[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: Oz Scott
Writers: Jan Nash & Adam Giaudrone
Starring: Cress Williams, Nafessa Williams, China Ann McClain, Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin Jones III
Summary
RETURN OF THE WHALE – Tobias returns to Freeland. He is tasked to capture — not kill — Black Lightning with the help of an unexpected source. After a battle of epic proportions, Anissa and Jennifer provide surprising aid.
Positives
In this episode, we find out exactly where Tobias Whale has been and who he is working for. The ASA, the same people who were pulling Lady Eve’s strings, are becoming the real “big bads” that the show seemingly has hidden in plain sight, providing fans a convincing clandestine organization to be weary of versus most other TV shows, which look pedestrian in comparison to how Salim Akil has been positioning them the whole season.
Another surprise to this episode is the sudden reemergence of Khalil, as not only a suddenly healed teenager, but also with superhuman abilities, given to him by the ASA. In this episode, we also get a fight between Thunder and Syonide, the two most impervious characters in the show and ones that are not only considered equals to their male counterparts, but who have the more exciting fight sequence.
Lastly, Jennifer’s inner conflict has been probably the most perplexing yet rewarding of any character I have seen on TV right now, as she struggles with her new abilities, eventually using them to revive her father.
Negatives
The portrayal of Lala as a puppet to Tobias seems underwhelming in this episode, one I hope the writers course correct by the season finale.
Verdict
This episode does what truly good penultimate episodes do, by making everything that they have planted all season long payoff.
