Spoilers Black Lightning - Season 2
- Thread starter dahj
- Start date
I guess Katana is off the table, though.
Why, because she's already been in the Arrowverse?
Suicide Squad was my reasoning.
Tune in next week.
It's generally only the characters with current or upcoming movie roles that are off-limits for TV. So it would only be an issue if they planned to bring Katana back in a later movie.
I guess they could answer the Arrowverse question if she showed up played by Rila Fukushima.
To punish him. Being dead is easy--but returning Khalil to being that paralyzed kid with no hope for a future--living with that, is a second-by-second form of torture. As Nerys Myk said, "tune in next week," but Tobias wanted Khalil to suffer.
The only question is why did Cutter also dump the artificial spine with Khalili? Will someone step up to restore it (assuming that's a possibility outside of Tobias' resources), and could they be trusted once they're made aware of advanced technology of that kind?
Yeah, that surprised me, I figured once he pulled it out of Khalil he'd just destroy it.
It was nice to finally learn what was in the briefcase.
I was glad to see them bring Jennifer and Khalil home, and I liked how Khalil was actually figured out that Jefferson was Black Lightning on his own.
Damn, I forgot just how much of a badass Lynn can be.
It was nice to finally learn what was in the briefcase.
I was glad to see them bring Jennifer and Khalil home, and I liked how Khalil was actually figured out that Jefferson was Black Lightning on his own.
Damn, I forgot just how much of a badass Lynn can be.
Black Lightning
Season two / episode 11 --"The Book of Secrets: Chapter One: Prodigal Son"
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: I enjoy Jefferson still trying to work within the system, and now really bringing Henderson in to take down Tobias. I still see him being pushed to a darker place in the event the law still fails to catch Tobias (in the wake of Khalil dying plea), but I still do not see him taking the advice of--
Khalil: He made a compelling argument about the repeated failures of the system and going after Tobias, but he's not thinking of how that would place Jefferson in the same position if he resorts to murder, and compromise all he stands for. How would Jefferson live with himself?
So, it seems he was always aware of Jefferson being around to help, but he did not take advantage of it. Considering his disadvantages and essentially making his own decisions, its easy to see why he never connected with Jefferson in time.
With his gut wrenching death, goes one of TV's most ridiculously misjudged characters in recent years. Like so many characters on Black Lightning, he was the mirror to endless real world "Khalils" who fight to make a better lifre for themselves, but as he put it, get "caught up" with circumstances or people offering hope when al else fails---and for those real world versions of Khalil, its a strong chance that failure--more than having the world handed to you on a platter spilling over with assumptions of success (as it is for the dominant group)--is all they will ever know in one way or another.
Reverend Holt: "We have to take back our communities and our culture" His entire sermon was spot-on about the state and future of the black community, and although this is a superhero TV series, in-universe, a community or race in crisis can't solve all of their problems with a couple of superheroes--who will not be around for the long struggle in the generations to come.
Lynn: She's such a tough character--a great balance between a big heart for those she loves and a cold hardass when push comes to shove, but it was painful to watch her being so powerless to offer Kahlil any kind of help.
Dr. Helga Jace: So, like Tobias, she's maintained her youth over the course of 30 years.
Markovia's meta program...hopefully all that happened there will brought forward in the near future.
Tobias: Whether its Green Light, or his plans with the "Masters of Disaster"/ super-meta program--he's such a walking, complex smorgasbord of mankind's worst beliefs, (including his self hatred), ambitions and instincts that he's become the best recurring villain of any superhero series since the Kingpin from Daredevil--the textbook "love to hate" antagonist, because he actually has a purpose, instead of being evil "just because".
Gambi: "I am a tailor--its just not all that I do" Funny in how flatly honest he is.
Jennifer: Topical but true about how the white woman jumped to a conclusion that only sees a black person as a criminal. Not a fan of vandalism, but Jennifer destroying the woman's car might be the most satisfying scene in this episode.
Jennifer using her training to place Khalil in a dream state was so heartbreaking, as he knew that fantasy of what could have been was just that--a fantasy just as he felt life fading.
Anissa & Grace: Still waiting for Grace to either tell Anissa about her condition or something forces it out of her. Or perhaps she's hiding more than few things....
Todd Green: Unlike Khalil, Todd never questions his choices or what his work might lead to, and that was the point of introducing his character--the contrast of two teenagers who had hope snatched from them, but one maintained a conscience, and fought to escape his trap, while the other appears to not give a damn about much, or think the fact he was rejected by the legitimate world entitles him to "get his" by any means.
Giselle Cutter: Hunting a teenager and murdering a reverend, without so much as a second thought about what she's living for. In a way, that makes her more dangerous than her boss.
NOTES: In the many times it must be said, this is not the ordinary superhero series. It is so relentless and daring in addressing the worst of humanity, with the fantasy elements taking a back seat when necessary. There's no need for cheap bells and whistles just to remind the audience that this is a superhero series.
GRADE: A+
Season two / episode 11 --"The Book of Secrets: Chapter One: Prodigal Son"
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: I enjoy Jefferson still trying to work within the system, and now really bringing Henderson in to take down Tobias. I still see him being pushed to a darker place in the event the law still fails to catch Tobias (in the wake of Khalil dying plea), but I still do not see him taking the advice of--
Khalil: He made a compelling argument about the repeated failures of the system and going after Tobias, but he's not thinking of how that would place Jefferson in the same position if he resorts to murder, and compromise all he stands for. How would Jefferson live with himself?
So, it seems he was always aware of Jefferson being around to help, but he did not take advantage of it. Considering his disadvantages and essentially making his own decisions, its easy to see why he never connected with Jefferson in time.
With his gut wrenching death, goes one of TV's most ridiculously misjudged characters in recent years. Like so many characters on Black Lightning, he was the mirror to endless real world "Khalils" who fight to make a better lifre for themselves, but as he put it, get "caught up" with circumstances or people offering hope when al else fails---and for those real world versions of Khalil, its a strong chance that failure--more than having the world handed to you on a platter spilling over with assumptions of success (as it is for the dominant group)--is all they will ever know in one way or another.
Reverend Holt: "We have to take back our communities and our culture" His entire sermon was spot-on about the state and future of the black community, and although this is a superhero TV series, in-universe, a community or race in crisis can't solve all of their problems with a couple of superheroes--who will not be around for the long struggle in the generations to come.
Lynn: She's such a tough character--a great balance between a big heart for those she loves and a cold hardass when push comes to shove, but it was painful to watch her being so powerless to offer Kahlil any kind of help.
Dr. Helga Jace: So, like Tobias, she's maintained her youth over the course of 30 years.
Markovia's meta program...hopefully all that happened there will brought forward in the near future.
Tobias: Whether its Green Light, or his plans with the "Masters of Disaster"/ super-meta program--he's such a walking, complex smorgasbord of mankind's worst beliefs, (including his self hatred), ambitions and instincts that he's become the best recurring villain of any superhero series since the Kingpin from Daredevil--the textbook "love to hate" antagonist, because he actually has a purpose, instead of being evil "just because".
Gambi: "I am a tailor--its just not all that I do" Funny in how flatly honest he is.
Jennifer: Topical but true about how the white woman jumped to a conclusion that only sees a black person as a criminal. Not a fan of vandalism, but Jennifer destroying the woman's car might be the most satisfying scene in this episode.
Jennifer using her training to place Khalil in a dream state was so heartbreaking, as he knew that fantasy of what could have been was just that--a fantasy just as he felt life fading.
Anissa & Grace: Still waiting for Grace to either tell Anissa about her condition or something forces it out of her. Or perhaps she's hiding more than few things....
Todd Green: Unlike Khalil, Todd never questions his choices or what his work might lead to, and that was the point of introducing his character--the contrast of two teenagers who had hope snatched from them, but one maintained a conscience, and fought to escape his trap, while the other appears to not give a damn about much, or think the fact he was rejected by the legitimate world entitles him to "get his" by any means.
Giselle Cutter: Hunting a teenager and murdering a reverend, without so much as a second thought about what she's living for. In a way, that makes her more dangerous than her boss.
NOTES: In the many times it must be said, this is not the ordinary superhero series. It is so relentless and daring in addressing the worst of humanity, with the fantasy elements taking a back seat when necessary. There's no need for cheap bells and whistles just to remind the audience that this is a superhero series.
GRADE: A+
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I was almost ready to NOT give this an A+...just because the burgers wer ein a generic bag and NOT BigBelly Burger (which seems to be in every multiverse other than ours).
But a powerful episode... Rather than quote Trek God (some great points worthyof elaboration) -- i'll do my own quick run down:
The Reverend -- for me, throughout his time, his portrayal seemed to vasicillate between the stereotypical scam-artist type f black preacher, to a "real one", though thi sermon kinda felt to me like an outsiders' perception of a preacher... sounding religious, but not necessarily biblical. If they get a replacement, I hope he will feel just a bit more "real" (i.e. humble)...but I am biased in this
Khalil - I was hoping Jennifer's solution would be used and would work.... umm, too late to freeze him???
Erika Alexander's character r-- can we nickname her "The Oracle" because that is what she sounds like...hope we get some more history on her in the future....and why she doesn't want anyone to see her????
I am glad Jefferson got that exchange with Khalil....so that he doesn't feel guilty about the youth he was hoping to reach...but rather an understanding that even when it feels like failure, he is doing HIS part (outside of Black Lightning)
Regarding Markovia...didn't Arrow or Flash have mention of that country? I assume that means we will see some mention of Geo Force (or the person that becomes him) sometime perhaps next season???
And I agree with Trek God... Tobias is one of the best Super villains on a superhero show...the thing is he is just going to HAVE to die....or else he will be back .
Now, with his drug...at some point, what would happen if he couldn't take it??? Or if substituted with something else? (Something I can imagine Lynn doing somehow)
What else can go on this season?????
But a powerful episode... Rather than quote Trek God (some great points worthyof elaboration) -- i'll do my own quick run down:
The Reverend -- for me, throughout his time, his portrayal seemed to vasicillate between the stereotypical scam-artist type f black preacher, to a "real one", though thi sermon kinda felt to me like an outsiders' perception of a preacher... sounding religious, but not necessarily biblical. If they get a replacement, I hope he will feel just a bit more "real" (i.e. humble)...but I am biased in this
Khalil - I was hoping Jennifer's solution would be used and would work.... umm, too late to freeze him???
Erika Alexander's character r-- can we nickname her "The Oracle" because that is what she sounds like...hope we get some more history on her in the future....and why she doesn't want anyone to see her????
I am glad Jefferson got that exchange with Khalil....so that he doesn't feel guilty about the youth he was hoping to reach...but rather an understanding that even when it feels like failure, he is doing HIS part (outside of Black Lightning)
Regarding Markovia...didn't Arrow or Flash have mention of that country? I assume that means we will see some mention of Geo Force (or the person that becomes him) sometime perhaps next season???
And I agree with Trek God... Tobias is one of the best Super villains on a superhero show...the thing is he is just going to HAVE to die....or else he will be back .
Now, with his drug...at some point, what would happen if he couldn't take it??? Or if substituted with something else? (Something I can imagine Lynn doing somehow)
What else can go on this season?????
There's quite a few references to Markovia on Arrow: https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/Markovia
It's weird watching Dr. Jace be evil on Black Lighting when she's the opposite on Young Justice: Outsiders.
It's weird watching Dr. Jace be evil on Black Lighting when she's the opposite on Young Justice: Outsiders.
This episode kind of exemplified something Reverend was complaining about in another thread: that the show can sometimes feel narratively unfocused and scattershot, like a collection of scenes more than a story. You'd be hard pressed to say, "This was the episode about X." It's like a collection of brilliant middles.
But the key word remains "brilliant." It's like the creators have more ideas and more to say than they know what to do with, and individual scenes are frequently powerful and memorable even in isolation. And to me, they add up to a greater and much more resonant whole than more tightly plotted, but also more formulaic and less imaginative shows.
But the key word remains "brilliant." It's like the creators have more ideas and more to say than they know what to do with, and individual scenes are frequently powerful and memorable even in isolation. And to me, they add up to a greater and much more resonant whole than more tightly plotted, but also more formulaic and less imaginative shows.
Black Lightning
Season two / episode 12 --"The Book of Secrets: Chapter Two: Just and Unjust"
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: He should not be too insulted that Lynn considers a normal life one without superpowers; it was not his birthright, so its not as if she's judging him like he's a freak or causing indirect harm to their children. Lynn's "I've made some choice I'd take back, but you're not one of them. When you're not being a good man, you're a great man" line was what he needed to hear, but I'm almost sure he will keep her "normal" comment in the back of his head.
"Yeah!" moment: Jefferson raising his fist in solidarity with the students.
"You get the benefit of the doubt that even a rich black man will not get. That's what these kids are facing." The first series-defining truth of the episode.
Yes, the principal's personal story was vital to understanding part of his behavior, but he's mainly using at as part of a white grievance platform for pre-conceived notions about black children, so he killed whatever sympathy he generated in one breath.
Khalil: The image of Khalil's picture (capturing a moment of a happier life literally resting over the sight of death) at a funeral is a tragic not only because the loss of young black man with so much potential was lost to violence, but that the basics of his fate (death) is all too common in reality, which only shines a revealing light on those both in-series and among the audience who hung frankly idiotic judgements on him.
His mother not being able to afford her son's funeral--cold, hard reality.
Jennifer: Joy--the illusion of returning to the familiar of school life quickly turned back to life as it is with Khalil's memorial. One can imagine this--and her confrontation with the racist principal is just the spark to set her off--ignoring Jefferson's sound advice about the difference between justice and revenge...and that will lead her right into the hands of three parties who would kill to access her power...like Odell, who observed her at the funeral....
"Every single person standing here is just one bad break way from becoming somebody they never meant to be." - The second series-defining truth of the episode, for Khalil, and the episode, if not the entire series regarding the plight of that city's underclass, and how they fell into the hands of manipulators.
Lynn, Odell & Dr. Helga Jace: So, the Markovians were trying to kidnap Lynn, but I wonder how much Odell knows about Jace's own interests / connection to Tobias? Is she playing both (considering how Tobias was going to cut her off), and going to force Lynn to work for her as part of her end of a Pod Kid explosion? See notes.
Tobias: Fascinating--the pod people / former covert assets committed atrocities, and now he has control of them--and their secrets. I see this boomeranging around to hit and/or expose one of the series' heroes.
Gambi: Always love his "family" scenes.
Anissa & Grace: So, her other masked ID is called the "Black Bird." Interesting.
Grace had a comic book with the back cover advertising for what appeared to be the Helen Slater Supergirl BluRay. Love the nod to that film.
Grace knows at least part of what's happened to her--possibly involving something potentially dangerous for Anissa--or so she thinks. I'm hoping her sudden departure does not lead Anissa into the very kind of situation Gambi warned her about..but yeah, that has a good chance of happening.
NOTES: This show pulls no punches at all, and as I've said before, it balances the fantasy with the hard realities of life--black life, bur doe snot talk down to the audience, but its compelling narrative involves the viewers with some often raw commentary.
Excellent fight choreography for Anissa's attack on the 100 pimp's apartment. Quick and stylishly brutal.
So, this is where the two season have been building up to: Markovians (represented by Yuri Bakonov), Odell/A.S.A. and Tobias with Jace as the possible outlier. With someone--possibly Jennifer--being captured (as seen in the teaser) are all racing toward a collision. Sort of like the metahuman arms race I believe should happen with Lena (and Lex) on Supergirl, only Tobias has the edge with a small unit of enhanced murderers ready to be thawed out, so to speak. Essentially, his own Winter Soldier unit.
...and Lynn is caught in the middle for now, but I do expect her to mount some sort of offensive, even before she learns what happens to one of her daughters.
A note about Odell at the funeral...yes, he was studying Jennifer, but I had the gruesome suspicion he knew about Khalil and might have an interest in him in some way. Not as in resurrecting him (autopsies and mortician's work put an end to that), but in another way that would torment Jennifer. Just a guess.
That Supergirl BluRay ad just reminds the audience that she's a fictional character in the Black Lightning universe, as noted in season one.
GRADE: A+
Season two / episode 12 --"The Book of Secrets: Chapter Two: Just and Unjust"
Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: He should not be too insulted that Lynn considers a normal life one without superpowers; it was not his birthright, so its not as if she's judging him like he's a freak or causing indirect harm to their children. Lynn's "I've made some choice I'd take back, but you're not one of them. When you're not being a good man, you're a great man" line was what he needed to hear, but I'm almost sure he will keep her "normal" comment in the back of his head.
"Yeah!" moment: Jefferson raising his fist in solidarity with the students.
"You get the benefit of the doubt that even a rich black man will not get. That's what these kids are facing." The first series-defining truth of the episode.
Yes, the principal's personal story was vital to understanding part of his behavior, but he's mainly using at as part of a white grievance platform for pre-conceived notions about black children, so he killed whatever sympathy he generated in one breath.
Khalil: The image of Khalil's picture (capturing a moment of a happier life literally resting over the sight of death) at a funeral is a tragic not only because the loss of young black man with so much potential was lost to violence, but that the basics of his fate (death) is all too common in reality, which only shines a revealing light on those both in-series and among the audience who hung frankly idiotic judgements on him.
His mother not being able to afford her son's funeral--cold, hard reality.
Jennifer: Joy--the illusion of returning to the familiar of school life quickly turned back to life as it is with Khalil's memorial. One can imagine this--and her confrontation with the racist principal is just the spark to set her off--ignoring Jefferson's sound advice about the difference between justice and revenge...and that will lead her right into the hands of three parties who would kill to access her power...like Odell, who observed her at the funeral....
"Every single person standing here is just one bad break way from becoming somebody they never meant to be." - The second series-defining truth of the episode, for Khalil, and the episode, if not the entire series regarding the plight of that city's underclass, and how they fell into the hands of manipulators.
Lynn, Odell & Dr. Helga Jace: So, the Markovians were trying to kidnap Lynn, but I wonder how much Odell knows about Jace's own interests / connection to Tobias? Is she playing both (considering how Tobias was going to cut her off), and going to force Lynn to work for her as part of her end of a Pod Kid explosion? See notes.
Tobias: Fascinating--the pod people / former covert assets committed atrocities, and now he has control of them--and their secrets. I see this boomeranging around to hit and/or expose one of the series' heroes.
Gambi: Always love his "family" scenes.
Anissa & Grace: So, her other masked ID is called the "Black Bird." Interesting.
Grace had a comic book with the back cover advertising for what appeared to be the Helen Slater Supergirl BluRay. Love the nod to that film.
Grace knows at least part of what's happened to her--possibly involving something potentially dangerous for Anissa--or so she thinks. I'm hoping her sudden departure does not lead Anissa into the very kind of situation Gambi warned her about..but yeah, that has a good chance of happening.
NOTES: This show pulls no punches at all, and as I've said before, it balances the fantasy with the hard realities of life--black life, bur doe snot talk down to the audience, but its compelling narrative involves the viewers with some often raw commentary.
Excellent fight choreography for Anissa's attack on the 100 pimp's apartment. Quick and stylishly brutal.
So, this is where the two season have been building up to: Markovians (represented by Yuri Bakonov), Odell/A.S.A. and Tobias with Jace as the possible outlier. With someone--possibly Jennifer--being captured (as seen in the teaser) are all racing toward a collision. Sort of like the metahuman arms race I believe should happen with Lena (and Lex) on Supergirl, only Tobias has the edge with a small unit of enhanced murderers ready to be thawed out, so to speak. Essentially, his own Winter Soldier unit.
...and Lynn is caught in the middle for now, but I do expect her to mount some sort of offensive, even before she learns what happens to one of her daughters.
A note about Odell at the funeral...yes, he was studying Jennifer, but I had the gruesome suspicion he knew about Khalil and might have an interest in him in some way. Not as in resurrecting him (autopsies and mortician's work put an end to that), but in another way that would torment Jennifer. Just a guess.
That Supergirl BluRay ad just reminds the audience that she's a fictional character in the Black Lightning universe, as noted in season one.
GRADE: A+
^ Oh, he's the sneakiest. And the actor, like most of the actors on this show, is marvelous and a delight to watch.
I thought he was the hero.
The editing on this show is clumsy sometimes. Here we have Lynn talking to Jeff about Jennifer having revenge on her mind before we've seen her say one word about revenge. And then we have Anissa coming home to Grace, and in the next scene she's in her "Blackbird" guise beating up the crime boss and his gang. (I still find that disguise very ineffectual, because it doesn't conceal her very distinctive and beautiful eyes.)
It's weird to see Anissa with straightened hair. She's usually been more of a natural-black-hair kind of gal, even with all the multiple styles she typically wears over the course of an episode.
It's weird to see Anissa with straightened hair. She's usually been more of a natural-black-hair kind of gal, even with all the multiple styles she typically wears over the course of an episode.
You are not kidding. They carry off their roles with no effort at all. Strong and completely believable.
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