Black Lightning Review: The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues (Season 2 Episode 2)

Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 2, “The Book of Consequences: Chapter Two: Black Jesus Blues,” gives me the feeling that the show is adamant on becoming an ensemble show. Every character seems to show equal screen time and have their own separate story unraveling. This includes Tobias Whale as well.

Many of the superhero shows on The CW have additional characters — with their own powers or reasons to join the fight. On The Flash, Barry has Cisco and Ralph. While on Arrow, Oliver has Curtis and Diggle.

These shows wouldn’t be the same without Vibe’s added wit, or Spartan’s additional expertise on the field. For Black Lightning though, it’s different.

Without Jennifer and Anissa Pierce, the show wouldn’t flow properly. The Pierce family is truly the heart of the show. If Jefferson didn’t have his daughters by his side, he wouldn’t have gone back to fighting crime in the first place.

The way they structure Black Lightning around family, is unique for this kind of show. I’ll admit, it takes away some of the crime-fighting element, but it gives us an emotional connection that we don’t get from Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying anything against Kara or Sara — their shows serve a difference purpose for our entertainment needs. Television wouldn’t be the escape from reality that it is, without shows like Legends of Tomorrow. A schedule filled with nothing but family conflict, wouldn’t be all that stress relieving.

When Tobias Whale gets thrown into the mix, we get an extra layer of depth.

Characters like Ricardo Diaz from Arrow, are lucky to get one or two episodes based solely on them. What they are doing with Tobias, makes for a more compelling villain. We get to understand the big bad’s motives, without them being spelled out for us.

So many times, we aren’t allowed to see the entire motive behind the antagonist’s way of thinking.

With making Tobias a completely separate story segment, we get to see what makes the man tick. He isn’t just the man you hate because he is up against our hero. He is a living, breathing person, with goals and dreams of his own.

Tobias: Actions have consequences you have to anticipate.

Unfortunately, all this storytelling isn’t flawless.There is still time to squeeze in what I like to call, “CW moments.” These are scenes that often involve a bit of eye-rolling.

There are at least two of these moments on this episode that come to mind.

The first one is Anissa’s hookup. I guess we should see this coming, when Jennifer mentions Anissa’s lack of companionship earlier on in the episode.

Sexual relationships are a lot more tricky than just making eye contact from across the room. I can imagine it is even more difficult in the LGBTQ community.

Of course, this seems to be evolving into a full-fledged relationship. If it was a one-night stand, I could let it slide without mention — but how many times does this kind of setup lead to a long-lasting love? Call me a pessimist, I guess.

The second “CW moment” for the night, actually comes off quite powerfully.

As Jefferson tells his students that he is no longer going to be their principal, you can feel the disappointment in Jefferson and the children. A little wave of emotion hits you, but nothing too unbearable.

That is, until the students repeat back to him the mantra that he repeatedly taught them over the years.

A mixed emotion grin pops on my face in this scene. Cheesy? Yes. Effective? Definitely.

While this isn’t all that realistic, it still makes for great television. Something you would love to see happen in reality, even though the likelihood is a little out there.

These scenes don’t end up taking too much away from the episode, or the series in general. You just learn to live with them. Not every decision the creators make are great all the time.

Just like in life, the good typically outweighs the bad, causing it all to add up to a sum greater than its parts.

On a side note, please kill the free-form jazz. It really takes me out of the action scenes when I have to plug my ears.

What did you think of this episode of Black Lightning? Do you like the direction the series is going? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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