Black Lightning – The Book of Consequences: Chapter One: Rise of the Green Light Babies

By starrymag | October 14, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

News footage shows Issa Williams (Myles Truitt), dubbed a green light baby, being murdered by police. Reverend Jeremiah Holt (Clifton Powell) uses the incident to fire up his congregation with a rousing speech about how their community is in danger due to green light. However, Holt also reminds them that the police were killing and terrorizing them long before green light existed.

 

Meanwhile, Rose Lawson (Whitney Christopher) of the school board details to Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) the incidents that have happened on campus. Jefferson tells her he’s aware of the incidents, but Lawson reminds him that he wasn’t on campus during the latest attack. He lies that he was on a family vacation, calling it unfortunate timing. However, Lawson tells him that the school will be closed until they figure out how to deal with the school attack.

 

Agent Percy Odell (Bill Duke) questions Lynn Pierce (Christine Adams) about how she got access to the pods. Lynn lies that it involved an anonymous phone call, but Odell doesn’t believe her story. She argues that her research has allowed her to understand green light better than anyone and lies that nobody else was there when she arrived to examine the pods. Odell comments that they must have gone to the same place as the surveillance footage and Proctor, telling Lynn that her access to the pods is revoked. Lynn attempts to protest, but Odell makes a speech about her being a liar before dismissing her.

 

Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain) wakes up to find Anissa Pierce (Nafessa Williams) on her bed. Anissa shows her footage of Jennifer floating in the air and bathed in light as she’s sleeping. Jennifer asks her not to tell their parents, but Anissa tells her she already has. As Kara Fowdy (Skye P. Marshall) goes to her car, Syonide (Charlbi Dean) approaches her and tells her that Tobias Whale (Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III) wants to see her. Fowdy refuses, and the two women shoot at each other.

 

Once they run out of bullets, the two engage in hand-to-hand combat. Syonide pulls out her weapons and Fowdy uses blades in her heels to fight. As Syonide knocks Fowdy to the ground, she comments that she should have accepted her invitation. However, Fowdy throws her heel at Syonide’s neck, retrieving the heel and Syonide’s phone after Syonide dies.

 

Lynn questions why Jennifer hasn’t fully learned to control her powers, and Jefferson suggests that she’s like a baby learning to walk. Jefferson is confident that he can train her, but Lynn suggests that she needs a therapist to help with her mental health. Jefferson is skeptical that a therapist can help with Jennifer’s issues, but Lynn reminds him that everything is new to Anissa and Jennifer and that there will be consequences.

 

Jefferson angrily replies that Tobias brought the consequences, but Lynn argues that they need to focus on their children. He tells her about his meeting with the board, and Lynn tells him that Odell has revoked her access to the pods. Jefferson thinks it’s a good idea, and Lynn gets angry and walks away from the argument.

 

Fowdy enters Peter Gambi’s (James Remar) shop, and he asks if he can help her. She identifies him as the former ASA spotter and calls him by his full name. Pointing his gun at her, Gambi questions who she is and Fowdy identifies herself as a spotter that is out in the cold. She asks for his help with safe passage out of the ASA, promising the briefcase in return. Gambi asks what’s in the briefcase, and Fowdy answers that it contains hell.

 

Dr. Napier Frank (Robert Townsend) accuses Jefferson of not taking the school board seriously and tells him to stop being so stubborn and arrogant. Jefferson takes offense, but Frank tells him that he ignored the board’s request for increased security despite the numerous incidents on campus and adds that he agrees with the board. Jefferson accuses him of turning his back on the black population, and Frank is offended.

 

Jefferson insists that the board is attacking him for refusing to treat his students like criminals and points out that they seem more willing to spend for security than education. Frank argues that he’s prioritizing the students over him, commenting that the school’s latest attack would have been worse if Black Lightning and Thunder hadn’t been there. He tells him that he’s trying to save the school, not Jefferson’s job.

 

Benjamin Crump (Benjamin L. Crump) tells the congregation that the government is refusing to let the families see their kids in the pods, riling up the crowd by declaring that the government views the kids as their property. He tells them that they want to sue the government for the return of the kids but explains that it will be costly. Holt takes over the pulpit and explains that they’re working on a plan, clarifying that they need to raise over five hundred thousand dollars for the legal battle.

 

Outside, Anissa insists to Jefferson that they need to do something to help the people. Jefferson points out that they already exposed the green light project, but Anissa tells him that the justice system is rigged. Jefferson argues that some battles need to be fought inside the system for permanent change, but Anissa questions if he would feel the same if she and Jennifer were the ones in the pods. He reminds her that Tobias, Syonide, and Khalil Payne (Jordan Calloway) are still at large, and they need to focus on them instead.

 

Lynn tells Jennifer that she can’t ignore everything that’s happened, but Jennifer tries her best to avoid the conversation. Jennifer asks her what she wants her to say, and Lynn wants confirmation that she’ll do everything she can to help deal with the situation. Jennifer lists all of the things that she’s been through and asks Lynn if she’s dealing with any of it as well. Lynn reaches for Jennifer as she tries to walk away, and Jennifer accidentally blasts Lynn with fire. Jennifer freaks out, and Lynn pulls away when she asks if she’s okay. Jennifer runs up to roof and breaks down. Lynn joins her, embraces her, and assures her they’ll find a way to deal with it.

 

Later, Lynn tends to her burn and Jefferson is offended by her referring to Jennifer’s superpowers as a disease. She tells him that she asked Gambi to pull some strings to get her access to the pods. Jefferson asks what she’s doing, and Lynn replies that she’s using her gifts to help Freeland. He is upset she didn’t consult him first, but she replies that she doesn’t need his permission. Lynn suggests that he’d understand what she’s going through better if she had powers, and that Jennifer’s unintentional attack proves she made the right choice. Jefferson comments that this is tearing them apart, and Lynn reminds him she warned him of consequences.

 

At a drug house, Anissa, clad in a black hoodie and face mask, fights everyone in the house. She uses her powers at points to help her knock everyone out, and steals the money lying on the table. Jefferson meets with Bill Henderson (Damon Gupton) in his Black Lightning suit, who explains that he’s pieced all of the recent events together to conclude that Jefferson is Black Lightning. Henderson demands he confirm it, and Jefferson pulls his mask off. Henderson asks if Lynn is Thunder and gets Jefferson to admit that Anissa is Thunder. Jefferson asks what they do now, but Henderson walks away.

 

Jefferson watches the news broadcast about the green light experimentation and is surprised that Lynn came back to the house. Lynn tells him she figured there was no better place to be and tells Jefferson that she went to Gambi so she could help the children, adding that it would be nice to have his support. Jefferson comments that the people of Freeland will start turning on people with powers, and Lynn assures him they’ll get through it with their family intact.

 

Jefferson tells her that Henderson knows, explaining how he figured it out and that he was too tired to continue lying to him. Lynn suggests that Henderson would be good to confide in, but Jefferson questions if he will want to talk to him again, adding that anyone that knows who Black Lightning is gets hurt. Lynn suggests that he should talk to a therapist as well, suggesting that the stress will affect his ability to get an erection. Jefferson insists there’s nothing dysfunctional about him, and suggests they test her theory.

 

Anissa sneaks back into the house and counts the money she stole. Gambi shows Jefferson a photo of Fowdy, identifying her as the spotter. He tells him about his conversation with her, and Jefferson is shocked by the revelation. Jefferson questions if Fowdy knows what’s in the briefcase, and Gambi tells him that it’s worse than they think. Gambi tells him that he hasn’t found Tobias but suggests that Khalil might be the key to finding him.

 

Jennifer hangs out with Kiesha (Kyanna Simone Simpson), and declines a call from Khalil. She plays the voice mail, where Khalil insists that his behavior isn’t him and wants a chance to explain. Kiesha asks if she’s taken the messages to the police, but Jennifer insists she has enough drama in her life. Kiesha makes a comment that all of the green light babies with powers are freaks and will cause the end of days. As Holt addresses the congregation, Anissa barges into the church in her mask and hoodie. The congregation point their guns at her, but Anissa assures them they won’t need them. Anissa dumps the cash onto the floor and exits the church.

 

As Issa’s body is carried out of the funeral parlor, the bag starts shaking and is dropped to the ground. Issa climbs out of the bag, but Issa’s mother (Monique Grant) tells him to stay away from her. She sees his powers manifest and tells him that she wants nothing to do with him. A witness films the scene as she tells Issa that she was relieved when he died. Issa’s sister tells him to run as a gun is pointed at him, and Issa runs away.

 

Kiesha sees the video of Issa’s resurrection and shows it to Jennifer, reiterating that the green light babies are freaks. Feeling her powers manifest, Jennifer runs into the bathroom and tells Kiesha to go home. Odell tells Lynn that he’ll find out who pulled strings for her, but Lynn insists that she just wants to be able to help the people of Freeland. Odell laughs and promises to find out the truth.

 

Jefferson finds Lynn and Anissa outside Jennifer’s bathroom, and Lynn tells him she’s never seen anything like this. Jefferson opens the door to find the bathroom covered in lights and Jennifer surrounded by a force field in the tub. He asks if she’s in pain, but she explains that it doesn’t, but she can’t stop it. Jefferson helps pull her out of the tub and hugs her to absorb the light. He holds Jennifer as Lynn and Anissa check on them.

 

Frank tells Jefferson that the school has ruled to close the school permanently. Jefferson offers to step down as principal to keep the school open, explaining that he’s trying to save the school, not his job. As Issa sits on the streets, Lynn examines the pods, Anissa counts a new bag of money, Jennifer floats in her sleep, and Fowdy attempts to sneak into Tobias’ loft with night vision goggles. However, Tobias is waiting for her and tells her that Syonide was the only person left he cared about. She asks for the briefcase, but Tobias shoots her with a harpoon. Tobias pulls her towards him, but Fowdy cuts the rope and jumps out the window.