Black Lightning on the CW

[Agent Z]

So apparently a year from now the Arrowverse will have Cyberpunk Wakanda with a bunch of self-driving cars, readily available holograms, holographic AI's, and holo-calls. Yeah, I don't think the writers were really prepared to think through how logical a sudden, random, future city would make sense in the setting. Remember how grounded this show used to be?

I like the new zen Khalil and his dynamic with Painkiller where it's a nuanced battle of the minds where both personalities vie for control of the body and tag off or fight each other off when needed. I'm not as crazy about Painkiller's deep, modulated, voice. Why are they only doing this now? Jordan Calloway did a great job differentiating the normal personalities last season.

Anissa did...really nothing in this episode. Like she and Grace were literally just there to keep the casts connected, because otherwise you could pretty easily take them out. I guess Grace got to go Mileena again, which was good for her.

I only realize now that Anissa's never really liked Khalil that much. And, kind of a random note, how many times has Anissa violated the hippocratic Oath? Then again, so has Lynn.

Well, Khalil has his Khalil Cave under a bar (OG!Arrowcave anyone?), his Painkillermobile, his tech guy, his "person who knows everything going on in the city," and a doctor/medic. Pretty much all you need for a Superhero team.

"I'm used to being completely out there" aside from her two secret identities. Also, Khalil probably trusts these people, but did he have any right to tell his helpers about the Pierce's being Superheroes?

I see they kept the two ladies who actually know how to fight in reserve in case everybody else went down.

I do kind of wonder how Khalil would react to NuJen, because he doesn't seem over her. Is NuJen physically older than he is now? Would Painkiller still respond to the kill order when Jennifer looks completely different?

"She can't stop talking about you!" Are we forgetting how Jen told Anissa to drop it when she brought Khalil up? Or how she hasn't actually mentioned him on her own once this season? Or that she's part of what drove Khalil away?

So Odell has a daughter and is...apparently not in prison? Did he get remanded to time served so he could lounge away in a chair for the remaining time he has left? I guess part of that was to service Bill Duke making a cameo via Zoom Call. His daughter sounds like she wasn't raised in America, so I wonder what's going on with her.

From my understanding, the Hippocratic Oath applies to patients and Anissa has never beaten up anyone she was treating. Neither has Lynn from what I recall.

[Frontier]

From my understanding, the Hippocratic Oath applies to patients and Anissa has never beaten up anyone she was treating. Neither has Lynn from what I recall.

I thought it applied universally in regards to handling people, "thou shalt do no harm" and all that, but it could be that direct.

[j9ac9k]

I was looking forward to seeing what they were going to do with Painkiller and I wasn't very impressed. And they already have his whole setup in place for the series. (the elevator pitch was: "It's John Wick in Wakanda!") It kinda sucked that we were just info-dumped his team's backstory rather than seeing it on his series. I wonder if they'll go back so we can see them come together, but honestly I wasn't impressed with them. (and that guy's coat with the big collar is just too much. I can't take him seriously walking around indoors in that) It's also a bit of a sausage-fest. Maybe they'll bring in that lady from her mobile home.

I figured PK's modulated voice was just for inside his head, but when he spoke that way in the real world.... no thank you. I don't know the timing of things, but if "Moon Knight" comes along and handles DiD well, it could make Painkiller's contrived multiple-personality gimmick seem trite if not insensitive. Hopefully they'll tighten a few bolts and work on it before his series premieres. Oh, he also needs a better outfit, imo.

[Immortal Weapon]

I don't like that they turned Painkiller into Khalil dark side. It doesn't make any sense with what came before.

[Shadowras]

An okay episode, I'm interested in learning more about the brain cult.
Did they used the sets for the cancelled future canaries show, for this episode because that city looked very futuristic. Even central city is not that advanced.

[Frontier]

I figured PK's modulated voice was just for inside his head, but when he spoke that way in the real world.... no thank you. I don't know the timing of things, but if "Moon Knight" comes along and handles DiD well, it could make Painkiller's contrived multiple-personality gimmick seem trite if not insensitive. Hopefully they'll tighten a few bolts and work on it before his series premieres. Oh, he also needs a better outfit, imo.

The weird thing is the modulated voice wasn't in any of the episode promo's and they forced it into the previously on segments with Painkiller, when anyone who watched those episodes would probably remember Painkiller didn't sound like that.

[Anarchist]

Um, one has already been confirmed.

It hasn't been ordered yet.

I don't like that they turned Painkiller into Khalil dark side. It doesn't make any sense with what came before.

He already locked him up last Season?

[Immortal Weapon]

It hasn't been ordered yet.



He already locked him up last Season?

He got locked up with a firewall. Painkiller is the OS that operates the chip that Khalil for implanted in his brain. Painkiller now being his dark side is some ass pull nonsense.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Backdoor pilots and spin-offs are always tricky because there's a certain amount of "tweaking" to a character's established backstory so they can kick off a spin-off series for them. Knowing that, though, and after watching this episode, I can say Painkiller definitely has a spin-off in him. I liked his duality and the Jungian synchronicity stuff. I'd like to get a more fleshed out and natural progression of the supporting characters rather than the info dump.

But CGI City was so CGI.

Those mirrors and other reflective surfaces really confused me.

I only realize now that Anissa's never really liked Khalil that much.

Well, Anissa is the Pierce that Khalil fought the most, so it's no surprise. Jefferson only asked him to wash his balls, Khalil and Anissa traded blows on multiple occasions. I will be kind of annoyed if we don't get any closure with Khalil and Jen, though.

I watched the Painkiller episode, and I realize that I am getting really tired of the whole "hero/superhero needs a team around him/her to operate." I can't think of one CW hero/superhero who doesn't have an entire team to help him or her do stuff.

That's the best way to have a supporting cast that interacts with all aspects of the main character's life. This isn't the 90's anymore when Lois and Clark can only have 4 cast members and the Flash only has 3.

[MoneySpider]

That's the best way to have a supporting cast that interacts with all aspects of the main character's life. This isn't the 90's anymore when Lois and Clark can only have 4 cast members and the Flash only has 3.

But if that sort of thing worked in the 90s, why can't it work today? Because to me it has become very formulaic. Every episode just about all of the supporting cast can get together in the same exact room or meet at the same time to go over strategy, etc. etc. Plus I don't recall stuff like that happening in the actual comic books issue after issue.

I just don't understand how something like this wasn't needed to be shown in the 90's but now all of a sudden on a lot of TV shows, it needs to be shown. And I don't think we always need to see a character's supporting cast interacting with all aspects of the main character's life.

[The Darknight Detective]

But if that sort of thing worked in the 90s, why can't it work today? Because to me it has become very formulaic. Every episode just about all of the supporting cast can get together in the same exact room or meet at the same time to go over strategy, etc. etc. and it just bothers me. Plus I don't recall stuff like that happening in the actual comic books issue after issue.

What's the percentage of TV shows from the '40s to now that aren't formulaic? A per cent? Less?

[Frontier]

That's one thing I appreciate about Superman and Lois where the main cast all have their own lives and problems and it's not all about coming together to help Superman figure out how to beat the villain of the week, because he can do that himself.

[MoneySpider]

That's one thing I appreciate about Superman and Lois where the main cast all have their own lives and problems and it's not all about coming together to help Superman figure out how to beat the villain of the week, because he can do that himself.

That's one of the things I liked about the 90's "Flash" TV series. Aside from needing Tina McGee's help from time to time because of stuff she knew about the costume he wore, Flash never really needed help on how to defeat villains because he knew how to get the job done himself. And Julio was his work partner, didn't know Barry was the Flash and didn't meet up with Barry and Tina in every episode. In that show, Barry had a supporting cast, but they were spread out in different places every episode, from what I remember. Tina was at Star Labs, Julio was at the police station or wherever he and Barry worked, then Barry had his love interests somewhere else, etc.

[The Darknight Detective]

Maybe I'm missing an earlier one, but Buffy created the template for all of these later shows 0 the Big Bad, the supporting cast to help you defeat the villains, etc. Man, that was an influential show.

Superman can get away without the helpful supporting cast most likely because the average person doesn't expect him to have one (due to the movies, cartoons, and TV programs over the years).

[Frontier]

Maybe I'm missing an earlier one, but Buffy created the template for all of these later shows 0 the Big Bad, the supporting cast to help you defeat the villains, etc. Man, that was an influential show.

Superman can get away without the helpful supporting cast most likely because the average person doesn't expect him to have one (due to the movies, cartoons, and TV programs over the years).

But if the execution for it can work without them then there's no reason another show couldn't.