Black Lightning 113
Last week saw Jefferson in a battle to the death with Tobias and Khalil, now named Painkiller. Jennifer saves him, but he is badly injured, Gambi takes the family into hiding while Jefferson recovers. It isn’t long before they track them down and a battle ensues. Meanwhile, Tobias has had enough of being everyone’s puppet and sets his sights on taking over Freeland. It’s the season finale and it looks like it will be an all-out battle. For the finale, fellow Spoiler Tv writer Jennise and I decided to do a roundtable on the events of the finale as we both have been covering the show this season.
1.Jefferson was out most of the episode, what are your thoughts?
DC Though the Flash back scenes were relevant to the storyline I wish they had been shown prior to the finale. Jefferson could have been full on Superhero throughout most of the episode and make more time for the pod discovery and how they could save them near the end.
JH I was a little surprised that Jefferson was unconscious for most of the episode. But the fact that this episode went in depth into some of the missing elements of the backstory kept me from looking for him. A number of the questions I’ve had throughout the season were answered. I was curious about how Gambi wound up raising Jefferson. I actually liked that they don’t feel the need to follow a formula because it’s the formula. This episode felt organic to the story.
2.How did you feel the whole episode played out for a finale?
DC Jennifer finally accepting her powers and helping her dad was the highlight for me but the whole episode with them all fighting including Mum was a fantastic finale and tied up a lot of loose ends. It was obvious Tobias was going to turn and become the big bad and now has two formidable sidekicks. The music as always was spot on and one thing that really set the tone of the show throughout the season.
JH It worked for me. Questions I’ve had throughout the season were answered, we had action sequences, story threads were tied up pretty neatly and they set the chessboard for season 2.
3.What are your thoughts regarding the series as a whole? Too political or what has been lacking in the superhero genre?
DC This series dared to be different and tackle real issues that affect the community it portrays.
Putting Drugs into poor communities was a real thing done by the government though not to extremes in the show.
JH One of my favourite things about this show was the fact that it brought a fresh point of view to the genre. The frankness in the world (how people of colour feel about the establishment in the country, how some cops behave when dealing with people of colour, etc.) gave the show a sense of reality that’s not typical of the superhero genre.
One of the most surprising elements of the show, for me, was the family dynamics. The Hollywood family dynamics have become so prevalent that I wonder if people think that’s really how “good families” are with each other. The families I grew up around didn’t have teens that got away with screaming at their parents. It was another element that made this show feel more grounded in the real world.
Another thing I enjoyed was having good guys and bad guys matching in intelligence.
4.What are your hopes for next season now that it is indeed a family affair?
DC The show's focus was family as you could tell from the start, even though they are divorced, both Jefferson and Lynn show a united front while dealing with their often-willful daughters. Anissa was a firecracker and determined to bring change but sometimes goes off hot-headed. When she discovers her powers, you can see she believes its, so she can help and does not shy away from it while Jennifer is the opposite and even hopes her Mum can cure her leading to discord between her two parents. Next season I can see the family Pierce fighting crime and with Mum Lynn back on board. One thing I did feel was lost in the Anissa getting her powers was her budding relationship something that needs to be brought back next season. The hype about her being LGBT was short lived.
The storyline that I found unnecessary and a bit ridiculous was the resurrection of LaLa. Overall the storylines were engaging and even though at times I felt it was finding its feet it delivered an impressive first season. Keeping the storylines real is the key and let’s hope they stick to what we have seen this season.
A shout out to the cast is in order giving us Heroes and villains alike we all instantly engaged with though I am disappointed we lost Lady Eve.
JH I’m hoping that, especially if the Pierce family is fighting together, the fight choreography remains creative and fun. I think I’d enjoy more story term stories to work within the big arc. Other than that…more of the same. They got a LOT right in season 1. I hope they don’t reverse all they’ve been doing right in building season 2.
These are just a few of our thoughts, hit up the comments with your views
