How was each season of Black Lightning? Here’s a spoiler full grade for each season of the series.
It seems like Black Lightning came and went in a flash. Realistically, it went on longer than a lot of shows. There were four seasons and 58 episodes in under five years; some TV programs don’t get close to that.
While Black Lightning was met with high reviews from critics, much like we saw with some of the The CW’s other Arrowverse shows, the audience didn’t always respond well to it (which is reflected in the fact that its Rotten Tomato audience rating is 51% and IMDb has it at a 6.1 out of 10). While this seems harsh, it isn’t shocking because not everyone will appreciate everything and, like with every show, there were some obvious flaws with Black Lightning.
Now that the series is over, new viewers have a chance to discover it and binge the entire series. Who knows, maybe the praise of the show on Netflix could lead to it being revived on this platform or another at some point down the line (the service does own its international distribution rights, after all). This writer is still hoping that Jordan Calloway gets a chance to play Painkiller somewhere in the Arrowverse now that his planned spin-off has been nixed. For now, all we can do is hope.
With Black Lightning‘s conclusion, it seems like a good opportunity to grade each season. Instead of focusing only on the negative, this writer will give you reasons why you should check the show out.
Black Lightning season 1
Grade: B
The beginning of Black Lightning was incredible. The first episode showed us all that we were going to witness something completely new from a DC Comics TV program; we were going to see the world through the eyes of Black family man in the modern world.
There were moments throughout the first season where things got uncomfortable. However, it was the truth of the world and Black Lightning wasn’t afraid to tackle it. The best part of all this was how Jefferson Pierce never lost his temper no matter what he was forced to endure. He remained cool and level-headed, even when he knew what he was capable of.
The first season had to showcase the origin of the central characters and it was done right. Tobias slowly grew into the chillingly villainous architect that he inevitably became and it was great watching him adapt and evolve on his way to that role. The same can be said for Jefferson; he was relearning how to be Black Lightning after a long time out of the game. Thankfully, he had Gambi to help him along the way.
This also could have been a one-and-done tale as season 1 essentially told a complete story, wrapping up with a finale that could been a series finale. Everything seemed so happy and final, like Jefferson’s huge smile as he jogged with his daughters Anissa and Jennifer after the battle they just went through, and it all just gave you a finale feeling; something for the viewers to smile about in case this was the end of the show. However, it wasn’t.
Black Lightning season 2
Grade: C
Season 2 saw the significant improvement of Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain). In the first season, Jennifer came across as annoying; she thought she knew everything and continued to defy her parents. Of course, this was intentional because she was a teenager doing what teenagers do.
In this season, however, Jennifer started to grow as a character. She still did foolish things, but it seemed different this time around and was much less irritating. She balanced her immaturity with solid growth and smart decisions. In all honesty, she carried this season and highlighted that there was more to Black Lightning than its titular character.
This season was also the beginning of Anissa Pierce’s transformation into her alter-ego Blackbird as she started leaving her Thunder persona behind and became Freeland’s Robin Hood – robbing gangsters and giving back to the community. She was also helping the people of the Perdi get away from the Looker and the Sange. She took the Tubman nickname and showcased why it was true.
Speaking of the Perdi, Looker (Sofia Vassilieva) was a phenomenal villain that was incredibly easy to hate. Every time she opened her mouth, you hoped that someone would shut her up. The problem, of course, was that she’s a superb fighter and powerful meta-human so it took Black Lightning and Black Bird to defeat her. She was so good that it’s quite disappointing that we didn’t get more of her until the final season.
This season also teased us with the arrival of another diabolical villain as it marked the first time we saw Agent Percy Odell.
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.
Black Lightning season 4
Grade: C+
And then there was the final season. It was a season that starts off with Jefferson Pierce deciding that it’s time to retire the Black Lightning mantle. We all knew this wasn’t going to last. What we didn’t know was how the show would continually thrive without Jefferson’s heroic persona. But it did and that is the result of Cress Williams’ absolutely brilliant performance, as the audience saw that they didn’t need the lightning and action to remain hooked.
Watching Jefferson go through the rollercoaster of emotions with himself and his family was deep. When eventually put the superhero suit back on, it may not have been shocking, but we certainly all smiled. It showed this writer that maybe he could’ve been Luke Cage.
China Anne McClain’s absence was felt. Laura Kariuki did a good job, but we loved and missed Ms. McClain. While the reason behind the real Jennifer’s disappearance was interesting, that could’ve been the story of a new season because it really didn’t get the exploration that it needed here. Instead, we won’t know anything else about the beings in space. Then again, maybe they show up in another Arrowverse series.
The ending of the show in regards to Jennifer’s arc was lackluster as well. Nothing was really resolved; she was upset with her family for not realizing she wasn’t her and that was that. There was no resolution to her anger so that really felt like a moment that could’ve been left out since it didn’t get the proper exploration.
And we have Tobias’ death. It was the epitome of “meh”. After carrying the final season on their backs, Tobias and Jefferson don’t get their righteous ending. Both Black Lightning and Tobias deserved something more climactic – something that concluded their decades-long hatred with more flair and excitement. This fell flat.
Overall: Is Black Lightning good?
Black Lightning was a solid show that definitely deserves to be watched. You don’t have to be a fan of comic books to enjoy it either. It takes you on an emotional journey. You laugh at the jokes. You cry when things get heavy. There are even moments that are so tough you have to look away – more than you’d think from a TV comic book project.
As you watch Black Lightning, you find yourself loving the music and how it’s placed with the scenes. The action has fast-paced beats or intense lyrics to go with what’s happening. The romantic moments will usually have old school ballads that fit the mood. When things get sad, the songs will hit you right in the heart. Honestly, the music of Black Lightning made this writer download a playlist of songs featured in the show to see what he may have missed.
Of course, the show isn’t perfect. There are some characters that Black Lightning would’ve been better without and adding their stories to things made it drag from time-to-time, especially in the final two seasons. There are also some lackluster stories and the writing doesn’t always bring out the best in the cast. Nevertheless, what’s done is done and it’s never enough to take away from the overall experience of the show.
When the series is available to binge in full, you should check it out. It’s absolutely worth the watch.
What do you think? Is Black Lightning worth binging? Was the series gone too soon? Let us know in the comments below.