Black Lightning is not slowing down one bit, thank goodness.
While some people will complain that the writers are rushing through Anissa’s powers, I’m all here for the fast-paced nature of this storyline. In the span of one hour, she goes from struggling hard to control her emotions during an absolutely riveting dinner scene with the Hendersons to defending herself and Grace outside the bar against a bunch of thugs. The decision to leave the entire attack off-screen is not a personal favorite of mine, but I still appreciate the haunting aerial shot of the destruction left behind, followed by the confused look on Black Lightning’s face. I can’t wait for these two to kick ass side by side one day.
Grammy winner Jill Scott continues to be hilariously compelling as the cunning Lady Eve. She is not to be messed with, whether she’s threatening Tobias that she could ruin his reputation with The 100 if he doesn’t take down Black Lightning once and for all or when she’s disturbingly poking through a conscious person’s guts using a wand all while casually humming some tunes. As I mentioned last week, this show has been stellar at juggling multiple tones since it premiered, and it does so effortlessly again in Black Jesus. Beyond impressive.
On the Jefferson front, this episode doesn’t disappoint either. The writers love having the main character juggle between his life as a superhero and the principal of Garfield High School. This week, his attempts to stop the Green Light, a dangerous drug spreading among the community, are gripping enough to make us care about Bernard, a high school student who surprisingly doesn’t end up dead. It’s not the most original subplot, but sending him to rehab by the end of the hour is certainly a refreshing and satisfying conclusion to what never feels like simply a case-of-the-week.
Lightning Bits
– One thing I hated this week was the scene with the nurses talking about Khalil right outside his room. Super unnecessary.
– Hilarious smirk on Jefferson’s face as Anissa ends up defending Black Lightning and what his family must feel. Lynn was not amused.
– How funny was Two-Bits wanting to take a selfie with Black Lightning before he’s knocked out?
– Horrifying sequence with Tobias feeding a rat to a tank of other creatures (fish?). I had to look away.
– Can’t wait to see more of Edwina Findley as Tori Whale, Tobias’ sister. What a hoot!
– Did Tobias mess with Khalil’s medical records? There’s no way his chart suddenly indicated that he can never walk all of a sudden, right?
Freeland Quips
Lady Eve: They were talking about that kid going to the Olympics.
Tobias: He wasn’t going to no Olympics.
Lady Eve: Well, he isn’t now. And that’s for sure.
Gambi: Wright didn’t follow the number one rule of being a drug dealer, “Don’t get high on your own supply”.
Jefferson: Black kids OD-ing has never been newsworthy.
Conclusion
Another compelling episode packed with thrilling action hijinks and a whole lot of fun.
Chris Rating
A-