Marvel's Luke Cage (2016) s02e05 Episode Script
All Souled Out
1 [theme music playing.]
You can dim the lights a bit, right? His eyes are still sensitive.
[winces and groans.]
[Luke.]
This is some bullshit.
I'll tell the truth.
That's a first.
Luke.
Speak your truth, my brother.
Take your time.
I've been fighting since I was eight years old.
Had to.
You know, that's Harlem all day.
Survival of the fittest.
You know, like You know, like Prodigy said.
That's Charles Darwin, not Mobb Deep, you ignorant bastard.
Whatever.
Luke Cage was on some NatGeo shit.
[shuddering.]
I thought I was getting mauled by a bear.
I was so helpless.
I tried to fight back, Lord knows I did, but he just kept hitting me again and again - You were beating your girlfriend! - That's hearsay! This isn't a courtroom.
[mouthing.]
Drea been my lady for 15 years, all right? We gonna get into it sometimes.
That's how we do.
We fight hard, we love hard.
That shit is private.
Pardon me.
A man's home is supposed to be his castle.
You come in there making all sorts of assumptions.
Story of my life.
Running from the police.
Slapped up by the police.
Beat up by the police.
Framed by the dirty police.
Thrown in jail by Rafael Scarfe for some shit I didn't even do.
So now that they let me out, I finally get a chance to put that shit behind me, get my life together.
Here comes Luke Cage.
And after I already defended myself against his savagery, he came and he kicked down the door to my house.
My home.
[Foggy sighs.]
I know me losing my temper only proved their point.
You think? The fact they can shake me down and get away with it That's why we don't want you in an open courtroom.
That look on your face, the fact that you can snap a conference table like it was made out of Styrofoam.
The real fact is that he is a woman and child beater.
You're a self-proclaimed officer of the law, so when when it comes to a brutality defense, facts aren't on your side.
Only perception.
Given my history on the subject, I can't believe I'm even gonna say this, but [sniffles.]
If you're gonna fight crime, have you considered wearing a mask? I'm 6'3", black and bulletproof.
You think wearing a Lone Ranger mask is gonna keep people from figuring out who I am? Maybe.
There are people who still think Shock G and Humpty Hump are two different people.
Digital Underground? I know who Digital Underground are, Foggy.
[chuckles.]
Don't look surprised.
I've been known to rock a hoodie back in the day.
[chuckles.]
Oh, man, that Seriously, what are my options, Foggy? Pay Cockroach, this whole thing evaporates.
- Nah.
Mmm-mmm.
- Okay.
Then we go to court.
And they bring up the fact that you're an ex-con.
Framed.
Exonerated.
In the eyes of a jury, played correctly, you're Willie Horton with bulletproof skin.
You could go to jail for assault.
- What good am I to them in jail? - Exactly.
So Ben Donovan came up with a price that makes this whole thing go away.
There's a clock on it.
72 hours.
Sweet Christmas.
- Weird stuff.
- I understand that.
I do.
- I'll check it out.
- Yeah? - [Alex.]
Yeah.
- Wow.
- This is a pretty big building.
- [Alex.]
It's a production.
Looking beautiful today.
Hey, welcome! Hey! I thought everything was happening later this evening? - I told Alex to have you come early.
- Why? Because I wanted you to see it for yourself.
Look.
Stay out here, just for a bit.
Make sure no press comes in yet.
- They're all coming.
- Good! The more the better.
They need to see this.
Come and see.
- I've seen a clinic before, Mommy.
- Look at this.
Look at them.
Sojourner, Mary Bethune, Ida B.
Wells, Bessie Coleman, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya.
You don't need to be bulletproof to be a superhero.
Black women have always had superpowers.
Turning pain into progress, nothing into nurture.
That's what my grandmother did.
Mama Mabel? This is her dream.
All of this.
The clinic.
It'll have 12 rooms, day care, job placement services, a dentist, a pharmacy.
All to help young single mothers starting fresh or starting over.
I get it.
"Family first.
" Always.
This is the centerpiece of that initiative.
This is ironic.
You're building a foundation for women to protect the legacy of Harlem's biggest madam.
[scoffs.]
All the women that she exploited, the souls she trafficked? Don't you dare disrespect her.
Our family fortune was born in a whorehouse.
So what? So was jazz.
You don't see people protesting outside of Lincoln Center, do you? Your great-grandmother empowered women who couldn't protect themselves.
Mabel and Buggy Stokes fought against the white gangsters that wanted to re-enslave Harlem.
You want to talk about what we come from.
I want to talk about what we're made of.
Focus on our bright future, not our painful past.
All of this, all this, of course, will be free of charge.
You're my first choice for medical director.
- Me? - You.
I should have a say in that matter.
What if I don't want to heal people with bloody money? FYI, because of my early support of Atreus Plastics, I have experienced a windfall since it was sold just a few days ago to Glenn Industries.
The millions that I made I am pouring right back into this community.
Black wealth is black power, baby.
That's what I wanna do with this clinic, with the complex, this whole initiative.
I want to bring miracles to Harlem.
For everybody.
I ain't frontin', T.
Will you help me? [Tilda chuckles softly.]
Open.
Close.
[whirring.]
Lift.
[typing.]
For what this thing costs, it better do more than just help me drink coffee.
I know this seems silly, but the arm is being programmed to respond to the remaining nerve endings in your limb.
The muscles flex and send a signal to the prosthetic to respond accordingly.
It's not as simple as linking a cell phone to your car with Bluetooth.
It takes some time before it clicks.
Trust me.
[cell phone ringing.]
- [Luke.]
Hey, Foggy.
- Hey.
I got a possible cash flow solution.
A high-end personal appearance gig.
Easy money.
I won't do porn.
Or escort.
Relax, gigolo.
The call was for a personal appearance.
Selfies, handshakes, maybe lift something heavy.
Oh, so now I'm Joe Louis greeting people at the casino? Stop being such a baby.
Do you know how much Beyoncé got paid to do a bar mitzvah with Destiny's Child a decade ago? A lawyer I clerked for in law school brokered the deal.
[door opens.]
Uh, let me call you back.
Hey.
Nice upgrade.
[sighs.]
Thanks.
Danny and Colleen hooked me up.
Oh.
Seriously, it looks good.
It's, uh it's badass.
What, you're sleeping here now? Well, we still got a few weeks left on the lease, unless I can get the landlord to change his mind.
- Hmm.
- But it'll do for now.
What'd the guy from ICE lockup have to say? Oh.
You know, just that Bushmaster's whole deal is Mariah and getting revenge on her.
- He hasn't popped up anywhere else? - Guy's a ghost.
Not with Mariah's guns.
He's gonna turn people into ghosts in a minute.
If his whole beef is with Mariah, why buy guns from her? Who knows? It's not like I don't have other problems to deal with.
Take a look.
Cockroach is suing you? - Yeah, "Dontrell.
" - [scoffs.]
If I don't come up with 100 grand, I have to go to court.
Are you really gonna pay that? I mean, can you pay that? I don't have a choice.
I feel like part of this is on me.
You know Scarfe and I locked up Cockroach back in the day.
- Scarfe? - Yeah.
That's part of why he's out.
It's one of Scarfe's tainted cases.
Scarfe's mess.
Now it's mine.
No.
It's mine, too.
I'm gonna make it right.
You know you could always call Danny.
- No.
- [chuckles.]
I got myself into this mess.
I'll get myself out.
[John.]
I have to be real with you.
That viral footage of you getting knocked out, it's not very inspiring.
That's what sells shoes.
Inspiration.
Coach Bowles said it was the best workout he's ever seen.
World-class speed.
I watched it, too.
You could blow through an offensive line like wind through a pile of leaves, but But what? [sighs.]
You weren't born with your powers.
They were given to you.
Now, either every team in the league gets to have someone enhanced like you or no one does.
There's no way the commish would let that happen.
[Chris.]
It's a documentary series.
We're calling it Bulletproof vs.
Beast.
[stutters.]
Have you clicked the link yet? [sighs.]
- You want me to fight a shark? - Well yeah! [chuckles.]
But we'll save that for the season finale.
Uh, we'll start you with something smaller first.
Like a a honey badger.
You can take a honey badger, right? Uh, just one second.
[line ringing.]
Hey, Foggy.
It's me.
How much did Beyoncé make again? Press arriving already.
We're off to a good start.
They're scouting for the ceremony.
Thembi Wallace's people called.
She'll want a formal sit-down after.
That bitch can sit down on her ass and wait like everybody else.
That formal enough for ya? Play nice, Madam Councilwoman.
Everyone loves a comeback story.
Just make sure it's live.
I don't wanna get buried by Kimmel.
Did Tilda go for it? I don't know.
That offer is real.
I would love to announce it tonight.
I already have a business to run.
And it's lovely.
But you can hardly keep the lights on in that place.
But it's mine.
I built it from the ground up.
That's more than you can say.
I'm sorry, Mommy.
Trusting you is new to me.
Harlem's finest.
We Be Donuts has opened up on Frederick Douglass.
- Y'all want directions? - [chuckles.]
No.
Maybe we'll stop on the way back.
No, we're actually here looking for a friend of yours.
Do you think you could help us locate him? He was at my fundraiser.
He's one of my biggest donors.
He's probably at home with his wife, Cindy.
She's my soror.
Well, she hasn't seen him.
No one has.
Not for a few days.
I barely talked to him that night.
I mean, who had the time? [Bailey.]
If you do see him, can you give us a call? You telling me you got nothing? No Stylers, no Bushmaster.
We checked everywhere.
Except Kingston.
[chuckles.]
You think this is a joke? No.
But if you're worried about an ambush, why sell 'em all our guns? "Why" isn't what you guys do.
You guys do "yes" and "it's done.
" I didn't pay you all for your opinions.
Stop worrying about what we're doing and keep looking for Bushmaster.
- Where the hell is Ray Ray? - [man smacks lips.]
Ray ain't show.
- What do you mean he ain't show? - [Comanche.]
Like I said.
I talked to Coco.
She ain't seen him either.
- We need to get you out of town.
- I agree.
Paris, Milan.
That's not what I'm talking about and you know it.
Bushmaster all but threatened you when he came up here.
Ooh, whatever.
He was spooky.
But his money is green.
The merger was golden.
We have no problems.
But if there's more blood on the streets because of our guns There will always be blood in the streets, baby.
That's Harlem.
We are about to be untouchable.
With my Family First Initiative and my buildings [scoffs.]
my legacy is protected.
Maybe it's time for you to start thinking about yours.
I agree.
My legacy is right here.
Harlem's Paradise.
I want to use some of my share and buy it from you outright.
Title and all.
This place is the only thing left that ties you to the life.
You really want out? Sell it.
To me.
No.
Not right now.
You pissed? Where are you going? Your friend Piranha's having some kind of party at his office tonight.
And you know how reckless that idiot is when he gets drunk.
I'm gonna go make sure he doesn't mess up our Atreus deal by doing or saying something stupid that gets out.
I've been knowing that boy since he was 12 years old.
He works hard, parties hard, but he's fine.
Yeah, well, I don't trust him.
You don't trust anybody.
I trust you.
Those detectives, Bailey and yellow gal that dips in and out of the club.
They rolled up on the complex this morning.
Mark Higgins is missing.
Do you know anything about it? Of course not.
Should we be worried? No.
For once, we ain't do shit.
I'll see you later tonight.
A'ight.
[knocking on door.]
You gonna get that? [pounding on door.]
[scoffs.]
You know, you could answer the door your damn self if you weren't faking your injuries.
Ain't nobody faking shit.
[chuckles.]
Now that cheap-ass Tin-Man-from-The-Wiz-looking bullshit you got where your arm used to be [chuckles.]
You need to drop that lawsuit against Luke.
Or what? You gonna find you another super to do your dirty work now that Scarfe ain't here to help you? Limp carefully, snitch.
I ain't limping nowhere, pig.
Shit.
It was the happiest day of my life when I found out Scarfe got his.
Matter of fact, I was gonna have Drea take me down to the cemetery, piss on his grave.
Oh.
Do your thing, Robocop.
Drea, get out the phone.
Let's get this on tape.
Let's get all Black Lives Matters on her ass.
- You are a piece of shit.
- And you're easily flustered.
My bad.
Blue Lives Matter.
I was just joking about the cemetery.
I'm gonna leave some flowers.
Some dead ones.
[chuckles.]
We just letting cops in the house now? Sit your ass down.
You on time out.
[elevator bell dings.]
Hi there.
We're here to see Oh, Mr.
Cage.
Mr.
Nelson.
Mr.
Jones has been expecting you.
Can I get you anything while you wait? A cappuccino? We're fine.
[receptionist.]
Hi.
Your 3:30 is here.
- You know anything about this guy? - Yeah, he does stocks.
Speculation.
You know, stuff like that.
Hey, if I knew more about money, I wouldn't have five figures in student loans, right? Oh.
And everyone calls him Piranha.
Piranha? Maybe he's a good swimmer.
Mr.
Jones is just finishing up a meeting.
But he's asked if you'd wait in his office.
Right this way.
Sweet sister.
Is that what I think it is? Well, it took me a hell of a long time to find that.
[chuckles.]
Wasn't exactly cheap, either.
Well, you got ripped off.
The uniforms at Seagate are orange.
But if you get charged, they'll give you one for free.
Uh, funny.
[chuckles.]
Raymond Jones.
But you can call me Piranha.
Everyone does.
Now, come on, be honest.
Tell me what you think.
I call this my Luke Cage Hall of Fame.
[chuckles.]
Honestly? It's creepy.
[stutters.]
In a good way.
That's what he means.
Oh, hell, I'm just excited you're here.
[chuckles.]
I mean, Luke Cage.
In my office.
Man, I Look.
I'm a big fan.
Might even be your biggest.
You got shot with those.
At Crispus Attucks, huh? How did you get them? Man, every time you do your thing, it's eBay paradise.
Instant collectibles.
You want one? [Luke.]
I'm good.
Besides, it's, uh, a little early.
Well, it's ten o'clock somewhere in the world.
[chuckling.]
Why not start early? Have a seat.
Figured with everything that I heard, all positive of course, your office would be on Wall Street.
Man, I'm from Harlem, and Clinton made it hot again.
See that book on my desk right there? That's my motto.
That book is the only thing I have left of my father.
Father didn't realize it, but he's the one who got me started on my path.
- Did he give you good advice? - No, he didn't.
My first office was at Blimpie's on 125th and MLK.
For the free Wi-Fi.
[chuckles.]
I went from taking copies of Black Enterprise from my dentist's office to having a crib and an office bigger than anything Earl Graves could ever dream of.
- Why do they call you Piranha? - Oh.
Well, Wall Street is full of great white sharks.
So no one sees a piranha coming.
They're small, tenacious.
So, sometimes you want to stay small.
Then other times you wanna play it large! That's what tonight is all about, baby.
[chuckles.]
We went and hit it big with this Atreus Plastics merger and I'm throwing a celebration.
I want to do something special.
Now, anybody can go and get a DJ.
Trust me, you know I know 'em.
You know, D-Nice, Flex, Mark Ronson.
[chuckling.]
But a celebrity superhero, that's some next-level shit right there.
It's just taking pictures and shaking hands, right? That's it.
And you'll be well rewarded for your time.
- How much? - How much you want? - Our fee is 50 - What my partner means is $150,000.
One-fifty? Sounds good.
One-fifty? I should be your client.
If you're gonna sell out, might as well get paid.
What are you not telling me? I saw a picture of him and Mariah Dillard.
Somehow, I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
You're in enough trouble fighting crime without a mask.
I'm nobody's pet for pay.
Forget that shit.
[sighs.]
Look, it's one night.
One night and you can put this entire lawsuit behind you.
One night.
Mr.
Cage, Mr.
Jones would like you to wear this tonight.
I'm not wearing that.
[chuckles.]
He said you'd say that.
It's in your contract.
See, I told you.
This is a bad idea.
You heard anything from Ray Ray? He isn't answering his phone.
Everything all right up there with you and your lady? Thought you guys would be banging on a bed of $100 bills or some shit.
I'm joking, B.
You think Ray Ray is talking to the cops? Nah, bro.
Ray Ray's a rock.
He's built for this.
Forever.
Then why ain't he calling? When have you known Double Ray not to show? Or at least call? Kiki got shot and Ray still held it down and made his pickups.
- Kid's like clockwork.
- Maybe he's in love.
I mean, you ain't been the most communicative person lately either.
[scoffs.]
I need you to find him.
Can you do that for me? I'm on it.
I'm doing it solo? You ain't coming with me? [chuckles.]
I have to go to a party.
The life of the 1%.
Tell Jay and Puff I said, "What up?" [cell phone chimes.]
[exhales.]
I ain't do shit.
I know my rights, man.
Go tell it on a mountain, homie.
Still no gun.
Well, it's in here somewhere.
Just gotta sniff it out.
You ain't gonna find no gun, 'cause there ain't no gun.
Shut up, Dontrell.
"Cockroach.
" Get it right.
So you prefer to be called Cockroach? Yeah.
Okay.
- I looked everywhere.
It ain't here.
- [sighs.]
Just slow down.
Open your eyes.
Take in the room.
I did all that.
All right.
Let me take a look.
Don't take it personal.
My eyes are softer than yours by at least 12 years.
I'll take a look.
Oh.
You's a fine bitch, you know that? Yeah.
Anybody ever tell you you too bad to be a cop? You need to use them hips for something better, Ma.
I could help with that.
- You need to shut your mouth.
- [Cockroach chuckles.]
Y'all ain't got shit, man.
No shit, or, "Aw, shit"? Aw, shit.
No, that's not mine.
You got 38 problems and a bitch ain't one.
[scoffs.]
That's not my gun.
Where'd you find it? Homie had it stashed behind the headboard.
Officers, please escort Mr.
Roach to his new motel.
Hold up! That's not mine! Get your hands off me! - Yo, that's not mine! - Bye-bye.
That's not mine.
Somebody put that there.
You were right.
Told ya we'd sniff it out.
[Ridenhour.]
Detective Knight I thought you were told to stay away from those cases.
What if Cockroach was telling the truth? What if Scarfe planted that gun? It's not the cleanest collection of evidence I've ever seen.
So you read the file? I read through all the cases that bounced back, but there's nothing I can do.
It's the past.
But it's not the past.
It's walking around, now, free.
You had an eyewitness on Dontrell.
When you brought him in, he tested positive for GSR.
You guys might not have needed the gun to bust him.
Even if Cockroach was guilty, doesn't mean all of them were.
I thought it was just Cottonmouth, but Scarfe could have been doing this for years.
I mean, who knows what else he was running? Maybe.
Maybe it was just Cottonmouth.
You'll never know.
None of us will.
We all just have to find a way to live with what's happened.
[cell phone ringing.]
Detective Knight.
Hey.
Sure.
Goddamn cosplay.
Shit.
[hip-hop music playing.]
[rapping.]
Is that Ghostface Killah? Yeah.
Method Man wrote a song about me.
We kick it from time to time.
[sighs.]
I gotta get superpowers.
[continues rapping.]
Yo, Luke Cage! Luke! Welcome to the party, baby! [laughs.]
Hey, man.
I gotta admit, this party's a little bigger than I thought.
[scoffs.]
This? This ain't shit.
Come on, let's do a lap.
It's cool.
I'll be here, just hanging.
- Hey, how's it going? - [indistinct chatter.]
No? Yo! Yo! Oh! RJ, what up, boy? You finally made it, huh? [chuckles.]
Oh, is this your wife? - [both laugh.]
- [Piranha.]
Just playing.
[chuckles.]
Uh, is there something I'm supposed to be doing? You're already doing it.
Look, Luke.
But you gotta put that hood up.
Put the hoodie up, man.
That shit is iconic.
- [sighs.]
- Come on, do it! Do it! There it is! Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Yo, get it.
Get it.
[man.]
You want me to talk to him? - Thanks.
- [man.]
I'll talk to him.
You the man, Luke.
Hey.
Uh, how much can you bench? Who's tougher, you or the green monster? That's not his name.
- [people exclaim.]
- Oh, shit! [chuckles.]
[people gasp.]
You guys getting this? - [man.]
Yeah.
Stay right there.
- [cameras click.]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, no, no.
[grunts.]
Peterson, you are an animal.
That was insane.
- Oh, my God! [laughing.]
- You gotta text me that.
Yeah, man, I got you.
[knocking on door.]
Who called you? I've got people who call me when someone slips by accident into someone's fist.
- That supposed to be a joke? - No.
There's nothing funny about what he's done to you.
- [scoffs.]
- We can find him now and press charges.
It really was an accident.
[chuckles.]
What? He accidentally hit you in the eye with a jab instead of an uppercut to the chin? Cockroach will keep doing this until he kills you.
Or your son.
'Cause that's who he is.
He's not gonna change.
Do you have any idea how many bodies I've stood over of people in your exact position? It haunts me to this day.
Give me something.
Anything.
Is there something illegal in your apartment? - [sighs.]
- Guns? Drugs? I can have a warrant in an hour and have him locked up in three.
- But you gotta say something.
- And what can you really do, huh? You got him before and he still got out.
And not for knocking me around.
And even if he didn't kill that guy that your partner framed him for, he's killed others.
Plenty others.
So, yeah, I'm not talking, 'cause I'm scared of him and because I don't think there's shit you can do to stop him.
How many were we up against? About ten, 20? Right? These guys are big, but my guy's bulletproof, so I ain't worried about him.
I got to come out blasting.
Bam, bam, bam! Fools droppin' left and right.
Yo, where's my man, Luke-dawg? Sitting there, chilling, listening to Wu-Tang in his iPhone.
You know what I'm sayin'? 'Cause it's just another night kicking ass.
The gruesome twosome, right, baby? [laughs.]
Y'all don't understand a damn thing I'm saying, do you? Well, do you like wine? Vino? I just bought a vineyard in Napa.
I've got a chardonnay that'll melt your face off.
Matter of fact, come on, ladies.
Come on, Luke.
[chuckling.]
Ain't shit over there.
Come on.
[women laughing.]
[Piranha chuckles.]
Ladies, ladies Uh, watch the stairs.
You know, make sure our wine tasting is not interrupted.
Oh.
I'm your doorman now? What? Pet nigga isn't good enough for you? Why you getting all political and shit? Just do your job.
Luke, you almost done, baby.
Oh, and don't let nobody else up.
Unless they hotter than these two.
[laughs.]
[indistinct chatter.]
[door opens.]
[Mariah.]
You're not gonna change? That's because I'm not going.
You lied to those cops.
You lied to me.
You had more than a few words with Mark Higgins.
He stood right here in your office when you introduced us.
That's private.
They didn't need to know about it.
What about me? You keep saying that we're family.
Tell me everything now or nothing, and I'll walk away for good.
I can live with that.
I was doing fine without you.
Fine.
I blackmailed Mark Higgins.
A few weeks ago, I had got word that Atreus Plastics was offered a merger.
It was information no one else had.
Mark Higgins was the only thing standing in the way.
Insider trading.
Mark Higgins is a sack of shit that never put a dime into the community.
And he let his dick control him.
Stephanie was his server in more ways than one.
I videotaped it.
I merely conveyed that information to Mr.
Higgins so he could make the appropriate decision.
We made hundreds of millions of dollars when he voted to approve the merger.
The stock was purchased legally with money that I used from selling off the family gun business.
A $20 million investment could be worth billions.
Guns? That's where our money really comes from? Back in the day, dice and coochie.
Then guns.
Never drugs.
- And you're okay with that? - Uh, abso-damn-lutely.
You play it forward.
Your great-grandmother was a ghetto philanthropist.
Your cousin Cornell financed all of my campaigns.
Now, I am a legit philanthropist.
That's the American way, girl.
- You are a crook and a liar.
- I serve Harlem.
And, yes, I will do whatever it takes.
Your profession is not too pristine, my dear.
You never took money from a shady pharmaceutical company for a greater good? That's why my medicine comes from the ground.
To do no harm.
It's better to do a little harm for a whole lot of good than it is to do no harm for jack shit.
Without that money, there's no Shirley Chisholm Complex, no Family First Initiative.
You wanted the truth.
There it is.
You want it clean? Help me clean it up.
You're the healer.
Heal this.
Where is Mark Higgins? I haven't seen him since he left here that night.
And that's the truth also.
You can't plant a seed without getting your hands dirty.
The seeds have been planted.
They've been watered.
I'm done with the dirt.
Tilda, I washed my hands.
I want you with me when we reap the harvest and Harlem rises again.
[sighs.]
[hip-hop music playing.]
You okay? [stutters.]
It's just that you're a big deal.
A real hero.
My father, my uncles, my little brother, they all look up to you.
- You want a picture? - Would you mind? - Sure.
- Okay.
[giggles.]
[chuckles.]
Thank you.
Oh, hey! The hell is that file? It's in Nandi's desk.
Should still be my desk.
[grunts.]
[object clatters.]
[clattering.]
Mmm-mmm.
What's the matter? You're still worried about that Haverland thing, huh? Hell, yeah.
That asshole is scamming little old ladies out of their social checks.
I know it.
I just can't prove it.
Haverland is smart, all right? So, what you gotta do you gotta figure out how you're gonna be smarter.
Put a pin in this dude.
- I might have a solution.
- Yeah? You know, uh, Meg? Sits behind the desk in evidence room? - Big Leg Meg? - Mmm-hmm.
She's in and out of that room every ten minutes to go smoke.
So all we gotta do, wait outside, she comes out, we go in, head in the back, grab three, four ounces of blow, H, whatever.
We'll put the tail on Haverland, pull his ass over "License and registration.
" "Sure" "Ooh, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's that on the backseat? [gasps.]
Step out of the car, sir.
You're under arrest.
" Next thing you know, he's on all fours, begging for his mommy in Rikers.
It ain't a set-up if he's guilty.
And you said it, he's guilty.
[laughing.]
[laughs.]
You are such an asshole.
- I had you.
- [both chuckle.]
Why you so gullible? You gotta work on that.
Yeah, I do.
- Tell you what.
- [chuckles.]
What? Be nice if it was that easy, though, wouldn't it? This thing works one way.
The letter of the law, no.
Mmm-hmm.
That's right.
That's just the way I taught ya.
- Right.
- Very good, Officer.
[chuckles.]
I needed that.
You wanna grab another one down at the Lenox Lounge? - Nah.
Gotta get home and see Earl.
- Big plans? [grunts.]
I told him he could wait up, watch the Mets game with me.
That sounds great except for the Mets part.
Hmm.
Spoken like a true, sad and sorry-ass Yankee fan.
- Yeah, but we win.
- Mmm-mmm.
- [chuckles.]
- You lose.
[exhales.]
- Night, partner.
- Catch you when I catch you.
I gave you a week to get me what I need.
The clock is ticking.
You're too late.
Mariah's gone legit.
You're just protecting your homeboy Shades.
Look, I got nothing.
Why don't you just lean on the other guy you pinched? - He'll talk eventually.
- Who? [panting.]
Ray Ray.
Ray Ray? Who the hell is Ray Ray? [door closes.]
[crying.]
Hey.
It wasn't an accident.
Rafe, no.
No, okay? You can't think that.
It was punishment.
It was God.
[sniffling.]
He's he's he's paying me back for all the things that I've done.
That's why I left the gun unlocked.
That's why Earl found it.
No.
Listen to me.
- God wouldn't do that.
- [sniffling.]
He knows that you are a good cop.
And an even better man.
Hey, and I'm here for you.
[scoffs.]
[crying.]
[sobbing.]
- [people cheering.]
- [cameras clicking.]
Okay, okay.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This complex is a new beginning.
And we all know how hard it can be sometimes starting over.
But we will do it together.
- [all agreeing.]
- Together, Harlem rises.
She always does.
[cheering.]
That's all she knows how to do.
Family first! Always! Come on.
Welcome home, Harlem! Come on in! Come on in! Come on in! Come home, Harlem! [people screaming and gasping.]
Please! Please, everyone, calm down.
Everyone, calm down.
[Mariah breathing heavily.]
[hip-hop music playing.]
[camera clicks.]
You do parties now? 'Cause my cousin's quinceañera is next week.
Cut the shit.
Are you with the Jamaicans? Where's Bushmaster? Bushmaster? Where? Everybody having a good time? [cheering.]
[Piranha.]
You better be, because if you're workin' for me, you just made a whole lot of money.
[cheering.]
I'm like, "What up?" Where Luke Cage? Where he at? Luke There he is! Luke, come on up here, man.
Come on.
Come on, Luke.
Come on.
[all cheering.]
[Piranha.]
Don't you just love him, with his superhero ass? I got another treat for you.
I got another treat! Who wants to shoot a bulletproof man? Oh, shit.
[all cheering.]
Who will do it? - Put it down.
- Oh, come on, Luke, have a little fun.
If you shoot and it ricochets, it could kill somebody.
Now put it down! You're making me look bad, Luke.
Don't do that, huh? You want that 150, don't you? Then hop to it, pet bitch.
I hired you to do a job.
Now do it.
- [gunshots.]
- [people screaming.]
[grunting.]
[Piranha.]
Hey, don't touch me! I'm Piranha, bitch.
Don't touch me.
Luke! Luke! What y'all doing? Hey, please! Luke! You got the wrong guy! Wait! Wait! No! I'm not It's not me! Oh, shit! Wait! Look, look Look, I [tires screeching.]
[Piranha screams.]
[screaming.]
Help! [stammering.]
God! Look, I don't know who you think - [in Jamaican dialect.]
Shut up, man.
- [loud thud.]
[grunting.]
[whimpering, grunts.]
Why does Bushmaster want you? I don't know.
I don't even know the guy! - He knows you.
- Luke! Luke, listen.
Please.
You gotta help me.
You gotta protect me, man.
Please.
Brother.
- [panting.]
- [sirens wailing in distance.]
You wanna hire this hero? The price just doubled.
[funk music playing.]
You can dim the lights a bit, right? His eyes are still sensitive.
[winces and groans.]
[Luke.]
This is some bullshit.
I'll tell the truth.
That's a first.
Luke.
Speak your truth, my brother.
Take your time.
I've been fighting since I was eight years old.
Had to.
You know, that's Harlem all day.
Survival of the fittest.
You know, like You know, like Prodigy said.
That's Charles Darwin, not Mobb Deep, you ignorant bastard.
Whatever.
Luke Cage was on some NatGeo shit.
[shuddering.]
I thought I was getting mauled by a bear.
I was so helpless.
I tried to fight back, Lord knows I did, but he just kept hitting me again and again - You were beating your girlfriend! - That's hearsay! This isn't a courtroom.
[mouthing.]
Drea been my lady for 15 years, all right? We gonna get into it sometimes.
That's how we do.
We fight hard, we love hard.
That shit is private.
Pardon me.
A man's home is supposed to be his castle.
You come in there making all sorts of assumptions.
Story of my life.
Running from the police.
Slapped up by the police.
Beat up by the police.
Framed by the dirty police.
Thrown in jail by Rafael Scarfe for some shit I didn't even do.
So now that they let me out, I finally get a chance to put that shit behind me, get my life together.
Here comes Luke Cage.
And after I already defended myself against his savagery, he came and he kicked down the door to my house.
My home.
[Foggy sighs.]
I know me losing my temper only proved their point.
You think? The fact they can shake me down and get away with it That's why we don't want you in an open courtroom.
That look on your face, the fact that you can snap a conference table like it was made out of Styrofoam.
The real fact is that he is a woman and child beater.
You're a self-proclaimed officer of the law, so when when it comes to a brutality defense, facts aren't on your side.
Only perception.
Given my history on the subject, I can't believe I'm even gonna say this, but [sniffles.]
If you're gonna fight crime, have you considered wearing a mask? I'm 6'3", black and bulletproof.
You think wearing a Lone Ranger mask is gonna keep people from figuring out who I am? Maybe.
There are people who still think Shock G and Humpty Hump are two different people.
Digital Underground? I know who Digital Underground are, Foggy.
[chuckles.]
Don't look surprised.
I've been known to rock a hoodie back in the day.
[chuckles.]
Oh, man, that Seriously, what are my options, Foggy? Pay Cockroach, this whole thing evaporates.
- Nah.
Mmm-mmm.
- Okay.
Then we go to court.
And they bring up the fact that you're an ex-con.
Framed.
Exonerated.
In the eyes of a jury, played correctly, you're Willie Horton with bulletproof skin.
You could go to jail for assault.
- What good am I to them in jail? - Exactly.
So Ben Donovan came up with a price that makes this whole thing go away.
There's a clock on it.
72 hours.
Sweet Christmas.
- Weird stuff.
- I understand that.
I do.
- I'll check it out.
- Yeah? - [Alex.]
Yeah.
- Wow.
- This is a pretty big building.
- [Alex.]
It's a production.
Looking beautiful today.
Hey, welcome! Hey! I thought everything was happening later this evening? - I told Alex to have you come early.
- Why? Because I wanted you to see it for yourself.
Look.
Stay out here, just for a bit.
Make sure no press comes in yet.
- They're all coming.
- Good! The more the better.
They need to see this.
Come and see.
- I've seen a clinic before, Mommy.
- Look at this.
Look at them.
Sojourner, Mary Bethune, Ida B.
Wells, Bessie Coleman, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya.
You don't need to be bulletproof to be a superhero.
Black women have always had superpowers.
Turning pain into progress, nothing into nurture.
That's what my grandmother did.
Mama Mabel? This is her dream.
All of this.
The clinic.
It'll have 12 rooms, day care, job placement services, a dentist, a pharmacy.
All to help young single mothers starting fresh or starting over.
I get it.
"Family first.
" Always.
This is the centerpiece of that initiative.
This is ironic.
You're building a foundation for women to protect the legacy of Harlem's biggest madam.
[scoffs.]
All the women that she exploited, the souls she trafficked? Don't you dare disrespect her.
Our family fortune was born in a whorehouse.
So what? So was jazz.
You don't see people protesting outside of Lincoln Center, do you? Your great-grandmother empowered women who couldn't protect themselves.
Mabel and Buggy Stokes fought against the white gangsters that wanted to re-enslave Harlem.
You want to talk about what we come from.
I want to talk about what we're made of.
Focus on our bright future, not our painful past.
All of this, all this, of course, will be free of charge.
You're my first choice for medical director.
- Me? - You.
I should have a say in that matter.
What if I don't want to heal people with bloody money? FYI, because of my early support of Atreus Plastics, I have experienced a windfall since it was sold just a few days ago to Glenn Industries.
The millions that I made I am pouring right back into this community.
Black wealth is black power, baby.
That's what I wanna do with this clinic, with the complex, this whole initiative.
I want to bring miracles to Harlem.
For everybody.
I ain't frontin', T.
Will you help me? [Tilda chuckles softly.]
Open.
Close.
[whirring.]
Lift.
[typing.]
For what this thing costs, it better do more than just help me drink coffee.
I know this seems silly, but the arm is being programmed to respond to the remaining nerve endings in your limb.
The muscles flex and send a signal to the prosthetic to respond accordingly.
It's not as simple as linking a cell phone to your car with Bluetooth.
It takes some time before it clicks.
Trust me.
[cell phone ringing.]
- [Luke.]
Hey, Foggy.
- Hey.
I got a possible cash flow solution.
A high-end personal appearance gig.
Easy money.
I won't do porn.
Or escort.
Relax, gigolo.
The call was for a personal appearance.
Selfies, handshakes, maybe lift something heavy.
Oh, so now I'm Joe Louis greeting people at the casino? Stop being such a baby.
Do you know how much Beyoncé got paid to do a bar mitzvah with Destiny's Child a decade ago? A lawyer I clerked for in law school brokered the deal.
[door opens.]
Uh, let me call you back.
Hey.
Nice upgrade.
[sighs.]
Thanks.
Danny and Colleen hooked me up.
Oh.
Seriously, it looks good.
It's, uh it's badass.
What, you're sleeping here now? Well, we still got a few weeks left on the lease, unless I can get the landlord to change his mind.
- Hmm.
- But it'll do for now.
What'd the guy from ICE lockup have to say? Oh.
You know, just that Bushmaster's whole deal is Mariah and getting revenge on her.
- He hasn't popped up anywhere else? - Guy's a ghost.
Not with Mariah's guns.
He's gonna turn people into ghosts in a minute.
If his whole beef is with Mariah, why buy guns from her? Who knows? It's not like I don't have other problems to deal with.
Take a look.
Cockroach is suing you? - Yeah, "Dontrell.
" - [scoffs.]
If I don't come up with 100 grand, I have to go to court.
Are you really gonna pay that? I mean, can you pay that? I don't have a choice.
I feel like part of this is on me.
You know Scarfe and I locked up Cockroach back in the day.
- Scarfe? - Yeah.
That's part of why he's out.
It's one of Scarfe's tainted cases.
Scarfe's mess.
Now it's mine.
No.
It's mine, too.
I'm gonna make it right.
You know you could always call Danny.
- No.
- [chuckles.]
I got myself into this mess.
I'll get myself out.
[John.]
I have to be real with you.
That viral footage of you getting knocked out, it's not very inspiring.
That's what sells shoes.
Inspiration.
Coach Bowles said it was the best workout he's ever seen.
World-class speed.
I watched it, too.
You could blow through an offensive line like wind through a pile of leaves, but But what? [sighs.]
You weren't born with your powers.
They were given to you.
Now, either every team in the league gets to have someone enhanced like you or no one does.
There's no way the commish would let that happen.
[Chris.]
It's a documentary series.
We're calling it Bulletproof vs.
Beast.
[stutters.]
Have you clicked the link yet? [sighs.]
- You want me to fight a shark? - Well yeah! [chuckles.]
But we'll save that for the season finale.
Uh, we'll start you with something smaller first.
Like a a honey badger.
You can take a honey badger, right? Uh, just one second.
[line ringing.]
Hey, Foggy.
It's me.
How much did Beyoncé make again? Press arriving already.
We're off to a good start.
They're scouting for the ceremony.
Thembi Wallace's people called.
She'll want a formal sit-down after.
That bitch can sit down on her ass and wait like everybody else.
That formal enough for ya? Play nice, Madam Councilwoman.
Everyone loves a comeback story.
Just make sure it's live.
I don't wanna get buried by Kimmel.
Did Tilda go for it? I don't know.
That offer is real.
I would love to announce it tonight.
I already have a business to run.
And it's lovely.
But you can hardly keep the lights on in that place.
But it's mine.
I built it from the ground up.
That's more than you can say.
I'm sorry, Mommy.
Trusting you is new to me.
Harlem's finest.
We Be Donuts has opened up on Frederick Douglass.
- Y'all want directions? - [chuckles.]
No.
Maybe we'll stop on the way back.
No, we're actually here looking for a friend of yours.
Do you think you could help us locate him? He was at my fundraiser.
He's one of my biggest donors.
He's probably at home with his wife, Cindy.
She's my soror.
Well, she hasn't seen him.
No one has.
Not for a few days.
I barely talked to him that night.
I mean, who had the time? [Bailey.]
If you do see him, can you give us a call? You telling me you got nothing? No Stylers, no Bushmaster.
We checked everywhere.
Except Kingston.
[chuckles.]
You think this is a joke? No.
But if you're worried about an ambush, why sell 'em all our guns? "Why" isn't what you guys do.
You guys do "yes" and "it's done.
" I didn't pay you all for your opinions.
Stop worrying about what we're doing and keep looking for Bushmaster.
- Where the hell is Ray Ray? - [man smacks lips.]
Ray ain't show.
- What do you mean he ain't show? - [Comanche.]
Like I said.
I talked to Coco.
She ain't seen him either.
- We need to get you out of town.
- I agree.
Paris, Milan.
That's not what I'm talking about and you know it.
Bushmaster all but threatened you when he came up here.
Ooh, whatever.
He was spooky.
But his money is green.
The merger was golden.
We have no problems.
But if there's more blood on the streets because of our guns There will always be blood in the streets, baby.
That's Harlem.
We are about to be untouchable.
With my Family First Initiative and my buildings [scoffs.]
my legacy is protected.
Maybe it's time for you to start thinking about yours.
I agree.
My legacy is right here.
Harlem's Paradise.
I want to use some of my share and buy it from you outright.
Title and all.
This place is the only thing left that ties you to the life.
You really want out? Sell it.
To me.
No.
Not right now.
You pissed? Where are you going? Your friend Piranha's having some kind of party at his office tonight.
And you know how reckless that idiot is when he gets drunk.
I'm gonna go make sure he doesn't mess up our Atreus deal by doing or saying something stupid that gets out.
I've been knowing that boy since he was 12 years old.
He works hard, parties hard, but he's fine.
Yeah, well, I don't trust him.
You don't trust anybody.
I trust you.
Those detectives, Bailey and yellow gal that dips in and out of the club.
They rolled up on the complex this morning.
Mark Higgins is missing.
Do you know anything about it? Of course not.
Should we be worried? No.
For once, we ain't do shit.
I'll see you later tonight.
A'ight.
[knocking on door.]
You gonna get that? [pounding on door.]
[scoffs.]
You know, you could answer the door your damn self if you weren't faking your injuries.
Ain't nobody faking shit.
[chuckles.]
Now that cheap-ass Tin-Man-from-The-Wiz-looking bullshit you got where your arm used to be [chuckles.]
You need to drop that lawsuit against Luke.
Or what? You gonna find you another super to do your dirty work now that Scarfe ain't here to help you? Limp carefully, snitch.
I ain't limping nowhere, pig.
Shit.
It was the happiest day of my life when I found out Scarfe got his.
Matter of fact, I was gonna have Drea take me down to the cemetery, piss on his grave.
Oh.
Do your thing, Robocop.
Drea, get out the phone.
Let's get this on tape.
Let's get all Black Lives Matters on her ass.
- You are a piece of shit.
- And you're easily flustered.
My bad.
Blue Lives Matter.
I was just joking about the cemetery.
I'm gonna leave some flowers.
Some dead ones.
[chuckles.]
We just letting cops in the house now? Sit your ass down.
You on time out.
[elevator bell dings.]
Hi there.
We're here to see Oh, Mr.
Cage.
Mr.
Nelson.
Mr.
Jones has been expecting you.
Can I get you anything while you wait? A cappuccino? We're fine.
[receptionist.]
Hi.
Your 3:30 is here.
- You know anything about this guy? - Yeah, he does stocks.
Speculation.
You know, stuff like that.
Hey, if I knew more about money, I wouldn't have five figures in student loans, right? Oh.
And everyone calls him Piranha.
Piranha? Maybe he's a good swimmer.
Mr.
Jones is just finishing up a meeting.
But he's asked if you'd wait in his office.
Right this way.
Sweet sister.
Is that what I think it is? Well, it took me a hell of a long time to find that.
[chuckles.]
Wasn't exactly cheap, either.
Well, you got ripped off.
The uniforms at Seagate are orange.
But if you get charged, they'll give you one for free.
Uh, funny.
[chuckles.]
Raymond Jones.
But you can call me Piranha.
Everyone does.
Now, come on, be honest.
Tell me what you think.
I call this my Luke Cage Hall of Fame.
[chuckles.]
Honestly? It's creepy.
[stutters.]
In a good way.
That's what he means.
Oh, hell, I'm just excited you're here.
[chuckles.]
I mean, Luke Cage.
In my office.
Man, I Look.
I'm a big fan.
Might even be your biggest.
You got shot with those.
At Crispus Attucks, huh? How did you get them? Man, every time you do your thing, it's eBay paradise.
Instant collectibles.
You want one? [Luke.]
I'm good.
Besides, it's, uh, a little early.
Well, it's ten o'clock somewhere in the world.
[chuckling.]
Why not start early? Have a seat.
Figured with everything that I heard, all positive of course, your office would be on Wall Street.
Man, I'm from Harlem, and Clinton made it hot again.
See that book on my desk right there? That's my motto.
That book is the only thing I have left of my father.
Father didn't realize it, but he's the one who got me started on my path.
- Did he give you good advice? - No, he didn't.
My first office was at Blimpie's on 125th and MLK.
For the free Wi-Fi.
[chuckles.]
I went from taking copies of Black Enterprise from my dentist's office to having a crib and an office bigger than anything Earl Graves could ever dream of.
- Why do they call you Piranha? - Oh.
Well, Wall Street is full of great white sharks.
So no one sees a piranha coming.
They're small, tenacious.
So, sometimes you want to stay small.
Then other times you wanna play it large! That's what tonight is all about, baby.
[chuckles.]
We went and hit it big with this Atreus Plastics merger and I'm throwing a celebration.
I want to do something special.
Now, anybody can go and get a DJ.
Trust me, you know I know 'em.
You know, D-Nice, Flex, Mark Ronson.
[chuckling.]
But a celebrity superhero, that's some next-level shit right there.
It's just taking pictures and shaking hands, right? That's it.
And you'll be well rewarded for your time.
- How much? - How much you want? - Our fee is 50 - What my partner means is $150,000.
One-fifty? Sounds good.
One-fifty? I should be your client.
If you're gonna sell out, might as well get paid.
What are you not telling me? I saw a picture of him and Mariah Dillard.
Somehow, I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
You're in enough trouble fighting crime without a mask.
I'm nobody's pet for pay.
Forget that shit.
[sighs.]
Look, it's one night.
One night and you can put this entire lawsuit behind you.
One night.
Mr.
Cage, Mr.
Jones would like you to wear this tonight.
I'm not wearing that.
[chuckles.]
He said you'd say that.
It's in your contract.
See, I told you.
This is a bad idea.
You heard anything from Ray Ray? He isn't answering his phone.
Everything all right up there with you and your lady? Thought you guys would be banging on a bed of $100 bills or some shit.
I'm joking, B.
You think Ray Ray is talking to the cops? Nah, bro.
Ray Ray's a rock.
He's built for this.
Forever.
Then why ain't he calling? When have you known Double Ray not to show? Or at least call? Kiki got shot and Ray still held it down and made his pickups.
- Kid's like clockwork.
- Maybe he's in love.
I mean, you ain't been the most communicative person lately either.
[scoffs.]
I need you to find him.
Can you do that for me? I'm on it.
I'm doing it solo? You ain't coming with me? [chuckles.]
I have to go to a party.
The life of the 1%.
Tell Jay and Puff I said, "What up?" [cell phone chimes.]
[exhales.]
I ain't do shit.
I know my rights, man.
Go tell it on a mountain, homie.
Still no gun.
Well, it's in here somewhere.
Just gotta sniff it out.
You ain't gonna find no gun, 'cause there ain't no gun.
Shut up, Dontrell.
"Cockroach.
" Get it right.
So you prefer to be called Cockroach? Yeah.
Okay.
- I looked everywhere.
It ain't here.
- [sighs.]
Just slow down.
Open your eyes.
Take in the room.
I did all that.
All right.
Let me take a look.
Don't take it personal.
My eyes are softer than yours by at least 12 years.
I'll take a look.
Oh.
You's a fine bitch, you know that? Yeah.
Anybody ever tell you you too bad to be a cop? You need to use them hips for something better, Ma.
I could help with that.
- You need to shut your mouth.
- [Cockroach chuckles.]
Y'all ain't got shit, man.
No shit, or, "Aw, shit"? Aw, shit.
No, that's not mine.
You got 38 problems and a bitch ain't one.
[scoffs.]
That's not my gun.
Where'd you find it? Homie had it stashed behind the headboard.
Officers, please escort Mr.
Roach to his new motel.
Hold up! That's not mine! Get your hands off me! - Yo, that's not mine! - Bye-bye.
That's not mine.
Somebody put that there.
You were right.
Told ya we'd sniff it out.
[Ridenhour.]
Detective Knight I thought you were told to stay away from those cases.
What if Cockroach was telling the truth? What if Scarfe planted that gun? It's not the cleanest collection of evidence I've ever seen.
So you read the file? I read through all the cases that bounced back, but there's nothing I can do.
It's the past.
But it's not the past.
It's walking around, now, free.
You had an eyewitness on Dontrell.
When you brought him in, he tested positive for GSR.
You guys might not have needed the gun to bust him.
Even if Cockroach was guilty, doesn't mean all of them were.
I thought it was just Cottonmouth, but Scarfe could have been doing this for years.
I mean, who knows what else he was running? Maybe.
Maybe it was just Cottonmouth.
You'll never know.
None of us will.
We all just have to find a way to live with what's happened.
[cell phone ringing.]
Detective Knight.
Hey.
Sure.
Goddamn cosplay.
Shit.
[hip-hop music playing.]
[rapping.]
Is that Ghostface Killah? Yeah.
Method Man wrote a song about me.
We kick it from time to time.
[sighs.]
I gotta get superpowers.
[continues rapping.]
Yo, Luke Cage! Luke! Welcome to the party, baby! [laughs.]
Hey, man.
I gotta admit, this party's a little bigger than I thought.
[scoffs.]
This? This ain't shit.
Come on, let's do a lap.
It's cool.
I'll be here, just hanging.
- Hey, how's it going? - [indistinct chatter.]
No? Yo! Yo! Oh! RJ, what up, boy? You finally made it, huh? [chuckles.]
Oh, is this your wife? - [both laugh.]
- [Piranha.]
Just playing.
[chuckles.]
Uh, is there something I'm supposed to be doing? You're already doing it.
Look, Luke.
But you gotta put that hood up.
Put the hoodie up, man.
That shit is iconic.
- [sighs.]
- Come on, do it! Do it! There it is! Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah! Yo, get it.
Get it.
[man.]
You want me to talk to him? - Thanks.
- [man.]
I'll talk to him.
You the man, Luke.
Hey.
Uh, how much can you bench? Who's tougher, you or the green monster? That's not his name.
- [people exclaim.]
- Oh, shit! [chuckles.]
[people gasp.]
You guys getting this? - [man.]
Yeah.
Stay right there.
- [cameras click.]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
No, no, no.
[grunts.]
Peterson, you are an animal.
That was insane.
- Oh, my God! [laughing.]
- You gotta text me that.
Yeah, man, I got you.
[knocking on door.]
Who called you? I've got people who call me when someone slips by accident into someone's fist.
- That supposed to be a joke? - No.
There's nothing funny about what he's done to you.
- [scoffs.]
- We can find him now and press charges.
It really was an accident.
[chuckles.]
What? He accidentally hit you in the eye with a jab instead of an uppercut to the chin? Cockroach will keep doing this until he kills you.
Or your son.
'Cause that's who he is.
He's not gonna change.
Do you have any idea how many bodies I've stood over of people in your exact position? It haunts me to this day.
Give me something.
Anything.
Is there something illegal in your apartment? - [sighs.]
- Guns? Drugs? I can have a warrant in an hour and have him locked up in three.
- But you gotta say something.
- And what can you really do, huh? You got him before and he still got out.
And not for knocking me around.
And even if he didn't kill that guy that your partner framed him for, he's killed others.
Plenty others.
So, yeah, I'm not talking, 'cause I'm scared of him and because I don't think there's shit you can do to stop him.
How many were we up against? About ten, 20? Right? These guys are big, but my guy's bulletproof, so I ain't worried about him.
I got to come out blasting.
Bam, bam, bam! Fools droppin' left and right.
Yo, where's my man, Luke-dawg? Sitting there, chilling, listening to Wu-Tang in his iPhone.
You know what I'm sayin'? 'Cause it's just another night kicking ass.
The gruesome twosome, right, baby? [laughs.]
Y'all don't understand a damn thing I'm saying, do you? Well, do you like wine? Vino? I just bought a vineyard in Napa.
I've got a chardonnay that'll melt your face off.
Matter of fact, come on, ladies.
Come on, Luke.
[chuckling.]
Ain't shit over there.
Come on.
[women laughing.]
[Piranha chuckles.]
Ladies, ladies Uh, watch the stairs.
You know, make sure our wine tasting is not interrupted.
Oh.
I'm your doorman now? What? Pet nigga isn't good enough for you? Why you getting all political and shit? Just do your job.
Luke, you almost done, baby.
Oh, and don't let nobody else up.
Unless they hotter than these two.
[laughs.]
[indistinct chatter.]
[door opens.]
[Mariah.]
You're not gonna change? That's because I'm not going.
You lied to those cops.
You lied to me.
You had more than a few words with Mark Higgins.
He stood right here in your office when you introduced us.
That's private.
They didn't need to know about it.
What about me? You keep saying that we're family.
Tell me everything now or nothing, and I'll walk away for good.
I can live with that.
I was doing fine without you.
Fine.
I blackmailed Mark Higgins.
A few weeks ago, I had got word that Atreus Plastics was offered a merger.
It was information no one else had.
Mark Higgins was the only thing standing in the way.
Insider trading.
Mark Higgins is a sack of shit that never put a dime into the community.
And he let his dick control him.
Stephanie was his server in more ways than one.
I videotaped it.
I merely conveyed that information to Mr.
Higgins so he could make the appropriate decision.
We made hundreds of millions of dollars when he voted to approve the merger.
The stock was purchased legally with money that I used from selling off the family gun business.
A $20 million investment could be worth billions.
Guns? That's where our money really comes from? Back in the day, dice and coochie.
Then guns.
Never drugs.
- And you're okay with that? - Uh, abso-damn-lutely.
You play it forward.
Your great-grandmother was a ghetto philanthropist.
Your cousin Cornell financed all of my campaigns.
Now, I am a legit philanthropist.
That's the American way, girl.
- You are a crook and a liar.
- I serve Harlem.
And, yes, I will do whatever it takes.
Your profession is not too pristine, my dear.
You never took money from a shady pharmaceutical company for a greater good? That's why my medicine comes from the ground.
To do no harm.
It's better to do a little harm for a whole lot of good than it is to do no harm for jack shit.
Without that money, there's no Shirley Chisholm Complex, no Family First Initiative.
You wanted the truth.
There it is.
You want it clean? Help me clean it up.
You're the healer.
Heal this.
Where is Mark Higgins? I haven't seen him since he left here that night.
And that's the truth also.
You can't plant a seed without getting your hands dirty.
The seeds have been planted.
They've been watered.
I'm done with the dirt.
Tilda, I washed my hands.
I want you with me when we reap the harvest and Harlem rises again.
[sighs.]
[hip-hop music playing.]
You okay? [stutters.]
It's just that you're a big deal.
A real hero.
My father, my uncles, my little brother, they all look up to you.
- You want a picture? - Would you mind? - Sure.
- Okay.
[giggles.]
[chuckles.]
Thank you.
Oh, hey! The hell is that file? It's in Nandi's desk.
Should still be my desk.
[grunts.]
[object clatters.]
[clattering.]
Mmm-mmm.
What's the matter? You're still worried about that Haverland thing, huh? Hell, yeah.
That asshole is scamming little old ladies out of their social checks.
I know it.
I just can't prove it.
Haverland is smart, all right? So, what you gotta do you gotta figure out how you're gonna be smarter.
Put a pin in this dude.
- I might have a solution.
- Yeah? You know, uh, Meg? Sits behind the desk in evidence room? - Big Leg Meg? - Mmm-hmm.
She's in and out of that room every ten minutes to go smoke.
So all we gotta do, wait outside, she comes out, we go in, head in the back, grab three, four ounces of blow, H, whatever.
We'll put the tail on Haverland, pull his ass over "License and registration.
" "Sure" "Ooh, whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's that on the backseat? [gasps.]
Step out of the car, sir.
You're under arrest.
" Next thing you know, he's on all fours, begging for his mommy in Rikers.
It ain't a set-up if he's guilty.
And you said it, he's guilty.
[laughing.]
[laughs.]
You are such an asshole.
- I had you.
- [both chuckle.]
Why you so gullible? You gotta work on that.
Yeah, I do.
- Tell you what.
- [chuckles.]
What? Be nice if it was that easy, though, wouldn't it? This thing works one way.
The letter of the law, no.
Mmm-hmm.
That's right.
That's just the way I taught ya.
- Right.
- Very good, Officer.
[chuckles.]
I needed that.
You wanna grab another one down at the Lenox Lounge? - Nah.
Gotta get home and see Earl.
- Big plans? [grunts.]
I told him he could wait up, watch the Mets game with me.
That sounds great except for the Mets part.
Hmm.
Spoken like a true, sad and sorry-ass Yankee fan.
- Yeah, but we win.
- Mmm-mmm.
- [chuckles.]
- You lose.
[exhales.]
- Night, partner.
- Catch you when I catch you.
I gave you a week to get me what I need.
The clock is ticking.
You're too late.
Mariah's gone legit.
You're just protecting your homeboy Shades.
Look, I got nothing.
Why don't you just lean on the other guy you pinched? - He'll talk eventually.
- Who? [panting.]
Ray Ray.
Ray Ray? Who the hell is Ray Ray? [door closes.]
[crying.]
Hey.
It wasn't an accident.
Rafe, no.
No, okay? You can't think that.
It was punishment.
It was God.
[sniffling.]
He's he's he's paying me back for all the things that I've done.
That's why I left the gun unlocked.
That's why Earl found it.
No.
Listen to me.
- God wouldn't do that.
- [sniffling.]
He knows that you are a good cop.
And an even better man.
Hey, and I'm here for you.
[scoffs.]
[crying.]
[sobbing.]
- [people cheering.]
- [cameras clicking.]
Okay, okay.
Thank you.
Thank you.
This complex is a new beginning.
And we all know how hard it can be sometimes starting over.
But we will do it together.
- [all agreeing.]
- Together, Harlem rises.
She always does.
[cheering.]
That's all she knows how to do.
Family first! Always! Come on.
Welcome home, Harlem! Come on in! Come on in! Come on in! Come home, Harlem! [people screaming and gasping.]
Please! Please, everyone, calm down.
Everyone, calm down.
[Mariah breathing heavily.]
[hip-hop music playing.]
[camera clicks.]
You do parties now? 'Cause my cousin's quinceañera is next week.
Cut the shit.
Are you with the Jamaicans? Where's Bushmaster? Bushmaster? Where? Everybody having a good time? [cheering.]
[Piranha.]
You better be, because if you're workin' for me, you just made a whole lot of money.
[cheering.]
I'm like, "What up?" Where Luke Cage? Where he at? Luke There he is! Luke, come on up here, man.
Come on.
Come on, Luke.
Come on.
[all cheering.]
[Piranha.]
Don't you just love him, with his superhero ass? I got another treat for you.
I got another treat! Who wants to shoot a bulletproof man? Oh, shit.
[all cheering.]
Who will do it? - Put it down.
- Oh, come on, Luke, have a little fun.
If you shoot and it ricochets, it could kill somebody.
Now put it down! You're making me look bad, Luke.
Don't do that, huh? You want that 150, don't you? Then hop to it, pet bitch.
I hired you to do a job.
Now do it.
- [gunshots.]
- [people screaming.]
[grunting.]
[Piranha.]
Hey, don't touch me! I'm Piranha, bitch.
Don't touch me.
Luke! Luke! What y'all doing? Hey, please! Luke! You got the wrong guy! Wait! Wait! No! I'm not It's not me! Oh, shit! Wait! Look, look Look, I [tires screeching.]
[Piranha screams.]
[screaming.]
Help! [stammering.]
God! Look, I don't know who you think - [in Jamaican dialect.]
Shut up, man.
- [loud thud.]
[grunting.]
[whimpering, grunts.]
Why does Bushmaster want you? I don't know.
I don't even know the guy! - He knows you.
- Luke! Luke, listen.
Please.
You gotta help me.
You gotta protect me, man.
Please.
Brother.
- [panting.]
- [sirens wailing in distance.]
You wanna hire this hero? The price just doubled.
[funk music playing.]