Luke Cage - General Discussion

[coppersin]

I'm fine with the Mariah/Shades relationship as a concept but the execution feels lacking. I liked both characters separately last season so I can't decide if it's the actors' chemistry falling short, or if one of them is playing the other and I'm supposed to find the relationship a little off.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Claire: I think that second bath in the barn may have strengthened the abalone shell on your skin. The velcro effect is even tighter now.
Luke: So you're saying I'm even more indestructible than I was before?

Michael: That's 24 feet, Jemele. 24 feet!
Jemele: Eh, that's only 11 feet longer than the world record in broad jump.

Claire: How do you feel?
Luke: Like it's good to be me.

Mariah: What if Arturo's already talked to the cops?
Shades: It's not what they know, it's what they can prove. And they can't prove shit.

Nandi: Misty was a year behind me at DeWitt Clinton. Both varsity. She took my spot when I twisted my knee. 
Misty: I earned my spot and never gave it back.

Luke: Family? All that means is low expectations, disappointment, and death.

Nandi: Everyone knows you're a hero, Misty. The legend. You're Jordan playing for the Wizards. 
Misty: But he's still Jordan.

Arturo: Who are you supposed to be? The short arm of the law? 
Misty: That's good.

Neighbor: If you find [Dontrell], I hope you beat his ass. You have a blessed day.

Bobby: Claire, sometimes you gotta let a man heal on his own. Just be his woman and not his mother.

Bobby: I used to be quite the player back in my day. Cool daddy smooth. At least in my mind, I was. A beautiful daughter is God's revenge.

Edited July 15, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One of my pet peeves is when someone (friend, significant other, whoever) tries to convince someone else that they need to reconcile with a shitty parent. Not everyone needs to mend fences with their crappy relatives. And even if it's going to happen eventually, people heal on their own timetable. They're not going to heal faster just because you push and nag. I'm sure Claire thinks that she has the best intentions, but she needs to leave this alone. It is not right for her to go seek out Luke's dad.

It looks like Shades' suits are getting tighter every week. Soon he'll just be wearing spandex. I was never entirely convinced that he really loved Mariah, but the way he shot Arturo for talking shit about her, maybe he does. I spent all last season thinking that he was just using her as a stepping stone for power and waiting for him to turn on her, but I guess he has some feelings for her if he shot Arturo that quickly (and lost his chance to get the money they needed).

Drea's grandma neighbor was the best!

Cockroach definitely deserved an ass beating after all the abuse he's served to Drea and that kid, so I didn't mind watching Luke swat him around like a harmless gnat.

Even though I have no idea what Tilda's childhood was like, it couldn't have been easy to have Mariah as a mother. I was also surprised by Tilda's name because Tilda doesn't seem like the kind of thing that Mariah would name her daughter. I don't know what I imagine Mariah would name her kid, but if you asked me list 100 possible names, Tilda definitely would not have made the cut!

Since she knew exactly what he was using those herbs for (and she seemed very disturbed by it), I was kind of expecting Tilda to try to add something to Bushmaster's order that would interfere with the effectiveness. Maybe she's playing a long game so that she can gain his trust and then sabotage him? Even without knowing he's a bad guy as we do, she seemed very perturbed as soon as she saw the list of things he wanted so she must know he's up to no good.

Edited July 15, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

[paramedics load Cockroach onto a stretcher]
Paramedic 1: Luke Cage for mayor.
Paramedic 2: He need to holler at my sister's boyfriend.

Bobby: Whatever you did, whether your fault or not, say you're sorry. That woman's so fine, "yes" is always the answer, unless "no" is required.

Claire: I've seen you raw but never brutal.
Luke: Yeah, well, sometimes brutality gets shit done.

Luke: I'm looking for a man named Nigel.
Waitress: You have to be more specific. Plenty of Jamaicans named Nigel.

Bushmaster: Nigel had a big head, a big mouth and small ideas.

[Alex hands Tilda a glass of champagne]
Tilda: Got anything stronger?
Alex: Ha. You are Mariah's daughter.

James: "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep waters. But the man with understanding will draw it out." Get it? It's like saying you can't save someone from drowning unless you have on your life jacket. Or you make enough room on the door for both of you to float. 
Claire: Titanic? That always bothered me. Rose had plenty of room for Jack on that door.
James: Keeps me up at night.

Bushmaster: You must be mad coming up to my turf. You're not faster than Usain Bolt, you know.
Luke: I never said I was.

Morty: You that bitch that sent my brother to Dannemora.
Misty: You know, that's the second time somebody's called me a bitch today.

Mariah: Helping people has always brought me joy. But as we both know joy ain't free.

Mark: Atreus is the biggest black-owned plastics company in the world. You think I'm going to sell my company at pennies on the dollar to some goddamn crackers?
Mariah: Saltine or Ritz. Either way, you will. Because I want my cheese.

Luke: I love you, too. But you can't castrate me.
Claire: Preventing you from going back to jail lessens your manhood?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Part of me loved that Nurse Claire still carries around disposable gloves in her bag. I just wish the girls on Pretty Little Liars had been smart enough to do that whenever they went snooping around instead of leaving fingerprints everywhere.

Ha, loved that both of the paramedics were on Luke's side.

Is it wrong that Bushmaster watching the video footage of Luke fighting his men surrounded by candles totally cracked me up? That's what you're supposed to do for a cliche proposal on a CW show, man. It makes me hope he's half in love with Luke Cage.

It was bad enough that Claire went to Luke's dad's church in the previous episode, but talking to him was WAY out of line. As I said before, it is not her place to decide whether Luke needs to reconcile/forgive/communicate with his father. Just because she regrets not being able to make amends with her father before he died doesn't mean that everyone else with a shitty parent needs or wants to kiss and make up with theirs. I know she means well, but she really needs to back the fuck off. Even if his dad has changed for the better (and I'm not saying he has), that doesn't make up for all the crap that he put young Luke through.

People are always so supportive when you end bad relationships with boyfriends or toxic friends, but for some reason they also think you should always forgive your parents and family members just because you share some DNA. An asshole is an asshole no matter how you're related, and it is always YOUR choice whether to let them be a part of your life. Claire really needs to back the fuck off of this.

On the other hand, I totally understand why she told Luke he had to leave after punching the wall. Yes, he loves her and no, he has never intentionally hurt her physically, but that doesn't mean she needs to put up with him losing his temper and punching a hole in the wall. That would be true even if he didn't have super strength, but it's even worse considering what he's physically capable of due to his powers. No one should have to put up with violence in their own home.

What I really appreciated about that entire scene is that at moments, each had valid points so neither of them was 100% right or 100% wrong. It made their argument more realistic since that's what often happens in fights.

I think it's less that Shades is jealous of Tilda and more that he doesn't like the way Mariah is treating him because of Tilda's presence. He was used to being treated as her equal both in public and in private, and now she's trying to act like he's just another employee. I don't even like Shades as a person or a character, but I can see that it would make him feel bad that she is keeping her relationship with him a secret from her daughter, like she's ashamed of him or he isn't good enough for Tilda to know about.

It's never a good sign when someone starts pulling the "Do you know who I am?" crap with people. Come on, Luke. Don't be like that.

Colleen is awesome.

Edited July 17, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[tennisgurl]

Cockroach certainly deserves this name. Cant way I am too horrified watching Luke beat the crap out of him. 

So Mariah has a daughter, who works with herbal remedies? I dont imagine Mariah has mother of the year, so its not surprising that they dont get along. I wonder if she will end up poisoning Bushmaster at some point, or maybe she is actually a master poisoner on the side?

Next door neighbor grandma stole the show this week. 

Claire means well, and I get that she feels like Luke forgiving his dad will help him heal from his anger issues, but its really not her business, and if Luke doesn't want to be around his crappy dad, thats his choice. Between this and Nashville, its just the season of "bug people to get them to forgive their abusive parents" all over the damn place. I did laugh when Luke was knocking Claire on her tendency to make super friends, like some kind of superhero groupie. 

[Ottis]

Not a bad start. While there are some similarities to JJ, I hope there are only a few because JJ S2 was awful. Only Marvel series I quit watching (ep 7) and I watched all of Iron Fist. I cannot spend a whole season watching a powered person with an annoying sister whine with no real villain. 

I like that there is a new bad guy on Luke Cage, though he seems to catch the bullets and heal perhaps vs. have them bounce off?

Don’t know why anyone goes after Luke at this point vs. his family and friends. 

I don’t dislike Shades because he thinks he is cool. I just don’t get much of a sense of menace from him because he spends so much time posing. He seems very stiff. 

Edited July 16, 2018 by Ottis

[ElectricBoogaloo]

DW: Damn, Luke. Shabba Ranks laid you out.

Luke: I got ambushed by this Jamaican cat named Bushmaster. He knocked me on my ass.
Bobby: Well, did he have a supersuit?
Luke: No. He was just fast. Unnaturally fast.
Bobby: Well, he is Jamaican.

Shades: You two are sitting here having drinks at 10:00 am, talking about money that's invisible. In my world, if you can't touch it, it ain't real.

Mariah: Let me make one thing crystal clear, Che. You bust up in my office like that ever again, I will cut your balls off and roll them like dice.
Comanche: You gonna blow on 'em first?

Mariah: Jamaica me crazy?
Luke: Ha ha.

Misty: What I'm about to show you could cost me my job.
Luke; Yeah? What else is new?

Luke: Since when did you change your name to Iyanla Knight?
Misty: Hey, you're the one living out of a bag right now.
Luke: Can I crash at your crib for a few nights?
Misty: Hell no.

Luke: That was some real Ripley in Aliens shit. 
Misty: I was going for Sarah Connor. 
Luke: You're gonna need a bigger sidearm.

Misty: Shit. I gotta call this in. First I gotta think of a damn good reason why a Harlem detective and Luke Cage are standing over a headless body in Brooklyn.
Luke; Just tell them you were following me. I'm always getting blamed for something anyway.
Misty: Works for me.
Luke: Wait, won't that get you in trouble?
Misty: Eh. My doghouse is a lot more comfortable than the one you're in.
Luke: Touché.

Comanche: Alex thought you might like a coffee.
Mariah: Just leave it on my desk. Did you spit in it? You have something you want to say to me?
Comanche: Shades told me about the deal you two got going on with Piranha. I was thinking maybe I could help. I read a lot about stocks when I was inside - about valuations and risks, the benefits of a fixed price offer versus tender, where prices are negotiable. You know, shit like that.
Mariah: You did time with Bernie Madoff?
Comanche: I'm just saying, Ms. Dillard, even if you put it in a three-piece suit, street is still street.

Comanche: If you can't explain the scam to a seven year old, you're probably the one getting scammed.

Luke: I was actually wondering if you might have sold something in one of these recently.
Tilda: Well, yeah. Any time I sell dried herbs, which is many times a day, I usually bag it up in one of those.
Luke: This would have been to a large Jamaican man.
Tilda: Those are half my customers.

Tilda: Do you know where your strength comes from?
Luke: Well, it's a long story, wrapped up in a lot of baggage.
Tilda: Sometimes when we unpack baggage and repack it, it's not as heavy.

Tilda: Even though you are who you are, you might want to get an MRI.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

All I could think while Mariah was typing on her laptop is how I wish I could have a desk with nothing on it. Unfortunately, I can't work without other stuff like pens, post it notes, etc.

Loved that Misty was clearly concerned about Luke but when he asked if he could stay with her for a few days, her response was "HELL NO."

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Cockroach: I've been fighting since I was eight years old. Had to. You know, that's Harlem all day. Survival of the fittest. You know, like Prodigy said.
Luke: That's Charles Darwin, not Mobb Deep, you ignorant bastard.

Foggy: Given my history on the subject, I can't believe I'm even going to say this, but if you're going to fight crime, have you considered wearing a mask?
Luke: I'm 6'3", black, and bulletproof. You think wearing a Lone Ranger mask is going to keep people from figuring out who I am?
Foggy: Maybe. There are people who still think Shock G and Humpty Hump are two different people.
Luke: ...
Foggy: Digital Underground?
Luke: I know who Digital Underground are, Foggy. 
Foggy: Don't look surprised. I've been known to rock a hoodie back in the day.

Mariah: You don't need to be bulletproof to be a superhero. Black women have always had superpowers. Turning pain into progress, nothing into nurture.

Tilda: This is ironic. You're building a foundation for women to protect the legacy of Harlem's biggest madam. All the women that she exploited, the souls she trafficked?
Mariah: Don't you dare disrespect her. Our family fortune was born in a whorehouse. So what? So was jazz. You don't see people protesting outside of Lincoln Center, do you?

Foggy: Hey, I got a possible cash flow solution - high-end personal appearance gig. Easy money.
Luke: I won't do porn. Or escort.
Foggy: Relax, gigolo. The call was for a personal appearance. Selfies, handshakes, maybe lift something heavy.
Luke: Oh, so now I'm Joe Louis greeting people at the casino?
Foggy: Stop being such a baby. Do you know how much Beyoncé got paid to do a bar mitzvah with Destiny's Child a decade ago? A lawyer I clerked for in law school brokered the deal.

Chris: It's a documentary series. We're calling it Bulletproof vs. Beast. Have you clicked the link yet?
Luke: You want me to fight a shark?
Chris: Well, yeah! But we'll save that for the season finale. We'll start you with something smaller first like a a honey badger. You can take a honey badger, right?

Luke: You know anything about this guy?
Foggy: Yeah, he does stocks. Speculation. You know, stuff like that. Hey, if I knew more about money, I wouldn't have five figures in student loans, right?

Piranha: Now, come on, be honest. Tell me what you think. I call this my Luke Cage Hall of Fame.
Luke: Honestly? It's creepy.

Piranha: I'm a big fan. Might even be your biggest. You got shot with those [bullets] at Crispus Attucks, huh?
Luke: How did you get them?
Piranha: Man, every time you do your thing, it's eBay paradise. Instant collectibles.

Piranha: My first office was at Blimpie's on 125th and MLK for the free wi-fi.  I went from taking copies of Black Enterprise from my dentist's office to having a crib and an office bigger than anything Earl Graves could ever dream of.

Comanche: Everything all right up there with you and your lady? Thought you guys would be banging on a bed of $100 bills or some shit.

Comanche: You ain't coming with me? 
Shades: I have to go to a party.
Comanche: The life of the 1%. Tell Jay and Puff I said, "What up?"

Scarfe: Shut up, Dontrell.
Cockroach: Cockroach. Get it right.
Scarfe: So you prefer to be called Cockroach?
Cockroach: Yeah.
Scarfe: Okay.

Foggy: Is that Ghostface Killah?
Luke: Yeah. Method Man wrote a song about me. We kick it from time to time. 
Foggy: I gotta get superpowers.

Drea: It really was an accident.
Misty: What? He accidentally hit you in the eye with a jab instead of an uppercut to the chin?

Tilda: Guns? That's where our money really comes from?
Mariah: Back in the day, dice and coochie then guns. Never drugs.

Mariah: It's better to do a little harm for a whole lot of good than it is to do no harm for jack shit.

Edited July 17, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Some people are definitely don't have the personality to work at parties taking selfies with guests and Luke is one of those people. Initially I thought that Piranha hired Luke so that he could set him up for some other crime (like murder) at the party, but it became clear that he really is an obsessed superfan. What he had Luke do was not fun, but he really crossed the line when he invited his guests to come shoot at Luke. As Luke pointed out, the ricocheting bullets could kill someone else which Piranha, genius that he is, clearly didn't think about.

Loved Foggy trying to talk Luke into taking the gig by asking how much he thought Beyoncé got paid.

I can't wait to see Mariah's reaction when she finds out that Shades and Luke were briefly fighting on the same side. Then again, what could top the look on her face when she saw the three heads?

Loved Scarfe's incredulous response when Dontrell said he'd rather be called Cockroach.

Edited July 17, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kel Varnsen]

On 08/07/2018 at 1:29 PM, PsychoDrone said:

How is that the henchmen haven't caught on yet? Really tired of these guys attacking Luke with knives, crowbars, and/or regular guns like they don't know about him. It's really stupid. Would be nice to see one, or all, of them just back down when he steps to them. What sense does it make to risk bodily harm against someone that is a known powered individual. Seeing it over and over again is the show just being ridiculous.

I got tired of that a few episodes into season 1.

Although I do love that only in a comic book show can you kidnap a guy, threaten him into signing over the real estate he controls, then cut off his head and feed it to fish, and then walk into the club you now own like it is a totally legal transaction and no one even flinches.

[AKA...CJ86]

And today's episode becomes "Shades and Commanche: The Mini-Series".  I'm totally shipping them, now.

When will the goons learn bullets don't work. You think by now the baddies would incorporate that into their Henchman 101 curriculum.

I don't know what Bushmaster is saying half the time, but I love him.  I'm intrigued by the natural/holistic approach to his abilities, along with the chemical agent he used on Cage.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Shades: First rule of business.
Comanche: Never sell the good shit.

Ridenhour: Your gut does not constitute probable cause.

Piranha: [Mariah] wanted to know more about offshore banking and stocks. The crooked legal ways white folk get down when it comes to protecting their green. She's surprising.
Luke: How so?
Piranha: She's bougier than Lawrence Otis Graham, but with the tenacity of Frank Lucas. She's straight gully with her shit.

Ridenhour: Cornell shot people, beat people to death. He threw cats off of rooftops but he always got rid of the bodies, and you know why? Because he feared the law. Those Stylers don't fear a thing.

Luke: How'd you rig the game for Mariah?
Piranha: I just gave her some inside information. What's wrong with that?
Luke: It's illegal.
Piranha: Well, it shouldn't be. I mean, everybody does it. Why they give you the weather conditions before a football game? Give you the injury report? Let you know when a coach is about to be fired? So people can make intelligent decisions on their bets. That's all the information is for. We took the gun sale cash and bought a whole lot of stock, cause I knew that Glenn Industries was going to buy the company which would take their investment and make it-
Luke: Ten times more. Like when 50 had a piece of Vitaminwater before Coca-Cola bought it.

Luke: You're too valuable. You're the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. You're a living, breathing, one man Crispus Attucks ghetto stash house. The best bargaining chip ever.

Piranha: You know, you really suck at this whole "for hire" thing. You realize that, right? I mean, just no professional ethics at all. Just ghetto. Support black business, brother. Shoot. You bulletproof. I'm ghetto-proof. That's some bullshit.

Comanche: What's your plan?
Shades: To live the American dream.
Comanche: I got a loaded gun, a hard dick, and a pocket full of cash. That's the American dream, right?
Shades: There's more than this shit, and you know it. Thousand dollar suits, bitches, champagne. All that shit is cute, but when you have to kill to get it, you're gonna get killed if you keep it. That's karma.
Comanche: That's the life.

Shades: We don't have to be just gangsters. We could be so much more than that.
Comanche: We are more than that. Or did you forget that shit, too?
Shades: Inside was inside. Lack of human interaction. Lack of trust. We did what we had to do to keep from going crazy.
Comanche: We didn't have to do shit. I wanted to. You did, too.
Shades: Life inside is inside. Prison has its own set of rules that no one in the outside world would ever understand. We're out now. It's different. I'm different. We're different.
Comanche: I ain't different. Inside, outside, I am who I am, B. 
Shades: What do you want me to say?
Comanche: Come on, man. Cats out here getting their heads cut off. Maybe we survive. Maybe we don't. I'm just saying how I feel.
Shades: I would die for you, Che. That'll never change.

Comanche: We're wasting our time here.
Shades: No time is ever really wasted. Time reveals all.

Mariah: Everyone I ever loved has betrayed me.

Mariah: If it weren't for Luke Cage, Piranha and everything I own would be long gone. My sworn enemy is the only one I can trust to protect everything I've got left in this world.

Piranha: My mother was one of Mama Mabel's hoes. Her best one.
Luke: You sound proud of that.

Edited July 18, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Awwwww, poor Comanche. Is there anything worse than being told your love was good enough when there were no other options but now that you are both free, it's over? That definitely explains his animosity towards Mariah more than the usual "I hate my boss" stuff.

I loved the Piranha and Luke road trip! Piranha yelling, "That shit was dope!" after Luke rescued him from the Jamaicans was hilarious. Normally I am not interested in the stories of minor characters, but I liked hearing Piranha's backstory.

Bushmaster's uncle is great. I like that, unlike his nephew, he is thinking about their community and how hard people have worked. And as his uncle pointed out, if he wants revenge, just kill Mariah. No need to terrorize innocent people over your need for revenge.

Edited July 18, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Shades: Fear doesn't always inspire. It alienates. Be better than Mama Mabel. Be better than Cornell. Otherwise, you're always gonna be looking over your shoulder.

James: You think you can intimidate me? Just 'cause you're all swole? No, you're still the same angry little boy except you've got muscles.

James: Boy, I don't care how bulletproof you are. I will break my foot off in your ass.
Luke: I'd love to see you try.

Luke: Just because people do the wrong thing doesn't mean they don't need our help.

Luke: You know I've got your back, right? But just so we're clear, when we're out there, what I say goes. I'm not in the market for a, uh sidekick.
Misty: Who says you're not my sidekick?
Luke: Me. It's my show.

Bailey: I appreciate the call, Misty, but you and Cage need to go. It's protocol.
Misty: Bailey, dudes are getting murdered by fish. I think we are way past protocol at this point.

Shades: We gotta find that snitch.
Comanche: That's easy. It's Sugar.
Shades: Sugar?
Comanche: He left and he came back. Sometimes being a father changes people. 
Shades: How long you been eyeing him? 
Comanche: A while. Look, I don't trust him, all right? He's one of those big, sensitive emo niggas, all right? He probably cries watching This Is Us.
Shades: I cry watching This Is Us.

Bushmaster: Life has taught me this. You can't drown sorrow with tears. If you want to erase sorrow, you must burn it. My question is why don't you have more fury? More anger?
Uncle: Because you can't bring Gwen back. Vengeance belong to the Lord.
Bushmaster: Well, the Lord can have it back when I'm done with it.

Luke: The world may be my problem but it's not always my fault.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

RIP Piranha and Comanche. Yes, you were both involved in shady things but I will still miss your characters! I'll miss the captain a lot less. Ooh, so does anyone else know who Tilda's real father is or is Mariah the only one alive who knows now?

Love Misty and Luke being each other's sidekicks. Usually male and female characters are required to hook up or fall in love, so I especially enjoy their platonic relationship.

I can't blame Luke for not being able to forgive his father. It's bad enough that his father didn't believe he was innocent, but to blame him for causing his own mother's cancer? Come on, dude.

Even though Mariah had nothing to do with what happened to Bushmaster's mother, part of me would have been fine with her dying. I knew the show wouldn't kill her off though (and especially not mid-season) so I knew that she would somehow survive.

[Kel Varnsen]

9 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I can't blame Luke for not being able to forgive his father. It's bad enough that his father didn't believe he was innocent, but to blame him for causing his own mother's cancer? Come on, dude.

Even though Mariah had nothing to do with what happened to Bushmaster's mother, part of me would have been fine with her dying. I knew the show wouldn't kill her off though (and especially not mid-season) so I knew that she would somehow survive.

As far as Luke and his dad goes there is also the whole bastard half brother trying to kill you thing.

As for Mariah, do we know for sure she wasn't involved in Bushmaster's mom's death. Alfre Woodard isba lot older than the guy who plays Bushmaster, so if he was a kid when his mom was killed what was she doing?

[AKA...CJ86]

We now conclude "Shade and Commanche: The Mini-Series". I legit was crying... I was totally shipping those two crazy kids. I was hoping they'd somehow scheme and get Mariah's money and run off.  Commanche started out as a character I didn't really care for and grew to one of my favorites this season.

As soon as Bushmaster or his goons mentioned Piranha's name and he must have an affinity for water, fish, or however they put it, I was like, you dead.

Didn't mind the music for once, I thought it at least paired well with Bushmaster. But yeah, usually the music, my couple minutes to zone out.

I totally forgot Stephanie/Billie was in on Bushmaster's plan... and kinda forgot the character altogether until she popped up at the end.

[AKA...CJ86]

I keep waiting for a reveal of some sort for Nandi, or just something, I don't know, maybe she's working for Mariah, maybe Bushmaster... you can take her, and basically Bailey, out of the show and I wouldn't notice.  She seemed to be set up as Misty's rival... and nothing.  All she does is interrupt Misty at integral points in her interrogations... which I mentioned I hoped didn't become a thing, but looks like it did.

[OutOfTheQuestion]

Well, the show heavily implied (or basically outright told us) that Mariah was an alcoholic, so Alfre was likely bringing some of that to the performance.

Quote

I really would have liked if Infinity War had affected things. Now THAT would have been an ending

As much as the Marvel Netflix and film franchises are firmly kept separate, I admit I kept secretly hoping they'd have a surprise tie-in.  Maybe Luke was too busy watching that evening's Harlem's Paradise performer do their soundtrack to help out Iron Man, Dr. Strange, Wong, and Spidey when the spaceship arrived in New York.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Mariah: What did you say to [the police officer]?
Luke: I don't work for you, Mariah.
Mariah: I said I was going to hire you!

Luke: [Is Tilda] okay?
Mariah: You have any kids?
Luke: Are you trying to threaten me again? Don't think for one second that I don't know who you are.
Mariah: Then why did you save me?
Luke: Mostly just to see why Bushmaster hates you as much as I do.

Misty: You should have let that bitch burn.

Tilda: I just want things to go back to being normal.
Luke: With [Mariah], there is no normal, only what's next.

Misty: We'll see what Mariah's fawn has to say for himself.
Mariah: What the hell's a fawn?
Misty: A baby deer. I read somewhere that cougars like to prey on fawns.

Mariah: We don't mess with the help. 
Luke: Didn't stop you with Shades.

Bushmaster: There's a big difference between what's legal and what's righteous.

Misty: There's a lot of folks losing their heads around here lately.
Bushmaster: And arms, too, apparently.

Uncle: I love you, Johnny, like my own son, but love has limits.

Edited July 20, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had to laugh when Mariah's lawyer quit and left Shades in police interrogation with a quick "Good luck!"

I wish Shades hadn't been interrupted by that phone call from Sugar because I would have loved to hear what he was going to tell Comanche's mother.

Mariah's gasp when she found out Ridenhour was dead came off as so fake, but since she was genuinely surprised by the news, I'm chalking that up to Alfre Woodard's acting.

Bushmaster's uncle may be my favorite. He is capable of loving someone but still setting limits and walking away.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What Had Happened Was (Netflix discussion show): Marvel's Luke Cage: Pain To Power

[AKA...CJ86]

I thought it was a nice parallel... Luke and his Father growing together, while Mariah and Tilda fall apart.

I've been waiting for Nandi to contribute something to the overall story aside from annoying Misty.  I'm sure she'll just be arrested, but I hope Misty gives her a well-deserved beatdown.

After her discussion with Ridenhour and how Tilda can never know, I was thinking, well, maybe Ridenhour's her Father... but nope, an ever more deplorable bombshell dropped.  And to finish it all off with I could never love you... that's just cold.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Why do people keep acting like conversations in those interrogation rooms are private? I was not at all surprised to see Nandi lurking behind the mirror eavesdropping, especially after Misty made sure to mention that she had Mariah stashed at the Rand building. So did Nandi get the $3 million bounty from Bushmaster?

When Tilda said that she just needed some of Bushmaster's blood to see what was affecting him, I was like uh, you mean his blood and a medical lab to analyze his blood? Because I'm pretty sure that just staring at a vial of his blood won't get you any answers.

As soon as Mariah asked to see pictures of little Luke, I KNEW she was going to steal James' phone to call Shades. Even so, I loved seeing pictures of young Mike Colter.

Mariah has no right to ask Tilda why she opened her shop in Harlem. Tilda is allowed to open her business any damn place she wants. I was shocked that Mariah confessed that Howard wasn't  Tilda's bio father. The way she made promise Ridenhour never to tell Tilda the truth, I was sure that Mariah was going to take that secret to the grave.

I have rare occasion to say that Mariah was right, but she was definitely right when she questioned whether the police could keep Bushmaster locked up if they couldn't even keep Luke Cage in jail.

James and his Titanic references cracked me up!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Mariah: Why don't you bust through the glass?
Luke: Because I have the code.

Mariah: No way a billionaire knows a jailbird like you. How is it you know Danny Rand?
Luke: Hot yoga. 

Misty: Too many entry points. I still think we would have been safer back at the precinct.
Mariah: You must have lost part of your brain with that arm. Your Harlem cops would jump to claim a mil for taking me down. Shit, I'm surprised you ain't tried to collect. 
Misty: The night's still young.

James: It's been 30 years since I thumped anything harder than a Bible.  But you know something? It felt good.

James: Bulletproof. Tossing grown men around like rag dolls. It's unnatural. But majestic. Maybe magical.
Tilda: Yeah, well they say that magic might just be science that we haven't figured out yet.

Luke: Lady, I am the only reason you're not a chimichanga.

Misty: That smoke inhalation must have damaged your brain. Badge or not, I will whup your old ass!

Misty: Why can't you testify? You have been at the front row of all this since it started. Your eyes have to be worth something. 
Luke: Black. Vigilante. Ex-con. Doesn't play well in court. Even though I was exonerated. The black negates everything else.

Mariah: Harlem doesn't need a hero. It needs a queen.

James: When you find someone who's going to make room for you on the door when the ship goes down, that's a rose you cultivate.
Luke: There you go again with that movie. It's been years. Let it go, man.
James: I can't let it go.

Luke: It's not the first time [Tilda] worked her magic. Maybe there's a science to it.
James: Science? Magic? God? That power flows from within. From inside. What comes out when that pressure is heaviest? That's the real magic. That's what defines being a man. That's what defines being a hero.

Sheldon: The word is out. Three million a head for Mariah and Tilda.
Bushmaster: And still no bite? I could find Tupac alive for that.

Bushmaster: Luke Cage! Let me reason with you! Mad respect, yeah? You're a hard man to kill! You can't burn. You can't drown. So why fight? Before someone you care about gets killed, just give me who I came for. You and your pa can go home. Misty, too. I just want Mariah Stokes. No one has to war tonight. You know who she is. The devil made flesh. Give me Mariah Stokes and let me do what you won't! Make your choice. But make it fast.
Misty: You seeing another way out of this?
Luke: The man does have a point. 
James: Carl. You can't. 
Misty: Shit.
Luke: Why not? After all she's done. All the pain she's caused. The misery. The death. Why shouldn't I throw her through that window and give Bushmaster what he wants? Huh? Tell me, Mariah, what would you do if the roles were reversed?
Mariah: I'd have thrown your ass to the dogs the minute they started barking.

Edited July 21, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Torre: See, you ain't using your powers right.
Luke: Excuse me?
Torre: If I was bulletproof and strong, I'd be running shit. I'd be like, "Either you bend a knee or you lay down, bitch." And if they didn't? Dracarys! Like straight flames for them niggas.
Luke: State Property and Game of Thrones do not mix.
Torre: Nah, when you high, that shit sounds right.

Luke: I feel like a fireman. Always putting out fires. Never enough water.
DW: You're a black man trying to make a difference. No black man has ever stepped forward in service without sacrifice.
Luke: You know what? That was halfway deep.

Danny: Bushmaster.
Luke: Yeah. That's my fight, not yours.
Danny: When someone comes after my friends, I make it my fight.
DW: "I make it my fight." This white boy got swagger, yo. 
Luke: He's got to. He calls himself the Immortal Iron Fist.
DW: Yo, that's hot! This cat understands the power of a brand. 
Danny: See? Finally somebody gets it.

Danny: I became the Fist when I defeated Shou-Lao. It's a dragon.
DW: Wait! Time out. You fought Bruce Lee? You don't look that old.

Danny: Look, Harlem is a part of the city, right? And we agreed to defend Manhattan.
Luke: No. Harlem is Harlem.

Anansi: Your grandfather was a slave.
Mariah: Buggy Stokes was freer than you will ever be.
Anansi: That's the problem with you Yankees. You didn't have the strength to fight your masters then. You're lazy. You're content with the scraps. You're happy to sing and dance for them.
Mariah: Oh, please. Every Jamaican talks that Maroon bullshit. What, y'all didn't get your freedom What? 1962. And then you got enslaved by the World Bank. All you're known for is Marley, marijuana and murder.

Anansi: I'll tell you like I tell [Bushmaster]. When one seek vengeance, he must dig two graves.
Mariah: That's not enough holes for me.

Luke: So you opened a head shop, huh?
Turk: Hey, I followed the money, baby. Colorado. California. Washington. My cousin started this shit. We're making so much money selling legal gear to all the dispensaries, I haven't done any crooked shit in months.
Luke: So why'd I have to go through all this drama to find you?
Turk: I have a reputation to uphold. Being nefarious is good for business.

Misty: Has that ever even happened before?
Ridley: We now live in a world with bulletproof black men, Mercedes. There's no such thing as precedent.

Danny: As you think, so you shall become. 
Luke: Hmm, Claire again? 
Danny: Nah. Well, close. Bruce Lee. 
Luke: Yeah, yeah. DW's gonna like that one. Definitely going on a T-shirt.

Luke: Hey, look, man, between me and you, that dragon that you fought that was metaphorical, right? It wasn't actually real?
Danny: Man, I don't get you. You can accept that you're bulletproof, right? And you can accept that my hand, it glows? But you can't accept a dragon?
Luke: Hell no.

Edited July 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kel Varnsen]

I don't believe it, that was an actual great episode, and one end with Danny Rand in it which is even more shocking. The fight scene at the grow op was great. And Danny and Luke worked well together. At the end of Defenders I said they should just scrap their solo series and make a heroes for hire series instead. If they could make one like this episode I would be all foe it.

Even Mariah's storyline was amped up and in a way I liked. The only small thing that bugged me was why the cops didn't arrest her. In exchange for TN her immunity deal she admitted to a cop to selling Hammer tech weapons to Bushmaster. With the immunity off the table arrest her for that.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I found it weird that after everything that Mariah and her people have done, Sugar drew the line at taking Anansi back to Gwen's to kill him.

Shades seemed pretty disturbed by what ended up happening at the restaurant, and I can't blame him,, but again, considering everything he's done (including killing his best friend who he was in love with) and everything he knows that Mariah has done, THIS is what freaked him out?

I wasn't surprised that Mariah had Stephanie killed once she figured out that she was the traitor though. She was not going to let that slide.

I didn't watch Iron Fist so I had no feelings about Danny either way, but I loved that he was wearing the Sweet Xmas hoodie when he and Luke were walking around town. I also loved when Luke asked if the dragon was metaphorical and Danny pointed out that Luke believes he's bulletproof and that Danny has a glowing fist but somehow a dragon is too far?

Yay, Connie! I love that even though Luke got her last place blown up, she still offered to rent him another place.

If Misty gets promoted, is there a way for her to let Luke keep doing this thing? Like could she hire him as a police consultant? Or would she officially have to disavow his vigilante actions?

Edited July 22, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kel Varnsen]

13 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 I also loved when Luke asked if the dragon was metaphorical and Danny pointed out that Luke believes he's bulletproof and that Danny has a glowing fist but somehow a dragon is too far?

I thought that was good, although it would have been funnier if Danny had said that Colleen finally told him about The Incident and giant alien worms coming out of the sky in Midtown and asked Luke how that is much different than a dragon. Because I still want to know if anyone told Danny about that, or if he is like Kimmy Schmidt not knowing about 9/11.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Mariah: This is biometric black James Bond shit.

Misty: I don't want Mariah slipping through any loopholes. I want her dead to rights.
Luke: Yeah, I just want her dead.
Misty: This is an open phone, Luke!

Reporter: Are there any suspects?
Misty: None that I care to alert by answering that question.

Shades: You really are a crazy-ass bitch.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 6/27/2018 at 7:10 AM, RainbowBrite said:

I'm not sure if we're supposed to, but at this point I totally support Bushmaster's vendetta (not the casualties it has caused).

When Luke said he couldn't let Mariah and Bushmaster kill each other, I was like WHY NOT? At least if the two of them attacked each other directly instead of targeting innocent people, there wouldn't be any additional collateral damage.

I really can't blame Bushmaster for hating the Stokes family. They stole his father's half of the business, they refused to give an inch in negotiations, they burned his mother alive, Mabel basically laughed in his face as he watched his home burn to the ground, and then they went back a few years later and shot him. Even though Mariah wasn't directly involved with any of those things, she has been pretty terrible and caused death and destruction in Harlem, and she thinks that opening community services somehow erases all the shitty things that she and her family have done.

[Taryn74]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

When Luke said he couldn't let Mariah and Bushmaster kill each other, I was like WHY NOT? At least if the two of them attacked each other directly instead of targeting innocent people, there wouldn't be any additional collateral damage.

I really can't blame Bushmaster for hating the Stokes family. They stole his father's half of the business, they refused to give an inch in negotiations, they burned his mother alive, Mabel basically laughed in his face as he watched his home burn to the ground, and then they went back a few years later and shot him. Even though Mariah wasn't directly involved with any of those things, she has been pretty terrible and caused death and destruction in Harlem, and she thinks that opening community services somehow erases all the shitty things that she and her family have done.

Totally agree! 

The more we learn about the Stokes family, the more horrible they become.  They were some pretty awful people.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Mariah: Thank you for joining me on such short notice.
Hong: The last time you called a meeting, my brother Peter got a bullet to the head.
Mariah: Oh, good Lord. Diamondback was a plague on us all.
Izqueda: Now it's Bushmaster.
Carbone: Funny how all these plagues begin and end with you.
Mariah: Are you calling me God?
Carbone: I'm calling you a pebble in my shoe.

Bushmaster: You realize Mariah is behind all this, yeah? All to destroy my name. You must protect your name.
Luke: Yeah. That's about the first thing you and I agreed on. Bushmaster: Poisoning the children. Now you see why Babylon must burn. First them. Then her.
Luke: Why don't you kill each other, get it over with so I can get some goddamn sleep? How many more people have to die?
Bushmaster: Anyone who gets in the way.

Luke: I saved you twice. I won't do it a third time.
Mariah: There ain't no deception like self-deception.

Mariah: Of course, you're going to save me. You are my dark chocolate Boy Scout. It's what I love about our relationship.
Luke: There is no relationship. I hate you.
Mariah: It's the hate that makes it great.

Misty: What about Chico? Did you guys shoot up Pop's barber shop to get to him?
Shades: There's rules to this shit. Pop's was Switzerland. Everybody loved him. One of Cottonmouth's guys, Tone, was reckless. When he found out Chico was there, he lit the place up. I couldn't stop him in time.
Dunbar: It mentions Luke Cage was there. He was present?
Shades: Yeah. Incognito. He shielded some kid or something.
Patricia: That kid was my son.
Shades: Well, then you should be ecstatic. Cottonmouth was so pissed off with Pop's death that he took that punk, Tone, and threw him off the roof of Harlem's Paradise. He screamed all the way down like a little bitch. That shit was perfect.
Patricia: I have to recuse myself from this case. Mr. Alvarez, you are a piece of garbage. I hope you burn in hell.
Shades: Is my proffer still good?
Misty: Yes.
Shades: Then I don't need your sorry ass. Bounce. Don't let that door hit you.

Shades: I was on my way there to kill him myself. Mariah beat me to it. I get there right as she picked up the mic stand and bashed his head in. You know, I can't front. I was proud of her.

Mariah: You been crying?
Shades: Allergies. I'm allergic to bullshit.

Edited August 4, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Ottis]

On 6/26/2018 at 3:21 AM, Spaceman Spiff said:

but I don't think JJ S2 mentioned any of that stuff once, it was all still just Kilgrave this and Kilgrave that.

Granted, I only watched JJ S2 until ep 8 and then quit because it was incredibly boring and uninteresting, but ... Kilgrave wasn't part of it, was he? Maybe a mention now and then of last season, but as far as I could tell there was no villain once her mom became her mom. Sorry for the diversion.

On 7/5/2018 at 11:31 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Hate to say it but half the time I can barely understand what Bushmaster says. He could ease up on the accent a bit, IMO. Or the show could provide subtitles. (At which point they'd probably get accused of racism...)

I watch all these Marvel shows with subtitles on for everything, because there is *a lot* of whispering and mumbling. So I can read what Busghmaster says, but the language itself is a big pidgeon so you have to get used to it even if you read the words.

For someone who mostly seems portrayed as bright, Tilda entirely missed what was going on with her mom and Shades/Comanche when she came in to fake chide Mariah for "putting me on the spot." There is clearly some shady (pun intended) stuff going on with her mom, and Tilda is missing or ignoring it.

[coppersin]

On ‎7‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 12:56 AM, millennium said:

I got the feeling that Rosario Dawson bailed on the production midway, or maybe had a better project to work on, because Luke not telling Claire to go home to her face was a major fail from a dramatic standpoint.   I suspect they had to do it because Rosario simply wasn't available.

I suspect the writers sent Claire to Havana for the same reason Bobby went to California as an organ donor: to take away Luke's moral compass. Maybe he would've ended up in the same place, but I don't think it would've happened as easily with either of them around to keep him grounded. IIRC his dad has left NY too because he asked Luke to come with him. By the end of the series, Luke had lost most of his support system.

[Taryn74]

1 hour ago, coppersin said:

I suspect the writers sent Claire to Havana for the same reason Bobby went to California as an organ donor: to take away Luke's moral compass. Maybe he would've ended up in the same place, but I don't think it would've happened as easily with either of them around to keep him grounded. IIRC his dad has left NY too because he asked Luke to come with him. By the end of the series, Luke had lost most of his support system.

Interesting observation!

[Kel Varnsen]

I am really liking how in this season it is more like Luke stuck in the middle of things and less people attacking him directly. Makes his powers less of a factor. And th at fight in the drug factory was awesome.

Although I found it hilarious that in a world of flying cars and arc reactors,wearing a wire means having an actual giant ass wired microphone taped to your torso.

also found it hilarious that Mariah killed her cousin, took over his business but kept the giant picture of Biggie in case she might ever need it.

[AKA...CJ86]

I need a Luke/Danny Heroes For Hire Power Hour... now! The warehouse fight, probably the best, well, at least my favorite of the Netflix series. And I lived for Danny in the Sweet Xmas shirt.

Another fracture between Shades and Mariah, seems like we've had a couple. Maybe this time Shades finally decides to bolt... or Mariah kills him.  I'm kinda fifty-fifty who does what. I'm putting my bet on Shades wanting to bolt, Mariah finds out, and she takes him out.

So, the Aunt's not dead right, she was just smacked by Shades, and playing dead, or knocked out? Maybe. We never saw her actually hit/shot after Shades smacked her.

Nandi. I totally thought, oh, it is just as boring as I thought... they'll just arrest her. And smack Misty VS Nandi fight. Gold. Just surprised it wasn't stretched out until the end, heck, or even something for a future season setting Nandi as an antagonist of some sort.

[Kel Varnsen]

On 7/1/2018 at 10:43 AM, FishyJoe said:

So the bottom line is that cops are useless and if you can't beat criminals, join them.

The cops were useless. How do you not figure out that Mariah is the one calling the shots to murder her associates and realize that it is going through her lawyer. If he is part of the criminal business there is no more attorney client privilege. 

Interesting to see where they go with Luke a s big boss. Having him stuck in the middle of things this season was a lot more interesting than everyone trying to kill him last season. And I loved the use of The Big Payback and Redemption Song.

The only thing I didn't get was why was Tilda pissed off about the will. Changing your last name to Johnson would be kind of pointless if you still own Harlem's Paradise.

also what happened on November 9th that was the last time DW felt weird?

[coppersin]

17 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

also what happened on November 9th that was the last time DW felt weird?

 Trump was elected on Nov 8th, it's probably a reference to that.

[AKA...CJ86]

I'm 100% behind Bushmaster at this point. 

So, Mariah's awful... what else is new... and now in the drug game. Shades leaves and... runs to Misty? Part of me hopes he's legit, but I can't help but think he'll have a con on Misty.

[Ottis]

On 6/24/2018 at 1:30 PM, peridot said:

I didn't even suspect Shades and Comanche were lovers!  I felt bad for Comanche when Shades just dismissed what was between them in prison.

Neither did I, though I kept wondering why Comanche felt so emboldened to talk the way he did to Shades and Mariah. "I'm not afraid of you?" to Mariah? Where did that come from? Now we know.

On 7/7/2018 at 11:54 AM, Taryn74 said:

Is it wrong that I kinda love Piranha?  If it is, I don't wanna be right.  I was really upset when I thought Luke wasn't going to get to him in time.

You're not wrong! It's hard not to find him appealing as he is basically every Kevin Hart character, and Hart's characters are in comedies and generally endearing. I did like when the injured Piranha talked quietly about his life with Luke. That made him much more real, and got beneath all the bluster.

I don't understand Mariah. Is she a criminal who cares for her community, or is one of the other of those positions not who she is? She seems scared and insecure a lot of the time.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Ottis

[Dobian]

Why does it always feel like there are five cops in all of Harlem?  No wonder why they have so many crime problems!

[AKA...CJ86]

So begins Tilda's descent into becoming a Stoke's... I mean, right?

Warehouse fight... awesome... I could totally live with Luke Cage & Bushmaster: Heroes For Hire, I need it now!

I guess I put too much stock in Misty wanting the gun, I didn't think they'd go the obvious with Shades and a wire.

[AKA...CJ86]

I enjoyed it... most of all because there was no character like Diamondback. When I finish one these Marvel Netflix shows, I'm usually in the I liked them in the order they came out, but for 2018, so far I've loved Seasons Two for Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.

Tilda became her Mother... and her reaction to the will kinda proved that.  If your done with your Mother, why would you want her roost.

Seeing what Luke has become, it was definitely a bittersweet ending. The Tell Claire to leave broke my heart a bit.

Next season, Tilda is set up as some sort of thorn in Luke's side, and him trying not being a crime lord, but he's totally being a crime lord... and that last part, that's kinda what I want to see the most.

I found the ending with everyone at the concert a bit cheesy.

[Dobian]

After watching this one I really want Mariah do die horrifically at the end of this season.  I don't care what kind of delicious villain she is to keep around to torment Luke in future seasons, she needs to go now.  She's gone way over the line.  I don't care who does it, whether it's Tilda, Misty, Bushmaster, or Luke.  Though I would put my money on Shades.  Please gank the bitch, Shades.  I'll love you forever.

Edited July 28, 2018 by Dobian

[LilJen]

On ‎7‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 9:08 PM, CyberJawa1986 said:

And today's episode becomes "Shades and Commanche: The Mini-Series".  I'm totally shipping them, now.

When will the goons learn bullets don't work. You think by now the baddies would incorporate that into their Henchman 101 curriculum.

I don't know what Bushmaster is saying half the time, but I love him.  I'm intrigued by the natural/holistic approach to his abilities, along with the chemical agent he used on Cage.

I kept thinking, "You guys probably paid good money for all that ammo. what a waste!"

[DearEvette]

I just finished watching this.  Overall I liked it better than season 1.  First half of S1 with Cottonmouth was great.  But as soon as we got Diamondback the show got cartoony and not is a good way.  DBack was just a bad villain and he took the whole show down.

This one started slow but I think as the show progressed it got much more interesting until it ended on an intriguing note.  It helps that it made Mariah a straight up human monster.  No fancy name, no weird special FX, just a woman who became increasingly corrupted by her own power and madness.  Also that Bushmaster was a rather sympathetic villain as well.  I always enjoy a show more when the antagonist has real motives that go beyond just being generic evil or having megalomaniac tendencies.

One thing I did roll my eyes at was how quickly Mariah adjusted to the brutality and rose up the power structure in prison.  I mean, what hardened, long time prisoner who has clawed her way up the top of a power pyramid in prison is gonna be so stupid to just hand Mariah a shiv?  And there was no other badder bitch waiting in the wings to take over in case that one fell?  And Mariah changing her will so quickly even though she hadn't actually realized she been poisoned yet just struck me as a bit too convenient.  Oh well.

I thought this season did better by Misty overall as well.  Loved the way she looked in that last scene, her hair was pure Awesome!  She looked very Nefertiti like in that entire get up.  As a matter of fact, Tilda also looked gorgeous in that last scene.

My ear is attuned to Jamaican speech pattern/accent so I had no issues understanding.  But I have CC on anyway because we watch a lot of British shows and the variety of accents on those shows make understanding what people are saying difficult as well.  Even with the CC though they used a lot of patois and some of it you could get from context e.g. "bomboclaat" is spat as a curse, but some might be missed  e.g. "bredren" dropped casually in a sentence.