Line #57 Recap/LukeCage2016S1E6SuckasNeedBodyguards


1	Since standing up to Cottonmouth, Luke Cage has gained a reputation throughout New York City, to the point that [[Series/JessicaJones2015 Trish Walker]] is doing a segment about him on ''Trish Talk'', which Luke listens to on his morning jog.
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3	Meanwhile, at a warehouse in Queens, Cottonmouth meets with Scarfe to get back the guns he had Scarfe remove from evidence. Scarfe has other ideas, however. With Internal Affairs cracking down on him, he demands $100,000 before he'll hand the guns over to Cottonmouth, money he knows Cottonmouth doesn't have. Cottonmouth ponders the idea, then after a moment, makes clear what he thinks of it by attacking Scarfe. After a struggle, he manages to commandeer Scarfe's gun, and shoots him multiple times with it. He drives off, leaving a critically wounded Scarfe lying by his car.
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5	In Harlem, Mariah is doing a pre-taped segment for an interview she'll be conducting on WJBP for Thembi Wallace about her housing project developments. Luke accosts her after she finishes filming, to warn her that he's coming after her with everything he's got.
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7	Luke eats breakfast with Bobby Fish at the A Train Diner, while discussing the events of the last few weeks. They both concur that Pop's needs to be kept open for the sake of the community. Bobby floats the idea that Luke could become a Giants player, or make a career running around as a vigilante in Harlem. Luke entertains the idea, once Bobby proposes a potential slogan he could market with.
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9	Mariah is furious with Cottonmouth for shooting Scarfe. Even his excuse for what happened doesn't pacify her. It's clear that she's paranoid about the blowback that will come if Scarfe is found and talks, since she'll be caught up in it. Once reassured that the guns are being delivered to Domingo as promised, she turns the talk over to Luke Cage and the threat he poses. She suggests that he find alternate means to kill Luke, since bullets don't do anything on him.
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11	After Mariah leaves, Cottonmouth calls Lieutenant Perez, who is in his office at the 29th Precinct. Perez warns him that the police are scrambling as try to find where Scarfe might have gone, as he's managed to flee the area where the shooting happened. Cottonmouth is relieved when told that Scarfe was a lone wolf, but won't be able to relax until Scarfe is found.
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13	Luke's breakfast with Bobby is interrupted when Claire arrives. Bobby dismisses himself and allows Claire to take his place in Luke's booth. The two exchange pleasantries as Claire touches base to see how Luke is doing. She's still impressed Luke managed to pull through from getting shot point-blank by Jessica, a wound that should have killed him easily. Having heard about his heroics, she wonders if Luke could put his talents to use helping out the community.
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15	At the precinct, a manhunt is ordered by Misty's captain in an attempt to locate Scarfe. After giving a debriefing, Captain Audrey and Perez take Misty aside and grill her to see if she knows anything about why Scarfe was at the warehouse alone. Her answers don't do anything to dissuade Captain Audrey.
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17	Meanwhile, Luke and Claire return to Pop's Barbershop, still talking about Luke's deeds. Upon arriving, Luke realizes something is off as the front door is unlocked. Entering the shop, he notices a trail of blood. Following it into the backroom, they find Scarfe, bleeding profusely, leaning against the washing machine. Scarfe begs for them to not call the cops or Misty, too ashamed to let her see him in this state. With the amount of blood he's lost, Claire leaps into action, realizing they need to get the bullets out of him.
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19	While Misty goes with Perez to check out Scarfe's apartment for evidence of his wherabouts, Luke and Claire get Scarfe into one of the barbershop chairs, and Claire extracts the bullet from his leg. Deliriously, Scarfe admits to everything he's done for Cottonmouth lately, including killing Chico. At the mention of Chico's name, Luke snaps and nearly chokes Scarfe to death, only to stop when Claire pulls him away. Frustrated, Luke prepares to leave. Desperate, Scarfe begins talking, and begins to reveal everything else he knows about the operation, including how Cottonmouth disappears murder victims at Spurlock's, along with the fact he's made notes on murder investigations he's sabotaged to cover Cottonmouth's tracks. All the incriminating information is on a ledger he keeps under the floorboards in his apartment.
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21	Luke makes his way to Scarfe's apartment, not noticing Misty and Perez parked outside in their car, watching in case he comes back. He breaks the door handle and forces his way into Scarfe's apartment, where he finds the ledger. He is just about to leave when Misty comes up with Perez, having noticed the ajar door and come to investigate. Luke escapes by jumping out a window into a nearby alley, and running off. He quickly returns to the barbershop and informs Claire and Scarfe that they need to leave before the cops track them down.
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23	Luke and Claire decide that the best course of action is to take Scarfe downtown to One Police Plaza, away from the influence of the 29th Precinct, where they can hand him off to the district attorney, and get round-the-clock protection for Scarfe until he can testify against Cottonmouth. They do so by using a delivery van loaned to them by Claire's mother. With Luke driving, they make their way through the streets, narrowly missing several police checkpoints. Unbeknownst to them, Perez has tipped off Cottonmouth about what's happened at Scarfe's apartment, and Cottonmouth has ordered his men to sweep the streets.
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25	While all this is going on, Mariah is doing her TV interview with Thembi Wallace. The interview starts pleasantly, with Thembi asking some questions first about her rivalry with fellow councilman Damon Boone, and about the housing projects. However, things turn south when Thembi begins to grill Mariah about much shadier topics, specifically her connections to organized crime, and the recent attack on her offices at Crispus Attucks. Mariah ends the interview, claiming Thembi is trying to use the incident to bring her down and smear her, and has Alex remove the camera crew from the brownstone.
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27	Luke, Claire, and Scarfe are eventually spotted in the Bowery by some of Cottonmouth's men. After a lengthy chase, they ditch the van and begin making their way through an adjacent building. After a lengthy game of cat-and-mouse, Luke is able to defeat all of the henchmen, taking out the last ones just as Misty arrives, having just figured out that Perez is dirty. Unfortunately, it's too late to save Scarfe, who lasts a few minutes longer before expiring in Misty's arms.
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29	With Scarfe dead, the police raid Harlem's Paradise and arrest Cottonmouth. Misty cuffs him using Scarfe's handcuffs, then leaves two uniformed cops to perp walk Cottonmouth out of the club. The news also makes it to Thembi's camera crew, who haven't yet finished clearing their camera equipment from Mariah's brownstone. Thembi rushes in and tries to get a comment from Mariah about Cottonmouth's arrest. Alex quickly steps in and escorts them out, leaving Mariah to panic over the impending fallout.
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31	Their work done, Luke and Claire make their way back to Harlem, with Claire complimenting Luke about his powers. She suggests he could be doing more with them, and he could also use a new hoodie.
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33	At the precinct, not everything is upbeat and optimistic, as Misty finds out when Captain Audrey comes out of a meeting with several of the brass from downtown. Apparently, they're considering letting Cottonmouth go, as they're too scared of the headlines, especially now, one year after so many cops were found to be in Wilson Fisk's pocket.
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35	----
36	!! Tropes in this episode include:
37	* TheAlcoholic: Mariah is drinking very profusely while reaming out Cottonmouth in his office.
38	* ArtisticLicensePhysics: Luke stops a speeding car. Problem is, strong or not, he still only weighs about 220 and the car a couple of tons. He's not Superman, he's Power Man.
39	* FiveFiveFive: During Mariah's live interview, the number on the bottom of the screen is 1-800-555-0199, using an 800 number due to all the different area codes in New York City.
40	* BigDamnHeroes: The SUV is about to run down Claire and Scarfe [[PedestrianCrushesCar when it slams into Luke Cage]].
41	* BridalCarry: Luke has to hoist Scarfe like this to move him from the barbershop chair to the delivery van.
42	* BrokenBase: [[invoked]] The ''Trish Talk'' segment we hear Luke listening to on his jog has Trish commenting on the divided opinions people have on Luke. [[NiceGuy Those who know him personally have more favorable opinions than those who don't.]]
43	* CallBack
44	** Claire jogs Luke's memories by mentioning how [[Recap/JessicaJones2015S1E13AKASmile she saved his life after Jessica shot him]], and the episode begins with Luke listening to Trish Walker on the radio as he jogs.
45	** During the ''Trish Talk'' segment, Trish responds to one caller suggesting, "Well the next time trouble comes bangin' at your door, maybe you should call Luke Cage instead of 911!" by saying, "[[Recap/JessicaJones2015S1E3AKAItsCalledWhiskey You know what, Sophia? I just might.]]"
46	** Scarfe's death and the fallout from it lead Misty's captain to remark that the NYPD are afraid of the impending headlines about police corruption; how this is basically a repeat of [[Series/Daredevil2015 Wilson Fisk]].
47	* CaughtOnTape: Misty tricks Perez into admitting he works for Cottonmouth by faking a phone call from Scarfe and recording Perez's defensive and angry response.
48	* ContinuityNod: Claire remind Luke of who she is, giving that most of the time Luke was unconscious.
49	* ContinuitySnarl: Possibly. UsefulNotes/BarackObama is mentioned in the episode, despite the fact that in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse Matthew Ellis is established as being the president of the United States, at least during the events of ''Film/IronMan3'' (Christmas 2012) and season 3 of ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' And while it's possible Obama may have still been president at another point or be currently running for office (or may not have been president at all but still a well-known political figure), we see a picture in season 2 of Piranha Jones posing with him.
50	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Scarfe had a son, and Misty has genuine affection for him and weeps over his death.
51	* FatalFlaw: Mariah points out that even if Luke Cage is bulletproof, it doesn't mean he's invulnerable. Can he be drowned, poisoned, threatened via a woman he cares about?
52	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Cottonmouth points out that Mariah telling him how to go after Luke means she's starting to sound an awful lot like Mama Mabel, the role she'll take on in the back half of this season and the second.
53	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: On the back of the van used to carry Scarfe is the words ''Catering For All Occasions''.
54	* HealItWithFire: Claire sterilizes her tweezers with a lighter flame before using it to remove a bullet.
55	* HesDeadJim: Complaining about [[ImColdSoCold the cold]], and saying he needs to see a close relative who's been established as already dead in close proximity to each other, are the death knells for Rafael Scarfe.
56	* HistoryRepeats: Misty's captain mentions such after Cottonmouth's perp walk:
57	-->'''Captain Audrey:''' Cowards.\
58	'''Misty Knight:''' What's going on?\
59	'''Captain Audrey:''' They're [the brass] afraid of the headlines. [[Series/Daredevil2015 Police corruption. A crime boss who's related to a prominent city councilwoman]]. And the only person to tie it all together is a corrupt cop, a dead one at that.\
60	'''Misty Knight:''' Then I'll be the one to tie it together.\
61	'''Captain Audrey:''' You're on the wrong side of the glass for that, baby girl. First Fisk, then Cottonmouth. This is ''huge''. But they're over there. And we're right here.
62	* HopeSpot: Cottonmouth's been arrested, his cousin's under the magnifying glass, one corrupt cop's dead, another is under arrest, and Luke is starting to relax and grow into his role as a hero. But the police brass are afraid of police corruption backlash and Misty is the only who can tie Cottonmouth to the councilwoman.
63	* INeedAFreakingDrink: The strain of Scarfe getting shot prompts Mariah to pour herself a glass of liquor.
64	* InternalReveal: Scarfe admits to Chico's murder while bleeding out in the barbershop chair.
65	* IOwnThisTown: Councilwoman Mariah Dillard says, "[[IAmTheNoun I am Harlem]]," only to be asked [[ArmorPiercingQuestion which Harlem she represents]] and reminded of her [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections shady family connections]].
66	* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Luke approaches Mariah while she's preparing for an interview and calls her a "criminal spinster."
67	-->'''Mariah Dillard:''' Who you callin' a spinster? I'd wear your narrow ass ''out''.
68	* ImmoralJournalist + IntrepidReporter: Thembi's interview with Mariah bounces between these because, yes, she's speaking truth to power, but she doesn't actually have anything on Mariah other than family connections and insinuations. Further, Thembi ambushes Mariah in the middle of the interview with these insinuations rather than doing serious digging, which is the sort of thing that could tank an interview journalist's career since, while it would get good ratings once, it would guarantee you never get another interview again.
69	* JumpedAtTheCall: Luke is reluctant to see himself as a hero, and is considering leaving once Cottonmouth is dealt with. Claire in contrast has deliberately sought out Luke and has a clear idea on how he can use his powers to help people.
70	* MamaBear: What Claire's mom threatens to kill Luke if Claire should get even a scratch. "I don't care how bulletproof you are."
71	* MythologyGag: Luke turns down the suggestion that he might become a hero for hire.
72	* NotADate: Luke asks Claire out for coffee, only for Claire to bluntly say she's not sleeping with him, having already worked out that he doesn't drink coffee.
73	* OhCrap: Mariah Dillard gets two. The first is when Thembi Wallace brings controversial footage of her ties with the Stokes family plus the missing campaign money, and then a second when Cottonmouth is [[PerpWalk perp-walked]].
74	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Scarfe used to have a baby son named Earl, until one night when Scarfe accidentally forgot to lock up his off-duty weapon, and Earl subsequently managed to shoot himself with it.
75	* PerpWalk: How Cottonmouth is escorted out of Harlem's Paradise by uniformed and ESU cops, wearing Scarfe's handcuffs.
76	* PlotTailoredToTheParty: Claire Temple turns up just when her medical expertise is needed. This time however it's for a third party instead of a superhero.
77	* SadClown: Because of Earl's death, Scarfe jokes a lot but rarely smiles.
78	* SincerityMode: Desperate for Luke's help, Scarfe confesses to his corruption and even the murder of Chico. Luke nearly chokes him on the spot before Claire talks him down; even then he's going to walk out on Scarfe until he mentions he has the evidence that can bring down Cottonmouth.
79	* StartOfDarkness: It's hinted that Scarfe, who now lives alone, stumbled into becoming a dirty cop after his son's accidental death destroyed his family.
80	* SympathyForTheDevil: Scarfe was dirty, a murderer, but Misty is still broken up when her partner dies.
81	* TemptingFate: Mariah doesn't want another fluff piece. She gets her wish when her interviewer ambushes her with questions about her criminal family.
82	* ThereWasADoor:
83	** When Luke is trapped in Scarfe's apartment, he escapes by jumping out the window and relying on his indestructible nature to survive the fall.
84	** Gangbangers have the van trapped in a dead end and empty their guns into it. On opening the van doors however, they find Luke has torn a hole in both the van and the wall next to it.
85	* TooDumbToLive: Trying to put the squeeze on a crime lord with a HairTriggerTemper who is already upset and in danger of losing everything is a very bad idea, as Scarfe learns the hard way.
86	* {{Unperson}}: Probably because she's his partner, Misty's the only one Scarfe has ever told about the tragedy of his late son. When Perez finds a baby photo of Earl in Scarfe's apartment, he seems to think that it's Scarfe himself until Misty explains.
87	* VillainousBreakdown: When Scarfe taunts him over how Luke has destroyed his reputation, Cottonmouth attacks him in public, wrests Scarfe's gun away from him, and shoots him.
88	* WeHaveToGetTheBulletOut: Claire has to cut into Scarfe's side to remove the bullet lodged there.
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Context Recap / LukeCage2016S1E6SuckasNeedBodyguards