Black Lightning: Grading all four seasons of the powerful CW show
By Mark Lynch
Black Lightning season 3
Grade: A
This writer found it difficult not to get emotional during this season. It wasn’t sadness he felt; it was a lot of anger. Agent Odell was responsible for a lot of traumatic and downright shady things throughout the season and he masked it as helping the Pierce family and Freeland. It was even difficult seeing him torture Tobias.
But all of that anger was worth it in the end as Agent Odell and the A.S.A. were defeated and their heinous acts were brought into the light.
Elsewhere, Wayne Brady showed the world that he’s more than just a comedian that can sing. His performance as Gravedigger was marvelous. Yes, the character was flat-out evil but finding out how he got his powers gave us an insight into what was driving him to do the things that he did. No one should be treated like he was. But, and this is what Black Lightning does, it highlighted something that happened to Black people in U.S. History.
Jordan Calloway as Painkiller was a surprise. He showcased the very cynical, sick, and twisted side of Painkiller with ease. Then, he became Khalil again and showed how he improved that side of him as well. Truth be told, Khalil wasn’t the greatest character when he debuted in Black Lightning but he shined in the third season – and that is down to Calloway’s fantastic performance. Painkiller was definitely the biggest surprise of this season.