging that are people that work with him or work for him or work around him.

[00:15:42] - [Speaker 0]
So he's gotta keep a real strong eye on all those people that work around him. One of the other things that I thought was interesting is right towards the end of the song, there's the line, no one is untouchable. No man is bulletproof. We almost meet our moments of truth, which is interesting because our main character here is a bulletproof superhero. So nice choice there, Cheocoker.

[00:16:01] - [Speaker 0]
I have to say that. A really good choice for this first episode. I'm gonna see throughout the rest of the season all the episodes are named after Gangstar songs. I've got them all up on a playlist over on YouTube, so I'll be picking out, see if there's any connection between those songs and the lyrics and and the episodes as they go. Absolutely.

[00:16:17] - [Speaker 1]
Music seems to have a very huge presence, but also thematic kind of element to this show.

[00:16:24] - [Speaker 0]
Definitely.

[00:16:25] - [Speaker 1]
We see Cottonmouth's kind of club.

[00:16:28] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:16:28] - [Speaker 1]
Or mister Stokes, excuse me. Excuse me.

[00:16:31] - [Speaker 0]
Don't call him Cottonmouth.

[00:16:31] - [Speaker 1]
One of the opening scenes we see of his club is with this other musician, then there's obviously the notorious B. I. G. Reference, and obviously the titles. I'm wondering I'm hoping that this does continue.

[00:16:45] - [Speaker 1]
We know that there was a feature ad saying that this is quite music plays an important part, but they say that about everything. Uh-huh. So I'm like I'm hoping that this actually does continue. Like, will we see, like, Farrell Williams just kinda slowly walking by Mhmm. Doing a song?

[00:17:00] - [Speaker 0]
There's a few.

[00:17:01] - [Speaker 1]
We don't

[00:17:01] - [Speaker 0]
There's definitely a few, and it's it's one of my points for later on, so I'll I'll save it a little But but I know we have Faith Evans coming up on the show in a later episode. She's gonna be doing a live performance. So there's definitely gonna be that involvement. The people that are doing the music for the show are members of former members of a tribe called Quest. So some really heavily involved heavy involvement from many musicians in the show.

[00:17:22] - [Speaker 0]
And as I say, with Chiyoko's background in music journalism, it seems like he's kinda drawn on that for his career, really. You know, his biggest movie being Notorious about Notorious BIG. You know, that's that's kind of the background he comes from, and it seems like he's bringing that to Harlem because Harlem is well known as being a an area of New York where a lot of music has been coming from all the way back to the to the fifties and sixties all the way up to date. They've always had a really strong music feeling, so I presume the idea here is that that's the foundation that Harlem is built on. So we will see it play in throughout the episodes.

[00:17:54] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. And I mean, it goes back further than that with, you know, jazz and blues and and all that Mhmm. In in Holland as well. I mean, I I'm absolutely loving this. I mean, all this new music, you know, the playlist that we put together and put up on on YouTube, really, it's it's so interesting.

[00:18:13] - [Speaker 2]
It's so great to get, exposed to, some of these lyrics and and seeing how they work into themes or elements of the show. I find, really, really, really cool. And I mean, if if I can just, like, segue that into one of my points, it it it is that, like, the no one is untouchable and no manners are bulletproof. I think here, I wanna give a huge shout out to, you know, to Mike Coulter. And I think the conflict, the battle that's kinda raging inside of him and is is portrayed within those lyrics ultimately.

[00:18:54] - [Speaker 2]
And ultimately, you know, we will see his moment of truth where he has to step up and become power man. Yeah. As is kind of referenced by Frankie Faison's pops there

[00:19:05] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:19:05] - [Speaker 2]
At the start of the episode. I really think that the way Mike Coulter has that bruising intensity of Luke Cage is really good. And I'm for me, I just see this conflict of him wanting almost a quiet life. He's probably felt he's he's had enough excitement with Jessica Jones

[00:19:24] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[00:19:24] - [Speaker 2]
And he's lost his bar.

[00:19:26] - [Speaker 1]
The rebound chick with the shotgun to face, that was beautiful.

[00:19:29] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Shotgun to the face. Yeah. I love that reference back to that. He still gets headaches, all this kind of stuff.

[00:19:36] - [Speaker 2]
And and, you know, he he's kind of it's like he wants to just have that step back from from all of that going on and but at the end of the day, he can't hide from what it is. And I think Mike Colters really captures that and the kind of the intensity of the of his bruisingness

[00:19:57] - [Speaker 0]
I totally agree.

[00:19:58] - [Speaker 2]
In this first episode really well. And I and I think it goes beyond that where, you know, he puts that onto Chico when you see Chico take the gun, you know, come back to, pops barbers, take the gun for them to go off and and kind of crash that that exchange between Diamondback and and Cottonmouth people. Well, I I presume that's who they are anyway. May maybe it's not, but, know, where they go and steal that money. Yeah.

[00:20:25] - [Speaker 2]
And and I love that moment where, you know, Chico kind of is just like, you know, leave me alone. I'm I'm an adult. I don't need a father. All this kind of stuff. But you can see in the same way, it's that moment where Luke Cage can see, well, he's going a different way.

[00:20:41] - [Speaker 2]
And I think we talked in the one zero one. Certainly, one of the things I love about Luke Cage is this notion that he could have been in a gang. He could have been a bad guy, and he takes a different route. And I think he that kind of thinking that he's doing internally, I think he captures that so well on his face and how he portrays Luke Cage in this episode. So and and it all just links in with some of these excellent lyrics from the music as well.

[00:21:08] - [Speaker 2]
And I I just think it was really spot on. It it was the cookie monster, like, jaw drop moment as Chris put up. Uh-huh. You know, really cool. Really cool.

[00:21:18] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. No. Really really enjoying my culture in this episode. Really good. Yeah.

[00:21:21] - [Speaker 0]
Like that fabulous moment where he's where he's thinking about his wife, Eva, who who we now know is dead from from Jessica Jones. He's thinking back on his life with her. He's he's kind of repeating the promise that he made to her that he'll always live his life, he'll be strong. And we have the flashback kind of scene, which I think is really well done when he's sitting in his apartment alone, kind of freaking out that he'd be dragged back into this evil side of himself by by that meeting with Shades that he has, where he's reminded of a moment, in in in prison, I presume, where he's being told, you need to reach out to other people or else you'll be driven insane. Then And he looks down at the book in his hand, which is the invisible man, which is effectively him calling out that what he's been trying to become is the invisible man, but he may need to change that, going forward within this this future in Harlem.

[00:22:06] - [Speaker 0]
Really well shot scene and really well put together scene. So along with that little reference to Jessica Jones, there was a bunch of MCU connections, which I think is your first point, Chris, isn't it?

[00:22:14] - [Speaker 1]
Slightly, yes. It's quite strange. Our listeners may know that I like my Easter eggs and I like my references, but to be fair, in this first episode, they really kind of how do we put this? Made it very obvious in the first, like, fifteen minutes. I'm, of course, talking about when Luke's walking along the street, he has a street hustler with bootleg copies.

[00:22:39] - [Speaker 1]
To be fair, boot bootleg Blu ray copies of the

[00:22:44] - [Speaker 2]
incident. And

[00:22:47] - [Speaker 1]
to be fair, and thank you Derek for pointing this out, because he starts talking about the the big green guy Mhmm. And I had no idea. And then you filled me in in that there's a statue in Fenway Park, is the baseball stadium. And is it the actual place is called the Big Yeah.

[00:23:04] - [Speaker 0]
It's the it's the left field wall in Fenway Park. The baseball stadium is called the Big Green.

[00:23:09] - [Speaker 2]
Listen to Europeans talk about American sports. I live on Defenders TV podcast.

[00:23:15] - [Speaker 1]
We swear we know what this means.

[00:23:17] - [Speaker 0]
I I do. It's the big green monster. What takes away the runs from the opposing team. There you go. Oh.

[00:23:23] - [Speaker 0]
The big the big screen monster, I I did look it up on Wikipedia, so hopefully, I'm right.

[00:23:28] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. Different sports. The back of a postcard if we're not. Uh-huh.

[00:23:31] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Different different sport to go ravens.

[00:23:34] - [Speaker 0]
Definitely a different sport to American football. Yes. There is no there is no baseball team in Carolina, so so I have no idea about baseball.

[00:23:42] - [Speaker 2]
Go ravens.

[00:23:43] - [Speaker 1]
It's okay. They hit everyone with sticks in North Carolina in base in football anyway, so it's fine. I'm not saying anything with the Ravens, I swear.

[00:23:52] - [Speaker 2]
Any other Other

[00:23:52] - [Speaker 0]
sense. Interview connections, Chris, that you saw?

[00:23:54] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. There's a fair few. I think that that one I wanted to highlight because I think it was one of the actual best that we've had in a long time, especially from a Marvel Netflix. They literally came out all out and they mentioned the full range of the Avengers. I think it was like the old guy with

[00:24:09] - [Speaker 0]
the shield. Oh, Captain America.

[00:24:12] - [Speaker 1]
What did they call Iron Man again? They called him something along

[00:24:14] - [Speaker 0]
That was Tony Stark.

[00:24:15] - [Speaker 2]
Just Tony Stark.

[00:24:16] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

[00:24:16] - [Speaker 2]
Mhmm. At least they didn't add virgin in with the the old man. That's true.

[00:24:22] - [Speaker 1]
Well, hey, maybe. Look, we know in civil war he's kinda got lucky with his flames niece.

[00:24:29] - [Speaker 0]
Well, he got a

[00:24:29] - [Speaker 1]
kiss. Yeah. Well, let's see. But that was, I think, one of the best kinda I think so far, that's one of the best callouts we've seen so far. And I think potentially that the best one of the best connections that I've seen or callbacks, I think I should call it, is the the the hoodie.

[00:24:46] - [Speaker 1]
At the very end of the episode, he pulls up his hoodie, and it's the yellow on the inside, obviously, referencing his iconic yellow shirt. Yes. I think that's basically think that's one of potentially the nicest callback to the comics that I've seen so far. I'm sure we're gonna get some kind of bracelets and band tiara. Is that what was that really a tiara that he wears?

[00:25:11] - [Speaker 0]
Oh, it's a tiara. Okay. It's definitely a tiara, isn't it?

[00:25:14] - [Speaker 1]
It is a gangster tiara. We're gonna call it a gangster tiara.

[00:25:18] - [Speaker 0]
Alright. Yeah. I love I love that that this is his costume in in in hell sorry, in Harlem. I was gonna call it Hell's Kitchen there. That this is his costume.

[00:25:26] - [Speaker 0]
It's his it's his it's his hoodie. It makes so much sense. Know? It wouldn't you would not see him walking around in his Power Man costume in in this universe. It's just not gonna happen.

[00:25:35] - [Speaker 0]
So it's so nice to have referenced the colors and and the color scheme that this is gonna be the guy in the hoodie, really. That's quite cool.

[00:25:41] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Do you guys did I miss anything? Do you guys see anything that I'm I'm missing?

[00:25:45] - [Speaker 0]
The one that I did see is the meeting, between Moriah and and Cottonmouth in the club, where there's a conversation about about Kingpin, about them not wanting to, to be seen in the meeting because of what's happened to Kingpin and him being sent off to prison, which I thought was really cool to have that reference that everybody's aware of it. So we know this is taking place, obviously, after the end of Daredevil season one when he's sent to prison. Not too sure how much it crosses over between, between Daredevil season two and this and this season, I'm presuming, taken place around the same time. But we do know that Kingpin has been sent off to prison because of his connections, and and it's been obviously seen by them over in Harlem. So a quite cool little reference there.

[00:26:25] - [Speaker 1]
I I actually I think I'm think I was thinking about this as we kind of watched it and since then. I think that we're gonna end up having season two of Daredevil is literally happening at the same time as Luke Cage. Mhmm. Season one of Jessica Jones happened after Daredevil one and before Luke Cage. And I think Iron Fist is going to land probably just after Luke Cage or like some overlap kind of piece.

[00:26:54] - [Speaker 1]
And then Daredevil season two literally goes say there's a week two weeks in between and then we hit Defenders. Right. Similar to the the the MCU, the actual movie side of things where Kevin Feige has said everything is happening time for time in real In other words, the eight years that happened between Iron Man one and Iron Man three, I believe. Mhmm. That happened in eight years, period.

[00:27:21] - [Speaker 0]
Right. Right.

[00:27:22] - [Speaker 1]
So I think that's I'm I'm assuming there's going to be at least some this has happened over the course of two years.

[00:27:29] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Yeah. Interesting. No. And and it's possible that effectively all of the defenders will arrive standing over that hole for various reasons by the by the the start of the defenders.

[00:27:39] - [Speaker 0]
Were you here to investigate the hole in the middle of Hell's Kitchen? Oh, I was too. Yeah. And that's and that's how they kick off the

[00:27:45] - [Speaker 1]
And then the giant hand comes out.

[00:27:50] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe not. Is that all the connections you have to the MCU for this episode, Chris?

[00:27:55] - [Speaker 1]
For this episode on the MCU. Maybe if you I'll have a few bits about Marvel Easter eggs in a later point,

[00:28:01] - [Speaker 0]
so watch this place. Excellent. Excellent. For me, one of the big points for me in this episode is the introduction to one of our new other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, the first introduction to Misty Knight Absolutely. In in Harlem set.

[00:28:15] - [Speaker 0]
Very cool. Yeah. In in the nightclub that we have in Harlem, in Harlem's paradise. I love this scene with her at the bar with Luke serving her drinks. It's a playful banter between these two characters.

[00:28:26] - [Speaker 0]
It's just fast fantastic. Really, really enjoyed it. I love that Luke keeps kinda slagging her off about being a bit too old, which I'm I'm expecting her to just reach across the bar and just smack it in the mouth, but she does another couple of smackdowns on him instead, you know, verbally. It's a a nice playful nature between the two of them. Really enjoyable.

[00:28:45] - [Speaker 0]
Like, I like, you know, Luke calling out the fact, you know, you look like you could be one of Cotton Mets girls, but you're a bit too old. You know? And then she calls out the fact that the guy on stage, she likes one of his albums, and Luke says, oh, I can definitely tell you you're old school now. You know? But, yeah, really like that.

[00:29:00] - [Speaker 0]
What do think of what do you think of our our introduction to Simone Myssick's Misty Knight?

[00:29:04] - [Speaker 2]
Oh, I love it. Like, this is this is one of my points as well is Misty Knight arriving. But I think, you know, my slant is definitely like, she brings a whole lot of sassiness and sexiness, and we see this between her and Luke Cage where it all boils over. And a a bit like with Jessica Jones, it's absolutely fantastic seeing this in a a Marvel TV show.

[00:29:32] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:29:33] - [Speaker 2]
You know, physical relationships between, two adults. Absolutely fantastic. And I think Simone Missik is really good as Misty Knight. I can't wait to see how, her character develops. I think on our one zero one, we talked about her with her own detective agency almost a bit like Jessica Jones, but here we see that she's definitely, she's a detective with the NYPD.

[00:29:59] - [Speaker 2]
She's a police officer. So she's not freelance or anything like that or a PI, in the same vein as as Jessica Jones, but she is a detective. And so you can see, you know, a few additional connections here that maybe allow Misty Knight to go across several of these Marvel, Netflix shows.

[00:30:19] - [Speaker 0]
Very true.

[00:30:20] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Really good. And I think with her getting it down with Luke Cage, you know, I'm assuming she's not attached to Danny Rand at this point.

[00:30:28] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[00:30:29] - [Speaker 2]
You know, that's one of the things that we were kind of wondering in our one zero one as well was whether, you know, is Misty Knight gonna be there in a relationship with Danny Rand like she is in the comic books. That's how Danny Rand and Luke Cage sort of get introduced through Misty Knight.

[00:30:50] - [Speaker 0]
That's right.

[00:30:51] - [Speaker 2]
That could still happen, but in this case, at this point in time within the timeline They've definitely been introduced. Yeah. They well, Misty Knight and Luke Cage have definitely been introduced. And

[00:31:05] - [Speaker 0]
So maybe it'll be the other way around.

[00:31:06] - [Speaker 2]
And Danny Rand is still to be introduced to either Misty Knight, and maybe he will get introduced to Luke Cage.

[00:31:13] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe that's maybe that's how they'll flip it. Maybe that's he'll come and meet Misty and Luke together. You know?

[00:31:19] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Completely agree. Well, first thing, she has both her arms, which is great. Of course. Yeah.

[00:31:24] - [Speaker 1]
We we we were wondering about this in our one zero one. So she has both arms. Fantastic. And I have to say, am completely smitten with this actress. Smitten.

[00:31:36] - [Speaker 1]
And, yes, I I I usually am not a prepubescent teenage boy when it came to this, but this has made this has made a lot of people very happy.

[00:31:47] - [Speaker 2]
You are a prepubescent boy. Yeah. Obviously. I'm sorry.

[00:31:51] - [Speaker 1]
Would like Oh my god. Embodied like this was like, you know, the way that we always talk some people and we do as well, talk about the the Marvel labs.

[00:31:59] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:32:00] - [Speaker 1]
And it's it's a well known thing. She has the Marvel labs. They just it's amazing.

[00:32:07] - [Speaker 0]
Misty Knight is bringing sexy into Luke Cage with that. Definitely. Very Little

[00:32:12] - [Speaker 2]
Cage is bringing sexy into Luke Cage.

[00:32:14] - [Speaker 0]
Very true. What I also love is that great moment later on in the episode when when Raphael Scarf, her partner, suggests that they go and meet the bartender from the from the place, and she goes, oh, that guy, I hardly even got his name. I I didn't even talk to that guy. You know? Another nice playful moment from Misty.

[00:32:31] - [Speaker 0]
Really, really enjoyed her in this episode. Really looking forward to seeing more of her as we go through the series.

[00:32:35] - [Speaker 1]
One of the things I I really like, and I'm taking it away from that prepubescent boy is Well done. Thank you. I'm I'm evolving as we we record episode by episode. I think that one of the the best parts is she's a strong, powerful woman. And that's thing.

[00:32:51] - [Speaker 1]
We talked about this with in our agent Carter kind of run throughs. We talked about this in our Jessica Jones run through. And to a degree with our daredevil, with Karen, to a degree. But Karen's character is completely different. It's the damage element.

[00:33:08] - [Speaker 1]
But I think with Missy, she's they're giving a number of things. One, they're giving a strong confident black woman.

[00:33:15] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:33:15] - [Speaker 1]
And then they're giving just in general this strong really how do I put it? This really amazing presence to a character who is you can see even with a partner her there's a partnership is leaning more towards Missy who's kind of a bit more in control.

[00:33:33] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. She's got amazing presence.

[00:33:35] - [Speaker 1]
No. Seriously. I really think that Simone Missy is in in kind of she obviously I think she read must have read the source material because Misty in the source material is this very confident, sassy, talkback type of character. Absolutely. And that's what this character is.

[00:33:52] - [Speaker 1]
There there was always an element to me of that, okay, taking it slightly too far, like with Luke Cage and the sweet Christmas, you take it too far and it becomes comical.

[00:34:01] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:34:02] - [Speaker 1]
She's pulling this off in that, no, this is an everyday woman who knows her stuff. She knows she's in control. She she as that one scene in the bar kind of sets up that character fantastically.

[00:34:14] - [Speaker 0]
I absolutely absolutely agree. I think that it's really funny that what Simone Missick has been saying in interviews coming up to the to the, launch of Luke Cage is that the question she's asked most often is when are you losing the arm? There's a lot more to Misty Knight's character in in the comic book. She's a cool character. She just happens to have had that that particular thing happen to her and get a new arm by Tony Stark, you know.

[00:34:36] - [Speaker 0]
But I love the sassy nature of the character. I love her interplay with Luke Cage in the show, and and Simone's bringing it. Absolutely love

[00:34:42] - [Speaker 2]
the bringing it, and Marvel and Netflix are bringing, like, strong characters. And, you know, in this case, not the lead character.

[00:34:51] - [Speaker 0]
I mean,

[00:34:52] - [Speaker 2]
just strong supporting women characters as well. Yeah. Really, really good. I mean, Mariah Dillard and her relationship with Cottonmouth and and just what she is bringing in terms of her nuance of being, you know, caught between crook and a politician.

[00:35:15] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

[00:35:16] - [Speaker 2]
Some may say they're the same thing, but nonetheless, you know, walking that fine line and but really interesting dynamic for that character Mariah Dillard. Really, really good.

[00:35:30] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Fantastic, fantastic character. So Chris, what's your next point?

[00:35:34] - [Speaker 1]
So I'm I'm I'm gonna talk about something and this is the the tough first point that we probably a lot of people kinda will want to say about this show. The very first episode, they used the n word. Yes, And it's harsh. It's this is like almost like an HBO level of harsh realism. And I did have a con not a concern.

[00:36:04] - [Speaker 1]
I think, like, it it would have been very easy for, like, Netflix to kinda go, okay. Well, like, that word and that level of kind of realism is slightly too far. Right. But no, this this they they they grounded this show in a very realistic sense. The use of the n word will it shocks at the very beginning and it makes it uncomfortable.

[00:36:29] - [Speaker 1]
The same way if you were walking down the street and someone shouted that.

[00:36:33] - [Speaker 0]
You

[00:36:33] - [Speaker 1]
go, oh, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. And like they even had Maya calls out that she doesn't like that word.

[00:36:41] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. I I love that reaction from Ryder. I love that she instantly ignores whatever it is that Cotmat saying to her, which is all about whether that he's the one in power and he's the one that's gonna be able to control the city for it during a political campaign, just ignores what he's saying and says, don't ever use that word in front of me kind of thing. Given the it's the right reaction when you're using it in a show like this, you know, to have another character have the same harsh reaction that we have as viewers to it. Yeah.

[00:37:07] - [Speaker 0]
Really good really good moment.

[00:37:09] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Absolutely. But but also appreciate that this is about taking back that that word within the community that it was being so frequently used against. I think that's the really, interesting thing. And I mean, it's like hats off to having that in, you know, effectively what people will say is a comic book TV show.

[00:37:30] - [Speaker 2]
And so again, I mean, you know, not to draw too many parallels with The Wire, but I mean, same you had heard that word so much within the projects of The Wire. And again, you know, using it again to within that community, that that kind of reclaiming of the word. It's it's like, you know, all the communities that have had abuse and stuff at them. So absolutely, you know, props to everyone for for doing that definitely. Mhmm.

[00:38:05] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And I think I think this comes down to Chill Broker. And I think that's probably where this probably comes from. I say he may have to fight a battle for this because what he's done is by simply doing a few small things, he's grounded this show in 2016 Harlem.

[00:38:24] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely.

[00:38:25] - [Speaker 1]
The use of this word, then doing some of the stuff like the calling out to the Black Lives Matter kind of situation that is going on in America today Mhmm. At this point in time, that is called out in the show. And then even the there was a very subtle one, and it took me a second to kinda I had to it was somewhat very much a second viewing when I got this. There was a comment by pops in the shop about the pacing and being in jail.

[00:38:53] - [Speaker 0]
Right.

[00:38:53] - [Speaker 1]
It's like and I like, this has been called out in other shows as well that, like, you may get out of jail, but you'll always pace because that's what they do. They're very small and close, and Luke's doing it, then Pop calls it out. And it's quite even those small details that you're able it it just grounds it a bit more. It grounds us this is a realistic show with unfortunate don't think about it, but a guy who can lift up a dishwasher Yeah. With one hand.

[00:39:17] - [Speaker 0]
And and you're right. I like how they play that as well because in the entire episode up until the end, in the entire episode, it gives you the opportunity to get into it as a show set in Harlem with, okay, you've got a strong man who can lift up a washing machine, but there's a few guys that might be able to do that as well, you know, that aren't super powered. It's not really pushing the boundaries of what he can do in that in that particular scene. It's just kind of the old guy going for a split second, pops going, I like it when you do things like that, and that's kind of it, and it's left alone. And then the end of the episode is when the powers are revealed, you know.

[00:39:49] - [Speaker 0]
So you could be watching this show as anybody on Netflix who's had a pop up in their face to go, this is actually a really enjoyable show set in Harlem. Oh, okay. That guy has superpowers. Okay. I can I can put up with that?

[00:40:00] - [Speaker 0]
Nobody else does. And it seems really really realistic. So yeah, I I totally get what you mean. I'm really good.

[00:40:06] - [Speaker 1]
So John, that that's that's my view and let's kinda move to your next point maybe.

[00:40:10] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Again, another amazing actor here, Maheshala Ali, who plays Cottonmouth King, Cornell Stokes. Really loved how he was playing Cottonmouth here. But one of the things I wanna kinda ask is, you know, obviously, we have shades come in, and he's working for Diamondback. So we hear and I think if I'm right, you know, Diamondback is going to be Willis Stryker

[00:40:42] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:40:43] - [Speaker 2]
Potentially within the show. So he is the guy who ultimately Luke Cage falls out with and ends up going to prison after being having the the drugs planted on him. Yeah. But that relationship to me seemed kind of uneven. It it like what and what I mean by that is because Cottonmouth and Diamondback didn't meet face to face.

[00:41:07] - [Speaker 2]
It wasn't like, Fisk going to meet Madame Gao, where, you know, he had that respect for her to to to deliver a message or discuss stuff with her, you know. Yeah. To to effect sort of be truthful about what his plans were because hers didn't clash with his, you know, in in comparisons to say the Russians within Daredevil season one. But here, Diamondback is effectively set sending his right hand man to to discuss, to protect Cottonmouth even almost like, he doesn't trust what Cottonmouth is gonna do because he's got too much ego and he's not playing it cool kind of thing. Mhmm.

[00:41:51] - [Speaker 2]
And I I thought this was really interesting big mean, there were moments where I thought shades kind of felt like he could kill Cottonmouth.

[00:42:03] - [Speaker 0]
You

[00:42:04] - [Speaker 2]
mean? He he was very threatening in how he he was he was there and and what he was kind of being sent to do. It was almost like looking out for Cottonmouth. He was the envoy of Diamondback. And so it seems that this relationship is very uneven.

[00:42:20] - [Speaker 2]
It's not a one on one at this moment in time. Might be wrong, but it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

[00:42:26] - [Speaker 0]
It does kind of feel like, like the enforcer, Theoros' shades. Does kinda feel like the enforcer for Diamondback, that he's sending him along. He's not like his right hand man. He's not like the Wesley from from season one of Daredevil, being the right hand man to Kingpin. He's it's like he's being sent along to make sure the Cottonmouth does exactly what he's told and doesn't step over his boundaries.

[00:42:45] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm. You know?

[00:42:47] - [Speaker 1]
No. A 100%. I think that it's really I have so many mixed opinions about this guy in terms of I really think it's gonna be yeah. You're right. He is there's more to that character, and I think that there's gonna be a level where we'll get I'm sure we'll get that played out.

[00:43:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. He has he just has such an again, we're going back to the word presence, but that that introduction alone was just huge presence.

[00:43:16] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. When he takes the shades off Yep. When he walks into the room. Yeah.

[00:43:20] - [Speaker 2]
Definitely. And I think in con in contrast to that, you know, Cottonmouth's sort of lounging back is in his club. Okay. He's a very serious guy. You can see that, you know, he he's not gonna, suffer fools gladly, but nonetheless, he's living that dream to an extent of owning his club, being king of the castle Mhmm.

[00:43:42] - [Speaker 2]
All that. I mean, I I again, I love, you know, the moment where he steps in front of the picture of BIG and he's got the the the crown over his own head. You know, that's how he sees himself. And and it's like, is it that Diamondback sees that as a weakness that he could blurt something out? He could just get sloppy because, you know, he he's talking as though he's a baron.

[00:44:08] - [Speaker 2]
He owns a place when in fact, you know, there is still the likes of Misty Knight and Raphael Scarf out there. And he can still be brought in and questioned, charged, put in prison. So, like, I I love this relationship, but to me it is at this moment in time a bit uneven. Absolutely. And and, you know, we don't see Diamondback dealing directly with cotton now.

[00:44:32] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm. As the song said, as Moment of Truth said, it's lonely lonely at the top. Whatever you do, you always gotta watch around you. Yeah. So you always gotta watch everybody around you.

[00:44:42] - [Speaker 0]
The mother exactly.

[00:44:43] - [Speaker 1]
And I'm just gonna note for anyone who's listening via this on the podcast, Derek is staring at us. Like, as he's saying, watch these guys around you just staring at us. I'm not saying anything, but if if suddenly one of us disappears over the course of recording this, we you know why. Yeah. Call the police.

[00:45:03] - [Speaker 2]
Anna Kay, we're not swearing on the podcast if we can help it, but it's mother Yes. Otherwise, it is the the swear swirting. Exactly.

[00:45:14] - [Speaker 1]
I I just wanna come on on the the the point here, John, and I actually wanted to just it's actually one of my points too. Less about Diamondback, more about shades.

[00:45:22] - [Speaker 0]
Do

[00:45:23] - [Speaker 1]
we think he's powered? I'm putting it to you guys, and my evidence to date. When he takes off those shades.

[00:45:32] - [Speaker 0]
Right.

[00:45:32] - [Speaker 1]
The stare, the the the the the I don't know. We know in from, sorry, and I'm not gonna use the word obviously, because we talked about the Shades character from in our one zero one, is that if this is the same portrayal as the guy in the the the comic books, he was in jail with Luke Cage. Mhmm. Do we think that Shades is became parrot with Luke Cage, the same experiments in Seagate?

[00:45:59] - [Speaker 2]
That's really interesting because, I mean, now you mention it. It's it's one of those things where I know the scene you're talking about, and it's kind of I just felt he was intimidating them. I mean, he could still be, but it could be that It's a power. He's got some power, and that's why he has to wear the shades. Interesting.

[00:46:19] - [Speaker 1]
I mean, that that's

[00:46:20] - [Speaker 2]
a possibility. Absolutely. I hadn't thought of that, and I'm really intrigued to see whether that sort of takes place because I know that sort of within the Luke Cage comics, Shades is one of the other prisoners. And I can't remember if there's any superpower, but that's not to say that they won't introduce that here.

[00:46:39] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:46:40] - [Speaker 2]
So and and, I mean, they really do focus in on his face, like, when he takes his shades

[00:46:45] - [Speaker 1]
off. Exactly.

[00:46:47] - [Speaker 2]
Is it just because the shades are his namesake and that's what's really important, Or is it that he can do something, when he has the shades off and that's why he generally wears them? If he doesn't blink. Yeah.

[00:47:01] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Well, it's

[00:47:02] - [Speaker 1]
night night vision. I I I doubt night vision. I'd love to say night vision, but that would just be cool. No. I'm thinking some kind of telepathic kind of professor x.

[00:47:13] - [Speaker 1]
Is he a human lie detector? Is he can he shoot firewalls? No. That's not true. But more like more like a lie detector or he his vision's increased so similar to Daredevil.

[00:47:26] - [Speaker 1]
He can see when someone's lying based on their kind of like the the pulse on the side of their forehead or the the the the sweat. Or we have the first potential MCU version of telepathy where this guy can read your mind. This is why Shades is now the enforcer because he knows when people are lying. He knows what you are saying. Mhmm.

[00:47:51] - [Speaker 1]
Completely random He

[00:47:52] - [Speaker 0]
knows whether even bad or good.

[00:47:54] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. He's been like Santa Claus. Shades Shades, Santa Claus, are they the same person?

[00:48:02] - [Speaker 0]
What's this space listeners? This this is this is definitely going to be a theory that might run for quite a while, I think.

[00:48:08] - [Speaker 1]
Until Shades dies, this is pretty much gonna

[00:48:10] - [Speaker 0]
run all the way. Maybe.

[00:48:12] - [Speaker 2]
Until we realize it's just he's got his eyelids glued glued open. But no, that's I think that's a really interesting point, I think it'd be really interesting to see, you know, who else potentially has got special powers here in Luke Cage. So but Derek, what's your next point?

[00:48:31] - [Speaker 0]
Interesting one. Yeah. My next point is another music point. Just wanted to point out the person who's performing on stage in the club in Harlem's Paradise is Rafael Siddiqu. He's a member of Tony Tony Tony from back in the nineties.

[00:48:45] - [Speaker 0]
Great, great r and b artist. Also a producer for many, many artists including Mary j Blige, TLC, D'Angelo, has worked with so many of the greats. A cool idea to have him up on stage. I wonder what the set must have been like when they had some of these some of these artists on. I know we're getting Faith Evans in a future episode and and a number of other artists that are coming up, But I'm wondering what the set was like.

[00:49:08] - [Speaker 0]
Was this where every member of the cast just ran down to the set to see all of these people play in the club, you know? It must have been really cool, and it's a great setup. I love the songs that they chose for the episode. They did they they mixed them in really well. It wasn't like we were just watching a live performance.

[00:49:22] - [Speaker 0]
They were there was a lot of other good stuff going on around it with with Cottonmouth and and Moriah having their meeting while he was on stage with Luke and and obviously Misty having their meeting while the music was going on. Really cool.

[00:49:33] - [Speaker 2]
That was it. It was almost like in front of a live studio audience type of thing with regards to the actual show itself. Obviously, they're within the show in front of a live audience. Mhmm. But the music wasn't just simply about the person being on stage and doing doing this as a background thing.

[00:49:57] - [Speaker 2]
The music that they were singing, the the the cuts into the the the band and the artists on stage were were also being shaped within the story and the action going on. And that was that was very clever. That was really, really nice, to see, and I think something quite unique actually. Absolutely. So it was really cool.

[00:50:19] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Really really really liking this this working into the music.

[00:50:22] - [Speaker 1]
So two points on that. Mhmm. One, I love the idea of that this was every all the cast were running down to watch this. I'm gonna now gonna pause it on every one of these music scenes to see, there's my culture. Oh, there's it.

[00:50:36] - [Speaker 1]
And, like, yeah, I can't wait to do that. See if we see a Chariot Cox in the background.

[00:50:40] - [Speaker 0]
You'll never know.

[00:50:41] - [Speaker 1]
The second one is, while I agree with you, I think this was really well done, and I know that we do have, like, Faith Evans. I think that's the only one I do know Right. Because you've discussed it before. Mhmm. But it needs to be used as in the same way in that it can't just be, and now over to our band, and then we get like two minutes of some new up and coming R and B artist.

[00:51:05] - [Speaker 1]
It needs to be spliced with this was unique for me in terms of I like the music happening, but at the same time, I was getting my story elements. So an important story elements.

[00:51:17] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely.

[00:51:18] - [Speaker 1]
If it continues like that, then I I like it. Yeah. If it doesn't, then it's like kind of the Jules Holland kind of piece. Jules Holland is a UK presenter, and he has a show Yeah.

[00:51:32] - [Speaker 0]
A blues singer as well.

[00:51:33] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Yeah. And he has a show where he kinda goes he has like eight different live bands, and he goes, now to band number two. Mhmm. And if if Cottonmouth does that, it's kind of like, and now for our next guest, and he just kinda turns around, the camera pans, then, yeah, no.

[00:51:50] - [Speaker 0]
I like I I I like it. I know I know exactly what you mean. It doesn't need to be overused, but I like that it sets up the Harlem's Paradise as being the kind of place where these kind of big artists will go and play small gigs. You know, the the whole idea of of Prince's hit and run tours kind of thing where you go and play a concert in front of a thousand people in a small venue in a city like New York. You know?

[00:52:11] - [Speaker 0]
That's what it feels like. It does feel like we're they're using the music to to show how important this club is to the local community. Yeah?

[00:52:19] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

[00:52:20] - [Speaker 0]
Which I like. I think that's a really good idea. But, yeah, you're right. It shouldn't stop the show dead so that we can hear the brand new single from D'Angelo or something like that. You know?

[00:52:27] - [Speaker 0]
As long as there's there's other stuff going on

[00:52:29] - [Speaker 2]
Definitely.

[00:52:30] - [Speaker 0]
In the scene and and as long as it's playing well, I think it adds a bit of gravitas. It's it's so much better than when friends used to go to a club and the scene would have music that was completely unrecognizable and you could tell nobody in the club would dance to it at all because it was probably filmed at 10:00 in the morning, you know. This feels like people want to be in this location hearing this singer live, you know. I'm hoping it keeps up that kinda that kinda way of doing it for the rest of the series.

[00:52:54] - [Speaker 1]
Okay. And then all that talk of music. John, do you have another point?

[00:52:59] - [Speaker 2]
I do. I have Luke Cage protecting the Chinese restaurants. Mhmm. Genghis Khanis. Really, really good.

[00:53:08] - [Speaker 2]
I mean, this is something that's straight out of the comics. It's a great scene, but it puts its own spin and its own twist. It's when Connie, offers to give him some money to to hire him to protect their business

[00:53:24] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:53:25] - [Speaker 2]
To protect them from, thugs coming in, trying to get protection money that he effectively says no. And so it's kind of like, oh, we we're not getting a hero for hire here Mhmm. Like in the comics where, you know, he suddenly realizes that he can pay his bills, he can deck out his his flat and all that by hiring himself out to protect people, to fight crime, and to earn money in that way. I mean, real proper street level, but we don't get that here. It it is really him saying, I still owe you money, and I don't wanna take your money.

[00:54:02] - [Speaker 2]
So at this moment in time, he doesn't want to do the hero for hire Absolutely.

[00:54:07] - [Speaker 0]
Like, from his origin. He doesn't wanna buy that badass tiara and No. He doesn't. But

[00:54:14] - [Speaker 1]
Not yet.

[00:54:15] - [Speaker 2]
Yes. Will he be back? Will it escalate? You know? Or will he eventually come back to be the hero for hire at at Genghis Khani?

[00:54:26] - [Speaker 2]
So I really like this because it was it was a doffing of the cap towards the comics, like, in terms of the scene. But at the same time, it didn't take it down the route of him being the hero for hire and accepting that money. Mhmm. And it pulled back from that and he potentially, I presume, doesn't have to do it for money in in in the same way. But we'll see how that all begins to to to pan out.

[00:54:56] - [Speaker 2]
Well, obviously, he's works and he's holding down two jobs at the moment.

[00:55:00] - [Speaker 0]
But I think this version of Luke is just trying to keep under the radar. He doesn't have any money. We we already see earlier on that when he meets Connie for the first time, it turns out that's his landlady. He owes her a ton of money. I like that he turns down the money because he's kinda going, well, I owe you rent.

[00:55:14] - [Speaker 0]
There's definitely no point in you giving me extra money from from your own from your own stash since I haven't don't haven't even paid you for the rent. But, yeah, I like that idea, I like that he kinda says to her, you're my people. You know, you're you're my landlady. This is kind of where I live, so I'll I'll always have you. I'll always have your back.

[00:55:30] - [Speaker 0]
You know? That idea. So while he's not a hero for hire, he will protect her if anything happens again. I like that kind of idea.

[00:55:37] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, god. Yeah. This was this was one of mine. This was from this was amazing. Mhmm.

[00:55:41] - [Speaker 1]
This is this is like his exact words was she was like, I want to hire you and not he goes, I'm not for hire, but you got my word. Ma'am, I got you.

[00:55:51] - [Speaker 0]
There you go. And I

[00:55:52] - [Speaker 1]
was like, oh, that Yeah. It was just an amazing and I think I I John, I think you're right, but with a slight spin in that what we've got here is the evolution of a hero.

[00:56:03] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[00:56:03] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Absolutely. This

[00:56:05] - [Speaker 1]
is the guy who has powers and doesn't wanna use them. Like, Matt Murdock was the opposite in that he was trained from a young age. Jessica Jones, to a degree, we get some inklings that she went down that route in an earlier stage Mhmm. And it just gave up on it. Whereas this Luke is he doesn't wanna be the in the spotlight.

[00:56:29] - [Speaker 1]
He doesn't wanna be the hero. Yeah. And I think this is what we're gonna get is over time. Like, when he comes into the Chinese restaurant, Genghis Khani's, which I love that name by the way.

[00:56:41] - [Speaker 2]
It's so cool.

[00:56:42] - [Speaker 1]
He just comes in in like, right. I've had enough of this. I think I no. And I think I I I enjoy this. It's basically we've gone to a point where, like, in Daredevil season one, Matt was already playing the vigilante in the kind of the dress up.

[00:57:01] - [Speaker 1]
In Jessica Jones season one, she's already got her powers and has the detective agency and went through some of the other issues with Killgrave, etcetera.

[00:57:09] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[00:57:10] - [Speaker 1]
Here, we're going to a point where, yes, Luke is powered. We know very little of his background, but he wants to stay that way. He wants to just work in paradise and work in the pop's barbershop and that's it. Yeah. That's his life.

[00:57:27] - [Speaker 1]
And I think this is the as I said, this is the evolution. This is gonna be really interesting.

[00:57:31] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. As in that reference from pop that he could pay him more money if he didn't have to pay him money under the table, isn't it?

[00:57:36] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah.

[00:57:36] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Yeah. I think it's I it's pretty cool. Yeah. My final point is all is also about Genghis Khan.

[00:57:41] - [Speaker 0]
It's the fight in Genghis Khan. Absolutely. I I know it was included in the trailer, but it's so much better surrounded by the rest of the show. I really love how the fight plays out. I love that the the opening scene is the broken hand across his face.

[00:57:54] - [Speaker 0]
It's so brutal. I don't know whether that was cut in the trailer slightly. I just don't remember the bone coming out through the side of his wrist.

[00:58:01] - [Speaker 1]
I think it was sped up.

[00:58:03] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe. Maybe. Yeah.

[00:58:05] - [Speaker 1]
Because I I remember it, but it I think it's been because it was slowed down just to that element, it was just into that speed, I should say. Yeah. It was just it was just looked oh, god. Yeah. It looked.

[00:58:18] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah.

[00:58:18] - [Speaker 1]
Ouch.

[00:58:19] - [Speaker 0]
Proper brutal. Yeah.

[00:58:20] - [Speaker 2]
Really really good visual effects there. Yeah. The bone kind of splintering and coming out, blood everywhere.

[00:58:31] - [Speaker 0]
I'm presuming that Amos is not gonna be famous for punching people anymore.

[00:58:35] - [Speaker 2]
Well, he won't be able to punch anyone anymore. Obviously, there's the power man wedgie through the window. Yeah. I was like, god, it reminded me of school.

[00:58:48] - [Speaker 1]
I I believe that's called the atomic power man wedgie. Just just just t c or t m, should call it trademark.

[00:58:57] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. So so cool. Loved it. Wedgie flip straight out the window. Smash bang.

[00:59:03] - [Speaker 2]
I I in fact, in fairness, it's a good job he didn't take the money because, like, she'll need that to Bonnie will need that to pay for the window. Absolutely. And guy face planted into one of the tables. And another guy running off in absolute fear. So fantastic.

[00:59:21] - [Speaker 0]
And my absolute favorite, catching the bullet in his hand as the as the trigger is pulled. You know, he doesn't need Tony Stark's equipment to catch a bullet like Tony needed in in Civil War, you know. He just puts a hand over the gun, bullet fires at that great moment where it's where it's the gunpowder left in his palm with the bullet that's that's hit us showing full force. He's been able to catch the bullet. That's so cool.

[00:59:44] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. That's that's such a good bit of effect there, just seeing the gunpowder because it was close range and sort of the bullet crushed into his palm. Yeah. Really really cool.

[00:59:55] - [Speaker 0]
Really cool way to show the show the powers of Luke Cage in just one scene.

[00:59:59] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And and a proper brawler as well. I mean, it it is you know, he is that the the yin and yang when I suppose Danny Rand is on on the scene and the two of them are are purred up.

[01:00:13] - [Speaker 2]
Not that we're getting that here. Mhmm. But I mean, you know, he he's setting out a stall. He is a physical beast and he's a puncher, and he's a cruncher, and that's how Luke Cage goes about bringing some order to to chaos. Absolutely.

[01:00:31] - [Speaker 2]
It's not martial art. It's not not at this moment anyway. You know, it's not refined sword work. It's it's fists. It's it's not pretty all the time at the moment.

[01:00:43] - [Speaker 2]
It's proper street fighter. You know?

[01:00:45] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

[01:00:48] - [Speaker 1]
No. I have to say, I I I this for me was the perfect power showcase. I think it's probably the best way of putting it. In other words, they had to show everyone what Luke Cage is and that that we got that. You literally got his strength kinda shown twice.

[01:01:09] - [Speaker 1]
Well, in terms of the flip, you got his unbreakable skin twice. Mhmm. And it was just

[01:01:15] - [Speaker 0]
And then, yeah, the the intimidation when the last guy runs out going, I didn't even like those guys.

[01:01:20] - [Speaker 1]
Really good. No. No. And I I just it was just perfect for me. Think I I think and they're gonna be able to set it up more and more now because it's but the believable aspect is there.

[01:01:32] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. In other words, like, we will get these slowdowns, but and I think that's actually that's some of these slowdowns may be the iconic scenes that we'll see across in terms of so, like, with Daredevil, we had some of more kind of unique camera angles and stuff. Yeah. I think this may be, okay. Well, now we've got a bit more budget behind this.

[01:01:52] - [Speaker 1]
Let's show the slowdown of someone impacting his hand or crowbar across Luke Cage's head.

[01:02:01] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:02:02] - [Speaker 1]
I think that may be where we get to.

[01:02:05] - [Speaker 0]
Are they like all the what what do they call it? The fatalities in combat where they slow them down. Start breaking the bones and and and the way

[01:02:12] - [Speaker 1]
they do Fumushim.

[01:02:13] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. I I love I love this. Love this scene. Chris, do wanna give us your next point?

[01:02:18] - [Speaker 1]
Perfect segue because my point is the tone and the humor of behind this show. Right. So the the the ending of the fighting. So they've just shown a very realistic, to a degree, a side a Marvel realistic fight. Uh-huh.

[01:02:38] - [Speaker 1]
And then they had this humorous ending, and then a heartfelt ending to that after. And for me, I think this is what I talked to at the beginning of the show, kinda about the realism, the grittiness, the the kinda dark undercurrent of what is happening in the world today.

[01:02:58] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:02:58] - [Speaker 1]
But they don't forget the levity, and I think that's some of the things that personally I love around comic books and and fiction in general and TV shows in that, yes, all the world is going to hell, everything is breaking down, Harlem is in disarray. Yeah. But, yeah, we do we don't forget the fun. Don't like, we remember that. Like, and the best like, the best points for me on this was, the the at the very beginning, the note on Pop's barbershop ball.

[01:03:28] - [Speaker 1]
Did you guys notice this? It was like Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Mike Jordan, Al Pacino, Pat Riley don't pay. Everybody else does.

[01:03:36] - [Speaker 0]
No credits.

[01:03:37] - [Speaker 2]
Very cool. They

[01:03:39] - [Speaker 1]
zoomed in on it and gave it like gave you a second or two to read it because it's like, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna have a bit of fun with this. And then it was like even going on and I talked about how I I kind of pulled back some of the the Marvel notes in kind of Easter eggs. Like Mhmm. Pop's nicknames, Paramount, Mister Bulletproof, making levity of who Luke Cage is. And I'm sure I'm hoping that Pop's kind of literally says, hey, that's like he's gonna come up with additional kind of like, he's gonna call out Tiara or something like that.

[01:04:14] - [Speaker 0]
Right.

[01:04:14] - [Speaker 1]
Right. But I I

[01:04:16] - [Speaker 0]
That would look great on you, Luke.

[01:04:17] - [Speaker 1]
It's like, yeah, you do that. You you go for that.

[01:04:20] - [Speaker 0]
That Tiara looked great on your Paramount. Yeah.

[01:04:22] - [Speaker 1]
But I think that's that's one of my points in terms of the tone of this show is unique in what we've got so far in the MCU, Netflix universe or even just the MCU in that it's bringing together gritty realism from say like the Daredevil and Jessica Jones

[01:04:43] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:04:44] - [Speaker 1]
And that kind of like like this this is happening in the world. This is not a nice thing. But also some of that Guardians of the Galaxy humor in terms of like, I think we'll get some of these funny moments that we just kinda it may be a chuckle or it may be a full on laugh out loud moment Mhmm. But that's what we want. Yep.

[01:05:03] - [Speaker 1]
And I think

[01:05:05] - [Speaker 0]
definitely a bit of levity in the in the show anyway just to just to kinda lighten up a bit because it could get very dark.

[01:05:10] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. And I mean, I think Luke Cage anyway has to have that that levity element because his character is quite Character. Is serious and, you know, he's he's pretty straight down the line. What you see is what you get. And he's a serious guy, and he's also going through, you know, effectively you know, he's he's he's lost his bar.

[01:05:35] - [Speaker 2]
He's he's lost his wife, and, you know, he's kind of having to be on $1 an hour type jobs, really low pay and and so on. So but, yeah, you've gotta have that levity, and it really comes through, and it really adds to it. I mean, as as we've discussed that that the moment in the bar between him and and Misty Knight Mhmm. Really, really good. Yeah.

[01:05:58] - [Speaker 2]
Him in the box in pops barbershop, with Frankie Faison, really, really good. But, I mean, you know, do we have any predictions for pops at all?

[01:06:13] - [Speaker 1]
So, I'm torn. So I've talked about this.

[01:06:19] - [Speaker 2]
Me too. Sorry. Me too.

[01:06:22] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Because it's just like, right, we talked about how they have the the gritty realism and then the humor, and this is the evolution of Paramount. This is the evolution of the the unbreakable Luke Cage. Every origin story from Shakespeare to Spider Man to you name it has tragedy. And Luke's had his tragedy, but it's happened before.

[01:06:47] - [Speaker 1]
It's happened with Reva already. And I'm just like so Pops is the father figure. He is the Uncle Ben right now, and I have so much fear for this guy. I'm like I it's just he's they they gave him great humor, they they've given him great lines

[01:07:07] - [Speaker 0]
Uh-huh. They've

[01:07:07] - [Speaker 1]
shown him off. I want to be wrong

[01:07:11] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[01:07:11] - [Speaker 1]
But I have so much fear for this guy.

[01:07:13] - [Speaker 0]
I certain air of destiny in there, isn't there? There is

[01:07:17] - [Speaker 1]
a destiny in there.

[01:07:18] - [Speaker 0]
Really hoping that he's gonna survive at the series.

[01:07:21] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. But, like, we keep saying that

[01:07:23] - [Speaker 2]
and It's everything that's gonna happen there.

[01:07:25] - [Speaker 1]
Do remember with Ruben? Yeah. Like, we were like, yeah. He's amazing. Oh, my god.

[01:07:30] - [Speaker 0]
Who is he gonna turn into

[01:07:31] - [Speaker 2]
from the clubhouse?

[01:07:32] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Tragic.

[01:07:33] - [Speaker 2]
Then Poor Ruben.

[01:07:35] - [Speaker 1]
So I I don't know who, but there's going to be a major player death tragedy in this. And, like, that doesn't have to be for anyone. That can be there may be multiple. There may be Missy Knight's partner, the one or two of the kids in the shop, like like we're trying to like you name it, someone's gonna die. One person.

[01:07:59] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Well, of deaths, that kind of segues nicely into my final point, which is the the beatdown of Shamik by

[01:08:09] - [Speaker 0]
Oh, yeah.

[01:08:10] - [Speaker 2]
Cottonmouth. Like, just the move from, you know, the the slapping and and, you know, I'm trying to degrade Shamit by saying, you know, I only slap girls and trying to get this information where out from him as to where the money is or the other half of the money is in Chico. And then, you know, I think Shamit gives him some lip back and he goes, oh, so you wanna be treated like a man? And he just curls his fist and then just the power behind it and the blood coming up and then you see the results of that in the gutter, as Misty Knight and Raphael, Scarf are are investigating Mhmm.

[01:08:55] - [Speaker 0]
This body. And She even describes it as as he looks like he's been hit by a truck with two fists. You know. It's it's that that's her

[01:09:03] - [Speaker 2]
Like, it's so intense and again, it it kind of it shows the danger of Cottonmouth, you know. He can be like sat back, He can be in his club laughing, joking, but down to business, steal his money, and give him some lip. And he is gonna turn on the fists, and he's gonna get violent, and he's gonna get serious, and he's gonna show, Yuhu's boss. And I I thought this was a really intense scene, you know, really intense. And I I just thought it was another great sort of facet to Cottonmouth that Maheshala Ali had had brought.

[01:09:43] - [Speaker 2]
I it it reminds me of, you know, Fisk with with the car door. It it reminds, me of, the purple man, Kilgrave, you know, telling someone to stand there and don't move forever. I mean, purely from a psychological point of view, know, where there's the poor kid who's wet himself outside of the club in Hell's Kitchen, all these different things.

[01:10:06] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:10:06] - [Speaker 2]
And or even, you know, the thousand cuts. All these elements have got this this tone of brutality about them. And and again, I think here, it it carried that through. But I thought it was really a really good part of the the episode.

[01:10:28] - [Speaker 0]
Definitely. Definitely. I'm I'm I'm really I think we've said how much we love Mahershala Ali in the show. He's he's been excellent, and this is a great twist for the character, you know. He's definitely not afraid to get his hands and his entire body, his face, everything dirty in the pursuit of his money, you know.

[01:10:46] - [Speaker 0]
A really, really great scene. Definitely.

[01:10:49] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. No. And I think for me, that was one of my notes just in general just that the the the beating of this guy and the the the level of blood. It really so reminds me, like, it's I'm wondering, like, it was so quick. I wasn't expecting it.

[01:11:06] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm. And I'm wondering, yeah, we're like okay. So we talked about the humor, and we've talked talked about the gritty realism. There's gonna be a level of blood and guts and just about this this series I'm getting now.

[01:11:22] - [Speaker 2]
Definitely. Even with the shootout scene where Shamik and Chico, you know, steal the the money with Dante. It's like, you know, there's bullets to the face, there's shotguns to the face. It's all pretty pretty brutal. There's certainly no holding back.

[01:11:41] - [Speaker 0]
And And then turn on Dante because he threw up. You know? It's Yeah. It's pretty brutal. You

[01:11:46] - [Speaker 2]
know? Yeah.

[01:11:47] - [Speaker 1]
And I I I'm I'm wondering even with, say, Daredevil back like back in the sub back to season one

[01:11:53] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:11:54] - [Speaker 1]
Like there was there was an element of like the breaking bones and the gore and then season

[01:12:01] - [Speaker 0]
The guy the guy who killed himself on the fence. Remember that scene being particularly brutal. Yeah.

[01:12:06] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. And then with Jessica Jones, we had the more cerebral kind of I can't remember what what we decided to call it the factor with Kilgrave.

[01:12:15] - [Speaker 0]
Pretty much.

[01:12:16] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. But I'm quoting myself from pre previous seasons. I think there will be parts of this in in this show in that they'll keep it very grounded, realistic. They'll keep the powers. They'll keep the humor.

[01:12:32] - [Speaker 1]
But, like what happens in four episode when Luke Cage hits some guy at full strength.

[01:12:40] - [Speaker 0]
Like Yeah.

[01:12:41] - [Speaker 1]
We're gonna see a shoulder just like tear off an alarm going flying kind of job.

[01:12:45] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe that maybe he does that to Misty.

[01:12:47] - [Speaker 1]
Maybe that's it is how it happens. Will be interesting to see how that plays out. No. But I think I think that's the the the the we're gonna get gore in this. We're gonna get like, I think it ties back to that realistic kind of theme wire point like HBO and the wire and all those kind of shows.

[01:13:07] - [Speaker 1]
They don't shy away from okay. If so if if someone you punch someone with a breakable skin, your bones are gonna break.

[01:13:15] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[01:13:16] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. If someone is sitting on top of you beating you, you're gonna be covered in blood. Like, think where do you remember that you see, in Daredevil, when the guy with the fence, they didn't show the the impaling part. He just Mhmm. We like they cut just that part away.

[01:13:35] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Not much of a cut.

[01:13:36] - [Speaker 1]
No. But and it's like the door scene with the kingpin. Mhmm. The first introduction.

[01:13:41] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[01:13:41] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. It's like the the the smoothie as I think we called it. It was just I think with this one, like, they didn't show the guy getting beaten, but they shows the effects. And I think that's what's gonna happen.

[01:13:53] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[01:13:54] - [Speaker 1]
I just think we're gonna get lots of blood. There's a lot of Blackbird cordial or whatever they use in these shows to replicate blood flying all over the place.

[01:14:04] - [Speaker 0]
And there's gonna be quite a lot to watch. Definitely. It's gonna be pretty brutal. Chris, is that your final point?

[01:14:08] - [Speaker 1]
That was my final point, but I do have one quick the two quick notes, I should

[01:14:11] - [Speaker 0]
say. Okay.

[01:14:12] - [Speaker 1]
The first one, Justin Hammer weapons.

[01:14:15] - [Speaker 0]
Yes. That's right.

[01:14:16] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, yeah. I told you I'd bring another Marvel kind of plug in here. And this actually, in theory, is more MCU. Justin Hammer. So, like, literally Iron Man two.

[01:14:26] - [Speaker 1]
Like, we're going all that way back.

[01:14:28] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? I'm wondering if because of what happened in Iron Man two where he gets sent off to prison, I wonder if if all of the arms that their company was building, all of those got flooded the streets, and now they're being sold around by arms dealers on on the streets of hell of of Harlem and Hell's Kitchen. I'm wondering if that's what that's the connection.

[01:14:45] - [Speaker 2]
That's how Misty loses her own. The arms dealers.

[01:14:50] - [Speaker 0]
There you go.

[01:14:51] - [Speaker 2]
There you you I'm not very good at jokes. I'm just kidding.

[01:14:55] - [Speaker 1]
It was good. I do wonder if Melvin Potter, aka Gladiator from Daredevil may turn up with some tinkering parts from Justin Hammer or

[01:15:03] - [Speaker 0]
You think I know?

[01:15:04] - [Speaker 1]
Like, or are we gonna see Whiplash? Like, we no. I obviously, whiplash himself, but, like, the actual someone's toys. Like, could it be that okay. Bullets are impervious to Luke Cage.

[01:15:17] - [Speaker 1]
So how do you make

[01:15:18] - [Speaker 0]
Or the other way around.

[01:15:19] - [Speaker 1]
Yes. That yes. That's that makes slightly more sense. But I will wonder, like, are we gonna see, like, there's an escalation of weapons? Because this is what happens.

[01:15:29] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. I know what you mean. The escalation, it could absolutely lead to to some more some more kind of different weapons appearing on the streets of of Harlem.

[01:15:37] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. And from the teaser trailer, we definitely know that someone gets whiplash. Oh.

[01:15:43] - [Speaker 0]
That that is true.

[01:15:44] - [Speaker 1]
That is true. That is funny.

[01:15:46] - [Speaker 2]
I am quite good at crap jokes.

[01:15:51] - [Speaker 1]
And the final points are just the books, Attica and the Invisible Man.

[01:15:56] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:15:57] - [Speaker 1]
And just it was like it's nice to see faced on them for a while and and the especially the bit, invisible man part, there was a kind of Luke's trying to hide himself.

[01:16:09] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:16:09] - [Speaker 1]
It was it was just it's interesting. Will they kinda continue with this theme? No. What would you call it? Yeah.

[01:16:16] - [Speaker 1]
A theme, I suppose.

[01:16:17] - [Speaker 2]
Book theme.

[01:16:18] - [Speaker 0]
Book Yeah.

[01:16:19] - [Speaker 1]
But I think it's it. And then, oh, obviously, sorry. Last point. I had last note. Viva's photo.

[01:16:26] - [Speaker 0]
Yes. This is

[01:16:26] - [Speaker 1]
lovely. Same place it was in Jessica Jones, still in That's right.

[01:16:31] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Really, really cool touch. I like having that that that connection back to to back to his history and his past. Yeah. I really like that moment when he's when he's he's getting that direction from his past, I suppose, about how to how to deal with people, you know, where he's being told in a, I guess, in a self help group that he would have attended while he was in Seagate Prison.

[01:16:53] - [Speaker 0]
He's being told you need to make friends or else you won't be able to last in here. I love how that scene was shot in his in his apartment. That was pretty cool. And obviously, yeah, the the books on the bed, particularly Invisible Man stands out of seeing what Luke is trying to achieve, I suppose, by hiding it in Harlem. John, do you have any notes about the episode?

[01:17:11] - [Speaker 2]
It's just the, you know, we do see the stars of the flashbacks here. We see Luke Cage kinda go back to to Seagate Prison. We see him in his orange coveralls, of Seagate Prison. We see that, obviously, there's some kind of history there with Shades who's who's played by Theorosi that Mhmm. You know, whether it looks like it's some kind of fight, whether, Luke is is with Shades here or or they're they're against one another.

[01:17:41] - [Speaker 2]
But obviously he's trying to avoid him now. So for whatever reason, that is is to avoid a fight or to avoid potentially being asked to join a gang. Yeah. Who knows?

[01:17:52] - [Speaker 0]
Maybe. Maybe.

[01:17:53] - [Speaker 2]
You know, again, it's one of the things as I said earlier that is so good about Luke Cage is is that he could have become a gang member. He could have, you know, been evil effectively in that sense of, you know, good and evil in the Marvel universe. So, yeah, it was interesting seeing those flashbacks.

[01:18:12] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. My final note, I just don't think we've talked about her enough. Alfre Woodard in this episode is one of my favorite parts of the episode.

[01:18:20] - [Speaker 0]
I think I think her character of Mariah Dillard really adds so much to this to the show. Really hoping to see a lot more of her as we go along throughout the season. Loved her campaign trail moment, as you mentioned, the Black Lives Matter moment when she's doing her speech to camera. Really, really good. You can totally see her point, which is the point of any politician.

[01:18:40] - [Speaker 0]
You're supposed to understand where they come from. I can totally see what she's trying to get across, yet there is a bit of darkness about her as well. It's effectively trying to it's almost saying let's ethnically cleanse Harlem back to what it was like with just black people living here. And Yeah. She's she has that strong align about it, you know.

[01:19:01] - [Speaker 0]
But you can understand the point of view, you know. It's a it's a the jewel in the in the heart of black America, you know. She wants to keep it the way it was historically valid, you know. But, yeah, that means we're gonna want to kick a lot of people out of the city.

[01:19:14] - [Speaker 2]
It's really interesting that the children in the lineup and, you know, she's walking through and comes to the the the final, kid who's white, I think. And, you know, it's just it's slightly more hands off, I suppose. Mhmm. But even, I suppose, it moves to where Luke Cage is protecting Connie and her husband. Yeah.

[01:19:38] - [Speaker 2]
And that it it it seemed that, there are other communities that that are below, you know, it's all kind of this relative space that's happening where the effectively communities at one another. Yeah. So really interesting kind of idea, you know, as well.

[01:19:57] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. And couldn't couldn't have come along at a better time really, I suppose.

[01:20:00] - [Speaker 1]
No. And I think I think you're right. That that scene where there was that kind of shaking all the kids' hands, and then they did she takes hand sanitizer after.

[01:20:10] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:20:11] - [Speaker 1]
And you don't know whether it's because she's shaking a lot of kids' hands or that she's just touched this Caucasian kid.

[01:20:19] - [Speaker 0]
Yeah.

[01:20:20] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. I I I do think that potentially they're gonna touch on some very harsh racism kind of topics. And I think that that's good. It's it's it's a it's a unique take that, like, America's probably hasn't seen before. And, like, this is gonna this is as I said, this is harsh.

[01:20:38] - [Speaker 1]
This is gonna be pretty realistic. It's gonna they're gonna touch on some things that people are gonna go, oh, that's too close to the bone. Let's not talk about that.

[01:20:45] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. Now I will say, know that president Obama has said if he wanted to give one piece of advice to his younger self before he came into office, the one piece of advice he would have given is you need a lot of hand sanitizer for your years in office if you wanna keep healthy. So maybe it's just a little reference to that. But but, yeah, I know what you mean. It's just played that way where you don't really know why she's doing it at that particular point at the end of shaking all those kids' hands.

[01:21:09] - [Speaker 0]
Really cool, though. Just really loved seeing Alfie Woodard in the show. Knew she was gonna be loved her and other stuff. Very different character obviously than her character in in Civil War. It is a completely different character, and I'm sure we're gonna see loads more of her throughout the series.

[01:21:23] - [Speaker 0]
Well, guys, I think we've come to our own moment of truth. It's time to see whether we defend the episode. Chris, do you defend Luke Cage season one episode one moment of truth?

[01:21:33] - [Speaker 1]
I have to say, like, this this is up there for me in terms of like it it based on this one episode, on this the opening of what this is, on the realism, based on everything about this opening, this premiere, it's really struck a chord with me. I don't know whether it what it is is that maybe it's because we've already had two seasons of Daredevil or kind of one season of of Jessica Jones. For me, this is up there in terms of the top pilot episode one of all MCU Netflix. Right. Right.

[01:22:11] - [Speaker 1]
Now I'm not gonna say it's like a five out of five. Like there's there's some bits in there that will potentially need to be worked on or just, like, it was just overall, but this is the strongest opening we've got. Right. This is it's telling you it set the scene. It told you the story.

[01:22:28] - [Speaker 1]
It's given you the background. They made they made us question a lot of certain things either through actual plot device, through the actual script, or even just through a lingering camera shot.

[01:22:42] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:22:42] - [Speaker 1]
Like, they made you question what this show, where this show

[01:22:47] - [Speaker 0]
is

[01:22:47] - [Speaker 1]
going. Of course, it's Marvel. It's an epic, so I'm jumping for joy that we've got a new another 12 episodes or 13 episode series to devour one at

[01:22:59] - [Speaker 0]
a

[01:22:59] - [Speaker 1]
time because because of of our illustrious leader.

[01:23:03] - [Speaker 0]
Plus podcasting in between. Don't forget. You don't get to watch them just one at a time. There is podcasting in between too.

[01:23:09] - [Speaker 1]
Oh, yeah. That's even better. But, no, again, it's just it's Marvel time. I get to go and geek out and find all the Easter eggs. But honestly, kind of hand on my heart, this is up there in my top one or two or I don't I'm gonna go to this in my top two.

[01:23:25] - [Speaker 1]
Personally, that now interchangeable between episode one of Jessica Jones and episode one of Luke Cage. And then directly after that is Daredevil. High praise.

[01:23:34] - [Speaker 2]
Very good.

[01:23:36] - [Speaker 1]
So John Mhmm. Do you defend this episode of Luke Cage?

[01:23:43] - [Speaker 2]
I do defend this episode of Luke Cage. I'm giving this four Genghis Khanis out of five. Nice. I think, like you say, it's a really good introduction background. But I mean, I love the gradual build.

[01:23:58] - [Speaker 2]
Know, this really sets up Harlem. It sets up Luke Cage. It sets up the society and the community. You know, it's got the politics of Mariah Dillard. It's got the gangs of Cornell Stokes and and Diamondback.

[01:24:16] - [Speaker 2]
All this society and the melting pot that is that is Harlem in flux, and and it's a real gradual build. You've got the sexiness of Misty Knight. You've got the the police, and detective and investigation, from Misty Knight and Raphael. Mhmm. All of this, I think this gradual build up you know, some people might say that it's slow.

[01:24:42] - [Speaker 2]
I think this is a gradual build up. This is, you know, taking something, a part of, New York City in in Harlem that hasn't been in the previous Netflix shows. So you've got to introduce that. You've been briefly introduced to Luke Cage, but it's from Jessica Jones. So this is his show, relationships, his, area of New York, and it has to be set up.

[01:25:10] - [Speaker 2]
And they did this so well. And then then finally, just the strength of acting from Mike Coulter as Luke Cage. I really, really enjoyed his take. I loved his his battle, his internal battle and conflict. But again, all backed up with equally strong supporting and lead acting going on from Maher Charlotte Ali, from Alfre Woodard, from Simone Missick, you know, all and Frankie Faison in in the show.

[01:25:47] - [Speaker 2]
So absolutely defend this episode of Luke Cage. Derek, perchance, do you defend this episode of Luke Cage?

[01:25:57] - [Speaker 0]
Well, I always when I'm going last, you guys have taken all the words out of my mouth. I totally defend this episode. Just absolutely looking forward to watching the next 12 episodes. A great setup episode, great introduction to brand new characters in the Marvel Universe. So excited to see this version of of Misty Knight.

[01:26:15] - [Speaker 0]
Simone Missik's doing a great job in here. Really looking forward to seeing more of Alfie Woodard, more of Mahesh Ali's Cottonmouth. Just so much of this universe to explore, and we've got twelve more hours to do it. It makes me really excited. While I don't think that it's not that it's as awesome an opening as Jessica Jones, that did have the benefit of a huge cliffhanger at the end of the episode.

[01:26:37] - [Speaker 0]
This had a great uprising moment at the end of this episode where we finally got to see Luke go out and be a hero for a couple of minutes at the end of the episode. We didn't get that in Jessica Jones. We got her turning on her heels and realizing she's going to stay in Hell's Kitchen. And I thought that was a bigger, more dramatic opening, I suppose, than this than this one. While I loved this episode, I think Jessica Jones first episode probably a little bit better than that, but that's no there's no problems with that.

[01:27:03] - [Speaker 0]
We still got another twelve hours to spend with these cats, and I'm looking forward to it, definitely. So, guys, that's the end of our review of season one, episode one of Luke Cage. Only one more thing to do in this episode, which is to give out the prize for our Doctor Strange Summer of Strange. What we asked our listeners to do who are joining us during our coverage of of the nineteen seventy eight Doctor Strange movie or Doctor Strange 01/2001 and the Doctor Strange animated movie, all leading to Doctor Strange coming out on October 25. We asked them to do it just leave us a review over iTunes, send us an email to feedback@defenderstbpodcast.com just telling us where they left the review.

[01:27:41] - [Speaker 0]
And we got some very, very nice reviews into us during our little hiatus there. I wanna say a huge thank you to the listeners that that have left

[01:27:50] - [Speaker 2]
us those reviews. Absolutely. Thank you so much for the reviews and for the support. You know, reviews on iTunes, on any other podcast catcher really help independent podcasts such as ourselves to to to get noticed with within those, apps, within those programs, and for people to to explore and find us and be able to listen to us. So it's it's very much appreciated and all the the reviews left by all you very kind people.

[01:28:24] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. No. And I I I yeah. There's not much more I can say on that. I was I okay.

[01:28:31] - [Speaker 1]
So I was chopping onions while I was reading their views, I swear, and that's why there was a bit sniffle happening. That or was my allergies. You know, it's that type of time time of year, the allergies kick in. But honestly, I was overwhelmed. Derek sent them across to me, and as I read through them, I was shocked by the the feedback we got.

[01:28:53] - [Speaker 1]
It was it's fantastic just even for us as podcasters. Like, we are three very geeky, nerdy guys, and we just ramble for sometimes an hour, an hour and twenty minutes or more.

[01:29:06] - [Speaker 0]
And I added it down to about 40.

[01:29:08] - [Speaker 1]
Yeah. Of course. You should see the uncut versions, But we it's us talking and saying what we love about the show. And then

[01:29:17] - [Speaker 0]
Mhmm.

[01:29:18] - [Speaker 1]
Even when we talk to you guys into the community, like, they they we are all joined by this love of Marvel, love of these shows. And, yeah, this is a a geeky thing. We break down someone's amazing work, but just the fact that you guys love it or at least give it five stars is it's a testament to what we do and it's like the only thing I can say is thank you. Absolutely. I swear it's the allergies.

[01:29:47] - [Speaker 1]
It's the allergies.

[01:29:47] - [Speaker 0]
Don't cry. No. Absolutely. And some lovely words left by left by everybody. Just a huge thank you if you took taken the time out.

[01:29:54] - [Speaker 1]
It doesn't have to stop now. You can keep giving us reviews. As John said, this helps other people find us. So share it. If you think one of your friends might like one of our comments or like some of the the the breakdowns or if they've seen some Easter eggs that I missed, because especially if they've seen Easter eggs I've missed

[01:30:12] - [Speaker 0]
Uh-huh.

[01:30:12] - [Speaker 1]
Send them over, like, our content with them because more people that join our group, that the more the more we can talk, the more we can take over your Facebook feed and your Twitter feed, where Basically, for the next month, all you're gonna see is Luke Cage, and that's what you want. You know it is. But, honestly, thank you, and please continue to share.

[01:30:32] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. Yep. Share it through any of your social media channels, obviously, over on Twitter or Facebook, over on Reddit, wherever you wherever you interact, you can share our podcasts with anybody else. Right. Okay.

[01:30:42] - [Speaker 0]
Without further ado, time to give out our Summer of Strange prize. It's Thursday, September 29, and John has the hat in hand with all the reviews that we got over in iTunes. Thanks again so much for all your entries for the Doctor Strange prize draw.

[01:30:55] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. A really good response and they're all in the hat. In fact, they're in a Doctor Strange hat. My Doctor Strange hat.

[01:31:03] - [Speaker 0]
Yes. Not the one

[01:31:04] - [Speaker 2]
is actually the prize, I can assure you. I will now give it a good old shake. Pricewaterhouse cooper is obviously here to verify the results from the sealed envelope.

[01:31:20] - [Speaker 0]
Do I get to pick this one? You do.

[01:31:21] - [Speaker 2]
Go on. Hand in. Awesome.

[01:31:24] - [Speaker 0]
Okay. And the winner is Fredrik Tellerup from Denmark. Congratulations, Fredrik. Well done, Fredrik. Thank you very much for your review.

[01:31:39] - [Speaker 0]
I'm gonna read it out since he won the competition. Yeah. So he started off with a fun and enlightening supplement to all things MCU and MTU. Nice. An interesting podcast build up like a friendly conversation primarily about the Netflix TV series episodes with great enthusiasm and in-depth references to the Marvel comics that span the characters and to a more or lesser extent sat down with the storyline beats.

[01:32:01] - [Speaker 0]
Thanks, guys. A very nice addition to watching the shows, and kudos to you for keeping spoiler free on all episodes for your episode to episode walkthrough in these bountiful times of Netflix bingy watching possibilities. Excellent.

[01:32:14] - [Speaker 2]
Yeah. Thank you, Frederic. And, of course, thank you everyone else who were really kind and generous to to leave a review. It is much appreciated. It is one of the the best ways for independent podcasts to kinda get their name out there and for other people to find it.

[01:32:31] - [Speaker 2]
So, that's why we kinda hold the competition. Mhmm. And it's really important. So thank you to everyone who took part. It is much appreciated, and congratulations to Fredrik.

[01:32:42] - [Speaker 0]
And now back to old Chris, Derek, and John.

[01:32:45] - [Speaker 2]
So right back to the podcast. Big congratulations. You know, we'll have the prizes sent off as soon as possible. Absolutely. We'll be in touch to get your, delivery address and all that, but really big congratulations.

[01:33:03] - [Speaker 1]
You're you're lucky it's going now because literally, if some of these prices have stayed, which I'm saying, like, forty eight hours more, there there was some it fell off the back of the truck.

[01:33:14] - [Speaker 0]
Uh-huh. There there was there was a point I thought that John was just buying presents for himself, leaving reviews in different people's names, but but I know where these reviews are left. So thank you so much for that. Guys, that's it. Time to close it.

[01:33:28] - [Speaker 0]
We'll be back on Tuesday October 4 with our review of Luke Cage season one episode two, Code of the Streets. Looking forward to that one.

[01:33:35] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. Remember, you can join us on Twitter at DefendersCast. Join our group over on Facebook. Go to facebook.com/groups/defenderstvpodcast. Get involved in the discussion.

[01:33:49] - [Speaker 2]
Join the community. Leave feedback. You can also do that by email at feedback@DefendersTVpodcast.com. You can go onto the website, and leave a voicemail if you want to have your, lovely dulcet tones on, our podcast and you can leave ninety seconds of audio.

[01:34:07] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. We love voicemails. We don't get them often enough. It's really, really easy. Go try it out on the website.

[01:34:11] - [Speaker 2]
Yep. Ask some questions. Give your theories. Comment on on the show. Comment on the podcast.

[01:34:19] - [Speaker 2]
And we will bring these into our discussions of of Luke Cage season one as we move through the 13 episode series.

[01:34:30] - [Speaker 0]
Absolutely. But just one reminder, if you are if you've binged watched the entire season of Luke Cage and you're just listening back to our podcast, remember, we have not watched ahead as we're recording these episodes. So if you're saying anything about episode nine or a big reveal in episode 12, just make sure you mark your email or your voice mail with what what episode it is you're talking about so we can hold off on it and none of us get spoiled about the future episodes as we go.

[01:34:52] - [Speaker 2]
Absolutely. And on Facebook, we will make sure we will have episode by episode places where you can comment and you can be as spoilerific as you wish.

[01:35:02] - [Speaker 1]
Mhmm.

[01:35:03] - [Speaker 2]
We all know not to go into that. But please come and join the community, the discussions. And, yeah, thank you so much for listening. We will speak with you next time. Bye.

[01:35:15] - [Speaker 2]
See

[01:35:16] - [Speaker 1]
you guys. Call me if the hand comes. You know the hand is coming out of the hole, I swear.

[01:35:21] - [Speaker 0]
Excellent. We'll speak to you on Tuesday.

[01:35:22] - [Speaker 2]
Bye.

[01:35:39] - [Speaker 0]
Back? I'm out to save you. You

[01:35:51] - [Speaker 2]
have been listening to Defenders TV Podcast, a production of TV Podcast Industries. If you want to subscribe to the podcast, please go to www.defenderstvpodcast.com forward slash iTunes and subscribe there, leave a review, or alternatively, to any other good podcast catcher and search Defenders TV podcast for Android users. Leave a review, subscribe, and this really helps independent podcasts to be found out by other interested listeners. Also, our podcast updates on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, or any other social media platform. You can also join us on Twitter at DefendersCast.

[01:36:32] - [Speaker 2]
You can join us on Facebook. Join our group at facebook.com/groups/ Defenders TV podcast. Come and join the community, enter into the discussion, leave comments, and feedback. If you want to get involved in the podcast, you can leave feedback at feedback@defenderstvpodcast.com, or alternatively, you can leave a voice mail on our website at www.defenderstvpodcast.com. Ninety seconds long and be an audio part of our podcast.

[01:37:05] - [Speaker 2]
As always, thank you so much for listening, and we will speak to you again soon.