Spoilers Black Lightning - Season 2

[dahj]

As the new season approaches, so will the news, so it's time for a new thread.

We already know Jennifer will probably suit up, Khalil will be back as Painkiller, it was mentioned we'll likely see Grace Choi again, and now apparently another Outsider is on the way, the show is currently casting for Looker, a former model turned Vampire as a recurring character.

Black Lightning's back on October 9th.

 

[theenglish]

If Batwoman and Black Lightning are both on Earth 38 then we already have the makings of the Outsiders with characters from various incarnations already in play.

 

[Christopher]

If Batwoman and Black Lightning are both on Earth 38

I'd say that's unlikely in the latter case, because Black Lightning has pretty much established the existence of a two-term President Obama and strongly implied that Trump is currently in office, while Olivia Marsdin has been POTUS on Earth-38 both before and after the 2016 election.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Looking forward to BL's return, but...

If Batwoman and Black Lightning are both on Earth 38 then we already have the makings of the Outsiders with characters from various incarnations already in play.

...not the same universe. Black Lightning is very grounded in real world figures, literary references and historical events (especially those important to African Americans)--unlike the other DC series where fictional presidents or events are common.

 

[dahj]

 

[Enterprise is Great]

It looks sort of like a poster for a blaxploitation movie. Where's Pam Grier?

 

[Christopher]

It looks sort of like a poster for a blaxploitation movie.

I'm sure that's the intent. It's even "worn" like an old movie poster.

 

[dahj]

First promo with season 2 footage:

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[Enterprise is Great]

Sofia Vassilieva cast as Looker

 

[The Realist]

Sofia Vassilieva cast as Looker

An odd thing about the introduction of this character is that the show referenced a superhero/vampire named "Looker" early in season one, in a context that suggested to me she was fictional -- though I don't guess that was made explicit. (It's when Anissa and Grace are talking about Grace's Outsiders comic and the upcoming costume party.) So will the show introduce the character as already being publicly known? Or will they just ignore the earlier reference (and hope we won't remember)?

 

[dahj]

An odd thing about the introduction of this character is that the show referenced a superhero/vampire named "Looker" early in season one, in a context that suggested to me she was fictional -- though I don't guess that was made explicit. (It's when Anissa and Grace are talking about Grace's Outsiders comic and the upcoming costume party.)

Didn't she mention Supergirl in that conversation too?
So if Looker's real...

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I'm curious where they go this season. I still contend that they had a decent setup in season one with the villains and the odd mystic afterlife focus and too hastily pared it all away in a rush to establish Tobias as top dog.

 

[dahj]

I'm curious where they go this season.

Here's what Salim Akil and some of the cast had to say back at Comic-Con.

 

[dahj]

Kearran Giovanni lands recurring role in season 2, she will play Cutter, a mercenary trained by British Intelligence.

 

[dahj]

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[TREK_GOD_1]

Black Lightning
Season two premiere: "The Book of Consequences - Chapter One: The Rise of the Green Light Babies"

Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning: Realism: the superhero life causes more problems than its worth, but he's right about the hyper vigilance of cities regarding security instead of teaching / taking care of kids. While he's right on so many levels, but his dedication to doing things the right way (in theory, the correct approach) is quickly coming up empty for solutions regarding the pods and Green Light. As Anissa pointed out, letting the "system" play out will not help (as she implied) those it was designed to do anything other than help. I see father and daughter ending up clashing throughout this season, especially when he learns about her Robin Hood-ing.

Gambi: Fowdy trying to drag Gambi back into the program (even through a favor) would have appeared to be a set-up for Gambi & Jefferson to use Fowdy in some way...possibly with some association Lynn in trying to infiltrate the A.S.A...well, until her run-in with Tobias.

Anissa & Jennifer Pierce: Ahh..more realism with Jennifer still not fascinated by having superpowers she cannot control or understand, and challenging Lynn on all of the violence caused by it. If only more superhero productions would have characters resent being altered, and not just flying into it like the cape and cowl life is a party.

Lynn: Government eyes on her (in the form of Agent Odell as the pro-government "coon"), but I imagine no one would be shocked to learn they have an "off the books" working relationship / interest with Tobias, which means Jefferson and Company are pretty much surrounded and have nowhere to turn. Loving the potential drama in that.

The "of a certain age" / erectile dysfunction conversation between Lyn & Jefferson was unexpected and funny.

Henderson: Knowing Jefferson and Anissa's alter egos cannot go anywhere good; he understandably pissed that his longtime friend has been running around as a vigilante with ties to situations that almost cost him his life, but I feel he will have to swallow his sense of betrayal and realize he needs BL and Thunder on the streets. In other words, he needs to become Commissioner Gordon if he's sincere about cleaning up the city.

Khalil: Trying to contact Jennifer--on the surface--seems like he's simply Tobias-dropped bait, but Jefferson and Gambi seem to think he's a wild card, and I do agree with that, but as a conflicted, manipulated young man, he should not be at the moment. ..but Jennifer will likely give him the benefit of the doubt and walk into a trap.

NOTES: The new, comic/TPB-styled title page intros. Interesting.

Still benefiting from excellent stuntwork / fight sequences where action and hits look painful, unlike the other DC shows.

GRADE: A. Great start to the season. Mature, as always.

 

[The Realist]

This week felt kind of disjointed, like they were more concerned with transitioning from last season and setting the board for this one than telling a focused story within the episode itself. Still, some of the pieces were fascinating and promising, especially developments with Jennifer. I also really liked Henderson figuring out the truth; the character's a favorite of mine, anyway, especially since his great showing in that episode last season where Jefferson got arrested. Was sorry Syonide got killed, and in fact surprised she evidently didn't survive -- I would have thought that implanted body armor would have protected her. Black Lightning remains objectively the best of the CW's DC shows (though subjectively, my heart still belongs to Supergirl).

 

[Christopher]

Wow, they're really going dark. Not much action, mostly drama and conflict, and the action we got was villainesses fighting and Anissa turning pseudo-Robin Hood, stealing from thieves to fund the church's legal effort, which doesn't seem like it can end well. Black Lightning didn't really do anything except confess his identity to Henderson.

Having a kid named Issa come back from the dead and spark religious reactions in some people is a bit on the nose, considering that Issa is an Arabic form of Yeshua, i.e. Jesus.

A couple of major actors joining the guest cast, Robert Townsend and Bill Duke (whom I didn't recognize -- he's gotten a lot thinner, hasn't he?).

A bit odd to see people reacting to the Green Light Babies as "freaks" when it's been established that superheroes are a known phenomenon on this world. But I guess the same dynamic exists in X-Men comics, to an extent, except there the difference is that it's a new species and thus creates fears that they'll replace humans. Maybe here it has something to do with them being created by drugs, so they're more stigmatized.

 

[DigificWriter]

I'd forgotten that this was coming back last night, so rather than watching it LIVE (as I would normally do), I've had to watch it online via the CW website, and as good as it was last year, I think the season premiere shows that it's going to be even better this year, especially when you've got the family and interpersonal drama ramped up to 50.

Add in whatever the heck is up with Kara Fowdy, and I think we're in for one crazy ride that I just can't wait to take week to week going forward.

A bit odd to see people reacting to the Green Light Babies as "freaks" when it's been established that superheroes are a known phenomenon on this world. But I guess the same dynamic exists in X-Men comics, to an extent, except there the difference is that it's a new species and thus creates fears that they'll replace humans. Maybe here it has something to do with them being created by drugs, so they're more stigmatized.

Or it's just another example of "intra-community racism" (i.e. Tobias' prejudices against "black people" because of his albinism).

 

[Christopher]

I wonder if the use of the term "Green Light Babies" is an homage on the writers' part to the "Bang Babies" from the Milestone Comics "Dakotaverse" (as seen in the Static Shock TV series), wherein the superpowered characters were created by an event called the "Big Bang," in which the police quelled a gang brawl with an experimental tear gas that turned out to have mutagenic properties. There was a similar element there of powers coming from government experimentation on minority/poor communities, so I wouldn't be surprised if the resonance was intentional.