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Edited by Mrph1 on Jul 29th 2024 at 3:09:00 PM
Huh. So I guess Ego's Adaptation Species Change also applies to the other Elders of the Universe.
edited 25th Aug '17 11:13:43 PM by MapleSamurai
It actually seems more like the Collector and Grandmaster are still the Elders of the Universe, ie. ancient survivors of races which may be otherwise extinct (or who were wholly unique, in Ego's case) but aren't necessarily the same species, and Celestial is just being used as a broad term for any of the various older, more powerful individuals of the cosmic MCU. I think they've mentioned Thanos is a Celestial, too, as opposed to an Eternal, so I think it's more of a role or title than a species.
I've read the comics, so I can't say I'm surprised. Marvel seems to be compositing the Elders of the Universe and the Celestials, probably because the latter sounds cooler. The Collector will presumably be revealed to be a Celestial as well.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Luke Cage, Episode 4.
So this episode opens on the devastation from Cornell's RPG last episode, and I am legitimately amazed at the show of force here. This was a bigger, bolder move than Fisk ever made. It really shows just how untouchable Cornell believes himself to be, that he would not only do this, but do it in person.
This isn't just crime. This is a military-grade assault in an American city. A lot of people are dead right now. Cornell's going to have federal counter-terrorist groups breathing down his neck over this. There's going to be news stories and rampant speculations. Fox News is going to declare it to be Islamic terrorists until proven otherwise.
The show of force here is insane. And he did it in person. He is directly connected to a crime that, if convicted, will put him away for life if not outright sending him to lethal injection; I don't know New York's policy on the death penalty.
Point is, the level of confidence he must have in his ability to evade the law is phenomenal.
On another note, I like the tension that this predicament puts Luke under. I mentioned before that they'd probably find ways to threaten him later, and they delivered here. The RPG knocked him unconscious and dumped a building on him, but the big threat here is air quality. There may not be a replenishable supply of oxygen in the collapse where he's at, and what oxygen there is, is contaminated.
Luke is breathing aerosolized concrete right now. We learned a lot about this in the wake of 9/11. Powderized chunks of apartment building are entering his lungs, and that's going to have devastating effects on his health. The longer he's in here, the worse it will be, and once again we're at the fact that Luke cannot receive medical attention. If they can't get him out quickly, his invulnerability will kill him. Not today, not tomorrow, but it will.
"I've seen his jacket. That amount of years for what they say he did? I'd say he pissed someone off good. They sent him here to rot." No, that's just called being a black man in America.
That said, they are going to tell us what he was wrongly accused of, right? That line of dialogue was one of those awkward bits where people phrase things weirdly because they want to comment on a thing they aren't allowed to actually reveal to the audience.
Oh, hey, a blanket party. Works better when you have an actual blanket and not just a pillowcase.
"Guess I found me a gladiator." And that's what's wrong with the prison-industrial system right there, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure this would be shocking and horrifying if I didn't already know what prison is like in America. This is a real thing that happens.
"Slavery was always a good offer. To a master." Man, Luke has a lot of fantastic lines in this series.
Actually, I take back what I said about this being a real thing that happens. This is actually relatively tame. This dude's offering to reward Luke with all kinds of compensations and favors and stuff. In real gladiator prisons, they don't do this. They just beat the shit out of you if you don't comply. Real prisons are far more heinous than this guy.
Luke's comparison to slavery is very apt, because that is literally what it is. In the United States, slavery is legal if the slaves are prison inmates. It's the one loophole in abolition, and it's why a disproportionate number of minorities get such harsh sentences for mild offenses. Guard Man here doesn't actually have to bribe Luke with anything. He can literally force him to comply, and no one will do anything to stop him. He is effectively a slavemaster, and Luke right now is legally property.
Luke is dancing delicately around the issue of how they're going to get out of here. That's not really necessary. Connie saw him stop a bullet fired into his hand at point-blank range. She knows damn well that he's Enhanced.
"I was defending myself killing that dude." "But you went to his house." "It was preventative!"
This is utterly hilarious to me because of how many times I've had to explain to people over the last couple decades that there is no such thing as premeditated self-defense.
"Only problem is, you work for Seagate. So if it is true, why would you admit it?" "Good point. I give you my word." Did we not just establish that your word is unreliable?
"You don't fight, I'll tear your world apart starting with your homie Squabbles." See, there it is. In actual private prisons, this would have been the first offer.
"How's your leg?" Probably broken, you idiot.
"Probably broken." Yeah! What she said!
Oh, hey, it's Shades! I'd been wondering where he was. Luke implied he had a history with Shades from prison, so I was expecting him to be, like…well, basically what Squabbles is. And then he does something to betray Luke or something.
Nice tiara reference with the headband Luke has to wear in the machine. When he gets out after the explosion, it's a great classic Power Man visual.
EEEE! He even used the "Sweet Christmas" line after realizing his punch could break the wall.
"I can't believe you did this." "Which is why I think you should keep what happened down here between us." What. He says this like he didn't just punch through the rubble in front of everyone.
They actually went all the way with the Power Man look! That's great.
This was a pretty good episode. I really liked the way they fleshed out Luke's backstory in the prison sequences, and the development of Luke and Reva's relationship was pretty stellar - especially in contrast to the Luke/Misty subplot that needs to die in a fire.
That said, I don't feel like they really did a good job justifying Luke's shock and horror at seeing Shades again if his entire involvement with Luke in prison was just that he was one of the dudes involved with the fighting ring. Luke reacted like this guy had personally eaten his puppy in front of him or something.
edited 26th Aug '17 1:13:47 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.It doesn't have it. That was a plot point back in Daredevil, with Reyes trying to tie Punisher's crimes out-of-state so that he could be extradited, tried, and executed.
It's not that Shades roughed him up, it's that he knew Carl Lucas. As in, if Shades makes the connection that Luke Cage is Carl Lucas and spreads that info to the right people, it's back to prison for Luke. Carl Lucas is a prison escapee and wanted man, after all.
If you recall, when Luke was panicking in an earlier episode he reassured himself that Shades didn't recognize him.
edited 26th Aug '17 1:28:15 PM by Anomalocaris20
You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!Okay, that actually makes sense.
I took Luke's reaction to be like suddenly realizing Bullseye is standing ten feet away from you and you know exactly who Bullseye is. It's part of what had me waiting for Shades to go off half-cocked and kill Pops, setting me up for the surprise when Tone was the asshole and Shades was actually quite reasonable.
But you're right, that does make sense if what he was panicking about was that he thought Shades might 'out' him as Carl Lucas.
It also makes sense that Shades didn't recognize him. He looks very different after shaving.
edited 26th Aug '17 1:30:42 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I think you and I had a very different starting perspective of Shades, Tobias - "half-cocked" was never a word I would have used to describe him.
Oh God! Natural light!That's because I read the situation more than the character when he showed up.
As an envoy from the Bigger Bad, Diamondback, I was expecting him to be this violent psychopath who's here to show how much eviler Diamondback is than Cornell. Luke's reaction to seeing him in the kitchen seemed to reinforce this to me, and I was like, "Wow, if Luke is visibly afraid of him, this guy must be seriously f*cked up."
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Shades is great but it does get funny how he spends more time going "y'all fucking stupid" than actually doing anything productive.
"All you Fascists bound to lose."That's going to be a thing now, isn't it? Shades is full-cocked but out of f*cks?
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

It's a minor spoiler, but neat nonetheless. To be honest, I was expecting to see him in the Red King's armor.