Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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.


Trivia

Wendy Hernandez may be a revamped version of Windfall - a villain with wind control powers from the Batman and the Outsiders comics.


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.

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