TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Black Lightning Season 01 Episode 08: Book Of Revelations

It’s amazing how much ground Black Lightning covers is such little time. I was actually stunned that this was episode 08, because the series has covered more ground in 8 episodes than some do in a whole season. And “The Book Of Revelations” did the same thing.

After the shocking (pun intended) death of Lady Eve, Freeland was turning against Black Lightning, thinking he’s a murderer and not a hero. So, naturally, Jefferson had to try and clear his name. And he used this opportunity to try Anissa. I really enjoyed their training session, as it showed how far she had to go until she was truly read for the field. She doesn’t know how to fully control her powers because she’s never tested her limits. She doesn’t know what she’s vulnerable to, or invulnerable to, and that’s important.

Also important is mindset. For as Jefferson noted, their job was to protect people “no matter their world views”, and that’s something Anissa will have to learn. I also liked how it was science that proved what really killed Lady Eve, and though they didn’t get the evidence to clear Black Lightning’s name, it proves it can be cleared.

The real progression in this episode though was with Jennifer and Gambi. The former now has learned she has powers, and she went straight to Anissa. This could mean that Thunder and Lightning will be teaming up sooner than expected. Or, unlike Anissa, Jennifer could reject her powers. It just depends on how the writers do it.

As for Gambi, wow. We knew he was hiding a lot, but this? On one hand, it revealed a lot about the history of Freeland and how metas came to this world (remember, this is technically not part of the Arrowverse), and revealed how Jefferson got his powers. It also revealed how his father got killed, and why Gambi worked so hard to try and protect Jefferson as well as turn him into a hero.

And though a bit on the nose, Gambi’s ASA boss is about as racist as you can get, and yet, it felt believable given how people view others of a different race.

The only thing that didn’t work here was the return of Lala. We don’t know what brought him back or why, and I honestly found it disturbing that the “ghost” of LaTavia (who he killed) was making out with him in the shower. There better be a big payoff with this.

All in all though, “The Book Of Revelations” lived up to its name in more ways than won, and things are continuing to escalate. I look forward to seeing what comes next.