Black Lightning – Sins Of The Father: The Book Of Redemption

By starrymag | April 2, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Frank ‘2-Bits’ Tanner (Jason Louder) sells bootleg DVDs on a street corner and witnesses a dealer give a schoolgirl, Neema (Kat Logan) Greenlight, causing her to she light up upon taking it. A van drives up, tazes the girl, and drives away with her. Meanwhile, Anissa Pierce (Nafessa Williams) breaks into an ASA facility with her Thunder abilities. She examines the pods and determines that the people trapped inside are still alive after seeing a heart rate monitor attached. Anissa considers breaking the pods with her powers, but stops herself and leaves the facility.

 

Running home, Anissa tells Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) about her discovery. She explains that Peter Gambi (James Remar) told her about the facility, and Jefferson is disturbed that Gambi sent her to investigate. Anissa insists that she went of her own volition, and reiterates her discovery that the people inside the pods are alive. Jefferson confirms that she means the people that disappeared thirty years ago, and she believes they are.

 

LaLa (William Catlett) claims to Will (Dabier) that there’s no such thing as death, but the drug dealers in the club can’t see Will and believe that LaLa is talking to himself. Will asks him what he’s going to do when Tobias comes back, and LaLa promises he will kill Tobias. LaLa tells Will that he had his death coming, and Will asks about his dealers. LaLa asks his dealers why they’re not out dealing, and they tell him they have no Greenlight to distribute. He tells them there are other drugs they can deal, but his dealers insist that people only want Greenlight.

 

One of them suggests that LaLa isn’t cut out for the business anymore, and LaLa rips his ear off with his hands before shooting him. He orders them to get back out, and to handle the dead body. Will asks about his mother, and LaLa tells him that she thinks he disappeared since dead bodies bring up too many questions. Will disappears in a puff of smoke and appears as a tattoo on LaLa’s chest. Black Lightning and Thunder return to the ASA facility, but find that the pods are gone. Black Lightning sees tracks of movement, and determines that someone knew she was there. Some ASA agents open fire on them and they fight them with their powers before running away.

 

Back at the house, Jefferson tells Anissa the truth about Gambi and the ASA. Anissa tells him that Gambi told her about it, and reminds him that he tried to help stop it once he realized the truth about what he was doing. Jefferson doesn’t think that’s enough to forgive him, but Anissa argues that Gambi looked after and protected him for years afterwards to make things right. However, Jefferson tells her that there are some things that can’t be made right. Anissa reminds him that they need to find those kids and suggests that they need Gambi’s help. Jefferson refuses, admitting he doesn’t trust him.

 

The next morning, 2-Bits visits Jefferson and tells him about the kidnapping he witnessed. Once he finishes the story, Jefferson makes him retell it with every possible detail he remembers. Steven Conners (Joshua Mikel) visits LaLa, and remarks that he heard he was dead. LaLa admits that he was and they sit down to discuss their business deal. Conners questions why he should sell him cocaine since the business died after Greenlight took over, but LaLa reminds him that a major Greenlight supplier was destroyed. LaLa gives him a paper with his mother’s address as collateral to prove he is trustworthy. Conners gives the address to his people and promises LaLa that they have a deal if the address is really his mother’s. Once they leave, Will appears and questions LaLa’s decision to put his mother in danger.

 

Jefferson tells Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain) to stay home from school, but refuses to explain why. Jennifer reminds Jefferson that parents usually force their kids to go to school. Jefferson tells Anissa to stay with Jennifer until he can determine that it’s safe for her. Lisa (Taylor Polidore) hands out flyers asking if anyone has information on Neema’s disappearance. She goes into Gambi’s shop and asks to put a flyer in his shop. After explaining her disappearance, Gambi asks if she went to the police. Lisa admits that Neema was on Greenlight and Gambi agrees to put a flyer up.

 

Jennifer complains that she doesn’t want powers, but Anissa tries to convince her that her powers are a blessing. However, Jennifer suggests they are a curse instead and declares that she doesn’t want to know the full extent of her abilities. Anissa accuses her of quitting when things get tough and lists other things she has quit. Jennifer gets angry and her body is engulfed in flames. She manages to turn it off, and Anissa declares that she’s just like dad.

 

Jennifer visits Lynn Pierce (Christine Adams) and tells her about the new developments. Lynn advises him to see Gambi, but Jefferson insists he’s done with him. Jefferson suggests that he might be able to use his electric vision to track the pods, and decides to ask 2-Bits if he knows anything about the transfer of the pods. Lynn asks about his electric vision and Jefferson explains that Gambi gave him the ability to see anything with an electrical signal. She asks him if he can see through clothes and he checks her out repeatedly.

 

Gambi is followed to his shop by Martin Proctor (Gregg Henry), who demands he come with them. When Gambi pulls out two guns, Proctors shows him that he has another ASA agent waiting outside that will open fire in the street if he doesn’t cooperate. Gambi suggests he doesn’t care about the citizens, but Proctor calls his bluff. He reluctantly lowers his weapons, and allows himself to be led out. Jefferson checks on Jennifer, and asks if she’s okay. She admits that she isn’t, and he promises her that she will be. He promises that she’ll live the life she wants to live, but tells her that she needs to learn how to control her powers first. She sits up and leans in to him, asking how he uses the bathroom in his suit.

 

Black Lightning zaps 2-Bits’ joint out of his hand, insisting that doing drugs is also not part of their deal. He insists that he’s making him a better man, but 2-Bits declares that he doesn’t want to be a better man. Black Lightning asks him about the pods, and tells him that he heard about some military vehicles moving things around the night before. As they are talking, an appliance drops near them and a woman (Nikki Nicole Dillard) several stories up yells that Black Lightning’s capture is worth a lot of money. Black Lightning declares that he didn’t kill Lady Eve, and 2-Bits suggests he keep a low profile. Black Lightning declares that he doesn’t do low profile, and tells 2-Bits not to do any more drugs. The woman throws another appliance down, but misses Black Lightning again.

 

As Black Lightning looks around, his suit’s vision starts malfunctioning as he spots another drug deal involving Malik (Caleb Thomas). Proctor watches his agent punch Gambi, and concludes that he knows who Black Lightning is. Gambi lies that he doesn’t, but Proctor sees through his lie. Proctor has his agents water board Gambi as he struggles. Jefferson approaches Malik, and stops him as he tries to run away. He warns him of the dangers of living on the streets and advises him to come to his mentorship program at school he hosts on the weekend. Malik argues that he has to help support his grandmother, but Jefferson promises to find a way to help his grandmother if he comes. Jefferson gives him the information despite Malik’s continued refusal.

 

Proctor compliments Gambi’s toughness, and questions his motivation. He brings up his relationship to Jefferson and orders his agents to bring Jefferson to get Gambi’s cooperation. Lynn does a full body scan of Jennifer, but finds that the machine is malfunctioning. She tells Anissa to switch with Jennifer, and Anissa apologizes to Jennifer for her earlier comments as they switch places. Anissa’s scan is normal, and Lynn determines that everything is normal. Lynn tells Jennifer to switch with Anissa, and the machine acts up again. However, Lynn determines that it’s not a malfunction, but that Jennifer is a generator whose cells are creating energy.

 

Jefferson is surprised that Malik shows up to his mentorship program, and explains that the program is solely for him when Malik asks where everyone else is. Jefferson starts by teaching Malik about mantras, but ASA agents come into the classroom and order Jefferson to come with them if he wants to see Gambi again. Jefferson gives Malik an assignment and leaves with the agents. The ASA Agent (Mark Hicks) brings Jefferson to Gambi, points a gun at Jefferson, and demands that Gambi tell them who Black Lightning is. Jefferson turns the lights off using his powers, and Gambi kills both agents.

 

Jefferson tends to Gambi in his secret hideout, and Gambi assures him that the ASA doesn’t know about this room. Gambi apologizes to Jefferson, and warns him that it’s happening again. Jefferson tells him he knows, but urges him to rest. Gambi urges him to get his family out of the house, as it’s not safe. He also tells Jefferson to find the person who took over his role as spotter for the ASA.

 

LaLa gives his dealers drugs, but one of them insists that his customers only want Greenlight. LaLa orders him to leave, but the dealer warns that Tobias will take care of him when he returns. He points his gun at LaLa, and LaLa challenges him to pull the trigger. However, the gun isn’t loaded and LaLa threatens to kill him if he sees him again. LaLa tells the remaining dealers that they have two weeks to sell their supply. Will asks how he knew the gun was empty, and LaLa admits he didn’t.

 

Jefferson moves the family into his childhood home, and Jennifer makes jokes about the state of the house. Anissa is surprised that he kept the house, and Jefferson tells them that the paperwork for the house is not in his name. Jennifer asks how long they’ll have to stay here, and Anissa asks if this is where her grandfather was murdered. Jefferson assures her that there are other memories there, and tells them to get comfortable.

 

Proctor thanks the spotter, Kara Fowdy (Skye P. Marshall) for her help in bringing in Neema. He tells her to do better, revealing that Jefferson is Black Lightning. She doesn’t believe it, but Proctor explains what happened when Jefferson was brought to Gambi. Proctor asks her to take Jefferson down, and she declares that she will.