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<v Mike Moody>Hey, you're listening to TV Eye on Marvel, a Marvel TV podcast,

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<v Mike Moody>and we are your heroes for hire.

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<v Mike Moody>My name is Mike. With me today is Nate Bliss.

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<v Nate Bliss>Hello.

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<v Mike Moody>And Martin Thomas.

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<v Martin Thomas>Hi there.

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<v Mike Moody>Okay, so today we're diving into the premiere of Marvel's Luke Cage on Netflix.

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<v Mike Moody>But first, let's take a sec to talk about what we're doing with this podcast

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<v Mike Moody>now over the next several episodes, because we're kind of transitioning.

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<v Mike Moody>Transitioning. Some of you listening may have been listeners of the TV Eye podcast,

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<v Mike Moody>which Nate and I did for about a year.

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<v Mike Moody>It was sort of our first plunge into podcasting. And as you've probably noticed,

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<v Mike Moody>we've rebranded. We're TV Eye on Marvel now.

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<v Mike Moody>Like Steve Rogers sipping on that super serum, you know?

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<v Martin Thomas>Did he sip on it?

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<v Mike Moody>He sipped on it.

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<v Martin Thomas>I always thought he was more injected into it. Or even, so, though it's a giant

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<v Martin Thomas>test tube, I never got the impression that he sipped it.

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<v Nate Bliss>Just kind of casually.

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<v Martin Thomas>Like a fine mint tea.

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<v Mike Moody>Just on a bad day when he's feeling kind of tired, he's like,

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<v Mike Moody>I'm going to get some of that super serum, man. He's hiding in the bathroom,

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<v Mike Moody>sipping on that canister.

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<v Nate Bliss>Agent Carter heating it up like a pot of tea. Oh, Dr. Erskine, you make the best.

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<v Mike Moody>All right. So, yeah, like Steve, we are a stronger, taller, chestier version of what we once were.

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<v Mike Moody>All right. That weak-ass analogy aside, we are now TV Eye on Marvel.

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<v Mike Moody>And we'll be covering the Marvel Netflix TV shows exclusively,

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<v Mike Moody>starting with an in-depth episode review of all 13 episodes of Marvel's Luke

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<v Mike Moody>Cage, which premiered September 30th.

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<v Mike Moody>Now, we're not going to fanboy out too much.

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<v Nate Bliss>Not too much.

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<v Mike Moody>Not too much. Martin's a critic. I'm a critic. You're Nate.

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<v Nate Bliss>I'm just a geek.

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<v Mike Moody>You're a guy.

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<v Nate Bliss>Just an over-exuberant, nerdy guy.

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<v Mike Moody>But, you know, we are going to celebrate the shows because we do like them.

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<v Mike Moody>But you know If there's stuff we don't like Just like I do on Mr.

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<v Mike Moody>Roboto We're going to talk about that.

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<v Martin Thomas>Too Wait do you catch flack When you mention the stuff You don't like Oh sometimes Not a lot.

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<v Mike Moody>But it's fine.

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<v Martin Thomas>Oh uh oh Oh this is going to be Okay go ahead.

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<v Mike Moody>Oh a good teaser.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah Yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>I like this premiere a lot, and I think it's a great piece of auteur television.

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<v Mike Moody>But before we get into it further, let's introduce ourselves a little further.

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<v Mike Moody>All right. Just to let the listeners know who's talking here.

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<v Mike Moody>So, Martin, what the hell are you doing here?

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<v Martin Thomas>Oh, well, I'm here because you invited me. I assume you invited me because,

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<v Martin Thomas>yes, I've been podcasting for quite a while.

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<v Martin Thomas>At least podcasting probably like the last 10 years.

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<v Martin Thomas>And before that, part of a movie review show that ran for 10 years on AXS TV.

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<v Martin Thomas>So it's been just about 20 years for me talking about pop culture and media.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah, you rolled in on your wheelchair tonight, and it was good.

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<v Martin Thomas>Pretty much. Worked in the comic industry, even reading comics since I was six years old.

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<v Martin Thomas>I'm not going to tell you how long that is, but it's been a long time, let me tell you.

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<v Martin Thomas>And I figure, hey, if anybody's going to come here and talk about this thing, why not me?

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<v Mike Moody>Nate, same question.

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<v Nate Bliss>Well, I've been podcasting for a little while. Well, but like as listeners,

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<v Nate Bliss>people who have come from TV, I probably know I was definitely the more, the gushy one.

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<v Nate Bliss>Whereas Mike was the more like, well, let's talk about how the episode is structured.

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<v Mike Moody>I was the boring one. You're the fun one. Now there's two fun ones and I'm still the boring one.

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<v Nate Bliss>But I mean, but I've also been reading comics since I was like in short pants.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah.

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<v Nate Bliss>And, and.

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<v Mike Moody>Since you were sipping on that super serum as a kid.

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<v Nate Bliss>Yeah. Yeah. Well, we had like, you know. So...

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<v Mike Moody>It's done wonders for your chest.

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<v Nate Bliss>But most of all, I'm just incredibly... I mean, I love the Marvel movies,

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<v Nate Bliss>but the Netflix shows for me have been so...

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<v Nate Bliss>Good. They've been my favorite Marvel televised, filmed, or otherwise, products.

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<v Mike Moody>Right on.

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<v Nate Bliss>Products.

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<v Mike Moody>Products?

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<v Nate Bliss>Products. Things? They're products. Yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>I guess they're products.

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<v Nate Bliss>They're items that are available.

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<v Mike Moody>Pieces of storytelling.

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<v Nate Bliss>Yes.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah.

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<v Nate Bliss>Yes.

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<v Martin Thomas>These are better than all of their other, one other TV thing.

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<v Nate Bliss>Yes.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah. Well, there was Agent Carter, which wasn't bad, but these are better.

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<v Nate Bliss>Yeah, that's true.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah, these are better. Okay, so me, I'm a recovering TV critic.

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<v Mike Moody>I've written for Birth, Movies, Death, AOL TV, Huffington Post,

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<v Mike Moody>Moviefone, other sites that I don't want to mention because they're terrible.

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<v Mike Moody>Several newspapers. I co-host a Mr. Roboto podcast, like you guys know.

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<v Mike Moody>I absolutely love TV, which I think is obvious.

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<v Mike Moody>I'm interested in covering shows that really matter.

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<v Nate Bliss>Okay?

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<v Mike Moody>Like Mr. Robot. And I think Luke Cage, like Mr. Robot, is poised to be maybe

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<v Mike Moody>one of those essential shows of this current wave of progressive television.

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<v Mike Moody>This socially aware TV we're getting, especially with this TV season. I mean, we have Atlanta.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah.

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<v Nate Bliss>Holy cow, yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>Atlanta. Luke Cage. I heard Queen Sugar's up there, too. Haven't seen it yet.

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<v Mike Moody>But I can't wait to dig into Luke Cage.

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<v Mike Moody>Oh, and I love me some Marvel comics and the Marvel movies. So I think everyone

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<v Mike Moody>in the world backs me up on that one.

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<v Mike Moody>Okay, so Luke Cage, season one, episode one, Moment of Truth,

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<v Mike Moody>named after one of my favorite gangstar songs.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>So this episode was a strong, slow jam, if there ever was one.

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<v Mike Moody>And I can't wait to see what the show plays next. That's my one sentence takeaway.

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<v Nate Bliss>Okay.

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<v Mike Moody>Martin, quick takeaway from the first episode.

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<v Martin Thomas>Quick takeaway, naming the episodes after gangstar titles, that's really cool.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah.

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<v Martin Thomas>The music's great. I love having a cameo from Raphael Sadiq singing on stage.

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<v Mike Moody>Tony has done it again.

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<v Nate Bliss>Right, right.

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<v Martin Thomas>Mike Coulter, he's great. He

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<v Martin Thomas>has a lot of charisma, so he captures my attention the whole time he's on.

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<v Martin Thomas>Everything else about this show, I don't like at all.

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<v Nate Bliss>Wow.

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<v Mike Moody>I think I know where you're going. Nate, first, give me your one-sentence review, your first take.

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<v Nate Bliss>Well— On the pilot.

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<v Mike Moody>I know you've watched more. Yeah, a couple episodes. You've watched like three or four?

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<v Martin Thomas>I've watched the first three.

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<v Mike Moody>Okay, I've only watched the first one, so we're just talking about the pilot.

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<v Mike Moody>Right. When you're watching this pilot, were you like, bam, I'm in, or what'd you feel?

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<v Nate Bliss>As I was watching it, because there have been Daredevil and Jessica Jones so

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<v Nate Bliss>far, I've been kind of thinking, all right, here's a new creative team,

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<v Nate Bliss>obviously a new cast, there are a couple returning characters and stuff.

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<v Nate Bliss>But I was struck that Daredevil and Jessica Jones, kind of from the get-go,

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<v Nate Bliss>were tense and automatically, it was high octane right from the start.

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<v Nate Bliss>And once I realized, okay, they're going for a slower start.

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<v Nate Bliss>With Daredevil, Murdoch was already very poised. He's already running out at

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<v Nate Bliss>night and beating people up.

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<v Nate Bliss>Jessica Jones is already a private eye, and she's very invested in these cases that come up.

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<v Mike Moody>She's into some shit, but Luke is hanging back.

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<v Nate Bliss>Luke is very much hanging back. He, cause I mean, especially after what happened

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<v Nate Bliss>to him and Jessica Jones, where it's like, he stuck his neck out and then he

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<v Nate Bliss>gets, you know, led around by mind controlling Dr. Who.

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<v Nate Bliss>And, and, and like Luke lost bad in Jessica Jones.

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<v Nate Bliss>I mean, he was, so coming right off of that, I mean, he does not want to stick his head out.

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<v Nate Bliss>but as far as like my quick takeaway before i go into much of a tangent and

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<v Nate Bliss>stuff it was just kind of adjusting to all right it's going to be a slower start

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<v Nate Bliss>and it's not going to be a sprint from the first episode i.

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<v Martin Thomas>Like mike coulter in the show because he he

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<v Martin Thomas>delivers his lines well he has just a natural charisma about him just he's he's

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<v Martin Thomas>good looking he looks like he means what he says right um while he plays this

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<v Martin Thomas>well i was going back and reading a bunch of luke cage comics And the thing

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<v Martin Thomas>about Luke Cage was that he was always a larger-than-life character, not just physically.

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<v Martin Thomas>the way he talked. Luke Cage always talked a lot of shit.

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<v Mike Moody>He did.

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<v Martin Thomas>I mean, he was constantly running his mouth. He could back it up.

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<v Martin Thomas>And at first he was kind of like a blaxploitation sort of cartoon.

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<v Martin Thomas>And then in later incarnations, they pulled back.

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<v Martin Thomas>But he never was somebody who didn't run his mouth constantly,

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<v Martin Thomas>where he was in everybody's face.

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<v Martin Thomas>And just going back and reading those comics and thinking about this first episode,

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<v Martin Thomas>I'm like, man, it's really missing that. it's missing that thing that makes

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<v Martin Thomas>him actually luke cage i mean he's cool they're going a different direction

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<v Martin Thomas>and that's fine yeah but i'm just acknowledging that it's still not really luke cage.

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<v Mike Moody>But it is the beginning of luke cage show so maybe we'll

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<v Mike Moody>get there we still haven't gotten the origin we still haven't gotten the you

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<v Mike Moody>know he's at the end of this episode we do see him jump into the action yes

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<v Mike Moody>and we do see him talk a little shit right But he's not Black Exploitation from the 70s Luke Cage.

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<v Martin Thomas>No.

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<v Mike Moody>But he's more in line, because my Luke Cage, and I read, recently I read about

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<v Mike Moody>three of those original Luke Cage comics from the 70s. The first ones,

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<v Mike Moody>right? And I liked them. They're good.

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<v Mike Moody>But the Luke Cage that I really like is the New Avengers Luke Cage.

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<v Martin Thomas>Oh, yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>No, it's a great Luke Cage. Or the Jessica Jones, the alias Luke Cage.

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<v Mike Moody>Right. Which I think Colter is kind of playing a little bit.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah. I think so. He's a lot more like he was in the Alias comic.

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<v Martin Thomas>The funny thing is, Luke Cage, he had been that blaxploitation character,

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<v Martin Thomas>and then they brought him back where he had kind of a red shirt,

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<v Martin Thomas>but he still had the bands, and he was a bit more serious.

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<v Mike Moody>In the 90s.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah, in the 90s. And it wasn't until there was that miniseries Cage where Richard

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<v Martin Thomas>Corbin, like the last person I thought would draw a Luke Cage story,

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<v Martin Thomas>drew him, and he had more of the look he has in the Avengers where he wore the

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<v Martin Thomas>knit hat and just regular street clothes.

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<v Martin Thomas>Bald head Yeah bald Yeah bald head Regular street clothes And then he just Kind

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<v Martin Thomas>of disappeared Until he popped up In Jessica Jones Yeah And after that Boom

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<v Martin Thomas>He's all It's almost like He is the new Avengers Right Always make sure He's

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<v Martin Thomas>in there And Brian Michael Bendis Uses him to Writes him to great effect Yes.

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<v Mike Moody>He does And.

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<v Martin Thomas>There's just Some of that That I wish was in the show Some of the sass Yeah

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<v Martin Thomas>the sass Gotcha That's exactly What I'm looking for The sass Yeah Sassy Yeah

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<v Martin Thomas>I want him To open up some Let us Because Daredevil hit the ground running,

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<v Martin Thomas>and he's in a fight right off the bat.

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<v Martin Thomas>With Jessica Jones, even though the Killgrave stuff came in a few episodes in,

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<v Martin Thomas>we're introduced to her, and she's a train wreck.

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<v Martin Thomas>It's so rare that you're asked to follow such a damaged character.

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<v Martin Thomas>She's an anti-hero to herself.

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<v Nate Bliss>That's true.

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<v Mike Moody>That was incredibly compelling from the start.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And I'm just finding with Luke Cage so far,

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<v Martin Thomas>As much as it's the culture, it's also the culture of a lot of cliches from black movies.

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<v Martin Thomas>See, I don't know how many of the barbershops you guys, the barbershop movies

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<v Martin Thomas>you've watched and Soul Food and Tyler Perry, this and that.

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<v Martin Thomas>I've seen a lot. And I'm just seeing too many of the cliches pop up here.

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<v Martin Thomas>And I keep hoping one will get turned on its ear, but it's sort of not.

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<v Mike Moody>Yeah. There's lots of tropes going on here.

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<v Martin Thomas>Yeah.

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<v Mike Moody>Especially in this first episode, because as good as Mike Coulter is,

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<v Mike Moody>as good as Alfred Woodard is, as good as a lot of these characters or actors

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<v Mike Moody>are, the story largely, in a broad sense, relies on kind of old, boring tropes.

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<v Mike Moody>You have the reluctant hero, the troubled neighborhood, the rising gangster

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<v Mike Moody>with a messiah complex, right?

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<v Mike Moody>Working his political connections, a corrupt politician, the beat cops working the case, right?

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<v Mike Moody>These are tropes we've seen a million times before.

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<v Martin Thomas>The old father figure.

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<v Mike Moody>There you go.

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<v Martin Thomas>Who you know is destined to die.

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<v Mike Moody>He's gonna die, yeah. But for me, what makes a show come alive,

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<v Mike Moody>despite these tropes that I've seen before, and I hate tropes.

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<v Mike Moody>I want something original, you know?

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<v Mike Moody>But, you know, for me, I still like the show because despite these tropes,

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<v Mike Moody>what makes the show come alive for me is the amazing texture and the specificity of it all.

00:12:33.059 --> 00:12:37.620
<v Mike Moody>Like the gangsters meet up with a corrupt official at Cottonmouth's Club.

00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:40.700
<v Mike Moody>it's intercut with that great rafael sadiq

00:12:40.700 --> 00:12:44.180
<v Mike Moody>performance you're not going to see that on network tv right uh

00:12:44.180 --> 00:12:47.940
<v Mike Moody>the gun deal gone horribly wrong it's also intercut with one of those performances

00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:53.000
<v Mike Moody>the barbershop scene that opens up the the episode it does not it doesn't hold

00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.960
<v Mike Moody>our hand doesn't guide us gently into this new world it just drops us right

00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:02.100
<v Mike Moody>in with these characters you know talking these deep sports references and stuff and and i.

00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:05.640
<v Nate Bliss>Still just as a as a as a a geek i still don't understand.

00:13:05.640 --> 00:13:06.880
<v Mike Moody>I don't it's like they.

00:13:06.880 --> 00:13:08.560
<v Nate Bliss>Said kobe at one point it's like i know who.

00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:12.660
<v Mike Moody>Kobe bryant is i know who jackson is i know but the

00:13:12.660 --> 00:13:15.520
<v Mike Moody>but the show just dives right into the specific personalities that make

00:13:15.520 --> 00:13:18.420
<v Mike Moody>this place come alive and i really like that like the giant

00:13:18.420 --> 00:13:21.280
<v Mike Moody>biggie picture in cotton mouse office sure it's kind of ridiculous

00:13:21.280 --> 00:13:24.080
<v Mike Moody>but it kind of tells you what that guy's all about a

00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:27.360
<v Mike Moody>little bit you know and also it's this beautiful like visual like

00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:30.340
<v Mike Moody>all the scenes in cotton mouse office and those violent scenes

00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:33.520
<v Mike Moody>reminded me a lot about a lot of like um spike lee

00:13:33.520 --> 00:13:38.240
<v Mike Moody>movies you know yeah sure and i think all that stuff those those are marks of

00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:42.440
<v Mike Moody>an auteur and judging by this pilot i think they got the right guy to run this

00:13:42.440 --> 00:13:47.840
<v Mike Moody>show cheo coker uh he wrote the biggie smalls biopic notorious uh he wrote a

00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:50.960
<v Mike Moody>number of episodes of that show southland on tnt and.

00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:51.820
<v Martin Thomas>The wire i think.

00:13:51.820 --> 00:13:53.480
<v Mike Moody>It was he yeah okay cool some.

00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:54.100
<v Martin Thomas>Episodes of the wire.

00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:58.600
<v Mike Moody>If the show is still relying on those tropes in this first episode and you guys

00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:00.480
<v Mike Moody>have seen more so you're kind of looking at me like,

00:14:01.160 --> 00:14:04.660
<v Mike Moody>maybe continues to do that, which kind of sucks, but we'll see.

00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:11.240
<v Nate Bliss>It does feel like every time a trope happens, there should be like a little ding, a little ticker.

00:14:11.300 --> 00:14:14.440
<v Martin Thomas>If you've made it a drinking game, you'd pass out before the show was over.

00:14:14.900 --> 00:14:17.160
<v Nate Bliss>I don't think it would be that, I don't think it's that bad,

00:14:17.280 --> 00:14:20.240
<v Nate Bliss>but it does seem as if like there are quite a few.

00:14:20.420 --> 00:14:26.420
<v Nate Bliss>But for me, I'm a sucker for when a show or a movie really takes its time to

00:14:26.420 --> 00:14:28.980
<v Nate Bliss>show a neighborhood or a sense of place.

00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:29.320
<v Mike Moody>You know?

00:14:29.380 --> 00:14:33.760
<v Nate Bliss>Sure. I won't say it's as good as this show, but it made me think of Treme.

00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:39.200
<v Nate Bliss>Treme is a great show. And I'm not saying Luke Cage is as good as Treme,

00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:44.880
<v Nate Bliss>but with the music and with this neighborhood and all these very wide...

00:14:44.880 --> 00:14:48.400
<v Nate Bliss>And more characters get introduced in subsequent episodes.

00:14:48.560 --> 00:14:51.900
<v Mike Moody>I love the setting. I love the specificity of the setting. I love that the show

00:14:51.900 --> 00:14:54.840
<v Mike Moody>is taking time to world build.

00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:57.660
<v Mike Moody>yeah and world build based on a world or

00:14:57.660 --> 00:15:00.760
<v Mike Moody>a culture that is real in 2016 yeah sure

00:15:00.760 --> 00:15:03.760
<v Mike Moody>it's this heightened version of harlem i've never been to harlem but

00:15:03.760 --> 00:15:06.640
<v Mike Moody>i don't imagine it's everything is bathed in this beautiful

00:15:06.640 --> 00:15:09.260
<v Mike Moody>golden light right you know like the show is you know

00:15:09.260 --> 00:15:14.880
<v Mike Moody>but the show uh and cheo coker is i think doing a great job in expanding and

00:15:14.880 --> 00:15:21.200
<v Mike Moody>deepening the mcu because you know I never thought we would see a deep story

00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:28.180
<v Mike Moody>rooted in the political and criminal structures of Harlem based in the MCU.

00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:31.320
<v Mike Moody>I think that's great. That doesn't mean this is a great show.

00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:32.720
<v Mike Moody>It means that's a good effort.

00:15:33.060 --> 00:15:33.760
<v Martin Thomas>I give you that.

00:15:34.020 --> 00:15:38.180
<v Mike Moody>Yeah. I think what's happening, from my perspective, the show in this first

00:15:38.180 --> 00:15:39.740
<v Mike Moody>episode is trying to do two things.

00:15:39.920 --> 00:15:42.160
<v Mike Moody>And maybe it's going to be a problem going forward.

00:15:42.520 --> 00:15:44.760
<v Mike Moody>It's trying to world build.

00:15:45.240 --> 00:15:47.660
<v Mike Moody>Almost like Treme. Almost like The Wire.

00:15:48.160 --> 00:15:52.140
<v Mike Moody>But it's also trying to tell a specific story about one dude. Yeah.

00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:52.380
<v Martin Thomas>True.

00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:56.820
<v Mike Moody>The reluctant hero finding his power. Now, it seems like Cheo Coker is really

00:15:56.820 --> 00:16:01.380
<v Mike Moody>in love with creating this Harlem, which is amazing, and which leads to some really nice sequences.

00:16:01.800 --> 00:16:06.880
<v Mike Moody>But then it seemed to me Luke Cage himself was a bit of an afterthought.

00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:10.200
<v Nate Bliss>It was almost like we were just kind of just a fly on his shoulder.

00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:10.780
<v Martin Thomas>On his shoulder.

00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:11.140
<v Mike Moody>There you go.

00:16:11.220 --> 00:16:15.040
<v Nate Bliss>Kind of like watching, like earlier in the episode where he meets Misty,

00:16:15.060 --> 00:16:16.060
<v Nate Bliss>we haven't talked about Misty yet.

00:16:16.060 --> 00:16:16.200
<v Mike Moody>Right.

00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:17.480
<v Nate Bliss>I really like Misty.

00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:17.820
<v Mike Moody>Me too.

00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:19.580
<v Martin Thomas>Did that get revealed in the first episode?

00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:27.620
<v Martin Thomas>misty oh good see good see thank you for thank you all right oh.

00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:32.480
<v Mike Moody>We know she's misty knight okay all right all right i'm looking at imdb right

00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.300
<v Mike Moody>now and it says she's misty knight okay because that.

00:16:35.300 --> 00:16:37.200
<v Martin Thomas>That didn't get revealed to the second episode.

00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:41.380
<v Mike Moody>You're right you're right thank you yeah right here simone missick as misty

00:16:41.380 --> 00:16:44.420
<v Mike Moody>knight okay 13 episodes all right it's all good oh but you're looking at.

00:16:44.420 --> 00:16:45.360
<v Martin Thomas>Imdb that's cheating.

00:16:45.360 --> 00:16:50.820
<v Mike Moody>Well i'm glad you brought her up man because my favorite i mean my My favorite

00:16:50.820 --> 00:16:55.420
<v Mike Moody>sequence in this whole pilot was Luke flirting with Misty Knight.

00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:57.440
<v Mike Moody>Luke going to bed with Misty Knight.

00:16:57.560 --> 00:16:57.840
<v Martin Thomas>Yeah.

00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:01.720
<v Mike Moody>Luke waking up the next day. Are they going to hook up again?

00:17:01.840 --> 00:17:06.080
<v Mike Moody>Who knows? You know, she's taking charge. I think they have a lot of chemistry. I really do.

00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.940
<v Martin Thomas>Well, it's an interesting thing because I'm watching it. I didn't check IMDB first.

00:17:11.520 --> 00:17:15.300
<v Martin Thomas>And I just like the idea that, hey, he picked up this chick in the bar.

00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:15.540
<v Mike Moody>Gotcha.

00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:17.420
<v Martin Thomas>Who he's working as a dishwasher.

00:17:17.840 --> 00:17:18.060
<v Nate Bliss>Yeah.

00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:18.720
<v Martin Thomas>And a bartender.

00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:19.880
<v Nate Bliss>He's a bartender all the time.

00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:20.240
<v Martin Thomas>Right, right.

00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:21.119
<v Nate Bliss>He was just covering that night.

00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:26.180
<v Martin Thomas>But he still picks her up and they go back to her place and they do it.

00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:28.820
<v Martin Thomas>And he goes on about his business.

00:17:29.260 --> 00:17:32.900
<v Martin Thomas>And I was like, oh, that's kind of cool. And then, okay, she's a cop.

00:17:33.300 --> 00:17:37.540
<v Martin Thomas>I'm not even thinking Misty Knight because Misty was, well, I mean,

00:17:37.560 --> 00:17:40.760
<v Martin Thomas>maybe she was at some point. But in comics, she's always been a private detective.

00:17:41.840 --> 00:17:43.859
<v Martin Thomas>And her big signature is what?

00:17:44.500 --> 00:17:45.020
<v Mike Moody>The arm.

00:17:45.500 --> 00:17:47.119
<v Martin Thomas>No. No? No.

00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:48.060
<v Mike Moody>Oh, the afro.

00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.540
<v Martin Thomas>The afro.

00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:49.920
<v Mike Moody>The afro. The afro.

00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:55.080
<v Martin Thomas>And even if you say like, well, they're updating it because that was the 70s.

00:17:55.080 --> 00:17:58.240
<v Martin Thomas>But I'm like, no, black women are back to wearing afros now.

00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:59.280
<v Martin Thomas>It's actually really chic.

00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:05.359
<v Martin Thomas>So I was just like, oh, why would you not have that in here? It's frustrating.

00:18:05.760 --> 00:18:06.320
<v Mike Moody>Okay, so.

00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:10.840
<v Nate Bliss>Part of me wonders if the NYPD has a rule against afros or something.

00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:15.640
<v Nate Bliss>Well, no, because the military has incredibly stringent hair.

00:18:15.900 --> 00:18:17.420
<v Nate Bliss>Right. But I'm wondering.

00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:19.720
<v Mike Moody>It's the cops, man. I don't know.

00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:21.020
<v Nate Bliss>And she's a detective.

00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:22.020
<v Martin Thomas>She can wear what she wants.

00:18:22.020 --> 00:18:22.800
<v Mike Moody>She can do whatever she wants, yeah.

00:18:22.840 --> 00:18:25.280
<v Nate Bliss>Yeah, you're right, once you become a detective, you can just do whatever you want.

00:18:25.580 --> 00:18:29.000
<v Mike Moody>Well Martin, I think earlier I cut you off, man, because you were wanting to

00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.599
<v Mike Moody>dive into some, more of the problems you had with the premiere, so.

00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:34.880
<v Martin Thomas>Oh, well, I mean, I'm not gonna.

00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:35.920
<v Mike Moody>Talk some shit, Martin.

00:18:36.060 --> 00:18:39.300
<v Martin Thomas>I don't want to be over the same problems. Okay, something you talked about

00:18:39.300 --> 00:18:44.680
<v Martin Thomas>was how much you love the intercutting of the performance on stage with the violence going on.

00:18:44.760 --> 00:18:45.020
<v Mike Moody>I like that.

00:18:45.280 --> 00:18:47.240
<v Martin Thomas>But you probably don't watch Empire, do you?

00:18:47.930 --> 00:18:50.490
<v Mike Moody>I watched the first season. I dropped off second season.

00:18:50.570 --> 00:18:50.710
<v Martin Thomas>I know.

00:18:50.710 --> 00:18:51.310
<v Mike Moody>They do that.

00:18:51.390 --> 00:18:54.770
<v Martin Thomas>Man, wasn't that- I don't know. Didn't they end that first season so horribly?

00:18:55.050 --> 00:18:55.230
<v Mike Moody>Yeah.

00:18:55.290 --> 00:18:58.349
<v Martin Thomas>The first season was, I was like, I wasn't going to watch it. And I did.

00:18:58.510 --> 00:19:01.630
<v Martin Thomas>And we got to where we would all gather on a TV and enjoy it.

00:19:01.690 --> 00:19:04.990
<v Martin Thomas>And it got to that last episode. And man, did it ever shit the bed.

00:19:05.190 --> 00:19:05.670
<v Nate Bliss>Oh, really?

00:19:05.790 --> 00:19:09.770
<v Martin Thomas>It was like a seventh episode season where all the characters are doing things

00:19:09.770 --> 00:19:11.090
<v Martin Thomas>that they would never do.

00:19:11.210 --> 00:19:12.030
<v Nate Bliss>Yes. Indeed.

00:19:12.030 --> 00:19:14.150
<v Martin Thomas>And I was just like, all right, I'm done.

00:19:14.150 --> 00:19:17.650
<v Nate Bliss>On i know that show has i mean some a lot of my friends watch that show and

00:19:17.650 --> 00:19:21.910
<v Nate Bliss>they basically say it's so crazy it's it's bonkers it's it's a black telenovela

00:19:21.910 --> 00:19:26.650
<v Nate Bliss>okay totally oh so it goes it goes as far as a telenovela oh sure yeah okay

00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:30.550
<v Nate Bliss>all right yeah this is it's like falcon crest but crazy yeah yeah all right it's.

00:19:30.550 --> 00:19:32.130
<v Martin Thomas>Just like what can we do to make the audience go.

00:19:32.130 --> 00:19:35.890
<v Nate Bliss>Whoa okay but we.

00:19:35.890 --> 00:19:36.570
<v Mike Moody>Gotta make them tweet.

00:19:36.570 --> 00:19:40.470
<v Martin Thomas>Right right right but from the time that empire was good i I see a lot of those

00:19:40.470 --> 00:19:42.369
<v Martin Thomas>things happening in Luke Cage.

00:19:42.490 --> 00:19:46.050
<v Martin Thomas>Like I said, Mike, you're so hopeful that it makes me want to go,

00:19:46.230 --> 00:19:48.650
<v Martin Thomas>all right, just hang in there.

00:19:49.590 --> 00:19:53.609
<v Martin Thomas>I'm a little worried. I mean, a part of it was I felt I was kind of set up just

00:19:53.609 --> 00:19:56.910
<v Martin Thomas>because the early reviews came in talking about how good it was,

00:19:56.990 --> 00:19:58.490
<v Martin Thomas>how it was probably the best of the Marvel shows.

00:19:58.890 --> 00:20:01.970
<v Martin Thomas>So I was trying not to have those expectations.

00:20:02.150 --> 00:20:02.630
<v Mike Moody>They were high.

00:20:02.810 --> 00:20:07.430
<v Martin Thomas>Yes, but they were high. And so, yeah, I'm going to have to come down quite a bit.

00:20:07.430 --> 00:20:10.130
<v Martin Thomas>i'm only three in and i thought well

00:20:10.130 --> 00:20:13.070
<v Martin Thomas>maybe it picks up but i keep reading things with

00:20:13.070 --> 00:20:15.910
<v Martin Thomas>different things from people now now that now the reviews are

00:20:15.910 --> 00:20:18.710
<v Martin Thomas>starting to be mixed and there's people who say like oh it's really

00:20:18.710 --> 00:20:22.770
<v Martin Thomas>great up until the seventh episode and like oh okay uh

00:20:22.770 --> 00:20:27.070
<v Martin Thomas>but just speaking on what i've seen so far or in trying to like back my memory

00:20:27.070 --> 00:20:32.450
<v Martin Thomas>up just to the first episode i recognize the things in there that are good they

00:20:32.450 --> 00:20:38.950
<v Martin Thomas>don't seduce me as much as everybody else so i'm still I still just think story,

00:20:39.030 --> 00:20:39.790
<v Martin Thomas>structure, and dialogue.

00:20:39.990 --> 00:20:43.109
<v Martin Thomas>Those are always the two things I'm looking for. And pacing.

00:20:43.310 --> 00:20:47.590
<v Martin Thomas>I feel like I don't mind something being deliberate or even being slow.

00:20:47.810 --> 00:20:51.550
<v Martin Thomas>I don't have an ADD sense of pace with things.

00:20:51.650 --> 00:20:52.190
<v Mike Moody>I'm with you on that.

00:20:52.390 --> 00:20:57.250
<v Martin Thomas>But I feel like in moving slow, it's okay to not have anything happen as long

00:20:57.250 --> 00:21:00.990
<v Martin Thomas>as what's happening is the things your characters are saying back and forth to each other.

00:21:00.990 --> 00:21:06.770
<v Martin Thomas>And a lot of the way it's being filmed, almost never do I see a scene where

00:21:06.770 --> 00:21:08.590
<v Martin Thomas>the camera's there, except for the barbershop scene.

00:21:08.790 --> 00:21:12.770
<v Martin Thomas>After that, there's hardly a scene where the camera's in one place and characters

00:21:12.770 --> 00:21:14.109
<v Martin Thomas>talk back and forth to each other