SummaryJefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) had retired from his secret identity of Black Lightning many years ago, but when danger threatens his twenty-something daughter, Jennifer (Nafessa Williams), and a student at her school is being lured by a gang, he returns to the fight.
SummaryJefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) had retired from his secret identity of Black Lightning many years ago, but when danger threatens his twenty-something daughter, Jennifer (Nafessa Williams), and a student at her school is being lured by a gang, he returns to the fight.
Jefferson Pierce isn't just a superhero. He's a social justice warrior. He quotes Martin Luther King Jr. AND beats up bad guys. This instantly makes him one of the most interesting heroes on television.
A jump of quality for the series of superheroes. The version we know of Jefferson in this series is taken directly from the latest versions of the character in the comics. He is a character who despite his considerable superpowers, (absorption and expulsion of electricity), has never felt completely comfortable in his role as a masked hero, and has focused on another form of heroism, his work as a teacher. 'Black Lightning' is not a superhero origin story, we know Jefferson retired nine years ago. It is a story as a hero is forced to return to a position of vigilante that he had decided to abandon for the sake of his family, and that is a novelty. Well acclimated, well interpreted and with a use of aesthetics and black music very unprejudiced and playful. A single fault is the apparent lack of lack, for now, of the villain, Tobias Whale. The evil mafia boss and his lackeys are less threatening now than the society the Pierce family faces. But in the pilot it is mentioned in passing that we live in a world where metahumans are not unknown, so we may expect many and varied surprises in this regard.
Lightning is distinguished by its instantly distinctive blend of social realism and sense of humor--it is simultaneously the most relevant and the funniest of The CW/DC Comics shows.
Black Lightning, based on yet another DC Comics property, is smart and relevant and full of an attitude that's all its own. It takes its characters and their world seriously, but thus far doesn't take itself too seriously. And, best of all, it's ostensibly entirely separate from Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Arrow and Supergirl, so the risk of time-consuming crossovers or key plot points delivered on a different show is currently nil.
The main storyline involves a nefarious crime lord, played by Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, whose gang, The 100, is terrifying the city, but it's Black Lightning’s journey into social issues--the character quotes Martin Luther King Jr. at one point in the premiere--that separates him from the rest of the superhero pack.
It's really disappointing to read the reviews and see that so many people have interpreted this show as being anti-white. In reality, it's pro-black in the sense that Jefferson, the hero of the show is motivated by a deep desire to improve the black community he lives in. He is the principal of a majority black school because he wants to help the kids of his community grow up to be well-adjusted and prosperous members of society and not fall into the hood lifestyle. He is also driven by a desire to curtail "The 100", an ever-spreading and powerful gang that preys on the community. Bad guys in this show come in both black and white varieties.
This show is just as much about the struggles black folks face in their own community amongst themselves as it is about the long-term effects of systemic racism. In fact, one scene that epitomizes this is when Anissa yells at a drug dealer outside the school for selling dope to his own people. Another example is when the lead character's daughter is blasted on social media by some girls at her school for being a "Black Becky" (a derisive term for a black girl who acts white) and her father talks to her about the legacy of slavery and how that has led to a culture of intra-group competition wherein black folks who are successful and climb the social ladder are sometimes ridiculed by other black people. Nowhere does this tv show imply "white people this is all your fault you should feel bad" which seems to be the message some people are taking away. Nor is the show attempting to elicit pity. It's just how it is. Systemic and individual racism are still vey much a part of the black experience in America. If anything, this show is a call to action. It says we still have work to do.
This show is complicated and encompasses a wide range of social issues. The main character Jefferson struggles with how to protect his family and his school from the surrounding gang violence. There is a growing drug epidemic that is spilling over into his school. His daughters are coming of age and dealing with the struggles of womanhood, relationships and identity. Him and his wife are attempting to repair their marriage which has historically come second to Jefferson's efforts to help others. Although Jefferson is a successful black man married to a successful black woman and living in a nice neighborhood, he is not above being stereotyped, which we see at the beginning of the show when a cop pulls him over because he matched the description of a robber (and by description I mean black).
I like the police scene at the beginning because it challenges the mistaken view many people hold (and I myself did when I was younger) that you can success your way out of racism. Unfortunately, it's just not the case. I for one am glad that this show doesn't tip-toe around the very real issues of racism, classism, violence, and drug abuse in black communities. Why should it? For the people calling out the lack of diversity in the cast, recognize that this story is specifically about a black community and the challenges they face. The existence of this show is diversity period. But it also makes sense story-wise as most black people in the US live in black neighborhoods and attend predominantly black schools. I love the fact that this is unabashedly a black narrative.
Right now we're planting the seeds that will grow into the future and inform the next generation of entertainment. Let's celebrate the birth of another black superhero instead of saying that this show's protagonist should be more like Luke Cage or Blade or Black Panther. No, Black Lightning doesn't need to be more like those 3 other black superheroes that happen to be the only ones that have been mainstream so far. Just like Arrow and Flash and all the other modern-day superheroes don't need to be more like Batman or Superman. Black Lightning has his own story and it's a great story. (Imagine if you found out your high school principal was a superhero)
I would absolutely recommend watching this show. Sure, it has flaws, and you may occasionally feel uncomfortable when you're watching it because it's violent and shows things about human nature (and our country) that are painful to acknowledge. But at it's core, it's a great story about a guy who just wants to help his community and be a good father and husband, and is trying to figure out how to balance it all. And I think we can all relate to that.
This fresh IP of a series feels like it is an over reaction of racism, and manipulating characters to do their ultimately intended purposes. It had an interesting point and scenes and emotional moments that where worth something. The directing style is too simple and it gets boring real fast. The acting was mostly off, and the only scenes when the acting was worth something it was repeated to a time when it became repetitive. The music was one of the best parts in the whole series, which was original and really well paced. The plot was too simple and event less at times and to complex at times which made it hard to understand and to keep up with it after the slow paced events.
Overall it's an above average series at best, but maybe in the future without all the exaggeration and senseless plot and average acting it can be a lot better.
Medium, just like other ""hero" tv shows from comics. Same thing happens in every episode, people with superpowers dress in letheat and fight with crime. Alos, Black Lightning's costume is a joke.
It would've been a good show, but it's spoiled by the amount of SJW garbage they throw at you. No good cops, all whites are racist, blacks are treated poorly by the evil white male etc.. If they focused less on skin colour and more on creating a good story, it would be getting better reviews.
It needs to stop trying to divide people with this BS. There is only one race, the human race. Skin colour doesn't matter, we're all equal. All this propaganda does is just fan the flames. Sad.
As a black person, I'm not too thrilled with how they did this series. Lesbian sex, underage drinking, marijuana smoking, black gang members, corrupt white cops... damn. It's like they threw every negative stereotype in the book into this show. While I applaud the fact that it strays from the common CW superhero show, it doesn't mean that it made it a good show. Using lemon juice with cereal (instead of milk) deviates from the norm, but that doesn't make it a good idea.
I love how one reviewer on a different site asked why the black superheroes are always trying to save a city while the white superheroes are saving the world. Why black superheroes are always dealing with drugs and gang violence while white superheroes are dealing with space aliens and extra-dimensional threats. Sorry to say that BL falls right into the stereotypical category... again.
This show would have been much better if they used Static Shock. Now THAT would have been great to see.