Luke Cage season 2 review: もっと見る consistent and engaging, but suffering from familiar flaws 

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Warning: contains spoilers for Luke Cage seasons 1 and 2

If there\'s been one overriding complaint about the Marvel shows on Netflix, it\'s their pacing across their regulation 13-episode runs – and

The first solo outing for Mike Colter\'s bulletproof superhero, following his introduction in

season one, started strongly and stood out in a congested superhero field, not least because it had a black lead and focused on African-American history. But then it killed off Cottonmouth in episode seven and never really recovered.

Mahershala Ali\'s charismatic villain was gone and in his place was Erik LaRay Harvey\'s dull Diamondback, leaving most fans having to really persevere to see out the end. Even showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker admitted they had made a mistake and "Diamondback wasn\'t as good a villain as Cottonmouth" in the latter half of season one.

Coker promised that season two would avoid this mistake and he\'s a man of his word.

\'s second season is much more consistent and engaging, largely because it avoids the need for a black-and-white hero and villain narrative, even if it doesn\'t completely avoid the flaws seemingly inherent to Marvel on Netflix.

Season two kicks off with Luke something of a local hero and celebrity in Harlem after clearing his name, leading to him feeling like he has to protect the community from anyone who wants to harm it, such as local councilwoman Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) and her criminal associate Hernan \'Shades\' Alvarez (Theo Rossi).

However, a formidable new foe arrives in the form of John McIver, AKA Bushmaster, who has returned to Harlem to regain what he believes is rightfully his and settle a decades-old vendetta in the process. Luke finds himself caught in the middle of the feud as battle rages for control of the borough, forcing him to confront the thin line between hero and villain.

It\'s this line where season two excels as Luke finds himself on morally murky ground, including whether or not to protect Mariah for the greater good, and if it truly is better to side with the devil you know. Across the course of 13 episodes, Luke\'s decisions are challenged by even his closest allies, including Misty Knight (Simone Missick), and it makes him a more compelling character. The place we leave Luke at the end of season two will surprise some and it sets up an intriguing season three arc if the show gets one.

Similarly, the season\'s approach to Bushmaster is not to paint him as the cut and dried villain; you sympathise and, arguably, agree with him most of the time as we know what Mariah is like. Mustafi Shakir is excellent in the role, making quite the impression with a graphic murder in the first episode and more than holding his own in the explosive punch-ups with Luke. He\'s not the Bushmaster that comic fans will know, yet the changes ensure he fits within the more grounded world of the adaptation.

But the same can\'t be said for his fellow villains, Mariah and Shades. Season two starts with them having begun to mix business with pleasure and their relationship just doesn\'t work. Every time the season cuts back to their storyline, the show stalls and leaves you frustrated as you know more interesting things are happening elsewhere.

It doesn\'t help that Alfre Woodard appears to be acting in a different show to everyone else; her Mariah is a caricature of a gangster and not an interesting one at that. Woodard\'s performance is heightened and painful to watch at times, but she\'s not exactly well supported by Rossi\'s lifeless turn either, even though Shades does at least get some interesting character development later on in the season.

\'s MVP is never far away in each episode. Simone Missick continues to be the standout performer, with Misty Knight struggling to cope with her

injury and the fallout from the season one revelation that her partner Scarfe was crooked. It gives Missick plenty of material to get stuck into across the season and she delivers one of the best set pieces when she takes on some creeps in a bar literally single-handedly.

Messin\' with Misty and Colleen? Big mistake. pic.twitter.com/YY25TPWYUn

— Luke Cage (@LukeCage) June 4, 2018

That sequence sees her team up with Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and the two have a great chemistry that makes us excited for any future

crossover Danny Rand (Finn Jones), his involvement is minimal and, for once, largely inoffensive.

season two doesn\'t manage to do, though, is sort out its pacing. There might not be a mid-season lull, but with episodes often stretching to an hour, there comes a time when you\'d rather they just skipped the latest music performance at Harlem\'s Paradise. There\'s often a really great 45-minute episode hidden within most of season two\'s hour-long outings, which is especially felt in the earlier episodes.

As it is, though, season two is an improvement on the first, delivering enough powerful set pieces and rich character development to satisfy the fans across its 13 episodes. It will, however, leave everyone thinking that a truly great show is just out of its reach.

season two arrives on Netflix on Friday (June 22).

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