D.W. is walking down the street and follows Luke's tag. As he comes over, Bushmaster attacks Luke and knocks him down. D.W. captures the assault on video as Luke gets back to his feet and punches Bushmaster. Bushmaster shrugs it off and the two men fight. The gang leader takes down Luke and declares his name. D. W. asks who he is, and Bushmaster says that he's the stone the builders refused. Bushmaster walks away and D.W. tries to wake up the unconscious Luke.
Luke wakes up and finds people taking photos of him on the sidewalk. They tell him the name of his attacker and Luke goes to the shop, still woozy from the beating. He calls Claire but gets her voice mail, and Bobby comes in and sees the condition that he's in. Luke tells him what happened and says not to call Claire. Bobby goes to the bodega to get some ice.
At the station, Misty sits at her desk as Nandi and Dave sit at Dave's desk and joke. Dave picks up the video about Luke beating beaten, and Dave and Nandi laugh about it. Misty points out that a Harlem citizen was assaulted, and Dave says that he was joking about it. They tell her to lighten up, and Tom comes out and asks what the problem is. He tells them to go back to work, and tells Misty that Luke made it clear that he doesn't want police help. Misty notes that they don't have a lead on Arturo's killing, and Tom says that Dave and Nandi can help it and tells Misty not to come in if she's working independently on the Arturo case. She tells him that she's going to rehab for her arm and leaves.
In Mariah's office, Piranha tells her that the merger came through thanks to Mark's influence. Now Mariah is worth #350 million, and asks how she feels about being into a new world. Shades asks Piranha what's next, and warns that they're talking about "invisible" money. The financial advisor says that the cash is off-shore in the Caymans and they don't want to touch it. He assures her that Mariah in insulated, and says that Mariah put up the club. Shades is shocked, and Mariah insists that they're fine. Comanche comes in uninvited and shows them the video, and Shades recognizes Bushmaster from their earlier encounter.
Luke watches an ESPN broadcast about being taken down.
D.W. is on a street corner studying videos of Luke being defeated when Luke comes over. The hustler says that he's just making a buck and the video is selling big. Luke insists that he's not a king and doesn't live for other people's entertainment. D. W. asks if Luke is leaving town, saying that he saw Claire moving out. Once Luke leaves, D.W. goes back to hawking the video.
Shades tells Claire that they need to talk, and she tells Comanche to never come into her office uninvited again. Once he leaves, Shades explains who Bushmaster is and how the gang leader plans to take over Harlem. He figures that Bushmaster wants their guns to weaken them, but and figures that Bushmaster is in Harlem for Mariah. Shades realizes that she knows Bushmaster and says that he needs to know everything to protect her. Mariah says that she doesn't know Bushmaster, but someone with the same name had business with her grandfather. She tells Shades that they should leave it behind them and hits on Shades, but says that they should save it for later.
Luke goes to Claire's apartment and confirms that she's gone. The handyman working on the repairs figures that Luke is responsible. The landlady, Mrs. Hansen, comes in and says that she knows who Luke is, and tells him that he's not welcome there. Hansen points out a bag of Luke's things that Claire left him, including a note. Luke apologizes for the damage and leaves.
Shades tells Comanche to guard the club and watch Marah's back while he's gone. Comanche asks him how it feels to have his balls in Mariah's purse, and Shades shrugs off the comment. Up above in her office, Mariah watches from her window
Misty approaches Luke on the street and asks if he wants to press charges. Luke says that he'll handle it himself, and Misty shows him a file on Bushmaster and asks if Luke wants to tag along. He recognizes the man as the ganger he followed to Nigel, and goes with Misty. As they arrive, Misty asks Luke if he wants to talk about Claire. He doesn't, but Misty figures out what happened. Luke says that sometimes a hero has to take the gloves off, but Misty isn't impressed. He asks if he can crash with Misty, and she refuses.
Once she puts on a Kevlar vest, Luke tells her that he'll handle it. They go into the Yardies' warehouse and find it abandoned. Bushmaster's ritual items are on the floor, and Luke takes pictures of the bag they came in. They smell something rotting and break into the room the odor is coming from, and find Nigel's headless corpse inside. Luke tells her to claim that she was following him to explain why she was there, and Misty agrees.
Comanche brings Mariah a meal, and she asks if he spit in it. He suggests that he could help with stock evaluation, and warns that guys like Piranha move fast. Comanche warns that she's being scammed, and says that Mariah doesn't scare him. Mariah tells him that she should, and Comanche leaves.
Once Misty calls in backup, the EMTs take the body off. Local police detective Tomas Ciancio arrive and greets Misty, his old friend. She introduces Luke to Tomas, and Tomas explains that by the time he got on the job, the Yardies had disappeared. He figures that they now go by the name "Stylers" and run a low profile. Tomas says that Harlem doesn't need another gang war, and Luke shows him the video of Bushmaster. The detective recognizes him as John McIver, a bogeyman who rose up through the ranks. Tomas figures that Bushmaster is sending a message by killing Nigel. Luke figures that Bushmaster is making a play for Mariah's weapons. Tomas confirms that Gideon Shaw owns the warehouse and has links to the Stylers, and is being detained at ICE. He warns Misty that Luke is an ex-con, and notices that Luke is still staggered from his fight. Misty tells Luke that he's heading home while she goes to the ICE facility with Tomas, and is surprised when Luke immediately agrees. She suggests that he give Claire some time.
At the club, Kingfish Ingram is performing. Meanwhile, Mariah goes through a scrapbook of clippings on her grandfather.
Luke takes the bus and reads Claire's note.
Tilda goes through the list of items that Bushmaster bought. She then checks her books to see what they're used for and duplicates the mix. Luke comes in, having identified the bag as belonging to the shop from the photos that he took at the warehouse. Tilda claims that she doesn't know who the buyer is, and asks where Luke's strength comes from. He explains that he was the only successful subject of a prison experiment, and Tilda checks his skin. She gives him a potion for his pain, and he realizes that she's seen the video. Tilda takes his hand and says that the only thing that matters is getting back up after a breakdown, and Luke thanks her. She suggests that he get a MRI, and Luke admits that there's no one at the moment that he can see for once. Tilda warns that he has a concussion, making sure not to give her last name. Luke asks her to call him if she sees Bushmaster again.
Misty meets with Gideon and she asks what makes Bushmaster scary. Gideon tells her that he hopes she never has to find out, and she asks why Bushmaster is there from Jamaica. The prisoner says that he and Bushmaster grew up together and there was a bushman, Anansi, who always told Bushmaster stories about two men: one at the top and one at the bottom. The man at the top always thought that he was better, but the bottom man knew he could always kill the top man. Bushmaster always talked about being wronged by young kids who thought they were superior, and he's come back to Harlem to take back what he thinks is his from the family in Harlem that is on the top.
That night at the club, Bushmaster comes in and approaches Mariah and Shades. Shades steps aside to watch, and Mariah thanks him for eliminating Nigel and hints that he should go back to Jamaica soon she offers him Bushmaster rum. Bushmaster tells her that he's going to stay awhile, and asks if Mariah's grandfather had partners. He says that his grandfather Quincy was one of those partners, and Mariah tells him that history doesn't remember the flunkies. Bushmaster tells Mariah that no one can erase the past, but Mariah says that some things should stay dead. He says that her arms have served her well and calls her "Stokes". Offended, Mariah warns that if he calls her "Stokes" again she'll have him killed. Unimpressed, Bushmaster tells her to enjoy her time on the hill and leaves.
Shades notices that Comanche is gone. The guard tells him that someone claiming to be his mother called and Comanche took off.
Bushmaster returns to Gwen's and everyone congratulates him on beating Luke. Anansi says that he's gone up the hill, and Bushmaster tells him that he went into the club to see his past and the future. He figures nothing can stop him now, and offers Anansi money for his services. Anansi refuses to take it, but Ingrid gladly takes it. Across the street, Shades watches the restaurant and then calls Comanche but gets no answer.
Comanche meets with Tom in a parking garage and warns that Mariah and Shades still don't trust him. Tom reminds him that Comanche is back on the streets to infiltrate Mariah's organization, and says that the quicker he gives him the information he needs, the quicker he cuts him loose.
Misty returns to her desk and finds a letter from Danny and Colleen, telling her to call them when she's ready. There's also a schematic of a bionic arm.
Luke returns to the shop and sits down in one of the chairs. Bobby comes out and tells him that his daughter is sick with kidney problems and needs a transplant. He's going to San Diego where she is, and is leaving the next day. Bobby explains that his daughter called him a hero, and figures Luke feels that way every day. Luke wishes him luck, and says that he's giving Claire space. Bobby tells him that Claire isn't the one who needs space, and warns him that as long as he's being pulled in so many directions, he's going to lose his temper. He says that Luke has to be more careful than an average man because of his powers, and asks if Luke is sleeping there. They chuckle over Pops would say about there, and Bobby says his goodbyes. Luke tells him to be a hero and they hug.
Once Bobby leaves, a process server comes in and serves Luke with legal papers.
Written by Gadfly on Jun 30, 2018