They can’t keep Black Jesus down for long
Black Lightning opens with Kara Fowdy (Skye P. Marshall) strutting through the newly occupied facility where the ASA is holding the Green Light victims. Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jefferson (Cress Williams) are breaking into another facility to look for the bodies but instead, they find the anti-Black Lightning weapons. After Jefferson destroys the stock, Fowdy receives a call that pushes her to take Jefferson out. She takes her orders to Deputy Chief Cayman (Anthony Reynolds) and he goes to the school the next day to arrest Jefferson. After planting evidence of Green Light in Jefferson’s car and office, the police arrest him.
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While Jefferson is in jail, Anissa and Gambi (James Remar) come up with a plan to show that Black Lightning is still out there even though Jefferson was in jail. After seeing the Black Lightning sightings all over the news, Fowdy contacts her other bosses and asks them to have him released– they quickly dismiss her. Henderson (Damon Gupton) is skeptical of Jefferson’s chargers and takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of things. He eventually finds dirt on one of the other detectives and he leaks information on Cayman. The officer also admits to having planted the drugs on Jefferson – which leads to Cayman getting fired from his position for framing Jefferson and Henderson taking over as Deputy Chief. Jefferson is back home and it’ll be back to business soon. Let’s see how the roundtable liked the episode!
Here discuss those hard to watch moments is our Black Lightning roundtable:
Caitlin (@wlwcaitlin) – Writer and fictional lady enthusiast
Makayla (@keiyswally) – Kid Flash enthusiast
Raych (@candicespattons) – lover of iris west and black female characters. tv enthusiast
Jenn (@ejtlotz) – Multi-fandom, DCTV enthusiast, and occasional live tweeter
Brianna (@notevenloaded) – Iris West/Candice Patton enthusiast and MCU apologist.
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1. How did you like this week’s episode?
Caitlin (@wlwcaitlin): It was interesting to see the police corruption return once again since it’s been a recurring theme and it’s pretty relevant. Also, it was cool to see an episode that was slowed down a lot and focused on mostly one idea.
Makayla (@keiyswally): Honestly, I loved this episode. It is definitely my favorite episode so far. Jefferson (Cress) had me on the verge of tears about three different times. The emotions in this episode were strong and I definitely felt them. Overall, this episode was one of the best and I can’t wait for the last two.
Raych (@candicespattons): I enjoyed it, but it was really hard to watch Jefferson in the precinct especially with them stripping him off his clothes.
Jenn (@ejtlotz): I loved the episode. It is so different from the other DCTV shows. Usually, one would expect a big battle each episode, but this episode of Black Lightning gave us emotional, simple, and detail oriented moments, while still incorporating minimal action. It was fantastic.
Brianna (@notevenloaded): I really enjoyed it! It was the kind of episode that made me mad as hell at the TV because of what was happening in certain parts.
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2. What were your thoughts and feelings during the jail scenes of Jefferson being processed?
Caitlin: Obviously, it’s unfair and it just shows the power that the ASA has over the police and Freeland in general. Still, I knew he wouldn’t be in there for long with the rest of his family on the outside.
Makayla: That scene was definitely one of the harder ones to watch. You could see Jefferson’s emotions clearly on his face, from the anger when they were pushing him around to the embarrassment when they had him undress. As someone who’s never been in that situation, it kind of shed light on what happens and the effect of it all. This was one of the scenes that had me tearing up. Cress did a wonderful job of making everyone emotional.
Raych: It was definitely hard to watch and how they went with it; it just shows how brutal and inhumane the system is.
Jenn: It pissed me off. Throughout the whole ordeal, they tried to find any reason to be violent. Even during the arrest, the guy asks if he is resisting and someone else pulls a gun. They were specifically searching for a reason to be aggressive. The strip search was the worst part though. For anyone, a moment like that is uncomfortable. I cannot even imagine how Jefferson felt stripping down to nothing and not being able to escape.
Brianna: See, that’s the stuff I was mad as hell about. Seeing Jefferson in that position and knowing he was being framed was frustrating as a viewer. Jefferson having to reign in his powers during this was an interesting aspect as well, especially when paralleled to Jennifer and Anissa at the school while Jeff was being taken into custody.
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3. Vice Principal Fowdy is a little conflicted about her orders to take down Jefferson. Do you think she’ll crack under all this pressure?
Caitlin: She doesn’t seem like the strongest person around, so I think she will struggle, especially with her feelings for Jefferson in the mix.
Makayla: I could tell she felt guilty about it, and I do think eventually she’s going to come clean about everything. Especially if she finds out Jefferson really is Black Lightning. Honestly. I don’t really feel any sympathy towards her. I hope she gets what’s coming.
Raych: Possibly. Like maybe, in the end, she’ll help Black Lightning take down the ASA but then we don’t know her motives for working with them so it’s hard to watch.
Jenn: Starting this episode, I assumed that if she cracked it would be because she made a mistake. She is trying to hard to be relevant. Towards the end, however, when the person on the other end of the encrypted link wouldn’t let her get Jefferson out of jail, I saw a look that said she had regrets. I think she may or may not fill Jefferson in on what went down out of guilt and romantic feelings.
Brianna: She’s either going to crack under pressure or succeed to spite her being conflicted.
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4. We have a lot of one on one moments within the Pierce family. Which two family members do you love to see in scenes together most?
Caitlin: I still love Anissa and Jennifer the most – I always have a soft spot for good sister relationships.
Makayla: I loved the simple sister scene between Anissa and Jennifer and their banter. I would love to see more of their relationship and hopefully, we get to see a hero sister duo and see them on the streets together.
Raych: We didn’t get much of them together this week but I always love the Jefferson and Jennifer interactions the most.
Jenn: I love every family scene on this show, especially since they are written so well. But I have to say my favorite dynamic is Jennifer and Anissa. They both are witty with an attitude and seeing that collide is humorous, but they also know how to be there for one another through the emotional times. The DC shows really know how to get me with a good sister duo. I’m weak for both the Danvers sisters from Supergirl and the Lance sisters from Arrow/Legends of Tomorrow as well.
Brianna: Okay, this is like making me choose my favorite child. I love Jeff/Jennifer (maybe my #1), Jeff/Lynn, Lynn/the girls, and Jennifer/Anissa so much. I know that’s like all variations of the family but I don’t care.
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5. What did you think about Gambi and Anissa’s plan to clear Jefferson’s name as Black Lightning?
Caitlin: It’s pretty reckless, which is just as I’d expect from the two of them teaming up together. It was also clever, though, which is also what I’d expect.
Makayla: When I first realized what their plan was, I was a little nervous about if it would work or not. It was an amazing plan though, and of course, it worked and they got Jefferson’s name cleared for now. Anissa did an amazing job with it, and Gambi as well. The self-driving van was genius and I hope they get to use it again soon.
Raych: It was such a great plan I can’t think of a better one!
Jenn: I think it was smart as hell and I expected them to let Jefferson go afterward. But that only happened after Henderson put some things into motion. However, I think it may keep the bad guys off Jeff’s tail for a bit.
Brianna: That hologram was cool but I thought for sure something was going to go wrong.
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6. Henderson stepped up big time in this episode! How did you feel about his role in getting Jefferson released from jail?
Caitlin: It’s about time we see Henderson get in on the action! I’m glad Jefferson has someone in his corner, and I’m glad he’s trustworthy in that regard.
Makayla: Henderson has always been one of my favorites, and I’m glad he’s becoming a big part of everything. I was so glad that he was the one to get Jefferson out of jail. It shows that Henderson is a big asset to him.
Raych: I really liked how he handled it. I still don’t trust him but I like how he handled it.
Jenn: I’m proud of him; that’s loyalty. After Henderson arrested Cayman I felt like I could take a breath for a minute. At least one threat has been neutralized for the time being.
Brianna: I’m really happy he’s taking more of the ally role for Jefferson. I’m worried about his family though because of how crooked the town seems to be and how the ASA is operating.
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7. Henderson was left with some interesting words. Do you fear that Henderson’s actions could potentially lead to something bad for him?
Caitlin: Yeah, that’s definitely a concern. Usually, the ‘good’ characters who do the right thing have bad things coming for them.
Makayla: I do think by him helping Jefferson get released from jail and exposing those dirty cops, the ASA may start keeping an eye on him. Also, I really think Jefferson needs to tell Henderson that he’s Black Lightning. I think it will benefit them both.
Raych: Considering that the finale is coming up, then yes most definitely.
Jenn: You know what, I am just trying to breathe here. This whole episode had me at the edge of my seat and I was shook. But with the news of Henderson stepping up, I feel a bit okay. This could possibly open the doors to corruption higher up, higher than Cayman and now higher than Henderson. I guess we will see.
Brianna: Yes, definitely. I’m hoping it all works out though.
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Even without much action, Black Lightning delivered a strong episode
“The Book of Crucifixion” slowed things down for the moment, but it still delivered a strong episode. The musical selection paired with Cress Williams’ performance, brought out a lot of emotions. Throughout the whole ordeal, the audience could see the pain going through Jefferson’s mind of having to succumb to these policemen’s orders even though he didn’t do what he was being accused of. It was extremely hard to watch and we think the writers, director, and actors involved made sure this scene got the correct message across. Another great performance this week was from our MVP, Henderson. Henderson stepped up to the plate this week and finally took down some of the corruption in the police department – scoring himself a better position in the process. It was great to see the look of corruption within the system from both points of view.
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We loved how we got to see the different perspectives from someone who knew Jefferson Pierce versus someone who had just heard the things that people say about him. The scene of Jefferson getting arrested at the school and the three stops that he made before actually making it to the car were very important. Both of the daughters had to be reminded to calm down and think about their actions before they caused themselves to get into trouble as well. Also, when Jefferson tells his student, “No one wants to see another black man in cuffs today”, it resonated with many in the audience because they had to see this man be arrested in front of people that look up to him as a role model. Even though they all thought he didn’t do what he was being accused of, that moment still puts some doubt into the minds of some of his students and faculty members.
This week’s episode took a superhero trope and turned it on its head. The episode was made interesting, even without the excessive amounts of action that come in weekly superhero shows. We really loved this episode and we’re glad that Black Lightning is able to hold up even when the episode is slowed down. The plot wasn’t about the big bad this week and we got to see a deeper side of Jefferson and the corruption of Freeland. Next week, Tobias makes his return to capture Black Lightning. There are only two episodes left in the season, so we’re ready for the big showdown!