Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Jennifer Pierce Forces Herself Into The Limelight
The Book of Rebellion: Exodus
Black Lightning has, from the start, been about the entire Pierce family consisting of Jeff (Black Lightning himself), Lin his ex-wife/current girlfriend (yeah, I know), Anissa (who became Thunder at the beginning of the show) and Jennifer, (the teenager who came into her abilities in the middle of season 1 and is still coming to terms with them). So far however, Jennifer's role in the story telling has been mostly supporting, with more attention being paid to the other characters than to her... especially by the other characters and members of her family who are all going through their private, equally distressing journeys and seem to have forgotten that the girl is only a teenager. She has never ever been front and centre, with the exception of the very first episode of the show.
However, in true teenage rebellion fashion (and after an incredibly well-written build-up), Jennifer has suddenly broken out of her almost-literal prison, thrust herself into the centre of the show and forced the story to revolve around her, leaving the entire Pierce family tense and broken... and possibly leading to a much more dire consequence regarding their secret abilities.
After escaping Tobias' goons and driving off with Khalil at the end of the previous episode, this episode focuses on their attempts to stay abreast of the parties looking to find them. Tobias, of course, is super pissed off and wastes no time in putting a bounty out on Khalil, something the runaway couple discover to their dismay when Khalil tries to shake down Club 100 for some cash. The Pierces however, choose to believe that Khalil is holding their daughter. Jeff and Anissa hit the streets immediately, even going as far as looping Detective Henderson and the Freeland PD in. Gambi, now discovered, comes out to assist with technological support. Everyone is super tensed up, and Lin almost breaks from the emotional trauma.
It doesn't take long for blames to start flying around. Slowly, it begins to dawn on them all that no one had given Jen the attention she needed or even tried to understand how she was feeling, especially after she calls on her own volition to tell them she's okay. Meanwhile she and Khalil have engaged in a gun battle with the 100 (in which she was forced to use her abilities in public for the first time), ditched their car, stolen another one, gone to lay low at his aunt's place, and were already changing their appearances.
However, though Tobias goes to threaten Khalil's mother to contact him and tell him to keep his mouth shut, it soon turns out he knows exactly where he is anyway as he has a tracker imbedded in the skin under his hair, and just hadn't made up his mind whether to let him go or put him down. He does decide to put him down and sends Cutter, a lady immensely skilled with knives to do the job. Luckily, at the same time, Khalil's mother, filled with guilt about Jennifer's involvement reveals the existense of her sister to the Pierces.
When Cutter shows up, Khalil tires to hold her off but she proves too skilled for him. Then Black Lightning and Thunder arrive and takes her on. During the reulting fight, Jennifer helps him up despite his cuts and sneak out of the house. Gambi tries to follow her with a dron but she screams at it to 'Leave them alone' and shoots it down. They short out the tracker in Khalil's head, hide until Black Lightning and Thunder leave and runaway again.
But then Cutter calls Tobias up to tell him what happened, and the albino Big Bad begins to realise that perhaps what brings Black Lighting in is not Khalil, but the Pierce girl...
I'm guessing it won't take long for Tobais to discover the Pierce's secret identities. As for our superhuman Bonnie and Clyde, how lang they will last as a couple is a diferent wager. While Jen fully believes Khalil is a good guy and not the Painkiller persona, continuous contact with him is sure to reveal how truly disturbed he is. What she does when that's revealed... well, your guess is as good as mine.
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