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"Everyone has a gun. No one has a father."
"Ain't that the truth."
Luke Cage and Pop

Moment of Truth is the first episode of the first season of the television series Luke Cage.

Synopsis[]

With tension building in the streets of Harlem thanks to ruthless club owner Cottonmouth, Luke finds it increasingly difficult to live a quiet life.

Plot[]

Luke remembers

In the wake of events in Hell's Kitchen, Luke Cage moves to Harlem and started working as a sweeper at Pop's barbershop. Cage discusses basketball players with Pop, Bobby Fish, Chico Diaz and Shameek Smith. Later, they meet at the storeroom where Pop says that Cage must use his abilities to help people, but Cage only wants a quiet life.

After his shift in the barbershop, Cage spots Diaz with a gun. Diaz refuses to explain himself to Cage and drives away with Smith. Cage then walks through Harlem to his second job - to Harlem's Paradise nightclub where he works as a dishwasher. In the club, Nate asked him to replace Dante Chapman as a bartender.

Cottonmouth-ToothySmile-S1E1

Meanwhile, Cottonmouth meets with Mariah Dillard at the club to discuss Stokes' criminal business which keeps Dillard's political projects afloat. Then Domingo Colon joins them to celebrate their weapon deal. While they're talking, members of Stokes Crime Family meet with members of Colon Crime Family at the Harlem junkyard to exchange to sell them assault rifles designed by Hammer Industries. However, Diaz, Smith, and Chapman ambush them and quickly kill all criminals at place to steal money. Chapman grows nervous and Smith shoots him before he and Diaz grab the money and run away.

LukeCagePromotionalImage1

Behind the bar, Cage meets Misty Knight who orders a Cosmopolitan. He notes that she watches on Stokes but thinks that she was one of his women. After a brief flirt, Cage is asked by Candace Miller to go with her to the VIP lounge to bring Stokes his order. There, Stokes approaches Cage and offers him another job for a man of his size. Chapman manages to call Tone before his death and informs him about robbery.

MKnightScarfe-ShootOutCrimeScene

Later, Cage meets Knight outside of the club and they spent the night together at Cage's apartment. At night, Cage dreams about the time he went to Seagate Penitentiary where he was beaten by fellow inmates. In the morning, Knight received a call from her job and leaves Cage. Knight and the New York City Police Department, arrive to the junkyard where Rafael Scarfe examined the crime scene and confiscates Stokes' weapons. She then unmasks the body of a recognized Chapman.

Stokes contacts with Colon to be clear about robbery, but Colon refuses to listen to him. Then, Shades arrives to his office to speak with him on behalf of Diamondback who provided Stokes with weapons to sell. Cage learns from newspaper that Chapman was killed and discusses his death with Pop who was Chapman's mentor. Pop immediately realizes that he was killed by Smith and Diaz.

Mariah attends benefit

Dillard works on her New Harlem Renaissance project while Stokes' men guards her. She then gives an interview to Megan McLaren about the history and possible future of Harlem. She talks about her project for re-building Harlem before Stokes comes to speak with her. Dillard informs Stokes that she needs that money because if she does not pay for her project, her assets will go on audit and Stokes' illicit activity will be exposed. Tone informs Stokes that information about the robbery was confirmed, but Smith and Diaz disappeared. Stokes orders to pay double to find the location of them.

Angry Cottonmouth

Tone manages to find Smith in a strip club and brings him to Harlem's Paradise. Cage notices Shades, who was his co-inmate in Seagate. Stokes then takes Smith's money and brutally beats him to death, ordering Tone to dump his body on the streets. Knight and Scarfe find Smith's body and make conclusions about the robbery case.

Luke saves victims

At night, Zip and his fellow gang members go to Genghis Connie's to demand contribution to Dillard's project from Connie and Jin Lin. However, Cage stops them and quickly defeats all of them. Connie asks if she could hire Cage to protect them. Cage refuses payment but promises that he will protect them.


Cast[]

Main Cast:

Guest Stars:

Appearances[]

Locations[]

Events[]

Items[]

Vehicles[]

Creatures[]

Organizations[]

Mentioned[]

Trivia[]

  • Moment of Truth is the name of a song included in the album of the same name of the hip-pop duo Gang Starr.
  • When Connie Lin says that she wants to hire Cage, an offer which he turns down by saying, "I'm not for hire", it is a subtle reference to the group Cage formed with Danny Rand in the comics: Heroes for Hire.
  • The episode features the MCU's second use of the expletive 'fuck', after New York's Finest. It is spoken by Tone after a dying Dante calls him about the robbery.

Music[]

Song title Artist Location(s)
Dap Walk Ernie and The Top Notes, Inc.
Funky Four Corners Richard Marks
  • Plays in the barbershop.
Feel It in Your Bones Directory
  • Plays in the barbershop.
Missionary 21 the Producer
Good Man Raphael Saadiq
Angel Raphael Saadiq
The Sure Shot Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge
Think Deep Coleman Hawkins

References[]

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Moment of Truth.

External Links[]

Season One Moment of TruthCode of the StreetsWho's Gonna Take the Weight?Step in the ArenaJust to Get a RepSuckas Need BodyguardsManifestBlowin' Up the SpotDWYCKTake It PersonalNow You're MineSoliloquy of ChaosYou Know My Steez
Season Two Soul Brother #1Straighten It OutWig OutI Get PhysicalAll Souled OutThe BasementOn and OnIf It Ain't Rough, It Ain't RightFor Pete's SakeThe Main IngredientThe CreatorCan't Front on MeThey Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
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