- "I want to protect Luke, too. I just don't know how. I... I mean, he's the man I want to be with. There's no doubt in my mind. But he's not whole."
- ―Claire Temple to Bobby Fish
Straighten It Out is the second episode of the second season of the television series Luke Cage.
Synopsis[]
Luke tests out his abilities on the ballfield, Misty ruffles feathers at the precinct, and Mariah plans a reunion to boost her image.
Plot[]
Luke Cage is inspected by Claire Temple for any injuries caused by the Judas Bullet Arturo Rey III shot him with. Finding none, Temple remarks that the acid bath Cage took must have strengthened his skin. To test this, the two meet Bobby Fish and Todd Bowles at the Harlem Jets Practice Field, who had prepared multiple exercises for Cage to endure, including broad jumping, running, and tire flipping. Cage manages to complete each exercise successfully, much to the delight of the growing crowd around the field. However, Temple is still worried if there are other threats to Cage in the world.
In Harlem's Paradise, Mariah Dillard and Shades are distressed by Cage's survival. Shades questions Dillard if they should lay off their gun business sale to Rey when, instead, they could sell her Basquait painting. Dillard rejects this, betting fully on the sale's profits to solve their financial situation.
Captain Tom Ridenhour and detective Misty Knight discuss Knight being on light duty in the halls of the 29th Precinct Police Station. The two then encounter Nandi Tyler, a friend of Knight's and fellow varsity basketball team member of DeWitt Clinton High School. After some remembrance of their individual times on the team and some talk of Knight's missing arm, Knight asks for her desk back from Tyler. Before she can get a definitive answer, Mark Bailey enters the room and welcomes Knight back. In return, Knight congrats Bailey on his recent promotion to police detective. Bailey then informs the trio that Rey is ready for interrogation. While Tyler follows Bailey, Knight is stopped by Ridenhour, who reminds her of her being on light duty.
John McIver pulls the embedded bullets the Yardies had shot him with out of his chest, grunting in pain whilst doing so. Afterwards, McIver walks the streets of Harlem, and sees two children play fighting, individually calling themselves Luke Cage. McIver questions the two on who they are naming themselves after. In response, one of the children pulls out their phone and shows McIver Cage's video threatening all those who oppose him. Intrigued, McIver nonetheless leaves the two alone and continues his walk, chuckling. McIver then arrives at Gwen's, smiling at Paul Mackintosh from across the street as the waiter walks back inside the restaurant.
At Pop's Barber Shop, Cage and Fish are surprised by the entrance of reverend James Lucas. Initially asking if the two could give him a cut to maintain his bald look, Lucas reveals his true intentions to have a word with Cage, and Cage alone, before leaving. Temple then walks in from the backroom wondering who arrived, with Cage answering that it was his father. The two argue over whether or not Lucas contacting Cage is a blessing, amongst other topics, while Fish reads the room and leaves.
Knight finds Tyler and Bailey have finished their investigation, and asks how it went. However, Tyler denies her any information, seeing her as a hero looking for more glory. After both Tyler and Bailey leave, Knight then sneaks her way into the interrogation room to speak with Rey, during which she successfully deduces he is working with Dillard. Before Knight can dig any deeper into Rey, Benjamin Donovan and Ridenhour enter the room, enlightening Knight that Rey, Donovan's client, is now out on bail. As Donovan and Rey take leave, Ridenhour scolds Knight for her actions before leaving as well, threatening that she's on the brink of suspension. Annoyed, Knight calls Cage to inform him of Rey's bail.
Back at Pop's Barber Shop, Cage, Temple, and Fish discuss on who Dillard will sell her guns to with Rey being out of the picture, and agree Nigel Garrison and Cockroach Hamilton are the two most likely candidates. Cage searches around Harlem for thugs that would know of Hamilton's location. While one is not able to give Cage any information, after being threatened with a dumbbell, another tells him that Drea Powell knows where Hamilton is.
McIver, now inside Gwen's, speaks with Mackintosh. Mackintosh tries to warn McIver of staying away from Dillard, before noticing McIver is back to using Nightshade, as McIver's shirt has blood seeping in from his chest. As McIver requests for more of the plant, the two's conversation is interrupted by a news report on Cage's test on the Harlem Jets field. McIver scoffs, and learns that he will need to take down Dillard and Cage to take back Harlem.
Wendy Dunnavant recommends Dillard to get back in touch with her daughter to help her upcoming campaign as councilwoman of Harlem. Meanwhile, Shades and Darius Jones meet with Rey at his furniture store to discuss business. However, the meeting goes sour after Rey continuously insults Dillard, and Shades shoots and kills him on the spot, with Jones taking out his two bodyguards.
While at her desk, Knight gets annoyed at the stares of and jokes by her coworkers. She stands up and gives a small speech to get them acquainted with her injury. Ridenhour then walks in and informs everyone that Rey was killed, causing the room to awake with movement and murmurs as the crew leave to make their way to the crime scene. When Knight arrives at the furniture store, whilst looking at the evidence, she comes close to deducing who shot Rey and his crew. However, Tyler and Bailey break her train of thought, advising her that she can not be at the crime scene.
Outside the store, Knight meets with Cage. With Rey dead, Cage reveals to Knight that Hamilton is their next biggest connection to Dillard, but has gone ghost. After Cage tells Knight that their only connection to Hamilton is Powell, Knight has Dawn search for her location: seven-fifteenth 147th.
At Mother's Touch, Tilda Johnson gives a client medication for her headaches when Dillard arrives. Johnson initially believes she is there to lament her decision to forgo traditional medicine, especially with her degree. However, Dillard instead tries to plead with her daughter for forgiveness over their past. Nonetheless, Johnson rejects her mother's apology, and, with one last plead, Dillard leaves the store.
Cage arrives at Hamilton's apartment, and finds his son at the door. The two briefly chat before Drea shoos her son off. Cage politely asks her where Hamilton is, only for her to shut the door in his face. Before Cage can leave, an old woman gets his attention and tells him that Hamilton owns a casino near some warehouses. After giving her his phone number, Cage thanks her and heads to the location.
Shades and Jones arrive at Dillard's home, and inform her of Rey's demise. Dillard is flabbergasted and asks why Shades would kill him without collecting his money, which Shades retorts that he was thinking about Dillard, as well as Rey going to talk to Knight about their business. The two counsel each other, and Shades promises Dillard that they'll get money to Piranha Jones.
Cage makes his way into Hamilton's casino, and is attempted to be taken out by a thug's taser. Cage effortlessly throws the thug off him, causing the rest of the casino to exit the warehouse. The only person left in the building is Hamilton himself, and Cage confronts him. However, Hamilton pulls out a modified six-barrel shotgun. Cage is undettered by the weapon until Hamilton shoots Cage, with the sheer force of the bullet dislocating his shoulder and sending him flying out a window and onto a parked car. Hamilton escapes while a humilated Cage staggers off.
As Temple and Fish discuss about Cage and his father, and then their relationship with the topic of parenthood, Cage calls Temple in need of help. When Temple arrives, she helps Cage put his shoulder back into place. Temple warns Cage that, despite everything, he is still not invulnerable, something that Matt Murdock also thought of himself not as. Cage brushes off the warning, stating he is nothing like Murdock. Nonetheless, Temple continues to try and help Cage with his life with suggestions. But, Cage continues to ignore her, finally ending the conversation by telling her to stay out of his head, and then leaving the apartment.
As Johnson closes her store for the day, McIver enters. He gives her a list of items he heard Johnson could give him. While Johnson tells him that the items are used in Obeah, McIver ignores her and tells her he will leave when he gets the items. Johnson retrieves them and McIver pays her with an excessive amount of money. Johnson comments on it, but McIver lets her keep it, telling her she's been generous and helpful, before leaving.
"If Trouble Was Money" is played by Gary Clark Jr. and his band in Harlem's Paradise, as Dillard looks on from a balcony. Shades then arrives and tells Dillard that Garrison and the Yardies will be willing to pay for their guns. Dillard asks about Hamilton, but Shades tells her to forget about him. All the while this happens, an undercover Tyler looks on and takes a photo of the two looking down from the balcony. Back at the precinct, Knight inspects the photo and smiles.
Johnson appears at Harlem's Paradise to talk with her mother and, after a brief interruption by Jones, she gets her wish. Johnson tells Dillard that she changed her mind about her apology, and will give her one more chance. In return, Dillard says that one more chance is all she needs. The two embrace, and Dillard introduces Johnson to Shades and Jones. Dillard then has the two leave so she can talk alone to her daughter.
During the middle of one of Lucas's sermons, Temple decides to sit down in the back of Mount Olivet Baptist Church and listen to him. Meanwhile, McIver takes the items given to him by Johnson, and heals his bullet wounds and gains enough strength to break his sink.
Elsewhere, Cage gets a call from Callahan about Hamilton returning to his apartment and learns that he is beating Powell (thinking she ratted him out to Cage) and C.J. Enraged at both the abuse and his earlier defeat, Cage breaks into their apartment and severely beats Hamilton, trashing much of the apartment in the process. Eventually Cage chokes Hamilton until he becomes unconscious. As Cage looks up, he sees Drea and C.J huddled in a corner, staring at him, making Cage feel aware of his actions.
Cast[]
Main Cast:
- Mike Colter as Luke Cage
- Simone Missick as Misty Knight
- Theo Rossi as Hernan Alvarez/Shades
- Gabrielle Dennis as Tilda Johnson
- Mustafa Shakir as John McIver/Bushmaster
- Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard
Special Guest Stars:
- Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple
- Reg E. Cathey as Reverend James Lucas
Guest Stars:
- Ron Cephas Jones as Bobby Fish
- Peter Jay Fernandez as Captain Tom Ridenhour
- Sahr Ngaujah as Paul Mackintosh/Anansi
- Thomas Q. Jones as Darius Jones/Comanche
- Danny Johnson as Benjamin Donovan
- Dorian Crossmond Missick as Cockroach Hamilton
- Antonique Smith as Detective Nandi Tyler
- Justin Swain as Detective Mark Bailey
- Jeremiah Richard Craft as D.W. Griffith
- Otto Sanchez as Arturo Rey III
- Michelle Beck as Drea Powell
- Christopher King as C.J. Powell
- Ian Lyons as John Epps
- Carolyn Michelle Smith as Wendy Dunnavant
- Venida Evans as Callahan
- Stephanie Berry as Older Woman
- Paul Bomba as Detective
- Jamar Greene as Goon
- Mitchell Mack as Skinny Grunt
- Denim Roberson as Black Shirt
- Chinua Payne as Yellow Shirt
- Jemele Juanita Hill as Herself
- Michael Smith as Himself
- Todd Bowles as Himself
- DJ Mister Cee as Himself
- Gary Clark Jr. as Himself
- Steven Allen as Field Spectator (uncredited)
- Merritt Matthew Chase as Harlem Precinct Detective (uncredited)
- Niahlah Hope as Machete Girl (uncredited)
- James Zeiss as CSI Cop (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- New York City, New York
- Soledad Temple's Apartment
- Harlem Jets Practice Field
- Harlem's Paradise
- 29th Precinct Police Station
- Pop's Barber Shop
- Mariah Dillard's Brownstone
- Merlin Discount Furniture
- Gwen's
- Mother's Touch
- Dontrell Hamilton's Apartment
- Cockroach's Casino Warehouse
- Mount Olivet Baptist Church
- DeWitt Clinton High School (mentioned)
- New Jersey (mentioned)
- Jamaica (mentioned)
- Seagate Penitentiary, Georgia (mentioned)
Events[]
- Murder of Arturo Rey III
- Chase of Cockroach Hamilton
- Ambush at Merlin Discount Furniture Truck (mentioned)
- Battle of New York (mentioned)
- Assassination of Pistol Pete (mentioned)
- Murder of Cottonmouth (mentioned)
Items[]
- Nightshade
- Josh
- Harlem's Hero (mentioned)
- Judas Bullet (mentioned)
- Luke Cage (mentioned)
Vehicles[]
To be added
Organizations[]
- New York City Police Department
- Stokes Crime Family
- Donovan and Partners
- Irie Taxi
- Harlem Jets
- ESPN
- Nike, Inc.
- Hammer Industries (mentioned)
- Yardies (mentioned)
- Crips (mentioned)
- Bloods (mentioned)
- Adidas (mentioned)
- Under Armour (mentioned)
- Washington Wizards (mentioned)
Mentioned[]
- Mariah Dillard's Mother
- Mama Mabel
- Pistol Pete
- Cottonmouth
- Claire Temple's Father
- Rafael Scarfe
- Nigel Garrison (photo)
- Gwen McIver
- Jackson Dillard
- Albert Rackham
- Dawn
- Bobby Fish's Daughter
- Matt Murdock
- Jessica Jones
- Danny Rand
- Etta Lucas
- Diamondback
- Reva Connors
- Noah Burstein
- Kilgrave
- Usain Bolt
- Frederick Douglass
- Michael Jordan
- New York Mayor
- Nicky Barnes
- Michelle Obama
- Lethal Weapon
Trivia[]
- Straighten It Out is a song from the album Mecca and the Soul Brother of the hip-pop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bushmaster Bullets | Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad |
|
| Life's a Journey | Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad |
|
| Youth Suffer | Clayton Hibbert |
|
| Barita Magica | Archie Peña |
|
| Red Gold And Green | Terry Devine-King |
|
| If Trouble Was Money | Gary Clark Jr. |
|
| Bright Lights | Gary Clark Jr. |
|
