Black Lightning season 3, episode 1 review: Chapter One: Birth of Blackbird

Freeland is under fire, Black Lighting is locked up, and Black Bird is their only hope in the season premiere.

Previously, on Black Lightning season 2, it finally happened. Tobias Whale was taken down and locked up. After years of pain, Jefferson could finally put that part of his life behind him. His father’s death was avenged, the Pierce’s were celebrating and things were starting to look good — until Agent Odell walked in.

He let them know that he’s aware of their secret lives and identities. Before they could do anything, Odell reveals to the Pierce’s that all of Freeland is in danger. The Markovian’s are coming, and they’re bringing a war with them.

So with this, what’s next for Black Lightning and his family? Keep reading to find out.

Hitting Hard Right From the Jump

One element that’s remained consistent is the choice of the opening scenes. Sometimes they’re full of action, and other times they’re deep with character material. This episode’s cold open was the latter. I

t starts with multiple, incarcerated people of color being asked questions by a computer. These include their dates of birth and abilities, as well as when they started using the Green Light drug. The first girl was Muslim and was given Green Light without her permission. They snuck it in her food. Some kids thought it would be funny since she didn’t look like them. Among this group being interrogated is Black Lightning. He’s given the same question. However, he’s also being tortured in addition to being interrogated. Less than five minutes in and this is how the season starts.

The show begins by letting everyone know that things weren’t going to change. You were still going to receive the same kind of program that was sometimes difficult to watch. None of these people did anything wrong other than being the wrong color or having powers. Both the first girl and Jefferson didn’t intentionally take a drug. This life was thrust upon them. And what did they get for their trouble — weeks of being locked away from their family and friends.  This is, of course, very similar to how people have recently been put into camps on suspicion of being in America illegally. It’s comforting to know that the show won’t shy away from topics like this.

It also didn’t take long for us to find a new antagonist to hate. Commander Williams (played by Christopher Duncan) has already killed numerous people, threatened Deputy Chief Henderson, and insulted Freeland. Oh, and he also has one of the smuggest faces on TV right now. It felt good to see Henderson punch him. As despicable as he is, Christopher Duncan is doing a good job in the role.

The Rise of Black Bird

Anissa and her fellow nurses have a conversation about how things have been going. Things got worse after they saw how the kids in Freeland were kept in cages and treated like trash. One of them hated it so much that she had to leave the van. Anissa reluctantly tries not to draw attention to herself and to stay on the job to monitor what’s going on. It wasn’t easy. As she was talking to Gambi, she said it took all of her not to fight right there. But Anissa isn’t just sitting back. Black Bird has been defending Freeland while Black Lightning has been gone, and the people love her for it. One woman even claims that Black Bird loves Freeland more than Black Lightning.

Black Lightning taking a step back is a tremendous idea. Black Bird is a powerful character that deserves more screen time. It also helps to have another hero to carry the load. Not as a costar, but as someone who can flat-out hold down the episode. This is only the first episode of the season, but Anissa may have the ability to do that more as time goes on. It’s also nice to see that special effects are being utilized for her powers.

Thoughts

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This was a fantastic way to start the season. As it was stated earlier, they aren’t shying away from socially conscious topics. This is a key part of the show and one of the main reasons people tune in. If they took that away, it would make it just like every other comic book show. In a world with multiple programs to watch, a successful show has to have something distinct to keep people watching, and this is a good one to have. And with so many things going on in the country, Black Lightning won’t be short of things to discuss.

We didn’t see much of Black Lightning in this episode, and this was the case last season, as well. Even without a lot of him, this was still a good episode. This leads one to believe that the writers could be trying to write him out in the future while still keeping the show going. Or they could be testing the waters for a spinoff featuring Anissa and Jennifer.

Lightning Round

• How long before Commander Williams gets killed? He’s one of those characters that just has to die. And who gets the kill?
• Also, Williams being a meta hunting metas will come up when he meets Black Lightning. There’s no way they aren’t on a collision course.
• Jennifer’s powers hurting her is going to be a big deal going forward. The more she doesn’t use them, the more they hurt. Will she have to start using them more as time goes on?
• How far does Agent Odell’s reach go? We find out that he has ties with the President of the United States. Is he working with someone else?
• Will Tobias die before the season ends? Probably not. The question is what kind of deal he’s going to make to get the serum that keeps him young.
• Will Lynn Pierce find out that Agent Odell killed that boy? And how will she react if she does?

What did you think of the Black Lightning season premiere? Let us know in the comments below.