The show’s second episode kicks things up a notch as all sides react to the return of Black Lightning to Freeland in last week’s season premiere – and a whole lot of people end up dead.
Previously, on BLACK LIGHTNING…
Fresh off of donning the superhero suit for the first time in years, Jefferson Pierce thought his problems with the 100 were coming to a close. Sure, he saved his daughters from Lala and his cousin and did some damage to their prostitution ring, but things were back up and running days later. And because his daughters told the cops what happened to them, Lala has targeted them and tries to intimidate them into keeping quiet, including having a kid pretending to sell candy shoot younger daughter Jennifer with red paint right on the Pierce front lawn.
Not that Jennifer and Anissa’s statements to the police matter. Inspector Henderson tells Pierce that Lala claims to have been somewhere else and has 15 “witnesses” backing him up, so police hands are tied.
Lala is getting cocky, and even threatens Pierce when he confronts Lala about his girls. But pride cometh before the fall, and when a distraught mother – Lawanda White, a former student of Pierce’s – tries to get her daughter back from Lala’s clutches, Lala shoots her. A lot. But he didn’t realize Lawanda had her phone set to record the whole thing. Lala is arrested, and the police finally seem to have something to take him down. But that doesn’t sit well with his boss, Tobias Whale, who uses his contacts to enter the jail cell and choke Lala out, killing him.
This episode was pretty brutal. In addition to Lala and Lawanda getting killed, Lala also killed his cousin, who went after Anissa and Jennifer last week.
We also get a glimpse into how Pierce’s family are dealing with what happened last week, both the kidnapping of Jennifer and Anissa and their dad returning to being Black Lightning. Jefferson’s ex-wife, Lynn, thinks her former husband is addicted to his powers, while his partner, Gambi, thinks he couldn’t be affective as Black Lightning because he was addicted to Lynn. Anissa hides out with her girlfriend and relates the story of breaking her sink last week. And Jennifer gets to drinking, though her best friend and new boyfriend Khalil doesn’t think that’s a great idea.
Jennifer’s story is a pretty basic rebelling teenager, but Anissa continues to lead to her own superhero career, as she foils a robbery at a pharmacy by throwing the gunman over a few different aisles.
Show Notes
• When Black Lightning finally decides to suit up and go after Lala, he fights his way up a hotel stairwell, 10 floors up to the penthouse. The fight was reminiscent of the hallway fight scenes from Marvel’s Netflix series. The 100, though, doesn’t seem to have nearly the amount of men at their disposal as The Hand.
• Neither Jefferson or Lynn can remember Anissa’s girlfriend’s name.I’m gonna be honest – if it was mentioned during the episode, I have also blanked on it.
Next week, Jefferson continues to debate whether the city needs Black Lightning – that may get old if it doesn’t stop soon. Let’s take a look:
What did you think of the second episode of Black Lightning? Let us know if the comments.