All language subtitles for Black.Lightning.S04E05.720p.HDTV.x264-SYNCOPY - m

Previously, on
"Black Lightning"...

We're getting hitched.

- Now?
- Yes.

What about your family,
Anissa?

This is not about them.
This is about you and me.

A fight club? Really?

- How did you...
- Find out?

Your youngest daughter and TC
stumbled across your little hobby.

Mayor Black, have you
given any thought as to when

and where you're gonna
announce the DEG launch?

At a gun buyback event.

And I'm here to tell you
that the city of Freeland

is gonna continue
to fight right beside you!

Devonte. Light they ass up.

Tobias doesn't live
through the night.

The mayor has been shot.
He's dead.

I could have protected him if it
wasn't for you. This is your fault.

I did a little more research,

and it's not safe
for you to the ionosphere.

Are you my friend
or are you my father?

There's something wrong.

It's too much.
It's too much. It hurts.

Come down, Lightning!
Get out of there!

Oh, my God.

I can't believe she's gone.

Well, no, no. Trust me, Jen
is still alive. I can sense her.

Jefferson.

We have to face it.

The ionosphere
overloaded her body.

She exploded.

Look, I know it's crazy
but an explosion by definition

is matter turning to energy,
right?

Well Jen's powers
allow her to do that.

No, Jeff, you're...
you're grasping at straws.

No, no, no,
Dad has a point.

Jennifer has shifted energy
states before and she's survived,

so it's possible, right?

And because of Jefferson's affinity for
electrons, maybe that's what he's feeling?

No. In theory, yes,
but there's a big difference

between matter
and living matter.

Not with Jen.

The Starlink satellite's
telling me that

there is definitely something
weird happening up there.

The energy just shifted.

See? I told you,
she's still alive.

TC, ask the satellite

if we can uplink their live
feed of the explosion site.

Accessing it now.

There.

That small cluster
of energy particles.

Look at how they're hovering
together as a group.

Those particles should be
scattering, not coming together.

It's gotta be her.
I'm going up there.

And then what, Jeff?

Even if that cloud is Jen,

your body would not be able
to absorb that kind of energy.

Jen's power almost
killed you before

and that was a fraction
of what you'd have to absorb.

Jefferson, you've never been
to the ionosphere.

Even without taking on
Jen's power,

an influx of energy that great
could be enough to kill you.

Dad, if you go up there
and something happens to you,

we can't help you.

I have to get those
particles down

before they dissipate
and we lose her.

Even if she is still alive,
and you were able to withstand

the full weight
of Jen's energy,

we would still
have to reconstitute her

by turning her energy back
into matter.

And that's something that, at least
as far as I know, has never been done.

We would probably need a... a
Hadron Particle Condenser to do it.

Okay, where do we get
one of those?

It's not something you just
pick up at the store, Jeff.

S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City
has them.

But you can never
get it here in time.

Central City. I have a friend
there who might be able to help.

He'll get it here in a flash.

Careful, there's only a handful
of these in the world.

Nice to have powerful friends.

Especially super-fast ones.

Okay, so how are we looking?

We're all set,

but it won't matter unless
you can contain Jen's energy.

I will.

Jeff, I could go down the long list
of reasons why you shouldn't do this.

Dad, just come back, okay?

You're gonna be needing this.

Go get our baby.

♪ Last night I saw a
superhero He was black ♪

♪ He said
"This is for the street ♪

♪ "Black Lightning's back" ♪
*BLACK LIGHTNING*

*BLACK LIGHTNING*
Season 04 Episode 05

Episode Title:
"The Book of Ruin: Chapter One?"

Aired on:
March 08, 2021

Wow.

I could see how someone
could get used to this.

I've calibrated your goggles

to locate
Jen's energy signature.

It's her.

Because I'm so close, it's like

I can hear her calling me.

His heart rate is slowing.

His blood pressure
is beginning to drop.

Please, please,
please, Jeff.

Come on, Dad, you got this.
Come on, come on, come on.

The suit can't regulate
this much energy.

Hold on, Jeff!

Jeff, hold on, please!

"The Beginning of the End"
playing...

Come on, Dad. Wake up.

Wake up!

Please, please,
please, please, Jeff.

I'm gonna blast high-frequency
tones into his earpiece,

see if that can jar him awake.

Come on, Jeff.

One more time.

Jefferson,
you've got to pull up.

Pull up.

I can't.

The force is too great.

♪ The beginning of the end ♪

♪ What were we thinking? ♪

♪ The beginning of the end ♪

♪ The end ♪

Jefferson,
are you all right?

Yeah.

More or less.

And here you guys were worried.

Oh, thank God.

Hey, boss,
did you see that?

What do you think that was?
Maybe a meteor?

Or a shooting star?

Do I look like
Neil deGrasse Tyson to you?

I'm not even really sure
who that is,

but I'm gonna guess no.

That's the problem
with white privilege,

you get to be ignorant
and still command respect.

Makes you white folks
overestimate yourselves.

Katie, what'd you find?

Did you find an impact site?

Accessing
video footage now.

Look at this electrified
idiot of a Negro here,

looking all supercharged.

You know, Red,

you may actually have
to earn your money.

Just say the word, boss.

Boy,

I got two words for you.

Spackle and paint.

Now fix my damn wall.

Okay, so now her energy's in
there, how long is this gonna take?

Well, it's never
been done before.

It's gonna be a slow process.

With a particle condenser,

there's a risk of creating
mini black holes.

Which could dissipate...

or destroy everything.

Okay, so we take it slow.

Even if we could
reconstitute Jen's body,

it doesn't mean...

No, no.
I refuse to accept that.

Our daughter is alive in there.

Jeff, we all want
that to be true.

But Lynn's right.

We have to prepare
for the worst.

You should go home
and get some rest.

No, I'm... I'm good.

Hey.

Hey.

You okay?

Um... Uh, yeah.

Transmuting this much energy
takes all the processing power we got.

That's not
what I'm talking about.

Now, what I don't
want you doing

is going and putting all this
on your shoulders, okay?

We all know Jen was
always gonna be Jen.

But I knew she was
going up there.

It's like one minute
we were talking and...

boom.

She's gone.

Do you really think
this is gonna work?

Um...

Real talk?

I don't know
what to think right now.

I'm honestly
just going on faith.

Faith.

Yeah.

M.E.'s report came back on that
body you found in the vacants.

- Lydell Jackson.
- And?

You were spot on, Detective.

Despite all those lightning
burns around the torso and face,

cause of death was blunt
force trauma to the throat.

Probably just another casualty
to their turf war with the Kobras.

That's one theory.

But we know two metas
who can make marks like that.

Black Lightning's been MIA
for a year. Besides...

this isn't how
that brother rolls.

Run now!

She's been disrespecting
this department since I got here.

With her blatant disregard
for public property

and her apparent role
in the mayor's

- killing...
- Drop the gas and go.

...it's time we put a face
to this meta vigilante problem.

Chief, we've got no way of
putting this body on Lightning.

Until someone can show me a
better option, she serves the purpose.

It's time to remind these metas
who's in charge around here.

Which is why I'll officially be naming you
head of our newly formed Meta Task Force.

Much appreciated,
but I'm gonna have to pass.

I pulled your file, Detective.

Four years in the marine corps,
another two doing spec ops.

This is right up your alley.

Like I said,
I appreciate the offer

but I turned down SWAT 'cause
I wanna be solving major cases,

not kicking down doors
at 2:00 in the morning

'cause somebody sold
a dime bag of weed.

Same holds true
for metas, Chief.

I wasn't asking
for your opinion, Detective.

But thank you for your input.

Welcome to the Task Force.

Now don't screw it up.

I thought I lost you out there.

I'm not going anywhere.

It feels like you've been
gone a really long time.

Yeah.

It feels that way to me, too.

I should have told you
about the ionosphere.

What?

Wait a minute.
Wait... You knew?

I thought it was handled. She
said she wouldn't do it anymore.

The mantra of every addict
known to man.

Yeah, I wonder
where she got that from?

- Don't!
- Yeah, how can I not, Lynn?

And you wonder why
I don't trust you!

You're the one
who's to blame for this.

You have been so wrapped up
in your nonsense,

you didn't have a clue
what was going on with Jen!

So Henderson's death
is nonsense now?

He died a year ago, Jeff.
Move on.

- It was Bill who died, not you.
- Yes!

Yes, and I have to live
with that every single day.

And while poor Jeff
is "living with it,"

do you have any idea of the
amount of pain you've caused?

Black Lightning
has abandoned this city.

His family.

Jen wouldn't have become addicted to
the ionosphere if you'd have been here.

This...
This is because of you!

I'll be brief.

We have solid information

that The Hundred gang,

is responsible for the
assassination of Mayor Billy Black.

An arrest warrant
has been issued

for its leader,
Latavious "Lala" Johnson.

The brave men and women
of Freeland PD,

have already apprehended several
high-ranking members of The 100.

Sadly,

even as we take this major step
forward to protect our streets,

I have to report yet another
senseless death in our community.

24-year-old Lydell Jackson.

Now, as this is
an ongoing investigation,

I'm unable to provide all of
the information about the case.

But... I'm able to confirm

that, based on
the evidence collected,

the meta
who calls herself Lighting

is our primary suspect.

No, there's no way
Jen did this.

Showing no regard
for authority,

or the loss of human life,

we now consider Lightning to be
Freeland's public enemy number one.

Finally,

I've assigned
Detective Hassan Shakur

to head up
our new Meta Task Force.

These vigilantes
need to be stopped,

once and for all,

and that's exactly
what we're gonna do.

That was
Chief Lopez reporting live.

In other news...

You gonna tell them
or should I?

Jen didn't do this.

I did.

Uh, so... so you're saying
you killed this guy?

No. No, he was very much alive
when I left, but I...

I beat him up
pretty bad and I...

I may have
broken his leg.

So you wouldn't
put up the suit

but you thought it was okay to torture
a random guy from the neighborhood.

And you said
I can't be trusted.

Okay, I didn't know
what I was gonna

see walking in here, but I...

I didn't expect this.

Have some fries.

Make me feel better about
not eating my feelings alone.

You could have taken that.

I'll hit her back later.

I haven't told her
about Jen yet,

and that's gonna be a whole
another thing that I'm not ready for.

And besides,
I'm here with you...

right now, and that's
the most important thing.

How are you holding up,
sweetheart?

You know.

I'm sad. I'm scared.

I... I don't wanna get my hopes
up about this whole collider thing

because we don't even know
if it's gonna work.

I hear you.

Mom, don't you think
you're going a little too hard?

I'm not doing Green Light
or meta boosters.

For God's sake, can I have
a damn glass of red wine?

And guess what.

I think I'mma join you.

Thank you.

This is gonna take at least
another day before it's fully rendered.

You have to get some sleep.

"She."

You said it.

Before "she's" fully rendered.

I'm sorry.

I was talking about
the process, not Jennifer.

You know, I'm sitting here
and I just keep

thinking about this one time
when Jen was little.

She must have been...

six.

Hmm, maybe a little bit more.

Hey, look, I've never told
anyone this story, not even Lynn.

We were at the grocery store,
picking up a few things,

and I remember

picking apples

'cause back then, Jen had this thing
where she wouldn't eat bruised fruit,

so I was being extra careful.

I remember that phase.

She had no problem
eating broccoli,

but she wouldn't even look at a grape
if she deemed it "too squishy."

Yeah.

That child.

She was born strong-willed
and, uh,

that never changed.

Sounds a lot like her father.

Oh, you would know, right?

Thirty years of this...

So there I was...

busy with the apples,
not paying attention to Jen,

and I turned around
and she's gone.

I'm, uh... Looked everywhere,
running up and down the aisles.

Now, this is the one and only
time I ever lost one of my kids.

It was probably just a few
minutes but it felt like hours.

So, where'd you find her?

Underneath the shelf,

over by the magazine rack.

I'll... I'll never forget it.
I found her because she was

looking at Colin Kaepernick
in The... The Body Issue.

Yeah. Smiling ear to ear.
No... No idea

that I had spent the worst
five minutes of my life.

Until today.

This has got to work.

I can't promise you that
everything's gonna be okay.

What I can promise you

is that, no matter what,

we'll get through this
together.

Uh, can I ask you a question?

Do you agree with Lynn
that this is all my fault?

I don't.

But Black Lightning has been
gone long enough.

He is and always has been
the hope of Freeland.

I guess we all could use
a little bit of...

hope right about now.

Yo.

I got Destiny on here. She
talking about it's important.

So what, we friends now?

Well, since I'm hearing you got more bodies
in lockup than you do on the streets,

I figured you and me
should talk.

So talk.

The new chief is
coming at you guys pretty hard.

And after she's done with The One
Hundred, she's coming for me and Lady Eve.

I'm trying
to get ahead of that.

So, an enemy of my enemy
is my friend.

That's what you saying?

Hmm, seems like a truce makes
sense, given the circumstances.

You can even pick the place.

Bring some people that you trust
and we can hash out the details.

Nah, I think I'm good.

I'm not really looking to do
a peace summit right now.

And the way I see it, the enemy of
my enemy doesn't make you a friend,

it just means that I got
more enemies to deal with.

Listen,

I've got no problem
with us having beef.

I'm just saying
now is not the time,

and with that bitch getting all frothy, a
ceasefire is a good business decision.

Yeah, okay.

You're right.

It's just business.

I'mma have Tay hit you
with the specifics.

So you really want this truce?

Nah.

It's time
that we flip the script.

Like they say,

there's no avoiding war.

It can only be postponed
to the advantage of others.

What you saying?

Destiny came at me
with that Sun Tzu,

so I went straight Machiavelli.

That means that that bitch
gots to die!

Hey.

What?

We don't call each other
back anymore?

I could have been stranded
on the side of the road.

Come on, but were you?

Okay, don't talk to me like you're
blackbirding somebody. I'm not a bad guy.

Okay.

Look, I'm sorry, okay?

My world is... it's pretty
upside down right now, all right?

Well, then tell me what's
going on, maybe I can help.

That's okay, I'm just gonna head
for a cool shower and clear my mind.

Anissa, this is ridiculous.

We're married now.

I shouldn't have to chase after you to
figure out what's going on in your life.

I've been on the outside looking in since
I was a kid, and this is more of the same.

I mean, seriously, you haven't even
told your family that we're married yet.

Come on, what... what is it
that you want from me, Grace?

- What do I want?
- Yes.

Anissa, I am not your roommate
or some random hookup.

I'm your wife, and giving me a
corner of your loft isn't letting me in.

Okay.

You're right.

You are.

But I've gotten comfortable with
being by myself for a long time,

and people put up walls, Grace,
you know that,

to protect ourselves, but
it's not on purpose, I promise.

Now, come on. I love you.

And you know that.

Yeah, I love you, too.

Now,

I'm asking that you please
be patient with me, Grace.

I'm trying. I really am, but it's
gonna be a work in progress.

I know.

For me, too.

Okay.

- Babe.
- Hmm?

Are you okay?

Um...

There's something that, uh...

I've gotta tell you
about my sister.

All of the Pierces
are back together.

We have ourselves a game.

You're happy about them all
getting ready to come at us?

Tell you the truth,

that don't look so good to me.

That's because
you don't play chess, do you?

Never, boss.

In chess,
the most dangerous pieces

are the ones that your opponent
keeps on reserve.

You must make
your opponent commit.

Then once committed,

you have yourself a game.

And whenever I have a game,

I always win.

I have an update.

That's far enough.

Will you lighten up?

You think
I don't know your type?

Trying to look all
professional, the good girl.

Everything perfect.

My daddy always told me, be aware
of the girl whose eyes never smile.

And won't you tell Val
where your dear old dad is now?

Pleasant Fields Cemetery.

My mother cut his throat.

And Mama knows best.

What you got for me?

Our project is on schedule,

but delays are projected due to
Pierce family interference.

That's unacceptable.

I want it when I want it.

I'm afraid
it's not that simple.

It is.

You just have to get past
your Yale education to see it.

You know, Yalies are trained to see the
complexities while the rest of us miss it.

That's why Yale Law School
turns out a ton of law professors.

How do you know
all these things?

If one would have power, one must
recognize the hierarchies in all things.

Who said that?

Me.

May I be candid?

At your own peril.

I would suggest that you're
showing signs of obsession

with the Pierces that won't
redound to your benefit.

You just stay on top
of that schedule.

My sister, Tori,
always told me,

if something's important,
you check it,

double-check it,

then check it again.

You will have what you want
when you want it.

Good.

'Sup, fellas?

Y'all miss me?

Why don't you come back
when we're open,

make yourself some coin?

Uh, I'd holster them hands,

unless you're planning
on getting got.

Just put it down.

Cops are already on their way.

Trust me,

if anybody dies up in here,
it ain't gonna be me.

You know, I hoped you'd turned the
corner when we fought the Markovians.

How much death
do you need, man?

Killing the mayor
wasn't enough for you?

Man, I ain't kill that fool.

None of my boys did, neither.

That's not what
Chief Lopez thinks.

There's only one person
I wanted dead that night.

Tobias Whale.

And you should want him dead
your damn self,

because no matter what
that Negro's playing at,

know this:
He's coming for all of us.

We've got to stop
killing each other, bro.

Tell that to the police.

Freeland's my house.

I don't kill nobody in it,

unless they got it coming.

Glad to see you back.

Freeland's been needing
someone to look up to.

Police, open up.

Count of three.
One, two, three.

"Might Not Be Ok" playing...

Morning.

Why are you whispering?

Feels right
to respect the quiet.

Did you get any sleep?

My brain's anything
but quiet right now.

It's like all the machines
are talking at once.

What are they saying
about Jennifer?

They don't even know.

The particle condensers are pretty
sure that they can reconstitute the body,

but... they don't know
if she will be alive or dead.

The processors
are only giving her

a 24% chance of survival.

I can see you beating
yourself up over this, son.

You need to stop.

At this point, we've done
all that we can do.

I should have said something.

You did what you thought
was right.

And look how that turned out.

Secrets are
a lot like marriages.

They only work out

if both sides hold up
their end of the bargain.

♪ I won't tell you
That it's gon' be ok ♪

♪ I can't see the sun
Through all the darkened rays ♪

- Good morning.
- Morning.

Do you need me
to top up your coffee?

No, I'm good. I'm gonna
get back to the sanctum.

I should never have said
what I said yesterday.

Putting it all
on you like that...

I'm sorry.

No, I'm...

I'm sorry.

That addict comment,
that was a low blow.

I need you to hear this
because I don't say it enough.

You've done an amazing job...

raising our daughters.

It was a team effort.

No, you have been a better father
than I could ever have hoped for.

I'm sorry.
I wasn't gonna do this...

I tried, Jeff,
I went to Jen's room...

...and I tried...

We're gonna
get through this together.

I think Jennifer is in there,
I... I know it.

My heart wants
to believe you, Jeff.

My brain doesn't.

♪ I won't tell you
That it's gon' be ok ♪

Yeah, I don't know
what's going on.

Destiny's known for being on point, she
was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago.

Something don't feel right.

Hands in the air!

Down! Down on the ground!

Get your asses down!
Lala, don't.

Hey, we got a runner!

All right, big boy.
Hands behind your back.

I can't breathe.
I ca... I can't breathe.

That's 'cause you're fat.

I ain't even on you like that.

So stop disrespecting the dead.

Go ahead and make the call.

It's time we brought in an
assassin who specializes in metas.

Okay.

So it's right
up there, you see?

We gotta get Gambi to set you up with
the new system now that you're family.

Wait, no, uh... Mm-mm.
I can't...

- I can't do it.
- Hey, I'm right here. I got you.

Oh, man. I'm never like this,
babe, but...

ever since we were kids, you
know, she's been my everything.

My ride or die.
The first person I came out to.

The first person I told about
you. I can't even imagine...

Hey, come on. Deep breaths.

Okay. Look at us.

The fact that we're both standing here
after all that the world's thrown at us

is proof that
anything's possible.

Right now,

let's choose to live
in the possible.

Okay.

Okay, okay, okay.

♪ Is anybody out there? ♪

♪ Can you lead me
To the light? ♪

Anissa Pierce.

So now what?

Well,

at least in concept,

once the energy
is fully rendered

and all of the DNA sequencings
has been decoded,

the particle condenser will begin
to transmute the energy into matter.

The process should
look like a 3D printer.

Then Jen walks out.

And we get our baby back.

100%.

Oh, God, please,
please, please, please.

♪ Your heart's a bird ♪

♪ Without the wings to fly ♪

♪ Can you take
This weight of mine? ♪

♪ Is anybody out there? ♪

♪ Can you lead me
To the light? ♪

Je... Jeff, what is it?
What... What's going on?

Something's not right.

Ever since the explosion,
I've felt

Jen's essence, her energy...

until now.

Maybe it's a by-product
of the reconstitution.

Oh, my God.

She... She's alive.

Jeff...

She's alive.

Oh, my God. She's alive.

Jeff.

♪ You are not alone ♪

♪ I've been here
The whole time ♪

♪ You are not alone ♪

♪ I've been here
The whole time ♪

♪ Singing you a song
Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ I will carry you ♪

Come here.
Come on, Jen. I got you.

♪ I will carry you ♪

Okay, I got you.

Take it slow.

Whoa, what the...

Okay, all right.

For real, this isn't funny.

Seriously, why are you
looking at me like that?

♪ ...it hurts It's hard ♪

♪ To breathe sometimes ♪
Subtitles: Synchronized by srjanapala

Closing theme music playing...