TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 2: Black Jesus Blues

After a somewhat inconsistent season opener (in my opinion), Black Lightning bounced back in a big way with “Black Jesus Blues”, as it brought a wider focus with greater meaning, and less odd moments.

One of the biggest things that I appreciated was that ending scene with the kids at the school. After Pierce informed them about his departure, they showed him the respect that he deserved, which is more than what the board of directors can say. Seeing him get a standing ovation was very powerful, as it proved that is impact on their lives was felt in the ways that mattered.

Meanwhile, Lynn found herself dealing with two different Green Lightning babies, one that escaped from a pod, and one that was detained after the events of the premiere. Seeing her in action as she tried to help one (whose power was to get people to tell the truth) was also compelling. As she clearly wanted to help him, while the ASA merely saw a potential asset should he live.

Anissa meanwhile started to take a turn for the arrogant, for not only did she meet her new girlfriend (a celebrity no less), but also started to appreciate and soak in the love of the crowd. We’ve seen many heroes go through this in comics, so I’m curious to see how they do it with Thunder here.

Jennifer had her own struggles, as she continued to fight her powers, all the while dealing with her feelings about Kalil, who visited her to try and get some stableness in his own life after Tobias blamed him for the death of Cyanide.

I noted last week that one of the things I didn’t like about the premiere was that there was unnecessary fighting between the family. Here, we got the opposite, from Anissa and Jennifer talking about their parents getting back together potentially, to Jefferson trying to steer Anissa away from the spotlight, to the family dinner scene, it was all top notch.

The only things that didn’t work really were the Tobias scenes, and a few odds and ends. I don’t understand why Tobias is trying to clean up house now. Did the death of Cyanide put him in lockdown? It felt a little much. Also, while Anissa getting a new girlfriend is one thing, how did she get to that party in the first place? Furthermore, she just HAPPENS to see her old flame there? Really?

Finally, I’m hoping that this “Green Lightning Baby” thing isn’t something that happens every episode. It worked here because of the storylines with Jefferson, Lynn, and Anissa, but if they pull this card too many times, it becomes like Flash, and we’ve all seen what happens there.

In the end though, “Black Jesus Blues” was a big bounce back for the series, and I think it’ll continue to be consistent as time goes on.