BLACK LIGHTNING - SEASON 3.14

REVIEW:  BLACK LIGHTNING - SEASON 3.14:  "The Book of War:  Chapter One - Homecoming"


It's been a brief respit since we have checked in on our Outsiders, in the wake of the team rescuing Lynn from Markovian capture, and taking down the Colonel, and Gravedigger in the process.  Now...what's next.  The team is back home, and we now will find out what the fallout is in the wake of their mission, and whether or not the Markovians will retaliate.  Plus, then there's STILL the issue that the Pierce family will have to deal with as far as the ASA goes as well, considering that I have ZERO trust in Major Grey upholding HER end of the bargain.  


______________________________________________________________________________


We check in with Gambi, who is talking about escaping his past.  If he'd only disobeyed ONE order, how different things could be.  We pull back to see he's got a gun on Jace, and he feels he should've ended her and all this 40 years ago.  Jace says that it has now become an arms race between the ASA and the Markovians.  He wants to know what Gravedigger wants, and Jace says he wants the same as the ASA--stable metas.

Jefferson is having a debriefing with Odell and Major Grey about the operation in Markovia.  Odell isn't happy Tobias escaped, but Jeff says that he called an audible.  Jeff also wants to ensure that his team has been wiped from the ASA database, and Major Grey has a HUGE problem with that, noting that the Markovians have now surrounded the ASA compound, which Jeff replies that it's not HIS problem, but the ASA's. She also goes on saying that his team botched the mission, and on who's authority does he get to make that decision (even though SHE agreed to it LAST WEEK).  Odell excuses her, and informs Jeff that Erica has been taken back to her family, and the other kids have been released, as per the agreement.  Jefferson than informs Odell about Gravedigger, and Odell has no knowledge of him whatsoever.  Odell wonders if he can count on Jefferson to help him with the Markovians.  Jefferson says he can't, but Freeland can.

Anissa has set up Jen with an ice bath to heal her wounds, and the subject of Khalil comes up.  Jen isn't interested in having this conversation, but Anissa presses, saying that he isn't Khalil anymore, he's Painkiller, and when SHE fought him, he was ruthless and emotionless.  Jen says that she knows Khalil, and he won't hurt her.  Anissa isn't sure, and Jen brings up Anissa's relationship with Grace, but Anissa says that Grace isn't trying to kill her.  

Delonte...the big man who's Lala's lieutenant, is seen visiting Lady Eve, looking to get Lala's cut of her profits.  He feels the payment is a little light, and she says it's all there, and he can count it.  While he's counting, she says that she can have one of her girls take care of him.  He says he's there on business, but she manages to convince him otherwise.  Her hostess prepares a glass of champagne, and manages to drug it, and hands it to him, as he picks his girl to have playtime with.  

TC is scanning Khalil's head, making sure that Painkiller is still behind the firewall they created.  Everything checks out, and Gambi shows up with an sketch pad for Khalil, and tells him that he should fill his thoughts with good things, and it will help keep his mind calm and clear.  Khalil says he's okay, and he's got it under control, but Gambi insists that the PTSD is not something to easily handle, and offers the help of Pirannyh once the war is over, because she managed to help Jen.  He says that being a tailor helped him get through the rough times, and he enjoyed it.

Lynn and Jeff are at home cooking dinner, when Lynn collapses, with Jeff catching her.  She says she's still going through withdrawls, and he asks if there's anything he can do.  She says that she's an addict, and that she finally understands why Jeff was so obsessed with protecting the city as Black Lightning.  She doesn't blame him, but Jeff says it IS his fault.  However, she starts to feel sick, and heads upstairs, but not before she says she loves him and he says the same back.

Jen is with a VERY upset Brandon, who is pacing back and forth, wanting to get his hands on Dr. Jace.  She tries to explain to him that she was manipulated into killing, and she doesn't feel that's the best solution for him.  He is still visibly upset, but relaxes a bit on the killing part...he just wants to SEE Jace.

Lady Eve and her right hand gal are watching Delonte on video, talk about Lala, and how he came back to life after Tobais killed him, and, of course, the briefcase.  This interests Lady Eve VERY much, and says that she wants a meeting with Lala immediately.  

Lynn is still upstairs in the bathroom feeling sick when Anissa arrives.  She shows concern for her mother, but gets snapped at by Lynn when she offers help.  Lynn apologizes, and says that she's still going through withdrawls, and that's making her edgy.  Anissa understands, and says that she's not alone in handling this.  Anissa goes downstairs for dinner, and Lynn searches the bathroom, and finds her last stash of Glimmer.  At the dinner table, Jeff says that the Markovians have stepped up their activity, and feels that they need to be taken down.  Anissa asks if he's going at it alone, and he says he thought THEY would do it...as a unit.  Lynn is in agreement, but only on one condition:  no more lies.  They all agree, and she is the first to admit that she's an addict.  She also admits to finding her last stash of Glimmer, which she hands to Jen, and Jen destroys it.  They say they have her back.  Anissa admits that she feels Grace is "the one", and they joke with her about it.  Jen admits that Odell tricked her, and that she killed people at a Markovian data center.  Lynn says that she was tricked into taking Glimmer, and becoming an addict, so she feels for Jen.  Anissa says it wasn't her fault, but Jen feels it does.  Jeff talks about how he saw the end of a multiverse, and this new Earth being created out of it...to which the family teases him about it.  They then pray before dinner.

Lala has this emergency "meet" with Lady Eve, and he's got his gun out, not really in the mood to be talking to Lady Eve, and wonders if he should up his cut of her profits.  Not wanting his time wasted, Lala wonders what she wants, and she mentions the briefcase that he's got on him.  He feigns indifference, but she knows. She said she found out about it, and she could help him.  He says, however, that he's waiting on Tobias, and is going to get his sweet revenge for killing him when he shows up.  Lady Eve laughs, and says she KNOWS Tobias programmed him.  She utters a phrase, and Lala starts to convulse.  She tells him to sit down, and he does.  She is in control of Lala right now.  She goes on to reveal that Tobais was working for HER, and Tobias used HER technology that SHE created to keep Lala on a leash.  It was HER who ran the Shadowboard.  Now, she offers to undo what Tobias did, as she utters another phrase, and Lala is back in control of himself.  She wonders if Lala would be interested in being free from this control.  

At Anissa and Grace's apartment, Anissa is still upset with Jen for defending Khalil, knowing that he's got a killer inside him ,and can't trust him.  Grace says it's no good to push her, and that Khalil is Jen's frist love, so she's going to defend him to the hilt.  Anissa still stands by what she says, though...that if he hurts Jen, she's going to kill him without hesitation.  Grace understands, but would rather paint Anissa's nails instead.  Just then, Chandra recieves an incoming call for Anissa, and it's Amaya.  She says that the Markvoians have found her, and she's trying to get her people to safety.  She says that she'll be out near the ASA checkpoint.  Anissa disconnects with her, and then calls her dad, and informs him of what's going on, and meet her at Check Point Charlie.  Her and Grace suit up and are on the way.

Jen takes Brandon to see Jace, but he's too emotionally strung to keep it together.  He wants to kill her, but Jen tries to calm him down.  Jace recognizes him as the boy with the earth based powers.  She says she liked his mother, and helped her escape.  She did give him those powers, and he SHOULD be grateful, but he feels it's been nothing but a curse.  He yanks the necklace off his neck, and it contained the ashes of his dead mother, which he starts manipulating into daggers with his powers, and stabs Jace with it.  Jen once again tries to reel him in, and tells him to calm down.  Jace mentions that his father had the same type of powers, and if he kills her, he'll never get the answers.  He demands to know more, but Jen ushers him out.  

Black Lightning arrives at the checkpoint, and starts giving cover to the refugees who're trying to escape the Markovians, who're trying to kill them, or capture them.  Just as he's providing shielding for them to get away, Thunder and Grace show up, and join the fray.  Amaya and her child Terry have been taken by the Markovians.  They split up---Black Lightning keeps providing cover for the refugees, and finding them sanctuary, while Grace and Thunder head out to try and find Amaya and Terry, who had taken in Grace when she was on the run.

During all this, It seems that Gambi had managed to capture one of Lady Eve's men...and pull his eye out.  He sends the young man back to Lady Eve, letting her know that The Tailor is still alive, and her attempt on his life failed.

Back at the Sanctum, Jen is once again trying to convince Brandon to NOT kill Jace, and that ANY information about his father would probably be HER version of the story, and thus, untrue.  She wants him to go and talk to TC about it, and he does.  Somehow, TC makes him feel better.  She talks to Khalil, who's been sketching a picture of her.  However, he spaces out, and she calls TC over.  TC says that Painkiller is trying to break through the firewall, and he tries to go back in to help Khalil.  We see Khalil in his mind in the hallway, and Painkiller behind the door, saying that he's going to kill Jen once he gets out.  He DOES manage to break through the door, and, in the real world, he starts choking Jen, who tries to reason with Khalil, but it's NOT him.  He and Painkiller have a battle in his head, and he manages to get the best of Painkiller and shut him back behind another firewall.  In reality, Khalil finally comes to, and releases Jen, and apologizes for choking her.  He realizes what he did to Jen, and he takes off.  Jen manages to heal herself from the poison.  Brandon and TC are out for the count.

We later see Jen at home, frustrated with the recent events.  She's sitting out on the roof just where her bedroom window is, when Khalil shows up.  He tells her he's sorry, and that---like it or not---Painkiller is a part of him.  He has to learn to live with him.  But he DOES know he has a soul.  Jen, however, is upset, and she says that soul or no soul, her sister was right, and he can't be around her family.  He understands.  She says she'll see him around, and he replies that she won't.  

Lady Eve enters Gambi's shop.  She's got a gun drawn, as does he.  He asks what she wants, and she says that she comes bearing a gift.  They discuss his assassination attempt when he killed a man named Toledo.  She did bring the briefcase that was in Lala's possession.  She can't open it, but she says he can use it to take down the ASA, because the ASA ruined Freeland.  And she wants him to use it to burn the ASA down.  She says her business with the Tailor is over, and walks out.  Gambi grabs the briefcase, and heads down into the Sanctum, where TC informs him that there was an issue with Khalil, and Gambi figured he left.  He says that's a concern for another time, he needs TC to hack into the briefcase and open it.  TC does with ease, and when Gambi opens it, he's in for QUITE a revelation.

Gambi then meets with Jeff and Lynn, and has a major bombshell to drop on them:  The briefcase he got from Lady Eve contains a database of EVERY metahuman that exists, and it constantly updates.  It turns out the US has been playing dirty:  they FUNDED the Markovians' metahuman program long before they created the ASA.  Turns out, the man Black Lightning fought--Gravedigger--was actually a man named Tyson Sykes.  He served in the military decades ago, and was being bullied and harrassed because he was black.  He took out his frustrations out on his abusers, and he got in trouble by the MP's.  He was offered a deal:  court martial, or become a guinea pig in new experiments.  He opted for the latter, and what happened was that the experiments woke up his metagene.  He was able to slow his aging, gain super strength, and had the ability to "push" his will onto anyone.  The US then sent him out on variou secret missions over the years.  It turns out that Sykes is the first recorded known metahuman in history.  They tried to make an army of men like him.  Lynn wonders where this army is, and Gambi said that the secret died with the original creators, and Gravedigger outlasted them all. They wonder WHY Markovia was the place for these experiments.  Gambi says that Markovia was a great location, next to Russia, and lacked American humanitarian laws.  The US spent billions on the program, and EVERY US President funded it.  Gambi came in later, when the Markovians put in humanitarian laws of their own, and kicked America out.  Gambi went in there during the war to extract Dr. Jace, and she helped set up the ASA.  They set up the vaccination program in Freeland.  

Lynn and Jeff feel the world needs to know about this, and Jeff also wonders if Odell has any knowledge of this at all.  Gambi doesn't think so.  He himself had only heard about this kind of info, but he didn't have clearance for it.  And they also ask Gambi why Gravedigger allied himself with Markovia.  Gambi says simply that why go back home to a country that doesn't want you?  Plus, he was a key player in the Markovian Coup that happened later on.  They all know now that Gravedigger will be looking for them now, as well as wanting to bury the ASA AND the United States as well.  He was looking for the stabilizer to create his own army.  Lynn says that, unfortunately, she left the formula back in Markovia, and now is in his hands.  And that he can create any meta power he wants---he can be unstoppable.  

Gravedigger is getting his injection of the serum, as Colonel Molsen enters, saying that they can't find Tobais, but they are set to invade Freeland.  Gravedigger than "dismisses" Molsen by killing him, by saying that his services are no longer required.  The Doctor giving him the injection says in the Markovian language about having all the power in one man.  Gravedigger comments that he has all the power of vengeance...in one man.


*****************************************************************************************************************

THIS was a good episode.  Not really any real action, but BOY did we cover A LOT of background story in this one.  Things are REALLY starting to make some serious sense.  We now have a pretty good in depth history of the ASA, the Markovians' interest in metahumans and WHY.   Gravedigger's origin, and just how far the metahuman rabbit hole goes in Freeland.  

For the better part of last season AND this one, that briefcase has been a sort of "quiet McGuffin" for a few people:  Mostly Lala, Tobais, and the ASA.  Odell has wanted that BACK in ASA hands, so that they could uncover the secrets that were buried deep by the ASA, Tobias had it because he could use it as leverage, and Lala had it because he know Tobais wanted it.  Now with Lady Eve being able to pull on Lala's strings, she's managed to get the briefcase off of him, and into Gambi's hands.  She knows that, no matter how bad her, Lala, or Tobias are, it pales in comparison to the ASA, and she feels THEY need to go---especially after having worked with them, and know what they did to her town.  So, making peace with Gambi, and letting him and Black Lightning deal with the matter, that's fine with her.  

The information we got from the briefcase was HUUUGE!  It DOES give SOME of my speculations validation, though...in the sense that the ASA and Markovians weren't really any different, and that they were very much tied at the hip.  And the US itself is at the epicenter of it.  Gravedigger is the key, as he is--we discover--the very first metahuman.  NOW...that being said...IF this briefcase has been able to track ALL of Earth's metahumans...it makes me WONDER as to whether or not it has tabs on Team Flash/ anyone that had powers on Team Arrow, anyone involved  with the Super Friends...how much has it been tied into the rest of the Arrowverse?  Because, with Gravedigger, his now near indestructable power, and the huge threat of the ASA AND Markovians looming overhead---as much as I feel Team Lightning is capable, I WONDER...and if this is just wishful thinking, mind you, that Black Lightning MIGHT enlist the help of the Justice League should this get to be too huge?  If it comes to that...PLEASE let a crossover into Black Lightning happen for the team.  I wanna see how they operate together---it's TIME!  What a BETTER place and time to do that, when with threats THIS dire?  

Some other interesting things WAS Lady Eve knowing the "Magic words" so-to-speak, to get to Lala and control him.  I think it's safe to say that Lala ain't running things no more, and that Lady Eve is back on top.  That is, until Tobais returns.  Speaking of HIM...I wonder how MIA HE is going to be?  Knowing Tobias like we do---he'll lay low until the opportunity presents itself.  Plus, we saw that Khalil is obviously going to struggle with Painkiller, so he finally did what he had intended to do to begin with---leave.  For now, it's probably for the best.  

I wanna know more about WHO Brandon's father is...or was.  Part of me REAAALY thinks it's Gravedigger, but I might be reaching.  He hasn't exhibited any earth based powers as yet...so I'm hoping we get THAT answer down the road.  Jace is still going to manipulate the situation for herself no matter what---she's in self preservation mode.  And the ASA?  Odell wanted to rein Black Lightning back in, but we know THAT deal is dead.  I know he's trying to look a couple steps ahead, but I KNEW Major Grey would try to go back on her word---I expected no less.  And we'll see if Grace and Thunder can find Amaya and Terry soon.  

Okay, guys!  What an episode!  We got a lot more than we bargained for, but it was GOOOOD.  We'll see how the war picks up next time, as Gravedigger plans his invasion of Freeland.  

So, with that said, thanks for being here once again.  Subscribe, tell ALL your friends, and leave some comments!  How do YOU feel about Black Lightning?

Until next time...The Power is OFF!