This week on Black Lightning, Jefferson discovered the extent Odell had manipulated Jennifer, and finally sought to get rid of him by kidnapping him and making a hologram copy that would order the ASA to abandon Freeland. Meanwhile, Lynn and Grayle decided to break Whale out of jail, and Lala discovered he’s not the only who’s come back from the dead…
1. Getting Everyone on the Same Page
As you might’ve guessed from that summary, 50 percent of this episode was basically characters getting up to speed on what everyone else was doing: Jennifer revealed her and her family’s identities to Brandon, TC introduced himself to (most of) the family, he and Gambi discovered Lady Eve ordered the hit on the old man, and Jennifer came face-to-face with the zombiefied Khalil. It’s nice seeing all these chess pieces being moved into place, given how slow this show can be – the occupation of Freeland has gone on all season, but I’m starting to see the conclusion taking shape (particularly with how TC’s abilities could break Khalil’s brainwashing) and new story seeds sprouting.
2. Grace is OK Now
It’s funny how after the emotional drama of sending Grace to the Perdi farm, away from Anissa, we seem them meeting outside Freeland and deciding to return together (it was only two months ago!) She’s apparently no longer suffering from her personality issues thanks to the healers of the farm, which feels rather sudden. Maybe it’s not true, but I feel with all the events this week, it feels similarly like the show’s staff want to finally move Grace past her fragile state, and towards the musclebound warrior that is her comics counterpart.
3. And There’s Lynn
Despite the title, Lynn’s very much on her own and not the focus this week, which was weird, you’d think finding her would be Jefferson’s top priority after the upsetting events of the last episode. Gambi visits her and notices she’s unwell, but is otherwise none the wiser (Jefferson’s evidently not ready to tell him and the girls what’s happened). She devises a meta-booster that grants humans temporary powers, testing them on Grayle, who turns invisible. In the comics, Grayle is the Atomic Knight (basically DC’s Iron Man), so I suppose this has given him a taste for heroics. Lynn uses the booster to sneak out Whale, and herself superstrength so he won’t be able to doublecross her – it was very amusing to see Lynn finally punch out his lights when he tried doing that.
4. Jefferson’s Mother
Gambi brings up how he raised Jefferson after Alvin Pierce’s death, and it’s strange, but until now I’ve never wondered what happened to Jefferson’s mother (whose name is Leona in the comics)? Where is she? Is she still alive, or did she die a long time ago, before Alvin did? Mothers are such a big presence (or absence) in our lives that it’s so odd we’ve all overlooked it until now.
5. No One Stays Dead on this Show
Lala sends Devonte to gather some kompromat in the Ultimate O brothel, where he discovers Lady Eve is still alive. I figured as much, given it seemed unlikely the person behind the plot to kill Gambi was going to turn out to be someone already dead, and because the opening recap showed her and the vats Lala was resurrected in. Still, it’s an intriguing turn, and with Lala threatening an aggressive takeover of her business, it’s one that portends greater violence on the streets of Freeland before the occupation is over.
Bonus thoughts:
– Whale calls Lynn Black Lightning’s wife, which is weird even if he meant it sarcastically.
– Jefferson immediately going protective dad on Brandon was hilarious: “your mom and I were just friends.”
– Odell is from Gotham, which I don’t think was the case before “Crisis.”
Until next week – Lightning out!
