Unbreakable skin with a breakable heart > ‘Luke Cage’ review Sonam Kaloti Arts Editor uke Cage, featuring Mike Colter as the man himself, is one of Marvel’s very own which is available for viewing on Netflix. Sadly, the show—like many others on Netflix—got cancelled after two seasons. Some minor spoilers ahead. Having watched most of Marvel’s other shows in timeline order, I’ve finished Luke Cage’s season one. Though, I have to get through five seasons of other shows before I get to begin season two. The season picks up slowly, with Luke rejecting his role as a potential superhero. We initially meet him in Jessica Jones, where due to the circumstances, he is thrown into using his abilities in almost every scene he’s in. He embraces his hero nature and works hard to right the wrongs in New York. Luke is open, emotional, and his experiences feel raw and heart- wrenching. Perhaps this is why the beginning of Luke Cage feels slow. Luke is closed off, alone, and doesn’t step up until the perils of Harlem begin to personally affect him. It’s disappointing to experience Luke in this closed off state because the show loses a lot of interesting factors. None of the other characters are particularly interesting right off the bat either, so for new viewers who haven't watched Jessica Jones or Daredevil, | can see how it would be rough to stay engaged and keep watching until the show picks up. Of course, for those who have watched Jessica Jones and Daredevil, it’s another story. We have already met Luke in all his glory and have that to look forward to as the show progresses. We have also met some other characters such as Claire (Rosario Dawson) from both Jessica Jones and Daredevil, and other characters simply by name and presence in the MCU. One of these characters is Diamondback, a mafia lord who is mentioned a lot, being the culprit for many of the atrocities committed in Hell’s Kitchen. This makes him unseen enemy number one for Daredevil and The Punisher, though we don't even know who he is until we meet him in Luke Cage alongside a gripping plot twist. A definite pro of the show is that it features black culture exclusively, and almost every main character is a person of colour. The story itself centres on race issues, with many of Harlem's citizens priding Luke Cage boasting along the lines of, “Who would have thought a black man in a hoodie would bea hero?” All in all, Luke Cage might pick up stronger than ever for season two, which Promotional image for 'Marvel's Luke Cage' via Netflix is what I’m hoping for. The slow start definitely doesn’t pour through the entire first season, and if Luke’s a character you're interested in, Luke Cage includes his backstory in great detail. I don’t suggest watching it without having watched Jessica Jones and Daredevil in timeline order first to gain the best understanding of the storyline. ‘I Remember Everything’ by John Prine wins two posthumous Grammy awards >» The awards were accepted by Prine’s wife and three sons Teppei Contributor ohn Prine, an accomplished and praised folk singer-songwriter, won in the American roots song and American roots performance categories at the 63rd Grammy Awards ceremony for his last recorded song, “I Remember Everything.” The acclaimed American artist passed away at 73 years old last April 7 due to COVID-19 complications. His song “I Remember Everything” was released two months after his death. Prine had won three Grammy awards previously; his albums The Missing Years and Fair & Square won in the contemporary folk album category in 1991 and 2005, respectively. In 2020, a couple of months prior to his death, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award. This year, the award was accepted by Prine’s wife Fiona Whelan Prine, surrounded by the couple's three sons from their home in Nashville, Tennessee. “I Remember Everything” was cowritten by Prine and Pat McLaughlin, and recorded by producer Dave Cobb, who did an immaculate job, opting to keep the song in its simplest form with nothing but Prine’s voice and guitar, instead of over- arranging it with strings or percussion. Brandi Carlile, another Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter performed “I Remember Everything” during the ceremony; she was Prine’s long-time admirer and friend. A couple of years ago, while Prine was recording his last album The Tree of Forgiveness in Nashville with Cobb, Carlile was working on her sixth album By the Way, I Forgive You, which was also co-produced by Cobb. Carlile ended up recording vocals in three of Prine’s album's songs. Carlile has recorded her own version of the song which will be featured in the Prine tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol 2. The album will be released on Oh Boy Records, Prine’s own independent record label. There is a very wide variety of subjects in Prine’s songs. He has songs like “Sam Stone,” which he wrote after being drafted into the Army in the late 60s and talks about a war veteran. In “Angel from Montgomery,’ Prine sings in first person as a middle-aged woman whose life has become quite dull and is looking for something to give it meaning. “In Spite of Ourselves” is a duet he recorded with Iris DeMent about a very ordinary couple full of imperfections but perfect for each other. The song has funny and silly lines about each other’s flaws, which they have learned to not only tolerate, but to love. Amongst the dozens of songs Prine wrote throughout his career, there could not have been a more poetic one to be his last one ever written than “I Remember Everything.” “[...] I’ve been down this road before / Alone as I can be / Careful not to let my re x w va AS > =~ 3 o = P= ie) 7 is 7 a i < [e} & ra ° ° g ° ra o past / Go sneaking up on me / Got no future in my happiness / Though regrets are very few / Sometimes a little tenderness / Was the best that I could do [...]” John Prine may have found a perfect way to say goodbye, but his songs will remain with us forever.