BLACK LIGHTNING 4.9

 

RECAP - BLACK LIGHTNING  4.9:  "The Book of Ruin - Chapter 4:  Lyding"

As I had noted last week...the Pierce Family has nearly hit rock bottom.  THIS week - they just met the bottom...HARD.  Tobias Whale initiated the next phase of his plan to destroy the Pierce Family...as well as continue to tighten his grip on Freeland.  It was a set up from the get-go, and the Pierce Family has fallen deep into Tobias' trap.  Now...will the Family managed to climb out of this hole they're in?  Or is it the end of Black Lightning and his team?  

Jefferson did his best to try and sway Jen from suiting up as Lightning, as he found out about her viral vlog going out, encouraging people to donate to the school's music department to save it.  She said she'd deactivate it until the heat was off, but we all know Jen---incredibly stubborn, and always willing to take a risk.  That risk bit Jen big time this week.  Despite the growing attraction between her and Uriah, it seems that her site has been monitored by Detective Hassan and his Metahuman Taskforce.  Once they got wind of Jen's text messages with Uriah (whom they managed to get ahold of his phone and his bike), Chief Lopez set up a rendezvous with Lightning in order to capture her.  In the process, she took a chance, and nearly got caught.  Jen managed to evade Chief Lopez...who went out with the Taskforce without Detective Hassan's knowledge...and escape without getting hurt.  However...Tobias initiated the other part of his master plan---using the Nullifier that Montevista had been working on---and flipped its switch, thus using the power sample Lynn got from Val...and caused every metahuman within the area to lose their powers.  Jen, unfortunately, was flying when her powers shut down....thus the show ended with her in freefall.

Anissa was also effected by this as well, as she had bumped into Darius at her mother's lab, and he had gotten information about the treatments that Montevista had planned for their patient who had cystic fibrosis.  He was leaving town, because he got fired, and he planned on giving Anissa the flash drive he had downloaded the information on.  When Anissa went to meet him, she found him dead on the floor, and didn't grab the flash drive.  When she went outside to see where is assailant might've gone, she was attacked by a car, as it went to go run her over.  Instead of diving out of the way to avoid it, all we see is Anissa desperate to try and use her powers as Thunder to stop it, only to have them fizzle out.  We don't see whether or not she got hit...but it wouldn't be hard to imagine the worst.  

Lynn was particularly effected this episode, as she had a dream about trapping her family inside her lab, and using the nullifying powers of Val to strip her family of their powers---thinking that was what was best for them.  But in talking to her therapist...she realizes that she can't do that...she'd possibly kill them.  When she goes to her lab, she finds out she's been locked out, her security clearance terminated, and her research had been transferred off-site. Despondent, she returns home, and has yet another argument with Jefferson, because they made it seem that Jefferson's supposed embezzlement of Garfield High funds supported her research, as well as put in money for the futures of Anissa and Jen.  They go from bad to worse, as Lynn is arrested for, as Agent Mason pointed out, "violation of civil rights".  Lynn is not only booked, but the officer truly made sure that Lynn got the full effect of "violation of rights", as the police officer had her strip searched, a body cavity search, and the officer had little to no mercy about it.  She was cruel, as if she WANTED to make sure Lynn felt violated as she was locked away. 

Jefferson...still trying to control the situation...finds out that not only did Jen violate his rules about laying low by going out as Lightning, but that Anissa and Grace were attacked by Ishmael.  They discover that he is trying to get into the League of Assassins, and that Destiny hired him to kill the Pierce Family.  After chatting with Detective Hassan, who had warned him that Chief Lopez is on the hunt for Lightning, he fills Hassan in on Ishmael, and wants a one-on-one with him.  So, when Black Lightning finally gets Ishmael in his sights, they do battle.  It looks like a fairly back and forth affair, but as Black Lightning was ready to finish him off...his powers crapped out after Tobias hit the Nullifier.  We're not sure the finish, but we know Black Lightning was now powerless against a bloodthirsty Ishmael.

All the while as the family is falling apart...and things look EXTREMELY bleak....Tobias was reveling in the moment---with a glass mural of his sister, like painted on church glass, feeling his sweet revenge on the Pierce Family, and finally feeling closer to his goal:  to rule Freeland.  BUT...there IS some hope on the horizon---Painkiller is on the hunt for answers as to how Tobias framed the Pierce Family, as he began asking around...in his own way, of course, trying to connect the dots.  

This was a huge episode.  As the old adage goes:  Pride goeth before a fall, and the Pierce Family has fallen.  Things are extremely bleak right now.  Their powers are gone, and they're all on the verge of death.  Lynn had her very civil rights violated...no justifiable cause for the things the police officer did, and all of this while she was depressed and upset about losing her life's work...and STILL blaming Jefferson for it.  She's like a dog with a bone---she won't let it go.  And as Tobias said...he planned on using Lynn's research against her---and he did.  Her test on Val's powers managed to give Tobias the ammunition he needed to enact the next phase of his plan.  And right now....he feels like he's King of the Mountain once again.  Chief Lopez is oblivious to his plan, because she's too busy wanting to nail any metahuman for practically breathing...but she's still in the belief that Lightning was responsible for the Mayor's death.  She hasn't truly bothered investigating, because she's just convinced that all metas are no good.  And she took the Taskforce out behind Detective Hassan's back.  However, she doesn't know that he's been feeding Black Lightning information about her activities, either.  

Ishmael is close to accomplishing his goal of slaying the Pierce Family, as Black Lightning has now lost his powers.  Jefferson is going to have to use all of his abilities as a fighter to try and beat the assassin.  My ONE question though:  if he's looking to JOIN the League of Assassins...does this mean Talia has started going around Thea's back?  It wouldn't surprise me, but I was under the impression that Thea and Talia had made peace on Nanda Parbat?  So, I'm a bit confused here.  Unless they broke off to do their own thing...I thought the League of Assassins were under Thea Queen's control.  But I'm glad for the Arrow reference.  

With TC's powers on the fritz, there is no way to save Jen from what looks like death from freefall.  Plus, there's Anissa.  Did she get hit by the car?  Did she dive out of the way on time?  Things that they left on cliffhangers until what could ultimately be the next to last "book" for Black Lightning.  It's going to be interesting to see how the Pierce Family rises from the ashes of despair, and fight back against Tobias.  It's cool to see that Painkiller is getting some more airtime---in the hopes that the backdoor pilot a couple of episodes back gets picked up.  I am curious to see how HIS part in all this helps the Family bounce back.  

Well, guys....what're YOUR thoughts?  Did you enjoy this episode?  Do you think it could've been better?  Subscribe and leave a comment below...curious to hear YOUR theories.

Until next time...the Power is OFF!