Season one of Marvel’s Luke Cage was the first sign that not all of Netflix’s superhero shows were going to be top-notch. Season one of Marvel’s Daredevil was something of a classic, in terms of both ultraviolence and as an investigation of the morality of vigilanteism. Meanwhile, season 1 of Marvel’s Jessica Jones was an unexpected deconstruction of the entire superhero genre and power.
However, Luke Cage was a bit meh. Perhaps it was too faithful to its 70s source material. Perhaps it was too much of an homage to blaxploitation movies. Perhaps it spent too long on its musical interludes. Perhaps it spent too little time on plotting, given how fractured the storyline was across the season. Perhaps it was too concerned with political arguments, with Cage the composite epitome of every black cultural stereotype being asked to solve the insoluble question of how a modern black man should act with honour – despite being bulletproof. Whatever the cause, it wasn’t as bad as season two of Daredevil or The Defenders, but it wasn’t great.
Given that there’d been no change in showrunner between seasons, I wasn’t expecting much of this second season of the show. Yet, actually, despite a somewhat downbeat ending, it’s the season I’ve enjoyed most since that first season of Jessica Jones. Apart from Iron Fist of course – screw you, haters.
Luke Cage uncaged
Season two of Luke Cage is a far jauntier, far more fun, far less self-conscious affair than the first season. Most of the same elements are there, but they fit together a lot better, everything’s more polished and it doesn’t feel quite so isolated from the larger Marvel universe.
Events continue more or less where season one left off, although this is clearly a post-Defenders story. Luke is, of course, out of prison and now everyone knows he’s a bulletproof superhero, making him the star of Harlem. Rappers are writing songs about him, he’s getting invited to show off his might against the NFL, Nike want to sponsor him – Luke Cage is big.
Meanwhile, Mariah (Alfre Woodward) is as big within the criminal underworld, thanks in part to the help of her lover-lieutenant ‘Shades’ (Theo Rossi). However, a new man is in New York from Jamaica calling himself ‘Bushmaster’ (Mustafa Shakir) and he has eyes on Harlem for himself. However, not only is his mission more personal than it first appears, he’s as strong and as bulletproof as Luke Cage. Is there room in town for the two of them?
Fortunately, Luke’s got help from the initially one-armed Misty Knight (Simone Missick), Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) and, of course, the Immortal Iron Fist (Finn Jones). Screw you, haters.
Every Friday, TMINE lets you know when the latest TV shows from around the world will air in the UK
Two acquisitions this week without premiere dates. The first is Hulu (US)’s Future Man, which has been picked up by Syfy. No big surprises there, other than that Syfy has started airing new TV shows again. I thought it had given up on that?
The other premiere-less acquisition, though, is FX’s Trust. What do you mean you thought that had already been acquired? Good remembering, gentle reader, because Sky had indeed acquired it for airing in Europe. However, for reasons best known to it, it’s decided it won’t bother in the UK and Germany, and now BBC Two has picked up the baton.
Otherwise, we know exactly when the rest are going to start, including a couple of Walters. No, not Walter’s. Walters – that’s my new name for shows that Walter Presents acquires but doesn’t reveal the premiere date until about two seconds before they’re going to be available.
Oh, Walter. Won’t you just stop waltering us with these Walters?
Premiere dates
La chica que limpia (The Cleaning Lady) (Argentina: Cine.ar; UK: Walter Presents)
Premiere date: Friday, July 6
When a crooked manager at the local boxing club is murdered, the club’s cleaner, Rosa, is forced at gunpoint to clean up after the mafia-related hit. Scared for her life, but handsomely paid for her part in the crime, single mother Rosa uses her immaculate cleaning skills and, with no choice in the matter, begins to act as the regular “cleaning lady” for the gang. As the clandestine clean-ups increase and as she continues to struggle to provide a normal life for her ailing son Felipe, Rosa finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the mafia.
Alemão (The Raid) (Brazil: Dunno; UK: Walter Presents)
Premiere date: Friday, July 6
Rio de Janeiro, 2010: Just as the Brazilian government launch a military-assisted siege on one of the city’s most notorious and criminally-controlled favelas, the identities of four undercover policemen operating in the slum are accidentally leaked. As violence mounts, the favela’s ruthless boss, Playboy, orders his men to hunt down those who have betrayed him. With their lives now at risk, the four undercover policemen stay low and do everything they can to stay alive. But while taking cover from the jungle of gunfire and warfare outside, they start to question if the traitor could in fact be amongst them…
That sounds suspiciously similar to a certain Indonesian movie I could name, doesn’t it? It might also be a movie, rather than a TV series, although I think it might be an extended version of the movie. You can guess I haven’t watched it.
Based on the Gillian Flynn novel, Sharp Objects follows reporter Amy Adams, who returns to her small hometown to cover the murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely.
Haven’t seen it because it won’t start in the US until Monday July 9 at 2am UK time. Yep, it’s being simulcast.
Naff, long, not especially interesting adaptation of the classic Australian novel that also takes in the iconic movie and the final chapter to give us a somewhat supernatural thriller about the disappearance of some boarding school girls while they’re on a picnic and its effects on the townsfolk. While the quality of the original shines through, this is tonally all over the place and not very well directed.
Former hostage negotiator Sarah Shahi tries to redeem herself of guilt over past failures by rescuing people who are in comas because they’ve been using a brand new dream VR tech and fancy staying in the dreamworld rather than living in the miserable real world. Not the most ambitious of shows in any regard and one that stands a good chance of putting you to sleep.
