Why You Should STILL Watch “BLACK LIGHTNING”
Like the old saying goes “All good things must come to an end”, Black Lightning has ended its run with season 4. The series began in a unique way, unlike many other shows “Black Lightning” didn’t premiere as an origin story. Jefferson Pierce wasn’t your typical teenager discovering they have powers in some roundabout way but a husband, father, and principal trying to find balance. This was until multiple events caused him to come out of hiatus and go back to fighting crime as “Black Lightning”. The series does a great job of telling the story of a Black family that just so happens to have superpowers. It doesn’t sugarcoat the Black experience but instead uses its platform to shed light on real-life issues and circumstances. (Warning some spoilers ahead)
The Heroes
Like many of the other CW shows the titular character is a part of a larger puzzle. Black Lightning is not on the journey to protect his family and save his city of Freeland alone. While Black Lightning has already solidified himself as a superhero we get to see him guide his daughters as they discover their own abilities.
Jefferson Pierce portrayed by Cress Williams is a complex character that struggles with his own duality. He tries to lead a normal life but sees firsthand what his absence as a crime fighter has done to the community around him. As a principal, the community gave him the nickname “Black Jesus”. He is known to always know what to do and what to say. Throughout the series, Jefferson gives encouragement to his students with quotes from well-known activists. At home, Jefferson is a father and ex-husband who wants nothing more than to get his family back together. Part of the reason he and his wife Lynn separated was due to his double life as Black Lightning in his younger years. With this duality, he also seeks vengeance for his father’s murder but struggles with the idea of taking life himself. Jefferson’s abilities include electrokinesis, energy absorption, flight, force field generation, martial arts, and metahuman durability.
Jennifer Pierce portrayed by China Anne Mcclain is a teenager first and a superhero second. Jennifer is as rebellious as they come. In school, Jennifer is a track star known as “The queen of Garfield” due to Jefferson’s position at the school. We meet Jennifer as a teenager trying to find herself, date, and do what typical teens do. She soon discovers she isn’t like most teenagers. Initially, she struggles with wanting to have a normal life unlike her older sister Anissa. We get to see Jennifer grow into her own and have many adventures along the way. She develops into the alias Lighting whose powers consist of electric generation manipulation, flight, photokinesis, electric detection, and plasmakinesis.
Anissa Pierce portrayed by Nafessa Williams is the eldest daughter of Jefferson Pierce and Lynn Stewart. She’s a medical student, teacher, volunteer, and last but not least a superhero. Anissa has a take-charge personality. She’s a protective big sister and takes it upon herself to “do what needs to be done” which eventually earns her the moniker “Harriet”. She is also a proud part of the LGBT community. While at times Anissa can be seen as a playgirl she finds love with another meta named “Grace Choi”. Anissa not only accepts her duality as a superhero (Thunder) she even takes on a third persona called “Black Bird”. “Black Bird” is a “By any means necessary” persona that sometimes has to do unconventional things to save the day . We see Anissa hold her own and develop into a strong Black heroine. Thunder’s powers consist of density manipulation, meta-human strength, shock waves, and thunder clapping.
Khalil Payne portrayed by Jordan Calloway is the on and off again boyfriend of Jennifer Pierce. We meet Khalil as an underprivileged student at Garfield with a promising future in track. We see his developing romance with Jennifer Pierce strengthen and she eventually becomes one of Khalil’s motivating factors. Khalil's life changes literally with one shot. He teeters between a life of an involuntary henchman and trying to collect the remaining shattered pieces of his life. We see Khalil turn from a teenager to a young adult having to make tough decisions with his good heart remaining. Khalil has a “rebirth” of sorts and has a constant internal battle in his own headspace against the darker parts of him (PainKiller). Although Khalil Payne is technically an original character his alias Pain Killer is a DC comic villain. The character was originally created to be in a limited amount of episodes but his character development (and good looks) made him a fan favorite. This resulted in his longevity on the series. Khalil’s powers consist of enhanced strength, powers of anesthetization, and a venomous touch. His character even had the potential for a spin-off and was given a back door pilot during season 4. Unfortunately, the network decided not to go forward with the series.
Grace Choi portrayed by Chantal Thuy is the wife of Anissa Pierce. We meet Grace in the Freeland Library where she and Anissa meet for the first time. We get a nod to the DC comic series “The Outsiders” in comic book form as the two flirt over common interests. Grace is a bartender initially who struggles with PTSD and takes medication to subdue her shapeshifting powers. Outside of human form you can find Grace as a cannibalistic leopard. She and Anissa struggle with their relationship at first not wanting to be judged by the other until they realize they are more alike than they think. We see Grace go from being unsure of herself to a strong forceful character. She and Anissa’s relationship over the seasons became stan worthy and “ThunderGrace” was born. Her powers consist of superhuman strength; durability and endurance; regeneration; shapeshifting.
Lynn Stewart portrayed by Christine Adams is the mother of Anissa and Jennifer and the ex-wife of Jefferson Pierce. While she is not a metahuman like the rest of her family she is a brilliant MD at Bowman college. Lynn left Jefferson almost a decade ago because she couldn’t deal with him being Black Lightning. As her daughters develop their own powers she fears for their safety. As time progresses we get to see Lynn bring her own shotgun to help fight with her family.
Peter Gambi Played by James Remar. Gambi acts as a second father to Jefferson Pierce after his father is murdered. Part of Gambi's adoption of Jefferson was from guilt knowing he played a part in the kidnapping of meta children while he was in the ASA. He is known to Anissa and Jennifer lovingly as “Uncle Gambi”. He is insanely smart and tech-savvy. He created all the suits for the Pierce family in relation to their abilities for optimal use. Gambi is the character that keeps the others grounded and level-headed. He’s usually the elder voice of reason as the other characters battle with themselves.
THE VILLIANS
Tobias Whale played by Marvin “Krondon” Jones III is the big bad of the series. He has his hand in just about every crime ring in Freeland. He is also much older than he looks thanks to a green light serum he takes to keep his youth. Tobias is also responsible for the death of Jefferson Pierce’s father. Due to neglect and abuse at the hands of his own father Tobias has developed into a ruthless criminal. He had a close relationship with his sister Tori until her unfortunate demise. Throughout the series, we see humanizing aspects of Tobias but are reminded of his main goal. Tobias will stop at nothing to try to control the city of Freeland.
Lady Eve played by Jill Scott is a queen pin. She is a member of the shadow board and owner of the Black Bird Funeral Parlor. She rules with an iron fist while giving a regal allure that intimidates those around her.
Lala played by Will Catlett is the leader of the 100 gang. He was previously a student at Garfield high that holds guilt behind the murder of one of his best friends. Seemingly taking things into his own hands he gets involved with the 100 as a means to get out of poverty. His character is based on the DC comic character “Tattoo man”. Every time he kills someone their likeness is suddenly tattooed on his body. Also giving him the power to summon the spirits for his bidding. Even though in the show the spirits seem to have a mind of their own. Lala is a villain that you love because of his cocky and confident demeanor. He also hates Tobias Whale as much as the rest of the other characters.
OTHER REASONS TO WATCH
The characters in between are significant and work perfectly to make Freeland what it is. It isn’t a perfect community and doesn’t pretend to be. With full storylines, Black Lightning is entertaining for all members of the family. Each character has relatability and the audience can find one to resonant with. “Black Lightning” is a much-needed form of representation. Even though there won’t be any more weekly episodes, seasons 1–4 are available to stream on Netflix in its entirety. “Get Lit”
