Luke Cage Season 2: 22 WTF Moments

14. Shades & Comanche Were Lovers In Prison (Episode 6, "The Basement")

One of the more unexpected and well-written character dynamics in season two is that between Shades and Comanche. When they hole up at Pop's Barber Shop waiting for Luke to return, they begin discussing their time spent inside prison, where it's revealed the two were lovers.

Though Shades is dismissive of any lasting impact, claiming it was merely an act of desperation that he's left behind since returning to the outside world, Che retorts that his feelings still remain.

The acting and the writing here are both terrific, with a nuanced look at the issue of gay relationships in the middle of the stereotypically "macho" world of organised crime.

Sure, it's laid on a little too thickly later on with references to Shades crying at This is Us and his affinity for Top Gun, but in isolation this was a great scene that deepened Shades and Che's bond (and made the former's eventual murder of the latter that much more heartbreaking).