Before The Defenders: The Worst Parts Of Netflix’s Marvel Series

From the article "Before The Defenders: 15 Worst Parts Of Netflix’s Four Marvel Series" by Michael Natale
April 13, 2017

Below are the LUKE CAGE related excerpts. You can read the entire piece at the link above.

Suffice it to say the info below contain SPOILERS from the Marvel shows so...

7. KILLING THE WISE OLDER BLACK MAN 

When Ben Urich, the wise older black man who served the community through his journalism while proving a mentor to “Daredevil’s” main cast was killed, it was absolutely heartbreaking. When Detective Oscar Clemons, the wise older black man who served the community on the force while proving a mentor to Jessica Jones was killed, it was sad but oddly repetitive. When Pops, the wise older black man who served the community through his barbershop while proving a mentor to Luke Cage was killed, a handful of folks likely took a step back and said “Wait, now hold up a minute…”

Look, if Obi-Wan taught us anything, killing the wise old mentor can be a powerful narrative tool, but repeat the trope too many times and you’ve not only got yourself diminishing returns, but also a real weird trend in your programs. Killing these characters, particularly Ben Urich who is an integral part of Marvel’s comic book microcosm, shuts down a lot of narrative opportunities going forward.

5. CHANGING LUKE CAGE

We love the jaded, broken, noir-ish Luke Cage from “Jessica Jones,” who’d rather polish a bar or pick up a broad than punish a bad guy, who spends every waking hour trying hard to suppress the memory of his dead wife; for whom the equally damaged Jessica Jones provides a lifeline and an answer. We also love the upbeat, friendly force for good hiding out in a barbershop, helping his community, looking after the youth, quick with a joke and a smile and always ready to kick a little ass if it means cleaning up the mean streets of Harlem. The Luke Cage whose heart is captured not only by the badass Misty Knight, but also by the nurturing Claire Temple.

The problem is it’s near-impossible to wrap your head around both being the same man. The disparity is so vast that one can’t help but see Luke Cage as a prequel, easier to see this as Luke’s life before the breaking point than believe he somehow magically healed from the broken, brooding man he was throughout “Jessica Jones.”

13. KILLING COTTONMOUTH (LUKE CAGE)

Our previous installment declared Mahershala Ali’s Cottonmouth to be the #6 best part of the entire MCU/Netflix undertaking, so you can imagine how heartbreaking it was to see such a charismatic character killed off. Yet often, ending such an engaging antagonist can often propel the plot forward, provide much needed catharsis or fundamentally affect our main hero, as we’ve seen with characters like Kilgrave.
However, looking back, Cottonmouth’s untimely end seems superfluous and downright silly, and it’s hard to see why the team thought taking him out would benefit the show as a whole.

Sure, the initial shock of Cottonmouth’s sudden death created an “anything can happen” sentiment towards the show, akin to Ned Stark’s dramatic end in “Game of Thrones'” game changing first season. Yet, looking back, the building territorial conflict between the cool, kingly Cottonmouth, the overly ambitious Shades and the flamboyantly fierce Diamondback would have made for far more intriguing TV than Diamondback’s unencumbered and abrupt takeover, playing out like “The Wire” or “A Fistful of Dollars,” with Luke Cage caught in the middle of two undesirable outcomes. Ultimately, what we lost out on in favor of a “shock” moment hardly feels worth it.

10. THE BACK HALF OF LUKE CAGE 

“Daredevil” Season 1 established a tone and structure, and the subsequent shows barely departed from that. That is, until “Luke Cage” took a big leap with bold choices regarding the series’ big bad, Diamondback. Those very attached to the established aesthetic derided Diamondback for being garish and over-the-top. However, fans of blaxploitation cinema teased by the obvious homages to the genre by the soundtrack were satiated by the grandness of Erik LaRay Harvey’s villain, who could spit Bible quotes alongside “The Warriors” references, who would fit perfectly in cult treasures like “Dolemite” and “Truck Turner.”

Ultimately, the division over Diamondback amongst fans represents a larger identity issue “Luke Cage” suffered from. It wasn’t that “Luke Cage” was doomed if it embraced the blaxploitation genre it owed its origins to, but rather that it did so too late. The show seemed unsure what it wanted to be, prestige drama or B-Movie, and decided to do both. The problem, it seems, is that in order to embrace the latter, it shed the weight of its previous socially conscious grounded melodrama, and trying to give the same narrative heft to such heightened proceedings proved too much, and the wheels came off towards the end.

RELATED

Ranking the Solo Defenders Series

See ALL posts about Luke Cage by clicking the graphic below

Ranking the Solo Defenders Series

Blog Post #24

Now that I've seen all four of the solo Defenders series and can say how each one ranked.

In October 2013, it was reported that Marvel was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes. Weeks later it was announced that Netflix would provide live action series centered around Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, leading up to a miniseries based on the Defenders, a group of the heroes. Each character was to get one season and then join forces in the Defenders Mini-Series. Because of the popularity of the first series to premiere, Daredevil got a second season before the Defenders.

The Defenders Mini-Series is supposed to premiere on Netflix sometime this year, 2017.

Each series was unique and brought their own flavor, which made some standout more than others.I reviewed each season as I watched them so below is mostly how I think they ranked with some brief comments. 

5. IRON FIST, Season One (Premiered March 17, 2017). I didn’t hate this intro to the character, but it left a lot to be desired. Danny Rand (the Iron Fist) was fine, his supporting cast good to great, the martial arts–a lot to be desired. The show had a lot of other good things going for it, but as a solo Defenders series it comes in last.

• IRON FIST Season One *Live Tweets* and Review

4. DAREDEVIL, Season Two (Premiered March 18, 2016) I thought this season was cool. As I stated “Because of the popularity of the first series to premiere, Daredevil got a second season before the Defenders.” And maybe they shouldn’t have. Besides the introduction of The Punisher and another surprise, a lot in the season didn’t really work for me.

• DAREDEVIL Season Two *Live Tweets* and Review

3. LUKE CAGE, Season One (Premiered September 30, 2016) This series promised to be unlike its predecessors and it WAS! Luke Cage, the series, from the start became the blackest show on television! Because it was Netflix it went places other black TV shows never went and grounded it in a crime drama in one of the most historical black places in the United States–Harlem.  Even though the show was called “Luke Cage” it could have been “Harlem”, that’s how integral the area was to the show. Despite a plot twist that turned a lot of people off, I thought the season ended on a good note.

• LUKE CAGE Season One Review with *Live Tweets*

2. DAREDEVIL, Season One (Premiered April 10, 2015) This inaugural Defenders series was all types of kickasscrazy. It was raw, it was gritty and it had a great villain whose story paralleled Daredevil’s which made him even more tragic and twisted. The origin of a hero was perfectly plotted and I contest a lot better served in a series than a movie.

• DAREDEVIL Season One *Live Tweets* and Review

1. JESSICA JONES, Season One (Premiered November 20, 2015) I didn’t know what to think about this show and didn’t even like it the first couple of episodes, but I finally got it and what I got I loved. Jessica Jones starts out the most damaged of heroes and we soon find out why …one of the most twisted of villains, with a twisted motive and a twisted power to boot. Way more psychological and methodical, I thought this show presented the fullest depiction of a complex hero and made it more than a “superhero show”.

• JESSICA JONES Season One *Live Tweets* and Review

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WATCH the trailer for The Defenders below

My Review of 'The Defenders'

#Defenders Review: Ok I really liked it👍🏾—but it had problems man. 😒The first half (four episodes) while seemed to drag at first really picked up when the Defenders were finally together. The latter four episodes would often take HUGE leaps in logic and story to bring certain storylines together. For the film/screenwritng folks, a lot of damn #DeusExMachina.😒 The reason I liked it was that the series excelled when all four Defenders were together, fighting and or bickering together. The side characters (friends of the Defenders) to me were mostly a distraction. They seemed to have too much of a presence throughout and I'll leave it at that. I guess my main problem still is—THE HAND. They aren't compelling villains to me.🤷🏽‍♂️ I know they are a huge factor in the comics, but in the #MCU—shrug. After three seasons (Daredevil: Season 2, Iron Fist: Season 1 and of course Defenders: Season 1) they can't make them pertinent to me. I know it doesn't sound like I liked it, but I really did and one of those reasons began and ended with SIGOURNEY WEAVER! She brought instant gravitas and heft to any scene she was in. Not to mention a badass wardrobe! I joked on Twitter that THAT was her "superpower". LOL. She was the main villain #TheDefenders needed to make the show intriguing. In the end it was great to finally see all four Defenders together, yes all four, even Iron Fist. I think as a group they gelled in a "we don't even want to work together, but we will to save the city🗽" sort of way. LOL. Their group action scenes were kickass and pretty much what we were hoping for. I had more specific thoughts in my •LIVE•TWEETS• and I'll probably tweet more now than I'm finished. All tweets will be in a Twitter thread @ the Link in my BIO😎🙅🏻💪🏾👊 #DanksReview

A post shared by Dankwa Brooks (@dankwa) on Aug 21, 2017 at 9:17am PDT

Marvel's Luke Cage is the most popular digital series in the US

By Natan Edelsburg, The Drum

11 October 2016

Marvel's Luke Cage and has already been picked up for two more seasons as it takes over as the most popular digital series. Here are the full insights from Parrot Analytics.

"Parrot Analytics tracks viewership data for Netflix properties since the streaming service does not release such information. Parrot calculates these ratings by looking at a variety of data that includes actual streaming numbers and even social media chatter — but that which is only positive." Screenrant

For September 29th -October 5th, 2016 - Top 5 Digital Original Series in the US and Average Demand Expressions™:

1. Marvel's Luke Cage, Netflix: 50,287,303
2. Stranger Things, Netflix: 16,742,770
3. Narcos, Netflix: 8,691,420
4. Longmire, Netflix: 7,784,738
5. Marvel's Jessica Jones, Netflix: 6,589,368

Insights from Parrot:

• After its premiere on September 30th, Marvel's latest series Luke Cage overtook Stranger Things to become the most popular digital original series, with more than 3 times the average demand of the former champion.
• Though it premiered on September 23rd, Netflix's latest season of Longmire has slightly less demand than the still-popular Narcos, which was released at the beginning of the month.
• Marvel's Jessica Jones rose into the top five for the first time in several months, likely boosted by the popularity of its sister show Luke Cage.

infographic - click for bigger view

Parrot Analytics is a data science company that empowers media companies, brands and agencies to understand global audience demand for television content. Wielding the world’s largest audience behavior data sets, the company has developed the world’s only global cross-platform, country-specific audience demand measurement system. For more insights visit the Parrot Analytics website. 

ADDITIONAL

Luke Cage Season One Review with *Live Tweets*

Luke Cage Season One Review with *Live Tweets*

I posted the full review on Instagram, but I'll repost the full review below (hence the hashtags) with a link to the live tweets I did while watching the series with the other diverse folk on Twitter as well. Check it all out below.

#HoodiesUp #SweetChristmas it's my #LukeCage 🔅Spoiler Free🔅 Season One Review! Yo I totally, totally enjoyed this show! Like all the other Marvel/Netflix shows this one is totally unlike the others. (Since I wanted to publish this review on IG in its entirety I had to break it up in the comments below. You'll know the end by the "###") #DanksReview

A video posted by Dankwa Brooks (@dankwa) on Oct 5, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT

THE SHOWRUNNER, THE VIBE

In separate interviews #showrunner #CheoHodariCoker describes the show as "the Wu Tang-ification of the Marvel universe”, as having "a '90s hip-hop vibe." and ""The Wire of Marvel television" I can say all statements are absolutely TRUE! 

I'll throw in a badass #blaxpoitation vibe too! Lots of time when Cage takes a "Step in the Arena" (the #Gangstarr inspired title of episode 4) you can hear Cage's #leitmotif (theme song) and you know some ass-kicking is coming! 

This show not only OOZES in #BlackCulture and #BlackHistory it's also #UnapologeticallyBlack ✊🏾The characters talk how black people talk and act like black people act. The nuances of black culture and black life are EVERYWHERE in this show. The literary 📚references/discussions📚 alone are rooted in black history/culture. 

#MikeColter is a great solid Luke Cage. He plays Cage as the strong, silent type. He's strong and silent, but can definitely be smooth when it comes to the ladies.👌🏾He really just wants to lay low, but the love of his people, his community forces him into action. For those that don't know Luke Cage has unbreakable skin and super strength so yeah he does some superhero type shit, but it's all grounded in reality—a black reality—in a black Harlem. 

HARLEMWORLD

I joked that this show could be called "Harlem featuring Luke Cage" because that's how much of a character Harlem is. As @djolder said on Twitter "one thing #LukeCage did in the span of a single episode that neither DareDevil nor Jessica Jones managed was create a sense of community" Harlem and its residents are a real vibrant part of the series and remains so the entire season. Most of the villains on the show love Harlem first and foremost. 

OH THE VILLAINY 

Speaking of villains, like the other Marvel/Netflix shows, the villains are about the best thing on the show, from #MariahDillard to #Cottonmouth to #Shades, they all BRING IT! Their portrayers #AlfreWoodard, #MahershalaAli and #TheoRossi consistently kill it! 

THE WOMEN OF LUKE CAGE

 #ClaireTemple re-emerges in this series and has A LOT to do and #RosarioDawson continues to do it well! #MistyKnight (played by the fantastic #SimoneMissick) who spawned the #MistySoLit hashtag before the show even premiered is a HUGE part of the show. Shit, the show could also be called "Luke Cage & Misty Knight" LOL. She's definitely the standout she was predicted to be. Actually the show has SEVERAL female characters that make an impact, not just hanging around. They affect the story. 

IN THE END

I think this season is gonna become a hood pop culture classic, in other words—a hit in these streets. That's the true way to reach the culture. Much like 'Scarface' (1983) some of the characters in Luke Cage are energetic, bombastic and audacious—which also make them great and memorable. As #PopCulture critic JOHN POWERS said "If there's any quality that makes a piece of pop culture last, it's energy." All I kept thinking watching Luke Cage was "the streets gonna love❤️this!" And with all the Black History drops that's exactly how it's supposed to be. Marvel/Netflix has another distinct hit on their hands and this time it's also #ForTheCulture 👊🏾###

I also •LIVE•TWEETED• the season @notherbrother on Twitter. You can check out the thread starting with the tweet below. 

#SweetChristmas here we go! #LukeCage Season One! Put ya #HoodiesUp and lets go! pic.twitter.com/GMcijyP4Mi

— Nother Brother Ent. (@NotherBrother) September 30, 2016

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Marvel's Luke Cage is the most popular digital series in the US