Black Lightning S02 EP02 Review

(Issa being welcomed to the family, but for only one episode)

(Image Source)

It took me a little while but I'm finally getting to my review of the second episode of Black Lightning's sophomore run. I've been a bit busy lately, with school and the sort, but it has given me more time to think about the episode and let it sit...and truthfully, I haven't thought about it a lot. It wasn't because I was busy, because my mind is also thinking about what I've been recently interested in such as Flash's latest episode, the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie, and the upcoming toy events at the end of the month; I think I wasn't thinking about the episode just because there wasn't much to think about. There is some stuff I would like to cover though for the sake of reviewing, but there was one part of the episode that really irritated me and if you've read my previous reviews you know what it will be about.

To start off things off, it felt like the show tried their hand at the "metahuman of the week" gimmick that Flash uses a lot, and it didn't really work I felt. The episode opened with two of the pod children spontaneously waking up, and while one died upon doing so the other rushed out into the world and then didn't matter a whole lot after that. She showed up once later to walk down a street and cause some damage that Black Lightning and Thunder came and cleaned up (though they didn't even see the girl). Then she appeared at the very end where Black Lightning had a short fight with her and subdued her without much consequence other than being a minor distraction. Nothing much was added by this subplot besides giving a fun fight, as no characters were developed by the plot, no new information was discovered for the overall plot, and I kinda hope that no more pod children get out if they're just going to eat up screen time this way.

On a more positive note, we were given a ton of more time with the body bag boy who is named Issa Williams and is NOT Static Shock. Instead he seems to be an all new character who can compel others to tell the truth which leads to come hurtful comments from his family, and brings out aggressive arguments within the Pierce family. It was fun to see them say what they were thinking, and to see Issa trapped within himself by being unable to control his powers. It provided for a good bonding moment between him and Jennifer though as she taught him how to better control it, and the end of the episode saw him refusing to return to the pods and instead going to live with his family again. Surely we'll see more of him, and I've got a sneaking suspicion he'll come to heads with Khalil who was back on Jennifer's rooftop telling her he was trapped doing Tobias' dirty work and wanted out. That was nice to add another layer to his character, and to make him less detestable after his behavior following his return at the end of season 1.

Speaking of Tobias, this episode saw him killing off those who remembered him murdering Jefferson Pierce's father. It will be interesting to see where this goes in future episodes, and what the reasoning is behind Tobias doing this.

Anissa is the worst. It isn't my best segway into a topic, but it pretty much sums up how I feel about her. She went to a club, hooked up with a new girl, then on another date with this girl she runs into her second girlfriend from season 1 who had vanished without a mention. Turns out, Anissa just stopped calling this girl! They never broke up, Anissa just abandoned her and never came back, and then thought it was exciting for them to see each other again. When it comes to relationships, Anissa is awful, and tired of seeing her constantly leaving girlfriends just to get with new girls. Another sidenote, her tiresome gasps occurred three times in quick succession in this episode, which is super ANNOYING to constantly have to listen to!

To end the episode review on a good note though, we had more exploration of Jefferson's leave from Garfield High. While I'm still not sure who Napier is, he seems to be a fun character, and the followings scenes of Jefferson giving the faculty and later the students his resignation was touching to watch as it is truly a moving tide for the characters and the school. While the episode's end seemed abrupt, it was a great moment as the students stood up for their teacher and had him recite the motto he had had them recite so many times before.

Overall, I felt this episode had as many strong parts as it had weak parts. Metahuman of the week doesn't seem to work for the show, at least how they handled it, and I'm tired of watching Anissa in general. Issa was a fun new addition and I hope he comes back soon, along with the continuation of Tobias' current story and Jefferson's plight with resignation. I'm looking forward to where the future brings us on the show, and despite what Jefferson might've said at the end, his life is assuredly most definitely not in his hands.