4/27/2023 0 Comments Black lightning season 4But since this is the final run it feels like the show coming full circle. ![]() If this were just another season and the show was going to continue on afterward I would agree that starting without Jeff being Black Lightning again was a mistake, especially since he was out of the suit at the beginning of last year as well, although for different reasons. Some might object to the show returning to the idea of Jeff abandoning the superhero life yet again and Alvin is one of a few characters throughout the episode to point out that we’ve been here before but that’s where this being the final season comes in handy. ![]() Bolden has appeared a couple of times throughout the series but Alvin’s visits are still rare enough to be impactful and his passionate encouragement contrasts sharply with the bitter cynicism Williams brings to Jeff. The use of a completely upside-down camera angle to indicate a character’s emotional confusion has become an overused trope, that exaggerates the more striking effect more subtly canted angles have traditionally had, but otherwise, this first scene is strong and effectively sets a somber, emotionally charged tone for the episode and season. Alvin urges his son to take up the mantle of Black Lightning once more but Jeff is convinced that his alter ego did more harm than good and is responsible for Henderson’s death. Jeff is visiting the grave of his life-long friend Bill Henderson, Freeland’s previous police chief, who died during the Markovian war when he sees a vision of his late father, Alvin Pierce (Keith Arthur Bolden). We pick back up roughly a year after the Markovian invasion was defeated and the ASA was disbanded. Williams’ characteristically passionate performance and strong writing mean that Jeff’s struggle is genuinely heart-wrenching but it makes for great television and it seems like in its fourth season, which has also been announced to be its last, Black Lightning will be just as captivating as it was in its outstanding first and third runs. This is especially true for Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), Black Lightning himself, who has hit something of a breaking point. Just like we all have to continue to deal with the pandemic and Trump’s lingering influence, the Pierce family and the rest of Freeland must now contend with the cumulative effect of all their traumatic experiences and find a way to rebuild. The Season 4 premiere continues to replicate the general feel of American life, in which severe difficulties persist despite the major victory that’s been won. Fortunately, the results of the presidential election gave real Americans a similar experience to that of the people of Freeland. After all, when Season 3 ended with the Pierce family and their allies finally freeing Freeland from the tyranny of the ASA the creators had no way of knowing if real-world America was going to get out of its own dystopian period any time soon. ![]() But it is worth noting that a certain amount of luck contributes to its timeliness as well. ![]() Black Lightning Season 4 Episode 1 “The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter One: Collateral Damage” Director: Salim Akil Starring: Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Willaims, Christine Adams, Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III, Grace Choi, Peter Gambi, Melissa De Sousa, Wallace Smith, Reggie Hayes Rating: TV-14 Runtime: 42 minutesīlack Lightning has gotten a lot of praise, deservedly so, for its ability to tailor its superhero stories to reflect the ever-shifting political realities of America, specifically those experienced by black Americans.
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