Spoilers Black Lightning - Season 4: The Final Season

[JD]

Earlier, I posted that took the brief scene with Anissa was the pilot wrapping up any loose threads to the parent series (Khalil asking Anissa to keep knowledge of his whereabouts a secret), but in a nice surprise, he's now aware of the situation with Jefferson and Tobias, which might place him on the road back to Freeland (provided Odell & his daughter do not complicate his life in the near future), and perhaps (as I wondered a few weeks ago) he might be the one to give Ishmael trouble he cannot handle.

GRADE: A+.

I read an interview with either Jordan Calloway or one of the Akils after the pilot aired, and they confirmed that Khalil will be showing up back up in Freeland before BL ends.

- “Red” sure looks a hell of a lot like Zsasz on Gotham

I had the same thought, and after he first showed, and assumed he was Zsasz until they called him Red and he started using his powers.

I'm not surprised Tobias is going after Jefferson Pierce rather than just Black Lightning, it was pretty much inevitable he'd do something like this once he found out who BL was. I was a little surprised so many of the students were so quick to turn on him.
The Anissa & Grace vs Ishmael fight was pretty cool. Have we seen Grace shapeshift her clothes before these last couple episode? I thought it usually stayed the same.
If she's able to shapeshift her clothes like that, does that mean she's running around naked all the time?
I was a little surprised to see Khalil and Philky, but like I said before, that must have been a set up for Khalil to come back to Freeland later.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Making directed energy guns that can kill metas, and providing them to the racist-against-metas police chief. Possibly other corporate evilness, but I can't recall, and the Arrowverse Wiki is lagging behind on updating its BL entries.

So Gambi was sabotaging that power source because it fuels the guns? She made it sound like a useful source of alternative energy, does it have positive benefits as well?

 

[Christopher]

I had the same thought, and after he first showed, and assumed he was Zsasz until they called him Red and he started using his powers.

The Arrowverse version of Victor Zsasz showed up in episode 2x3 of Batwoman back in January, played by Alex Morf. He had a goatee.

So Gambi was sabotaging that power source because it fuels the guns? She made it sound like a useful source of alternative energy, does it have positive benefits as well?

He wasn't sabotaging the promethium. As he explained earlier in the episode, he was stealing some of it to power a super-suit upgrade that will shield the Pierces against the DEGs.

 

[JD]

Oh, right, I forgot that was Zsasz.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning - The Final Season
Season 4 - Episode 9 - "The Book of Ruin- Chapter Four: Lyding"

Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning / Lynn: Lynn is having some serious regrets about her meta family and guilt that she believes they need to be "fixed"--possibly a reaction to what she learned in the previous episode (the scan of NuJennifer revealing her Particle Form Sustainability registered as "Uncertain"--unlike the original Jennifer).

Lynn might be upset that she's been frozen out of her work, but she was more than irrational directing her frustration at Jefferson, who had to remind her that his "embezzlement money" funding her work is part of Tobias' scheme, Obviously, breaking the Pierces is part of Tobias' plan, but I hope Jefferson dos not go against his own warning (to his daughters) and expose himself with Ishmael hunting them....

Gambi: I do enjoy plots where the protagonists actually learn the identity of their enemy (including Destiny) early, instead of tired stories where they run into walls not knowing what they're up against until the last minute. How he's going to counter the attack on the Pierces is anyone's guess; he's brilliant, but even Gambi could not see what occurred in the last act coming.

Jennifer / Anissa / Grace: As soon as NuJennifer used her powers, she suffered from some sort of auditory attack....

Old or new Jennifer, she's as reckless as ever, and still seeking attention as Lightning, completely ignoring the threats facing her from Lopez, Destiny/Ishmael, et al. I'd like to think her new crush Uriah is just a well-meaning teen, but he seemed too good to be true, constantly trying to get NuJennifer involved in a way that made one think he knew more than he was letting on ....

Loving the look of Anissa's new costume.

Tobias: Step by step, his plans are coming together--Lynn has her career ripped from her, then arrested (subjected to all of the incredibly humiliating process of being processed in jail) , and now he intends to make "Captain Save-a-hoe" (yet another racist insult toward Black Lightning) feel the same kind of loss he felt with the fate of his sister, the "love of his life." His delivery almost made him sound as if he's had some borderline incestuous thoughts about her.

Det. Hassan Shakur / Chief Ana Lopez: Being the snake she is, Lopez--monitoring Uriah's texts--had laid out an irresistible trap for the self-centered Jennifer, but she was outclassed by Lightning, which was a joy to see.

Odd moment when Hassan asked Black Lightning to prove his basketball skills.

Khalil/Painkiller: Ahh. He explains (while torturing Jesse Gentilucci) that he can now switch his venom glands with one producing an antidote--possibly part of his therapy/treatments. With Painkiller on the case, he might find himself on his own in trying to take on Tobias, Destiny & Ishmael and probably Lopez...

...and yes, he is on his own after Tobias activated his nullifying device, leading to...

--Jennifer falling--presumably to her death...
--Jefferson seconds away from being killed by Ishmael...
--Anissa a moment away from hit by a car...

Undoubtedly, this is most grim cliffhanger in the series' history.

NOTES:

Lynn's experience in jail was the showrunners' ever-timely comment on the terrible mistreatment innumerable black Americans face constantly--from false arrest, the dehumanizing cavity searches and disrespect / denial of one's basic humanity. ...and no one who would care knows she's in jail.

In-universe, this is a frankly masterful plan to destroy the Pierce family.

Part of the "book's" subtitle--Lyding is an Afrikaans word translated as "suffering" / or a state of grief or pain, among similar meanings. Very accurate title, all things considered...and what might happen in the next episode.

GRADE: A+.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

You know Gambi’s family when he can step in when Jefferson’s disciplining and say what he really meant. You have to be close to get away with that.

Tobias: Step by step, his plans are coming together--Lynn has her career ripped from her, then arrested (subjected to all of the incredibly humiliating process of being processed in jail) , and now he intends to make "Captain Save-a-hoe" (yet another racist insult toward Black Lightning) feel the same kind of loss he felt with the fate of his sister, the "love of his life." His delivery almost made him sound as if he's had some borderline incestuous thoughts about her.

Neon-colored candy-coated Captain Save-a-hoe, no less.
I definitely got that vibe from how he was talking about his sister.

Bad day for Lynn as her nightmare ended up coming true in a twisted way with the loss of powers at the cliffhanger. Even when she’s wrong or addicted she’s rarely shown to be impotent which made the taking of her livelihood and imprisonment effectively moving.

 

[Christopher]

It's weird that everyone just accepts that Lightning is still Lightning even though she looks so different now. The task force person acknowledged that she looked different but it was "definitely her" -- I guess based on an energy signature or something, though I'm not sure how well they could read that from a phone video.

Also, superheroines with long hair should really try to adopt a different style in hero mode than in civilian mode, so they aren't as recognizable. Or don a wig, like Batwoman does (or like Black Canary did in the original comics).

This is the second time this season that an episode's cliffhanger has been Jen falling out of the sky when her powers failed. They didn't even resolve the first one (which I think was in the season premiere); she was just inexplicably okay again at the start of the next episode. And then there was the cliffhanger where she disintegrated in the ionosphere, so that's three times this season that the cliffhanger has involved Jen in flight.

How does Tobias manage to have his own church that he made up as a shrine to Tori? I guess it's one of the properties he's bought up.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Also, superheroines with long hair should really try to adopt a different style in hero mode than in civilian mode, so they aren't as recognizable. Or don a wig, like Batwoman does (or like Black Canary did in the original comics).

I think that ship has long since sailed.

 

[JD]

Finally remembered to watch the end of last week's episode, which I missed.
Damn, they really put Lynn through hell in this one. First losing her job, then being arrested, and everything that happened to her at the jail.
Love Anissa's new costume.
I've gotta agree with @Christopher about everyone just accepting that the new Jennifer is Lightning. You'd think at least one person would wonder think she was a different person, and want to know what happened to the original.
I was wondering when Gambi's girlfriend's generator was going to come into play.
The way Tobias was talking about his sister was a pretty creepy.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning - The Final Season
Season 4 - Episode 10 - "The Book of Reunification - Chapter One: Revelations"

When we last left the Pierce family:
--Jennifer was falling--presumably to her death...
--Jefferson was seconds away from being killed by Ishmael...
--Anissa a moment away from hit by a car..
--Lynn was arrested and booked, with no one knowing about her situation...

Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning / Lynn: Jefferson has Gambi activate the suit's stealth mode, giving him a slight advantage over Ishmael, but it was good to see his own fighting skills put to use.

Keith Michaels--Lynn's college friend (now attorney) enters the picture (thanks to Anissa's ill-gotten gains) to fight against the mountain of federal charges, including civil rights violations (a planned Tobias irony) she's facing. By now, Lynn and Jefferson are on the same page, knowing Tobias is not going to rest until they are destroyed.

...I did notice the shot of Lynn touching Michaels' arm, saying he could always make her laugh under difficult situations. It seems Michaels has not fully moved past old feelings...

Gambi / Lauren Caruso: Discovering Gambi was stealing Prometheum, Caruso threatens to shoot him, and accuses him of stealing the emitter--the one Tobias is using to nullify all metas' powers. Gambi admits to some of his actions, his honesty leading Caruso to back down, her feelings for / trust of Gambi still holding steady. He promises he will learn who stole the emitter...

Jennifer / Anissa / Grace: Grace saves Anissa in the last second, while Gambi saves Jennifer with a convenient "bubble" to safely lower her to the ground--but it works, since Gambi added as a feature of the all of the Pierce's suits after Jefferson's fall from the ionosphere.

Anissa finds Darius' thumb drive with the information about Tobias' fraudulent cystic fibrosis research--which turns out to be a meta gene harvesting program, for reasons that--obviously--are not in the best interests of anyone.

NuJennifer is presented as a sort of dim teen with her electrocution experiment designed to restore her powers. She argues that she's not sure how much of the "old Jen" she is, but having her powers is the only thing that makes her feel like...herself. (SEE NOTES).

Grace butts heads with Anissa, debating the value and safety of seeking to have their powers restored; she believes she could live a normal life if she left the meta life behind, and challenges Anissa about her feeling that the Pierces are the protectors of Freeland. Anissa counters, reminding Grace that Freeland needs them, but on a personal level, when they fell in love, she (Grace) knew Anissa was a meta--but accepted her meta status. The honeymoon phase is definitely over between the two.

Tobias / Red: Still scheming, Tobias confronts Destiny (after he stole the still-cement-encased body of Lala), informing her that he's taking over her operations, and the war with the 100 gang ends. He threatens her with dropping some information to Chief Lopez (about human trafficking, etc.) if she does not comply, and to make matters worse, he's bought Ishmael's service. I cannot believe Destiny is going to just swallow this turn of events.

Tobias (using a hologram / communications generator) reports his progress to members of the "Board", promising that his rise to legitimate power--and permanently removing the metahuman threat are coming to pass. But all is not well with his involvement with the Boards, as its members do speak down to him, which Tobias resents....

Khalil/Painkiller & Philky: Philky encourages TC to "lean in" on his normal abilities, now that his powers are gone. In a way, this read as a possible outcome for in the series finale, whether its one (i.e. Jefferson) or the entire Pierce clan.

Khalil infiltrates Tobias' office, stealing the ledger that might contain all they need to bring him down...but not before another well-choreographed, brutal fight scene.

NOTES:
Since Anissa does not agree with Jennifer's beliefs or plans, she enlists the aid of TC to monitor her as she flies back to the ionosphere in the hope that she--being underpowered--will regain enough, but not face the same risk that led to her disappearance and change.

Although Jennifer's experiment appeared to be successful, the episode ends with some of her particle energy left in the ionosphere. This has to be pointing toward Lynn's discovery (two episodes ago) that NuJennifer's Particle Form Sustainability registered as "Uncertain". Its not a stretch to think that NuJennifer may not survive, and if she's aware of her condition, she might sacrifice herself, attempting to kill Tobias.

Only three episodes left.

GRADE: A+.

 

[The Realist]

Interesting that they're apparently bringing Looker back into the mix. Didn't expect to see her again at this late date. Wonder how she fits into Tobias's plans and the series' endgame.

 

[Christopher]

So -- a fourth episode has a cliffhanger involving Lightning in the ionosphere, though at least this time it doesn't involve her life in imminent danger.

And it looks like Tobias is pursuing membership in an Evil Organization called "the Board," with fancy holo-meetings and such. I wonder if this is an element they're setting up for the Painkiller spinoff.

Speaking of crossover elements, I saw that TC has a Flash action figure on the shelf above his computer monitor.

Interesting that they're apparently bringing Looker back into the mix. Didn't expect to see her again at this late date. Wonder how she fits into Tobias's plans and the series' endgame.

Oh, I didn't recognize her. I'm not great with faces. I was going, "Is that the police chief?"

I hadn't realized we were so close to the series finale. I'd been wondering if John Diggle was going to show up at some point, since they've dropped hints that in the Earth-Prime reality, Lynn Stewart is Diggle's stepsister (she mentioned a brother in the Army, and Diggle's stepfather is Roy Stewart). But I checked, and it seems BL is not one of the five shows David Ramsey is slated to appear in this season. Pity.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I feel like Tobias has been at his best -- but also lately, his worst, this season as written as a character.

His ploys to basically have all the Pierces set up to sabotage themselves -- world class Nemesis villainy.

But last episode ANd this episode, we have him tyring to sit at "The Adults Table" is a letdown. I would rather have him take over the city, just to have the power, done all by himself, and all for himself. Not to win someone over , and not for some mental health problem. Just to be win.

Another kind of disappointment -- Gambi's magically tech devices that JUST HAPPEN to save Jennifer and Jefferson at JUST the right time. (ANissa's save seems much more 'realistic") . ANd Lynn's save... great yet ANOTHER thing to make the marraiage shaky? Over the course of 5 or more seasons..i can see it. But all this trouble in just one season? Time to see the counselor again (unless they verified she works for Tobias).

Was Destiny a stand in for Lady Eve? Was there a reason they couldn't Jill Scott back? Destiny just seems to be pretty window dressing, where Lady Eve could have been a much more interesting "Enemy of my enemy is my friend,,,kinda sorta" that Destiny ever has been.

I have had a lot going on...did Philky ever meet TC? Since they are transitioning to Painkiller, I can see why they did this crossover as opposed another Arrowverse techie.

But this episode shows again a flaw of the Arrowverse, and Black Lightning especially... the whole time distance thing. One minute Khalil is in Freeland, and seemingly the next (or even a couple hours) is suddenly in The Valley with Philky (which is supposed to be Pseudo-Las Vegas, right? Geographically, it should probably be West Virginia... with some tech people buying up the land that isn't used for mining anymore and transforming it into East Las Vegas). It's an inconsistency i can ignore for sake of the greater story...but it sure happens a lot on Black Lightning.

OK, all this complaining i have done...but a few highlights for me...Jenn at ANissa's apartment...felt very sister like (in a good way), and Nu-Jenn fit right in with the past history we have seen in the sisters' relationship. Also, Lynn's breakdown... I am not sure how priviliged a life she had... but the loss of control of everything her education and talent had brought her too... very realistic response to someone from a suburban culture would face/feel if they lost everything in the way Lynn had.

I also can't believe only 3 episodes left. I wonder if they knew it was the last season or not. This new cabal seems extremely late to be set up. Will Gravedigger return, or was he a potential villain for season 4 that was dumped so Tobias can have his true final battle with Jefferson and his family?

I wonder if the residue in the Ionosphere is a set up for potentially restoring CHina McClain for a final scene that they might have an alternate if she refused to return. (I am guessing that CHina dropped out, not knowing that the 4th would be the final season).


Oh...and are we going to start drafting our overall view of the series??...what we liked, what we didn't (which i think are generally pretty minor, but this IS TrekBBS, where Trek fans are known to nitpick), and maybe what we wsihed could have happened in a season 5 or beyond.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Gambi Ex Machina. The baddies need to keep upping their game as it seems he can single-handedly counter everything they devise lol.

Kind of funny trying to try to show Khalil claustrophobic in the world’s biggest ventilation shaft.

I'm curious what they have for the endgame because it still feels like they're setting up the pieces.

 

[Christopher]

Kind of funny trying to try to show Khalil claustrophobic in the world’s biggest ventilation shaft.

Ironic that they had a ventilation-shaft scene in the same episode as a Mythbusters allusion, since the Mythbusters showed that crawling through a ventilator shaft would be terrible for stealth because it would make an incredible amount of noise.

Also, I doubt real ventilation shafts are that free of dust.

 

[theenglish]

So was that the original Jen at the end of the episode?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning - The Final Season
Season 4 - Episode 11 - "The Book of Reunification - Chapter Two: Trial and Errors"

Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning / Lynn: Jefferson feels like he's not the man he was without his powers, and sips his sorrows away; Gambi joins him, promising he will restore Jefferson's powers. As if he did not have enough doubts about taking care of his family, attorney Keith Michaels suggests that the the charges against her are so stacked that Lynn would be better off accepting a plea bargain, which means serving some time, for fear that (among other things) her private life would be exposed in the trial; Jefferson blows up at the notion of Lynn going to prison, asserting his concern as her husband, leading Michaels to quickly fire back that Jefferson is only her ex-husband. Before the argument gets out of hand, Lynn speaks up, saying the plea bargain is hers to consider or reject.

Later, Lynn and Anissa set up a home lab to create a serum that would determine if federal Agent Mason (the one who arrested Lynn) is under Looker's influence. To that end, Jefferson tries to convince Shakur to slip this serum to the agent, but the alarmed Shakur warns that drugging a federal agent is aggravated assault and about 10 years in prison and "...twenty for us brothers.". Ultimately, the desperate Jefferson reveals that he's Black Lightning; Shakur feels used--set up (as if Jefferson had been playing him from two sides), but Jefferson pleads with him, saying that he's laid all of his cards on the table, and with the revelation, he's trusting Shakur with his life.

Shakur agrees, and as Mason's coffee is spiked with the serum, it is clear he's under Looker's control--with the woman speaking through him, wishing she had killed Jefferson during their previous encounter. Mason--now free of Looker's control--agrees to aid Jefferson and Shakur,

Gambi / Lauren Caruso: Gambi invites Lauren to his home, again apologizing for his clandestine work at Monovista. He introduces her to Anissa, with both explaining who Tobias is, and what he's doing with the emitter and the stolen metagenes.

In time, Lauren helps Gambi search for the emitter, but she's still upset with him. Going into the underground tunnels (created during the Civil War and modified by the ASA), they discover a source of Prometheum vein running through the city, explaining why Monovista came to Freeland in the first place, but the element's presence makes it difficult to zero in on the Prometeum-powered emitter. Fearing for their safety (the risk of radiation exposure), the duo flee the tunnels...

Khalil/Painkiller: Khalil contacts a pleased Jefferson, also warning him that the Painkiller side still has an itch to go after him. Regarding Tobias' ledger, Khalil informs him that Tobias has been paying the racist Looker to set up the Pierce family.

Khalil (Painkiller) fights his way into Looker's headquarters, giving one guard (who repeatedly refers to Painkiller as the racially offensive "boy") a severe beating. As he tries to get Looker to go with him, she uses her powers on him, but the Khalil side emerges--not susceptible to her power. The two sides of Khalil make themselves visible to Looker, until Painkiller applies his venom to her, rendering her a writhing victim. Painkiller tries the rational approach, telling her that she can expose Tobias...or suffer from the full effects of the venom.

Jennifer / Anissa / Grace: As Tobias plays Beethoven's Symphony No.5, NuJennifer steals a container of he appropriated metagenes; Tobias learns one of his shipments was stolen, and after analyzing security footage to see Lightning in action, he has this obviously different woman's DNA matched against the original Jennifer's--learning they are one and the same...

Jennifer mentions she's feeling drained--but does not know why. TC reveals that Uriah did not set her up in the last Lopez conflict, but it was Lopez's office that hacked his account, allowing Jennifer to breath a sigh of relief that she was not betrayed.

While out with Uriah, Red attacks and murders the teen, warning Jennifer that she has a choice: give up being Lightning, or lose more people close to her.

Tobias / Red / Ishmael:Tobias has been elected mayor of Freeland; during his meeting with the obsessive Chief Lopez (who begs for stronger firepower against Lightning), he promises to grant her officers temporary metaboosters as her edge against the metas--but will not suffer the effects of the emitter. Initially, she rejects the offer--not wanting her officers to be tainted with meta-anything, but she has a change of heart, if it will lead to her finally claiming victory over one meta in particular.

Tobias soon learns that Jesse Gentilucci's accounts have become inactive; scanning security footage of Gentilucci's office, he discovers Khalil was the one who infiltrated Gentilucci's office, killing the man, leading Tobias to predictably say--

"This ungrateful, nappy-ass negro still breathin' and don't have sense enough to stay off my grass!"

Tobias sends Ishmael after Khalil....

NOTES:
NuJennifer's concerns about her diminished power are justified--only she does not realize the magnitude of the cause of her troubles, which have little to do with Tobias' emitter.

Of note was the exchange between Jefferson and Lynn: in a celebratory mood, Jefferson suggests he and Lynn re-marry, but she--also happy (about the news that their Tobias troubles might end) sort of skips over marriage talk, wanting to have an intimate celebration with Jefferson. One might read her reaction as just wanting some intimate time with Jefferson, or that she's not too keen on the idea of marrying him again. If the latter is close to the truth that may have been the writers deliberately injecting more doubt into the Pierce's relationship, especially since a territorial Keith Michaels has entered Lynn's life again.

Standard of this very racially conscious series, Shakur makes a comment about the terrible sentencing disparity in the criminal justice system when it comes to black men. A reminder to audiences that is always timely.

The second Ishmael was introduced, I imagined he would be a character who would eventually face Khalil, and it appears that meeting is fast approaching. That should be a very entertaining battle.

GRADE: A+.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Black Lightning - The Final Season
Season 4 - Episode 11 - "The Book of Reunification - Chapter Two: Trial and Errors"

Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning / Lynn: Jefferson feels like he's not the man he was without his powers, and sips his sorrows away; Gambi joins him, promising he will restore Jefferson's powers. As if he did not have enough doubts about taking care of his family, attorney Keith Michaels suggests that the the charges against her are so stacked that Lynn would be better off accepting a plea bargain, which means serving some time, for fear that (among other things) her private life would be exposed in the trial; Jefferson blows up at the notion of Lynn going to prison, asserting his concern as her husband, leading Michaels to quickly fire back that Jefferson is only her ex-husband. Before the argument gets out of hand, Lynn speaks up, saying the plea bargain is hers to consider or reject.

Later, Lynn and Anissa set up a home lab to create a serum that would determine if federal Agent Mason (the one who arrested Lynn) is under Looker's influence. To that end, Jefferson tries to convince Shakur to slip this serum to the agent, but the alarmed Shakur warns that drugging a federal agent is aggravated assault and about 10 years in prison and "...twenty for us brothers.". Ultimately, the desperate Jefferson reveals that he's Black Lightning; Shakur feels used--set up (as if Jefferson had been playing him from two sides), but Jefferson pleads with him, saying that he's laid all of his cards on the table, and with the revelation, he's trusting Shakur with his life.

Shakur agrees, and as Mason's coffee is spiked with the serum, it is clear he's under Looker's control--with the woman speaking through him, wishing she had killed Jefferson during their previous encounter. Mason--now free of Looker's control--agrees to aid Jefferson and Shakur,

Mason seemed to STILL have a GLIMMER of Looker in him in that cutaway scene. So we will see if it happens.

Definitely the stakes are high (as you noted with sentencing). Wish Jefferson would have admitted that he waited too long to trust Henderson with the secret. I think it would have been fair for Jefferson to see Shakur to make sure HE could trust HIM. BUt hopefully that is smoothed over, and we see Shakur bring justice as the new chief.

Gambi / Lauren Caruso: Gambi invites Lauren to his home, again apologizing for his clandestine work at Monovista. He introduces her to Anissa, with both explaining who Tobias is, and what he's doing with the emitter and the stolen metagenes.

In time, Lauren helps Gambi search for the emitter, but she's still upset with him. Going into the underground tunnels (created during the Civil War and modified by the ASA), they discover a source of Prometheum vein running through the city, explaining why Monovista came to Freeland in the first place, but the element's presence makes it difficult to zero in on the Prometeum-powered emitter. Fearing for their safety (the risk of radiation exposure), the duo flee the tunnels...

So was Lauren more of a techie? Because Gambi seemed to be old school gentlemen in the way he helped her down the old stairs or try to protect her form the C4 blast.

Khalil/Painkiller:

Khalil contacts a pleased Jefferson, also warning him that the Painkiller side still has an itch to go after him. Regarding Tobias' ledger, Khalil informs him that Tobias has been paying the racist Looker to set up the Pierce family.

Khalil (Painkiller) fights his way into Looker's headquarters, giving one guard (who repeatedly refers to Painkiller as the racially offensive "boy") a severe beating. As he tries to get Looker to go with him, she uses her powers on him, but the Khalil side emerges--not susceptible to her power. The two sides of Khalil make themselves visible to Looker, until Painkiller applies his venom to her, rendering her a writhing victim. Painkiller tries the rational approach, telling her that she can expose Tobias...or suffer from the full effects of the venom.

Again with the Matrix shot. It feels a little much...mayeb OK for this episode. But For the new show, the Matrix and this duality will get old fast. But hate to sound like a broken record, but another screen test to show Jordan Calloway will be an excellent lead for a similar type of big screen movie in the future. Hopefully with a good agent, sooner than later.

Jennifer / Anissa / Grace: As Tobias plays Beethoven's Symphony No.5, NuJennifer steals a container of he appropriated metagenes; Tobias learns one of his shipments was stolen, and after analyzing security footage to see Lightning in action, he has this obviously different woman's DNA matched against the original Jennifer's--learning they are one and the same...

Jennifer mentions she's feeling drained--but does not know why. TC reveals that Uriah did not set her up in the last Lopez conflict, but it was Lopez's office that hacked his account, allowing Jennifer to breath a sigh of relief that she was not betrayed.

While out with Uriah, Red attacks and murders the teen, warning Jennifer that she has a choice: give up being Lightning, or lose more people close to her.

Tobias / Red / Ishmael:Tobias has been elected mayor of Freeland; during his meeting with the obsessive Chief Lopez (who begs for stronger firepower against Lightning), he promises to grant her officers temporary metaboosters as her edge against the metas--but will not suffer the effects of the emitter. Initially, she rejects the offer--not wanting her officers to be tainted with meta-anything, but she has a change of heart, if it will lead to her finally claiming victory over one meta in particular.

Tobias soon learns that Jesse Gentilucci's accounts have become inactive; scanning security footage of Gentilucci's office, he discovers Khalil was the one who infiltrated Gentilucci's office, killing the man, leading Tobias to predictably say--

"This ungrateful, nappy-ass negro still breathin' and don't have sense enough to stay off my grass!"

Tobias sends Ishmael after Khalil....

NOTES:
NuJennifer's concerns about her diminished power are justified--only she does not realize the magnitude of the cause of her troubles, which have little to do with Tobias' emitter.

Of note was the exchange between Jefferson and Lynn: in a celebratory mood, Jefferson suggests he and Lynn re-marry, but she--also happy (about the news that their Tobias troubles might end) sort of skips over marriage talk, wanting to have an intimate celebration with Jefferson. One might read her reaction as just wanting some intimate time with Jefferson, or that she's not too keen on the idea of marrying him again. If the latter is close to the truth that may have been the writers deliberately injecting more doubt into the Pierce's relationship, especially since a territorial Keith Michaels has entered Lynn's life again.

Seems kinda weird that they never remarried...end of season 1 and 3 seemed like quiet moments where it could have happened. But this might be one of those things we will see in the coda at the end. Maybe a double wedding, where Grace and Anissa have the live ceremony with them.

Standard of this very racially conscious series, Shakur makes a comment about the terrible sentencing disparity in the criminal justice system when it comes to black men. A reminder to audiences that is always timely.

The second Ishmael was introduced, I imagined he would be a character who would eventually face Khalil, and it appears that meeting is fast approaching. That should be a very entertaining battle.

GRADE: A+.

I agree -- Khalil vs. Ishmael battle will be good. It will eliminate Khalil as the one to kill TObias...but that's fine, as we still have Jefferson, Lynn, and Lala as the probable candidates. (Or maybe Jefferson about to save Tobias, but Lala kills TObias along with himself, in order to save Jefferson.)

Surprised no mention of TC? His "guilt" that he felt seemed very relatable (for setting up the date). BUt with Uriah's death..even though it will be just episodes out...I assume this might be a set up for a TC-Jennifer romance (the start of which will be in the final episode). Considering how much he really cares for Jennifer and has been a good sounding board and support (saving her life with the last Ionosphere trip). I imagine his talks with Khalil, even though he is hiding the physical change, i have no doubt he blabbered about her risks, and how he tried to help her. I think Khalil will see that and give TC his blessing -- so Jennifer doesn't need to make a choice. Also will give Khalil a clean break and open the door for romantic character later in his show). One other thing about TC -- didn't he grow up with Jefferson (maybe a few years older, but same genrral era). Seems weird that they don't really talk... i mean, the music TC listens to, surely Jefferson would be the one person in TC's world who would affirm his music choices and actually jam with him.

Can't believe we are in the final 2 episodes coming up.

I assume Gravedigger was supposed to be season 4 or 5 (with this season's storyline being the final season)? I assume that will be an unresolved storyline? Gravedigger's storyline sounds a little like Isaiah Bradley (but where he goes rogue rather than unjustly imprisoned_), so probably a good call to shelve it. I didn't like the idea that he was related to Jefferson (him being his own thing would have been better; like Isaiah and Sam), but would have been an interesting season.

 

[Christopher]

I find Uriah's death unconvincing. If he was just hit in the abdomen with a small metal ball, as seemed to be the case, then I'd think that's unlikely to cause near-instant death; Jen could've cauterized the wound to slow the bleeding and given him time to get to a hospital. Now, normally I'd say he was doomed to die because he learned a hero's secret identity, but then, this is the Arrowverse, where secret identities get spread around like COVID at a Trump rally.

It occurs to me that the discovery of a rich vein of promethium beneath Freeland could save the city, if it's publicized and managed by the right hands. It could bring the city enormous wealth and prosperity. Though of course it's more likely that a few rich businessmen would hoard the wealth and shut out the bulk of the people. Probably what Tobias has in mind.

Weird that in a show called Black Lightning, Painkiller is getting more action scenes than BL is. It's like we're halfway in his spinoff already.

 

[The Realist]

I find Uriah's death unconvincing. If he was just hit in the abdomen with a small metal ball, as seemed to be the case, then I'd think that's unlikely to cause near-instant death

Looked like he was hit in the chest to me, and by a bullet; that's been established to be Red's go-to trick, "firing" bullets without a gun using his metahuman magnetic abilities.

I thought it was quite ingenious the way they set up Looker's return and her role in Tobias's plans multiple episodes ago without anybody realizing it. They made a point of showing Mason's eyes flash silver, and viewers wondered what that indicated (with most assuming he was some kind of metahuman), but AFAIK, nobody made the connection to Looker -- not even after she was discovered to be on Tobias's payroll last week. Nicely played, show.