It comes down to this.
The whole of Harlem comes out to watch Luke and Diamondback throw down in a fight that Mariah dubs the battle for Harlem’s soul. After fleeing from the barbershop, Mariah and Shades realize that they’ve left behind the files on Luke’s past, though Shades did get Misty’s phone, and Mariah realizes that she’ll need a new play since Misty is intent on arresting her for Cottonmouth’s murder. To buy some time she calls out the news crews to cover Luke’s fight and drum up some sensationalism, giving her a chance to keep playing politician.
Claire leaves Candace with her mother when she sees Luke on TV and rushes down there to provide moral support. Even though he’s taking quite a beating, having the crowd rally behind and support him gives Luke the will to push on and keep fighting. Eventually he realizes that Diamondback’s suit is gaining power from being attacked and taking hits, so he backs down for a while to let it start to run out of juice before sending Stryker flying, knocking him out. The swat team is on both of them in seconds, threatening to take Luke down, but Misty calls them off, and Luke says he’s willing to go in peacefully.
At the station Luke finally gives his statement, explaining the whole situation from his involvement with Crispus Attucks and Cottonmouth to Diamondback. Ridley accepts his word and the other officers are impressed with his determination. Cleared of charges, Luke joins Claire in the break room for some take out while Misty deals with Mariah.
Mariah claims full innocence on everything that has happened, blaming Diamondback for roping an innocent Cottonmouth into his schemes and then killing him, and forcing her to frame Luke for the murder. Ridley isn’t buying it, and Misty certainly isn’t, presenting the recorded testimony of Candace as evidence of Mariah’s crimes. Misty gets called out of the interrogation room to learn that Candace has been murdered, lured out of hiding with messages from Misty’s stolen phone. With their main witness dead, and potentially compromised in the first place, they realize that they have no real case against Mariah, and are forced to let her go free.
During Mariah’s quick interview with the news reporters during the fight, she casually let slip that Luke Cage was actually Carl Lucas, and as a result federal agents looking for Carl show up at the precinct to bring him in for his escape from Seagate. Luke decides that he is done running, and will stay to fight the charges from inside prison, while Claire offers up the help of a good lawyer.
Mariah goes back to take over management of Harlem’s Paradise, fully taking on her role as a criminal leader. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a comatose Diamondback is handed over to the care of Dr. Burstein.