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Marvel's Luke Cage |OT| Bulletproof While Black - September 30th on Netflix

Da-Kid

Member
This was always such a weird gripe people had IMO. Yes, the person in a noir-ish series who dismiss the idea of being heroes and hates the idea of wearing a costume speaks cyncially and dismissively about costumed heroes.
Because the way they were doing felt like they were dodging saying their names as if there's some legal issue if they did. These are very well known characters among the people of the MCU, so much so that there's merchandise of them.
 
Because the way they were doing felt like they were dodging saying their names as if there's some legal issue if they did. These are very well known characters among the people of the MCU, so much so that there's merchandise of them.
Clearly, but just because they're known, doesn't mean Cage or Jones respect them. Do you remember the context of when she said those names? At gunpoint, by those people wanted to kill anyone with abilities, while she was pissed off and annoyed that she got wrapped up in the whole thing. It seems totally in character for someone as dismissive of those heroes as Jones to call them some cynical mocking names like "the flag waver" after she already showed distaste for costumes and her attempt at being a hero went so bad.
 
He is the M-E T-H O-D Man! As said in the other thread, I am a seemingly rare individual around these parts who has enjoyed all the Netflix outings on one level or another (JJ being my favorite) but this is set to blow them out of the water. Bring on the 30th!
 

Bleepey

Member
I like how the trailers spoil the fact the black landlord in Coming to America shuffles of this mortal coil. The hints of the dude, giving a "great power comes great responsibility speech" in previous trailer.... well he might as well have had a red shirt or been called Slipknot/Shibari Steve.
 

mileS

Member
I almost didn't even want to watch that new trailer. We've seen quite a few of them now and my hype can only get so hig......hhholy shit that trailer was amazing.
 

kunonabi

Member
Man, Cottonmouth is looking excellent so far. Waiting till the 30th is such torture but at least I have Longmire to keep me occupied until then.
 

Da-Kid

Member
Wonder if Cottonmouth will get his sharp gold teeth, I guess this version won't have super strength the equivalent to Luke's. Or not at the beginning.

We'll see.
 

The Kree

Banned
Wonder if Cottonmouth will get his sharp gold teeth, I guess this version won't have super strength the equivalent to Luke's. Or not at the beginning.

We'll see.

They withhold the back six episodes from critics to keep from stuff like this getting spoiled early. I doubt the show is gonna end without Luke getting his ass kicked at some point. If not by Cottonmouth, then Diamondback.
 
He is a rapper lol not a comic book character

He's actually a comic book character too.

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SpaceWolf

Banned
Seriously, I have no clue about rap and even less about american acts who are not Kanye or Eminem.

Same, mate . Everyone in this thread mentioned "Method Man" appearing in the trailer and I just assumed they were pleased to see the return of some ulta obscure, D-List supervillain from the comic-books.
 

TheOddOne

Member
- Sepinwall: Review: 'Luke Cage' a new kind of superhero show that suffers from some old problems.
But as with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage is able to shift the boundaries of possibility for what a superhero show can be about without doing the same for how it might be structured. In many of its moments, it's wonderful, but it suffers from the narrative sag common not only to the previous Netflix/Marvel team-ups, but most of Netflix's attempts at the "our season is really a 13-hour movie" model. As compelling as the Jessica Jones/Kilgrave dynamic was in her series, there was a monotony to that first season that wore down its effectiveness, and also forced characters to do incredibly stupid things (say, the support group suddenly turning vigilante commando squad at the worst possible moment) to keep the story going over all 13 episodes.

Unless you are The Wire, doing 13 intensely serialized episodes of drama in a season that build in interest as they go along is nearly impossible. Either do a shorter run (Stranger Things was just about perfect at only 8 hours), or mix some standalone episodes in with the big bad arc to pace things out better and get more bang from the hours that are all about the larger arc. Though Luke Cage makes a significant story pivot near
the end of the seventh episode
, the plot had already begun to feel repetitive by that point, suggesting that, once again, the story is this long because of how many episodes there were to fill, and not vice versa.
- EW: Luke Cage: EW review.
The abundance of flaws — a sluggish pace, thinly stretched plots — can’t smother everything interesting. The comic book Luke Cage was inspired by blaxploitation films, and showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker pays homage with aesthetic touches and has sly fun with the origin story. But his primary concern is evolving Cage away from exploitative and retrograde depictions of black masculinity. The show is thoughtful in its presentation of Luke’s physique, and there’s an ongoing conversation about the legacy and relevancy of black heroes of history and pulp fiction. Luke Cage is a meaningful attempt at developing a new-model black hero. As entertaining drama, it’s trapped in a not-so-Marvelous trapped cage. B-
 

TheOddOne

Member
- Empire: Luke Cage – Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) Review.
The series’ main struggle is finding a plot that puts Cage in any real jeopardy. Part of the nature of the model Netflix has created is that TV series are now built for binge-watching, so they need to compel you to watch the next episode immediately. Luke Cage moves slowly and a lot of its story beats are cliché, from the characters picked for death to the one thing that might hurt Cage. Halfway through the first series it still feels like it’s just setting things up. Its characters are rich and its world full of potential, now what it needs is a plot worthy of them.

Its ambitions are greater than those of Netflix’s other Marvel series, reliant more on character that than comic book conventions. There are the bones of a brilliant series here, if it can conjure a more propulsive story.
- Fienberg over at THR: 'Marvel's Luke Cage': TV Review.
Just as Colter moves with purpose, Luke Cage moves with purpose, even if that purpose isn't the same as what Civil War or Age of Ultron have led audiences to anticipate from Marvel. It's a series infused by the conversations we're having about race and gender and the American urban space in 2016 and it's a series built to inspire additional conversations about black masculinity and representations of heroism in an age in which the news is too often focused on the tragic disposability of black masculinity. Look, I don't feel comfortable calling it "woke," but if you do, I'll do my best to nod along in an understanding way.
 

Da-Kid

Member
To be honest I never had a problem with the pacing of these shows and that always seems to be the problem with these shows but I don't think the problem is inherent to the shows writing, I think it's inherent of binge watching.

When you binge watch a show that has an episode(s) not as exciting as the last or more calmer it can seem like the show's pacing is going to a crawl when it really isn't. You've been watching something at a fast rate with the same consistency in pacing, the moment that changes even for a bit it's going to be way more noticeable than watching a show on a weekly basis.

It's like driving on a 80mph highway for a few hours and then the speed limit changes to 60mph, you're going to feel like you're going at a snails pace when it really wasn't much of a change. And I never felt any of these shows were stretching things out either.
 
The trailer looks great but I thought the JJ one did too. This seems the same way - You have this amazing trailer that sets up the tone of the show but that tone may fade away at the cost of season length. I'm already wondering if we are going to come away thinking they went 2-3 episodes too long like the other shows did (IMO).

You can't just have Cage and the King quipping and one-upping each other all season and they aren't going to resolve the villain until the last possible episode.

Cage is set up, struggles with himself, fights back, gains ground, underestimates Cottonmouth, gets behind the ball, finds his motivation again and then finale. I worry about the pacing of these elements.
 
To be honest I never had a problem with the pacing of these shows and that always seems to be the problem with these shows but I don't think the problem is inherent to the shows writing, I think it's inherent of binge watching.

When you binge watch a show that has an episode(s) not as exciting as the last or more calmer it can seem like the show's pacing is going to a crawl when it really isn't. You've been watching something at a fast rate with the same consistency in pacing, the moment that changes even for a bit it's going to be way more noticeable than watching a show on a weekly basis.

It's like driving on a 80mph highway for a few hours and then the speed limit changes to 60mph, you're going to feel like you're going at a snails pace when it really wasn't much of a change. And I never felt any of these shows were stretching things out either.

Same same. I enjoy the shows for what they are trying to do. It's a new experiment, and people are working out the kinks. What's weird is I think more network television feels like it should be binged these days. I rewatched SHIELD Season 3 and it's a much better season when watched back-to-back-to-back.
 

y2dvd

Member
That was the biggest weakness for me also with the Marvel Netflix shows. I usually don't mind slow episodes, but I even thought DD and JJ got too sluggish. Either shorten the amount of episodes or the lengths of the episodes. I think they would benefit from the latter.
 

jph139

Member
To be honest I never had a problem with the pacing of these shows and that always seems to be the problem with these shows but I don't think the problem is inherent to the shows writing, I think it's inherent of binge watching.

I wonder the same thing - I'll usually watch an episode every two or three days, and have never had an issue with pacing on the Netflix shows. I imagine "Purple Man gets away again" is a lot more obnoxious when you see it three times in one day, but it didn't bother me when it happened, like... once a week.

But is that because of how I watched it, or because of how I am, like, as a viewer/person?
 

karasu

Member
I hope these shows can do something about their action. Its so boring so far. I hope they have some surprises for Cage.
 

Da-Kid

Member
Same same. I enjoy the shows for what they are trying to do. It's a new experiment, and people are working out the kinks. What's weird is I think more network television feels like it should be binged these days. I rewatched SHIELD Season 3 and it's a much better season when watched back-to-back-to-back.
I think weekly shows are doing that a lot more too so that their inevitable Netflix or Hulu debut is more engaging.

I wonder the same thing - I'll usually watch an episode every two or three days, and have never had an issue with pacing on the Netflix shows. I imagine "Purple Man gets away again" is a lot more obnoxious when you see it three times in one day, but it didn't bother me when it happened, like... once a week.

But is that because of how I watched it, or because of how I am, like, as a viewer/person?
I think it's both my explanation and what you said. How you like to watch TV, what you like to watch, and your standards for a show. I think that part is more situational though than being an inherent problem.
The inherent problem is binge watching, and like you said the Purple Man escaping 3 times is going to seem annoying (or nonsensical) if you experience those 3 times in one sitting than if it was something that took you weeks to experience and see despite there being a clear and coherent explanation of how/why.

So basically if you binge watch 3 things are going to be more apparent to you that aren't always (situational) the problem with the show itself. Those are:

1. Pacing changes are a lot more noticeable that can make the show seem like it's going either too slow (in most cases), or too fast.

2. Things that happen multiple times or frequently can seem obnoxious, redundant, or nonsensical despite a coherent reason or scenario being given (This can depend on the quality of writing though).

3. Your tastes and viewing habits.


Again this all can vary depending on the show and quality. But I do think it's all an inherent issue with binge watching, especially if you're not use to doing it or don't often and are use to watching a show weekly.
 

LosDaddie

Banned
Really looking forward to this. I love seeing fellow minorities getting their chance to shine as superheroes.

I've really enjoyed Marvel's Netflix output so far
 
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