REVIEW: BLACK LIGHTING - SEASON 3, EP. 6: "The Book of Resistance - Chapter One: Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
We have reached a new volume in the story of our hero's journey to save his beloved town of Freeland, and to continue to protect his family from various threats: The ASA, The Markovians, and that ever dastardly arch nemesis, Tobias Whale. He must also deal with the dissolution of his family, as they deal with their own personal crises.
Our newest installment opens up as we see Anissa---still weakened severely from the poison coursing through her body from her battle with Painkiller, is sending a video message out to her loved ones---letting them know that she regrets not the decisions she made in trying to free those oppressed by the ASA, and trying to restore Freeland to the people. She seems like she doesn't have much time left.
We skip back 30 hours prior, to see the Pierce family attending Tavon's funeral. Lynn...who is obviously still dealing with her Green Light addiction, commends Jefferson using restraint in regards to not seeking revenge for Tavon's death, and using his powers to attack the guards to beat him down in front of the students. He gets ticked off that Lynn would bring that up, and that he feels for Tavon's family, and there was nothing he could do about it. They argue about him wanting to go after the ASA, but she does what she can to reel him in. At this point, as they're leaving the church, they run into Jamillah Olsen, who's there to get the story on Jefferson's beatdown, and what his response is going to be. Anissa tries to tell her to scram, but Jefferson offers up a quote for her. She asks him, if Tavon were here, what would he say to him. Jefferson pretty much says that Tavon was an inspiration, and that his death will NOT be in vain. He then walks off, with Lynn and Anissa in tow.
Once at home, Lynn and Jefferson pick up where they left off on their argument, as she feels he wants to go out and butt heads as Black Lightning, reminding him of what defying Agent Odell will do to them. She harps on him about how his anger isn't about wanting to avenge Tavon...it's all about him and his urge to be Black Lightning. She takes off.
We see Anissa getting checked out by Gambi, and it's not good. The poison spreading through her body is causing her powers to be subdued, and it's making her weak. His prognosis isn't good, either. He says she has maybe a week or two before she dies. But he's going to work on a serum to counteract it, but in the meantime, he wants her to do nothing but rest. She heads home, but not before she makes Gambi swear to her that he will NOT tell her parents. He feels he can't do that, and she asks for some time. He says 24 hours, and she takes it.
Inspector Henderson meets with the other members of the Resistance. He says that instead of making things better, things are only getting worse. Especially now that Truth Teller Johnson---the voice of the Resistance, was killed, and they discovered his body. He does what he can to rally the troops---making sure they do what they can to secure some radio equipment, so that they can broadcast in another way that the ASA can't stop. He then goes out to find someone to be that voice.
Lynn goes to see Tobias to check up on his condition in order to extract more bone marrow from him, and he immediately starts egging her, trying to break her down. She does what she can to put up a good front, but he knows about Jefferson's "outburst" last night as Black Lightning. She wonders HOW he knows, and Tobias says he has his ways. He goes on to tell her that she should watch her back--Odell is worse than she thinks. Whereas HE, on the other hand, is more straightforward with her. He says he'll tell her more about Odell if she'll get him the names and list of powers for all the metas in the Pit. She's left to think about it.
Anissa is feeling weaker as her father pounds on her door. She manages to muster up enough strength to stand and get to her kitchen counter before she has him let in. He comes to apologize to her for asking her to bring Tavon back. He puts the weight on himself, and says he must live with the guilt of the boy's death on his conscience. Anissa is quick to correct him, and said that while she KNEW it was a bad plan, the onus was on HER...thus, SHE is the one responsible for Tavon, and SHE must be the one to burden the weight of his death. She then tells him to leave, and he does..feeling dejected. After he is gone, she collapses to the floor.
We later see that Grace discovered Anissa when she got home, got her to the couch, and tended to her...worried sick about her. Anissa says she's just wiped out from the fight she had with Painkiller, and for Grace not to worry. Grace reminds her that, when she morphs into a tiger, she still remembers all the smells from when she was in that form...including the smell of death. Anissa feigns, and tells her she has no plans on dying or going anywhere.
Meanwhile, Jennifer is doing some snooping about her classmate Brandon. She heads to his home, and sees through the walls to discover whether or not he's home. She breaks in, and starts casing the place, looking at the money and gems he's got, as well as two piles of what looks like coal in the corner. She then goes to his computer, and uses her powers to break into his laptop...to discover he has pictures of her and her family on there. Just as she's trying to figure out WHY, he comes home. The two start trading powers with each other in a fight, but neither gets the upper hand. They both realize they nullify each other's powers.
Jefferson arrives home, only to have a run in with Odell. Odell isn't pleased that Jefferson went gallivanting last night, and Jefferson tells him their deal is over. And should Odell threaten his family, he'll destroy him. Odell says that Jefferson should not cross him, and Jefferson replies that Odell should NOT do the same with him.
We see a van en route to the ASA compound, with soldiers in the back. A man who can teleport breaks in, takes out the guards, and steals a couple of their helmets. He then teleports out. When we see the van pull up to the ASA checkpoint, we see the same man with the Colonel of the Markovian Army driving. They get clearance, and they drive on into the compound.
Jamillah is taken into the station, and grilled by Inspector Henderson about her reporting. He tells her, as he closes the blinds in his office, that if she doesn't quit, she's going to jail. She replies that these people deserve the story and the truth, and if it means jailtime, so be it. It's EXACTLY what Henderson wanted to hear...and makes her an offer to use her voice to tell that story.
Lynn is in her lab, getting copies of the metahumans in the Pit for Tobias. She shreds a couple before taking them to him.
Jennifer and Brandon have a sit down, and he explains his powers to her. She asks why he's interested in her Mom, and he says that he came there looking for Dr. Jace. Jace is responsible for what happened to him. But since he can't find her, he knew that Jen's mom had worked with Jace. He also reveals that Jace had killed his mother.
Gambi has been perplexed at this poison, and mentioned to Anissa that he'd seen it before, but this time, it was more powerful. When the test is done, he realizes where he'd seen that same poison: Khalil.
Grace had gone upstairs to shower, and left Anissa alone, who is now back on the floor unconscious, the poison coursing through her quicker. Grace is frantic and calls Gambi, who arrives in time to inject the serum he made for her. Anissa comes back, but she's still poisoned and weak. Gambi tells Grace to stay with her, while he goes out to investigate where he saw the poison before, to be able to help Anissa.
Odell's agent comes in, and she informs him about a break in the compound. They've already most everywhere else, except for a few places, which includes The Pit. She had security protocols in place, and she and Odell are off to meet up with their adversaries, one of which they know can teleport. The Colonel is upset that he did not find what he wanted, and they're about to leave when Odell and the ASA get the drop on them. The teleporter tries to use his powers, but Odell had power dampeners in place. He and the Colonel exchange pleasantries before a gunfight breaks out. Black Lightning happened to be listening in as it happens, and goes to put his two cents in. We see him arrive just as the Colonel heads off and is teleported out. Odell has been mortally wounded it seems, and wants Jefferson to go after the Colonel and kill him. Jefferson says he isn't killing anybody, to which Odell calls him weak, before he dies.
Henderson and the Resistance set Jamillah up, and prepare for her broadcast. Then, it's red light on, and she's live---beginning to tell the city of the real deal about the ASA.
Back at the Markovian headquarters, the Colonel is NOT pleased that the teleporter took off before he could get in the killshot on Odell. The teleporter said he spared his life, and expected to be paid for the job he was hired for. They pay him, and he's off. But Jace talks to him, and he lets her know that none of the pod kids have died. She surmises that Lynn has managed to find a way to stop the virus from killing them. Soon, they will have the metas, and create their own army.
Grace is home with Anissa...who is still fighting the poison. Grace is scared and nervous....and her powers start fluctuating, as she tries to keep it together for Anissa's sake.
We see Gambi out on the hunt in the cemetary for a clue to Khalil, and happens upon his grave. He manages to scan it, and find out the grave is empty. His suspicions confirmed.
We see Lynn back home packing, when Jefferson arrives, and she says she's leaving him. She can't deal with him anymore, and she's got a job to do. She says she'll send someone for the rest of her stuff. He calls her out on spending more time at The Pit, than she does with her own family. She takes off, and leaves him there flabbergasted at the series of events going on.
Another emotionally charged episode. Emotions and tensions are heightened as we now get into the crux of this story: fighting back against oppression. Meanwhile, Jefferson's world is falling apart around him, and he's frustrated because he can do NOTHING to stop it.
It was good we got more on the Markovian front, and know their plan more clearly. We hadn't seen Dr. Jace in awhile, so it was long overdue to see her make an appearance. But she knows Lynn has gotten closer to finding a cure for the virus that plagues the pod kids. They were brazen to march right into ASA territory, but we DID get that long overdue meeting with the Colonel and Agent Odell. Too bad we didn't see a longer fight...would've been interesting.
Speaking of Odell---he's been a great villain (let's face it---he is), and for him to get popped like he did tonight...and seemingly die right in front of Jefferson---I feel it's a tad bit of a letdown. I kind of expected more. But....for all I know...he's just mortally wounded, and his goon squad will be there to rescue him, and give him medical attention. It's too early for Odell to bow out of this story just yet---especially when he hasn't played his hand yet.
Gambi is doing what he does best: taking care of his family, and looking for ways to take out the ASA. But with Painkiller having injected Anissa, his remembering of the poison led him to discover that Khalil is NOT dead. That's going to play a factor down the road....and curious as to what effect it will have on Jennifer when she finds out.
Jennifer and Brandon are interesting. Their powers kind of cancel each other out, and I'm trying to discover why. But we DO finally get into HIS backstory, and discover that his mother was killed by Dr. Jace, and his condition correlates with that. So, he's hoping that Jennifer's mother can help him.
Grace's stability will come into play, as Anissa gets worse, and her "fight or flight" instincts take hold. Grace, at some point, is going to need to suck it up for her girlfriend. Whether she likes it or not---she's going to become a part of this fight.
The Pierce family as a whole is a disaster. Everything has been frayed at the seams. Jefferson feels powerless, because he can't be the hero he wants to be---Lynn questions his actions and motivations for being Black Lightning, causing the same rift they had between them two seasons ago. He's been a proverbial punching bag this season---like a dog on a chain or a lion in a cage---restless, frustrated, angry, and ready to lash out. He also has to deal with his broken relationship with Anissa, not even knowing how close to dying SHE is...and still trying to protect Jennifer. Jennifer seems to be the only one with her head on straight right now.
Lynn is the one who annoys me the most at the moment. Someone who talks tough, and acts tough, but is anything BUT. She's allowed herself to become an addict, which causes her to sleep less, be restless, and continually working. She's so obsessed with finding a cure of the virus, she's forgotten and abandoned her family entirely. Yet, she criticizes Jefferson for wanting to SAVE his family, protect them, AND save the city. But she callously calls him out for being selfish---yet she leaves him to stay at the Pit and do her work...ignoring him AND her daughters. Meanwhile, Tobias is slowly twisting his knife into her by playing her...needling her, taunting her, egging her on, and dangling morsels of info about Odell---for a price. Tobias is crafty...and he knows Lynn can be manipulated. He's just biding his time, so he can have his own army to reclaim Freeland when the time is right---and he'll use Lynn to do it. And, sadly, she's too stupid to notice because she's too addicted to her work...and Green Light...and it's given her tunnel vision.
Kudos to Inspector Henderson this week for rallying the troops in the face of adversity. With Truth Teller killed, he needed a new voice. NOW we see the true purpose of Jamillah Olsen in this tale. And hers will be the voice needed going forward. Now, it's just a matter of time before they get the necessary tools to fight back: namely, the Pierce Family.
IF there IS one thing that I am TRULY disappointed in---no CRISIS references. Black Lightning will most DEFINITELY be a part of CRISIS, but there's been no build to it---and that's unfortunate.
Outside of that---this show continues to deliver on action, drama, and pure storytelling. It's fluid and enjoyable. And tip of the cap to the writers for giving this episode a title after the famous Bob Dylan song.
That's it for this week---as we keep ticking down to CRISIS. So, with that said....subscribe, comment, and let everyone know I'm here.
Until next time....the power is OUT!
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