Black Lightning Review: The Book of Secrets: Chapter 2: Just and Unjust (Season 2 Episode 12)
In my opinion, television shows always work best when they serve a purpose. Being taught a lesson through characters we know and love, helps us to see a better way to live — without having to go through the ups and downs ourselves. Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 12, “The Book of Secrets: Chapter 2: Just and Unjust,” gives us much food for thought without coming off too preachy.
The death of Khalil, aka Pain Killer, is being used as much more than convenience of plot. From the get-go, it was fairly obvious that they were going to use the deceased as a way to get Jennifer to join her father and sister in the fight against Tobias and the 100.
This totally makes sense, and works a bit better than Anissa’s origin story. I would be fine if this is all they did to end the season. Instead, they take this tragedy and use it to teach well-grounded lessons that are very relevant today.
One of the major points that hits home is the nature of loss.
Jennifer has a hard time dealing with the fact of losing her first love. She wants to shut everyone out, but her family won’t let her.
Each of her family members reach out to her in different ways, showing her that the circle of life doesn’t have to end in death.
From her heated conversation with her sister, to her refusal to watch them lower Khalil into the ground, Jen’s family offers her heart-felt advice on how to make it through these difficult times, while carrying her through the pain.
Oftentimes when things end, we want to do the same thing Jennifer does. By seeing this through characters we are emotionally connected to — instead of family we are sometimes forced to be around — we are able to see there is truth in their advice.
We get to see Jennifer first move in the wrong direction, and then readjust to the correct path. This is more like a friend slightly removed from the situation — showing you how to cope — not a father figure telling you to buck up. It is a gentle reminder, you are not as alone as you feel.
Anissa: Loss makes you appreciate.
Another major point made is about the need for revenge.
As Jennifer comes to terms with Khalil’s death, she thinks the only way she can make things right is through revenge on Tobias.
When she approaches her father, she quickly reminds him of the saying, “an eye for an eye.” Her father is visually shook by this response, and goes out of his way to tell her this is unacceptable.
At first this comes off a bit hypocritical, seeing as Jefferson became Black Lightning to avenge his own father’s death. But he points out to her what a dark path revenge can be.
Tobias is a very bad man. So terrible in fact, that taking him out could practically be described as a public service. However, losing herself to end this man would never add up to a complete positive.
Bad things happen to us. Every day we try to do something good for ourselves and other people. More often than not, these things go awry and end up exploding in our face.
That is because we live in a world with imperfect people. I’m not saying people are bad. I believe people are at nature good, but we lose ourselves in greed and selfishness.
When these things happen, we tend to think that other people are our biggest problem.
It is enough to make us want to lash out at anyone standing in our way. If we sit and think about it, we know that striking out to get revenge will really get us nowhere, but we rarely take time to fully think things through before acting on them.
If we get revenge on one person, what is stopping us from doing it to the next person getting in our way? It starts a cycle of violence that only causes more and more people to get hurt. In the end, it makes you like Tobias himself — a person only looking out for their own interests.
The last point I want to touch on is that lives matter.
On the episode, it clearly states “Black Lives Matter.”
This is by far true, but I would like to take it a step further by saying, “All Lives Matter.”
Mr. Lowry goes on a tirade about how he had a horrible upbringing, and therefore feels no sympathy for the students and the cards they were dealt. Such harsh words!
When we go through tough times in life, it is easy to become complacent about the pain others go through. Even though it is true some people go through way worse than other people, that isn’t an excuse to become hard-hearted.
Everyone deserves sympathy. No two people were built exactly the same. Something that tears me down, may barely affect the person standing next to me.
If we lose our ability to feel empathy, we lose what makes us human.
If we lose our humanity, the world becomes a jungle, instead of a community.
Plain and simple, we all achieve more together.
If you want to take a stand, do it with your brother and sister by your side, not with them beneath you.
Some people feel they stand tallest on the backs of others, but uniting hand in hand makes us a stronger force to be reckoned with. Like the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
Black Lives Matter! Gay Lives Matter! Muslim Lives Matter!
Indian Lives Matter! Asian Lives Matter! Transgender Lives Matter!
Every. Single. Life. Matters.
As you can see, this episode is not just important for the fans, but for everyone. Gather the family around and give it another watch, taking time to discuss all the important elements that can affect our daily lives. Hopefully, you can use it as a tool to open other people’s hearts and minds.
What did you think of this episode of Black Lightning? What were some of your most teachable moments of the episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Black Lightning airs Mondays 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.