Luke Cage Season 2: 22 WTF Moments
9. Mariah Bares Her Soul (Episode 9, "For Pete's Sake")
Perhaps the best scene in the entire season is a lengthy heart-to-heart between Mariah and Tilda, where Mariah effectively bares her soul to her daughter and lays out the ugly truth of her existence once and for all.
Mariah confesses that the man Tilda thought was her father was not, in fact, her father, and she was actually the product of rape at the hands of Pistol Pete (Curtiss Cook), while admitting that she did indeed murder Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) for him claiming she asked for it.
Mariah concludes the conversation with the devastating one-liner, "I never wanted you. I tried to love you, but I don't. 'Cause every time I look in your face, I see Pete", leaving a distraught Tilda to deem her a monster.
It's an award-worthy performance from the ever-brilliant Alfre Woodard, though it's just a shame she didn't have material this strong throughout the entire season. Just...wow.