Marvel's Luke Cage S01E02 "Code of the Streets" Recap

Pop asks Luke where he is from, knowing he's not really from Chicago. Luke admits he's from Savannah, Georgia. It's all part of a larger pep-talk to convince Luke to find Chico, who has fallen into trouble. Luke is indebted to Pop for keeping his criminal past and super strength a secret. Luke has to quickly slip into the back when he sees that Shades has arrived while accompanying Cottonmouth who is looking for a shave. Luke continues to work to sweep the floors while avoiding letting Shades see his face. Pop's shop is supposed to be the "Switzerland" of neutrality for Harlem. Pop wants Luke to not only find Chico but bring him to the barbershop. Shades eventually does see Luke's face and it's unclear if he recognises Luke, as he seems more concerned with questioning him on the whereabouts of Chico. Luke subtly asks Pop if he should kill Cottonmouth but Pop subtly tells him not to. Cottonmouth and his men leave without any trouble and Luke agrees to find Chico. Pop is also revealed to have known Luke's widow Reva before she got married to Luke.

Luke begins his search for Chico and during it, he sees Cottonmouth visiting Mariah Dillard's Crispus Attucks Complex to deliver Shameek's money that she plans to use for her campaign since she had used some of her campaign funds for Cottonmouth to refurbish his club, Harlem's Paradise. The money from the arms deal is Cottonmouth's way of repaying her.

Luke finally tracks down Chico, who holds him at gunpoint with no idea that there's no damage he could do to Luke with it. He eventually convinces him to comes hide out at the barbershop instead. Pop has a talk with Luke about his past as a gangster and how he decided to turn his life around after serving ten years in prison. Pop had a pregnant girlfriend when he went in but lost track of them and never knew where they were since getting out. He didn't have any skills but was eventually able to start up his shop and make a respectable life for himself.

Misty an her partner visit Pop's shop looking for Chico but Pop claims to not know where he is. He then sends Luke to visit Cottonmouth at the club to offer a parlay that will allow Chico safe passage out of the city and never to return again. Cottonmouth agrees to come by, due to his having grown up on the streets with Chico's father and Pop. One of Cottonmouth's men, Tone is tipped off to Chico's location by Turk Barrett. Tone disregards Cottonmouth's orders to leave things alone and to only take out Chico if he sees him out on the streets. Shades drives Tone to the barbershop, asking if he's going to at least wait for Chico to come outside first. But when Tone gets there, he shoots up the shop, injuring Chico and killing Pop in the process while Luke looks on horrified, having shielded a young customer that was in the shop at the same time. Tone walks in while Luke pretends to be dead and shields the young boy, having told him to pretend to be dead. Tone leaves with Shades, having taken back the money, and Luke cradles Pop in his dying moments. Pop advises him to always move forward before bleeding out on the floor as police arrive. Misty questions Luke about what happened and learns that Cottonmouth was at the club with an alibi so they have no leads on who could've done this.

Tone and Shades return to the club with the money in hand. Cottonmouth is happy to have the money back until Tone reveals that he didn't wait for Chico to be outside and shot up the shop instead. Shades says that he had suggested Tone wait and Cottonmouth says that he'll send money to Pops to help him rebuild the shop. Shades then reveals that Pop is dead. Turk Barrett then appears to ask for the money Tone had agreed to pay him in exchange for Chico's location. Cottonmouth throws Tone off the roof and tells Turk to get his money from Tone, prompting Turk to say he's going back to Hell's Kitchen where things are safer. Cottonmouth then gives the money to Mariah, fulfilling the rest of his payback to her.

Misty ponders to her partner how it was that Luke didn't get hit in the shootout despite having shielded the kid in the shop and ending up with bulletholes in his shirt.

Cottonmouth mourns Pop's death, while Luke dons a hoodie and prepares to make good on his promise to Pop to do better. A young delinquent holds Luke at gunpoint and Luke lectures him before telling him to shoot him. The kid hesitates and Luke takes the gun and shoots himself in the abdomen and the kid runs off frightened when he witnesses Luke's invulnerability. Luke then watches Mariah Dillard bring the money into the Crispus Attucks building.

Marvel's Luke Cage is available for streaming on Netflix.