Luke Cage · Season 1, Episode 13
“You Know My Steez” · Season 1, Episode 13
In this episode: Luke Cage (2), Mariah Dillard (2), Misty Knight (2), Claire Temple (2), Shades Alvarez (1)
All these people were talking bad about Luke Cage. But they didn't stop for one minute to look at the good he had done. Cleaning up Crispus Attucks by himself, lookin' out for people. Most of these guys wear spandex. Who would have thought a black man in a hoodie would be a hero?
I couldn't just lay in the gutter anymore. Pop knew about my abilities, so I put them to good use. I shut down Crispus Attucks personally.
That wasn't your job.
People needed someone who didn't require a warrant or shield to get things done. Call it a vigilante or a superhero, call it what you will. But like it or not, I finally accepted that that someone had to be me.
Maybe I could've helped you.
This burden is bigger than you. Or me. People are scared but they can't be paralyzed by that fear. You have to fight for what's right every single day, bulletproof skin or not. You can't just not snitch, or turn away or take money under the table because life has turned you sour. When did people stop caring? Harlem is supposed to represent our hopes and dreams. It's the pinnacle of black art, politics, innovation. It's supposed to be a shining light to the world. It's our responsibility to push forward, so that the next generation will be further along than us. Pop said his mantra aloud twice a day. Kids in the shop were pissed, but they could never unhear it. Never backwards.
[in flashback] Always forward.
Forward...
Always. [pause] You forget I grew up around the man.
I wish I could've met him.
In a way you have.
He was smashed by a heavy circular base. The coroner thought it was maybe the heavy wastebasket, but my vote? It was a mic stand. I went through Harlem's Paradise's inventory records with the stage manager and it turns out there was a mic stand that was unaccounted for.
I've been around the music business my whole life, equipment goes missing. You can't trust niggas around equipment.
We have a lot to talk about though.
Like... what?
Your future, your next moves.
I don't want to talk about that right now. I just want to chill. It's been a long day.
It can wait. You want to get coffee when we get out of here?
You accused me of not liking coffee. That's not true, it just depends on the blend. I hear that Cuban coffee is particularly robust.
That might be the corniest thing you've said yet. It also happens to be true.
[hands Mariah the gun he used to shoot Candace] It's old-school, has a nice feel.
It belonged to Cornell.
It suits you.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Luke Cage pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
