Black Lightning Review: The Book of Rebellion: Chapter 2: Gift of the Magi (Season 2 Episode 9)
Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 9, “The Book of Rebellion: Chapter 2: Gift of the Magi,” is an interesting enough episode, although it lays a little flat as a mid-season finale.
The best mid-season finales leave us hanging on the edge of our seats, giving us no other option but to tune in when the show returns a month or two later. Black Lightning fails to give us anything to really sink our teeth into, and only makes me want to come back because I’m already invested.
Jen and Khalil continue to be on the run from Tobias and the Pierce family. While this is still slightly exciting at this point, I think it will run its course within an episode or 2 more. Maybe if they had some sort of plan or destination mapped out, things would be more intriguing. Instead, they seem to be wandering rather aimlessly, leaving me to assume they will just get caught eventually.
It is rather obvious that when they do get caught again, there will be yet another showdown between all the interested parties. I’m hoping at this point that they don’t draw this out until the end of the season. I highly doubt they can keep my interest peeked for that long.
Another thing that is driving me a bit nuts, is all the wrong conclusions Lynn keeps coming to.
It would be great if Lynn assumes Jennifer is dead along with the audience. Unfortunately, we already know that Jen is alive and well, so these scenes leave very little impact. This isn’t to take away from Christine Adams’ acting chops, she plays these scenes quite convincing — and you can’t help but feel bad for her.
With us knowing the truth, it all seems like a waste — just like Lynn’s search for Khalil’s father.
Luckily, her hunt for Kito doesn’t take up too much of the episode. I can’t foresee anything that Lynn learns here as having much relevance later on. Sure, it gives her something to do than sit around crying — I just wish it was something more productive.
Fortunately, Jefferson and Anissa’s search for Jen goes slightly better. The only problem is that they are always two steps behind.
Once again, I have to complain about the plausibility of Jefferson’s inability to track a teenage girl. I am supposed to believe that Jefferson has been a superhero for years upon years.
So long in fact, that at one point he retired from it. Wouldn’t it be safe to assume he had ample time to hone his detective skills?
Of course, he could be a little rusty. I’d accept that.
It’s just that all he is doing is tracking a teenager. Teenagers are rather predictable, and even more so when they are related to you.
I’m not expecting the Pierce family to track her down to the exact location immediately. I’m just saying, they should have a little more lead on where they might be headed.
But then again, Khalil and Jen don’t seem to know where they are headed either, so I guess it is fair to argue that point as well.
Anissa: Sometimes you got to do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
With those complaints aside, the episode does have a couple of scenes that really standout. I’ll start with the argument between Gambi and Jefferson.
It is good to see that Jen gets part of her bull-headed attitude from her father. Jefferson’s tiny tantrums throughout the episode, show that he isn’t above acting irrationally. I love when any show gives us a hint of duality.
I do give a chuckle when Gambi so easily tosses Jefferson to the ground. An old man like Gambi probably would have thrown out a hip in a maneuver like that. In shape or not, Jefferson more than likely could roll up Gambi, and toss him in a garbage can with very little effort.
Something that isn’t laughable however, is Jen’s acts of torture on Cutter.
It is quite shocking to see Jen barely even flinch as she inflicts pain on the captive Cutter. This shows how far Jen will go for those she loves.
The scene isn’t as brutal as ones that we have seen on Arrow, but that doesn’t make it any less painful to watch.
Oliver Queen was stranded on a deserted island and learned survival the hard way. That leads us to the question of where did Jennifer Pierce learn her lessons in torture? I somehow doubt that this will ever be completely explored, although I hope I am wrong.
Maybe a younger Jennifer walked in on Gambi getting information from some random villain? Or maybe she just watched one too many action movies? I really hope something is said about this down the line, and not just in a joking way.
It could really give an extra layer to Jen’s character — that is already so well-written.
Speaking of layers, the episode does add a couple of villain types to the already bloated season. I’m not sure if this is a good thing at this point.
There are already so many things going on that haven’t been resolved yet, that it seems like a waste to add more to the heap. I understand always wanting to up the ante, but there is a point where someone has to yell — enough!
No one knows what is going on with Tobias Whale, Mr. Lowry, or even the people who put out a hit on Gambi. Not to mention the Sange , Lala, and the Green Light Babies .
Could all of this tie together and make a rather explosive ending to Season 2 of Black Lightning? It is possible I suppose.
I’m not counting on it though. As long as all these threads are tied off eventually, I’ll be happy.
There is nothing worse than an unsolved mystery or unresolved story — unless you include plot holes.Where did this random barn come from anyways?
What did you think of this episode of Black Lightning? What story do you want resolved most? 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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Charles E Henning
Charles E. Henning lives in a quaint town of Illinois with his ever-loving wife since 1998. He is new to writing reviews, but has over thirty years of fictitious writing for his own personal fulfillment. His interests range from science fiction to character-based dramas, but he is a sucker for anyone in a cape.