“Jessica Jones’s Booty Call: What You Might Be Missing on NETFLIX”

“Jessica Jones’s Booty Call: What You Might Be Missing on NETFLIX”

LUKE CAGE (2016, TV-MA, 13 episodes approx. 1 hour each, NETFLIX ORIGINALS/MARVEL TELEVISION)

Up to now, Netflix has made a strong showing, taking over the superhero TV genre. The first two seasons of “Daredevil” felt grittier than any other “televised” iteration of not just the Marvel Universe, but threatened to topple the DC Universe’s hold on all things “TV”.

The first season of “Jessica Jones”, while not as successful as its predecessor, proved a worthy addition to the Netflix game plan. By focusing on a strong female lead, it opened up the opportunity to explore other lesser-known characters—one of those being “Luke Cage”, the handsome, indestructible bartender with a heart of gold. Played by the likeable and, quite honestly, the badass Mike Colter (“The Following”, “American Horror Story”), Cage seemed a worthy character to expand the Netflix vision, which will culminate in the crossover event called “The Defenders” (slated for release next year).

At first glance, Netflix’s decision to go with the characters they were allowed to play with seemed doubtful when it came to overall success. Seriously; Jones never had a long run in the comics from which she was borne, and Cage never enjoyed the success of mainstays like Captain America, Iron Man, etc. He even went through more name changes during his comic’s career than “Game of Thrones” goes through characters. Besides Daredevil and The Punisher (also to be released next year), those of us not fully vested in every single character in the Marvel were left scratching our heads. I could not have been the only geek reading the press releases and going: “Wait, Jessica who?!? And who the hell is Iron Fist (uh…yeah, his show debuts next year, too…)?!?!”

So here we have the inaugural season of “Luke Cage”—a promising character with a more streetwise demeanor than the blind attorney crime fighter and the intoxicated private eye. What did Netflix get right with this one? That, kids, is a difficult question to answer…

It takes a few episodes to get used to the dialogue. I mean, I know that I’m watching what is basically a drama wrapped around some action scenes involving an indestructible man, but seriously? The dialogue is almost stolen from every cheesy actioner ever produced. Some of the conversations are so predictable, they appear blatantly obvious to the viewer. Like filler to stretch this to an unnecessary thirteen episodes. Listening to people talk in this show is almost a chore at first—never mind the fact that Cage sounded a whole lot smarter in “Jessica Jones” than he does here. And there is, to me, to someone that abhors the word, an excessive use of the n-word that nearly borders on Tarantino-like gratuitousness.

It also takes a few episodes for the threat to come into play. You meet the bad guy pretty early on, and you know he is a brutal, doesn’t-think-he’s-evil-which-makes-him-all-the-more-dangerous man. Mahershala Ali does an excellent job as Cornell Stokes (aka, “Cottonmouth”), but, like Vincent D’Onofrio’s Fisk from the “Daredevil” series, he isn’t a super-powered menace. He is just a violent hustler with a shaky empire built upon greed and his pervasive fists. At least “Jones” had a baddie that could control minds; this guy just wants to control Harlem. But he isn’t the only evildoer in town; he is backed by his cousin, the deliciously vile Alfre Woodard as Stokes’ cousin “Mariah”, and the comically (and not in a good way) scripture quoting “Diamondback”, who is hell bent on exacting his revenge and wrath upon our hero with a sketchy past.

The season kicks into gear with episode four; that, and episode five, are the real launchings for the show, but the strongest is the one centering on the villainous cousin’s flashback arc in the seventh episode. This is where things come to a head, so to speak, and the performances by Woodard and Ali prove to be the glue holding this long tale together. They and Theo Rossi (as “Shades”, a shifty snake of a “gangster consultant”) are the standouts.

By the last episode, however, you are ready for the show to end. Even seeing Rosario Dawson’s “Nurse Claire”, who seems to tie all of these series together, showing up for the latter half of the first season, isn’t enough to keep this afloat. And it isn’t because of the performances, not by a long shot. Colter is perfectly cast, Ali is the most memorable of the antagonists, and even the bit players do a fine job.

It’s the writing by Cheo Hodari Coker in the first two episodes that bog this series down. I hate to beat a dead horse (honestly, why would you beat a dead horse, anyways? Sounds kinda weird…), but I cannot get past that horrible dialogue. And this series has plenty of writers; the best are Akela Cooper (ep. 7), Charles Murray (ep. 4), and Jason Horwitch (ep. 5). It isn’t until the last third of the season that we get one consistent writer, and even then the story looks too seamless and drawn out.

It is a shame that Netflix’s strongest (literally) character in the MCU cannon makes for its weakest season. Yes, there are bright, shiny moments. Yes, there are episodes which re-invigorate the series. There are even clever nods to TV and movies from previous eras which all centered around strong black leads. But it isn’t enough to leave you wanting a whole lot more. The characters deserve better, and the viewers do, too.

Series Grade: C

-- T.S.Kummelman

Remember, kiddies, if there is a genre you want a nice, shiny example from, let us know. Otherwise, I’ll just keep watching whatever the heck I want to. Which means I win. You don’t really want me winning all of the time, do you?...