The power structure in Harlem is shifting, fast.
Things are not going as well for Mariah, though, as she finds that despite his release the scandal surrounding her cousin has led to her party deciding to kick her out. During a strange visit from Shades he tells her about the respect he had for her family when he was a kid, and how upsetting it is to see how far they’ve fallen. He tells her he’s looking forward to seeing what she’ll do.
Cottonmouth thinks back to his childhood, and how he got into the gangster business in the first place as he decides what he’s going to do about his Luke Cage problem. He calls Cage over for a chat and tells him that he knows about his past as Carl Lucas, and that if he wants his secret to be kept, Luke will have to keep in line. Luke decides to give up and leave, refusing to risk going back to prison, but Claire talks him into staying. When Cottonmouth tells Shades about his conversation with Luke, Shades becomes concerned, telling him that Diamondback has plans for Luke, and doesn’t want him leaving town.
Later, Cottonmouth relaxes playing the piano, and dwells on memories of his uncle Pete who wanted him to be a musician, and how Mama Mabel forced Cottonmouth to kill him when he started trying to run drugs and they found out that he had raped Mariah. Mariah herself arrives to complain at him for getting her kicked off of the council and the two argue about their present and their past. Blame is thrown on both sides, but when he accuses her of seducing Pete and leading to his death Mariah loses it and smashes Cottonmouth in the back of the head with a wine bottle, shoving him out of the second floor window. She races to him downstairs and beats his head in with a mic stand.
Shades reveals he was watching from the shadows and tells her he is impressed with her nerve. He agrees to help her cover up her part in the murder and blame it on Luke. Luke, meanwhile, has been paying a visit to Domingo to steal back the remaining guns and get them off of the street. He returns them to Misty and tells her that he’s going to keep fighting, that he wants to kill Cottonmouth but won’t. He asks her to trust him, but she is finding it difficult considering how connected he is to everything that’s been happening.
Afterward, Luke goes on a walk with Claire, and fills her in on his past, getting framed, and going to Seagate. He tells her how risky things will be if his past is revealed. Before they can return a man that knows him as Carl takes a shot at him, with a Judas bullet, and this one doesn’t bounce off.