Black Lightning S01 EP09 Review

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Black Lightning aired its ninth episode last night and the plot thickens with development! Jennifer's powers were unveiled, more of Gambi's past was explored, and we got more set up for what is to come, all within a (mostly) solid episode.

When Jennifer's powers first surfaced in the last episode, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. She is one of my favorite characters on the show, and I knew that at some point she was going to gain her powers; however, I felt and still feel as though they should have waited until next season to have them come into play. This episode is where I finally decided that the show is just doing way too many things at once, we have the story with Tobias Whale, who was missing for the second episode in a row now, along with Anissa gaining her powers, Gambi's past with the ASA which is now a major story beat, along with the mystery of Lala coming back to life and Jennifer getting her powers. It all feels like too much to keep track of, especially when some of these points are being added so late in the season, but lets try to unpack it all.

Like I mentioned, Tobias Whale is still missing in action after being shot two episode ago. I used to think that he would be the major antagonist for the season but it almost feels as if he has been forgotten about as the story finds new focus on the ASA. Which is a shame, because a season fully devoted to Tobias Whale could have been nice. But instead we have the ASA which has slithered its way into the show and now stands firmly in place as the major force of evil in the show; I am also confused whether or not this company is the same thing as the "Shadowboard" that was mentioned by Lady Eve and Gambi several episodes ago, which Tobias Whale is also affiliated with. We learned that the ASA is evidently holding bodies of children that Gambi helped to scout out in his younger days, which didn't sit well with Anissa. Anissa also finally got her real suit that was seen in a promo image months ago, which is inserted above as well. I've been waiting for it to finally appear, her previous costume made her look like a clown and didn't sit well with me since it looked so ridiculous. So I'm glad that the clown suit is officially out the window and a better suit is here.

Lala was completely absent from this episode, which makes me wonder why they brought him back to life so early if he just wasn't going to be necessary for anything in the last episode, and missing in this one. It feels like they could have had the twist with him being alive revealed later on, so it didn't feel like yet another thing that was being forced in and forgotten about. Jennifer's powers thankfully got some focus though and weren't revealed for the sake of it before being sidelined for the rest of the episode, she got a decent amount of scenes dealing with her powers, and her reasoning for being uncomfortable with powers were realistic and understandable. I still wish that they had come later though, and that as Anissa has had this season devoted to the growth of her powers, season 2 could have Jennifer have the focus because she still felt disconnected from what was going on. It felt like they were too eager on pulling the trigger with having her powers revealed, which never factored into the story of this episode either.

Overall, this episode more than any has got me thinking that there is too much going on this season and that the show isn't adept enough to give it all enough focus. Gambi continues to be a delight, whether it is seeing him poison people with a vicious virus, or watching him as an elderly man crawling through air ducts. Jennifer had some stand out scenes in the episode, while Jefferson and Anissa's attack on the green light facility was fun to watch, as well as seeing them mask up in those ridiculous masks. I was also thankful after it was done that the inspector made it out alive and wasn't found dead in an alley like he was afraid of. The promo for the next episode teases more Lala, hopefully an explanation to whats going on with him and Lawanda, but seemingly no sign of Tobias Whale who I hope makes a return to the show sooner rather than later. I dig the scheming gangster more than a shady company. The episode was fun to watch, and I'm interested in seeing where next episode goes.