Black Lightning series premiere review: Why it worked

Black Lightning debuted its series premiere on Tuesday night and found a way to bring a fresh superhero drama to The CW in several different ways.

If you hang around The CW a lot, you already know what it’s about and you typically know what you’re in for when you sit down to watch. Fortunately, Black Lightning didn’t disappoint with last night’s series premiere, “The Resurrection.” While it did, admittedly, feel kind of CW-y (presumably due to budgetary restrictions), the writing and dramatic storytelling were so strong that I could overlook anything that felt derivative of something I’d seen before.

Sure, having your Alfred-esque friend double as a tailor who happened to be working on a new suit for you is a little Kingsman, but otherwise, Black Lightning didn’t pull any punches. In fact, the best thing it had going for it, besides Black Lightning himself, was its social commentary.

From start to finish, Black Lightning did its due diligence to show the audience what’s at stake. Nine years ago, Jefferson Pierce stopped being a vigilante to protect his two young daughters. But now that they’re grown, he’s going to have to resume his hero work to protect them again.

Real-life violence

Unfortunately, the problems they face aren’t things like bad grades or online bullies. Instead, his youngest daughter, Jennifer, goes to a club (she’s only in high school) and finds herself nearly pimped out at a hotel to help one gang member pay off his debt to another. As scary as the thought of that is, it’s purposefully done.

More importantly, Black Lightning didn’t just point to gangs as the exclusive agents of violence in the community either. Although one member of The 100 nearly brandishes a gun in broad daylight at a school, the episode began with Jefferson being profiled by the police as well. When the officers tried to arrest him, they became overly aggressive with both Jefferson and his daughters waiting inside the car.

Jefferson tells his daughters to comply before the situation escalates and the police eventually let him go, but it’s a good reminder of how bad situations tend to turn infinitely worse.

Fatherhood

Though the show’s called Black Lightning, it did an incredible job setting up Jefferson Pierce first. Before we get to know the vigilante, it’s important to understand the man who wears the suit and why he went into retirement in the first place.

Our first hour painted the perfect picture of Jefferson’s life. He’s a school principal who shares custody of his two kids, and he’s doing his very best to keep them (and his students) on the right path. Like any dad, he wants him them to work hard, be honest, and attend his fundraising events in a show of support. My dad used to do the same thing to me when it came to public functions, so I sympathized with both girls’ reluctance to attend.

Still, the best part of the episode — and the moment I felt most connected to the family — came when Jefferson and his estranged wife Lynn talked about how their oldest daughter Anissa (our soon-to-be superhero Thunder) is growing up, to which Jefferson replied that she is “emotionally and financially” still under his care. To me, that felt like a true testament to the type of father he is.

The vulnerable hero

Jefferson Pierce, however, can’t be defined as either just a principal or just a father. Of course, he’s Black Lightning. But Cress Williams gave such a nuanced performance that I can’t wait to peel back the layers on this superhero.

He’s emotional throughout the episode. In one scene, he gets protective of a child he doesn’t even know at a moment when most would keep to themselves. He’s not invincible. We see him bleed. We know that’s part of the reason why he stopped being Black Lightning. It would be so easy to make an unstoppable hero, but making a vulnerable one is always more compelling.

And on top of all that, Black Lightning’s suit glows. It keeps the electric energy flowing through it at all times. Plus, the score of “The Resurrection” was fierce from start to finish. It definitely set a new bar for The CW’s superhero shows and is a worthy resurrection for an otherwise obscure comic book character.

I’ll definitely be tuning in for the rest of the season, how about you? What were your favorite parts of the episode? Who was your favorite character? Let us know in the comments below!

Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.

Home/DC TV