Black Lightning - "so happy..." - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Black Lightning - "so happy..."

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Thank you for making this thread!

Have a good early review! http://collider.com/black-lightning-review

quote:

Nothing about Black Lightning feels familiar. That�s a good thing. It�s on The CW, but it doesn�t look like any other CW show (and not only because it�s the network�s first series with a black lead). It�s a superhero show, but it puts characters first and the super-powered stuff second. It�s not an origin story about a 20-something getting powers, either; it�s about rebirth for a man old enough to be their father.

Black Lightning focuses on Jefferson Pierce (the extremely charismatic Cress Williams), a retired vigilante. The balance between being a superhero and caring for his family was one his wife Lynn (Christine Adams) was unable to live with � Jefferson would come home beaten, bruised, and bloodied, and there was always a chance he wouldn�t come back at all. It was too hard to continue that way, so she didn�t. The family split up, and Jefferson hung up the cape (as it were). He became a high school principal, convincing himself that he was changing more lives in his community that way than he would as Black Lightning

The series, developed by Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, presents Jefferson�s story as just one part of a very complicated whole. The pilot starts with Jefferson�s older daughter Anissa (Nafessa Williams), a medical student who also teaches at the school, being arrested after participating in a protest that turned violent. Jefferson is then pulled over by police (for the third time that month, he says) on the way to a school fundraiser after being profiled as a potential robber. But as he challenges them, �I�m sure the description was of a black man dressed in a suit and tie, with a getaway car that�s a midsize Volvo wagon?� It�s not the only time Jefferson is wrongfully detained by police, and in that first instance both of his daughters immediately pull out their cell phones and start recording. Jefferson�s eyes sizzle with electricity during the incident, but he represses the urge to give in to his powers or to fight back. Instead, he just says �don�t shoot.�

....

Most of the two episodes available for review deal with Jefferson�s struggle to help his community in the face of uncontrollable violence. The police are overwhelmed, but one detective inspector, Henderson (Damon Gupton), is a friend of Jefferson�s and dedicated to good police work. The series is full of people who believe they are doing what is right for their community, from Jefferson and Henderson to even a drug dealer name Lala, as he schools a young boy to be polite and shake hands, while also roughly reminding him that while he wastes time on his cell phone, �the white boys you should be selling to are being groomed to run the world,� and him. And yet his actions are completely opposed to Jefferson�s, a man he respects in private but ridicules among his cronies. The dynamics are complicated.

It�s all summed up, in a way, by the show�s theme song, which is short and to the point: �I saw a superhero / he was black / he said this is for the street / Black Lightning�s back.�

# ¿ Jan 7, 2018 00:28

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 16, 2024 05:59

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Candice Patton talking about the blackness of the West family and Black Lightning:

Candice "Iris Best" Patton posted:

It�s a tricky thing�to discuss that kind of content. For me, as an actor, I would need to feel like I have Black writers and creators, kind of, carefully handling that topic. It�s also, it�s not, the show isn�t about the West family. It�s Barry Allen�s story�I�ve always wondered what was it like for Barry Allen growing up in a Black family? Like, you know what I mean? We joke about it all the time behind the scenes on the show. Like, this boy can probably dance. He probably loves my fried chicken. Those are the things I wish we could [do]� the lighter sides of a Black woman and white man dating. As far as the deeper issues about Black Lives Matter and police brutality, and what it�s like to be Black in this world, I think it�s hard on a show like The Flash where we�re really telling Barry Allen�s story, which is why I�m so so excited as a Black woman and as a fan of comics that Black Lightning is coming to the CW, and that Salim and Mara are at the helm to deal with those story lines. I think Black Lightning is in the best hands and that is important.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2018 22:58

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Oh my God, I love it already.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2018 03:03

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

HorseRenoir posted:

I've been trying to place why exactly this show is really grabbing me immediately (besides being black) and I think it's because it feels like the first superhero show to treat the hero as an integral part of the community

I agree with this! This is exactly what I liked about Luke Cage, although I think this show does it even better.

Between this show, Black Panther, Luke S2 and some other projects, I feel like 2018 is shaping up to be a great year for black media.

I'm hoping for a new black renaissance, complete with a large amount of afro-futurism.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2018 16:12

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Xelkelvos posted:

It just won't be the same without Dwayne McDuffie.

I wonder if Aaron McGruder is interested in superheroes.

I remember getting excited for a new McGruder project, but I can't remember what it was now for the life of me. Boondocks is still great, I would love a live action one on Netflix or something.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2018 17:48

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Unkempt posted:

I actually moved from the UK to the US, so... yeah.

Anyway, this Trump/Tim Allen combo has my wife insisting that the Boston CW affiliate must be run by a cabal of alt right white nationalists, and to be honest she's probably right.

If it's a Sinclair affiliate then yes, she is correct.

muscles like this! posted:

Did you ever watch Black Jesus? That was really great.

I always meant to but I never got around to it. I think it aired like right after I stopped regularly watching adult swim.

I dont know posted:

Yeah, its for Amazon. All the press releases compared it to Man in High Castle. I don't know if it's going to be tonally similar or if they were just making that comparison since Man in High Castle was well received and from the same studio.

They're probably comparing it to MIHC as in, it's a high concept alternate history series.

Either way, it sounds dope.

# ¿ Feb 4, 2018 15:47

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

The only way I want this in the Arrowverse is if Black Lightning beats up Ollie and reminds him that he's been doing this a lot longer.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2018 03:43

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Martha Stewart Undying posted:

He yells at ollie, "YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY"

but with that deep voice that makes me wonder if my kinsey score is higher

Now this is my kind of fanfiction.

# ¿ Feb 7, 2018 03:56

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Yeah this show seems to be Luke Caging all the actually interesting bad guys. I'm not expecting a Flash style rogues gallery but drat.

# ¿ Mar 11, 2018 23:11

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

nine-gear crow posted:

Let's be reasonable here: there's no way Legends of Tomorrow can end before Sara hooks up with someone from every Arrowverse show. She's already got Arrow, Supergirl, Constantine, and Legends itself under her belt. All she needs is someone from Flash, Black Lightning and Vixen and we've done it.

I am only on s2 of Legends but I would much rather see Amaya/Sara than Amaya/Nat. Amaya/Mick would be fun tho.

Sara/Anissa would be cute but I really don't think I want BL in the Arrowverse.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2018 03:12

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

muscles like this! posted:

Renewed

# ¿ Apr 2, 2018 20:08

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

I love James Remar because he took his typecasting and ran with it. Need a lovely dad? Get James Remar. Wilfred, Shannara, Dexter and I'm sure many more that I'm forgetting.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2018 21:30

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 16, 2024 05:59

Koalas March: May 21, 2007

Rhyno posted:

Honorable mention Grey's Anatomy (Korev's dad.) and Gotham.

I can't believe I forgot Grey's!! I'm so sorry Shonda. :negative:

# ¿ Apr 2, 2018 23:01

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > Black Lightning - "so happy..."