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Black Lightning 1.7 Review – ‘Equinox: The Book of Fate’
Loading...Whether it’s Gotham, Metropolis, or good ol’ Freeland, heroes love their cities. We never hear about about vigilantes protecting the citizens of say, North Dakota, or Genesee County, or even a country on the whole. What is it about a city that inspires heroes to focus on it to the exclusion of everyone else in their state? We don’t know. But we do know that Anissa and Jefferson have both named Freeland as the town they aim to protect. This week, we see how that goes. Spoilers about for Black Lightning 1.7: “Equinox: The Book of Fate.”
This might be the killingest episode of Black Lightning so far. Bold moves by various cast members tonight are leading this show into falling into some of comic’s most annoying traps. As anyone who’s heard me talk about my Arrowverse peeves knows—bringing people back from the dead is something that should be done very, very sparingly. I’d be happier if that trope died out altogether…except they’d probably just resurrect it later. Speaking of things that need to die, the overreliance on the “Dark Web” is also becoming pervasive and annoying. How dark and secret could it be if every tailor in town knows how to find things there?
We begin “Equinox” with Anissa healing up physically after getting thumped around by her dad. She’s angry, mostly because her parents have been lying to her for her entire life. Fair enough. It’s easy to talk about non-violent resistance when you’re kicking criminal butt every night. So Jefferson isn’t the most truthful of dads. Less truthful though is Gambi, and Jeff is totally on to him now. Jeff knows that Gambi knew about Tobias, and that he didn’t tell him. When heroes are lying to people, it’s always for the same reason: To Protect Them. Gambi doesn’t want Jeff to become a cold-blooded murderer, so he lied. But there’s more to it than that, and we all know that there is.
Tobias has decent fighting skills, which we see while he’s sparring with a guy on Greenlight. That drug is bad news. Tobias is supposed to be keeping a low profile, but as Gambi explains to Lady Eve, he isn’t. He’s a “habitual line stepper,” which is a phrase I only know from “Charlie Murphy’s true Hollywood stories” from Chappelle Show. Gambi has his own reasons for wanting Tobias taken out, but has to settle for the rat-faced Joey Toledo. Tobias makes too much money for Eve’s partners. Gambi’s “disguise” when he takes out Toledo was ridiculous. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Gambi does. Gambi leaves a gold box on Toledo’s body as some sort of message we don’t get until later.
I didn’t like hearing Jeff and Lynn blame themselves for not knowing about Anissa’s powers. Still, if they knew about genetic experimentation, they probably should have tested the girls at a young age, and then periodically since. That only makes sense. Most parents err on the side of caution with testing kids anyway. So it is surprising that this didn’t occur to either of them. Even Inspector Henderson is now wondering if there are more powered people around town. It’s at this point that we have to wonder if Henderson is coming around to Black Lightning’s way of thinking—as they share intel to find Tobias Whale. For a second there, we even think Henderson might know Black Lightning is Jeff.
Jeff is being a principal when Henderson calls on the Black Signal. We have to wonder if this is how the Inspector will eventually find out that BL is Jeff. He’ll call the Black Signal in Jeff’s presence, and the jig will be up. Tobias is furious when he learns of Toledo’s murder. I don’t think he loved Joey so much as he knows this is a threat and an insult. The gold box was full of “magic dust,” revealing Lady Eve’s role in all this. He wants to kill her, but knows her partners wouldn’t stand for it. But wait—because Tori has an idea. Meanwhile, the guys who tried to rob Lynn’s lab have shown up murdered.
We don’t see much of Jennifer this week, but the one scene she’s in contains all that great Pierce family energy we love so well. This family will be fine no matter what, or so it seems in these moments. There doesn’t seem to be any way around the idea that Gambi is dishonest, sneaky, and knows way more than he’s saying. With that in mind, it’s upsetting to see him so happy to be making Anissa’s suit. He’s not just going to supply her with garments—he’s talking about monitoring her vitals while she’s out there. What he does requires a huge amount of trust, far more than Jeff currently has for Gambi. Even though it was Lynn who asked for Gambi’s help, Jefferson might not be cool with his involvement with Anissa. Time will tell.
A new jazz club is opening up, and literally everyone will be there. As Tobias and his team enter, Black Lightning arrives to take him out. We see Jeff flash back to his father’s murder again, and it’s no less devastating this time around. As Tobias establishes an alibi, some dudes with badass electro-guns invade Lady Eve’s place. There’s a lot to see in what happens next:
–Lady Eve’s people are amazing, and gave their lives for her without reservation.
–The music. Give me it!!!
–Eve sent a message ending with “Right Now.” But what was that about?
–Syonide, despite working for the bad guys, is kind of amazing.
–Eve fought damn hard, and really did deserve to come out of that alive.
–Black Lightning is somewhat responsible for Tori’s death, since she was hit with a bullet from a guy BL spun around in the air while he was firing.
–Hiding in a coffin is a good way to win a fight like that. Clever boy!!
–RIP Eve and Tori
–Tobias will not get over these losses in a hurry.
The style of weapon used on Eve gives the impression that Black Lightning was responsible for the hit. Henderson and the local news believe this immediately. This suggests that the people of Freeland have no damn loyalty and would turn on their hero in a second. Or maybe that’s just the Fake News Media. Either way, Black Lighting is suspect, and in danger.
I don’t know why or how either Jeff or Lynn thought they could convince Anissa not to use her powers for hero work. I’m glad they didn’t belabor that point—as by the end of Ep 7, both parents are resigned to the idea that they can’t stop Anissa (or Jennifer, when the time comes) and that they might as well get behind her and help. But here’s the thing: Anissa IS too young and green for this work. Even though Mr. Poe knew he was in danger, the fact that Anissa didn’t warn him immediately after the lab robbery is awful. If she wants to protect people, she needs to start with those that her actions have endangered. Of course, Poe is murdered, and of course Anissa is horrified. Anissa’s powers also have a very obvious flaw—she needs to totally control her breathing at all times. This is going to fail her at some point, since it doesn’t even seem to be part of her own training ritual.
We’re left with the reminder that Jefferson no longer trusts Gambi, even as he fails to tell Lynn the truth about his activities in general. As “Equinox” comes to a close, Jeff extols Anissa to be better than him. She can’t even imagine what that might look like. It’s clear that Anissa and Jeff are teaming up for Freeland, and that Freeland might not appreciate it as much as they think. Just when we think the craziness is over for a second…who do we see but Latavius!! WHAT!!? We also get a quick glimpse of Lawanda, presumably as a hallucination or spirit. Who brought Lala back? For what purpose? I can’t even begin to imagine whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. The tattoo suggests good, but what good person engages in necromancy?
We are just over the halfway point of this 13-episode season. I love how well the show balances character development with great action scenes that move the plot forward. So much better than the freak-of-the-week stuff DC likes to throw at us. This storytelling style also makes it more difficult to guess what’s coming—which I love. Will Grace agree to a date with Anissa? What’s going to happen with Khalil, and will Jennifer care when it does? How will Lady Eve be avenged? What about Tori? Will Jefferson and Gambi rebuild trust? When will Jennifer’s powers be revealed further? How will the return of Latavius impact all of this?
See you’s next week!
