I have a confession to make. Remember my5-star reviewofLuke Cage’s first four episodes? I still stand by that. But I don’t stand by that rating for the entire season.Luke Cagefell into the Marvel-Netflix trap of having far too many episodes, with a story that slowed down to an unbelievably glacial pace as it marched towards its sixth and seventh episodes (a gruelling, slow march). Maybe it was the lack of Jessica Jones, or howLuke Cagefelt totally unconnected to the rest of Netflix’s Marvel Universe (despite the advent of the Claire Temple), or how a good villain with a complicated story like Cottonmouth got turned into … whatever the hell Diamondback was about.
There were a lot of thingsLuke Cagedid well –Mike Colter’s casting continues to be the character’s biggest boon, and the way the show really leaned into its Harlem setting and made this very specifically a show about black superhero was very different and very good. But the reality is that nobody likes a mopey superhero, I don’t care what current movies try to force on us. Luke Cage as a “hero for hire” that has to decide to fight for people for good rather than for pay is a much more interesting story than a guy who just wants to be left alone, and slowly (so, so very slowly) gets pulled into the idea of doing more. So slowly.
Netflix dropped the news ofLuke Cage’s renewal on a Sunday afternoon during the holiday season, when almost no one is online. Were they hiding the fact that there would be no fervor over this? Or was it to elicit a “Sweet Christmas!” The renewal was inevitable – Netflix and Marvel are banking on this partnership for the long-haul – but by the timeLuke CageSeason 2 rolls around (which will be a long time, one guesses), maybe it’ll be more interesting. In the comics, Luke is best friends with Iron Fist and romantically involved with Jessica Jones. I understand why Netflix is giving each show its own origin, but they aren’t all dropping at once. It’s taking a long, long time, and some crossover would be appreciated. Look at how, on the DC side,ArrowlaunchedFlashwhich in turned helped launchLegends, withFlashalso acting as a bridge toSupergirleven when they were on different networks. You don’t have to have these characters around for all 13 episodes of another hero’s season, but ignoring the fact that they all live in the same city (and most of them in the same borough) is getting ridiculous.
What this all seems to suggest is thatThe Defenders' season will be all about getting the team together, a laThe Avengers. Netflix has all the time in the world to let these stories play out, but viewer patience is finite. Let’s hope by the timeLuke CageSeason 2 does get here, some of these issues will be fixed.
For a complete list of the renewals and cancellations of over 150 scripted series, check out ourTV Lifeline.
