'Black Lightning' Recap: 'Black Jesus'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

​You know, I really have to tip my hat to the Writer’s Room and everyone involved behind the scenes with Black Lightning. Because four weeks into Jefferson Pierce’s journey, the show has shown zero signs of letting up when it comes to its quest to provide us with a different kind of superhero story and last night’s episode was no exception to that rule. Because while ‘Black Jesus’ dropped much of the social commentary prevalent in this series, it kicked its deconstruction of the superhero genre as a whole into overdrive, breaking down several key elements of the genre.
 
First and foremost, it dug deep into the sheer power and awe that superheroes wield as a whole and all of that came about simply by putting Black Lightning on the screen. Because every single time he walked into a room or stood next to a person, their eyes were filled with wonder, regardless of which side they were on and it was simply fascinating to watch a room full of people stand there and stare in tribute before running the hell away because they know trouble is coming and well, this was just downright cool. Because seeing people regard Black Lightning with that level of respect in an everyday setting once again adds a level of realism to this show that’s not present anywhere else in the genre.
 
Yet this tale continued to go above and beyond by also taking the time to show us just how lonely a superhero’s life can be. Sure, Jefferson has respect and awe and all the stuff human beings crave as Black Lightning. But when he’s not in the suit, he’s faced with the collateral damage of his role, and the harsh reality of knowing that he cannot do a thing to resolve many situations without his alternate persona present and this was damn near heartbreaking to watch. Because really, there’s no one for Jefferson to turn to, and it’s clear that seeing the human side to all of this gets to him on a deeply fundamental level and sadly, there’s no escape from it because this all comes with the territory, but I am so glad the show took the time to explore this, period.
 
In addition to that, the show had one more wonderful element to bring to the screen by giving the villains unprecedented depth as well. Because often times we are fully aware of the fact that the evil folks in these stories are indeed evil and must be stopped at all costs, but this little vignette really took the time to explain why Tobias and the mysterious Lady Eve are so hell bent on keeping Black Lightning out of Freeland and it all comes down to power and comfort. They love the life they lead, they love the control they yield and giving that up is unacceptable and it’s downright amazing to give the bad guys such a simple goal for a change instead of some grand scheme revolving around world domination.
 
Not to mention, the whole notion of turning the community of Freeland against Black Lightning is equally as brilliant and it should be interesting to see if Tobias’ plan is going to work when all is said and done. Regardless, this was just another wonderful episode. Every single week this series finds something new and exciting for our brains to mull over and I loved every single second of this tale and everything it had to offer, and I’m also truly appreciative of the slow burn approach they’re taking to Anissa’s powers as well, forcing her to truly understand what makes a hero, a hero, before allowing for her to take on that role. Either way, things are heating up in Freeland and I think Jefferson was 100% correct in this episode when he pointed out that things are going to get a lot harder, before they get any better. Until next time.

---