Marvel's Luke Cage S01E07 "Manifest" Recap

Luke stops an illegal arms deal and learns from one of the sellers that Stokes is being exonerated and released because Scarfe's ledger has been declared inadmissible due to his loss in credibility. Misty wants to confront Stokes but is warned by her boss to remember what position she is in and that this isn't the right way to take down Stokes. Stokes immediately makes moves to try to fight back against Luke. They set a meeting and Stokes threatens to expose Luke's former identity and get him sent back to prison if he doesn't leave Harlem. Luke appears resigned to agree to do so until Claire convinces him that he needs to stay and fight to free the community and finally free himself.

Stokes reminisces about his upbringing and viewers learn about how he and Mariah grew up together under the hard rules of their mobster grandmother, Mama Mabel. Stokes was interested in music, playing the piano and showing a real talent for it. His uncle Pete was encouraging of these pursuits but Mama Mabel forces Stokes to kill him when is is revealed that Pete had been conducting business deals on the side with her rivals and also had molested Mariah. Mariah is visited by Shades, who gives her a pep talk and shares how he was just another rough kid in the neighbourhood and was always impressed by her and wants her to reclaim that power again.

Audrey is forced to resign at the precinct due to everything that happened with the corruption from her own officers. Her replacement is Inspector Priscilla Ridley, who sparks doubt in Misty's mind in regards to Luke. When digging into his past, his records are too clean and he keeps himself so far off the grid that it's almost as if the man he claims to be doesn't exist. Misty is further suspicious of Luke once he returns the stolen weapons he had stolen back from Colon.

Mariah is forced to resign from her political position and this stress escalates the tension in her relationship with Stokes. They get into a heated argument, as Stokes resents being 'forced' into the family business of crime when Pete was the only one he regards as having encouraged his musical passion. Stokes hits a low blow of insinuating that Mariah wanted to be molested by Pete. She flies into a rage and throws him through a window from which he falls one floor down. She charges after him and beats him to death with a microphone stand. Shades emerges, having witnessed the whole thing, and is in awe of her reclaiming her power. He helps her to clean up the scene and frame Luke for the murder.

Luke begins to confide in Claire about his past but before they can proceed any further, Luke is shot by Diamondback, who refers to him as "Carl" from his hideout. Luke collapses due to the wound being from a Judas bullet that penetrates his skin and burrows into his abdomen.

Dillard is forced to resign from the council, leading to an argument with Stokes in which he insinuates that she liked being abused by Pete. Dillard kills Stokes, and Shades helps her frame Cage for the murder. Cage tells Claire about his past, just as he is shot by Diamondback—who knows him as "Carl"—with a Judas bullet.

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