Black Lightning – “The Resurrection” Spoiler Free Advance Review. Thunder and Jefferson.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2018, 9/8c on The CW

Rating: ★★★★★

“Everything is a choice.” – Jefferson Pierce

As Principal of Garfield High School, Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is looked upon as a hero in the community. Not afraid to confront the gangs plaguing the streets of Freeland, Jefferson negotiates with the gang leaders in order for Garfield to be a safe haven for the kids in the neighborhood. Jefferson’s well aware the arrangement is built on a house of cards, where even the slightest infraction between the community and gangs could put everyone in jeopardy.

Long before Jefferson helped shape young minds, he was a different type of hero who was known as Black Lightning, a masked vigilante who could harness and control electricity. It’s been nine years since Jefferson last wore the mask and with his crime-fighting days long behind him, he now focuses his attention on his family and students. But as the organized crime group known as the 100, which is lead by Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III), reigns terror upon the neighborhood, Jefferson is forced to wrestle with the idea the community might need Black Lightning to protect the streets once again.

While I had no prior knowledge of this character, after viewing the first trailer I was immediately drawn in and couldn’t wait to see the pilot. I loved the idea of a superhero taking off the mask to focus his energy on his family and to work as a high school principal, only to be drawn back in years later. Based on the comic book created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden in 1977, the Black Lightning trailer not only lays out an interesting premise, it shows a tremendous amount of heart. Unfortunately, the series of clips used to create the powerful trailer doesn’t carry the same emotions over to the first two episodes I was able to screen.

Part of the problem Black Lightning faces is this hero has existed for years in the fictional world by the time the pilot begins. This isn’t like Tom Holland being cast and becoming the third Spiderman since 2002. With Holland, even casual fans were already well aware of Peter Parker’s origin story, allowing the writers to jump right into the action. When it comes to Black Lightning, not only is the story new to most, but the audience doesn’t get to learn about the character and experience the journey as the protagonist discovers his abilities and takes on the responsibility of being a hero. At times, “The Resurrection” feels more like a midseason episode rather than a pilot, which leads to some confusing moments and a lot of unanswered questions. Unless you’re familiar with the comics, you can’t help but feel something’s missing.

Picking up several years into a story comes at a cost. Scenes like Jefferson debating whether to put the metaphoric cape back on after nine years doesn’t carry the emotional weight it should. That’s because the audience is introduced to him only minutes earlier. It’s not just Jefferson, though; characters like tailor Peter Gambi (James Remar) show up and rather than being introduced are treated like they’ve been around for many seasons. It’s like audience is supposed to know them well, except we don’t. The questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how of the story are ignored as the writers focus on the future, not the past.

Black Lightning, despite coming from Greg Berlanti, the executive producer behind The CW’s Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow, is not set in the same universe and is much darker in tone. While many will applaud the grittiness of Black Lightning as it tackles topics like gangs, police violence, and racism, I can’t help but think Berlanti and the creative team behind the series have missed an opportunity to inspire a younger generation of fans. When the marketing campaign began for the pilot for Berlanti’s Supergirl, images of young girls of various races dressed as Supergirl filled social media. The superhero series gave women of all ages something they had rarely seen on television – a female hero. Black Lightning had a similar chance to instill that level of excitement as the first DC show to center around a black superhero. Given Black Lightning is promoted alongside Berlanti’s other superhero series, parents might be surprised to hear women referred to as “bitches” and African Americans as the “N” word. While not a complaint about the series, it’s too bad a better balance couldn’t have been found that realistically captures issues the urban communities face while being an inspiration for a younger generation.

The strongest thing Black Lightning has going for it is Williams, who is perfectly cast and gives an outstanding performance. Even with all of “The Resurrection’s” unanswered questions, Williams’ portrayal of Jefferson is inspiring, not only as a superhero but as a mentor and parent. Jefferson’s passion for his students reminds me of Morgan Freeman’s character, Principal Joe Clark, in the 1989 film Lean on Me. Both men are willing to do whatever it takes to improve their students’ lives even at great personal peril. Despite Jefferson’s tough exterior, Williams does a wonderful job showing the many nuanced layers to Jefferson’s personality, and I found myself wanting to learn more about the character and the talented actor’s previous work.

While I don’t want to say I was let down by the Black Lightning pilot, it fails to match the emotions created by the trailer. I kept feeling like I was missing important elements of the story. We see glimpses of relationships that have great potential; for instance, the one between Jefferson and veteran detective Henderson (Damon Gupton), but with so much context missing, it’s hard to get a real feel. Many of the unanswered questions could have easily been handled during a 10-minute flashback type recap with a younger Black Lightning explaining how he got his powers, what drove him to become a superhero, how how he met Gambi, and more.

For viewers, it’s not always necessary to have everything perfectly laid out in a pilot episode but “The Resurrection” leaves too much up in the air. I wanted to care more about Jefferson’s struggle with his inner demons but the way the episode is written, I wasn’t able to become fully invested. As the series progresses and we learn more about each character and their pasts, I’m hopeful my concerns will dissipate. It’ll be interesting to go back and re-watch “The Resurrection” after getting to know the major players and having several of the blanks filled in. That said, for casual comic or superhero fans, Black Lighting is worth checking out.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Resurrection.”

Tune in to Black Lightning Tuesdays at 9/8c, only on The CW.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.