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Five Thoughts on Black Lightning‘s “The Book of Occupation: Chapter Five: Requiem for Tavon”

By | November 12th, 2019
Posted in Television | % Comments

On this week’s Black Lightning, a manhunt was on for Blackbird after she helped break out several prisoners two weeks ago, including Garfield student Tavon Singley. With his parents worried sick over his disappearance, Jefferson asks Anissa to bring him back from the Perdi farm – with disastrous results.

1. It’s in the Title

The moment I saw that title card, my mind went into denial mode, well aware Tavon was alive and safe, outside the city perimeter with the other refugees escorted by Blackbird. Alas, Jefferson and Anissa’s decision to bring him back to Freeland proves disastrous, as Khalil (whom I’m calling Painkiller from now on until he’s no longer a monster) intercepts the kid and poisons him. An injured Blackbird manages to carry Tavon back to the city, but Black Lightning and Gambi are too late to help them.

It was a tragic but inevitable turn, to see a bright young kid we’d gotten to know since the first season, die at the hands of someone employed by the state (ASA stands for American Security Agency after all), it sadly happens far too often in real life. Likewise, the brutal beatdown Jefferson endures from the ASA guards the following day, when he tries to protect his students protesting Tavon’s incarceration that led to his death, is a painfully true reflection of police brutality.

2. Whale’s Figured It Out

Lynn finds a way to stabilize the health of those turned into metahumans by synthesizing the serum Whale used to extend his life and grant him superstrength, but first, that requires extracting a sample of it working in his body. As she injects it into his body, restoring his youth, Whale reveals he’s recently had the clarity of mind to realize Jefferson is Black Lightning, and that his daughters are the other costumed metas active in Freeland. Lynn tells him he’s delusional, but it’s a feeble denial. I look forward to seeing more of this Hannibal Lecter/Clarice relationship as the weeks go on.

3. Brandon’s Secret

Brandon restrains Jennifer from intervening when she sees her father being beaten, and is able to absorb her powers when they start to overload. So not only is Brandon revealed to be a meta, it’s also clear he swapped his records with Tavon’s so the ASA would arrest him instead, and is therefore the true culprit behind his death. Jennifer and Brandon are going to become closer over their shared secret, but I now worry I’m just going to be waiting for this shoe to drop.

4. Odell Marched With MLK

Odell seems as horrified by Jefferson’s beating as we are, and so he allows Jennifer to go and light up the guards responsible after dark. As horribly ruthless as he is, we’re reminded Odell was once an idealistic young man, “who marched with MLK” as he puts it. However, it’s quite likely Odell also sees this as another opportunity to make Jennifer trust in him, and hardly the start of a redemption arc.

5. From Saul to Paul

Speaking of redemption, Henderson seriously threatens to alienate the viewer this week, declaring the manhunt for Blackbird on the ASA’s behalf. He arrests Two-Bits for throwing a tomato at him during that announcement (as well as for selling stolen ASA supplies), and then Reverend Holt for helping orchestrate the underground railroad in Freeland. However, he lets them go by the end, and invites them to properly form a resistance to occupation, explaining why by showing them recorded footage of Jefferson being assaulted. I’m curious if this incident is, as Holt puts it, what caused the scales to fall from Henderson’s eyes, or if he had already given up being cooperating with the ASA, and that’s good, it’s nice to be able to interpret what’s behind a character’s actions sometimes.

Bonus thoughts:
– We’re introduced to Anissa’s AI, which is called Shonda.
– The mechanical sound effects for Painkiller’s spine really reinforces the idea he’s more of an undead monster or Terminator made from Khalil than he actually is him.

See you all next week when we crack open the “Book of Resistance.”


//TAGS | Black Lightning

Christopher Chiu-Tabet

Chris is the news manager of Multiversity Comics. A writer from London on the autistic spectrum, he enjoys tweeting and blogging on Medium about his favourite films, TV shows, books, music, and games, plus history and religion. He is Lebanese/Chinese, although he can't speak Cantonese or Arabic.

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