'Black Lightning' Recap - 'Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

​When one thinks of the superhero genre, two key storytelling elements come right to mind; action and intensity. Because when it comes to this genre, we expect our breath to be taken away with action sequences that are a feast for the eyes and a story that flat out leaves our heart racing and really, one thing that continues to make the CW’s Black Lightning so incredibly impressive, is the sheer fact that it has been able to tell a compelling tale, without making either of those elements the focus of Jefferson Pierce’s journey. 
 
However, despite the refreshing nature of this show, it was only a matter of time before action and intensity became a focus for the series and the all-important moment for that to arrive came about during last night’s episode. Because ‘Sins of the Father: The Book of Redemption’ wasted no time in delivering plenty of the action and adventure we fans crave, and while for a brief moment it seemed as though that traditional brand of superhero storytelling was going to be the focus of this episode, the show surprised once again, by ensuring that that the action in this story served a logical purpose, so that the intensity we expect to go with it, could be brought about in far more fascinating fashion. 
 
That was accomplished, by putting Peter in grave danger for a change. Because Martin Proctor is no fool, and he put two and two together over the fact that Anissa and Jefferson visited his off the books storage site for his collection of Meta Humans shortly after Peter found it, and well, Proctor wasted no time in taking the opportunity to torture his old subordinate in order to figure out his connections to Black Lightning and since Peter is a tough old bird and said nothing when it comes to Freeland’s greatest protector, Proctor upped the ante and had his lackeys bring in Jefferson instead, which meant he had to use his powers to get Gambi free and while that worked out just fine, it definitely led to some fallout.
 
Because there’s no way a man as smart as Proctor would let something like that go, which meant that Jefferson and his family had to go into hiding, and they used Alvin’s old house as their temporary sanctuary and really, what made this part of the story so intense is the sheer fact that there is a real sense of danger hanging over the show now. No one it seems is safe anymore, not even Jefferson and really, it’s rare to see that in a superhero show. Normally our hero just saves the day, but even Jefferson has to keep a low profile to see another day and to top it all off, the twist at the end, where we learned that Ms. Fowdy, someone we thought we could trust, is actually helping out the ASA was a show stopper for certain, and to make matters worse, she too is now aware of Jefferson’s true identity.
 
If anything, this little change up storytelling wise was magnificent to say the least. Because this tale kept me on the edge of my seat through and through and really, it continues to amaze me how this series manages to turn the genre upside down in new and exciting ways. However, despite the wonder I’m experiencing watching episodes such as this; it’s obvious the intensity and the danger is only going to grow, because Jefferson is a marked man and The 100 is venturing into some terrifying territory with Lala making a powerful play in Tobias’ absence which means that at this point, we are going to be treated some explosive showdowns as we barrel toward the season one finale. Until next time.

---