Into The Arrowverse: Arrow meets Groundhog Day
By Ariba Bhuvad
Black Lightning — “The Book of Resistance: Chapter Two” — Image Number: BLK307b_0356r.jpg — Pictured: Cress Williams as Black Lightning — Photo: Mark Hill/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Black Lightning Episode 307: “The Book of Resistance: Chapter Two”
Black Lightning continues to chug along with its third season but fails to keep me engaged. It’s just not doing the trick, and I’m not sure exactly where I’m disconnecting from it. The series has been going through a lot of changes and there is quite a bit of story here to unpack.
In fact, I think it might be going through too many changes at once. We’ve got the Markovian threat, the ASA occupation, and the resistance. Then the Pierce family is all over the place with their individual problems, which somehow intersect with the issues listed above. It doesn’t quite hold together for me.
Let’s start with Grace and Anissa, shall we? Grace can’t seem to stop shape-shifting, which is a clear indicator that her medicine isn’t quite doing what it needs to do. Naturally, Grace is freaking out because the ASA is out for blood, and Anissa remains powerless.
Gambi finally makes the connection that Painkiller and Khalil are the same person. I’m not sure why it took this long to figure out, but it is what it is. In last week’s episode, we believed Odell to be dead, but as we learn this week, he’s alive.
The Resistance is ready to wreak havoc on anyone that goes against them. They set up a bomb to blow up a checkpoint so they can pass through it…but not if Black Lightning has anything to say about it! He comes in and takes care of the bomb and foils the Resistance’s plan.
As a result, there’s friction between Henderson and Jefferson on the whole ASA situation. Can’t we just find a way to get along, citizens of Freeland?
Clearly, Jefferson is against the Resistance, but considering that Anissa is a part of it, he has to come to terms with it. And he sort of does when he helps her save Grace. Sometimes a daughter just needs her dad’s help, right?
As we trudge slowly through the episode, the ASA continues their reign of terror. Thankfully, Black Lightning shows up to save the day, but one of the ASA agents begins killing people and Black Lightning is asked to back down…or else.
I’d like to take a moment to discuss this whole Khalil/Painkiller situation and Lynn’s response to it. Clearly, the ASA has him doing their bidding; he’s in stasis when not being “used”. But for some reason, Lynn is determined to save him. She can’t see rhyme or reason no matter how much Gambi tries. I’m not sure what she thinks she can do, and it just doesn’t make sense.
Black Lightning lives up to his promise to Anissa and attempts to save Grace and get the kids out of Freeland. Of course, the ASA shows up so he tries to fight back. Grace shapeshifts into a leopard and kills one of the ASA agents. But don’t worry, she eventually gets back to her adult Grace form, and reveals that she knows Black Lightning is actually Jefferson Pierce. Again, is it really that shocking someone guessed it? The one thing that always gets me is how all the Arrowverse superheroes go unidentified. I mean, lots of their faces are still uncovered.
We end this episode with Khalil/Painkiller getting a new target: Black Lightning.
I wish this episode was more exciting. There’s something missing that I’m unable to describe but every week feels a bit muddled to me. I admire the concepts and ideas, but I think the execution is poor. Surely they can fix this, right? Hopefully.
Given that we’re so close to the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, I’d like more of an inkling of how Black Lightning will play into it. I’m really hoping that next week’s episode sets it up in some way, shape or form.