- "God had me at hello with Genesis. The story of Cain and Abel. When God asked Cain where Abel was after he killed him, Cain asked, 'Am I my brother's keeper?' See, I thought that was some cool shit Wesley Snipes made up in New Jack City. Turns out, it's real. So, after I kill Luke Cage... I'm gonna stand over him and say, 'Yes, I am.'"
- ―Diamondback to Damon Boone
Now You're Mine is the eleventh episode of the first season of the television series Luke Cage.
Synopsis[]
In one bold move, a friend from his past puts Luke on the defensive, Misty in dire straits, and Harlem's safety in jeopardy.
Plot[]
Diamondback's men open fire inside Harlem's Paradise, trying to get to a wounded Misty Knight, but Luke Cage manages to shield her from the bullets. Cage and Knight then barricade in the kitchen, and although Shades tells Diamondback that they need to flee before the New York City Police Department arrives, Diamondback insists on continuing despite the fact that he had only one Judas Bullet left. Diamondback then orders his men to seal off the club and take hostage everyone who still did not escape, including Claire Temple and Damon Boone. Shades disapproves of his decisions, but Diamondback says that they only need to kill Cage and Knight, after which they can think about their options.
Knight's bleeding keeps getting worse and Cage realizes that Diamondback have probably already sealed off the building, so he hides Knight in the secret Probation era passages underneath the club. He also tells Knight about Diamondback, his connection to Cottonmouth and that he is Cage's half-brother. Diamondback destroys the barricade with a Hammer Industries Grenade Launcher but Cage and Knight manage to hide just in time. The NYPD units surround Harlem's Paradise with Priscilla Ridley in charge, while the news report that Cage is the perpetrator behind the hostage hostage. The ESU wants to storm the building, but Ridley refuses to endanger Knight while she is inside.
With Cage and Knight nowhere to be found, Diamondback orders to search the building top to bottom to find them and Shades comments on the police surrounding them from outside. Diamondback still refuses to listen to him, claiming that they have an opportunity to exploit the public distrust towards Cage. As Shades confirms that Mariah Dillard is on board, Diamondback says that now that people are afraid of Cage, it will help Dillard with securing the deal. He then gets in touch with Ridley to Boone, forcing him to talk like Cage is holding people hostage and warns the police to stay out, otherwise they will die. Boone then warns Diamondback that the police will not let it slide, but he is counting on it to further incriminate Cage.
Cage treats Knight's wound while hiding from Diamondback, and Knight tries to call Ridley and tell her what is happening, but to no avail. Cage tells Knight that Diamondback was the one who framed him and got him locked up at Seagate Penitentiary and that he will need Knight's help to clear his name once they are out. Diamondback shares a drink with Boone who tries to appease him and says that he will help him communicating with the police, but Diamondback is barely interested and shows Boone his Bible. Meanwhile, Temple helps Candace Miller with her wound, and she tells Temple that she was paid by Dillard to lie about witnessing Cage killing Cottonmouth. With Miller's help, Temple manages to trick Diamondback's goons into letting her out and manages to break free.
Ridley gets approached by Blake Tower who offers an assistance in handling the situation, but Ridley insists on holding on until they are sure that hostages and Knight are safe, and Cage will be arrested. As the police is raring to go after Cage, Tower informs Ridley that the Mayor is in talks with Ridley to acquire the weaponry that is capable of taking Cage down. While Cage considers his options, Knight expresses her regret that she did not trust him and asks him not to do anything reckless like being a hero. He assures Knight that he is not a hero, but she clearly thinks otherwise. Cage then hears Temple signaling him from the basement outside the passage and smashes the wall, so they could regroup together and Temple takes over Knight's treatment.
Diamondback contacts the police through Boone again and demands a helicopter for him to escape, promising to let out a few hostages as a sign of good will. He tells them that Knight is still alive but cuts Ridley off when she requests a proof, before letting the hostages out. Tower says that he does not trust Dillard and using the dangerous weapons is not something he wants, recalling Frank Castle's rampage, but they have no choice if they want to bring Cage down. Ridley insists that in the Chief's absence, she will be the one held responsible if the situation goes south, before they see several hostages being released from Harlem's Paradise.
Diamondback tells Boone about his mother who used to be a secretary of Reverend James Lucas, and her affair with the preacher resulted in his birth. The preacher kept dating her but once his own wife gave birth to their son, Carl Lucas, the preacher abandoned the Strykers. Diamondback and Lucas were friends, but he always despised him because no matter what he had done, the preacher never loved him the same way he loved his own son. Donnie Chang informs Ridley that the hostages testified that Cage was a target of the gunfire and not the perpetrator, but Ridley says that they will have time to figure it out after the situation is under control.
Shades keeps arguing with Diamondback, frustrated that he acts without any actual strategy, but Diamondback refuses to acknowledge his complaints. Sugar tells them about Miller and how Temple ran away, leading to both of them realizing what actually happened. Diamondback orders Shades to find and silence Temple before she tells on them, but warns that they will have a talk once the situation is dealt with. Diamondback then speaks to Cage via the speakers and demands him and Knight to surrender, otherwise he will start killing hostages every ten minutes. Cage then goes out to stop Diamondback despite knowing that it is a trap, while Temple stays to help Knight, who apologizes for lashing out at her.
As Diamondback gets informed that Dillard's gun deal succeeded, he continues his story to Boone, how he and Lucas stole a car but the preacher convinced the court to let his son join the army. Diamondback, meanwhile, was sent to jail and his mother passed away from cancer, as Lucas no longer cared about her. As Diamondback makes his determination for revenge clear, he kills Boone with a Judas Gauntlet and throws his body out of the club, which prompts Ridley to greenlight the operation. Shades manages to find a secret passage where Cage was hiding and goes in there, but Temple and Knight manage to knock him out. Cage then fights his way through Diamondback's men and releases the hostages, as the police was about to storm the club.
Cage is then confronted by Diamondback who still has Miller and threatens to kill her if Cage tries anything. Cage says that he is sorry about what happened to Dana, to which Diamondback replies that he always hated Etta. The police prepares for a raid with the specialized weapons they got from Dillard, and Diamondback says that after everything that happened, they will not hesitate to take Cage out. Diamondback then throws Miller from a balcony and while Cage saves her, he tries to shoot him with a Judas Bullet, but misses his shot and escapes. The police then storm Harlem's Paradise, rescuing Knight who tries to convince Ridley that Cage is innocent, while he and Shades get taken into custody.
Cast[]
| For the full credits, see Now You're Mine Credits |
Starring[]
- Mike Colter as Luke Cage
- Simone Missick as Detective Misty Knight
- Theo Rossi as Hernán Álvarez/Shades
- Erik LaRay Harvey as Willis Stryker/Diamondback
- Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple
Guest Starring[]
- Stephen Rider as District Attorney Blake Tower
- Karen Pittman as Inspector Priscilla Ridley
- Clark Jackson as Councilman Damon Boone
- Tijuana Ricks as Thembi Wallace
- Jaiden Kaine as Zip
- Sean Ringgold as Sugar
- Deborah Ayorinde as Candace Miller
- Andrew Pang as Detective Donnie Chang
- P.J. Marshall as Lieutenant Mario Green
- Jared Blake DiCroce as Lopes
- Brad Fraizer as EMT
- Akua Santewa as Protester #1
- Anthony Vaughn Merchant as Protester #2
- Norma Aurel as Protester #3
- A.J. Franklin as Protester #4
- DeLance Minefee as Protester #5
Uncredited[]
- Adam Shippey as Ty
- Brandon McClary as Brandon
Archive Photos[]
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- United States
- New York
- New York City
- Harlem's Paradise
- Crispus Attucks Complex (mentioned)
- New York City
- Seagate Penitentiary (mentioned)
- Savannah (mentioned)
- Mount Calvary Baptist Church (mentioned)
- New York
Events[]
- Incrimination of Luke Cage
- Chase of Rafael Scarfe (mentioned)
- Murder of Cottonmouth (mentioned)
- Raid of the Crispus Attucks Complex (mentioned)
- Frank Castle's War (mentioned)
- Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (mentioned)
Items[]
- Judas Bullets
- Judas Rifle
- Hammer Industries Grenade Launcher
- Hammer Industries Assault Rifle
- Judas Gauntlet
- Diamondback's Bible
- Punisher's Arsenal (mentioned)
- Miracle Whip (mentioned)
Media[]
- New Jack City (mentioned)
Vehicles[]
- Chevrolet Corvette (mentioned)
Organizations[]
- New York City Police Department
- Stokes Crime Family
- Fire Department of New York City
- Hammer Industries (logo)
- United States Marine Corps (mentioned)
- Boy Scouts of America (mentioned)
- New Harlem Renaissance (logo)
Mentioned Characters[]
- Barack Obama
- Cottonmouth
- Mariah Dillard
- Rafael Scarfe
- Frank Castle
- James Lucas
- Etta Lucas
- Kelly Knight
- Claire Temple's Uncle
- Bobby Fish
- Jackie Albini
- Lucky Luciano
- Harry Houdini
- Crispus Attucks
- Prince
- Michael Jackson
- Wesley Snipes
- King Kong
- Cain and Abel
Trivia[]
- Now You're Mine is a song from the album Hard to Earn of the hip-pop duo Gang Starr.
- Shades asks Diamondback "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?". This was the catchphrase of Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman) in the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.
- Diamondback tells Candace Miller "Bye, Felicia" before dropping her from the balcony. The phrase was originally spoken by the character Craig Jones (Ice Cube) in the 1995 film Friday and has gained popularity as "a farewell deemed to someone unimportant".
Music[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Son of a Preacher Man | Dusty Springfield |
Diamondback tells Damon Boone how blue-eyed soul was always his mother Dana's favorite style of music, then proceeds to tell Damon the Cain and Abel version of him and his brother Carl's lives. |
