Black Lightning Review: And Then The Devil Brought The Plague: The Book Of Green Light (Season 1 Episode 5)
On Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 5, “And Then The Devil Brought The Plague: The Book Of Green Light,” Jefferson deals with pains and the inability to fully exercise his powers, even as he continues his comeback as Black Lightning, Anissa digs deeper into the background of her powers, uncovering details about her grandfather and his works; Jennifer exercises her powers, which she is yet to recognize, and gets reprimanded for it, while Tobias confronts his past.
The show is set in current times and it is great that the stories are not fantastical and far from reality, though the focus is on superhuman abilities.
It’s even more interesting that there is an attempt to relate the powers to science, which is part of Anissa’s research on this episode. The findings will be insightful and will give viewers an insight into the source of their extraordinary powers in a completely normal, 21st-century society.
Another exciting progression is how the show is gradually unraveling the three main superheroes. First, Jefferson, then Anissa and now, Jennifer is slowly getting the vibes of her own powers. Anissa has fully accepted her superhero status, even casually revealing it to the shopkeeper when she went shopping for her superhero costume. It doesn’t feel rushed and gives viewers an opportunity to understand each character in isolation.
Jennifer is a sharp contrast to Anissa in terms of behavior and worldview. While Anissa is more attentive and calm, Jennifer is erratic, hyper and ready to face anything.
The different parenting styles of Jefferson and Lynn have also been brilliantly portrayed so far.
As a parallel, it is safe to say that Anissa is closer in character to Lynn because she has the tendency to exercise caution, while Jennifer is more like Jefferson and though we find Jefferson taking sides with Lynn in admonishing Jennifer, the smile of pride on his face is surely hard to miss. Whether or not Jennifer abides by her parents’ advice on self-control is yet to be ascertained.
Lynn represents the cry of a concerned mother, fighting to keep her family alive, a real voice of reason, but she may soon realize that the people she is worried about are better off when they can fully manifest their powers. In that way, they have the capacity to protect themselves and others, especially her.
When Jefferson, Anissa, and Jennifer fully transition into superheroes, their dynamics both as a family and as individuals balancing their powers, will be fascinating to watch.
What is also really commendable, is the way this show portrays these superheroes as humans first, with fears, aches, and struggles. Doing so makes the show realistic and the characters, super relatable. For instance, when Anissa expresses her fear of dead rats and when we see Jefferson collapse at Gambi’s place and also seeing him unable to fight Joey Toledo in the last scene.
One pitfall with that last scene, however, is that for someone who has a close call with The One Hundred’s most-wanted, Toledo backs out from that fight, even when Jefferson is clearly powerless on the floor. To top it off, Toledo has a gun and it seems a bit far-fetched that he would let Black Lightning off the hook, fully aware that he would likely recover and relaunch an assault.
As a fan of the show, it is a relief though that Black Lightning is still alive but it should have been more like a fight for survival, rather than a show of mercy from an arch-enemy.
More than ever before, Jefferson is ready to become Black Lightning and mentally, he feels unstoppable and will not be deterred by any physical impediments. With the current meltdown he experienced, it is expected that he will take a step back, discover what his body is dealing with and fully adapt to his powers. The pain he is experiencing may be related to his past injuries but future episodes will tell.
At some point in this episode, one would have thought Black Lightning outed himself to Inspector Henderson, but apparently, the police officer has still not recognized Jefferson as Black Lightning, neither has he made any profound efforts to discover the identity of this famous, mystery vigilante.
The vocal enhancement aside, Jefferson’s costume is not entirely a camouflage and it is still baffling that nobody has figured him out, especially with his remarkable physique.
This episode also drives a nail into Tobias’ backstory, highlighting his medical condition and showing how he and Tori were abused by their father.
There is something grounding and emotional about dissecting the psyche of villains. It serves as an understanding of the motivations behind their actions. For the first time, Tobias is given a human face, laid bare like a victim and even though it does not justify his actions, proves that he is struggling just like everyone else.
Perpetrating mayhem is to him, a safety valve and an outlet to channel all the aggression he has bottled-up over time. He is living with humongous levels of anger and resentment and unfortunately, the people of Freeland and Black Lightning are in for the consequences. Besides, Anissa’s research reveals some connection between Jefferson’s father and Tobias, with respect to the anti-aging serum, which will inevitably provide a springboard for future drama.
Summarily, this episode ties the stories together and gradually deepens an understanding of the characters. The show has done a great job so far in keeping the show light in the midst of the heavy subjects it touches on but in order to sustain the audience, there is a need to throw some weight on the drama.
The protagonists need to get into some real trouble that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, though they would ultimately emerge victorious. The fight scenes also contain some sort of disconnect between passion and action. The talent on the show is outstanding but the methodology could use some improvement.
What did you think of this episode of Black Lightning? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Cynthia Jones
Cynthia is a Sociologist but most especially, a TV enthusiast, with an undeniable attraction to authentic storytelling and powerful portrayals. Her interests also revolve around discovering ways of achieving social change through strategic strides in movies and television. Though she can barely strike a vocal note, she has an endless love for music and her piano is her bff.