TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Black Lightning Season 4 Episode 9: Lyding

With “Lyding”, Black Lightning is truly feeling like it’s heading towards a series finale (which I’m still opposed to by the way). But while the progression of things in a certain way is welcome, there were several missteps that held this episode back from being one of the best of the season.

For example, seeing Tobias’ plan come to fruition in that he was able to get Lyn’s vials of the nullified agent and use the power amplifier to apparently spread it throughout the city, making Black Lightning and his entire team powerless, was brilliant. Because as was shown earlier in the season, he could easily have fought Black Lightning one on one and won thanks to his insulator skin. But by doing things this way, he’s taking out his powers and his life. Especially in how he used the embezzlement scheme to get Lyn shut down at her own lab and then arrested.

If you recall, her strip search scene was very like what happened in the earlier seasons when the ASA arrested Jeff and had him doing the same thing. A nice symmetry.

However, Lyn’s blow-up at Jefferson after getting locked out of her lab was way too over the top. She KNOWS that it was Tobias who did it, and she KNOWS that Tobias was trying to take out the family but instead she blames Jefferson multiple times. Saying it was HIS embezzlement and that until HE proves otherwise it doesn’t mean anything and that’s…just dumb. If anything, she should’ve been willing to do anything to prove her and Jeff’s innocence but instead she just ran off (a sad theme that’s happened over the seasons).

Then, there’s Jennifer, who is still 50-50 in terms of who and what she is, and this episode didn’t do her any favors in making her “new form” any more believable. Her doing the social media bit to help out the music program? Yeah, very Jen, Anissa would’ve done that too no doubt. But then going so coco for Cocoa Puffs for the guy she JUST MET that she would only go and see him as Lightning to earn his favor? …really? Then, her blowing off EVERYTHING that Jefferson, and Gambi, AND Anissa were saying about Ishmael, the cops and so on and saying she would “light them up” before they get to her? …really?

And then the fight scene with the cops was a bit overplayed. Especially with Jennifer’s line about the cops leaving her alone. Sorry, that was cringe.

Anissa came off well in this episode though, her suit is dope and further proof that you can have an epic female superhero and costume without needing to show a lot of skin or putting them in a skirt. Just saying. Furthermore, the death of Darius further shows just how in danger everyone is.

I also wish we could see more of the fight between Black Lightning and Ishmael before things got powerless, but oh well. And tying Ishmael to the League of Assassins (of which he is a part of in the comics…before he died) was a great connector that I appreciate.

In the end, “Lyding” did have some good elements and the endgame is upon us, but there was some serious foot tripping here and you can’t have that leading into the finale.