Hot damn. I get to begin watching this in 5-6 hours. Can't wait.

Yup, the trailers look really, really good.  I'm excited about this.

 

My wife and I have been holding off binge watching anything for a few weeks so the slate was clear.

In five episodes. Outstanding.

Even if I know nothing about the character or story at all?

Even if I know nothing about the character or story at all?

It shouldn't matter. I doubt the show is going to follow his comic book origin closely anyway.

 

Now that I think about it, I can't even remember Cage's comic book origin even though I've read it a few times.

I would recommend Jessica Jones as a precursor. Plus it's really good.

 

Even if I know nothing about the character or story at all?

I'm not a fan of the superhero genre at all but I watched Jessica Jones based on nothing more than the reviews it got from the posters here and the fact that Tennant was in it. Tennant was excellent but in the end it didn't hold my interest enough to look forward to another season or to see any of the other related shows. I won't be watching it.

As in the previous series', plot twists abound.

Finished.

 

Sweet Christmas!

I was FINALLY able to watch the first episode.

 

Wow. Watching more now.

This show is amazing in so many ways.

Probably the next show that I watch but not until the end of October because I have a vacation coming up (Philippines).

Does Netflix always release the entire season of their shows on the same date?

Probably the next show that I watch but not until the end of October because I have a vacation coming up (Philippines).

Does Netflix always release the entire season of their shows on the same date?

With these Marvel series, yes.

 

Next up should be Iron Fist in the Spring, followed by the 8-episode Defenders team up in the Fall.

We're 5 episodes in, I very much appreciate all the ideas that this show is trying to tackle.  

 

And it's been exceptionally cast.

I loved the show. Binged it while writing yesterday. Tremendously well done.

One tiny spoiler; the person who glues all these series' together. The brilliant Rosario Dawson.

 

One tiny spoiler; the person who glues all these series' together. The brilliant Rosario Dawson.

 

I just get the Homer Simpson donut face every time she's on screen.

 

I like Luke Cage, but not as much as Daredevil and Jessica Jones.  I don't find the bad guys interesting, which was a big part of the other two series.

 

I like Luke Cage, but not as much as Daredevil and Jessica Jones.  I don't find the bad guys interesting, which was a big part of the other two series.

 

Pretty much exactly my take away.  Still a great show, but the lack of a compelling antagonist capped this show's ceiling for me.  The first handful of episodes were good in that sense, but there was never the same kind of vibe as there was with Fisk, Killgrave, or The Punisher.

Pretty much exactly my take away. Still a great show, but the lack of a compelling antagonist capped this show's ceiling for me. The first handful of episodes were good in that sense, but there was never the same kind of vibe as there was with Fisk, Killgrave, or The Punisher.

even Wesley in the first season of Daredevil was more intriguing than any bad guy in Luke Cage. The calmness hiding the bad guy boiling underneath.

 

Still like Luke Cage, but for me, its not close to the other two. The other two were truly great, IMO.

Edited October 3, 201610 yr by jimmer

 

even Wesley in the first season of Daredevil was more intriguing than any bad guy in Luke Cage. The calmness hiding the bad guy boiling underneath.

Still like Luke Cage, but for me, its not close to the other two. The other two were truly great, IMO.

 

I'd rank them DD S1, Jessica Jones, DD S2, Luke Cage.  And, for me, there is a sizable gap in quality between Jessica Jones and DD S2.  I liked the second season of Daredevil, but it also dropped off in quality when The Hand became the adversary rather than the Punisher.  

 

There was a noticeable drop in my appreciation once things changed from Cottonmouth.

Man, I really didn't see this coming. I loved the first episode of Luke Cage, really dug the second as well.

 

But my interest dropped and I'm stalled out after episode three. Once the story moved away from its character-driven interactions and into (yet another) mob warfare story, I found myself saying "meh" a lot and picking up my phone while the show was playing. Obviously, I'll finish the series but I'm no longer in a rush to do so.

 

Man, I really didn't see this coming. I loved the first episode of Luke Cage, really dug the second as well.

 

But my interest dropped and I'm stalled out after episode three. Once the story moved away from its character-driven interactions and into (yet another) mob warfare story, I found myself saying "meh" a lot and picking up my phone while the show was playing. Obviously, I'll finish the series but I'm no longer in a rush to do so.

 

You know, that's how it looked in teh ads....so I'm out. Too many other things to watch.

 

Norrell and Strange is on Netflix now, just started that.

Two episodes in.  Pretty impressive casting list.  I absolutely loved Theo Rossi in Sons of Anarchy and Mahershala Ali in House of Cards. 

 

So far though, the writing feels off...  not quite sure how to describe it.  Not sure if it's just a lack of chemistry with some of the cast or something else..  But so far, I like Luke Cage in Jessica Jones more than Luke Cage in Luke Cage... not sure why.  Hopefully it's just a slow starter.

I actually like the staging and the attention to detail in Luke Cage better than the other shows. Being a white guy I am only speaking on assumption, but the show seems much more authentic as far as the NY neighborhood of focus than the other shows. The scenery and ambiance seems much more faithful to the subject than many other shows set in NY, particularly shows based in Harlem.  As an outsider who does like to see other perspectives I think the producers and director have done a great job with a culture that I can only pretend to know.

 

The writing on the other hand could use some help. As mentioned by others the villain doesn't match up to previous baddies, though this is bound to happen as I think super-hero villains are usually subject to the law of diminishing returns; at some point the best ones will all get used up. I don't know what bad guys are left on the table, but I'd have to guess they'll want to save one of the better ones for the Defenders; you're not going to need a group effort to take down a guy like Cottenmouth.

 

I'm six episodes in and it has dragged a bit but there is a clear line at the end of this episode indicating the show is about to take off in a different direction. Fingers crossed.

*Spoilers ahead*

 

My wife and I were talking about our take on this show and there were a few things that bugged us:

 

1) What the hell was with the dynamic between Shades and Diamondback?  At any point did that make sense?

 

2)  Are the magic alien bullets the worst idea ever?  At this point their existence basically makes Luke's abilities meaningless if they are all over and in ready supply.  

 

I give credit to this show for a lot of things, but in the end the story and the villain really failed it.

In watching norrel and strange...it has become clear to me that no matter how good the writing or acting, if you don't care about the characters, I don't watch. I assume given the comments on the bad guys, and the indestructible nature of cage, I won't need to watch this....

I stopped watching Luke Cage right at its low point, episode three.

 

I picked back up today and was right back into it. Really enjoying the show again as the plot starts weaving around a bit.

 

I stopped watching Luke Cage right at its low point, episode three.

I picked back up today and was right back into it. Really enjoying the show again as the plot starts weaving around a bit.

 

Yeah, I liked the characters that were present. I don't disagree that the villain wasn't great compared to other Marvel series, but it was essentially the "origin" series for taking his story a lot of different directions from here.

I stopped watching Luke Cage right at its low point, episode three.

I picked back up today and was right back into it. Really enjoying the show again as the plot starts weaving around a bit.

I have one episode left. Saying three was the low point might leave you disappointed. All the things I said above about culture and authenticity seemed to go away in the back half of the season. The second half seemed like a sequel created by an entirely different team and one that didn't pick up on the original view. Harlem was a character in the first half and the neighborhood theme was the undercurrent for all events. The second half of the season could have been set in Peru.