Original subtitles

You have to stop.

I can't keep letting you put yourself, or me through this.

I promise, no more.

S o it's been nine years since I've even come close to using my powers.

Do you remember why you became Black Lightning?

You wanted to give the people hope.

Look, somebody has to do something,

because all of this policing and marching and praying, it hasn't changed anything.

It is time that people know that Black Lightning...

is back.

Previously on Black Lightning...

The sink just crumbled in my hands like it was nothing.

Lynn and I are making room for a reconciliation.

I need to take things slow, Jeff.

- The One Hundred got my little girl. - LaWanda white.

I want my daughter.

It is time that people know that Black Lightning is back.

Sister LaVanda was one of us.

A friend...

a mother...

and she most certainly... was a woman of God.

That's right!

Sister LaWanda fought the good fight,

and now she's gone.

And all Sister LaWanda did was try to save her child.

Where's Anissa?

And The One Hundred tried to send a message

by killing her!

They wanted us to stay down, to stay scared,

to have the little bit of life they gave us.

Well, I'm standing here tonight to tell you,

that we're gonna send The One Hundred back a message...

That's right. That's right.

...by following Sister LaWanda's example.

So I need 100 God-fearing people to march with me.

I said I need 100 God-fearing people to march with me!

So that we can take back our community,

so that our kids can live free of the drugs, and the violence,

and all the damage that goes from living in a place

that nobody gives a damn about!

Stand up!

March with me.

Stand up if you wanna march with me.

Stand up if you wanna march with...

Damn it!

It's my breathing.

Okay.

Look, Reverend, I don't support paying The One Hundred for anything,

but I get that's where we are right now.

And I know the police have to do a lot

- to get the community... - Amen. Amen. Amen.

Amen, brother.

You see,

we wouldn't have to pay for protection

if half the police department didn't have their hands in The One Hundred's pockets.

Well, I'm not in The One Hundred's pockets,

and good work is being done.

Now we may not get there in the moment,

but we will get there in the end.

See, we gonna put our trust in the power of the Almighty,

because we damn sure can't put our trust in you.

You got that?

Come on, that... that's not true, Jeremiah, and you know it.

What, those crooked cops send you down here like the overseer?

Put the slaves in check, huh?

While you up in the pulpit with a $25,000 watch on,

wiping your forehead with a silk handkerchief,

I'm scraping young black men's bodies off the concrete.

- The street is my pulpit. - Billy. Okay.

I wear work shoes.

What kind of shoes you wear, Reverend?

All right.

Well, I'm not gonna call off my protest.

And, quite frankly, I'm surprised that you, as a parent and an educator,

would... would try to stop me.

I want to save you from yourself, Jeremiah.

Though I have no reason to believe you'll listen to me.

Freeland has always listened to you.

When you raced, now from your perch at Garfield...

...they used to call you Black Jesus.

Yeah, well, maybe they listened to me

because they believe in what I'm saying.

No. We listened because you were one of us.

You were out in those streets fighting with us.

Now it seems like the only ones you care about are the ones in your school,

or the ones in your home.

That's not true, Jeremiah.

Never has been.

Freeland is my home too, man.

Really?

I fight the best way I know how.

Look, man,

I know you and Henderson think I'm marching for my own glory, but I'm not.

I'm tired, man.

If it ain't the police killing us, we killing us.

And it's time for me...

It's time for us to take our lives back,

even if it means we have to be willing to die.

You understand?

LaWanda didn't want to die.

Yeah. But she knew it was possible.

Yet she persisted.

Because Black Lightning gave her hope.

- Black Lightning? - Yeah.

See, Black Lightning made her believe she could save her daughter.

Yeah, but she failed, Jeremiah.

They killed her.

Yeah. It's no accident that he came back after all these years.

That's God's work.

You see, that gives me hope.

That with Black Lightning's help, and with God's help,

we can save this community.

Okay, what if you're wrong, Reverend?

Hmm?

What if you're wrong about Black Lightning?

I'm not.

And what I believe is that he is the answer to our prayers.

Heroes inspire people.

The reverend is no exception.

Yeah, I don't wanna inspire people to get themselves killed.

Watching hundreds of people over multiple city blocks.

Uh, what if I'm not ready?

You'll be ready.

I've been able to decrease the resistance within the suit's circuitry,

which will allow for a smoother transfer of power to you.

Also, with this arm,

you should be able to create a thinner stream of electricity.

Why would I do that?

You'll be dealing with a large crowd.

You'll want a targeted strike with less collateral damage.

Also, lower voltage requirement, reduced power drain...

Yeah. Okay, okay. Let's just test it.

Okay. Here we go.

A thinner stream.

Again.

Come on, Jefferson.

Focus. Again.

Again.

My grandmother always told me that

if you don't write a thank you note,

it's as if the good thing never happened.

This is mine,

for all you lost over Lala's stupidity.

Unless you want me to throw that bag at Black Lightning,

doesn't really solve your real problem.

Black Lightning is dead.

I killed him my damn self.

Tobias, are you a church-going man?

No disrespect, Lady Eve,

but my life hasn't exactly led me down a spiritual path.

Well, I'm going to tell you

that the Good Book helps folks stay in line.

And then here comes Black Lightning,

and they think they don't have to.

Take Reverend Holt, for instance.

He's planning a march.

A march.

He's gonna lead everybody to the promised land

and take away our protection money when he gets there.

He can't be that stupid.

Well,

another pastor realized the risk in that proposal

and was smart enough to let me know.

I thank you for passing that on.

Mmm.

What I expect

is for you and that girl with death in her eyes,

to take care of it.

I don't mind people believing in God.

They just can't believe that they can take back these streets.

Amen, Lady Eve.

And then we can check into the hotel at 2:00.

Yo, did you tell your parents where you were going?

Oh, I haven't yet. But I will.

You have condoms, right?

Yeah.

You sure?

- You good? - Yeah.

I'm good. Uh, it's just...

Just what?

I know you haven't changed your mind?

What? No. No. No, no, no, no. I, uh...

J, I lied.

What you mean you lied?

I'm a...

I haven't done it before.

Look, I...

I was afraid to tell you. I mean...

I wanted you to think that I knew what I was doing, but...

Damn it, I was just trying to have swag.

Next thing I know, lies were coming out of my mouth, and...

I'm sorry.

Really, I am. I'm... I'm really sorry.

So...

A fine-ass virgin tells the truth

and risks remaining a virgin?

Khalil, my virgin self couldn't find you sexier right now.

Stop.

Hey.

I'm sorry. Do you need me to get out of your way?

It's kind of like I've moved in.

No. Not at all.

Can I help you find anything?

No, I'm, uh...

I'm just doing some research on genetic mutation.

You doing it for school?

No.

Somebody sick?

I hope not.

Vell, I hope not too.

Anissa.

Grace.

What are you reading?

The Outsiders.

It's not my thing.

You know, if you're reading about genetic mutations for fun,

maybe it should be.

I mean, this is nerd bait.

Young folks with outsized powers traveling the world,

knocking bad guys on their asses.

And then there are the costumes.

Ooh, I do love a costume.

Well, I tend bar at the Ruby-Red Lipstick bar,

and we do cosplay party on Friday nights.

You dress up as any superhero you want.

Supergirl. Looker, if vampires are more your thing.

I don't really have a thing.

Not yet.

You should come to the party.

I would really like you to.

Okay.

Only one squad car can work the march.

What?

That's almost guaranteeing that somebody is gonna get killed.

- Where'd these orders come from? - No one will say.

I asked my commander, and then the chief,

and eventually I tapped out at the deputy mayor's office

when she wouldn't return my phone call.

Somebody's setting him up.

Jeff, you got to talk to him. Try to convince him to cancel, reschedule, take a vacation...

No, I tried after you walked out.

He won't do it. He's... he's been inspired.

About what?

Black Lightning.

Black Lightning.

Like I don't have enough damn problems.

He's gonna get us all killed.

I hope not.

Here's your parade route.

Okay, now, if Henderson can't change the parade route, maybe we can.

You know, pick something that minimizes the chaos,

makes it easier for Black Lightning to protect the marchers.

Hasn't the paperwork already been sent

to the good reverend and the people that set up the parade route?

Yes.

S o, even if I break into the PD's computers and alter it,

there's no guarantee everyone gets the message.

No, I know. I was thinking of something a bit more old-school than that.

What? Shriners on lawn mowers to lead people the other way?

Close.

I was thinking more like a handsome Italian gentleman in coveralls.

Whenever you call me handsome, I almost always end up dirty.

Well, then you won't be disappointed by my plan.

Hmm. Anissa's not just late, she's not coming.

I'm not surprised.

I haven't seen much of her lately.

Well, we raised her to be a strong, independent woman,

and it looks like we succeeded.

Family dinners will be an intermittent priority.

Mmm-hmm. Jennifer's only two years away from going to college.

- She'll stop coming, too. - That she will.

I'm wondering...

when she doesn't want to eat with us either...

will you still show up to dinner with me?

You know what I want?

I wanna stop worrying about you.

Too many nights of seeing you broken and bleeding, Jeff.

Are we gonna do that right now?

Mmm. Anissa's not coming.

Family dinner is optional?

Uh, not for you.

You're still our little girl.

Well, Anissa not coming sucks.

Language.

Sorry. This turn of events is dispiriting,

as I wished for her support during this repast.

What do you need support for?

I've decided I'm ready to have sex.

What did she say?

We are happy that you came to us

like we've always encouraged you to.

So happy.

And glad that you felt comfortable.

You are so young.

How old were you guys?

Never mind.

Your mother and I loved each other very much.

Mmm-hmm.

Wait.

Are you saying the first time you both had sex was with each other?

No...

We think it's very important that you

have sex with the right person.

Okay. Noted.

So, um, Saturday's the day.

I'll be out in the afternoon,

but I'll be home by curfew.

I don't think either one of them said more than, "Pass the salt"

for the rest of the meal.

It was a little cruel to spring it during family dinner.

Well, my plan was for you to be there,

to help 'em through it. But...

- My bad. I'm sorry. - Mmm-hmm.

Church, family dinner... Suddenly you're a ghost.

You're okay though, right?

- Nothing bad is happening? - I am fine.

Good.

Then that means you can go to the march with me.

Because I've never been to one, and you're the pro, Harriet.

Mmm... I don't think I wanna go to the reverend's march.

The girl with the marching shoes and the frequent-marchers card

doesn't wanna go to the march?

What's going on with you?

I'm just tired of walking around with a sign, trying to change people's hearts.

I wanna do more.

Fine, well, don't think of it as marching.

Think of it as being with your sister.

Something you've forgotten how to do.

Okay.

I'll go with you.

Good.

Now, let's talk about birth control.

This has been a long night.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no.

Hey.

Hey.

I thought we should discuss our epic fail last night.

- My mind went blank. - I know.

And then it was downhill from there.

I'm glad that we flamed out together.

I always tell people you're the unflappable parent.

Well, I made an appointment with Dr. Bass.

I think it's easier if one of us follows up with her.

Yeah.

Are you sure we're not being too liberal here?

I mean, my father would say this is some white-folks mess.

The girl told us that she is having sex on Saturday.

Like it was nothing. If I had done that...

And that is why I will follow up with Dr. Bass,

because you are flapping.

Look, we asked her to come to us, and she did.

At least she's not sneaking off and getting pregnant.

Mmm. Mmm.

Don't worry.

I got you.

What is on your mind, Lynn Stewart?

You know, I was thinking since you're going back to being Black Lightning,

maybe I should take a bigger role in the girls' lives.

Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, if Jennifer leaves Freeland and goes to college,

you won't regret the extra time.

I wonder if she should move in with me?

Move?

No.

What if you get hurt, Jeff?

What if she sees you beaten up?

What is that gonna do to our little girl?

I don't wanna talk about this.

Jeff, I'm her mother. I have a right.

No.

I'll let you know when we see Dr. Bass.

Khalil.

Hey, Mr. Pierce.

Oh, I shaved a tenth off my split today.

I think it was that new weight routine you suggested.

Oh, great to hear it.

You know that my, uh, concern for you extends beyond the track, right?

Uh, yeah. Yes, sir, of course.

Good. Good.

How do you shower?

Uh, um...

Uh... Mr. P, I...

You know, you got your bar of soap...

Well... well, I wash,

use shampoo...

rinse...

Okay.

Then when you get out of the shower...

Okay.

Well, I don't have a mat so I step on to my towel to dry my feet.

So,

feet,

legs,

etcetera.

Yeah. Yeah, that... that sounds about right.

Hmm.

So the young man

who wants to have sex with my daughter,

who spends much of his time in locker rooms,

dries his fungus-covered feet before he dries his important parts?

Sir, I...

No, no. I'm asking you, do you wanna give my daughter athlete's foot

in places where athlete's feet should not be?

I don't think so.

"I don't think so"?

Son, the answer is "no."

And if you don't know that, then maybe you and Jennifer need to slow down.

Ooh, okay.

S o, Miss Black Lives Matter is cheating on me with an Asian?

- Hey! Watch it! - Come on. Come on.

I'm not cheating.

Unless dancing in spandex means anything.

- You look like an Instagram ho. - You did not...

- No, I think you two should talk about this outside. - Okay.

You gonna be okay?

Yeah, I'm good.

The serial number's been removed

so you can toss it at the scene.

Though I suggest do not leave it covered with your fingerprints.

Okay.

Is there a problem?

You seem reluctant to pick it up.

I'm not wearing gloves.

You agreed to do this.

Said you wanted to move up in the organization.

Maybe take Lala's place, right?

Yes.

Then I need you to send a message.

These are my streets. And nobody messes with my streets.

Stop bleeding on my desk.

Thank you.

Another day and another young man

has been shot and killed on the streets of Freeland.

His name, Jamal Allen Brown.

And so far, police have not made any arrests. Residents...

How'd it go?

She took her key back.

I'm sorry.

No. She was right. We were done.

I just...

So much has been changing in my life

that I was just holding on to something that wasn't working,

just so I had something to hold on to.

Today, I felt invincible, you know? And now, I just...

Back to reality.

Ve're all just playing at being superheroes.

It'd be nice, though.

Superpowers.

A way to make the world a better place, you know, really change things,

fight the bad guys,

save the good guys.

Saving the world would be lonely, I think.

You have to keep your identity secret,

even from the people you love.

Right. Because they'd worry.

Yeah.

Oh, damn, look at the time. Okay, I, uh...

I've gotta go get out of this spandex because I promised my sister

I would go to this march with her.

All right, good night, Miss Black Lives Matter.

Goodnight, Grace.

Our detour sent the march down here,

and this is the highest point on our new route.

You'll be able to see almost the entire march.

Now, if they just wanna kill Holt,

it'll likely be a single gunman,

waiting to take him out at his most public moment.

But that's not what I'd do.

I hate it when you play the most-not-likely-scenario game.

The One Hundred doesn't wanna be in the martyr-making business.

They wanna be in the fear business.

So, kill marchers.

Exactly.

If you put poison in aspirin, people stop buying aspirin.

If you make it deadly to protest...

People will live with their misery rather than dying trying to change it.

It's not easy to kill someone in cold blood.

Your gunman is gonna look nervous.

A little bit like you look now.

No, I'm not nervous.

I'm just hoping that God was listening as hard as I was when the reverend was talking.

I guess we'll see.

Yeah.

I'll get the suit ready.

Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!

Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!

Damn it. Lynn and the girls are down there.

There's nothing you can do about it now. Stay focused.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

He's supposed to be dead.

He's supposed to be dead. Are they singing?

They are singing.

That's why I hate these church-going Negroes.

Always praying and singing, singing and praying.

They all wanna go to heaven, but don't none of them wanna die.

Kill that electrified freak.

Oh, my God!

Someone call 911!

Reverend Holt.

It's Dr. Lynn Stewart.

I need to look at your wound, okay?

It may hurt a bit.

You need to go.

You're gonna be okay. It's okay.

Hey, hey, hang in there. I'm right here.

Please, you have to sit in the rooms.

It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay. Just... It's gonna be okay.

Jen, come on, let's sit down.

Did you hear anything?

Well, I just asked them for some tissues, I'm sorry.

He's gonna be okay, right?

I, um... I don't know.

Well, they said... that Rev. Holt was gonna be okay.

Yeah, they did.

Well, maybe... Maybe Khalil will be okay too.

It could be. I certainly hope so.

Come here. Come here.

It's okay, okay? You'll be good.

At least two are injured but witnesses say Black Lightning

prevented an even larger tragedy from occurring.

Man, my partner was like, "Man, you must be high."

I'm like, "No, my dude, I seen it with my own eyes."

It was like, he had his hands up like this.

It was crazy. He saved us all.

Well, despite public support, uh, the police department are not happy with his efforts.

Earlier I spoke to Inspector Henderson from the Freeland Police Department.

He's a vigilante. And violence and murders are up since he came back.

Whether he is the cause, or the target,

Black Lightning is not making things better for the citizens of Freeland...

When I heard those bullets,

I thought that was it.

I'm glad that you and the girls are okay.

If I had known you were thinking about coming, I would have warned you.

It was a last-minute thing.

Jennifer told me she was meeting Anissa,

and I thought it would be some quality family time.

I'm sorry.

No, it's not your fault. I... I should have said something.

No, I... I mean for suggesting Jennifer come live with me.

I lashed out.

It sounds crazy but the bullets gave me some perspective.

Danger is everywhere.

I'm sorry.

I really am.

Hey, I guess, deep down, I always knew

that Black Lightning would eventually win.

It doesn't mean I have to accept my defeat gracefully.

You know, even if we don't live under the same roof,

you three are my priority, suit or no suit.

You're a good man, Jefferson Pierce.

Sorry, Jefferson.

So what's going on with you?

Huh?

Dad says you're never home.

You don't call. You skipped family dinner.

Do you remember when you told us you were a lesbian?

Silent for about a minute,

and then hugs.

You know, a mother's love is a very powerful thing, Anissa.

Mmm-hmm.

I sense something's weighing heavy on you.

Nothing you could do, or say would ever make me stop loving you, ever.

Your silence worries me more than anything you could probably say.

Chenoa and I broke up.

I'm sorry to hear that, baby.

But you were not into that girl the way she was into you.

So when you're ready to tell me what's really going on,

I'm here for you.

Okay?

Yeah, Mom.

Um, the bullet hit his spine.

Khalil might not walk again.

Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry.

Mmm.

- Ma'am, what do you think of Black Lightning? - I'm so sorry.

I don't give a damn what the police say.

Black Lightning is out here in these streets with these young folks,

trying to stop them from killing each other.

Black Lightning's like an angel,

a costumed answer to all our prayers.