Black LightningSeason 2 Episode 15, “The Book of the Apocalypse: Chapter One: The Alpha,” starts off with Jefferson Pierce clearly laying out some guidelines for his daughters to follow — in order to fight alongside him. This is basically done to show how quickly these 3 rules can fall apart.
The rules here are pretty basic and standard when it comes to superheroes. Don’t reveal your identity, don’t go it alone, and most importantly — don’t kill.
One would think these simple steps to being a hero would be very easy to follow. They are rules we follow in our daily lives.
We don’t let strangers in too quickly, we keep a close-knit group of friends to help us through the hard times, and we try to do as little harm to others as we possibly can.
These aren’t the 10 commandments, but they are still good moral footsteps to follow.
That is why it is so humorous that Jefferson Pierce’s daughters blatantly disobey him so quickly. We are supposed to look to our superheroes for their justice, wisdom, and strength. Instead, we get a picture of the complete opposite.
The first rule — don’t reveal your identity — is actually a bit hypocritical.
In the beginning of the season, Jefferson lets Henderson in on the secret of the suit. I didn’t like that from the get-go. I felt it took away from some of the events that took place in Season One.
Also, it hasn’t proven to be all that necessary. The few times it has come in handy could have easily been written another way.
I’m sure since there hasn’t been any backlash from the incident, that he only makes this rule to keep his teenage daughter’s mouths shut. Throughout history, secrets and teenagers never went hand in hand.
The second rule — don’t go it alone — may be the funniest because it hasn’t been followed by Anissa since day one.
The minute Anissa realized she had her own powers, she has tried to go it alone. Her moral disagreements with her father, often cause her to strike out on her own. This creates missions that Black Lightning himself would have no part of.
It isn’t like Black Lightning is going to kick Thunder’s butt to teach her a lesson. The most he could do is cause her missions to go awry, but that would just cause her to be in more danger.
He can still somewhat control the actions of Jennifer while she is still living under his roof, but it seems he already has trouble doing that — even with powers aside. Adding in that she is more powerful than him, further complicates things.
Of course, Jennifer would never do anything to purposely hurt her own family. Her lack of complete control over her powers may cause things to go a different way though. Jefferson may have to back off of her to let her gain some self-control.
Like it is often said, children need to learn to make their own mistakes. Sometimes the best way to learn is when you have to be picked up off the floor.
Failure is a great teacher and motivator.
The third rule — don’t kill — is the one that hasn’t come into play yet.
Jennifer really struggles with this one morally. Her head tells her the only way to stop Tobias once and for all, is to put him six feet under. Her father tells her the opposite.
I hope at one point they delve more into the reason Black Lightning chooses not to kill. I know it is a basic standard for most heroes, but most have a specific reason this rule is so important to them. I’m sure they pointed out a thing here or there along the way, even though nothing comes to mind at the moment.
It just seems there should be a turning point in Jefferson Pierce’s life, that really puts an exclamation point at the end of the sentence.
I’m wondering with the next episode being the season finale, if Jefferson will have to break his own rule and put an end to Tobias.
It would make sense if he would have to choose to take the life of Tobias to spare one of his daughters. It would also make for a rather exciting ending and lead-in for the future.
Oftentimes moral high ground is established — just to be challenged. These morals lead our heroes down a darker path then they originally intended because they refuse to take the easy way out.
That is why superhero shows and the like can be such great lessons for the young.
They get to see the fancy fights and powers, but they also get to see the consequences for certain actions.
Usually, the placement in a fantasy world keeps the lessons from becoming too preachy and helps them discuss the harder situations in a more lighthearted tone.
But perhaps I’m being a little too preachy here myself. After all, this is just a television show, and it shouldn’t be the only standard you give to your family.
Jefferson: Just when I thought being a parent couldn’t get any more stressful.
All in all, this episode shapes up to be pretty entertaining. Nothing too unpredictable happens, and things move straight forward.
Everyone seems to be gunning for Tobias as things start coming to a close, and it will be interesting to see if he makes it out alive again.
I’m not really sure how they will play it at this point.
Tobias has proven himself to be an integral part of the show — being shown as a constant parallel to Jefferson and his family. The overly packed plot may have him make his way out the door though.
With so much going on, it may be a struggle to keep him relevant.
Not to mention, 3 seasons with the same bad guy lurking in the corner may be a bit much. On the other hand, The Flash always finds new ways to keep Tom Cavanagh in the mix, so you never know.
Everything is coming down to one episode now, and I feel there is no possible way for them to tie a majority of things up. I can’t help but feel a little disappointed.
Hopefully, we will get to see Jennifer fully suited up and joining the fight alongside her family — not just another fizzled out attempt. That is the only closure I can see at this point — Jennifer coming full circle.
I figure most everything else will be left in the air, along with some added bits they decide to throw in. I’ll be glad to be wrong on this one.
What did you think of this episode ofBlack Lightning? Has Tobias overstayed his welcome? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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.
