01x10 - Take It Personal

[bunniefuu]

[theme music playing]

[EKG machine flatlining]

[Claire breathes deeply]

- Do you have defib paddles?
- No.

sh*t!

- What are you looking for?
- [panting]

Claire, what the hell are you doing?

Stand back!

[Luke groaning]

[machine powering up]

- [panting]
- [EKG machine beeping]

[bubbling]

- That was reckless.
- Yeah.

Sometimes you gotta
throw the science out

and go with what you know.

Okay, let's take this step by step
and think this through.

Once we get the shrapnel removed,

his healing factor and cell regeneration
should take care of everything else.

But what's next? Temperature is right.

Uh, we have to raise the pH levels
so his skin reacts.

So what else will break down
abalone shell?

Salt water!

- Yeah. Yeah. Saline!
- Salt water.

Where do you have it? Is that it?

[bubbling]

[grunts]

Let's get him out.
He has chills. That won't help him.

[Burstein] His temperature's
dropping quickly.

That's it.

It's not the pH mixture
that's the problem.

It's the temperature.

We need to turn it up. All the way up!

[Burstein] No, no!
You don't know what you're doing.

Did you bring him all this way
just to k*ll him?

Think about what happened last time.

The temperature was the only thing
that you couldn't control.

- That's what you said.
- Yes.

But Albert Rackham was a r*cist assh*le.
He was trying to k*ll Carl.

Okay. Well, maybe that redneck
was onto something.

Maybe the expl*si*n is what did it.

We don't just need to heat up that soup.
We need to boil it!

You are about to do something
completely stupid.

[breathes deeply]

I wouldn't be a good scientist
if I let you do it alone.

- [valve opening]
- [air hissing]

All right.

More.

All the way up.

- [steam hissing]
- It's really heating up.

It's climbing.

[loud thud]

This is good. This is very good.

- [Burstein] You see?
- [Claire] Yeah.

[steam hissing]

I need a scalpel.

- Scalpel.
- Okay.

I'm seeing something.
This is really deep.

[alarm blaring]

Forceps.

Forceps.

Okay.

- How many more left?
- Two more pieces.

[beeping]

- [Claire] I'm losing him.
- [Luke groaning]

- I'm not going fast enough.
- You're doing great.

- Got it.
- [shrapnel clinks]

Claire.

- [muffled screaming]
- You're okay.

- [Luke breathing heavily]
- [Claire] Hey, got you.

- We got it all.
- [breathing heavily]

We got it all. You're gonna be okay.

[breathing heavily] We did it.

We did it. You're gonna be fine.

[sighs]

Who the hell are you?

You took your sweet time,
Madam Councilwoman.

Why didn't you just come to me?

Power doesn't travel.

First rule of business...

and w*r.

You have no real power without me.

You could at least let Tony bring me.

I got lost three times
trying to find this damn place.

Sure, but then I would've had
to put a b*llet in the back of his head.

No one comes here. Period.

[Mariah] So this is the cure?

[Stryker] That's medicinal-grade,
heavy-duty RX stacked up right there.

Most definitely.

You wouldn't believe
how expensive these things are.

Untraceable, alien metal... expl*sive.

You hit Luke Cage with one of these.

He's still alive.

If it didn't work, what's the big deal?

Well, you don't need to k*ll God
with one sh*t to sell a w*apon.

You just need to make him bleed.

That's all well and good,
but who's gonna be able to afford it?

What price can you put on peace of mind?

Don't sweat it.

The same Judas metal
can be broken down for mass production.

Each single b*llet is less powerful,

but now you can put 'em in a machine g*n
and let off a hundred of those b*tches.

Mass production is where it's at.

I'm a politician. I'm not a g*n dealer.

Well...

what's the difference?

[blows]

Sell the fear.

Those people need to look
at that dashcam footage

and ask themselves if the world is ready

for bulletproof n*gg*s
that eat cops for breakfast.

Black fear.

After abolition, it's how g*n laws
got enacted in the first place.

[Mariah] You talk of laws.
Laws are bureaucracy.

The mayor can't even wipe his ass
without three different committees

to argue about the texture of the paper
and to pick the brand.

I'm gonna need time
to sell the cops on this,

even with the fear.

[chuckles] Ooh.
Well, you're out of time.

This sh*t starts right now.

What?

I hate to interrupt
your Isotoner moment, but...

this is serious.

I'm out of time and then?

A few illmatic deaths.

Word of mouth spreads like wildfire.

No!

Luke Cage must be the focus.

Oh, he is my focus.

Always.

I've never seen anything like it.

- [Burstein] No one has.
- [sighs]

A man whose cells can regenerate
is a man who doesn't age.

Do you know how valuable that is?

Luke's the only one?

Yes.

All the other subjects failed.

[sighs] There's a lot of work to be done.

A lot of good work.

How many more people will have to die?

They volunteered in exchange
for time off their sentences.

They knew the risks.

[sighs] I... I'm not a monster.

I never said you were.

[Luke sighs]

Hey.

Who are you?

Just kidding, Claire.

[Luke chuckling]

[child] I've got you!

[children playing]

- Hi, Ann. How are you?
- Morning, Officer.

[vendor] Hey, Officer Albini.
Got those socks your wife wanted.

Pink or red?

One set or more?

Yeah.

All right. Okay.

[glove powering up]

I'll be right back.

Can I help you?

My name is Luke Cage.

[grunts]

I'm Luke Cage!

Luke Cage!

[Chang] So that's what you saw?
[vendor] Yeah, that's what I saw.

Exactly like that.

That cat with the hoodie
punched that cop

and he flew back, like, 20 feet,

like he was sh*t from a cannon
or some sh*t.

So, uh, this was the guy you saw?

I didn't see his face.
But he laid him out.

- Then he said, "Luke."
- [Chang] Cage?

[vendor] Oh, I just heard "Luke."
Or maybe "Duke" or...

- Hey.
- [Misty] Hey, Bailey.

What do you think?

[sighs] Well, let's eliminate
the other possibilities.

We know Jackie wasn't hit by a car
or anything like that,

and this guy over here talking to Chang

isn't just making stuff up,

'cause that Luke Cage
dashcam video went viral.

Well, there are no impact wounds.

No glass, metal flakes or nothing.

The impact is localized and focused.

- I mean, he was hit...
- Punched.

He was punched...

and he flew back over 20 feet.

And the size of the hole
and the punch is consistent

with that of a human fist.

And the punch was so hard,
it bent back the shock plate

of his Kevlar vest.

Nanny said Cage?

The nanny is saying
she heard the suspect say "Cage."

But let's think about this.

A guy in a hoodie, punching a cop
and then saying his name?

If it was one of the g*ons
connected to Cottonmouth,

I could halfway see it, but... a cop?

Don't forget, you know, he's on the run.

You saw him fighting with us
on that dashcam vid.

Albini, he must've just spotted him
and he tried to take him down himself.

Jackie was never a hard charger.
I don't see it.

Who else has that kind of strength?

Look, in Harlem, black,
wearing a hoodie...

It's not rocket science.

What about the backpack
they said he was wearing, huh?

What about it? Luke doesn't wear one?

Not usually, no.

So he switched it up that day.
And what's the big deal?

How does that eliminate him?

- The whole thing just doesn't smell right.
- I don't smell anything.

[indistinct arguing]

Right now, I smell rage.

Wait. Smith, Smith, Smith.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Smith.

This is Harlem.

And when a cop gets k*lled, heads roll.
That's just how we do.

You k*lled a cop!

I know you did it.

Now kids are getting jacked up
by the police.

What are you doing to my city?

It's not yours. Never was.

Harlem is my birthright. It's mine!

City council or not.

"When justice is done...

it is a joy to the righteous...

but terror to evildoers."

You quote the Bible
like you actually believe in God.

And you speak to me

as if you're not actually
in the presence of death.

Your way was taking too long.

I k*lled two birds with one stone
by sticking a body on Luke Cage.

He's hiding somewhere
in the blessed aquarium,

so I turned the heat up.

Old Carl...

he's either gonna stand up
and defend his name...

or he's gonna run and hide,
like a bitch.

Either way, it doesn't matter.

I've got the g*n to take him out.

You're completely out of control.

And you're not a real politician,
because if you were,

you'd flip this.

Get your Sharpton on.

Make this moment all about you.

- [Smith] I know the job, Inspector.
- Watch your tone, Jake.

That's not what I'm saying.

People are pissed. I'm pissed.

- But we can't let this get out of hand.
- g*dd*mn right.

One of our own is dead.

Cage is gonna pay for what he did.
We're gonna hit the streets hard.

We're gonna shake the ground.
Smoke him out.

That's how you find a roach.
You fumigate.

[officer 1] Hold up!
[officer 2] Get him down.

[Ridley] You're talking about
a community of people, not pests.

Oh, come on, Inspector.
I'm from the South Bronx.

I'm 28 years on the job.

I'm not some idiot who's afraid
of blacks and Hispanics.

I said "police." Where's Luke Cage?

Who? Wisdom is locked up.

He in C-74.
This is not his corner no more!

Not Wiz, fool! Cage, Luke Cage.
Where is Luke Cage?

- This is all about Luke Cage.
- Look, I want Cage as badly as you do.

He's at the center
of three active investigations.

But we need to be careful
about how we pursue this.

[Smith] Caution is in the wind,
just like he is.

- Our guys need results.
- [Ridley] Remember who you serve.

All right, all right.

- I know one kid who knows Luke Cage.
- Who?

What's his name?

Do not light up Harlem behind this.

The good people in Harlem
have no problem with me.

Just the assholes.

[Ridley] You need to be responsible.

- Methodical.
- [Smith] That, we are.

[Ridley] Okay. Do it right.
No bullshit, no headlines.

You find him, you take him down.

Anything on your boy?

Chang's taking the lead on that one.

I don't care. Luke is your guy.

Look, I'm trying to figure out
who att*cked me.

[Lonnie] I know where I'm goin'.
Why you gotta be so tight...

Why is you holding onto me like that?
Get up off me, man.

Until Luke Cage is in cuffs,
he's your priority, not your attacker.

Thanks.

Do you have a lotto winner yet?

We have the majority of the face.

Lot of angles, but not a full composite.

[Bailey] I have a friend down in intel
on the task force.

- Maybe she could help.
- Ooh! "She"?

- I wanna talk to my mother.
- Your mother? [chuckles]

You definitely ain't no hard rock.

She's a lawyer. Or she about to be.

Well, if you haven't done anything wrong,
you don't have any problem.

I don't.

But you've got about five problems,
far as I can tell.

- Like what?
- [scoffs]

I was on my way home from school.

Y'all picked me up with no PC.

I just got back from school. Chess club.

Fifteen people can place me there.

And all I have in my bag
is a half-eaten Snickers bar.

- I want my phone call.
- Sure. After you answer some questions.

[scoffs] About what?
I don't bang and I don't hang.

I'm looking for Luke Cage.

- What about Luke?
- You seen him?

That's my man.

- He's a good dude.
- That "good dude" k*lled a cop.

There's no way he k*lled a cop.

- You're lying.
- You calling me a liar?

Luke Cage ain't k*ll no cop. No way.

Look, unless you charging me
with something...

I ain't gotta say squat. I'm leaving.

You better sit your ass down!

Luke Cage k*lled my training officer.

He had a wife, twins your age.

- Luke Cage ain't k*ll no cop.
- Look...

you better start talking.

Your hands are cold.

All you had to do
was take the shrapnel out?

It's like replacing
a burnt-out Christmas bulb.

You repair the circuit,
the whole thing lights up again.

It's miraculous.

[sighs] It's no miracle.

Wouldn't you say so?

Miracles are good things.

What's good about me being here, huh?

All those prisoners who d*ed.

Reva's m*rder. For what?

Immortality.

What about those people you work for?

Do they know I'm here?

No. They barely keep tabs on me anymore.

I don't believe that.

You're too valuable not to keep tabs on.

And you're not?

Wounds healed instantaneously
on the b*ttlefield.

Concussions, major head trauma,
healed within hours.

You're at the center of that.

Cancer and HIV are next.

[sighs] That's a lot
for me to think about.

Right now, I just want my life back.

Well, take your time.

I'll be back.

Help yourselves
to anything you like in the fridge.

I don't trust him.

Me neither.

Reva's files.

It's unlocked and unencrypted.

What do you wanna know?

[sighs] Reva.

What she wouldn't tell me.

Maybe we should just take the zip drive
and be on our way before he gets back.

It might never be unlocked again.

I gotta know.

Which one?

[Luke] That one.

Tiara? That's a weird name.

It's that thing I took off my head
after I escaped from the t*nk.

That's my prison number.

Regarding subject Lucas, Carl...

He's interesting.

He's intelligent.
There's a fire that burns within.

Even when he's not engaged,
you can always tell he's thinking.

He's educated.

He's not used to being incarcerated,
but he always carries himself with pride.

I think he's one to watch.

Click seven.

Lucas' increasing loyalty
to Squabbles is an asset.

I think Rackham's assertion
that Carl wanting to protect his friend

will make him more willing to take part
in the fight trials is accurate.

[Luke breathes heavily]

- Click 40.
- You sure, Luke?

Subject Lucas is beginning to unravel.

He doesn't shave, he doesn't groom
and he lives to fight.

He's actually beginning to hurt people.

Physically, by far,
he's the best subject we've had.

But it remains to be seen
if he'll be cleared for stage three.

Every single subject
has d*ed approaching that stage.

If anyone can do it, he can.

[Luke sighs]

[Burstein] You weren't supposed
to see that.

- So what you got?
- They all said the same thing.

Hoodie, Cage,
and they saw Jackie go flying.

No other leads? We need something.

Chief is up my ass.
Social media is blowin' up.

This whole job has gone tactical.

I don't want anyone from the Two-Nine
getting caught up in any bullshit.

Everyone in Harlem has a camera.

- Guess what? I got something.
- What?

Willis Stryker.
Facial recognition just made a match.

There's also a sealed juvenile record.

That's it? Why is it sealed?

[Bailey] It's past
the statute of limitations.

Okay. So how can I get into it?

Well, if you find a date
and a courthouse,

and there was some press,
you might get lucky.

[Lonnie] Hey! Stop! Hey! Stop, stop!

- [man grunting]
- What in the hell is that?

[officer 1] Hands off! Get him off!
[officer 2] Dorsey! Dorsey!

[Dorsey] Where is he, huh?
[officer 2] Get off him, Dorsey!

Where is he, punk? Huh?

Why are you protecting him, huh?
Just tell me where he is.

[Ridley shouting]
What the hell is going on?

What the hell did you just do?

[Luke breathing heavily]

We were trash.

You knew no one would care
if we were gone.

That was the whole point
of Reva's therapy sessions.

To separate the trash from the triumphant.

[stutters] To pick out those subjects
that were most psychologically ready

- to survive the process, Carl.
- Stop calling me that!

I'm Luke.

Carl d*ed at Seagate.

[Burstein scoffs]

What, you're still pining
like a lovesick puppy for Reva?

Please.

She lied to everybody.

That was her job.

She lied to you about her involvement.

I promise I'll explain it all.

She lied again when she erased
both of you from existence.

Thank you for saving my life.

Thank you for changing mine.

She knew the stakes.

[sighs]

You're...

You're the future, Carl.

You're a walking fountain of youth.

My name is not Carl.

I'm Luke Cage!

[grunting]

[yelling]

You're never gonna do this
to anyone else ever again.

How's that for stakes?

- [sighs]
- Claire.

Claire, you're brilliant.

You're not even trained.
Imagine the things I could teach you.

Talk to Luke.
Tell him what he's throwing away.

He's my friend.

And that's why you'll never see him again.

Or this.

You didn't say
I would never see you again.

Be thankful I'm not the one
with the powers...

because I'd k*ll you if you did
half the sh*t that you did to him to me.

Not just ruin your barn.

[breathing heavily]

Carl Lucas is Luke Cage.

- Hey. I found out that Willis...
- It's gonna have to wait.

Officers.

I am releasing these to the media

in the next 15 minutes
so they can see the contrast.

Don't make a bad situation even worse,
Councilwoman.

You'd think a sister in charge
would change things.

But you're blue,

which makes you just as white
as anybody else!

Luke Cage is a suspect
at large for m*rder,

a number of other crimes.

Luke Cage may be bulletproof,
but my boy isn't.

Can't y'all understand that?

Patty, Patty, save your words.

- The only thing they understand is action.
- [Ridley] Mariah.

Detective Dorsey has been arrested,
suspended without pay.

We are taking formal steps to charge...

No! Not enough, Priscilla. Not today.

The death of that officer at the hand
of that super-freak was bad enough.

But to b*at down a child?

Means you're not doing your job.
Come on.

Patricia.

- How's Lonnie?
- Keep my son's name out of your mouth.

He's at Frederick Douglass Hospital
right now, getting checked out.

Y'all gonna pay for this sh*t.

Until you capture Luke Cage,

and apologize to the people of Harlem,
we will...

- bring this city to its knees.
- [crowd agreeing]

All over Harlem, young black and brown men
are being slapped around by an NYPD

too scared to do something
about Luke Cage.

- [crowd agreeing]
- And because young Lonnie Wilson,

our brother...

just had the misfortune of knowing this...

supposed superhero turned super-menace...

[on TV] he was beaten in custody
like it's 1956.

Any time one of Harlem's finest is k*lled,
we all suffer.

But let's make sure that that outrage
is pointed in the right direction.

I encourage the NYPD
to effectively arm themselves

to protect the public, not to harass

young brothers and sisters,
hermanas y hermanos,

who are the lifeblood and the future
of our community.

And I encourage that community
to rally with me at Harlem's Paradise.

We will discuss our next plan
of non-violent action.

Luke Cage must be found.

- He must be stopped.
- [crowd agreeing]

- This must never happen again.
- [crowd agreeing]

[Ridley] Yes, Chief.

Yes, sir.

- [Ridley sighs]
- Do you have time to talk now?

About what? About Mariah's little
"I Have a Dream" moment outside?

About all the kids getting beaten up
by cops and the videos going viral?

Something's off about this
and you know it.

Why the hell would she hold that rally
at Harlem's Paradise?

Shouldn't she be too spooked to even go
inside after what happened to her cousin?

Cage did not k*ll Officer Albini.

Nothing settles down until Cage
is in the box. We need to talk to him.

- And I need to talk to Willis Stryker.
- Who is Stryker?

I get the feeling that he is connected
to everything that's been going on.

Cage, Cottonmouth, all of it.

You'll need proof.

I'm on it.

[exhales] You swam that whole way?

Doesn't seem as far away now.

Hmm.

[Luke] You ever hold
someone in your arms,

hear them breathing against your chest,

and you're in one emotional place...

and they're in another?

And you have absolutely no idea
what they're thinking.

It's called having a boyfriend.

[Luke chuckles softly]

Reva lied to me.

She helped you to disappear...

because she was protecting you.

- It couldn't have all been a lie.
- You don't understand.

That woman?

The idea of her...

her smell...

That was the only thing
that kept me sane at Seagate.

That's what's eating me up inside.

I don't think I really knew her at all.

You still love her.

I love...

the idea of Reva.

But not her, specifically.

Not anymore.

[sighs] I should just go, you know?

I should just turn around
and walk away from all this sh*t.

[scoffs]

I wish you would've told me that,
what, 800 miles and 28 hours ago?

I could have got some sleep.

We've come too far.

We're both in this now.

Together.

Look, it's...
It's a lot for me to take in all at once.

[Claire sighs]

I just need a plan, that's all.

Willis hates me,
and I just need to figure out why.

This was all so long ago.

Savannah's the place
where all those answers are.

The past is present for him.

Whatever wounded him
has not cooled off at all.

I trusted Reva...

and I was wrong.

How can I trust you?

I never back down from a fight.

Even if you don't trust me...

trust the fighter in me.

Fair enough.

I'm driving.

About time.

- [switch clicks]
- Ah.

[whirring]

- [boxers grunting]
- Domingo.

- Do I know you?
- No... but I know you.

I've seen your rap sheet.

How do you have time to commit crimes
and train boxers?

I guess you must have to be
good at multitasking.

- [chuckles]
- Yeah.

I like boxing.

You know what Mike Tyson once said?

Uh, Mike Tyson mumbles too much
to say much of anything.

No, Mike is great.

He said, "Everyone has a plan...

until they get hit."

Well, sometimes you have to take a hit...

before you can punch back.

- And I know how to counterpunch.
- Mmm.

Who's this?

You tell me.

Look, I saw you with Cottonmouth.

I heard about your little beef.

Beef? No beef.

All I know is, Cottonmouth dies,
this guy shows up,

and suddenly everything changes
all over again.

Who is he?

You come alone?

Why are you asking me all this?

Because everybody
is so focused on Luke Cage,

nobody's talking about the fact
that the heads of the Jamaican, Haitian,

and Cuban crime families
have all gone missing.

I'd go to Harlem's Paradise.

It's under new management.

[speaking Spanish]

[boxer grunts]

[Claire] So this is it?

It used to be.

My grandfather built that sign.

He founded this church
after he came home from World w*r II.

He was a Red Tail.

- Tuskegee Airman.
- Nice.

He wanted a sign that was bold...
just like the tail of his plane.

So what happened here?

Why is everyone gone?

I don't know.

[Etta] James...

Carl needs you now more than ever.

How can you be here for your community

and every other family
in the congregation,

but you're never here for us?

Stay out of grown folks' business.

[young Luke] Yes, ma'am.

Mama?

Carl, come on.
I'm taking you to practice.

[young Luke] All right.
Let me say goodbye to Daddy.

I'll be waiting in the car.

- Mrs. Lucas.
- Ms. Stryker.

[man laughing in distance]

[people conversing in distance]

[books clatter]

Carl.

[Etta] Look, heffa.
You're not fooling nobody.

You're little more than his hoe,
and we both know it.

He lied to me too, Etta.
You think we're the only ones?

You're through. And you're done.

Are you kidding me?
Come at me again, bitch,

and I won't hold my tongue
about Willie anymore.

You say a word,
and the checks stop coming.

He'll get pulled from Lieber Academy
so quick, your head...

[Claire] Luke?

Luke, are you all right?

[breathing heavily]

Willis Stryker...

is my brother.

I never wanted to accept it, but...

it's real.

- They never told you?
- No, no.

No, no one dared.

[breathing heavily]
It was all the little things.

All the sideways glances during service.

My mother hating on Willis,
even after he won the city championship.

All my dad's convention trips with Dana.

He was always so protective of her.

Who's Dana?

His secretary. Willis's mother.

He was two years older than me.

For years, my mother couldn't conceive,
and then one day, I...

I came along.

That's why everybody called me
the miracle baby.

I hated that spotlight.

They should have told you.

Had Willis not framed me,
I wouldn't have gone to Seagate.

No Seagate, no powers.

Reva would still be alive.

How is that your fault?

It's not my fault.
My father started this whole thing.

Willis hates me because
my father hates the idea of him.

[chuckles]

What he doesn't realize is that my father
never really liked me very much either.

So where is this grand Reverend Lucas?
Why does he get a pass?

Doesn't matter.

Diamondback is after everything
and everyone that I've ever cared about.

So it stops with me.

I am my brother's keeper...

whether I like it or not.

It's on me.

[indistinct chatter]

[crowd chanting] This stops now!
This stops now!

This stops now! This stops now!

This stops now!

Yes, it does. Yes, it does.

Oh, it warms my heart
to see you here this evening.

[man] Good to see you, too.

My cousin, Cornell Stokes...

was m*rder*d right where you're standing,

and it pains me to even be here.

- But it's necessary.
- [crowd agreeing]

Luke Cage m*rder*d my cousin,

and I am not afraid to speak out about it.

The man is a liar, he is a menace,

and as long as he is running around loose,
hiding amongst us, no one is safe.

- [crowd murmurs]
- [man] Ain't none of us safe!

Now, I know what brought us
here tonight.

The police putting their hands
on yet another young black man.

It's wrong.

- It is wrong.
- [crowd agreeing]

No doubt about that. But...

we cannot lose focus here.

A cop was k*lled
by this super-powered menace.

And our young brother was hurt
during their witch-hunt.

Brothers and sisters...

our world has changed.

- We have new threats, new t*rrorists.
- [man] Yeah.

That woman over in Hell's Kitchen
snapped a man's neck

because he was mind-controlling her.

[crowd murmuring]

We got a bulletproof m*rder*r
on the loose in Harlem

with his own twisted sense of justice,
putting us all in harm's way.

[crowd murmuring]

Do I trust the cops?

- [man] No. Hell no.
- Not blindly.

- [crowd agreeing]
- We need protection from Luke Cage.

We need protection from
the other powered people like Luke Cage.

He is the real thr*at!

[crowd agreeing]

We need to arm our men and women in blue

so that they can protect us.

Truly protect us

and never confuse us
with those who are the real thr*at.

- [crowd cheering]
- You stay strong!

I know you will stay strong

and I know you will welcome
to this mike right now,

- Reverend John Pope!
- [crowd cheering]

Emails. Make sure you get emails
and a head count.

- [man] Consider it done, ma'am.
- Oh! I didn't know you got off work.

- Hey. How you doing?
- [laughs]

- [John] Because you are here.
- Excuse me.

[John] That means that you care.

Are you that desperate?

What do you mean?

You're just using that kid
to stay politically viable

even though Brenda's still gonna force
your crooked ass off the city council.

I don't know what you're talking about.

You know damn well Luke Cage
didn't k*ll that poor cop.

Everyone knows he's the one
who busted up Cottonmouth's...

- Cornell.
- Cottonmouth's operation

at Crispus Attucks

and that $7 million in blood money
that came out of your office.

Cornell dies,
Brenda and the rest of the party back off

and your popularity surges.

But I see right through you, Mariah.

How dare you.

You can't be trusted.

Who needs trust when you have power?

[crowd cheering and applauding]

Yo, Luke.

I won't say nothing.

You're not going, are you?

Why not?

Nothing like a warm welcome
from Mariah Dillard.

[crowd cheering and applauding]

Now, he calls himself a friend.

- [woman] He ain't my friend!
- But by his actions...

we know that this is false.

- [crowd agreeing]
- Now, can you say "false"?

- [crowd] False!
- [John] Say it again.

- [crowd] False!
- [John] Mean it this time!

- [crowd] False!
- [John] Yes!

- False! Yeah.
- [crowd applauding]

Now...

Luke Cage has a lot to prove to us.

What is he? Where does he come from?

And will more come like him?

And does his presence here mean
that we will be endangered? Endangered...

by superhuman threats?

Now, I want you...

to follow me this evenin'.

From the bottom of your heart.

No, no, no, not from the top,
or the middle.

From the bottom of your heart.

- This...
- [crowd] This...

- I'm gonna go upstairs.
- [John] Stops!

- [crowd] Stops!
- [John] Now!

- You sure that's a good idea?
- [John] This stops now!

Misty's gonna need backup.

[crowd chanting] This stops now!

This stops now!

Be careful.

[crowd continues chanting]

Always.

You're so corny.

[crowd chanting] This stops now!
This stops now!

This stops now! This stops now!

[chanting continues]

[chanting continues]

[Stryker] Hey, baby.

- You miss me?
- Put your hands where I can see 'em!

You're under arrest.

Nah. Not today.

- [grunts]
- [crowd screaming]

[grunting]

That's Luke Cage! He's here!

[man] There he is. Get him!

- [grunts]
- [Misty breathing heavily]

[crowd screaming]

[rapid g*nf*re]

[softly] I got you.

You hear me?

I got you.

[funk music playing]