I think what bothers me most is that Daredevil Season 1 and Jessica Jones Season 1 set the bar to a level that the rest of these shows couldn't live up to, for the most part. Also, connecting it loosely to the MCU is hasn't paid off in any way and turned out to be a misdirect to get the diehard superhero nerds' hopes up. It might have been better if these shows weren't in a shared universe at all.

Having said that, this was definitely better than season 1. Do I still miss Mahershala Ali's Cottonmouth? YES. But holy shit Alfre Woodard gives this her ALL. If there was any justice, and there isn't, she would get an Emmy or Golden Globe for this. Her character Mariah Dillard/Stokes is easily the best part of the show. No contest. Next is Misty Knight. After that, the actor that plays Mariah's Daughter Tilda. In fact, the female characters are stronger, more fleshed out and developed than any of their male counterparts.

Shades? Still kind of a shitty character. Luke Cage himself? Boring UNTIL (I'll get to that below). The main story arc deals with a Jamaican gang out to take over AND, more importantly, get revenge. They're villains, then not exactly villains, then villains again, and then not. The problem is that they're not compelling enough to root for them or love-to-hate them. The performances themselves just weren't strong enough to make me care, even when you get their backstory.

THE BEST PART OF THIS was the complete left turn at the end. All the while, it had been casually referencing The Godfather, but by the end it hits you over the head with it and takes a direction that you probably will not see coming. To the point where one of the last shots in the final episode is a blatant copy of the iconic last shot in The Godfather. Not an homage--it's the SAME SHOT. I give it points for going that route in what most people see as a superhero show.

To put it best: I was messaging my friend about this, who had only seen the first episode. His issue was he wanted to see Luke whooping white people, not other black people. His exact words were "You can't punch away an opioid crisis."

To the show's credit, it tries to answer that question. No, even a superhero can't punch away an opioid crisis. So maybe the only way to protect the place you love might to take out the kingpin and then BECOME the kingpin. I for one didn't see that coming.

Is it as good as The Punisher? Or even Daredevil Season 1 or JJ Season 1? No. Yes, 13 eps is still too long. AND even worse, everyone's favorite Iron Fist shows up towards the end to inevitably bring everything down a notch. But still, this is worth watching.

As a final note, I hope they are planning to reunite Luke Cage and Jessica Jones at some point. I'm still annoyed that they built up that love story, *THEY ACTUALLY HAD CHEMISTRY TOGETHER* and then totally abandoned it. For JJ being such a self-destructive loner, and Cage such an altruistic man for his people, it would be a shame to totally abandon a tie between them that was so crucial in the comics.