Black Lightning: Stabilization

Black Lightning | Season 3 | Episode 11 : “Lynn’s Addiction”
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KBear Recap [Read time: 5-7 min]

“Setbacks! These are not setbacks. They’re disasters.” Agent Percy Odell

Comic Panels: Lynn Pierce (Christine Adams) opens the door for Sergeant Gardner Grayle (Boone Platt). Anissa/Thunder (Nafessa Williams) comforts Jennifer/Lightning (China Anne McClain) after fighting Khalil Payne/Painkiller (Jordan Calloway). Peter Gambi (James Remar) asks Lynn for the meta-stabilizer. Painkiller busts through the Pierce’s door.

Sgt. Grayle is recording a message about his dissatisfaction with the ASA. He was happy when they first recruited him, but now he’s disillusioned. He begins reciting some of the ASA’s crimes in Freeland. Jennifer and Brandon (Jahking Guillory) are at her house. Someone is at the door, Jennifer prepares to fight, but thankfully it’s her father. Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning (Cress Williams) rushed home because she called him. Jennifer tells him she tried to blast Agent Percy Odell (Bill Duke). She explains that she called him on the cellphone Odell gave her. Jefferson is surprised. Jennifer continues, she began working for Odell, she destroyed a Markovian data farm. Jefferson is shocked, she admits she might have killed someone. Jennifer tries to explain how Jefferson and Lynn tried to keep her hidden while Odell allowed her to use her power and even helped her go into space. Jefferson tries to remain calm and assure Jennifer that he and Lynn did what they did because they love her. Jennifer acknowledges it. As he’s leaving, Jefferson messes with Brandon, telling him to leave his daughter alone or else. Brandon tells Jennifer that Jefferson is a scary dude: Jennifer tells him he doesn’t know the half of it.

<span style="color: #993300;">DC TV Black Lightning Statue</span> — DC TV Black Lightning Statue

Anissa and Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy) are making out at the Perdi farm. Grace wants to go back with Anissa to Freeland. With the help of the Perdi healers, she has control of her shifting. She believes her loss of control came out of her feelings of abandonment. Having Anissa’s love helps her. Anissa receives a call from Jefferson to come home. Grace tells her ‘they’ are going home. Gambi arrives at Lynn’s place. He tells her she looks awful, Lynn takes offense, Gambi explains he only meant she looks ill. Lynn says she’s okay. Gambi asks her for a dose of the meta-stabilizer cure. She tells him she doesn’t have that much left. He understands, but he tells her he has one of the Pod Kids from 30 years ago. She asks how he can be sure and he tells her he knows because he was the one responsible for getting ‘TC’ in the pod. It was back when Gambi was a spotter for the ASA. He thought he was helping his country, but once he saw what the ASA was actually doing, he walked away. Gambi raised Jefferson as his own, but he feels like that still isn’t enough to make up for his part in destroying these kids’ lives. Lynn understands and gives him a dose. She asks him for a favor, to give her access to the ASA systems.

Agent Odell is dressing down Major Grey (Kathy O’Brian). He would like to go home to Gotham, but he can’t because Freeland is in such bad shape. He lists all of the losses the ASA has taken, including losing Jennifer Pierce. Major Grey admits they have had some setbacks. Agent Odell: “Setbacks! These are not setbacks. They’re disasters.” Major Grey tells him she has a new plan. Chip and stabilize the kids they have in the Pit. Odell asks can they stabilize them without Dr. Stewart’s meta-stabilization cure. She tells him Dr. Blair (Brandon Hirsch) is working on it and they can use Tobias Whale’s (Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III) bone marrow to make more meta-stabilization serum. They will move Tobias to the medical ward to get his bone marrow and begin the chip/stabilization process on the detainees. Agent Odell orders her to proceed and not fail again.

Sgt. Grayle is at Lynn’s front door; she had contacted him using the ASA system. Lynn knows he picked up her bag but didn’t log it in. He hands her the bag that had the Green Light in it. He tells her what Major Grey is up to, to prevent her chip/stabilization plan, Lynn plans on getting Tobias out of the Pit. Grayle volunteers to help her. She goes into the bathroom to take some Green Light.

Lala (William Catlett) is speaking to his new lieutenant Devonte Jones (Rafael Castillo). The 100 is unloading weapons they stole from the ASA. Devonte tells Lala how much he likes popping ASA troops after what they did to him. It’s personal. Lala: “But be careful mixing personal with business, Devonte. That’s the fastest way you end up getting caught slipping.” Even though he, Lala is from Freeland, and this occupation is personal to him, he still sells these weapons to the résistance at double the price. He asks Devonte why, because it’s business. They are still looking for Tobias, but he gives Devonte a new mission. Someone has set up shop on the East End and they aren’t paying Lala for protection, he orders Devonte to investigate.

“We all need someone sometime. Nobody gets through this life alone.” Peter Gambi

Gambi is back in the Sanctum administering the meta-stabilization cure to TC (Christopher Emannuel). TC begins feeling better and asks Gambi why he is helping him. Gambi: “We all need someone sometime. Nobody gets through this life alone. Right now, I’m just a guy who could help you.” He tells TC he reminds him of someone. Jefferson storms in complaining about what Odell had Jennifer doing for him. He’s so angry he doesn’t even notice TC being there. Jefferson’s eyes light up and Gambi advises him to calm down. After he does, he notices TC. Gambi introduces TC to Jefferson. They say hi to each other. Jefferson wants to speak to Gambi in private.

Lynn shows Sgt. Grayle the meta-booster she has developed, she can give everyone temporary powers. She will use it to sneak Tobias out of the Pit. Lynn plans on testing it on herself, but Grayle tells her she is too important; he volunteers to be the guinea pig. Anissa and Grace are home preparing lunch and talking about puzzles, Shonda the A.I. (Sh’Kia Augustin) announces Jefferson is at the door. Grace goes upstairs to leave them alone; Jefferson comes in and tells Anissa they are going after Odell. Lynn selects a meta power and injects Grayle with it, he becomes invisible. An hour later he is visible again, Lynn takes his vitals, he is back to normal. Lynn is going to use Gambi’s cloaking device to disguise herself, and Tobias will be invisible; that’s how they’ll break him out of the medical ward. Jennifer and Brandon are still at the house, Jennifer is ready to leave to do something; Brandon tags along with her.

Gambi is on his computer giving coordinates to Black Lightning. TC is up, he shows Gambi who ordered the hit on him, Lady Eve (Jill Scott). Lady Eve made arrangements for the hit over a year ago. TC is worried she’ll order another hit on Gambi, but he tells TC that it isn’t a problem, Lady Eve is dead. The coordinates are for a caravan that Odell is in. Black Lightning and Thunder attack the caravan. Black Lightning uses his powers to turn off the cars electrical systems, causing the cars to crash into each other. Jefferson walks over to Odell’s car and says, “I got your ass.” They take Agent Odell to their house and tie him up. To Odell’s surprise, Gambi walks in. He has some torture tools and tells Odell he has some questions. Odell: “You’re bluffing. If you don’t kill, you won’t torture either.” Gambi: “No, he won’t. But I will.” Gambi takes Odell’s shoe and sock off and threatens to nail this foot, and nail the other foot and hands until they get some answers. Agent Odell [turning to Jefferson]: “You’re not okay with this. You’re a hero.” Jefferson: “I’ve never claimed to be.” Odell: “But you try to do the right thing.” [Breathing hard because Gambi is ready to nail his foot.] Odell: “There’s good in the worst of us, and evil…in the best of us. When we know this, we’re less able to hate…our enemies.” Anissa: “Did this coward just quote Dr. King to get off the hook?” Odell tells Anissa he isn’t a coward; he knew Dr. King. Jeff hits him with some lightning and tells Gambi to do it. Odell starts reciting the 23^rd psalm. Anissa can’t believe this now. Odell calls himself a patriot and tells them to do their worse. Jefferson asks if Gambi got it, he affirms he does. Odell is confused. They tricked him, they only wanted to record his voice. For good measure Jefferson give Odell a heavy dose of lightning. If not for Gambi, it might have been a fatal dose.

Khalil is sharpening a blade when Major Grey rushes in. She tells him that Black Lightning and Thunder have kidnapped Director Odell. She asks can he track Black Lightning. Khalil confirms that he can. Major Grey pulls the Pierce’s immunity and orders Khalil to rescue Odell and to kill each and every Pierce.

Jennifer and Brandon go to the Sanctum. Brandon: “Hey, what is this place?” Jennifer: “It’s where my uncle works.” Brandon: “Who’s your uncle? James Bond?” He looks around and sees the designs for Black Lightning and Thunder’s suits. He screams out to Jennifer who is in the other room changing that the designs are for Black Lightning and Thunder, and when she walks out with her suit, he yells, “You’re Lightning!” Jennifer tells him her dad is Black Lightning and her sister is Thunder. Brandon wonders if he can get a suit, Jennifer tells him he doesn’t even have a code name, he first calls himself ‘Quakeboy’ and then Geo, but Jennifer cuts him off before he can say Force. Geo Force looks at a monitor and sees Odell and tells Jennifer there is the hologram guy. Jennifer becomes angry that Jefferson grabbed him and didn’t tell her. She tells Brandon to stay there while she’s gone.

Devonte goes to the business Lala ordered him to check out. It’s a brothel and the hostess, Destiny (Teesha Renee) welcomes him to The Ultimate O. He can pick between male and female hookers. He makes a face and Destiny sends the men away. Devonte picks two woman and walks away with them. When they get to their room, he gives them money so he can snoop. He looks in the various rooms and records the action. He walks by a room, and records Lady Eve giving orders. He takes his video to Lala. He tells Lala it looks like they are making a lot of money. Lala sees Lady Eve, and tells Devonte the last time he saw her she was floating in a vat. Lala tells Devonte to pack up the guns.

Gambi is making a rendering of Odell. With biometrics and the keywords that were recorded, they can simulate Odell. They can use it in the ASA system to have ‘Odell’ order his troops to take down the perimeter around Freeland and for the ASA to withdraw. Anissa is thrilled, they can take back the city. Jennifer shows up and is mad at Jefferson for not telling her they had Odell. Before she can continue bitching, the ASA attacks with Painkiller leading the way. Jennifer sees him and asks, “Khalil?”

“You thought I was your golden goose, Dr. Stewart, but in reality…you’re mine.” Tobias Whale

Sgt. Grayle shows Lynn the layout to the medical wing in the Pit. Later in the medical wing, Dr. Blair walks out and Lynn tells Tobias they are breaking out. She unstraps him from his chair. She injects Tobias with Maryam’s chameleon powers. He’ll be able to walk out undetected. Lynn: “You can’t run. We have to stick together.” Tobias: “Run? Now, why would I do that? I have Black Lightning’s wife. I’m not running anywhere. You thought I was your golden goose, Dr. Stewart, but in reality…you’re mine.”

Jefferson orders Gambi to get out of there with Odell’s rendering. Gambi shoots his way out. Jefferson electrocutes the ASA troops unconscious. He and Khalil begin fighting. Anissa warns him not to let Khalil touch him. Jennifer watches the fight and uses her lightning to keep the ASA troops pinned down. Anissa uses a thunder clap to knock Khalil off his feet. Suddenly Jennifer pins Jefferson and Anissa to help Khalil. She asks him if he’s alright. While she’s doing that, the ASA troops are able to untie Agent Odell and get him out of there. Khalil heads towards Jennifer ready to kill her. Jefferson and Anissa snap her out of her daze and she hits Khalil with a strike to knock him out. Anissa goes to Jennifer to comfort her.

Lala, Devonte and some of the 100 go to The Ultimate O. Lala tells Destiny he wants to see Lady Eve. The Ultimate O security surround Lala and Devonte; Devonte asks them do they know who Lala is, when they recognize him they split immediately. Lala points a large pistol at Destiny’s head and asks to see Lady Eve again. Lady Eve shows up with the Twins (Calvin and Kevin Ross) and tells Lala to come this way. They talk in her office. Lady Eve: “Well, well, well. Thought I saw you when I was in resurrection…but I assumed I was dreaming. Now you’re back on top in Freeland.” Lala: “I like this little hustle that you got going on here.” Lady Eve: “Let me guess, you want a piece?” Lala: “Nah. I’m taking the whole thing.” She objects but Lala says because of her service to the community, he’ll give her 48 hours to get her mind straight. Lala and Devonte leave. Destiny asks Lady Eve what they are going to do. Lady Eve says they are going to have to survive.

TC walks in and sees Khalil strapped down to a chair. He compares his skinny arms to Khalil’s massive arms. He stands over him and reads the chip in his head. Jennifer, Anissa, Brandon, Jefferson, and Gambi are in the other room. Brandon asks Jennifer if that’s her ex. She nods and says in disbelief that he was going to kill her. Gambi explains the ASA rebuild him. Jennifer [looking at Anissa]: “You knew Khalil was alive and you didn’t tell me. How could you keep something like that from me?” Anissa: “Jenn, so you can go after somebody who looks like they’re your ex-boyfriend, get heartbroken, maybe even killed?” Jennifer: “I’ll never forgive you for this.” Jefferson: “Whoa, wait a minute, let’s calm down before we say something we don’t mean.” Jennifer asks everyone are they going to even try to help Khalil. Gambi doesn’t know if they can. TC walks in and asks who Jenn is. He tells her that Khalil told him he loves her.

“You think-lipped bastard! Thanks Erica. I owe you one.” Lynn Pierce

Lynn is disguised as Dr. Blair in the woods with an invisible Tobias. Tobias compliments her on her plan and having the guts to carry it out. He becomes visible and Lynn deactivates her disguise. Their ride isn’t there, and Tobias takes back his compliment and punches her. She easily takes the punch. Lynn: “Did you really think I would give you powers and not give myself any?” Tobias: “You black women. Always so damn tricky.” [Lynn knocks him out.] Lynn: “You think-lipped bastard! Thanks Erica. I owe you one.” [Lynn took Erica Moran’s power of absorbing energy and dispelling it.] Lynn hears tires screeching, it’s Grayle in a van. He appreciates how Lynn took care of Tobias. He helps her load him in the back of the van but both are stunned into unconsciousness by a Markovian agent who sneaked behind them. He contacts HQ to send the teleporter.

KBear Review [Read time: 1-3 minutes]

The ASA has suffered major losses in their attempt to occupy Freeland, so as a last measure, Major Grey suggests they clip/stabilize the remaining detainees. They’ll need Tobias’ bone marrow to create a meta-stabilization serum. To prevent that from happening, with help from Sgt. Grayle, Lynn is going to break Tobias out of the Pit, preventing the ASA from using his bone marrow. Lynn uses Maryam’s chameleon powers to make Tobias invisible. It works and they sneak out of the Pit. Unfortunately for them, a Markovian agent captures them. Jennifer tells Jefferson how she worked for Agent Odell and destroyed a Markovian data farm, killing no telling how many people. Jefferson decides to get Odell. He and Anissa attack an ASA caravan and capture Odell. With Gambi, they fool Odell into thinking they are going to torture him. In reality, they wanted to record his voice, so they could render him, and simulate Odell, putting this simulation in the ASA system, so they could have ‘Odell’ take down the perimeter and withdraw the ASA from Freeland. Major Grey uses Painkiller to track Odell down, giving Khalil orders to kill everyone in the Pierce family. He and the ASA engage in a fight with Black Lightning, Thunder and Lightning. Because of Jennifer’s shock at seeing him alive and trying to help him, the ASA rescues Odell. Gambi still has the rendering. Once Jennifer realizes Khalil will kill her she knocks him out. She’s mad at Anissa for not telling her he’s alive. They try to explain why they kept it from her, he isn’t her Khalil. It doesn’t help when TC tells her Khalil told him he loves her. The Freeland underworld is busy, Lala sends Devonte to investigate a business that is operating in the East End which isn’t paying him protection money. It is a brothel being run by Lady Eve. Lala gives her 48 hours to turn over her operation to him.

There was a lot going on in this episode. Lady Eve is back and up to no good as would be expected. I’m glad Jill Scott is back, she was one of my favorite characters from season 1. Lynn along with Tobias and Sgt. Grayle are captured by the Markovians. That should be interesting. In this episode, Jennifer is the most perplexing and frustrating character. She’s hell bent on killing Odell, not remembering anything from when she was hell bent on killing Tobias last season. Jefferson and Anissa capture Odell, and instead of killing him for revenge like Jennifer, they trick him so that they can create a simulation of him to liberate Freeland. Jennifer rushes in and unwittingly helps the ASA rescue him. I understand her freaking out seeing her ‘dead’ boyfriend, but as usual she lets her emotions take over and makes the wrong decision. When are all the lessons she is learning begin to actually seep into her head? I wonder who she’ll want to kill next season. With Brandon knowing who Black Lightning, Thunder and Lightning are, who in Freeland won’t know their secret identities soon. Not as good as the previous episode, but still very solid. The best scene was Jefferson, Anissa and Gambi tricking Odell by making him think they are going to torture him. That snake is quick to bring up his connection to Dr. King and quote the Bible when he’s in trouble. I don’t think he thinks of Dr. King and the Bible when he’s doing his normal evil crap. The raid on the caravan was exciting, but the fight between Painkiller and Black Lightning was too short. Of course what chance would Painkiller have against Black Lightning if it isn’t a sneak attack. I really enjoyed Lynn punching Tobias. That dude hates all black people and all women in equal measure. So a black women getting the best of him is fabulous. Aside himself and his late sister, who does Tobias like?

Back Stabbers by The O’Jays plays during Lala and Devonte’s meeting about investigating the business that isn’t paying protection money.