Plot
Tobias Whale returns to Freeland, under orders to capture Black Lightning alive, with the help of an unexpected ally. Thankfully, Jefferson will not be alone when he confronts his father's killer, as both his daughters provide some unexpected help when Garfield High is placed under siege.
Technobabble
Green Light gives ordinary people super-strength, a high pain tolerance and no flight instinct. It also awakens super-powers in potential metahumans, but their survival rate is no better than under the original ASA vaccine.
Gambi says that there are implants that can heal severed spines in lab mice but he thought that technology wasn't ready for humans yet. He says that it must be a billion-dollar technology, at least.
Gambi says that the development of high-output mobile solar power coincided with the sudden end of random power fluctuations on the Freeland power grid. He susepcts The ASA did this to get off the grid so they would be harder to trace.
Tobias Whale has some kind of under-armor that protects him from electrocution.
Dialogue Triumphs
Proctor: How much do you know about (Lady Eve's) operations?
Tobias: Well, let's just say she helped the citizens of Freeland find happiness by muting the pain of their deprivation.
Proctor: Is that what drug dealers tell themselves?
Tobias: You and I have never worked together directly, so... being cautious with my words seemed wise.
(Proctor describes how the ASA project to make the people of Freeland more docile created metahumans instead.)
Proctor: A side effect with strategic implications.
Tobias: Yeah. Meaning in a dangerous situation, a few local folks fight and die, saving the lives of some fancy white boys.
Khalil: Stop with that surrogate daddy act. You don't care about me. I was just another poor, little kid from Freeland for you to parade around to make you and Garfield look good.
Jefferson: That is so not true.
Khalil: Yes it is! As soon as my black ass couldn't run no more... where were you? You wouldn't even let your daughter near me. (turns around and starts to walk away, but spins around) Where's the future, Mr. P? (points to himself) It's right here!
(Gambi goes off to meet a contact, warning Jefferson and Anissa that Proctor will be looking for them.)
Jefferson: Gambi? Proctor will be looking for you too.
Gambi: Yeah. But this old man's not going to save the world. So if he catches me? It's not as big a deal.
Dialogue Disasters
Proctor: Alive, Mister Whale! I need Black Lightning alive!
Proctor: This experiment! Can not! Fail!
Continuity
Tobias Whale is revealed to have been in the care of the ASA since he was shot in 107.
Tobias knows of Martin Proctor, though they have never worked together directly.
Green Light is revealed to be the result of the ASA efforts to stabilize the vaccine formula that was creating metahumans. While it would create more useful soldiers, their bodies still burned out as quickly as the first generation of metahuman test subjects.
Proctor asks Tobias to capture Black Lightning alive, as they think he is a product of their vaccine and the only one to have survived to adulthood that they know of.
Martin Proctor is revealed to finished work on Tobias' project to heal Jennifer's ex-boyfriend Khalil Payne.
Jefferson and Lynn reconcile but decide to keep that a secret from their daughters until they are sure they are ready to get back together.
Tobias has Dwayne - the man who pulled him to safety but left Tori to die - shot by Syonide.
Anissa figures out that 42 kids from the 1980s went missing. Neema makes 43.
Anissa only counted three dozen pods when she discovered the ASA warehouse in 110. Jefferson guesses this means 7 kids died in ASA experiments.
Lynn tells Jennifer that she's going to try and isolate the metagene and find a way to negate it. Jefferson is upset when he learns this.
Khalil's mother says that she was told that Khalil was sent to California as part of some experimental procedure and that she hasn't heard from him since. The contact who set everything up was named Mr. Martin.
Gambi goes after Tommy Hildago - the weapons maker from 109. He gives him 48 hours to give him Proctor.
Khalil tries to reconcile with Jennifer, but he changes his mind after she questions where he got his spinal implant from.
Anissa made use of a man named Marcus Roberts, who graduated a year ahead of her, who now works for FGE. He tracked several power fluctuations for Anissa, finding a likely location for The ASA hideout until about three years earlier.
Khalil attacks Garfield High, throwing darts filled with some kind of neurotixin at the students.
Thunder is able to win a one-on-one fight with Syonide.
The toxic darts seem to stop Jefferson's heart. He is revived by Jennifer using her powers like a defibrillator.
Lala kills Thomas Hildalgo.
Tobias Whale was responsible for Lala's resurrection.
Whale plans to take out Proctor in order to take over the whole operation.
Location
A cabin Gambi keeps in a forest outside Freeland.
The Bottom Line
A surprisingly weak episode by the standards of this series to date. Not bad exactly, but mostly concerned with reviving several long-dead subplots in anticipation of the finale. Not a lot of great dialogue, but the actors sell every line well enough, though the actor playing Proctor apparently decided to attempt the world's worst William Shatner impression with his enunciation this week. Still, the action sequences are thrilling and next week promises to be interesting.
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