Black Lightning season 3, episode 3 review: Agent Odell’s Pipe Dream

Black Lightning is back, Agent Odell is heartless, and Black Bird is getting aggressive.

Previously, on Black Lightning, things were heating up. First, Jefferson and Lynn fought over Lynn working with the A.S.A. to help the Green Light kids in custody. Anissa is progressively getting more aggressive by the day, to the point where it’s coming off almost villainous. Jennifer got into a fight in school while defending a student from bullies.

After the fight, we seem to be left with the impression that she’s losing her faith in people. We also find out that Agent Odell has brainwashed Khalil, and his first mission was to kill his mother. Unfortunately, It was a success. Wait until Jennifer finds out.

All of this and the Tattooed Man is back to selling drugs in Freeland. So wow can things get any worse? Let’s find out.

Khalil is more Painkiller now

If you’ve been reading these reviews, you know that Black Lightning always starts with an opener to immediately grab you. This one was no different. The show opens with Khalil in the A.S.A. lock-up being asked how many forms of martial arts he knows. As he’s telling the computer how many he knows, we see him using each form as he names them. At the end, the computer says, “Mastering  23 different martial arts seems  extreme.” Khalil responds, “There’s no extreme in war. To kill the grease you must kill the root.”

It wasn’t the violence that made this so intense, it was the changes in Khalil, who seems more like Painkiller than the kid he once was. Right from the beginning, we get a look into how much Khalil has changed. Khalil used to be a kindhearted person who hated violence. Now, he’s reveling in it. What’s scarier is this is only the beginning.

Did Black Bird  just…

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Black Bird is running from the A.S.A. She’s being chased for helping metas escape custody and getting them out of Freeland. They’re shooting at her with what looks like the intent to kill. Eventually, she’s had enough. She does something no one probably knew she was capable of. She lifts a tank and throws it at the helicopter. The Helicopter explodes off camera, probably killing everyone in it. And to make matters worse, there was someone recording the entire situation. Needless to say, that isn’t good.

This was a bit complex. The title of this section doesn’t have its name because she lifted a tank. After a while she would get more powerful. Especially since she spends a good amount of time using her powers. What was shocking was that she killed those people. Even though they were trying to kill her, it’s shocking that she used that kind of force. Jefferson warned Anissa about this and said that she need to be careful. She killed because she had to. But what happens when it starts to get easier to kill instead of containing a situation?

Weekly Agent Odell watch

Agent Odell decides to take a trip to Tobias’ cell. He starts to ask him about the briefcase and, as predicted, Tobias does what he does. He replies with snarky comments. But Odell isn’t someone to mess with. He tells Tobias that he owes him some time in the sun. The ceiling the opens, and the albino Tobias is burning up to the point that his skin is bubbling. Odell leaves Tobias screaming in pain and says, “Tell me when you’re ready to talk.”

And just when you think Odell can’t get any worse, he does. Tobias is a bad guy who deserved what he got. The problem is that Agent Odell is in a position and rank where he should be above torture. Even worse is that Agent Odell didn’t flinch when Tobias’ skin was turning colors and bubbling over. Maybe he’s a meta with the ability to suppress his emotions.

Electric thoughts

This was the most complete episodes we’ve had in this season so far, which is a good sign. There was no shortage of intense moments, action, and character building. Three episodes in and we’ve seen a major jump in the flow of the show. One of the criticisms that’s usually tossed around is that the pacing is too slow. That’s not the case here, and definitely not this season.

This episode revolved heavily around Agent Odell, and that’s fantastic. He’s one of the best parts of the show and can easily carry it. One thing that’s been noticed (and mentioned) is the lack of Black Lighting in this episode. They give him a suit and then we don’t see him again for a while. It’s understandable since there’s a lot going on, but this started last season. As a fan of both Jefferson and Black Lightning, this writer would like to see more of him. Other than that, this may have been the best episode of Black Lightning since the first season.

Lightning Round

• There’s no way that the watch Black Lightning is using isn’t monitoring his powers. Agent Odell is a snake who’ll use every opportunity to get ahead. It won’t be shocking when he uses it to control Jefferson all together.
• Agent Odell continues to be cold-blooded. However, it was great seeing Tobias turn down his offer. It shows everyone that even in the face of death, he remains who he is.
• Black Lightning’s in action again. New suit, new powers, and kicking all sorts of butt. It was hilarious seeing him kick someone across the ground with electricity.
• Grace is back, and she finally talked to Anissa. How long until Odell kills or incarcerates Grace and Anissa loses it? Even more, is Grace up to something?
• Also, Jennifer was flying and looking good doing it.

Why did you think of this week’s episode? Let us know in the comments below.