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Mike Moody: Hey you listen to TV eye on Marvel a Marvel TV podcast and we are Your Heroes for hire my name is Mike with me today is Nate Bliss.
Nate Bliss: Hello.
Mike Moody: And Martin Thomas okay so today we're diving into the premiere of Marvel's Luke Cage on Netflix but first,
Mike Moody: lets take a sec to talk about what we're doing with this podcast now over the next several episode because we're kind of transitioning some of you listening may have been listeners of the TV eye podcast which Nate and I did for about a year.
Mike Moody: It was sort of our first plunge into podcasting and as you probably noticed we've rebranded we are TV eye on Marvel now.
Mike Moody: Like Steve Rogers Sip and on that super serum you know who.
Martin Thomas: Sip on injected into it or even so it's a giant test 2 I never got the impression that he said it's like a fine.
Nate Bliss: Just kind of casually yeah yeah.
Mike Moody: Just being on a bad day when he's feeling kind of tired as I come in and get some of that super serum and.
Mike Moody: He's hiding in the bathroom sip in on that can.
Nate Bliss: Agent Carter heating it up looking like a pot of tea so good.
Mike Moody: Alright so you like Steve we are a stronger taller just your version of what we once were.
Nate Bliss: Sip.
Mike Moody: Alright that we get an LG aside we are now TV eye on Marvel and we'll be covering the Marvel Netflix TV shows exclusively starting with an in-depth episode review of all 13 episodes of Marvel's Luke Cage.
Mike Moody: Which premiered September 30th now we're not going to I mean we're not going to Fanboy out too much not too much Martin is a critic I'm a critic or your name.
Nate Bliss: I'm just a geek and just said I just didn't have just over exuberant nerdy guy.
Mike Moody: You know we are going to celebrate the shows because we do like him but you know if there's stuff we don't like just like I do on mr. Roboto we're going to talk about that too.
Martin Thomas: Did you catch Flack When you mention the stuff you don't like.
Mike Moody: And sometimes but not a lot but it's fun.
Martin Thomas: How it's going to be okay don't have.
Mike Moody: A good teaser.
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Mike Moody: I like this Premiere a lot and I think it's a great piece of art or television but before we get into it further let's introduce ourselves a little further just let the listeners know who's talking here so Martin what the hell are you doing here.
Martin Thomas: About well I'm here because you invited me.
Martin Thomas: I assume you invited me because yes I've been podcast thing for quite a while at least the podcast in probably like the last 10 years and before that as part of her movie reviews show that ran for 10 years on Access TV so it's.
Martin Thomas: Just about 20 years for me talking about pop culture and media.
Mike Moody: Yeah you rode in on your wheelchair tonight.
Martin Thomas: I pretty much worked in the comic industry been reading comics since I was 6 years old.
Martin Thomas: I'm going to tell you how long it is but it's been a long time let me tell you and I figure hey if anybody is going to come here and talk about this thing why not me.
Mike Moody: Nate same question.
Nate Bliss: 11 podcast for a little while but like as listeners people who have come from TV eye probably know I was definitely the more she won her as Mike was the more like well let's talk about how the episode of structure.
Mike Moody: I was a boring when you're the fun.
Mike Moody: Mother's too fun ones and I'm still the boring.
Nate Bliss: But I mean I would have also been reading comics since I was like in short pants and.
Mike Moody: 207 on at Super serum.
Nate Bliss: Yeah yeah what what we had like you know.
Mike Moody: 10 wonders for your chest.
Nate Bliss: But most of all I'm just incredibly I mean I love the Marvel movies but the Netflix shows for me have been so.
Nate Bliss: Good they've been my favorite Marvel televised filmed over there otherwise of products products products their products their items that they are.
Mike Moody: Pieces of Storytelling.
Martin Thomas: Yes these are better than all of their other one other TV thing.
Mike Moody: Well there was Agent Carter which wasn't bad but these are better.
Mike Moody: Okay send me I'm a recovering TV critic eye written for birth movies death LOL TV Huffington Post Moviefone other sites that I don't want to mention cuz you're terrible several newspapers Cohoes to mr. Roboto podcast like you guys know.
Mike Moody: I absolutely love TV which I think is obvious I'm interested in covering shows that really matter.
Mike Moody: Okay like mr. robot and I think Luke Cage like mr. robot.
Mike Moody: Is poised to be maybe one of those essential shows of this current way of a progressive television of the socially aware TV we're getting especially with this TV season I mean we have a Atlanta.
Nate Bliss: Holy cow yeah.
Mike Moody: Atlanta Luke Cage hurt Queen sugar is up there too haven't seen it yet.
Mike Moody: But I can't wait to dig into Luke Cage oh and I love me some Marvel Comics and the more movies so I think everyone in the world backs me up on that one okay so Luke Cage season 1 episode 1 Moment of Truth.
Mike Moody: Nate at one of my favorite Gang Starr songs.
Mike Moody: So this episode was a strong slow jam if there ever was one and I can't wait to see what the show plays next that's my $0.01 steak.
Mike Moody: Martin quick takeaway from the first episode.
Martin Thomas: Eye quick takeaway name in the episode after gangstarr titles babe that's really cool the music's great I love having a cameo from Raphael Saadiq singing on stage.
Mike Moody: Hell yeah Tony Tony Tony has done it again.
Martin Thomas: The right right I Mike Colter is he's he's he's great he really has a lot of Charisma so he captured my attention the whole time he's on everything is about the show I don't like it all.
Mike Moody: I think I know where you're going Nate first give me your 4173 view your fear First Take.
Nate Bliss: Well I'm the pilot.
Mike Moody: Honda Pilot I know you were watching more and Martin you've watched you.
Martin Thomas: About of March 1st 3.
Mike Moody: Kevin watch the first one so we're just talking about the pilot when you watching this pilot will you like bam I'm in or what you feel.
Nate Bliss: As I was watching it because there have been Daredevil in Jessica Jones so far I've been kind of thinking all right here's a new creative team.
Nate Bliss: Obviously new cast of there a couple return return characters and stuff but I was struck that like Daredevil Jessica Jones kind of from the get-go were like.
Nate Bliss: And and automatically it was high octane right from the start and once I realized okay this is they're going for a slower start like what was Daredevil you know Mike Murdock was already very poised he's already.
Nate Bliss: Running out at night and beating people up Jessica Jones is already.
Martin Thomas: Private eye.
Nate Bliss: Private eye and she's very invested in these cases.
Mike Moody: She's into some shit but Luke is hanging back.
Nate Bliss: Luke is very much hanging back because I mean especially after what happened him Jessica Jones where it's like he's stuck his neck out and then he gets in I'll let around by mind-controlling Doctor Who and.
Nate Bliss: And and I liked Luke lost bad in Jessica Jones Eye minute he was still coming right off of that I mean.
Nate Bliss: He does not want to stick his head out but as far as like my quick takeaway before going too much attention and stuff.
Nate Bliss: It was just kind of adjusting to all right it's going to be a slower start and it's not going to be a Sprint from the first episode.
Martin Thomas: I like Mike Colter and a show because he delivers his lines well he has just a natural Charisma about him just as he's good looking he looks like he means what he says,
Martin Thomas: well he plays this well I was going back and reading a bunch of Luke Cage comics.
Martin Thomas: Anything about Luke Cage was that he was always a larger-than-life character not just physically but the way you talk.
Martin Thomas: Luke Cage always talk a lot of shit out of you guys leave run his mouth you can back it up.
Martin Thomas: And at first he was he was kind of like a blaxploitation so the cartoon and then later incarnations they pulled back but he never was somebody who didn't try his mouth constantly.
Martin Thomas: Using everybody's face and just go back and read those comments and thinking about this first episode of Mike man it's really missing that it's missing that thing that makes him actually Luke Cage how many school did they going to different directions and it's fine.
Martin Thomas: But I'm just acknowledging that it's still not really Luke Cage.
Mike Moody: Is the beginning of Luke Cage show so maybe we'll get there we still haven't gotten the origin we still haven't gotten the you know he's he's at the end of this episode we do see him jump into the action.
Mike Moody: And we do see and talk a little shit you know but he's not you know he's he's not black exportation from the seventies Luke Cage.
Mike Moody: But he's more in line because my Luke Cage at and I read recently I read but three of those original Luke Cage comics from the 70s of the first ones right and I like to look good but the Luke Cage that I really like is that the new Avengers Luke Cage.
Mike Moody: Eye or the Jessica Jones the Alias Luke Cage which I think Colter is kind of plane in a little bit.
Martin Thomas: Yeah he is a lot more like he wasn't in the Alias comic the funny thing is Luke Cage have been that blaxploitation character and then they brought him back where he had kind of a redshirt beside the bed the bands and a bit more serious.
Martin Thomas: Yeah yeah tonight is and it wasn't until it was at that miniseries cage where Richard Corben like the last person I thought would draw a Luke Cage Story 3 Mini have more of the look he has an adventurous way with a knit hat.
Martin Thomas: And in just regular street clothes about bald head regular street clothes and he kind of disappeared and popped up and Jessica Jones and after that.
Martin Thomas: Boom Beach op is it seems like he is the new Avengers they always make sure he's in there and and and Brian Michael Bendis use them their right to the greatest.
Martin Thomas: And that's just some of that that I wish was in the show.
Mike Moody: Some of this ass.
Martin Thomas: The says that's exactly what I'm looking for Misty.
Martin Thomas: Yeah I want to open up some lettuce it's because it will hit the ground running and he's he's even fight like right off the bat with Jessica Jones even though the kilgrave stuff came in.
Martin Thomas: Westview episode introduced to her and she's a train wreck.
Martin Thomas: I mean you know this is so rare that your your ass to follow such such a damaged character I mean she's not even just an antihero to herself and you just like.
Mike Moody: That was incredibly compelling from the start.
Martin Thomas: Yeah exactly exactly and I'm just finding with Luke Cage so far it's.
Martin Thomas: As much as it's the culture is also the culture of a lot of clichés from black movies how many barbershops you guys.
Martin Thomas: Episode 3 of The Barbershop movies you watched and and soul food,
Martin Thomas: and Tyler Perry this and that I miss you a lot and I'm just I'm just seeing too many of the clichés pop up here and I keep hoping one will get turned on its ear.
Martin Thomas: Bliss or not.
Mike Moody: Yeah there's still lots of tropes going on here especially this first episode because as good as Mike Colter is as good as a forward is as good as a lot of these characters or actors are.
Mike Moody: The story largely in a broad sense relies on kind of old boring tropes you have the reluctant hero.
Mike Moody: The troubled neighborhood the rising gangster with a messiah complex right working his political connections a corrupt politician the beat cops working the case.
Mike Moody: These are tropes we've seen a million times before.
Martin Thomas: The old father figure who you know is distant.
Mike Moody: He's going to die but for me what makes a show come alive despite these tropes that I seen before and I hate tropes that I want something original you know but you know for me I still like to show up because.
Mike Moody: Despite these tropes what makes you come alive for me is the amazing The Amazing texture and the specificity of it all like like the gangsters meet up.
Mike Moody: With a corrupt official at cottonmouths Club it's intercut with that great Raphael Saadiq performance you're not going to see it on network TV.
Mike Moody: The gun deal gone horribly wrong it's also intercut with one of those for.
Mike Moody: The barbershop scene that opens up the the the episode it does not it doesn't hold our hand doesn't guide us gently into this new world it just dropped it right in with these characters a good talking-to deep Sports references and stuff and.
Nate Bliss: Which I still just as and as I as a geek I still don't understand it one point.
Mike Moody: I know if Phil Jackson is I know.
Mike Moody: What temperature destroys right into the specific personalities that make this place come alive and I really like that like the giant bigger picture and cottonmouths office. It's kind of ridiculous but.
Mike Moody: Because it tells you what that guy's all about a little bit you know and also it's a beautiful life.
Mike Moody: Visual like all the scenes of cottonmouths office and those violent scenes reminded me a lot about a lot of Spike Lee movies.
Mike Moody: And I think all that stuff those those remarks of an auteur and judging by this pilot I think they got the right guy to run the show.
Mike Moody: Cayo Coco eye he wrote the Biggie Smalls biopic notorious hero number of episodes of that show Southland on TNT.
Martin Thomas: And the wire at the.
Mike Moody: It wasn't really.
Martin Thomas: What episodes of The Wire.
Mike Moody: If the show is still relying on those tropes in his first episode and you guys have seen more so you kind of looking at me like.
Mike Moody: Maybe continues to do that which kind of sucks but we'll see.
Nate Bliss: And it does feel like like everytime I try happens there should be like a little things little little little little ticker.
Martin Thomas: If it if it made it a drinking game you pass out before the.
Nate Bliss: I don't think it would be that I don't think it's that bad but it does seem as if like there are quite a few but for me I'm a sucker for when a show or a movie really takes its time to show a neighborhood or a sense of place here.
Nate Bliss: I won't say it's as good as the show but it made me think of Treme Treme is a great show.
Nate Bliss: And I'm not saying we're just as good as Treme but with the music and with this this neighborhood and all these varied like this to a wider and it just did more characters get introduced.
Mike Moody: Eye love.
Nate Bliss: And such good episode.
Mike Moody: I love the setting about the specificity of the setting I love that your show is taking time to work bill.
Mike Moody: And we build based on a world or culture that is real in 2016 sure it's his height and version of Harlem I've Never Been to Harlem,
Mike Moody: but I don't imagine it's it everything is paid in this beautiful golden light and it's like the show is he know but the show and tell Colter is,
Mike Moody: I think doing a great job in expanding and deepening the MCU because.
Mike Moody: You know why I never thought we would we would see a deep story rooted in.
Mike Moody: The political and criminal structures of Harlem based in DMC you I think that's great that doesn't mean this is a great show and that's a good effort.
Mike Moody: I think what's happening from my perspective the show in this first episode of trying to do two things and maybe it's going to be a problem going forward it's trying to World build.
Mike Moody: Almost like Treme almost like the wire but it's also trying to tell a specific story about one dude of the reluctant hero finding his power.
Mike Moody: It seems like she'll coker's really in love with creating this Harlem which is amazing and which leads to some really nice sequence is but then it seemed to me Luke Cage himself was a bit of an afterthought.
Nate Bliss: It was almost like we're just kind of just a fly on his shoulder so I kind of kind of kind of like watching like earlier in the episode where he needs Misty we haven't talked about Misty and I really like Misty.
Martin Thomas: Did they get revealed in the first episode Misty CT.
Nate Bliss: Oh good point good point Thank you for thank you for looking out for the end of the year right.
Mike Moody: And we know she's Misty night I'm looking eye IMDb right now and it says she's Misty Knight.
Martin Thomas: You tell me was that Dad didn't get revealed to the second episode.
Nate Bliss: You're right you're right thank you.
Mike Moody: Right here Simone missick as Misty Knight 313 episode.
Nate Bliss: Okay alright.
Martin Thomas: And what you looking IMDb that's cheating.
Mike Moody: I'm glad you brought it up because my favorite I mean my favorite sequence in this in this whole pilot was Luke flirting with Misty Knight Luke going to bed with Misty Knight.
Mike Moody: Luke waking up the next day are they going to hook up again who knows you know she's taking charge I think they have a lot of chemistry I really do.
Martin Thomas: But it's an interesting thing because I'm watching it I didn't check IMDb first and I just like this I just like the idea that he picked up this chick in the bar who he's working as a dishwasher.
Nate Bliss: Yeah and he's not bartender all the time he's just covering that night.
Martin Thomas: But you still pick her up and you know they go back to her place and and they they do it and he goes about her business on about his business and I was like kind of cool and then you okay season I'm not even thinking Misty night because,
Martin Thomas: Misty was well I mean maybe she was at some point, she has always been a private detective and her signature is what.
Martin Thomas: No no thank you the afro.
Martin Thomas: And and even if you say like well they're updating it because that was the seventies Bill Mike no Mike I'm going back to wearing afros now it's actually really cheap so I'm just like why would you not have that.
Martin Thomas: Frustrating.
Mike Moody: Okay so.
Nate Bliss: Harley wonders if the NYPD has a rule against afros or something you know what the military has incredibly strange inheritance been up but I'm wondering.
Mike Moody: Right it's the cops messing up.
Nate Bliss: I don't know I don't know I don't know.
Martin Thomas: The detectives you can wear.
Nate Bliss: Yeah that you're right what if you can just do it every way.
Mike Moody: Walmart I think really I cut you off because you were you were wanted to dive into some more of the problems you had with the with the premier said.
Martin Thomas: Oh well I mean I mean I'm not going to.
Mike Moody: Colter sip Martin.
Martin Thomas: I don't have the same problems okay something you'd do if you talked about was how much you love the intercutting of the the performance on stage with the violence going on.
Martin Thomas: If I don't watch Empire do you.
Mike Moody: I watched the first season I dropped off second season did they do that.
Martin Thomas: And when the wind.
Martin Thomas: The Inn at first season so horribly the first thing was I was like I was going to watch it and I did and we got to where we would all gather at TV and enjoy it and it got to that last episode and man did it ever hit the bed.
Martin Thomas: Every like it was like A7 episode season where all the characters are doing thing.
Mike Moody: Yes.
Martin Thomas: Never do and just like alright I'm done.
Nate Bliss: I know that show has I mean a lot of my friends watch a show in the basement so it's so crazy it's.
Martin Thomas: It's it's a black Telenovela.
Nate Bliss: Okay I also goes It goes it's hard to tell in the village ok.
Mike Moody: Yeah yeah yeah this is it's like Falcon Crest.
Martin Thomas: It's like what can we do to make the aliens go.
Nate Bliss: Okay.
Mike Moody: We got to make him to eat.
Martin Thomas: But from the time the empire was good I see a lot of things happening in Luke Cage eye cancer.
Martin Thomas: Mike you're so hopeful that it makes me want to go alright just just just hang in there.
Martin Thomas: I'm a little worried I mean part of it was I felt I was kind of setup just because the early reviews it came in talking about how good it was how was probably the best of the Marvel shows so I was trying not to have those expectations.
Martin Thomas: Yes but they were high and so yeah I'm going to come down quite a bit I'm only 3 in and I thought well maybe it picks up.
Martin Thomas: But I keep reading things were different things from people now now there now the review to start to be mixed and there's people say that was really great until the 7th episode.
Martin Thomas: Okay but you're speaking on what I've seen so far or in trying to like back my memory up just to the first episode.
Martin Thomas: I recognize the things in there that are good they don't seduce me as much as everybody else.
Martin Thomas: So I'm still like you I still just think story structure and dialogue goes it was always like to do things I'm looking for and passing out I Feel Like Mike.
Martin Thomas: I don't mind it being deliberate or even being slow I'm not have it in a TV sense of a place with things.
Martin Thomas: I feel like I'm moving slow.
Martin Thomas: It's okay not anything happen as long as what's happening is the things your character the same back and forth to each other and a lot of the way it's being filmed.
Martin Thomas: Almost never do I see a scene where the cameras there except for the barbershop scene after that is hardly a scene where the camera is in one place and characters talk back and forth each other.