Black Lightning Review: Three Sevens: The Book of Thunder (Season 1 Episode 6)

On Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 6, “Three Sevens: The Book of Thunder,” certain secrets are revealed as Jefferson becomes relentless in eliminating Tobias and his gang.

So far, this stands out as the best episode of the series, mostly because it ignites the many plot lines and sets the stage for more drama in the coming episodes.

It is definitely an improvement from everything the show has displayed so far, from the writing to the acting, not forgetting the sound and visual effects.

The relationship between Jefferson, Lynn, and their daughters is a delight to watch; they fall out but ultimately settle their differences, just like a true family. Their struggles are real, their chemistry appears genuine and their discussions are undeniably emotional and compelling.

This episode makes a very brilliant point of highlighting current social issues, the striking one being the protest in Charlottesville that claimed the life of a young woman. That event is portrayed in real time within the episode and we see Anissa in the middle of the chaos, leading to her getting arrested. The integration of that storyline is so well done that it brings the real-life event into imaginable focus.

It is also interesting that there is a mention of racial profiling associated with police brutality, especially among black people. The focus of the show has been about black people oppressing black people, that is, the One Hundred being the oppressor.

But it is important that they have reintroduced that discussion because the only time it was showcased was in the pilot episode when Jefferson was pulled over by the police under very treacherous weather conditions.

The reason it is particularly important is that Anissa is operating rather recklessly in her quest for social justice and is bound to find herself in the bad books of law enforcement agents. Jefferson thinks she may get herself killed, which is a real possibility. However, with the recent trend of events, Jefferson may relax his nerves, knowing that she has superpowers and the capacity to protect herself.

In the scene where she rescues her mother, Lynn, it is established that she can be immune to gunshots when in her costume but the lesson is probably directed at the viewers, who may not have such safety net to protect themselves.

It is hilariously ironic and partly hypocritical that Jefferson wants Anissa to avoid getting in trouble because the same advice has been dished out to him countless times by Lynn and countless times, he has disregarded that line of thought. But then, it goes to show a father’s love for his kid, which is practical and realistic, though he is yet to realize that Anissa is truly her father’s daughter in the sense that they share the same passion for the common good.

The ignorant fight between Anissa and Jefferson, aka Thunder and Black Lightning, is one of the most artistic displays of the show to date. The passion, the aggression, the suspense, and panic are all the many bits that fell into place in a very organic way.

Significantly, it paves the way for the big reveal of father and daughter realizing that they both have superpowers and a reveal of Anissa’s powers to Lynn as well – a smart writing choice because when Anissa called Lynn regarding revealing her powers to her, it could have been played out as her talking about it and maybe giving a brief, less than serious example.

The fight comes as a huge surprise but remains the best demonstration of power and Lynn’s facial expression is a combination of pride, disbelief, and fear. Fear, mostly because her worries have now doubled. She will likely lose her mind when she realizes that Jennifer is equally endowed with powers.

It is questionable, however, that Anissa and her father fail to recognize each other at close range. This has been a little snag in the details so far because Jefferson’s costume as Black Lightning does not include a mask — just a pair of goggles, and it seems unrealistic that even the people close to him are oblivious of his identity when they see him in superhero mode.

Anissa’s as well, with just some glitters; but if Lynn could recognize her, there is no explanation in favor of Jefferson, especially since his sight is greatly enhanced when he is in that costume.

Freeland’s troubles may, unfortunately, be increasing soon. The scans showing similar grey matter in Jefferson’s brain and the brains of those addicted to Green Light could mean that there will be more people with superpowers but the problem may be that those people will use those powers for evil.

Tobias and his crew will probably use Green Light to prepare an army that can challenge Black Lightning and his daughters with matching superpowers. That could give him a better chance of eliminating Black Lightning. The possibilities are endless and only time will tell where they go from here.

Gambi’s character will also play a vital role in Black Lightning’s journey but it is clear that he is playing for both teams. It is fair that his character is written with flaws, not as a perfect knight in shining armor for Jefferson, which would have made the narrative flat and boring. Rather, his actions are suspicious and his true intentions have become the subject of speculation among viewers.

So far, he is shown as having made a deal with the One Hundred to cover his secrets, which are currently unknown; at the same time, he is trying to protect Jefferson and his family, while also encouraging him to go fight the One Hundred. It becomes a conflict of interests for him, especially when Jefferson gets battle ready to hunt down Tobias.

How long can he keep up with this double-dealing? Is Jefferson really safe in trusting him? Better not to bank on that because when the One Hundred raise the stakes, he may sabotage Jefferson.

Another snag from this episode happens during the flashback when Jefferson is recalling his father’s murder in the hands of Tobias.

In that scene, Jefferson looks really young, like a teenager, while Tobias does not show any difference in appearance from his current looks, which poses the question: ‘how old is Tobias anyway?’. There is hardly any logical explanation for that, except there is a conscious effort to explain their age dynamics or a scientific explanation of his agelessness in a subsequent episode.

Khalil throwing online shade at Jennifer and literally turning his back on her in person also needs careful consideration. It is unclear how someone who used to be close friends with him should be given such hard and cold treatment.

The last time we saw Khalil, Tobias was feeding him toxic information against Black Lightning and it has not been established that any outsider knows that Jefferson is Black Lightning; so, that should not be his reason for despising Jennifer.

Obviously, he is going through a rough patch and pain can bring out the worst in even the nicest people, which could explain his hostility and now that he has finally become a wolf in Tobias’ circle, the stage is set for more drama.

Tobias is exhibiting classic villain behavior — gathering allies and every weapon possible to annihilate his fiercest rival.

The only member of the Pierce trio, whose superhuman status is yet to be uncovered is Jennifer and it is rather refreshing that the show is fleshing out these characters gradually, like a slow-burn.

First, it was Jefferson, then Anissa and subsequently, no doubt, Jennifer. It is important that viewers have a chance to understand and appreciate every character’s complexity, strengths and weaknesses individually and that is what this show is doing right.

Now that Jefferson is aware of Anissa’s powers, will he still advise her to stay careful or will he incorporate her into his fight? Will they join forces to fight Tobias and his crew? The plot has thickened considerably and it only gets intense at this point. Overall, this episode gets all the positive nods and hopefully, the momentum will be sustained going forward.

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Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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