Arrow Episode Guide: Season 7, Episode 2 - The Longbow Hunters

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

When ARGUS' resources are denied her, Felicity seeks to find another way to go after Diaz. Unfortunately, Diaz's new allies - The Longbow Hunters - are coming into action in Star City and what remains of Team Arrow is in no shape to help her. Meanwhile, in The Slab, Oliver is forced to form an alliance with an old enemy to survive and find out what Diaz is planning.

In the future, William tells Roy Harper why he came to Lian Yu, leading them both to an even larger mystery.


Influences

The Jeff Lemire run on Green Arrow (concept of The Longbow Hunters) Supermax (David Goyer's unproduced "Green Arrow in prison" movie) and the novel The Count of Monte Cristo (parallels to Oliver's life, as it centers around a man who adopts a new identity to avenge himself on those responsible for ruining his former life before going on to take a series of actions that hurt innocent people as well as the guilty.)


Goofs

Why the heck are The Longbow Hunters called The Longbow Hunters? None of them use a longbow and they aren't brought together to seek revenge on Green Arrow. (I'm not even touching the fact that Green Arrow doesn't use a longbow...)

Apart from being another convenient road-block in keeping anyone from doing anything to stop Diaz, there is no reason why ARGUS would not want to capture and arrest the man responsible for leading the group that stole their technology. ARGUS has been shown abducting criminals off the street without trial for a lot less than what Diaz pulled. Stealing a power source and attempting to steal an energy weapon should be more than enough to build a case for terrorism charges.

Why doesn't Dinah call in the cops when Black Siren goes into Diaz's base? Ignoring that it's what she should do as a cop who is trying to follow procedures now, it would be a wonderful opportunity to bust Black Siren violating the anti-vigilante laws.

Why don't Dinah and Black Siren chase after The Silencer when her field shorts out?


Performances

Again, Emily Bett Rickards slays with the power of her performance here.


Artistry

The silent fight scene between Silencer, Black Canary and Black Siren is well handled.



Trivia

The episode opens with an entirely new opening narration by Oliver Queen.

The Longbow Hunters were a villain group formed by Ricardo Diaz during Jeff Lemire's run on Green Arrow, made up of villains who had a grudge against Green Arrow. The line-up included Diaz himself, Brick, The Red Dart, Killer Moth and Count Vertigo.

In The Arrowverse, The Longbow Hunters are some legendary group that Diaz has made contact with. Anatoly has heard of them but thought they were just a myth. Oliver says that they are three assassins whom even The League of Assassins were afraid of. The last one reportedly died in The 1950s.

One of the Longbow Hunters is a woman called The Red Dart. The name of the Red Dart has been used by three different villains in DC Comics history.

The first Red Dart was a man named John "Midas" Mallory who pretended to be a hero like Green Arrow, while secretly working as a Deadshot-style assassin. He first appeared in World's Finest Comics #95.

The second Red Dart was a nameless man who appeared in one issue Grant Morrison's JLA (JLA #34), who claimed to have bought the gear and the name from John Mallory. His big claim to fame was stealing the Green Lantern ring off of an unconscious Kyle Rayner so that Prometheus could analyze it.

The third Red Dart was a nameless woman who was identified as one of Green Arrow's enemies during the Jeff Lemire run on Green Arrow in the New 52 series. She used trick darts similar to Green Arrow's trick arrows and was part of The Longbow Hunters. She first appeared in Green Arrow #31 (May 2014).

The Arrowverse version of The Red Dart seems to be based on the third Red Dart from the comics, being a woman who uses a dart gun as a weapon.

One of the Longbow Hunters is revealed as a man called Kodiak. In the original comics, Kodiak was the leader of The Shield Clan - one of the various families tied to ancient weapons who made up the group called The Outsiders. He first appeared in Green Arrow #26 (December 2013) and was the keeper of The Shield Totem, which granted immortality and ultimate wisdom to its keeper. He was recruited to kill Oliver Queen, as he searched for The Arrow Totem.

The Arrowverse version of Kodiak is a large man who fights with a heavy shield with sharpened-edges as a weapon. He is apparently easily bored and does not mind killing people messily compared to his more stealthy compatriots.

One of the Longbow Hunters is revealed as a woman called The Silencer. First appearing in The Silencer #1 (January 2018) The Silencer was a woman named Honor Guest who was once one of the most famous assassins in the world. After decades in the service of Talia Al Ghul, she was allowed to retire and start a normal life with an ordinary man. She was dragged back into her old life, however, and began a battle to save everything she had worked so hard to build. She had a unique metahuman power that allowed her to create a zone of total silence around her so no one could hear her approach or the noise of any conflict she started.

The Arrowverse version of The Silencer has the same power, though her abilities are technological in nature rather than the result of a metahuman power. She also does not share the motivations of her comic book counterpart. This would seem to be an alternate version of The Silencer who never renounces her violent past as an assassin in favor of a normal life.


Technobabble

Felicity creates a device she calls her Digi Murder Board - a tablet that analyzes all the data she has found on Diaz and seeks out additional intelligence, making predictions based on all of this data. Essentially, it is an electronic brain that thinks like Diaz. It is also tracking his known associates, like The Longbow Hunters.

Diaz acquired an Electronic Jammer that allowed him to bypass the security of even an ARGUS safe-house. Digg says this is because of Diaz's new friends.

The item stolen by The Longbow Hunters is Prototype B-24 - an experimental removable ultra high-density removable battery, Curtis says that one battery has the capability of powering an entire town and ARGUS was using them to help refugees.

The Longbow Hunters are armed with a high-tech shield, nano-powered darts and a sonic manipulator.

Curtis and Felicity are able to track The Longbow Hunters by finding an energy spike from where they tested the battery.

The T-Spheres do not have lock-picking capabilities.

ARGUS developed an adapter that calibrates the charge of the B-24 battery to power a directed energy weapon capable of flattening a whole city.

William spent over a billion dollars trying to develop affordable magnetic levitation.

Kodiak's shield is strong enough to deflect high-caliber rounds and sharp enough to cut an assault rifle in half.

The Silencer's force-field is capable of canceling out Black Siren and Black Canary's sonic screams at point-blank range, though the two of them together are able to overpower the field.



Dialogue Triumphs

Oliver: My name was Oliver Queen. After six years of being a vigilante, the only way to achieve my goal and save my city was to confess to being The Green Arrow. Now my family and friends must carry on my mission without me. I am no longer a hero. I am Inmate 4587.

(Curtis is filling Felicity's wine glass.)
Felicity: A little more.
(Curtis keeps pouring.)
Felicity: Little more.
Curtis: Do you want me to put a straw in the bottle?

Dinah: (To Black Siren) You know, I don't really care if Diaz kills you. But I do care if he kills the DA.

Curtis: Please tell me you are not hacking ARGUS from inside ARGUS!
Felicity: (hissing) Of course not I'm not ARGUS from inside ARGUS! I'm hacking... INTERPOL from inside ARGUS.
Curtis: That's not much better and that will still get me fired!

(Digg tells Felicity that she has to accept that Oliver isn't coming back even if they catch Diaz.)
Felicity: I can't. And I won't! And I can't believe that you do. The old John would have done anything to bring down that monster and you're - you're here! And you wouldn't even take up the Green Arrow mantle - the only thing that Oliver asked you to do! You've moved on with your life. The last six years actually meant to something to me! So I am going to stop Diaz, whatever it takes. Even if I have to do it alone!

(Black Siren tells Dinah about her plan to kill Diaz herself.)
Dinah: You know, I knew you were faking it this whole time. Becoming the DA and all your BS talk about the rule of law? You know deep down you are still the same lying murderer who killed the man I loved!


Continuity

Oliver got two days in the hole for the fight he started in 701.

Ollie's attacker in the showers got sent to Level 2 of The Slab, which is worse than a death sentence.

Brick was behind hiring the inmates who attacked Oliver.

Dinah put Black Siren under direct police protection since Diaz is apparently on the move again.

Felicity says that she is monitoring Cyrus Broderick. He is the last surviving member of The Quadrant leadership not killed by Diaz.

The Longbow Hunters raid an ARGUS research facility, stealing something from vault 326.

Curtis says he is scared of ARGUS Deputy Director Bell.

Anatoly is acting as ARGUS' source regarding The Longbow Hunters. He confirms they are the ones who robbed ARGUS.

Felicity deduces on her own that The Longbow Hunters are involved, based on their weapons.

Deputy Director Bell reminds Digg that ARGUS isn't chartered for criminal investigations.

Black Siren keeps ditching the police detail assigned to her.

Black Siren takes her coffee with two sugars and no cream.

Brick says he might tell Oliver how to find Diaz if he gets rid of Officer Peter Yorke. He refuses to say why he wants him gone.

Oliver agrees, but says he will do it his way without killing Yorke.

Felicity, Rene and Curtis break into The Longbow Hunters' hideout at the same time as Diggle's ARGUS team.

ARGUS is aware of the FBI's deal with Team Arrow and is authorized to bring anyone who violates the anti-vigilante laws down.

Oliver learned enough hacking tricks from Felicity to use the prison library computer to access the personnel records of the prison's staff.

Officer Peter Yorke was born in 1978. Enlisted in the army at age 19 and served for 8 years, earning commendations before being injured in the line of duty. He became a guard at The Slab shortly thereafter and worked there for 12 years. He has a wife named Jenna and a son named Noah. He has never had any disciplinary problems or complaints filed against him.

John apparently refused to take up the Green Arrow mantle after 623.

Oliver is given a shank by Bronze Tiger.

Oliver tries to warn Officer Yorke to quit or transfer or something to get out of The Slab.

John admits that he refused to become Green Arrow because he saw how The Hood ruined Oliver's family and he couldn't do that to his wife and son. Instead, he chose to commit to his job at ARGUS as a way to honor his commitment to protecting Star City without putting a mask on.

Dinah tracks Black Siren to an abandoned building that Diaz bought right after joining The Quadrant.

John recovers the battery, but Diaz and The Longbow Hunters are allowed to escape as John delinks the train cars to make sure the battery can't be stolen back.

Felicity says that she understands why John did what he did and agrees he is doing good work to help people, but that she can't work with anyone whose primary goal isn't bringing down Diaz.

Black Siren apologizes to Dinah for killing Vinny and insists that she's changed.

Ollie frames Officer Yorke for stabbing him.

Felicity goes to FBI Agent Samandara Watson to ask for her help in bringing down Diaz.

Oliver and Felicity apparently abandoned William when he was a teenager.

William makes reference to having an ex-boyfriend.

Roy changes the subject when William asks why he is on Lian Yu.

Felicity implanted an electronic device that broadcast the coordinates of Lian Yu into The Queen Family Hozen. It began to beep three weeks before William arrived on Lian Yu.

Roy asks why Felicity would want William to come to Lian Yu.

William says he hasn't been to Lian Yu since his mother died.

Roy advises William not to look for answers in the past.

William is apparently a self-made tech-billionaire.

William recalls how he first met Roy when he was with his aunt Thea and they were going off somewhere together. (This happened in 616.)

Roy doesn't want to discuss the past, saying that he came to Lian Yu to forget all that.

The exact coordinates William was given lead to four graves Oliver told Roy about. These belong to Robert Queen, Yao Fei, Shado and Taiana

Roy found a fifth grave which contains Oliver's old chest full of gear from his time on Lian Yu and his bow.

William says he can't use a bow and arrow.

The bow contains a message, which Roy burns. Afterward, Roy says they have to go back to Star City.


Location

Slabside Maximum Security Prison.
Lian Yu - 2038


The Winick Factor

It is the height of plot convenience that The Silencer just happens to be the one at Diaz's base when the two women with sonic powers show up to storm it.


The Bottom Line

For an episode called The Longbow Hunters, they barely feature into the episode at all and we learn next to nothing about the long-awaited master-assassins that are supposed to be utterly unstoppable. Sadly, there's almost nothing to them, which is not surprising given that (with the exception of The Silencer) none of them have been particularly well developed in the comics.

Thankfully, while the episode is a disappointment when it comes to trying to make Diaz's actions make sense, the core cast manage to make the main storylines work perfectly. The Black Canary/Black Siren rivalry gets some much needed development, though there's little logic behind Dinah's decision to cover her arch-enemy as she's getting ready to break the law, instead of, oh, say, calling all the cops and exposing The DA as a hypocrite and a fraud.

Still, OTA steals the show, with Emily Bett delivering a powerhouse performance, Stephen Amell offering his most tormented performance yet as Oliver Queen and David Ramsey managing to make Digg's sudden about-face on becoming Green Arrow seem natural and logical... even though he was beating Oliver up over the right to become Green Arrow a scant few episodes ago.

The mystery of the future is stacking up nicely, even if we're left with more questions about the past than we are what happens next. All in all, it's a decent filler episode though it has more than a few obvious flaws. Still, it is not without its charms.

Starman Plays Betrayal at Krondor - Part 40

In which we end Chapter Two and start Chapter Three and our hunt for the Nighthawks with a Spyglass and a Spider.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 4, Episode 2 - Fallout

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

Chaos descends on National City, as President Marsdin is exposed as an alien. Alex has her hands full running the DEO in the face of this crisis, as Supergirl focuses on capturing Mercy Graves - the woman responsible for it all. Meanwhile, Brainiac-5 runs into Kara's protege Nia, and the two wind up in a dangerous situation as James struggles to maintain control at CatCo and wonders if he should make an editorial statement on the current crisis.


Influences

The political situation in the United States following the 2016 Presidential election.  The sequences of Kara trying to subtly use her powers to protect herself, Lena and Eve seem to borrow from the Superman films of Richard Lester.


Goofs

Brainiac-5 orders a dozen pizzas yet leaves the pizzeria with only five pizza boxes.

Rhona Mitra's performance as Mercy Graves is so hammy that it violates both Kosher and Halal diets.


Performances

It's a subtle thing, but David Harewood is doing a fantastic job playing J'onn the investigator and I hope we'll eventually see him doing more detective work ala the classic Martian Manhunter comics.


Artistry

As heavy-handed as the metaphor maybe, the image of Supergirl catching a collapsing flagpole before it crushes the crowd that knocked it over as a peaceful protest turns into a riot is a powerful one.


Super Trivia

The episode features a new opening narration for the introduction.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution of the United States of America says that any candidate for the Presidency must be 35 years of age, a natural-born citizen and have been a resident of The United States for at least 14 years. This means that no alien (other-worldly, or otherwise) can legally become President.

Brainiac-5 says that Nia looks familiar to him. This may be a nod to the fact that Nia's descendant will turn out to be a member of the Legion of Super Heroes. (An article in USA Today regarding the character confirmed that Nia would be an ancestor of Nura Nul (a.k.a. Dream Girl.)

The photos in Fiona Byme's apartment show her with her fiancee - a dark-skinned man from England - and a wedding announcement on her fridge reveals that his first name is Manchester. The fiancee is played by actor David Ajala, whom it was previously announced would be playing the character of Manchester Black - a telepathic British villain with a long association with Superman.

One of the writers at CatCo is revealed to be from the planet Dryad. In the original DC Comics, Dryad was an alien world whose inhabitants were silicon based life forms. Dryads could go dormant for long periods and would appear to be large rocks. Members of the Dryad race in the comics include the Green Lantern Brik, the Legion of Super Heroes member Blok and the L.E.G.I.O.N. members Strata and Garv.


Technobabble

Mercy Graves uses an trojan horse to try and shut down the mainframe at L-Corps that powers the image inducers.

Brainy creates an algorithm to predict Mercy Graves' actions. It says there is a 99.9% chance of Mercy trying to hack L-Corp's mainframe directly once a firewall prevents her hacking in remotely.

Lena has designed earplugs that protect a person from sonic attacks.

Brainiac-5 claims to predict eventualities with a 98.525% accuracy rating. It used to be 99.12% before he realized the owner of his favorite pizza place was a bigot.


Dialogue Triumphs

Supergirl: My name is Kara Zor-El. I'm from Krypton. I'm a refugee on this planet. I was sent to Earth to protect my cousin. But my pod got knocked off-course, and by the time I got here my cousin had already grown up and become Superman. I hid who I really was until one day, when an accident forced me to reveal myself to the world. To most people, I'm a reporter at CatCo Worldwide Media, but in secret, I work with my adopted sister at the DEO to protect this planet I call my home from anyone that means to cause it harm. I am Supergirl.

President Marsdin: Fear can create monsters where none existed before.

Brainiac-5: Ah! That was snark! You snark when your blood sugar is low. (snaps fingers) I know how to help you!
(Alex just shakes her head.)
Brainiac-5: Pizza. Humans seem to find calm in the consumption of food. My calculations lead me to the to the conclusion that pizza might be the right thing at this very moment for everyone.
Alex: (testily) Go.
Brainiac-5: Alright.

Nia: You may not know this about me, but I am a transgender woman. I know what it's like to be attacked and denied because of who I am. When I saw that alien being attacked, I couldn't let it pass.  I... I had to stand up... hold a mirror to that bully's face. And I made a difference. That was just one person. You are the Editor-in-Chief of CatCo Worldwide Media! You can hold a mirror up to the entire city. We have to show people that violence against aliens is not okay and that the only way we are going to survive is if we start truly seeing each other.

Nia: When innocent people are being attacked, it's not about balance. It's about justice.

Mercy: You don't deserve the Luthor name, Earth traitor!
(Supergirl breaks down the door and rushes in, grabbing Mercy and twisting her arm around behind her.)
Supergirl: You've got that backwards. The Luthor name doesn't deserve Lena.

Brainiac-5: I know that people fear what they do not know. But... but, Massimo knew me. Being from Colu does not change the fact that... I am also Barney of the olives and apples pizza.

Supergirl: Fellow citizens of America. These are complicated times. Some of you are confused. Many of you are scared. You just found out that the President of the United States is not from northern Iowa, like you thought. She's from a planet somewhere out in the vast universe. Many of you feel betrayed because you were lied to. President Marsdin took responsibility for that. She resigned from office. But the fear that's spreading in this country like wildfire isn't because The President lied. It's because she comes from someplace different. All of you know that I am also from a different place. Another planet. But I've lived here long enough to know that it doesn't matter where we were born because we are all the same. The character of a person or alien is not defined by where we are from, but by what we do. The people that exposed President Marsdin wanted to divide us. They want us to turn on one another. Live in fear. Grow in hate. But I know we are better than that. I know we can work together with love and respect, treat our neighbors with kindness. I'm an alien. And I love this planet that I am proud to call home. I want what we all want - to be a good American. I will stand by the new administration as this nation begins to heal. And I will continue to protect my friends and neighbors, just as I always have. I hope you all do the same.


Dialogue Disasters

(A man in the alien bar tells J'onn about how anti-alien bigots are saying they are infesting Earth.)
J'onn: Well, you know - they go low, we go high.

Nia: You, sir, are the traitor. Now, give him his pizzas!

Agent Liberty: Earth first!


Continuity

President Marsdin resigns, given that her Presidency is illegal under the Constitution's requirements that any President of the United States be a natural born citizen.

The new President is a man named Baker.

President Marsdin refuses to accept a pardon for becoming President under false pretenses.

The anti-alien sentiment on the Dark Web has increased in the wake of President Marsdin being exposed as an alien.

Fiona Byme, who was killed by Agent Liberty in 401 hasn't come in for three shifts at Al's Bar.

Al's Bar is identified as the name of the alien-friendly bar where J'onn was co-hosting his support group in 401.

Fiona Byme has a fiance in England.

Otis Graves makes reference to the DEO filling the atmosphere with lead in 222 to fight the Daxamites.

Otis reveals that Mercy is working with one other person. (Presumably Agent Liberty.)

Mercy Graves gets a hold of some Kryptonite on the dark web.

Agent Liberty warns against turning Supergirl into a martyr.

Lena loves Big Belly Burger.

Lena says sales on the L-Corp's image inducers have skyrocketed overnight.

Lena describes Mercy Graves as a "frequent dinner guest" of her brother and his closest confidant after she started out as his head of security.

Lena says that Mercy Graves was basically an older sister to her, who took her under her wing when Lillian Luthor largely ignored her. Mercy taught Lena how to dress, how to act and how to pick out a good gun.

Mercy Graves apparently left Lex Luthor because she felt he was too focused on Superman and should be looking at the threat posed by all aliens. Mercy also felt that humans had to find a way to become more powerful than aliens rather than just proving their superiority through intelligence and technology, as Lex tried to do in his battles with Superman.

Lena tells Kara that she doesn't disagree with Mercy's main point - that humans COULD become as powerful as the other alien races.

Kevin Oh, the chief programmer on the image inducers, is killed by Mercy Graves. She steals his laptop and attempts to use it to hack the network powering the image inducers.

Brainiac's image inducer fails while he is getting pizza, revealing him as an alien.

Nia protects Brainiac-5 from the pizzeria staff.

Nia gives her name to Brainiac-5, but no other information, saying that if he wants to find her, he will.

J'onn breaks into Fiona's apartment and discovers photos of her fiancee and a wedding announcement. His name is Manchester.

J'onn finds a note next to Fiona's computer with several sequences of numbers and the message "Who are the players? Lots of groups involved?" He uses one of the numbers and determines it is NCPD badge number for a beat cop named Dean Peterocelli.

Nia reveals herself as a transgender woman to James.

Brainy's favorite pizza is apples and olives.

Eve is able to hack the metal security doors in the L-Corps building. She notes that this particular type of door was built with a quick-release feature. She once worked at a theme park with the same type of doors for one summer as a high-school student. She was a bunny.

Lena has a special secret lab for all her prototypes. It also contains Lillian Luthor's Lexo-Suit from 312.

Franklin, one of the writers at CatCo, is a Dryad.

It is a negative stereotype that Dryads eat wood and stone.

Somehow, Mercy knows who Agent Jensen is and how he is growing disenchanted with the DEO's mission to protect humans and aliens equally. 

Brainy uses the name Barney as an alias for when he gets pizza and coffee.

By the time of the 30th century, racism towards alien races on Earth is virtually unknown.

Brainiac-5 knew of the existence of racism but never experienced it before.

James eventually decides to write the editorial but also has Supergirl make a statement on TV.

J'onn tracks Dean Peterocelli to an anti-alien rally organized by Agent Liberty.

Agent Jensen helps The Graves siblings escape the DEO and to steal the atmospheric dispersal device from 222.

The episode ends with Kara passing out in mid-flight after The Graves siblings put Kryptonite into the atmosphere.


The Bottom Line

Doubtlessly, there are many who will criticize this episode of Supergirl (and indeed, the season to date) for being so unsubtle in its politics. Yet it seems to be a reflection of its times, given that this episode aired on a day when The White House took steps to start removing any definition of transgender people from federal law. The political statements may be delivered like an anvil to the head, but some anvils need to be dropped.

Unfortunately, while the politics may be in keeping with the ideals of Truth, Justice and The American Way, that doesn't excuse the stilted performance and the ham-fisted dialogue. Thankfully, most of the actors are skilled enough to make this work more often than not. But the bits that don't work (i.e. most of Mercy's hate-speech) are truly, truly awful.

Starman Plays Betrayal at Krondor - Part 39

In which we find James' "twin" (truly a long-lost half-brother) , make a side trip to learn a rare chess move. and get infected with a deadly plague that is made far easier to cope with by our having helped The Temple of Eortis one chapter too early.

Black Lightning Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 2 - The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

One Green Light Baby escapes into the Streets of Freeland as another struggles to contain a horrible power that seems to turn everyone around him against him. As Lynn struggles to help the one and Black Lightning searches for the other, Jefferson Pierce struggles with how he can break the news to his faculty and students that he is stepping down as principal of Garfield High.

Meanwhile, Jennifer struggles to contain her new powers, Anissa revels in a new romance and her newfound celebrity status as Thunder, Khalil tries to work his way back into Jennifer's life and Tobias Whale starts to tie up some loose ends as he gets ready to make a play to take over the international weapons market with a new item - metahuman soldiers.


Influences

Black Lightning: Cold Dead Hands (the idea of Tobias Whale as an arms dealer), the movie Dead Poet's Society (the ending is a tribute to the end of the movie) and the Milestone Comics Universe.


Goofs

Grace is reintroduced back into the show as quickly as she was removed from it last season, all so we can have a little bit of drama regarding Anissa's love life.


Artistry

The jazz soundtrack in the opening sequence is fantastic.

The effects work of Jefferson being battered around by the wind is great.


Technobabble

Lynn says that Wendy Hernandez may have had a psychotic break and is hallucinating.

Gambi says that Wendy Hernandez has the power of aerokinesis - wind control.

Issa Williams is revealed to have the power to make people unable to not speak the truth when he makes eye contact with them.

Lynn says that the metagene destabilizes the body's cells and then the cell's change fundamentally, giving a person superpowers. When a person's metagene is formed artificially by taking Green Light, the cells won't re-stabilize. This means that eventually the cells in the body will break down and the Green Light Babies will all die. Keeping them in the pods can keep them in stasis until a cure is found.


Dialogue Triumphs

Napier: You're an icon in this town, Jefferson.
Jefferson: (skeptical) Uh-huh.
Napier: And they can't have you... criticize after the fact.
Jefferson: I volunteered to resign for the good of the school. Why would I undermine that?
Napier: You can't even be reluctant. You've got to be 100%
(There is a long pause as Jefferson realizes why this is such a big deal.)
Jefferson: He's white?
Napier: ... yes.
Jefferson: And the board - the board is afraid of the backlash? From Parents? Students? The media? Because he is coming to a predominantly black school, playing the white savior role?
Napier: ... yes.
Jefferson: Come on, man! You couldn't find another black person? Someone who truly understands where these kids are coming from?
Napier: He's highly qualified Jefferson-
Jefferson: If he's so damn qualified, then why do I have to shuck and jive for Massah Lowry?
Napier: (testily) And tap dance. And moon walk. This is a chance to save your reputation.
Jefferson: No. No! Don't spin me, brother. We've known each other too long for that.
Napier: 'Cause we've known each other, I'm reminding you. You didn't handle your business. So now tongues are wagging. And you need those tongues wagging in the right direction. I'm your friend, bro. Get out of this alive. Alright?

Tobias: Remember when we did that loud-mouth reporter?
Marcellus: (thinking but then smiling in recollection) Yeah. Yeah! (snaps fingers) Pierce! Alvin Pierce!
(Tobias nods as Marcellus laughs.)
Marcellus: You called him an Uncle Tom and made him eat every story he wrote until he choked on them.
(Tobias starts laughing as well.)
Marcellus: (laughing) Oh, boy. I never forget.
Tobias: (not laughing anymore) I was hoping you wouldn't... remember.
(There is a deathly silence. Tobias stands up.)
Marcellus: I'm a loose end.
(Tobias only nods, looking honestly regretful.)
Marcellus: I love you, man.
(Tobias goes behind Marcellus, rubs his shoulders and then hugs him.)Tobias: And I love you too, brother.
(Tobias quickly snaps Marcellus' neck and leaves the room.)

(Issa and Jennifer test how his power only works when he's looking at a person.)
Issa: What's your favorite color?
Jennifer: Red.
Issa: (confused) Really?
Jennifer: Nope. (teasingly slaps Issa) Let's try again.
Issa: (shrugging)  Umm... do you like ice cream?
Jennifer: I hate it. (sighs in relief) Thank God, I can still lie!
Issa: Yeah, the truth isn't always good.
Jennifer: Fastest way for me to get in trouble is to tell my parents a truth they don't want to hear.

Jefferson: I need you to hear me. I wanted to be the one to tell you so that you know that I... I still have love for my students. Okay look. It is a fact the school was attacked. It is a fact that I... that I was not here during the attack or its aftermath. The board has decided that these facts are unacceptable. And they're right. I accept full responsibility for the consequences of my actions. As I would expect from each and every one of you. But. I'm not going anywhere. I am honored to remain at Garfield as a teacher. And I will give my full support to the new principal. Thank you. For always teaching me.
(Jefferson steps away from the microphone and starts to walk off stage.)
Student: Where is the future?
(Jefferson stops and looks out to the crowd.)
Jefferson: Right here.
Students: And whose life is this?
(Jefferson takes a step toward the front of the stage.)
Jefferson: Mine.
Students: What are you going to do with it?
(Jefferson walks back up to the microphone.)
Jefferson: Live it. By any means necessary.
(The students cheer as the whole crowd slowly stands up and applauds, as Jefferson slowly smiles.)


Continuity

Both Painkiller and Tobias play chess, but Tobias is a much better player.

Tobias blames Painkiller for Synoide's death.

One of the ASA scientists Lynn is supervising is killed when a Green Light Baby who vomits energy breaks his pod and dies. This frees Wendy Hernandez - a Green Light Baby with aerokinesis powers.

Gambi determines that all of Wendy Hernandez' family is dead. He begins watching the mall and rec center where she hung out, her best friend's apartment complex and the house where her grandparents used to live.

Neither Anissa or Jennifer have had menstrual cramps since they got super powers.

Anissa goes to a concert for a singer named Zoe B. The two wind up spending the night together.

Jefferson has pictures in his office where he is shaking hands with President George W. Bush and President Barak Obama.

The replacement principal is a man named Mark Lowry.

Jen pushes Painkiller off the roof when he first comes to her. She then tells him to go away, even after he tries to explain that he owes Tobias for everything he did to help him.

Tobias kills Marcellus - his former second-in-command, who is currently living in an old folks home - after he reveals that he remembers Tobias Whale killing Alvin Pierce.

Black Lightning and Thunder help to clear an accident scene caused by Wendy Hernandez. Black Lightning drains the energy from the downed power lines and cars and Thunder opens up the cars the EMTs can't get into.

Thunder high-fives the people in the street and bows as they cheer, much to her father's annoyance.

Lynn brings Issa Williams (aka The Body Bag Boy from 201) to eat dinner with the rest of the family.

Jennifer is still smoking in secret.

Anissa runs into Grace Choi (last seen in 104) at a party at Zoe B.'s penthouse, where Grace is working as part of the catering crew. She has apparently not called her for some time.

Tobias meets with Detective Summers - a cop on his payroll - and kills him.

Issa is told about the instability of his metagene and how he has two choices - be locked in a pod and put into stasis or take his chances living a normal life and hoping Lynn can find a cure before he dies.

Black Lightning is able to bring Wendy down with a low level electric shock.

Issa elects to stay free and live with his parents while getting regular check-ups with Lynn.

Wendy elects to be put back into cryogenic storage until a cure can be found.

Jefferson announces that he is resigning as principal at a school assembly, but that he will remain at Garfield High as a teacher.


Untelevised Adventures

Painkiller was apparently there when Syonide died in 201, covering the rear of the parking garage.


The Winick Factor

Anissa has suddenly become a full-of-herself player after having seemingly started a relationship with Grace last season.


The Bottom Line

A lot of subplots this time around, but they all get about the same amount of time to be developed. This is fair but unfortunate, given that watching Jefferson deal with his job and Tobias killing his underlings is far more entertaining than watching Anissa hang around the pool of her new girlfriend's Penthouse - largely because Anissa's characters seems to have shifted drastically over the past two episodes. By contrast, Jennifer gets to show some surprising maturity in helping Issa with his issues. Hopefully the two will get to interact some more because there's some great chemistry between their actors.