After clearing his name, Luke Cage has become a celebrity on the streets of Harlem with a reputation as bulletproof as his skin. But being so visible has only increased his need to protect the community and find the limits of who he can and can’t save. With the rise of a formidable new foe, Luke is forced to confront the fine line that separates a hero from a villain.
New episodes premier on Netflix on June 22nd, 2018.
The new Defenders trailer dropped today! And I think it looks fantastic! All of our favorite heroes are back in action to face new threats in NYC. Sigourney Weaver plays the villain, Alexandra, presumably the big bad of the show. I was wondering if she would be playing down her evilness, revealing her master plan during the second half of the show but it looks like she is evil from the jump. That’s ok with me. Looks like Misty Knight, Claire Temple and Colleen Wing also join the fray as well.
Can we talk for a second on how awesome Simone Missick is as Misty? I am in love with her voice. Her tone is commanding, with a little bit of “what the fuck is wrong with you” inflection thrown in for good measure. Perfect casting of the Daughter of the Dragon.
Speaking of Daughters of the Dragon, do you guys and gals think we might see a spin off show with the same name featuring Misty and Colleen?
The limited series stars Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and Finn Jones as Danny Rand / Iron Fist, all reprising their roles from their individual series. Élodie Yung also stars as Elektra Natchios, reprising the role from Marvel’s Daredevil. Development of the miniseries began in late 2013, with Cox the first actor cast in May 2014, and Jones the final of the title four cast in February 2016. Petrie and Ramirez joined as showrunners in April, after serving in the same role on the second season of Daredevil. However, Petrie left as showrunner at the start of filming in New York City in October 2016; filming concluded in March 2017.
The Defenders will consist of eight episodes, and is scheduled to be released August 18, 2017.
From our new best friends murdockmanila at http://mcuexchange.com/ I present an infographic on the Rogues Gallery of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This super detailed infographic breaks down all the major and minor threats in the MCU, from the movies, the Netflix and TV shows, right down to the One-Shots!
Enjoy!
Marvel is turning up the heat on the Defenders! The new Iron Fist trailer dropped and good, albiet shaky, cam footage of the the Iron Fist panel. Finally a HUGE surprise guest for the assembled Defenders! Mike Colter, Krysten Ritter, Charlie Cox, and Finn Jones will star in The Defendersminiseries on Netflix.
The Verge reported that Jeph Joeb, executive vice president of Marvel Television announced the gang before bringing out yet another surprise in the form of a villain.
“We’ve not told you who the villain of the Defenders is,” Loeb said in a video uploaded by Netflix, which elicited boos from the crowd. “And the reason is for that,” Loeb continued, “is because we needed to find somebody that could take on all these guys. She doesn’t require any introduction anywhere she goes in the world. She’ll be joining The Defenders cast. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce Miss Sigourney Weaver.”
Weaver came out onstage and hugged her future cast-mates as the audience went wild.
Fans have been waiting for a long time to see who will be the antagonist in the new series, which brings together stars from some of television’s most popular superhero shows. There is no set release date for The Defenders, though we know it will be sometime in 2017. It is rumored that it will be an eight-episode miniseries.
Marvel’s Iron Fist is set to premiere next year on Friday, March 17, with a 13-episode first season. It will be joining the collection of Marvel shows that are already streaming:Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and the new smash hit Luke Cage.
The Punisher, another solo series from Marvel, has commenced filming in New York City but does not yet have a premiere date. Jon Bernthal stars as the titular character.
Check out all of the videos to see how it all went down.
Bonus footage:
Netflix’s Luke Cage has become a phenomenon, like its predecessors Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Many people are talking about it, and while not everyone enjoyed the show, the overwhelming majority appear to be pleased. This isn’t a review of Luke Cage, though, as there are hundreds out there – this is a discussion about a different type of reaction. The response to the show’s “blackness,” or (more accurately) mentioning the show’s “blackness.”
Less than a day after its public release, articles appeared discussing the racial aspects of the show. One writer declared Luke Cage “the unapologetically Black superhero show I’ve been waiting for”, another called it “unadulterated, bulletproof, kick ass, Wu-Tang blackness, with a Marvel twist”, and most recently a group of fans discussed how the series “uses blackness” and whether it lived up to their hopes. There was no denying the…
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Willis Stryker and Carl Lucas grew up best friends, joining the local street gang, the Bloods, together, and eventually becoming its leaders. Fights against rival gangs such as the Diablos honed Willis’ knife-fighting skills. Lucas eventually quit the gangs, but Willis’ involvement deepened, and he tried to cut into the Syndicate’s territory.
Then both men became rivals for the affections of Lucas’ work colleague Reva Connors. At first Willis’ money impressed Reva, but witnessing Syndicate heavies ambush Willis demonstrated to her his lifestyle’s brutality. Reva fled for help, returning with Lucas in time to save Willis’ life. Despite this, an enraged Willis blamed Lucas when Reva dumped him.
Willis stole two kilos of uncut heroin from his rival Cornell Cottonmouth’s gang, and used it to frame Lucas, who was imprisoned, allowing Willis to move in on Reva, falsely promising to help prove Lucas’ innocence. She was in Willis’ car when it was forced off the road in retaliation for the theft; he survived, but she did not.
Over the next few years Willis won his place in the Syndicate, known as Diamondback, because of his speed with his blades. However Lucas gained superpowers and escaped prison; as “Luke Cage”, he returned to New York, and targeted Willis’ gang. Warned the Syndicate would drop him if he didn’t deal with Cage, Willis lured Cage into an ambush…
Some time later…
From: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #2 (1972)
Artist: George Tsuka
Writer: Archie Goodwin
Inker: Billy Graham
Editor: Stan Lee
The Hulk is on a rampage! After destroying much of New York City, the heroes start to arrive on the scene to put a stop to the jade giant. The Human Torch unleashes a blast of flame but apparently The Hulk’s thunderclap is strong enough to snuff out the Human Torch’s flame! Iron Fist charges up his fist and punches at the Hulk, but the Hulk catches the blow and re-channels the energy back into Iron Fist’s body. Power Man charges at him from behind, and the Hulk responds by punching him through four skyscrapers.
From: Incredible Hulk #300 (1984)
Night Nurse is the name of a Marvel Comics comic-book series published in the early 1970s, as well the alter ego of a fictional character, Linda Carter, known for her willingness to help injured superheroes. Carter was one of three central characters created by writer Jean Thomas, who first appeared in Night Nurse #1 (November 1972), though she was later identified as the lead of another Marvel series published in 1961.
Carter later adopted the name “Night Nurse” for herself, and in this incarnation first appeared in Daredevil vol. 2, #58 (May 2004), written by writer Brian Michael Bendis. Although she uses the word “nurse” as part of her codename, she has since become a medical doctor.
Real Name: Linda Carter
Affiliations: Arana, Black Tarantula, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Firestar, Hellcat, Jessica Jones, Misty Knight, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Iron Fist and more…
Base of Operations: Night Medical Center, New York City
Education: R.N., M.D.
The Night Nurse runs a clinic—open all day and all night – in a secret location where superheroes can go to get treated for injuries, no questions asked. Secret identities are preserved and there are no legal reports filed. She doesn’t charge any fees, though she does occasionally accept gifts. She is financially secure enough that she doesn’t do the job for money; her primary concern is that the heroes are healthy and safe.
She is an experienced physician and remains calm under pressure, though her full capabilities are unrevealed. She occasionally alters her appearance slightly with her uniform and hair.
(New Avengers #57) In Brooklyn, the New Avengers brought in Luke Cage to the Night Nurse. Cage was unconscious and injured after a cardiac attack. She dismissed all but Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) and told her that they needed to get back to whoever had disrupted their powers earlier so Cage could be helped.
(New Avengers #58) While Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers took away Luke Cage, Karla Sofen (Moonstone, posing as the new Ms. Marvel) threatened to arrest the Night Nurse, who had meanwhile emailed reporter Ben Urich of the surrender and violent arrest of Luke Cage. Sofen could go further after the defiant Night Nurse warned her of possible civil rights violations.
Linda Carter is the daughter of a doctor in Allentown, New York. After moving to New York City and moving in with roommates Christine Palmer and Georgia Jenkins, she meets and falls in love with Marshall Michaels, a wealthy businessman. When he forces her to choose between marrying him or staying at Metro General as a nurse, she chooses her career. In the following two issues of the series, Linda demonstrates that her skills are not limited to nursing practice, as she performs detective work to help expose an incompetent surgeon and prevents a hitman from murdering a patient. By the time the series was canceled, she had started a budding romance with Dr. Jack Tryon, a young resident doctor. Palmer is the protagonist of Night Nurse #4, with Carter making a one-panel cameo and Jenkins not appearing at all. Some after the conclusion of the series, Carter is rescued by a superhero and afterward begins to pay the superhuman community back by ministering to heroes’ health, often pro bono.
Night Nurse #4 is the only issue of the series that takes place away from Metro General and New York City. This story shifts away from the urban drama of the first three issues and instead features Christine embroiled in a gothic adventure, complete with a foreboding mansion, dusty secret passageways, and mysterious lights.
While nothing depicted in Night Nurse connected it to the mainstream Marvel Universe, Christine Palmer reappeared in Nightcrawler vol. 3, #1 (Sept. 2004 – 31 years after her last appearance, in Night Nurse #4). Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the writer of Nightcrawler, said in an interview that he was “a huge fan” of Night Nurse, and wanted to bring back the character when he realized that his first Nightcrawler story would take place in a hospital. Linda Carter also reappeared in 2004, this time sporting Night Nurse as an actual codename.
Prior to Night Nurse, the series Linda Carter, Student Nurse was published by Atlas Comics, a precursor to Marvel Comics. It ran nine issues, cover-dated September 1961 to January 1963
When she first reappeared, she took care of a seriously injured Daredevil following his defeat by the Yakuza. Later, she took care of a badly injured Luke Cage. During this time, the Night Nurse became known for her catch phrase, “Go to the room on the right”.
(Daredevil #58) Foggy Nelson sent Ben Urich to the Night Nurse to find Matt Murdock. She initially denied that Matt was there until Matt called the desk and let her know that it was ok to send him back, after which she sent him to “the room on the right.”
During the superhero “Civil War” over government registration, the Night Nurse took Captain America’s side against the registration act, and joined his resistance group. Though she was hard to recognize in Civil War #2 (Aug. 2006), editor Tom Brevoort stated that it was her welcoming the superhero team the Young Avengers at the new headquarters.
(Civil War: X-Men #2) At the base of the “Secret Avengers” the Night Nurse treated Captain America (from a battle with Iron Man and hi pro-Registration forces) while he spoke with Cyclops over the phone.
Carter teamed with Doctor Strange in the five-issue miniseries Doctor Strange: The Oath (Dec. 2006 – April 2007). By the end, Carter and Strange entered into a relationship, which later ended.
Carter is severely wounded after being abducted and tortured by the shapeshifting alien Skrulls during the Skrull Invasion. After a subsequent imprisonment by the newly formed H.A.M.M.E.R., she forms a bond with the ninja assassin Elektra.
(Daredevil #80) After Daredevil was shot by the Paladin under government orders, Elektra followed Daredevil’s request to take him to the Night Nurse. The Black Widow arrived shortly thereafter with Milla Donovan. Elektra was less than impressed with the Night Nurse’s care and summoned agents of the Hand to treat him. As the Night Nurse was preparing to operate without anesthesia (since she was uncertain of his biological constitution and didn’t have time to run tests), Hand agents arrived and physically pulled her away while one of their number channeled healing energy in to Matt.
Georgia Jenkins
Georgia Jenkins is an African-American nurse who comes from an inner city neighborhood, blocks away from Metro General Hospital. On her days off from work, she provides free medical care to the people on her old block. She discovers that her older brother Ben was conned into nearly blowing up the hospital generator. Even though Ben has a change of heart and is shot while trying to protect the nurses, Georgia finds out in issue #3 that Ben has been sentenced to 10-to-20 years in prison. She angrily compares the harshness of his sentence with the fact that powerful mob criminals walk around free.
Christine Palmer
Christine Palmer leaves her home in “an exclusive Midwestern suburb” against her father’s wishes, intending to “make a new life without her father’s money”. In issue #2, her father comes to New York to try to convince her to return to her life as a debutante, threatening “if you don’t come home by Thanksgiving, then don’t come home at all!” Though she considers his offer, she elects to stay in New York and becomes a surgical nurse for Dr. William Sutton. When Dr. Sutton’s career ends in disaster, she leaves New York City and her friends behind, and travels the country, finding a job as a private nurse for a paraplegic at a spooky mansion. However, this particular position is short-lived. Palmer ended up returning to Metropolitan General Hospital, where she first encountered Storm and Nightcrawler of the X-Men. It is revealed in the Nightcrawler series that her mother lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Claire Temple
In the television series Daredevil, Claire Temple (played by Rosario Dawson) is amalgamated with Night Nurse. Daredevil season one showrunner Steven S. DeKnight noted that the character was originally “going to be the actual Night Nurse from the comics… we had her name in a script and it came back that it was possible [the Marvel Cinematic Universe films] were going to use her” and “had plans for her down the road,” necessitating the team to use the more obscure comics character Claire Temple as her name.
CHARLIE COX as MATT MURDOCK and ROSARIO DAWSON as CLAIRE TEMPLE in the Netflix Original Series “Marvel’s Daredevil” Photo: Barry Wetcher © 2014 Netflix, Inc. All rights reserved.
BY ERIC GOLDMAN
At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this June (2015), Daredevil executive producer/Season 1 showrunner Steven DeKnight took part in a panel devoted to showrunners from various Netflix series. During the panel, which also included Melissa Rosenberg — the EP/showrunner for the upcoming Marvel’s Jessica Jones series — the question came up about how much interference there is from Marvel due to how big their cinematic universe.
Said DeKnight, “It was a little more restrictive I think than with Jessica Jones just because Daredevil has many decades of history,” adding, “There was a lot of love and passion for the character.”
However, DeKnight stressed that he didn’t feel that things were notably more restrictive with Marvel than others, noting, “We would have creative disagreements that we would sit down and talk about and explain like any other show. But really the only time that we got a ‘no’ is originally, Rosario Dawson’s character had a different name. She was going to be the actual Night Nurse from the comics, and the feature side had plans for her down the road. So that’s the only time that I actually ran afoul of… we couldn’t do something. And we just used another name, so it’s the same character. Dawson ultimately played Claire Temple, a fairly obscure character from Luke Cage’s past in the comics, who ends up helping Matt Murdock in the series in a similar manner to Carter/Night Nurse’s usual role.
Earth-616 Dr. Claire Temple was born an raised in New York City. She met and married her college sweetheart Bill Foster. However over time their relationship soured and the pair separated. She took a job as a Medical Doctor for Dr. Noah Burstein at his 42nd Street Storefront Clinic. In addition to being a Night Nurse, she also was a on-again-off-again love interest for Luke Cage. She eventually leaves him because of the craziness of his superhero lifestyle and constantly being exposed to danger.
Her most recent appearance is in Captain America: Sam Wilson #4. Sam has been turned into a werewolf and a favor is called in to Claire (also revealed to be a good friend of Misty Knight) because she is proficient in handling “unusual conditions”.
The Night Nurse (Claire Temple) appears in Season 1, Episodes 12 and 13, of Netflix’s Jessica Jones when Jessica Jones brings the unconscious Luke Cage to the emergency room where Claire Temple is working. Rosario Dawson will reprise her role in the upcoming Luke Cage solo series on Netflix.
Oh man s!@$ is getting real now. We found out that Hope hired her own cellmate to beat her up because she was pregnant with Kilgraves baby. As you probably have already surmised, she purposely got beaten to force an abortion. The show has really taken a dark turn and is starting to turn up the heat. It’s really a credit to the writing and direction because they are clearly not shying away from presenting that Killgrave is a disgusting rapist and that when backed into a corner, people will do anything they can to free themselves from the pain.
Killgrave has so utterly destroyed Hope’s life that it is almost inconceivable that anybody come back from this hell with any modicum of sanity. Hope states powerfully and in a way that will sure to stir the belief system and reactions of many a viewer, “I want to live. I want to have children. But I won’t give life to this thing.” We can infer from this that Hope is beaten physically, emotionally and psychologically but not broken.
Continuing on into the episode Jeri, the lawyer who has Jessica on retainer and played by Carrie Ann Moss has given a Hope a pill to kill the fetus, decides that she is going to keep the fetus for herself. She wants to keep the fetus because she wants to replicate Killgraves powers herself.
At this point in episode 6, I’m starting to see the dark undercurrent that runs through all these characters. These are all dark, twisted individuals who have had to make some tough decisions to ensure their very survival. It gives everybody such emotional depth that it makes other superhero television shows pale in comparison. (Supergirl I’m looking at you.)
Luke Cage returns to the show with a case for Jessica. It’s a case that takes a turn for the worst for our heroine when Luke tells Jess that she is a piece of s#!% for killing his wife and having sex with him. Not only is it an especially harsh criticism for Jessica because she was either partially or fully under the control of Killgrave, it’s devastating because she may just be falling for him.
But before we see this, we are treated to a pretty cool fight scene in a criminal marijuana distribution center where Luke takes on two dogs and a room full of henchman that he gets to slap around for a while. He even utters his trademark, “Sweet Christmas!” upon entering the room. Straight up fan service right there and I’m eating it all up.
Jessica tells Luke what happened to his wife.
Finally, Killgrave continues to be a Creepy McCreeperson as he offers to buy a seemingly random house in the suburbs. It’s interesting to note that he did not use his powers of persuasion and made it a legit sale. But why? Minutes later we see that the house Killgrave chose was not random at all, but was Jessica Jones’ childhood home.
What’s he got planned?
We’ll find out next episode.
Thanks for reading and see more of my Jessica Jones reviews here! (Only 7 more to go!):
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E1: AKA Ladies Night
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E2: AKA Crush Syndrome
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E3: AKA It’s Called Whiskey
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E4: AKA 99 Friends
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E5: AKA The Sandwich Saved Me
In an episode full of flashbacks, we see Jessica as an office drone, using her exceptional detectives to deduce that her middle management boss embezzling funds to wear suits and take “vacations” far above his pay grade. And in a scene that would have made Peter Gibbons proud (if you haven’t seen Office Space… 1. Shame on you, and 2. Go watch it as soon as you finish reading this review) quits her job and join Trish for drinks and a life planning session.
Jessica and Trish team up to try and capture Killgrave using the Sufentanil that she stole from the hospital earlier and Simpson as the triggerman. The fact that they were so close to capturing him will have anyone on the edge of their seat gritting their teeth when Killgraves personal security team shows up to stop the kidnapping. It’s almost heartbreaking really but we still have 8 episodes to go.
We see later in the episode that Trish (who has been getting some sack time with Simpson) tries to get Jessica to wear her costume from the comics when Jessica operated as her “Jewel” persona. It wouldn’t make too much sense to put her in the costume considering the tone of the show, Jessica gives the perfect sarcastic response, “if I wear that thing, you’ll have to call me Camel Toe.”
“If I wear that thing, you’ll have to call me Camel Toe.”
Jessica Jones as Jewel
Killgrave still remains a diabolical villain, evil to the core and almost flippant in his disregard for human life. I’m surprised and a little disappointed in myself for not putting David Tennant on my radar a lot sooner, but I am convinced after this episode that he was the perfect choice for the Purple Man. He’s got that perfect mix of style and confidence without an overbearing sense of bravado and it is just painful to have watched Jessica be forced to take smiling selfies and send them to Kilgrave in order to placate his sick obsession over her. Ugh. I need a shower.
Do I need to keep saying, “Another awesome episode”? Because it was another awesome episode.
As usual see my other reviews for Jessica Jones here:
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E1: AKA Ladies Night
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E2: AKA Crush Syndrome
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E3: AKA It’s Called Whiskey
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E4: AKA 99 Friends
In this episode we get more backstory on Trish and her past “Patsy” persona (noting that her mom “blew half the jury” to make sure she got an acting award. Ew.) and the results of insulting Killgrave live on the radio. Last episode Killgrave sent Simpson to her apartment to end her life and now both she and Jessica know that they could be watched by anyone at any time. Simpson, apparently free of Kilgraves control for the time being, returns to Patsy apartment and upon seeing her alive is utterly confused on how he could do such a thing.
To get some of the heat off of them and hopefully calm the ire of the Purple Man, Trish is forced to go on live radio and offer a knee bending apology. Having to apologize to a man as disgusting and depraved as Killgrave has to be utterly demeaning but hey, it’s better than being convinced against your will to jump off a roof or something equally as ridiculous.
Meanwhile, Jeri has been gathering clients/witnesses who have been a thrall to Killgrave and it’s clear that some people are making stuff up and some people have stories that are clearly horrific.
On a more humorous note, we see Jessica reference the MCU at large after being snookered into a trap by a client who claimed to be looking for her cheating husband. In a room trashing scene almost as great as Citizen Kane, Jessica states that she lost count at 99 “gifted” individuals who live in that borough alone, “And they all hate attempted murder”.
Insert smiley face here.
Such a nice touch on the MCU that it just makes me love this show even more.
Finally, its revealed that Malcolm is the photographer was satisfying because we now start to see what his purpose is on the show
That’s my brief review of Episode 4. I’ve already finished my binge watching session last Sunday, so now I’m just playing catch up with the reviews. So stay tuned for more!
And see the other reviews here:
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E1: AKA Ladies Night
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E2: AKA Crush Syndrome
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E3: AKA It’s Called Whiskey
In another solid character building episode, we see Jess and Luke bump uglies several times! Full on bed smashing, sweaty coitus!
Sweet Christmas indeed.
We get more screen time with the recurring characters in this episode. Carrie Ann Moss’ Jeri Hogarth, looks amazing (and a whole heck of a lot like Robin Wright’s Claire Underwood from House of Cards) is working her damndest to get Hope free from prison while dealing with the issue of an estranged wife.
It’s interesting to note that we learn that The Purple Man’s abilities can be suppressed by anesthesia, specifically Sufentanil and Jessica hatches a plan to deliver a dose and knock him out for good. It’s interesting to note that in New Avengers #3, the Purple Man who was heavily sedated prior to a mass super villain escape was not able to extend his mind control for very long over a stressed out Luke Cage.
Luke Cage vs. Purple Man
Patsy shows off her Krav Maga skills to Jessica and boy those skills will come in handy sooner rather than later because our boy Killgrave is at it again. After being insulted by Patsy on her radio show, Killgrave sends his newest henchman and our newest recurring character, Sgt. Will Simpson played by Wil Traval. SGT. Simpson, under the control of Killgrave manages to trick his way into Patsy apartment soundly beating her down before Jessica shows up to save the day. Jessica follows Simpson back to Kilgraves lair and stumbles upon his creepy room that is set up as an homage to Jones herself.
The Purple Man’s creepy hideout
In his lair we finally get a really good look as David Tenant. I really like they how they portray Purple Man in this show. He’s not the purple skinned weirdo from the comics, he’s more like a semi suave European huckster. A man who without powers would be as nondescript as the rest of us. But given the ability to control other people, well, he turns into a real dick head.
Fending off another attacker, Jessica manages to save a still mind controlled Simpson by faking a roof dive/garbage pile landing getting him far enough away from Kilgraves control to snap him out of it.
The binge watching continues….
See my other Jessica Jones Review here:
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E1: AKA Ladies Night
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E2: AKA Crush Syndrome
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E4: AKA 99 Friends
Jessica is still on the hunt for man that kidnapped NYU student Hope Shlottman. Hope is now in prison for [redacted].
We get a bit more screen time with Luke Cage and Trish this episode.
In episode 1, Jessica rolls out of bed after a bout of rough sex and has an awkward moment in his bathroom. She sees a photo of a woman she recognizes in his medicine cabinet and proceeds to shamble out of his apartment muttering an “I’m sorry” before starting her walk of shame back to her apartment, stopping briefly to puke in a below ground stairwell.
Keeping it classy.
That’s part of the show’s charm though.
In this episode Jessica returns to Luke’s bar after sitting in a police interrogation room being questioned as witness to Hope’s violent crime.The police searched the contents of her bag and photos on her camera and presumably saw all the creep shots of Luke she has been taking. Understandably, he’s not too thrilled when the police show up at his job and show him all her pictures. He is even less thrilled when she apologizes for taking the pictures and explains that his big booty cutie is in fact, married. And he is probably even less, less thrilled (can somebody even be less than less thrilled?) that she ran out out on him the night before and here she is the next morning with a bag full of trouble.
At one point in the series, Luke remarks that Jessica is a, “hard drinking, mess of a woman…” and he couldn’t be more right. However, yet again, it’s part of her charm and we can’t help but eat it up.
Trish isn’t really given much to do in this episode except to be in scenes when Jessica is spouting exposition. The overall plan so far is to expose Kilgrave, prove that Hope is innocent and get that poor girl out of jail. Both women know how dangerous Kilgrave is, so Trish invites Jessica to stay at her apartment that is complete with a workout room, high tech security system, a front door to which not even the front desk has a key, a personal Krav Maga instructor and panic room.
No dice Patsy, Ms. Jones is gonna do this on her own.
Aided by some flashbacks, we find out on the fateful night that Jessica broke free of the Purple Man’s influence, Kilgrave was actually hit by a city bus. Those memories help with her detective work as she finds out that Kilgrave suffered Crush Syndrome and used his power to make some poor guy carve out his own kidneys to perform a transplant.
Uh.. whoa.
Finally we get to see Mr. Cage in action. Sparing the details, because it’s a pretty good scene, we definitely see his powers at work here in a bar fight.
What’s even more awesome is that this is NOT an origin story! Nope, they are giving us what we want. Like Daredevil on Netflix, Luke and Jess already have their powers and the show is not going out of its way to talk about how or show how they got them.
In the final scene, we see Luke show off his impenetrable skin to Jessica by turning on a circular saw and putting the spinning blade right on his stomach and saying ” You can’t fix me, I’m unbreakable.”
See my other Jessica Jones Review here:
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E1: AKA Ladies Night
Jessica Jones is finally on Netflix and it’s one of the best things on TV.
I’m going to briefly review all 13 episodes pointing out some cool things I noticed, nods to the MCU and in Lowbrowcomics fashion, nods to the classic Marvel Tales featuring our heroes and villains.
One of the first things I noticed is that the music is done by Sean Callery. Sean Callery composed the music for 24 (one of the greatest shows in television history) , Bones and Medium. The music is mostly a low throbbing baseline, mixed with some light piano and mild synth tones. It never gets in the way and gives the show a old school detective noir vibe.
The synopsis of episode 1 is that Jessica is hired by the parents of a missing NYU student and track star. After doing some research and detective work, Jessica realizes that the girl was “kidnapped” by Zebediah Kilgrave also known as The Purple Man.
Although never explicitly called the Purple Man and never fully seen in this episode except in a violet hued shadowy visage, Kilgrave appears in Jessica’s memories as flashbacks, ghostly after images and sometimes full on hallucinations capable of licking her face. Ew.
In this episode we are introduced to Jessica’s best friend Patricia Walker. Trish is a successful star of her own radio show, “Trish Talks”. Trish has no powers of her own save for exceptionally deep pockets, dedication to the practice of Krav Maga, extreme patience for Jessica’s antics and requests for money despite not seeing her for the past six months. We find out that Trish was apparently aware that Jessica was under the control of the Kilgrave in the past.
During her investigation Jessica meets local bar owner Luke Cage. The term (insert air quotes here) “investigation” could be used very liberally because Jess is being a straight up creeper by sitting on a fire escape across the street and taking pictures of Luke exiting his bar and entering his apartment with a big booty bar patron.
1970’s era Luke Cage aka Power Man
Curiously missing his 1980’s trademark tiara/jheri curl, gigantic chain link belt and golden silk shirt, Luke invites Jessica into his bar, telling her that tonight is “Ladies Night”. They flirt a bit and i’ll let you guess what happens next.
Sweet Christmas, this isn’t your mom’s Luke Cage. And thank goodness too. This is the current bald headed, goatee wearing bad ass version of the Harlem hero for hire, with a slightly altered backstory that is slowly unraveling as the show continues.
At the end, Jessica manages to find the girl return and return her to her parents. As the episode is closing, something so shocking happens that sets the tone for the rest of the series (as well as jump start the plot with a bang) that I dare not spoil it here. Just know that I was sitting there with my jaw on the floor as Netflix surreptitiously counted down to episode 2. You just have to see it for yourself.
Man o man what a start….
See my other Jessica Jones reviews here:
REVIEW Jessica Jones S1E2: AKA Crush Syndrome
From: What If? Vol. 1 #34 (1982)
Created by Ruth Atkinson, Patsy Walker first appeared in Miss America Magazine #2 (cover-dated Nov. 1944), published by Marvel precursor Timely Comics. Redheaded Patsy Walker, her parents Stanley and Betty, her boyfriend Robert “Buzz” Baxter, and her raven-haired friendly rival Hedy Wolfe appeared from the 1940s through 1967 in issues of Miss America, Teen Comics, Girls’ Life, and the namesake teen-humor series Patsy Walker and its spin-offs: Patsy and Hedy, Patsy and Her Pals, and the single-issue A Date with Patsy.
Attesting to its quiet popularity, Patsy Walker (along with Millie the Model and Kid Colt, Outlaw) was among the very few titles published continuously by Marvel from the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books, through Marvel’s 1950s iteration as Atlas Comics, and into the 1960s Silver Age of Comic Books.
Following Patsy’s high-school graduation, in issue #116 (Aug. 1964), the title switched from humor to become a young career-gal romantic adventure. Patsy Walker lasted through issue #124 (Dec. 1965), with Patsy and Hedy outlasting it to its own #110 (Feb. 1967).
Patsy and Hedy made a cameo appearance in Fantastic Four Annual #3 (1965), establishing them in the Marvel Universe.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones, or simply Jessica Jones, is an upcoming American web television series developed for Netflix by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and is the second in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries. The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios and Tall Girl Productions, with Rosenberg serving as show runner.
Krysten Ritter stars as Jones, a former superhero who opens her own detective agency after an end to her superhero career. David Tennant, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss, Eka Darville, Erin Moriarty, and Wil Traval also star. A version of the series was originally in development by Rosenberg for ABC in 2010, that was eventually passed on. By late 2013, Rosenberg reworked the series, when it reentered development for Netflix as A.K.A. Jessica Jones. Ritter was cast as Jones in December 2014, with production on Jessica Jones beginning in New York City in February 2015 and lasting until late August.
All episodes are set to premiere Friday November 20, 2015 on Netflix.
Ever wonder how Luke Cage got his unbreakable steel skin? The big man explains it himself.
From: Power Man and Iron Fist #50 (1978)
