Spoilers Black Lightning - Season 1

[Shamrock Holmes]

^ Wow, that informative and exhaustive recitation was worthy of Christopher himself. Things are going to get crazy if you two start trying to out-fact each other.

Thank you?

 

[Morpheus 02]

Black Lightning
Episode eleven: "Black Jesus: The Book of Crucifixion"

Jefferson's "No one wants to see another black man in cuffs today." That, and Jefferson's set-up / arrest / dehumanizing treatment were the all-too timely, all too relevant comment on the risk faced by countless black males In the United States. The rectal cavity search is just a hint of what so many black men experience in their dealing with law enforcement.

They definitely "keep it real" on the show...

This series is not the pure fantasyland of other CW series and could not possibly work in a crossover.

...I do think Jefferson being exonerated could have been placed on the back burner for another episode--just to build on the season-ending conflict.

Yeah, 1 episode seems a bit too fast...just like Anissa being widely known as Thunder when she didn't seem to get named by anyone on the air..but if that is the worst fault of the show, it's doing well...

Proctor / the A.S.A.: "National Security" interest, or just another way of saying A.S.A. Just missed getting all they need to know about Jefferson.

Fowdy: She seemed genuinely upset that Jefferson was arrested...or that's an act, considering her ruthless behavior with the A.S.A. agents. Fowdy buying Gambi and Anissa's trick....hmm...

I think her feelings are real. And Forwdy isn't a full on agent, right? I mean, she needs to do a lot of work to become an Asst. Principal. Not easily faked...

Henderson: He's really moving toward the Commissioner Gordon role on the show.

Anissa & Jennifer Pierce: Anissa: Enjoying her relationship with Gambi.
Anissa and Jennifer...come on. Only a moron would expose their powers in front of law enforcement. What would that do--other than have the A.S.A. treat all three to their family plan.

Yeah, but emotions can cause some illogical behavior...i think it was realisitic -- and they were smart enough to NOT actually use them at the wrong time.

Lynn's "You can't punch or superpower your way out..." was not only what Jennifer needed to hear, but it should be directed at other superhero productions.

NOTES: LOVE the family prayer at dinner. Too many series leap to make their characters atheists and/or secular humanists, but this series' creators do not play into that long-running, hardline choice in TV.

I liked it too, though pretty generically Deistic as opposed to more identifiably Christian (which seems more likely from this family)

Okay, the old lady's reaction to the rumor of "black Jesus" was too pointed (and very late) at the Megyn Kelly Assbrained Statement of the Century.

i was kinda annoyed by it. I know there are people who would belive whatever comes there way...but Gee Whiz...

GRADE: A. Hitting it out of the park every week. Rare record.

Oh, it's odder than that. Didn't you notice? She communicated with the ASA on her tablet, and then she reported what the ASA was doing to someone else on her desktop computer. So she's a triple agent at least.

I may need to re-watch... but i thought the first communique was from an ASA undering giving a needed intelligence report while the desktop is her boss, whom she is tryign to pursuade to NOT hurt Jefferson.

I don't think Jeff could tell him the truth in the police station, not with "eyes and ears everywhere," as Henderson said. More broadly, maybe he doesn't want to put Henderson in the position of knowing the identity of a vigilante outlaw and having to choose whether to betray his duty as a cop.

"Deputy Chief Henderson" is going to take some getting used to. He's been "Inspector Henderson" since 1940 or so.

Really??? (about having trouble gettting used to it)

Good episode, although I half-expected them to use Jennifer's electrical powers to fake people into thinking that Black Lightning was still at large.

Has she even trained at all with her powers? And without her dad, it would be hard for Gambi & Lynn, i think, to help her understand it (2nd hand vs 1st hand knowledge). Certainly within 24 hours.

Perhaps oddly, the show's use of "Negro" has never struck me as forced or artificial. It might be because Tobias seems to be the character who mostly uses it, and I guess I just took it as his personal style of speech. Though now that I think about it, I suppose it is a bit strange that no character, of any race, has been heard to use the "N" word at all, but I haven't really missed it.

Is the "N" word really something that would be "allowed" (air quotes on that) on broadcast network TV (other than a PBS documentary)?

Seems kind of tricky to use, so what they are doing seems to work best. EVeryone gets it.

^ Wow, that informative and exhaustive recitation was worthy of Christopher himself. Things are going to get crazy if you two start trying to out-fact each other.

I vote #TeamShamrockHolmes

I was OK with the VP being a snitch but it was kind of odd seeing her as some type of ASA agent.

The show’s substitute usage of negro and on occasion ninja sticks out sometimes.

Henderson definitely deserves to be added to the inner circle one of these days. He’s gone above and beyond a few times now, does he have any favors left to call?

My pastor uses "ninja" every so often in his sermons...took me a while (like just before these episodes) but i have recently understood what he meant....and now i have to be quite clear in context when i use the word

Oh, and yes, Henderson ought to be brought in..hopefully sometime soon... maybe he can connect with Joe West on the inevitable crossover...

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I vote #TeamShamrockHolmes

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning
Episode twelve: "The Resurrection and the Light: The Book of Pain"

Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: After a season of back and forth / old tension between Lynn and Jefferson, their loving reunion really feels like a comic book-traditional nightmare waiting to happen...

Two things about Lynn isolating the metahuman gene: its a way to drag Lynn into greater danger in the event her research is successful, and it also sounds like a backdoor way for the characters to leave the long underwear business behind when the showrunners decide to end the series.

Jefferson was completely irrational in barking at Lynn for her research; he--and his daughters--were not born metahumans, so removing that element would not change the essence of who they are.

Gambi: His "you've got 48 hours" was a funny coincidence(?), because that was the oft-repeated line from a certain James (Gambi) Remar film starring Eddie Murphy & Nick Nolte.

I enjoy how he's the mentor figure, but not shy about being intinidating when he needs to be.

Tobias / Proctor / the A.S.A: Note the constant racial mocking from Proctor to Tobias. With the now-"juiced up" Khalil as his revenge-minded ally, one can see Tobias' wheels turning toward a power grab--confirmed with his plan to kill Proctor.

Khalil's disdainful look away at Jefferson's mentioning a "miracle" regarding his recovery--consistent with the atheism and hopelessness displayed earlier this season. While one would think being under Tobias' screw-turning thumb will force him to reach a crisis of conscience (as in going straight), his arc would have a greater impact if he finds he has no place in the lawful or criminal world, forcing him to do something rash to bring his turmoil to its end.

Anissa & Jennifer Pierce: "My parents had sex and all I got was superpowers"--contrary to Jennifer talking about her own joke, that was funny.

Jennifer's stupid gene off the charts in chasing after Khalil.

Err...if Syonide is going to shoot Thunder...why not shoot the exposed parts of her face?
...and Thunder could have ended the fight in a second just using the main feature of her power.

NOTES::
Anyone still doubting Tobias being a metahuman?

The family in hiding...Tobias making a move against Proctor....Fowdy's loyalties in question...solid tension and a ton of foreshadowing (especially where Jennifer reaching the point of either embracing or rejecting her powers in the wake of helping Jefferson) going into next week's season finale, appropriately titled, "Shadow of Death: The Book of War". Cannot wait.

GRADE: A

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I dig Anissa's Thunder Strut.

Err...if Syonide is going to shoot Thunder...why not shoot the exposed parts of her face?

I'm a bit shaky on whether Thunder is bulletproof under her own power or not. Watching a gif of the scene the bullets hit her suit and her mask but not her face which is odd. Speaking of Syonide what was up with that green under her skin? And speaking of shooting exposed parts of the face why didn't BL try to zap Tobias in the face?

 

[Christopher]

I'm a bit shaky on whether Thunder is bulletproof under her own power or not.

She is. When "Uncle Gambi" was talking to her about the costume he was making, he said its Kevlar material would make her "bulletproof even when you're not bulletproof." Which indicates that she is bulletproof without the costume when she's powered up.

What's weird to me is how her powers turn on and off. You'd think that if her body were super-durable and super-strong, that would be a permanent physiological change. But she has to activate it by breathing the right way. So maybe it's actually an energy effect like her father and sister have -- a sort of force field her body generates, or an increase in the strength of the electromagnetic bonds between her molecules.

 

[Marc]

I'm a bit shaky on whether Thunder is bulletproof under her own power or not. Watching a gif of the scene the bullets hit her suit and her mask but not her face which is odd. Speaking of Syonide what was up with that green under her skin? And speaking of shooting exposed parts of the face why didn't BL try to zap Tobias in the face?

Think she is bullet proof when she's powered up.

and the body/torso presents a bigger target.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

She is. When "Uncle Gambi" was talking to her about the costume he was making, he said its Kevlar material would make her "bulletproof even when you're not bulletproof." Which indicates that she is bulletproof without the costume when she's powered up.

Ah, right.

What's weird to me is how her powers turn on and off. You'd think that if her body were super-durable and super-strong, that would be a permanent physiological change. But she has to activate it by breathing the right way. So maybe it's actually an energy effect like her father and sister have -- a sort of force field her body generates, or an increase in the strength of the electromagnetic bonds between her molecules.

She has to channel her chi.

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Think she is bullet proof when she's powered up.

and the body/torso presents a bigger target.

I was thinking the bullets were hitting her torso and her mask which seemed odd to avoid the face. Looking closer, I think the shots on the mask are actually supposed to be reflections and the shots are landing elsewhere.

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[Christopher]

I think that in BL & Thunder's raid on the Green Light lab, there was a shot of some bullets bouncing off her head.

 

[thribs]

Really enjoying this show. All I can think of while watching it is that a Black Lightning/Arrow team-up would be awesome to see.

 

[thribs]

Think she is bullet proof when she's powered up.

and the body/torso presents a bigger target.

She can increase the density of her body so it can be as hard as a diamond while holder goes her breath.

 

[dahj]

I was a week behind, so before I move on to this week's I'd like to say that last week's episode was really great, it built on the foundations of the season, the sense of community and Jeff's role in it, to deliver a really chilling look into institutionalized racism, dehumanization of suspects and an uncaring legal system that other shows(like Flash's stint in prison this season) couldn't hope to approach.

I also liked that in the end it was Henderson's good old fashioned police work that got Jefferson out of jail, and not a flashy hologram which did fool the ASA, but they were more still more than willing to let him rot in prison regardless.

Also, I can't decide if quoting Henderson's "You gotta bring ass to get ass" would be more fun on appropriate, or totally inappropriate occasions...

Anyways, on to this week's...

Exciting penultimate episode, Tobias is back, he's behind Lala's resurrection, and apparently making a play for everything. A few episodes ago everyone wanted to kill Black Lightning, now everyone wants to kill Proctor... he's on Tobias', Gambi's and by some of the looks even on Kara's hit list...

The Thunder/Syonide fight scene was great. She only shot people so far, so Syonide's skillset was rather vague, but we see she's both a competent fighter and clever, the he way she waited out Thunder's breath playing possum. Also, what's the deal with her arm? That did not look human when she cut herself and the camera intentionally lingered on the cut so I doubt it was to display poor effects work.

Jen had a tough break this episode, her hopes of a quick cure were dashed, her boyfriend returned an even bigger asshole, she saw her father die and managed to revive him, but the absolute worst thing of all... she's had to destroy another phone. Life sucks.

Can't believe there's only one episode left this season, bring it on!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

The Thunder/Syonide fight scene was great. She only shot people so far, so Syonide's skillset was rather vague, but we see she's both a competent fighter and clever, the he way she waited out Thunder's breath playing possum. Also, what's the deal with her arm? That did not look human when she cut herself and the camera intentionally lingered on the cut so I doubt it was to display poor effects work.

This series definitely doesn't mind quickly trotting out some mysterious unexplained element and just letting it marinate for a while.

 

[Christopher]

Also, I can't decide if quoting Henderson's "You gotta bring ass to get ass" would be more fun on appropriate, or totally inappropriate occasions...

I had absolutely no idea what that meant. I couldn't figure it out from context, so I had to look it up. Apparently it comes from boxing, and it means that if you want to try to hurt someone, you have to risk getting hurt yourself.

Tobias is back, he's behind Lala's resurrection

It occurs to me that, since Tobias was the one who apparently killed Lala in the first place, maybe he actually just strangled him unconscious instead. And maybe Lala's whole "I see dead people who turn to smoke and brand their likenesses on my skin" schtick is just a hallucinatory side effect of whatever brainwashing/drugs/metahuman experimentation Tobias subjected him to.

and by some of the looks even on Kara's hit list...

That sentence puzzled me for a moment. It hadn't sunk in until now that Vice Principal Fowdy has the same first name as another DC/CW character. So I was like "What? Why would Supergirl be after Proctor? Bit early for a crossover, isn't it?"

Jen had a tough break this episode, her hopes of a quick cure were dashed, her boyfriend returned an even bigger asshole, she saw her father die and managed to revive him, but the absolute worst thing of all... she's had to destroy another phone. Life sucks.

I don't get why they had to move to another hideout. I don't recall their other location being compromised.

Anyway, I'm disappointed that Khalil turned out to be such a jerk. He seemed like such a nice guy at first. It's sort of the opposite of the story arc for Jordan Calloway's other recurring CW role, Riverdale's Chuck Clayton, who started out as a sexually predatory jock but more recently has been trying to make amends for his past behavior (at least I think that's where he was when we last saw him).

As for Jennifer, I suspect that using her powers to save her father will make her change her mind about her powers being only a curse. She probably won't start begging Uncle Gambi for a costume anytime soon, but she'll at least begin to accept her powers more.

 

[dahj]

It occurs to me that, since Tobias was the one who apparently killed Lala in the first place, maybe he actually just strangled him unconscious instead. And maybe Lala's whole "I see dead people who turn to smoke and brand their likenesses on my skin" schtick is just a hallucinatory side effect of whatever brainwashing/drugs/metahuman experimentation Tobias subjected him to.

That makes sense.

Anyway, I'm disappointed that Khalil turned out to be such a jerk. He seemed like such a nice guy at first.

The show is pretty uncompromising in highlighting not just issues of the black community, but all kinds of issues that plague society today, so it shouldn't really be surprising in the current climate that one of those things is just how damaging toxic masculinity is.

She probably won't start begging Uncle Gambi for a costume anytime soon

Judging by past habits...

...she'll just "borrow" Anissa's suit.

 

[Christopher]

The show is pretty uncompromising in highlighting not just issues of the black community, but all kinds of issues that plague society today, so it shouldn't really be surprising in the current climate that one of those things is just how damaging toxic masculinity is.

Sure, that much is understandable. I just really liked Khalil those first couple of weeks before his injury. He seemed free of that kind of toxicity, so it's disappointing to see what a thin facade that turned out to be.

Judging by past habits...

...she'll just "borrow" Anissa's suit.

Good point...

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I'm a bit shaky on whether Thunder is bulletproof under her own power or not. Watching a gif of the scene the bullets hit her suit and her mask but not her face which is odd. Speaking of Syonide what was up with that green under her skin? And speaking of shooting exposed parts of the face why didn't BL try to zap Tobias in the face?

That's the point: no one takes the obvious kill shot. An opponent has a greater chance of surviving a blow/shot to the chest than one to the head, so....?

That makes sense.
The show is pretty uncompromising in highlighting not just issues of the black community, but all kinds of issues that plague society today, so it shouldn't really be surprising in the current climate that one of those things is just how damaging toxic masculinity is.

Khalil's character is not suffering from so-called "toxic masculinity". His entire journey so far has been one of a black youth on the doorway to success, only to have that violently taken from him, with the added burn of all of the empowerment talk in the world (from the Jefferson types around him) meaning nothing after all (note his brief conversation wit Jefferson). Khalil feels betrayed by the do-gooders, betrayed by Jennifer and others who--in the end--were either all talk, or (from his view) willing to just place him in the "aww, that's a shame" file, instead of understanding his position in life as a black male. Whether he comes around in the season finale / sees how working for a criminal is not empowering / drops his misplaced anger at faith is up in the air, but the heart of his behavior after his injury zeroed in on life as a black male struggling to make something of himself, which has nothing to do with "toxic masculinity".

 

[dahj]

Khalil's character is not suffering from so-called "toxic masculinity".

He so is, but the fact you're putting toxic masculinity in quotes as if it's not a thing makes me think nothing I write to explain why it is so will change your mind...

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

He so is, but the fact you're putting toxic masculinity in quotes as if it's not a thing makes me think nothing I write to explain why it is so will change your mind...

...and you skipped over the entire analysis of Khalil's behavior up to this point.

 

[dahj]

...and you skipped over the entire analysis of Khalil's behavior up to this point.

I didn't, you literally described the effects of toxic masculinity in it, I just don't know what I can possibly add there if you're unable to recognize that in your own words...