Spoilers Black Lightning - Season 1

[dahj]

The new DC show premieres tonight, so here's the less cumbersomely titled and clearly marked for spoilers thread where we can discuss the episodes as they air.

The previous announcement and pre-release thread, in case you want to peruse some info, can be found here.

(I've optimistically put Season 1 in the title, because it's a Berlanti show on the CW, so the second one is pretty much guaranteed. )

 

[Christopher]

Really looking forward to this. The reviews have been encouraging.

 

[kirk55555]

The first seasons of the CW shows have generally been great (with Supergirl being the exception), so I'm really excited. I've dropped the other CW shows, but this one could be really good.

 

[Greg Cox]

Got a good review in our local city paper today--and that's from a reviewer who thought that there were already too many comic-book shows on TV.

 

[JD]

I haven't caught any reviews yet, but it does look good, so I'll be checking it out. The CBS shows are all on repeats tonight, so I'll even be watching live.
Here's TV Guide's description for the premiere:
The Resurrection
A retired superhero is drawn back into his old lifestyle when his daughter seeks to serve justice to evil-doers in this series premiere.

 

[Ovation]

I’ll have to wait until next week when it shows up on Netflix here in Canadia.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning - Pilot--
"The Resurrection"

Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: So, "Driving While Black" / "Always a Suspect" sets off Jefferson's return to being Black Lightning.

The nightclub fight and reverse Taser attack were choreographed well. Minor FX effectively handled.

His "they will shoot your black ass for fun" was one of the most realistic pieces of dialogue you will ever hear in a DC/CW series.

Jennifer Pierce: Her admitting she's high was not necessary. While getting high is a serious, widespread issue in America, this--of all series--did not need to have one of its main characters doing that. Unnecessary

Anissa Pierce: Its a current trend to attempt to record police stops, but Jefferson was right in telling Anissa to comply and put her hands on the dashboard. In reality, more than a few young black women have been shot to death by police officers claiming the victim "did not follow orders", or whatever story was concocted to "justify" the shooting.

She was incorrect about Jefferson "abandoning" his people. Her disconnect is one of her generation, as Jefferson realized--as he mentioned to Peter--that fighting as a costumed hero was not going to save as many people as his job as principal. Unfortunately, I see Anissa being immature in trying to use her powers against Tobias White, only for something terrible to happen to the Pierce family.

Peter Gambi: From what little was on screen, his relationship to Jefferson was interesting. I would like to see a flashback or two of Jefferson at 12 years old, or to his early Black Lightning days.

Tobias Whale: Okay, so he's responsible for killing Jefferson's father, was speaking about both Black Lightning and crapping on the Christian belief in the Resurrection, so yeah, he's scummy enough.

Inspector Henderson: See notes.

Lala (Latavius): Off the shelf "urban" villains, with the expected labeling men as "bitches", but his statement about Malik (the kid) wasting his life playing games while the white kids in other neighborhoods (he's selling to) are preparing to rule the world. A strong, realistic line, as the implied well-to-do white kids can take drugs, but still benefit from racial advantages in society that sidelines or destroys members of other racial groups doing the same thing.

NOTES:

Overall, the best series debut of any of the DC/CW shows. Engaging, well-paced hour. and the message of black empowerment/achievement no matter your personal situation was on point, rather than preachy, as it would have been in the other DC series.

As the expression goes, "Not your father's..." Black Lightning from the 70s or 80s, as it will not remind anyone of Tony Isabella's creation which was certainly influenced during the dying years of the largely dreaded "Blaxploitation" movie era in American cinema history.

TV being a ratings game, one has to wonder why the CW scheduled this up against NBC's acclaimed (and damn good show) This is Us; which was a #6 show in its first year, and its second season debut was up 12 percent over its 1st season finale. Another series added to the sea of existing shows of the same genre (superheroes) would need to be a serious upgrade of quality in order to not only maintain, but win this timeslot. It will be interesting to see how this premiere episode stands against the latest new episode This is Us.

Inspector Henderson's origins date back to The Adventures of Superman radio program, and was (arguably) popularized on the George Reeves Adventures of Superman TV series. Since 1974, he was a part of the DC Superman comics, but as of 2009, he was reimagined as an African American character in the Supergirl title, which sparks the idea that the existence of a Henderson on TV Black Lightning could suggest a crossover with TV's Supergirl at some point in the future. Whether or not that's a good thing remains to be seen.

The Black Lightning ad uses the tag, "Get Lit"--

Poor taste, or incredibly clueless, as that has been an expression meaning to get high for generations, and is still used today. There's few places in North America and abroad where that's not known. This series is not going to re-brand such a popular expression, which only leaves it being advertising with a drug reference on a predominantly African American series, when this community are routinely, terribly stereotyped as being involved in that lifestyle. What were they--especially series creators Salim and Mara Akil--thinking?

That should be dropped ASAP, but all that aside...

GRADE: B+

 

[Dick Whitman]

Very impressed! I like that there was a vague mention to Superheroes in other cities. This show feels so different from the other shows. It should be allowed to be its own thing for now to establish itself. If down the road they reveal its Earth 1 or Earth 38 that door is open.

It's nice to have a replacement for Arrow for me. I started losing serious interest after season 2. Last year was a huge improvement but even than I have no interest in rewatching episodes. I realized I was only watching out of habit. If I missed a week and I do not even bother catching up. Beyond crossovers I will only watch if descriptions sound interesting.

 

[Christopher]

Pretty impressive. The character of Black Lightning was created to be DC's answer to Marvel's Luke Cage/Power Man (with Heroes for Hire/Power Man writer Tony Isabella brought in to co-create him), and the show certainly seems like Warner Bros.' answer to Marvel & Netflix's Luke Cage -- a show steeped in African-American culture and politics and music, centering on a man who's a leader and hero to his community. But it adds in something new with the strong family dynamic. And if anything, it's even more forthright about racism and the difficulties and dangers the black community faces.

Cress Williams never impressed me that much in the roles I've seen him play in the past (including the very first Jem'Hadar we ever met on Deep Space Nine), but he was really good here. I'm sold. Christine Adams is as effective as always, but she's never as impressive to me with an American accent as with her natural English one. And that's a rather severe haircut she's sporting. The rest of the cast is okay so far, but I'll probably need a bit more time to warm to them.

It looks like they used a fair amount of material that was in the original teaser trailer shot in Vancouver, or recreated it rather closely in Atlanta. The police pullover in the rain, a bit of the flashback to when Pierce gave up being BL, the hostage-taking in the classroom, and the motel fight looked about the same. But there's a fair amount in the teaser that wasn't in "The Resurrection," like a big flashback fight between BL and a gunman in the school, or that looks like a different version of material that was, like Jennifer dancing at the nightclub.

I like that there was a vague mention to Superheroes in other cities. This show feels so different from the other shows. It should be allowed to be its own thing for now to establish itself. If down the road they reveal its Earth 1 or Earth 38 that door is open.

Yeah, the option's there. It used to be that superhero shows always treated their heroes as unique, the first of their kind. But now, TV and movie audiences are used to the idea of larger superhero universes.

If it's one of the established Earths, I vote Earth-38. We've got five Earth-1 series counting Vixen and Constantine, so it seems only fair to give Earth-38 another show. And in the comics, Black Lightning operated out of Metropolis; plus, Inspector Henderson is a Superman character, originally from the '40s radio show and the '50s TV series. He was first added to the Superman comics just a few years before Black Lightning was created, and he appeared in both titles during the time that Tony Isabella was writing them both. So in a way, BL is a peripheral Superman-family character, thus it would feel right for him to share a world with Superman and Supergirl.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

I’ll have to wait until next week when it shows up on Netflix here in Canada.

I just saw it on TV OTA from Buffalo (WNLO TV, channel 23) here in Toronto pretty fine-I think that you could do the same, if you live in a city near the USA.

If it's one of the established Earths, I vote Earth-38. We've got five Earth-1 series counting Vixen and Constantine, so it seems only fair to give Earth-38 another show. And in the comics, Black Lightning operated out of Metropolis; plus, Inspector Henderson is a Superman character, originally from the '40s radio show and the '50s TV series. He was first added to the Superman comics just a few years before Black Lightning was created, and he appeared in both titles during the time that Tony Isabella was writing them both. So in a way, BL is a peripheral Superman-family character, thus it would feel right for him to share a world with Superman and Supergirl.

The show's not set in Metropolis, but in its own city (Freeland).

Got a good review in our local city paper today--and that's from a reviewer who thought that there were already too many comic-book shows on TV.

Screw them.

 

[Christopher]

^I wasn't saying the show was set in Metropolis, of course. I was saying the original comics character had a Superman connection, so that setting the show on Earth-38 would feel appropriate.

 

[DigificWriter]

I'm clearly in the minority in terms of not believing that the series will ever be tied to the Arrowverse, but we'll see.

As far as the series itself goes, it reminded me of the old Nickelodeon series The Secret Life of Alex Mack moreso than any of the superhero shows that have come on TV in the past 21 years, which is neat because its emphasis on family and community drama as much as, if not more than, the superheroics allows it to immediately carve out its own unique identity and sets it up to draw in more than just the typical 'nerd crowd'.

 

[Ovation]

I just saw it on TV OTA from Buffalo (WNLO TV, channel 23) here in Toronto pretty fine-I think that you could do the same, if you live in a city near the USA.

No CW affiliate near enough to Montreal and I’m not set up for OTA in any case (I use a projector with a cable box tuner). It’s ok. I can wait. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Kirk Prime]

I'm looking forward to finding out what Earth this is on. I liked the show overall, though I hope it doesn't treat all white police officers as racist. I get that it happens, but that's simply not ALL cops.

I would have even been ok with the first scene, but the second scene with the cops being racist, two separate cops, was a little much. I want a superhero show, not a cop bashing show.

Aside from that though, the show was an hour of compelling storytelling, and I really enjoyed it. I'll keep going with it.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I'm looking forward to finding out what Earth this is on. I liked the show overall, though I hope it doesn't treat all white police officers as racist. I get that it happens, but that's simply not ALL cops.

While that should be a showrunner concern, we are meant to see things through the eyes of both Jefferson and Lala, who believe--based on life experience as black males--to be harassed, and/or abused and/or killed by white police officers working in a predominantly black town or city. It does not--and should not mean--all white police officers are out to victimize black people, but the characters see things from a very different view (probably) isolated to growing up in that obviously troubled city.

I would have even been ok with the first scene, but the second scene with the cops being racist, two separate cops, was a little much. I want a superhero show, not a cop bashing show.

I would not call it a cop bashing show just yet, but if this is a routine way of characterizing all law enforcement (with the exception of Henderson), then I expect viewer complaints.

Aside from that though, the show was an hour of compelling storytelling, and I really enjoyed it. I'll keep going with it.

Although its only one episode, it was--by far--the best DC/CW hour produced on a number of years. So far, its free of the kind of banal, hitting-you-over-the-head noise of the other series--a great thing. But as mentioned last night, its life depends on how it does in the ratings against NBC's celebrated This is Us.

 

[The Realist]

I had to laugh (in a good way) at the way both Pierce daughters put the smackdown on that kid Jennifer met at the club. Dude was starting to look like their personal punching bag.

Really good premiere, I thought, with a great cast, and a style and tone that sets it apart from the other DC TV shows in countless ways. I'm not usually one for superhero shows aiming for "realism" -- rather, I prefer them to embrace their comicbook essence -- but there are enough of them now, many in a similar (i.e., Arrowverse) vein, that the approach here feels fresh, immediate, and very welcome.

And in the comics, Black Lightning operated out of Metropolis; plus, Inspector Henderson is a Superman character, originally from the '40s radio show and the '50s TV series. He was first added to the Superman comics just a few years before Black Lightning was created, and he appeared in both titles during the time that Tony Isabella was writing them both. So in a way, BL is a peripheral Superman-family character

Yeah, as a Superman partisan, I have always considered Black Lightning as having a special connection to Supes and his larger mythology (kind of like the Legion of Super-Heroes, or even Darkseid and the rest of the Fourth World stuff).

 

[Kirk Prime]

While that should be a showrunner concern, we are meant to see things through the eyes of both Jefferson and Lala, who believe--based on life experience as black males--to be harassed, and/or abused and/or killed by white police officers working in a predominantly black town or city. It does not--and should not mean--all white police officers are out to victimize black people, but the characters see things from a very different view (probably) isolated to growing up in that obviously troubled city.

I think that's fair, but it's obvious the writers chose to do that. I believe that there are nearly a million cops in the US, and the bad cops get a very disproportionate amount of press to give a terrible impression. But I also believe that the vast majority of cops are amazing people and should be treated as such. I don't even have so much of a problem with the show tackling this issue, but so far, every white cop we have seen has been overtly racist, and that's not good. Supergirl has become a little too political and doesn't work when that happens. I don't want that here.

I would not call it a cop bashing show just yet, but if this is a routine way of characterizing all law enforcement (with the exception of Henderson), then I expect viewer complaints.

I agree, which is why I can't get too upset yet.

Although its only one episode, it was--by far--the best DC/CW hour produced on a number of years. So far, its free of the kind of banal, hitting-you-over-the-head noise of the other series--a great thing. But as mentioned last night, its life depends on how it does in the ratings against NBC's celebrated This is Us.

Overall, I did like it--despite the anti-cop complaint, which I do think is valid.

 

[The Realist]

Supergirl has become a little too political and doesn't work when that happens. I don't want that here.

Personally, Supergirl's overt politics are among the (many) things I like about that show. They're not subtle, but they are admirable. (And really, most of the statements made shouldn't even be "political" or controversial, but that's the world we live in.)

I expect Black Lightning to be plenty political, and I welcome it.

 

[Kirk Prime]

Personally, Supergirl's overt politics are among the (many) things I like about that show. They're not subtle, but they are admirable. (And really, most of the statements made shouldn't even be "political" or controversial, but that's the world we live in.)

Well try to picture it from the point of view of someone that isn't an extreme liberal, which is where these politics go. I find Supergirl on occasion, especially since Trump won, to be borderline misandrist. I don't want politics in my superhero shows. I just want to watch a superhero show.

The problem with a show that political is that it presents one side only, and very skewed to the point of ignorance. I just want to watch Supergirl kick butt. I want evil to be evil, not a political point. And I don't need tokenism and political correctness. Just show superheroes.

Supergirl has a chip on its shoulder and it hurts the show.

Back on topic, I don't want to see Black Lightning turn into a racist anti-white show. It's only the pilot, but only one white character wasn't evil so far, and all white cops were overt racists. I hate racism. Racism is evil. But as a whole, the idea that all white cops are racist is a terrible stereotype that should not be perpetuated. It's not the rule, it's the exception and when it happens, it should be vigorously opposed. I just don't want this show to make that the norm. It's one episode. It's unfair to judge based on that, and again, but for those two scenes, I thought the show was pretty damn good.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

A man got harpooned by a Whale, what's not to like?