November 1, 2016 | Alfonso Gonzalez-Francois

Flawed and Fearless: About #LukeCage

Our latest hero is black, sports a hoodie, and is  impenetrable. This is absolutely necessary.

 

⚠️ Spoilers Ahead: Read at your own risk. ⚠️

 

 

When you have your finger on the pulse of pop culture and create content for a living, you produce results like Luke Cage, the Netflix adaptation of the infamous 1972 comic book series from Marvel. Having little knowledge on the comic book world and its various inhabitants (and later understanding that DC and Marvel are two separate entities and getting them mixed up would be ostracizing yourself), I took certain aspects of the series at face value and decided to base my thoughts and opinions on the show in such a manner. Now I must say, since college, I have not digested film and television the same. I’ve been conditioned to observe through the critical lens, but what that has gifted me with is the ability to pull concepts and themes. What began as an honest attempt to simply enjoy binge-watched content on a Saturday afternoon quickly turned into stripping out these concepts and categorizing them into themes.

 

HARLEM AS THE WORLD

The story places Harlem on two ends of one spectrum: there’s the Harlem which cultivates artistry and community, and the other Harlem, crime-ridden and stripped of safety. In fact, this is one of many dichotomies presented in the show. Cage, our hero, quickly finds himself genuinely aiming to disconnect the bad reputations from the neighborhood. As he finds himself in the center of trouble, he aims to disarm it and once again revive the Harlem we’ve all grown to love and cherish. Simultaneously, he struggles to burn the bridge between his past and his future, wanting to erase his old identity as Carl Lucas and the trauma that comes with it to secure an opportunity to start all over.

 

Harlem is a character in the series–it becomes the bigger picture amidst a variety of personal problems presented–which subsequently creates these seemingly inescapable confines. To the viewer (or rather, to me), the obvious solution was just to leave. Seriously, jump on the subway and find peace of mind in Brooklyn. However to Luke Cage, he’s both found a sanctuary for himself post-prison, and built a connection with Pop, Bobby and a few others. Like all heroes, although misunderstood, he is an upstanding individual. Due to his moral and ethical code, Luke cannot just leave. The only time he actually does is between episodes 9 and 10, having to heal himself and regain strength to return, fight Diamondback and protect the community.

 

The series does an amazing job at something: it’s one thing to just have a black hero, but it’s another to have a black hero focused on preserving and protecting an area that is hyperlocal and the hub of black culture. Harlem is one of the most iconic neighborhoods in New York City. Historically, it has been a checkpoint for some of the world’s most notable black musicians like Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong. The Crispus Attucks references, though there is no real complex named after him in Harlem, alludes to the potential of Luke Cage willing to be a martyr for the cause; for the culture.

 

THE ROLES OF RACE AND RACISM

Social commentary is quite typically an effective device in film and television. These are trying times, so it is important to see that art can have its way of contributing to conversations happening in real life. In episode 6, a broadcast radio host takes calls from community members to gain their perspectives on recent happenings and, of course, Luke Cage. She makes a powerful point after realizing the difference between two callers’ responses when she says:

 

I think its noteworthy that the only people I’ve spoken to that criticize are the ones who don’t know him personally. So many others have merely read about him or saw him on the news and jumped to conclusions.

 

While the driving force behind the Luke Cage debate was about his super abilities not necessarily his race, there is a questioning of character that can be applied to the very conversations had in real life about race relations in our country. The stereotype of a black man is “menace to society”, which means it is easier to believe that we are more liable to do harm than we are to do good. This is especially true when black men are convicted for crimes and it is publicized in the media; the burden of one black man becomes the burden of all black men–and even women.

 

For our white counterparts, there is the sole focus on the accused and the crime he committed. Please do not mistake my point, there are bad people across all races who do bad things and should (and sometimes do) receive the punishment they deserve, however it is noticeable when white privilege and the ability to change the narrative comes into play (see: Brock Turner).

 

In episode 12, beautifully titled, “Soliloquy of Chaos”, Method Man (played by Method Man) provides his testimony to the public when he goes on the radio on says, “Bulletproof always gonna come second to being black…. [but] there’s something powerful about seeing a black man that’s bulletproof and unafraid.” This statement’s power is twofold, coming from another black man who has gotten the opportunity to see from himself that Cage is nothing like who he’s been painted to be in the media. It’s a symbolic moment in which his own community no longer ostracizes him, and reclaims him as one of their own.

 

THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE RUTHLESS

The cast of Luke Cage are all connected in one way or another, but stand in obvious opposition in the growing battle for Harlem. It follows the typical good guys v. bad guys formula, although everyone seems to think they have the community’s best interest at heart. Cornell AKA Cottonmouth was the ruling mob boss, seizing control of Harlem’s small businesses for his own profit while owning Harlem’s Paradise, a nightclub passed down from his aunt, and distributing illegal weapons from manufacturers. He became politically connected through his cousin, Mariah Dillard, city councilwoman who had the same toxic upbringing as Cornell under Mama Mabel. Mama Mabel’s position on the good or bad side is questionable. She was for certain a woman who forced a life of crime and violence on Cornell (despite his late uncle’s dreams of sending him to Julliard to perfect his musicianship), but kept it exposed to Mariah long enough for her to be a crooked politician. Mariah and Cottonmouth’s partnership took an ugly turn after she kills him, revealing that her personal demons were not as controlled as she led on with her composure. She ends up working with Willis “Diamondback” Stryker, Luke Cage’s scripture-quoting (and evil) half-brother, and the madness continues.

 

As for Luke, he seems to have an interesting way with the women. Between his late lover and prison shrink, Reva, the dedicated Harlem-born and bred skilled detective Misty Knight, and the medically-trained and tough-as-nails Claire Temple, Luke has his hands full. However, they all contributed to Luke’s life in a major way. After all, behind every great man is an army of dedicated women. Outside of this love fest, is Pop, the OG maintaining the piece via his barbershop (because it honestly wouldn’t be black Harlem without one). In the barbershop is Bobby Fish, a wisecracking chessman who attempts to handle ownership of the shop after Pop is murdered.

 

While these are the main characters who propelled the storyline in my opinion, others played a part in keeping the wheels turning. Tons of bullets flying, fists thrown, and bloodshed, but what’s an action-packed superhero series without these things? As for Diamondback and Cage settling their score, it hasn’t happened in the first season, however based on the very last episode of the series, shit is going to get real.

 

DELIVERING THE OVERALL MESSAGE

The popularity of the show had been well established before it was even available for streaming. While I absolutely love Luke Cage, I do have some reservations about the show, like him being so damn corny. Cheesy lines like “sweet christmas” and “sweet sister”, I can totally do without. I can’t even tell you the amount of times I narrowed my eyes at my screen whenever I heard a lame line. Hopefully this is improved in season two, though I highly doubt it. But I digress, Luke Cage is the series that contributes to positive reinforcement. It can serve as a people’s way of trying to steer the narrative in a more effective and creative direction. Some may argue that it’ll send the wrong message to young boys and girls of color, to which I respond there is no harm in providing a perspective that is a little different from what we’ve been taught all of our lives. Not all heroes are white, wear spandex super suits and have capes. They all don’t come from wealth or distant planets. Our latest hero is black, sports a hoodie, and is impenetrable. This is absolutely necessary.

 

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