S01.E11: Black Jesus: The Book of Crucifixion

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

As suspicions grow that Jefferson Pierce is Black Lightning, the ASA arranges to have him arrested.  Lynn seeks help from Detecitve Henderson. Meanwhile, as Jefferson is in custody, Gambi and Anissa work together to show Black Lightning is still running around the streets of Freeland.

 

[janeta]

Jennifer's gonna need a suit....

[HunterHunted]

This is why the ASA is never going to be successful. This heavy-handed conspiratorial nonsense pushes people's buttons and makes everyone paranoid. They should have quietly abducted Jeff, seen if he was Black Lightning, and shanked him and blamed it on the 100. It's not like he hasn't had dust ups with the 100 in the past. But framing him for being a green light dealer is dumb and unbelievable. And there would have been community marches, but no one would has feed venerated him as a Black man cut down by the government. It's the reason why people still remember the stories about kids being abducted. The ASA isn't the least bit subtle. You need people who look like bangers, dealers, or pimps picking up these kids manifesting powers. No one notices that, but a van full if white guys in suits? People will freaking remember that. Same way that accusing of being a drug dealer the guy who has helped hundreds if not thousands of residents is not going to fly.

They are going to need to start training Jennifer. Her powers have the potential to be explosively dangerous. She has already demonstrated terrible impulse control.

[Jediknight]

Love that the students were willing to go to war with the cops to protect Jefferson.  That's the incredible amount of respect that he commands.  They knew the charges against him were bullshit, because they know him.  I also loved the newscast showing that Jefferson is as big as a beacon of hope as Black Lightning.  You only had 1 person who thought he was guilty (racist old grandma), everybody else knew it was crap.

I like that Jefferson and Gambi are patching things up.  I so like how they handled the story, Jefferson may have been mad at Gambi, but he knows how much Gambi means to the girls, so he understands they would go to him.

No supervillains this episode, but more tense than any other CW DC show.  Of course, it's because of the real world implications.  Jefferson was being framed, and we know that if even one person threw a punch, they'd all be screwed.

Can the Arrow team sit down and learn from Black Lightning's team?

Edited April 4, 2018 by Jediknight

[thuganomics85]

Jefferson definitely has mastered the art of Zen might being able to control himself and not go all "Black Lightning" on those asshole corrupt cops.  I'm sure the temptation was there all the time though.  Cress Williams did some great physical and facial acting here.

Glad to see Henderson finally get some meaty material and step up.  I've always enjoyed Damon Gupton, but he usually ends up playing secondary characters, so it's always nice to see him get to shine.  Glad that Henderson is the new Deputy Chief, but I do worry that this might not be it for Cayman, depending on how much reach the ASA has and if they feel he's worth breaking out.

Gambi continues to be full of surprises!  I'm understand why Jefferson still hasn't fully forgiven him yet, but he seems to be heading to it and hopefully they can get there.

Interesting that both Jennifer and Anissa where this close to unleashing their powers at first and had to be talked down.  Jennifer was predictable since she is still new to it, but even after all the training, seeing her father getting hauled away almost made Anissa unleash hell.

Totally noticed that Lynn first referred to herself as Jefferson's wife, with no ex in sight!  Come on, you two!  Y'all totally want to get back together!

Wonder what this means for the Vice Principal, since she actually didn't really believe that Jefferson was Black Lightning to begin with.

Can't believe there are only two episodes left.  At least we know we're getting another season!

[cambridgeguy]

So aside from the pure humiliation of it is there a pseudo-legitimate reason to make a prisoner get down and cough after you've made him strip?  It's very flimsy but you can explain away the other parts by wanting to make sure he isn't concealing anything, etc.

[janeta]

32 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

So aside from the pure humiliation of it is there a pseudo-legitimate reason to make a prisoner get down and cough after you've made him strip?  It's very flimsy but you can explain away the other parts by wanting to make sure he isn't concealing anything, etc.

Um, the officer was checking that he wasn’t concealing anything in a -ahem- certain orifice. Google “cavity search.” (Or, not... :P )

Edited April 4, 2018 by janeta

[UNOSEZ]

Very happy with this episode... This  season is zooming by... 

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, janeta said:

Um, the officer was checking that he wasn’t concealing anything in a -ahem- certain orifice. Google “cavity search.” (Or, not... :P )

Sticking your finger in his Tesla Coil might discharge his Lightning Rod.

[RandomWatcher]

Many things stood out to me this ep, but the 40 year old tv stood out more.

[comanick]

10 minutes ago, RandomWatcher said:

Many things stood out to me this ep, but the 40 year old tv stood out more.

Thats what i thought as well. That tv was too old to still be functional. 

[HunterHunted]

Someone on io9 suggested that the kid-cicle metahumans might be a way for the show to bring in the Milestone Universe. Milestone was started by minority creators and focused on writing minority and underrepresented characters. It often focused on real world issues like bigotry that minority superheroes might face.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milestone_Media?wprov=sfla1

[UNOSEZ]

20 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Someone on io9 suggested that the kid-cicle metahumans might be a way for the show to bring in the Milestone Universe. Milestone was started by minority creators and focused on writing minority and underrepresented characters. It often focused on real world issues like bigotry that minority superheroes might face.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milestone_Media?wprov=sfla1

I thought the same thing.. It would hive the pierce's some powered enemies and allies for the future episodes... Kinda expand the world a little bit. 

[AnimeMania]

I was disappointed with their family meal, 1 thin slice of pizza per plate.

Lynn seemed to love her hot sauce.

Jefferson was staring at the bottles of sauces on the table like it was the first time he had seen them.

[UNOSEZ]

2 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

I was disappointed with their family meal, 1 thin slice of pizza per plate.

Lynn seemed to love her hot sauce.

Jefferson was staring at the bottles of sauces on the table like it was the first time he had seen them.

I was wondering why so skimpy.. And tho I don't actually know anyone who outs hot sauce in pizza I hear its a thing in some black communities (not mine)  but we aren't American and we're in the north east... So maybe its regional 

[nitrofishblue]

2 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I was wondering why so skimpy.. And tho I don't actually know anyone who outs hot sauce in pizza I hear its a thing in some black communities (not mine)  but we aren't American and we're in the north east... So maybe its regional 

Some folks like almost anything on pizza. My husband ALWAYS puts Hot Pace Picante Sauce on his pizza and we live in the Midwest.

[possibilities]

These people are skinny. That's why only one slice of pizza.

[jhlipton]

3 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

I was wondering why so skimpy.. And tho I don't actually know anyone who outs hot sauce in pizza I hear its a thing in some black communities (not mine)  but we aren't American and we're in the north east... So maybe its regional 

My wife puts hot sauce on EVERYTHING, including pizza.

[Primal Slayer]

One thing I need this show to do is get rid of Anissa's breathing exercises for to "summon" her powers. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I was cool with it at the beginning but she knows how to use her powers now so they can get rid of it.

[UNOSEZ]

22 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

One thing I need this show to do is get rid of Anissa's breathing exercises for to "summon" her powers. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I was cool with it at the beginning but she knows how to use her powers now so they can get rid of it.

I think that's how her powers work.. At least for now... I remember Jefferson saying something yo the effect of.. If u take a breath at the wrong  time.. You can get hurt

[johntfs]

23 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

One thing I need this show to do is get rid of Anissa's breathing exercises for to "summon" her powers. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I was cool with it at the beginning but she knows how to use her powers now so they can get rid of it.

I don't think they can.  Anissa activates her powers by holding her breath.  She keeps her powers only as long as she holds that breath.

[Primal Slayer]

2 minutes ago, UNOSEZ said:

I think that's how her powers work.. At least for now... I remember Jefferson saying something yo the effect of.. If u take a breath at the wrong  time.. You can get hurt

 

1 minute ago, johntfs said:

I don't think they can.  Anissa activates her powers by holding her breath.  She keeps her powers only as long as she holds that breath.

I just want them to stop with the sound effect and showing her taking the breathe lol. She can still do it but we don't need to know everytime she does.

[Lantern7]

Damn, that was a brutal episode. Most of it was Jefferson getting repeatedly fucked over and taking it without lashing out. I know that how a man is supposed to do it, but there would be a limit for me. It's a Humiliation Conga: breaking into the car, planting Greenlight, arresting him in front of his students, beating him up for the fuck of it, and making him get naked. Oh, and Lynn gets turned away because she's not technically Jefferson's wife. Thank goodness for a geek supporting character that can create something to clear Jeff. "Black Lightning" running looked dopey, but I think that's because we're in on the joke.

9 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

Someone on io9 suggested that the kid-cicle metahumans might be a way for the show to bring in the Milestone Universe. Milestone was started by minority creators and focused on writing minority and underrepresented characters. It often focused on real world issues like bigotry that minority superheroes might face.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milestone_Media?wprov=sfla1

Did not think of that. Maybe Jennifer becomes Static? There was a good cross-section of characters there, though I'm not sure if a guy named "Holocaust" would make the jump, even if he takes from the word with all lower-case letters. I'd like a talking dog, though. Dunno if there would be a budget for Brickhouse, though.

11 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Sticking your finger in his Tesla Coil might discharge his Lightning Rod.

Did not think of that. Now I'm imagining the lights flickering, followed by the examiner exiting the door with his hair sticking straight up.

[possibilities]

Gambi seems to be the superhero lately. I kind of wish they didn't make his technology so central to the family's successes.

[HunterHunted]

10 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Damn, that was a brutal episode. Most of it was Jefferson getting repeatedly fucked over and taking it without lashing out. I know that how a man is supposed to do it, but there would be a limit for me. It's a Humiliation Conga: breaking into the car, planting Greenlight, arresting him in front of his students, beating him up for the fuck of it, and making him get naked.

I think the most important thing to remember is that Jeff didn't acquire his powers until his teens. Prior to that, he would have had years of socialization by his parents about "the talk" and how to deal with the police. Ask my youngest brother who at 12 had a police officer pull a gun on him because the officer saw a "nigger running." It might have been a huge indignity, but Jeff has likely had many police officers attempt to humiliate him in a similar fashion.

[tennisgurl]

Looks like evil VP might actually have a soft spot for Jefferson, to an extent. Maybe her constant and obvious crush wasn't just something that was a part of her cover. Maybe. 

Another good episode. No supervillain, just a nasty conspiracy that has to be defeated through cleverness and police work from Henderson. The stuff Jefferson had to go through was so awful, and you can see how hard it was for him not just to go Black Lightning on all of those assholes. The man has a patience of a saint. I guess when your an underprivileged black kid who gets superpowers, you kind of have to learn to hold your cool. 

It was really sweet when the kids stood up for Jefferson when he was being lead out of the school in cuffs. It was stupid, and could have ended very badly, but it was really sweet to see how much the kids respect and trust their principle. It was great seeing that most everyone knew right away that this was all crap. 

I like how they are handling things with Gambi and Jefferson. He hasn't totally forgiven him, but he also knows everything he has done for him and his family over the years, so he just needs to figure out how things will go from here with them. I think he will forgive him, or at least they'll get to a good place again, but it will take some time. 

I have loved the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings version of This Land is Your Land for ages, so I was super excited to hear it this week! I need to see if this show has a Pandora station stat!

[jhlipton]

13 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

One thing I need this show to do is get rid of Anissa's breathing exercises for to "summon" her powers. I hate it with every fiber of my being. I was cool with it at the beginning but she knows how to use her powers now so they can get rid of it.

My wife hates it too. 

8 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I think the most important thing to remember is that Jeff didn't acquire his powers until his teens. Prior to that, he would have had years of socialization by his parents about "the talk" and how to deal with the police. Ask my youngest brother who at 12 had a police officer pull a gun on him because the officer saw a "nigger running."

I am happy that your brother survived the encounter, and sad that he had the encounter in the first place.

[CletusMusashi]

The only thing that kind of took me out the (very excellant) episode was how the evil corrupt detectives still pause and allow a conversation with each individual character that wants one. Even a good cop making a legitimate arrest would be unlikely to do that. Why spend time giving the situation a chance to escalate? Just get him out of there and start booking.

However, if you want those touching and well-acted character moments, you've got to just roll with it. I'm not sure it's someting I'd want to change. Honestly, I don't think it is. It's just something that clashes a little bit with the overall "Wow, this superhero show just got real" vibe of the rest.

Edited April 6, 2018 by CletusMusashi

[rmontro]

I'm going to be honest, I'm starting to get a little bored with this show.  Only two episodes left, so I'm sticking it out.  Not sure I'll watch next season.  There are just so many things to watch these days.

I do like Anissa's costume though.  Looks like it could pass for a good X-Men costume.  Blue? and yellow can look good on the screen.  The yellow sunglasses/goggles really set it off.

[Cthulhudrew]

This is really nitpicky, but maybe I also wasn't paying enough attention before and someone can correct me:

When Anissa visits Gambi in this episode, she comes into screen from the left as we're looking at Gambi, and we can see the staircase behind him off to the left. I was under the impression that staircase was what led into the storefront, and that it was the only way in or out, so where did she come from? Is there a back entrance that staircase leads to (and if so, why wouldn't Anissa use that rather than risk the ASA spotting her?)

I suspect this was just a blocking issue with the camera direction, and they forgot to have her come in the right way, but hopefully I'm wrong.

Edited April 6, 2018 by Cthulhudrew

[janeta]

Can someone catch me up on something:   Anissa is in med school correct? Then why does it seem she's always at the high school?  Is she a teaching assistant or something?

[johntfs]

Anissa teaches health part-time, is also in med-school and is Thunder as well.  Anissa is a master of time management and presumably needs very little sleep.

[janeta]

Ah, I see, thanks.  (And she is awesome as Thunder; is it too soon to want a spinoff of the girls? :)

[yourmomiseasy]

I just love Thunder.  She's so badass even when she's just strutting down the street.