Black Lightning season 3, episode 13 review: Grab the Strap

It’s Black Lightning and his crew versus the Markovians on this week’s episode!

Previously, on Black Lightning, the Markovians gained two assets they needed to continue their war: Lynn Pierce and Tobias Whale. Jefferson (Black Lightning and Lynn’s husband) found out and has now gathered the troops to save her. The more important objective may be to stop the Markovians from producing more stabilized metahumans, but Jefferson just wants his wife back. With a handful of metas from Freeland and the A.S.A., can they infiltrate Markovia and come back alive? There’s also more drama with the Pierce family, as Jennifer is aware that Anissa knew about Khalil being alive and never told her.

The episode starts with a drunk Jefferson talking to himself and reminiscing about his life. He says he hates the name Black Lightning and dives into his past. As we see what happened to Lynn through a flashback, he says he knows how drugs can destroy lives but admits he’s powerless to stop it. Because Black Lightning’s powers can’t help an addict. Thankfully, he realizes his powers aren’t useless in the coming war. With this, he even says he’s willing to kill if necessary; something he’s not used to doing. Before the intro hits, we realize he’s actually been talking to Gambi the entire time.

In Markovia, Dr. Jace is trying to work on the stabilization and attempting to get Lynn to open up. Because Lynn knows what Jace is capable of, she declines. Later, Gravedigger comes in and tries to persuade her to do the job. When Lynn refuses, he uses his powers to make her get the job done.

It’s rare that you see Jefferson drunk but, considering everything that’s gone down, it’s not shocking. His wife is gone, he has no idea about her whereabouts, his kids aren’t speaking to each other, and he’s now forced to work with his enemies. The members of his team aren’t ready for this fight; some of them aren’t fighters at all. So it’s worrisome that he’s using untrained fights to go to war with a heavily trained military force.

Jennifer, Anissa, and Khalil

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Meanwhile, Jennifer is with Khalil and is trying to talk him into working with them in the war against the Markovians. Unfortunately, he’s not for. He says Painkiller is still inside him and waiting to get out. Jennifer explains that she killed for the A.S.A. as well but that she still has to do this. As much as Khalil wants to help, he declines anyway. However, in the end, he does join them on the mission.

Later, Jennifer is eating in the A.S.A. cafeteria and is still holding a grudge. Anissa doesn’t get why, but Jennifer has no problem explaining how messed up her decision to withhold information was. It’s kind of ironic that Anissa doesn’t understand what Jennifer is going through. After years of Jennifer being treated like a kid, she did the same. Honestly, it wasn’t up to Anissa not to tell Jennifer Khalil is alive. And Jennifer telling Anissa she’s treating her like their father had to have hit home.

The Battle in Markovia

The battle we’ve been waiting for finally arrived, and it did *not* disappoint. Khalil went up against Gravedigger, and it may have been the best fight of the season. Seeing two well-trained soldiers going back and forth was intense, and somewhat funny. Khalil saying lines like “I’m not your son” and “You talk to much” was cliché, but it fit the theme perfectly. Erica Moran breaking down a wall like the Juggernaut was exciting, and Black Lightning was as amazing as he always is.

The creators of this show knew this fight had to be done well and, with that in mind, they created the best action sequences of this series has ever produced. Each character had specific moments  that were either personal because of who they were fighting or because it signified a milestone in their personal development. Erica Moran was excited to use her abilities, and watching her do so was a personal favorite for this writer.

High Voltage takes

This episode was a perfect blend of action, drama, and storytelling. We’ve waited for this fight for the entire season thus far, and it delivered. More than that, we got to see a team of metahumans working together to save the day. What was even more interesting is that most of them weren’t experienced. Nonetheless, everyone managed to have a moment to shine. With so many characters and only 42 minutes to get things done, the entire Black Lightning team should be commended for making this incredible episode.

Lightning Round

• Dr. Jace and Lynn working together is weird, even if they have a common goal.
• Wayne Brady was damn good. People need to remember he’s more than just some guy who sings and appears on daytime television.
• It’s great seeing TC grow. Little by little, he’s becoming a better character and asset to the team.
• Tobias antagonizing Jefferson was the best, and you could tell Tobias enjoyed every moment of it!
• Black Lightning taking out Gravedigger was so good and made for a perfect ending to the episode.
• Will Khalil be able to hold Painkiller back forever, or will he relapse?
• Is Lynn over her addiciton? How will she be able to move forward after everything she’s done?
• What are the repercussions going to be for Brandon leaving everyone to go after Dr. Jace? The team won’t be happy that he abandoned them.

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