Luke Cage Binge Report: 5 Things About “Now You’re Mine” (S1:E11)-No Coffee Yet

The great Luke Cage binge is upon us. Head here to see my reactions to each episode. Keep reading for my thoughts on "Now You're Mine," episode 11 of Luke Cage 's first season.

Which One Is "Now You're Mine"?: The one with the standoff at the Harlem club.

The 5 Things That Mattered Most to Me: 1. Misty and Claire, Instant BFFs

Even Misty sees it. So, I'm not crazy. There is definitely something developing between Luke and Claire, who orders him around like they're an old married couple. Claire no longer dismisses the idea of them as a couple, but instead refers to sex as something they simply haven't had the time for yet.

That being said, there's something developing between Claire and Misty as well, except it's not romantic. Instead, these two turned into instant BFFs, bonded by how good they are what they do and how they were each tought how to fight by a male relative.

2. Diamondback tells his side of the story

Daddy issues. Cain and Abel.

It appears as if that's what Diamondback's motivation boils down to. He was the unwanted son unacknowledged by his own father, not even granted the proper surname, unlike Luke whose last name saved him from a life of crime when a judge allowed him to serve in the Army rather than go to juvenile hall. Diamondback, on the other hand, was a Stryker. So, he went to juvie where he killed a man, and was locked away in prison while his mother fought and lost a battle against cancer.

That's enough to drive a man crazy, but is it enough to turn Diamondback into this show's Kingpin or Kilgrave? Not really. It more makes him seem like a vengeance-seeker with serious flair, dressed in fancy suits and quick with a bible verse as well as a gun or pair of knives.

3. Reflecting on Shades

We're in the homestretch here. Shades has just been arrested, forced to watch helplessly as Claire destroyed his sunglasses. Unless Mariah pulls some serious strings, this might be it for this guy this season, dispatched by Luke's sidekicks, a fate befitting a B squad villain.

What do you think his end game was? He's clearly been the schemer behind the scenes, Diamondback's enforcer, a sort of Ghetto Lord whisperer who dresses like Chet Baker and talks like a snake. Cotton's temper was a problem, and now so is Diamondback's obsession with Luke Cage. Shades has consistently been the only one who could see that, the outsider with the level head, backing Mariah as the most logical candidate to keep business running smoothly and bloodshed free.

Again, though, what was Shades' end game? If he's this show's version of a Game of Thrones character, what was his Iron Throne? It appears as if his ambition was to run the modern day Cotton Club himself, and beyond that, um, who knows, just to make a lot of money while making the fewest waves? That's so mundane, something this show could have used a little more of.

4. I'm about damn tired of hearing the name "Luke Cage"

Some day Honest Trailers will do a video about Luke Cage, and on that video they will put up a counter of how many times the name "Luke Cage" is said across these 13 episodes. The results will surprise some, but not anyone who binged the season. After "Now You're Mine" in particular, I'm about damn tired of hearing people say the name "Luke Cage," be it from a random reporter on the scene, any number of police officers or bad guys or from Luke himself. Just stop already with the endless recitations of the man's name.

5. The cameos continue

Quick confession: I've never really re-watched Daredevil or Jessica Jones. Instead, I binged each show over a weekend when they came out, and moved on. As such, my memory can sometimes be a little hazy, and when "Now You're Mine" pretended as if it was a big deal to see Blake Tower from the DA's office showing up at the crime scene I instantly thought, "Okay, clearly he was on one of those other shows. Who was he again?"

Oh, that dude from Daredevil!

Still not ringing a specific bell though.

Oh, that dude, the one who was .... hold on, huge spoiler for Daredevil season 2 if you haven't seen it yet ... in the office with Karen, Foggy and Matt when DA Reyes was assassinated. He was standing right next to her when she got shot, and then coughed up vital information to Karen afterward before leaving town.

Clearly he's back in town, and has a more informed opinion about just how bad it would be if Diamondback's Judas bullets ended up on the streets, especially in a world still recovering from Frank Castle.

On to the next episode: "Soliloquy of Chaos"

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