Black Lightning on the CW

[Baseman]

I'm still not sure how they plan to play that angle, when BL wasn't carrying a gun and the gunmen were targeting the crowd, including Khalil, before BL even showed up (to their knowledge, it wouldn't be obvious he was shadowing the parade route before jumping in). It would make more, if not much more, sense to blame the reverend for organizing the march that put them in harm's way, but as it is, the most you can blame BL for is not being 100% effective in protecting them. Maybe that's enough for people to turn on him, but they would kind of have to give up on any other form of resistance to the 100 as well.

He'll probably make the same point the Black cop was making.That the escalating violence is because of Black Lightning's return.

If black lightning wasn't there people wouldn't have feeled safe enough to march, the pastor wouldn't have gotten shot and he would still be able to walk.

[vitruvian]

He'll probably make the same point the Black cop was making.That the escalating violence is because of Black Lightning's return.

If black lightning wasn't there people wouldn't have feeled safe enough to march, the pastor wouldn't have gotten shot and he would still be able to walk.

That's complete and total BS. The pastor and everyone who joined him in the march, Khalil included, made that choice themselves. BL neither called for the march, nor made any promises to protect them from any violence that might occur. And since when are marches for when people already have a (false) sense of safety? They're usually called for in full recognition that they might well be subject to violence from anyone from counterprotestors, to the police, to in this case the 100 criminal syndicate.

Honestly, this argument is so ridiculous, it's tantamount to blaming MLK for the events of Bloody Sunday, only worse given that BL didn't even call for any marches.

[Baseman]

That's complete and total BS. The pastor and everyone who joined him in the march, Khalil included, made that choice themselves. BL neither called for the march, nor made any promises to protect them from any violence that might occur. And since when are marches for when people already have a (false) sense of safety? They're usually called for in full recognition that they might well be subject to violence from anyone from counterprotestors, to the police, to in this case the 100 criminal syndicate.

Honestly, this argument is so ridiculous, it's tantamount to blaming MLK for the events of Bloody Sunday, only worse given that BL didn't even call for any marches.

I agree.However I think Tobias is a charismatic enough guy to get khaki to buy it.Especially since khaii is in vulnerable state right now and Tobias is the one that's visiting him in the hospital.

[vitruvian]

I agree.However I think Tobias is a charismatic enough guy to get khaki to buy it.Especially since khaii is in vulnerable state right now and Tobias is the one that's visiting him in the hospital.

Only if Khalil is the sort of feckless wonder who wouldn't stand by his own choice to join the march... and even then only until he finds out it was literally Tobias himself who shot him. At that point, "Well, Black Lightning escalated things so he made me shoot you" really doesn't fly.

[90'sCartoonMan]

It feels like Henderson's only role on this show so far is to complain to Jeff "Jefferson there's only so much I can do, it's just that I can't actually do anything," which forces Black Lightning to get involved.

Which makes sense, so how are we supposed to feel about Henderson? Sympathetic towards him? Angry that he's ineffectual? It's not just that he can't effectively fight the 100, it's also his inability to bring justice and equality to all people of all races.

I tend to think she's working her way up to that.... right now she's still learning what her powers can do, and only just figured out how to reliably activate them. Both the dealers and the homophobes assaulting her new girlfriend kind of put themselves in her way, rather than her having to seek them out. I mean, is she even sure yet that she's bulletproof when using her density powers, vs just being able to bounce heavy blunt objects falling on her?

Once she gets a better handle on things, it's possible she will start trying to work her way up the 100 food chain. She could also consider using her powers in service to the kind of activism she's already engaged in, but between the factor of not being able to exactly shield more than one or two people in the march with her body, concern for her family's safety (oh the irony, of course), and apparently conspiracy theories about the government capturing and experimenting on metahumans being alive and well, it will be more than understandable if she goes the secret identity route.

Which is fine and good, but actually seeing an Outsiders comic and going to a cosplay party removes a level or two of realism from Anissa's story and further distances itself from the reality that Jeff has been going up against week after week.

I think that Inspector Henderson is being back burnered for now, because there's probably a big story they want to do about the police force, but it's too big for this season. In the first episode, when Jefferson told Henderson about his police stop, the Inspector said those probably weren't his guys (or something to that effect). Which made me pay attention. Maybe Henderson has his own trusted men on the force and others have theirs. Eventually,by season two or three, we could see Henderson and Black Lightning working together against the dirty cops, to clean up the community.

That's true. Maybe I want to see another person on the police force that is working against Henderson.

[vitruvian]

Which is fine and good, but actually seeing an Outsiders comic and going to a cosplay party removes a level or two of realism from Anissa's story and further distances itself from the reality that Jeff has been going up against week after week.

How does either of those remove any realism when comics and cosplay parties are totally real things that exist in real life? And might well both be more popular in a world that we have known since the first episode is inhabited not just by the coming out of retirement Black Lightning, but also has other 'superheroes' in other cities (the talking heads on TV referencing other, presumably white heroes in other cities who get called such instead of vigilantes)?

[Bukdiah]

Caught up with Black Lightning finally. Don't really know how I feel about it. Any scenes with fighting seems very stiff and robotic or slow like they are trying to remember choreography. It works well as a show about a principal trying to do right by his school and community (I think this was a movie before) but everything else feels out of place.

[Osiris-Rex]

Caught up with Black Lightning finally. Don't really know how I feel about it. Any scenes with fighting seems very stiff and robotic or slow like they are trying to remember choreography. It works well as a show about a principal trying to do right by his school and community (I think this was a movie before) but everything else feels out of place.

Are you referring to "Lean On Me", starring Morgan Freeman?

[Bukdiah]

Are you referring to "Lean On Me", starring Morgan Freeman?

After checking out the poster and some stills...that may be it! I remember there being a brawl erupting at the school and a lot of groin kicking lmao. I saw it as a kid so I barely remember anything.

[PyroTwilight]

I agree.However I think Tobias is a charismatic enough guy to get khaki to buy it.Especially since khaii is in vulnerable state right now and Tobias is the one that's visiting him in the hospital.

Yeah I don't think it's that big of a leap.

Tobias is willing to do anything to turn public views away from Black Lightning.

Khalil's name is pretty much tied with Black Lightning in the public. All Tobias has to do is get Khalil to agree or even question if Black Lightning's really good for Freeland. It wouldn't take much to get Khalil who's now apparently paralyzed to think BL had SOME part in that.

Obviously if he was using any real logic Khalil wouldn't fall for it but you have to remember teens and honestly how easily real life people get duped about things. It's not that hard.

Tobias could even just twist the narrative. Sure Black Lightning came back BECAUSE of the 100 but Tobias could always even act like BL only came back and the 100 had to ramp up their work to "defend" themselves.

But I digress.

[Frontier]

Tobias is a former politician. I'm sure he knows how to spin anything to his advantage or to turn people against his "opponent."

[vitruvian]

Tobias could even just twist the narrative. Sure Black Lightning came back BECAUSE of the 100 but Tobias could always even act like BL only came back and the 100 had to ramp up their work to "defend" themselves.

Yeah, I don't think even a dumb teenager would buy the argument that a criminal syndicate has the right to shoot at marchers - including the dumb teenager himself! - in order to defend its turf. Especially since taking that position would mean that he had to repudiate the pastor too, and pretty much say that BL should have stayed away and let everyone in the march, including Khalil and his girlfriend, get shot.

At the very least, Tobias will have to keep Khalil in the dark about his own connection to the 100, and be very careful not to say in any way that the 100 were in the right... because it was a march against the 100 and crystal clear that it was they who sent the gunmen. At most Tobias can maybe make the case that BL was irresponsible for stirring up hope without the ability to fully 100% protect everyone in Freeland from the consequences of opposing the 100... but even that is pretty weak sauce, and will probably call for controlling the journalist(s) interviewing Khalil as well, so they don't ask any inconvenient questions like, "But didn't you choose to march with the pastor because you believed in his cause?".

[steve2275]

http://www.cwtv.com/shows/black-ligh...e-e9a3f7cc6bf6
last weeks episode

[90'sCartoonMan]

How does either of those remove any realism when comics and cosplay parties are totally real things that exist in real life? And might well both be more popular in a world that we have known since the first episode is inhabited not just by the coming out of retirement Black Lightning, but also has other 'superheroes' in other cities (the talking heads on TV referencing other, presumably white heroes in other cities who get called such instead of vigilantes)?

Because it seems to me that all that surrounding Anissa's story makes her wanting to fight "bad guys" less about defending the common people against gangsters with guns and more like she's going to go stop a crocodile skinned man from robbing a bank.

[vitruvian]

Because it seems to me that all that surrounding Anissa's story makes her wanting to fight "bad guys" less about defending the common people against gangsters with guns and more like she's going to go stop a crocodile skinned man from robbing a bank.

What about the existence of comic books and cosplay parties, which exist in the real world, makes you think that, or that the setting is less realistic, though? What's your definition of realism, here? Because by mine, introduction of elements that exist in the real world CAN'T make something less realistic than otherwise.

Now, since we're in a setting with superpowers, which are clearly not realistic, let's deal with plausibility and verisimilitude as well. We know that Pierce and his kids are not the only folks with powers in this world; we even know that there are those in other cities who have been considered heroes rather than vigilantes, presumably (though I don't recall it being explicitly stated) at least some of them in costume. If some number of people with powers are going that route, it doesn't strain plausibility to think that some number are using their powers more selfishly, including by using them in the commission of crimes - although if they're smart, they're probably trying to stay more under the radar than the classic bank robbery in broad daylight trope.