Black Lightning (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Black Jesus - full transcript

You have to stop.

I can't keep
letting you put yourself,
or me through this.

I promise...

no more.

It has been nine years

since I've even come
close to using my powers.

Do you remember
why you became Black Lightning?

You wanted to give
the people hope.

Somebody has
to do something,

because all of this policing,
and marching, and praying,

it hasn't changed anything.



What he's doing
is heroic.

It is time
that people know

that Black Lightning...

is back.

Previously on
Black Lightning...

It's my breathing.

-Wanna be my girlfriend?
-Yeah.

I'm Anissa.

Grace.

Yeah, I... I saved more lives
as the principal
of Garfield High

than I ever did
as Black Lightning.

-It's true.
-It's a lie!

LaWanda is dead.
But I could've saved her.

You'll be ready.



Damn, boss.

If the people
of Freeland start to perceive
we are no longer in control,

then they won't fear us.

And I surely can't have that.

For all you lost, Lady Eve.

Take Reverend Holt,
for instance.

Freedom!

He's planning a march.

I don't mind people
believing in God.

They just can't believe
that they can take back
these streets.

Hey,
what's going on?

Oh, my God!
Do you guys hear that?
Who is he?

What is going on?

Principal Pierce!
Principal Pierce!

There's someone freaking out
in the boy's bathroom.

Okay, find Vice
Principal Fowdy.

Tell her I said to get
security over here now.

Get to class.
Get to class.

Bernard?

Come on, Bernard, talk to me.

Principal Pierce?

I don't know what happened.

We can talk about that later.

You scared me half to death.

Bernard?

Bernard!

-You okay?
-Yeah.

What the hell
did that boy take?

Let's go. All right.

I mean, I wanna try it,
but I'm, I'm kinda scared.

Lisa. Neema.

Oh, no, it's Harriet Tubman.

-Get away from them.
-Ms. Pierce?

Get in the car.

Now.

How do you sleep at night
selling that junk
to your own people?

I sleep fine.

You better stay away
from my students.

Or what?

-That bitch crazy, man.
-Shh.

What did you say?

You heard me, bitch!

I found these on my student.

And he was so out of control
that the only way
I could keep him

from hurting anyone
was to blast him. Twice.

Must be this new drug,
Green Light,
I've been hearing about.

First Jennifer and Anissa
get kidnapped,

then Reverend Holt
and Khalil get shot,

and now one of my students
damn near OD's.

It's like this city
is under attack,
and we're losing.

You only lose
if you stop fighting.

But you can't
save everyone, Jeff.

You're just gonna
have to accept that.

We need to go hard
at The One Hundred.

You sure it's them?

Who else would be
dealing in Freeland?

One Hundred have got
their hands in everything.

We could waste a lot of time

going after the wrong part
of their business.

I know
all the street-level guys,

but I don't know
any of the higher-ups.

I'll reach out to my contacts.

Okay. And after I check in
with the family,

I'm gonna hit
the streets tonight.

See what I can find out.

Sounds like a full night.

What'd you hear?

Where can I find him?

I told you, I don't know
nothing about no Green Light.

Yeah, well,
you better tell me something.

'Cause I ain't in the
best of moods, bruh.

Snitches get--

Snitches get what?

Who do you work for?

I ain't telling you nothing.

All right.

I can do this all night.

So one way or the other,
you gonna tell me something.

Okay! Okay, okay. Okay.

Two-Bits.

Two-Bits?

I know it sounds like
a '70s slave name,
but that's what he go by.

Where can I find him?

Tanner's Taproom on 7th.

All right.

Say good night.

Tobias...

did you know that in Africa

some people believe
that albinos are magical?

These people will actually
kidnap random albinos,

cut them up, grind their bones,

and sell it as magic dust.

Yes, I'm aware of that.

I admire how you
reinvented yourself

after you lost your career
as a politician.

You went underground,
built a whole new career
with us,

and, when we rewarded you
with The One Hundred,

you did a good job.

-But?
-But...

ever since Black Lightning
returned to Freeland,

my partners have
become less confident

in your ability
to lead The One Hundred.

Is there something
you would like to say?

I've literally made you
millions of dollars,

and you giving me a hard time
over one mistake?

But it isn't one mistake.

It's your reputation.

Your entire criminal career
was built on the belief

that you killed Black Lightning
nine years ago,

when nobody else could.
It's... it's like you lied
on your resume.

Black Lightning's death
was your calling card,

and now people are
beginning to feel like
they've been deceived,

and it's messing
with my bottom line.

I got people paying up
on protection,

and that's offsetting
any lost revenue.

And I'm gonna take
Black Lightning out,
once and for all.

How am I supposed to believe

that you can take out
Black Lightning now,

when you couldn't
take him out then?

And on top of that,
you're making a lot of noise.

Your men shot a reverend

and paralyzed a kid.

They were talking
about that kid going
to the Olympics.

He wasn't going to no Olympics.

Well, he isn't now.

And that's for sure.

You- You need to take
Black Lightning out,

and button this thing up quick.

I'm not gonna tell you
how to run your crew,

but if I were you,
I would use some of that

albino magic to get it done.

Because if you don't,

my partners are gonna
turn you into dust.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Good.

I'm glad to see you're back
on your feet, Bernard.

How you feeling?

He's fine.

You know you really
gave me a scare.

Yeah, I know.

Look, I'm sorry.

We got an e-mail
from the board.

Says Bernard's gonna
get expelled.

We wanted to ask
for a second chance.

Bernard's never been
in any trouble,

and he just got
acceptance letters
from four colleges.

This is gonna mess
everything up.

Bernard's not going anywhere...

but to college.

-I promise.
-Thank you.

Now, Bernard, um,
I do need to know
where you got those drugs.

Come on, Mr. Pierce,
I ain't no snitch.

Yes, you are. Tell him.

I, uh,
I got it from this dude
in the neighborhood,

uh, Ronald Wright.

He said the first taste
was free.

-Where's the future?
-It's right here.

Whose life is this?

It's mine.

What're you gonna do with it?

I'mma live it by
any means necessary.

What're you gonna do with it?

I'mma live it by
any means necessary.

We're gonna figure this out.

-Thank you, Principal Pierce.
-Yeah.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

The board will never let
Bernard stay at Garfield.

The bylaws clearly state
that it's my decision.

You know, you seem
a bit more concerned

about what the board wants
than what's good
for these kids.

Tell the board
that it's my decision
and my decision alone.

I care about Garfield
as much as you,

and I'm the vice principal,
not your secretary.

So if you want the board
to know something,
you should tell them yourself.

Yeah?

The drugs that came
into the school

came from a guy
named Ronald Wright.

-Really?
-What?

I'm looking
at Mr. Wright's body right now.

What do you mean his body?

He's dead. OD'd on Green Light.

Evidently, Mr. Wright didn't
follow the number one rule
of being a drug dealer,

"Don't get high
on your own supply."

What'd you get from
that dealer last night?

His distributor
is a guy named Two-Bits.

Is that like Huggy Bear?

You got jokes today.

You know things are bad
when drug dealers are OD-ing.

I actually know Two-Bits.
I grew up with him.

I mean, he was
a bit younger than me,

but I used to know him
pretty well.

What're you thinking?

I'm thinking this is
gonna get a lot worse
before it gets better.

-Easy.

Easy. Easy. Easy.

Good job.

You okay?

Yeah. Yeah. This is easy.

All right,
I'll get you a towel.

I don't know why
they're leading that boy
on like that.

There's a chance
he might walk.

His spinal cord
was nearly severed.
Why get his hopes up?

It's a shame.
He's so young.

Hey!

What the hell is your problem?

What?

He can hear you.

I'm sorry.

You okay?

Yeah.

Look, it don't matter
what they think.
They don't know me.

I'mma be all right.

Yeah, I know.

I know you will.

You lied to me. You told me
Black Lightning was dead.

You said you personally
saw the body.

I thought
I mean, I saw

Look, I don't have time
for your lies. What happened?

The body came out of the river
where Black Lightning fell.

How many people could've
fallen into that river?

I thought it was him.

What do you mean you thought?

My boss put the body from
the river in the crematorium.

Was he dressed like
Earth, Wind and Fire?

What? [grunts]

Was the body your boss
put in the fire dressed
like Maurice White?

Did you personally see
Black Lightning's body
burn or not?

My entire situation's
in jeopardy,

because you didn't do
what you was paid to do.

You were supposed to confirm
Black Lightning's death.

Well, since Black Lightning
ain't dead,

you owe me a death.

What?

What? No. No. No. No!

Mmm-mmm.
Come in here, young lady.

Well, the main reason
you have that phone

is so that when we need
to contact you, we can.

I'm... I'm sorry.
It died when I was
visiting Khalil.

Well, your coach called us
to see if you were okay.

Yeah, everything's fine.

Well, if everything's fine,
why you leaving practice early
and disrespecting your coach?

I told him that
I needed to help Khalil
with his physical therapy,

and he still tried
to make me stay.

[Jefferson] Look, we know
you've been through a lot,

but with school, track,
helping Khalil,

your mother and I think
you have a little too much
on your plate.

So, maybe you should spend
less time with Khalil,

and more time on school
and yourself.

Dad, Khalil needs me.

The reason his mom can't be
there for his rehab is

she's taking extra shifts
to pay for his hospital bills.

Khalil has nurses 24/7.

Okay, look,

we feel really bad about
what happened to Khalil.

We do. But you are
our first concern.

You are apologizing
to your coach tomorrow.

I don't wanna
run track anymore.

What?

No, no. You're just saying that
because you're upset.

No. I'm not upset.

The only reason why I ran track
in the first place was
to make Dad happy.

That- That's not true.
You love running.

Look, let's just take
a couple of days
to think about it

before you make
any big decisions, okay?

I'm not gonna change my mind.

Look, if... if you feel
the same way in two days,
then you can quit.

Can I be excused?

-No-
-Yes. You can be excused.

If I had some kinda powers,

I would use them.
I'm... I'm okay.

How could you not?

I think Black Lightning's
trying to do the right thing,

but in doing that,
sometimes people get hurt.

Well, Black Lightning doesn't
care about hurting people,

-he never has.

No offense, but--

Whenever somebody says
"No offense,"

it's usually right before they
say something really offensive.

Well, this isn't meant
to be offensive,

but doesn't Black Lightning
have the same agenda as you?

Except he's doing a better job
at protecting the community.

Anissa.

I know being a police officer
is a tough job.

-Tough?
-Yeah.

Impossible is more like it.

Look,
Black Lightning is a vigilante.

He is causing more problems
than he is solving.

What about all the people
he saved?

And what about all the people
who were indirectly hurt
because of him?

Khalil? Reverend Holt?

I think you have to consider
how hard it is for
Black Lightning's family.

I mean, going out every night,
fighting crime.

What does that have to do
with anything?

I'm just saying.

I'm sure his family
supports him,

because what he's doing
is heroic.

-Is it?
-Yes! It is.

Look, somebody
has to do something,

because all of this policing,
and marching and praying,

it hasn't changed anything.

I'm just saying.

I'm sorry. I have to go.

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson,
have a good night.

I'll see you guys later.

Good night, honey.

-Hey.
-Hmm?

-You okay?
-Mmm-hmm.

I got that Green Light.

Oh, I got your Green Light.

* Green Light
Green Light *

* I got that Green Light
Green Light *

Who's the bitch now?

* That's that Green Light *

* Have you stronger
Than any human *

* Off that Green Light

* You can take down a giant

* Off that Green Light

* Feeling like I could
Take over the world *

* Off this Green Light

* Pop one of these
You're gonna feel amazing *

* Feel amazing

* When it kick ins
You gonna feel amazing *

* That's that Green Light *

* Now your strength
Should be upgrade *

* Feel like I can
Lift the world *

* Now you're activated *

* It's in your veins
You don't feel no pain *

* Take down a plane
Hit 'em with a train *

Hello?

Yeah, I need an ambulance
on the corner of 30th
and Sycamore.

* Pop another one
And another one *

* Last time somebody tried ya
He a dead sucker *

* I see that look
In your eyes *

* You don't care
About nothing *

* You'll murder
All of them guys *

* Take 'em on by the fives
You will come out alive *

* Come out alive
Come out alive *

* Thrive, you survived
Through the night *

* Now it's at its peak
Green Light has woken *

* You feelin' so strong *

Jefferson Pierce.

* You need it like money
That's that Green Light *

Two-Bits.

What's up, man?

Man, you know what it is, baby.

Hey, yo, this dude
right here is so fast.

He can turn off the light
and be in bed before
the whole room got dark.

Yeah. But you was
pretty fast yourself.

Yeah, but I wasn't
Olympic fast, man.

Look, now we're finished
with the small talk,

what you want, bro?

Oh.

Oh, come on, J, you too boujie
to be down here by accident.

One of my students overdosed
on Green Light.

Your name came up.

No, hey, I'm just here
to give you a heads-up.

The cops are coming your way.

You might wanna get out of this
before it gets too hot for you.

Get out and do what?

I appreciate you looking out,

but I got a family
to take care of.

Yeah, but this Green Light
stuff is bad news, bruh.

Now, look, you want
to tell me anything?

Maybe I could help.

I got nothing to tell.
It is what it is, bruh.

It's good to see you, Two-Bits.

Yeah. Hey, look, tell Lynn
and everybody else
I said what's up.

-Will do.
-All right.

How'd your talk
with Two-Bits go?

Not good.

This stuff is like crack
and PCP got together
and had a baby.

You should keep an eye
on that student of yours.

The way this stuff attaches
to your neural receptors,

you take it once,
and you're hooked.

That's why
the first taste is free.

Since Green Light hit,
there've been 36 overdoses,

six of them fatal.
You'd think it'd be
on the news.

Yeah, black kids OD-ing
has never been newsworthy.

I've hacked
Freeland PD's computers.

They're trying to get
a no-knock warrant
for your boy, Two-Bits.

Yeah, that'll take too long.

They move dope houses
twice a month.

Ever since Black Lightning's
come back,

The One Hundred have gotten
a lot more sophisticated.

They're operating
like terrorist cells.

Each group only knows
what it needs to know.

Makes it harder
to beat your way up
the food chain.

Maybe Black Lightning
should pay Two-Bits a visit.

What the--

Hey. Hey. Go get him, man.
Go get him!

[grunting]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Hey. The streets
are talking, man.

I heard
what you did to Block.

What'd you hear?

I heard you lit his ass up.

Good, that should
save us some time.

Tell me about Green Light.

I know your MO
After I tell you
what you wanna know,

you just gonna knock me out
and call the cops,

and that'll be my third strike.

I get 30 years, man.

Really should've
thought about that
before you started dealing.

You think I deserve 30 years?

You deserve something.

Okay. But 30 years?
I mean, come on, man.

They throwing brothers
in jail forever,
like it ain't nothing.

All right.

I won't call the cops
if you tell me
what I need to know,

and you stop selling drugs.

Now, I hear you dealing again,

I'mma come find you.

Okay. Deal.

So I leave the money
at the drop spot.

I go pick up the product
at a warehouse

on 389 Hart Avenue.

Re-up is every Thursday
at noon.

Hey, hey, real, real quick.
Before you knock me out,

uh, you think I can get a pic?

And can you make sure
you light up.

What? No.

Our first exchange.
Everything looks clear.

So, Joan Lincoln
wants to interview me.

Wait. Joan Lincoln from TV,
Joan Lincoln?

-Yeah.
-What?

I mean, she says people wanna
see how I'm doing.

Okay, so you're, like,
official now?

-Yeah, I've been official.

You just didn't notice it.

Okay, so what you gonna do?

I don't want people
to see me like this.

I don't know.
I mean, what do you think?

Um, I think you've been
through a lot.

So,
I quit the track team.

-What? For real?
-Mmm-hmm.

Huh.

You know what?

I'mma do it.

Yeah. People should see that
it takes more than a bullet
to keep me down.

Hey, we gonna
do it together, right?

You're my ride
or die, right?

Yeah. Yeah, ride or die.

We're recommending
that the board have final say

on students
who break the rules.

We're also recommending
that Mr...

Bernard Lewis.
His name is Bernard Lewis.

Thank you.

We're recommending
that Mr. Lewis
be expelled.

The board is not in a position
to know all the facts
about our students.

Well, that's why,
in this paradigm,

we're proposing that your job
would be to give us
those facts,

so that we can then
make an impartial decision.

I'm getting a feeling
that this is already
a done deal.

We all want the same thing.
Principal Pierce.

Yes. Of course.
Thank you for your time.

They wanna take control
of the disciplinary process,

and have me expel Bernard?

Can't save 'em all.

How do you choose?

You choose
by partnering
with the students.

I mean, you do everything
you can to help them succeed,

but the students
still have to do
their part.

If they don't,
then those students
choose for you.

If my teachers had taken
that approach, I never
would've made it.

You can always
reject their offer.

Yeah. If I do that,
when my contract's up,
they'll fire me,

and bring in someone
with no connection

with the community
to run the school.

Mmm-hmm. I mean, it's...
It's a hard choice.

Just want you to know
that I appreciate you.

And if you need my help
with anything, I'm here.

Oh, that is nasty.

Took you long enough
to get here.

You know
I hate it out here.

If it was anyone else but you,
I would've stayed in Miami.

Tori, I missed you.

I missed you too,
big brother.

-So...
-Hmm.

How we goin' to kill
Black Lightning?

Oh! Oh, damn, Gambi!

You've been holding out on me.

If I knew you were gonna
give me X-ray vision,

I'd have come out
of retirement five years ago.

It's more like electric vision.

It allows you to see
the electrical signature
of any powered object.

So, what do you see?

I see everything.

Thank you.

Have you ever
wanted to share

something important
with your parents
but couldn't?

You do know
I'm bi, right?

True. I just feel like
I'm past the age

where I need my parents
to co-sign on everything I do.

What's wrong with that?

Ugh! It's just irritating.

You're looking for
large containers where
they store the drugs.

The containers use power
to regulate their temperature,

-so you should be able
to spot them.
-Yeah, I got it.

From the looks of things here,
this Green Light is bigger
than The One Hundred.

I mean, no street gang
is this organized.

Professional drivers,
temperature controlled
18-wheelers

and a warehouse that looks
like it's being guarded
by Special Ops.

I'm a grown-ass woman,

who is capable of
making my own decisions
without them.

Okay. Well, my parents sucked,

but there's not a day
that goes by

that I don't wish
that I could still go
to them for advice.

Hey, you're the bartender
from the Ruby Red Lipstick Bar,
aren't you?

You know I am.

This guy and his fellow idiots
have been harassing us
for weeks.

Someone should burn
this lesbian whorehouse
to the ground.

Yeah? Well, I'm gonna
call the cops.

We have a restraining order.

-Uh-uh.
-Whoa! What're you doing?

All right, I'm gonna track
the truck. See what I can find.

-What was that?

I don't know. It was close by.

-Sounded like an explosion.

-I'm gonna check that out.
-You'll lose the truck.

You lose that truck,
we lose our best chance
of finding out

where and to whom
this stuff is headed.

Yeah, but the explosions
could be connected
to what we're looking for.

Plus, people could be hurt.

Can you tap into the cameras
near my location?

You see anything?

Uh, I got nothing.

The cameras in your vicinity
didn't capture
whatever happened.

Whoever did this is long gone.

You should call it a night.

I'm going back
to the warehouse.
See what I can find.

Be safe.

Always.

Grace, if I could make people
who did bad things

pay for what they did,

that'd be a good thing, right?

Right?

Yeah.

Local high school track star,
Khalil Payne,

is currently convalescing
at Saint Lewis Hospital

after a gunshot left him
unable to walk.

Khalil was shot
at a peaceful protest

that turned violent
two weeks ago.

Khalil was a two-time
state champion sprinter

from Garfield.

I'd take Black Lightning
out myself,

but since I technically
still have warrants
in Freeland,

I can't be out and about.

If you could win the hearts
of the residents in Freeland,

if they saw Black Lightning
as a bad guy instead of
as a hero,

they'd probably
take him out for you.

The people in Freeland
love that boy,

and he has every reason
to hate Black Lightning.

He doesn't know it yet,
but he does.

Maybe you can help him
realize just how much
he hates Black Lightning.

Hey! What you doing
here so early?

Um, your mom
asked my dad to come by,

so I just kinda tagged along.

Yo, where'd all this
stuff come from?

Anonymous donor.

Yeah, whoever it is,
they're hooking it up.

They're even taking
care of my medical bills,

and helping my mom out
with rent.

Principal Pierce.

Hey, Khalil.

What, what's going on?

Mama, what's wrong?

Khalil, they're telling us
that, uh...

your spinal cord is now
completely severed.

Well, what're you saying?
You saying I'm not
gonna walk again?

I'm sorry, son.

The board called.

Bernard can stay
if you give up final say
on severe infractions.

I mean, you can advocate
on behalf of the students,

but your opinion
counts as one vote,

along with each board member.

I don't like it.

You can either save Bernard,
or you can retain final say,

but they're not gonna
let you have both. So...

Tell them I'll do it.

-Okay, I'll let them know.
-Thank you.

-Hello?
-Hey.
Just checking in.

The girls okay?

Yeah. Yeah, they're fine.

This Khalil situation
is bothering me.

He's never gonna walk again.

Yeah, I know. I'm up to speed.
Jennifer told me.

Hey, I don't know, Lynn.

LaWanda, Khalil,
Reverend Holt, Bernard...

I just used to be able
to handle the collateral
damage a lot better.

Jefferson, I'm really
busy right now.

Can we talk
about this later?

Yeah. Yeah, sure, um...

I'll call you later.

Hello.

Principal Pierce,
I'm sorry to bother you,

but I didn't know
who else to call.

Bernard went to a dope house
looking for drugs.

Wait, what? Okay, slow down.
What, what happened?

After our meeting,
Bernard wouldn't stop
talking about Green Light.

-What's the address?
-367, 34th Street.

I went there to get him, but
some of The Hundred came out.

They pistol-whipped me.
The cops didn't do nothing.

Okay, I'll make some calls.

* We pray at night
For the helpless *

* Pray at night

* Hoping you get us
Through breakfast *

* Wish that somebody
Come save us *

* Black Lightning's back
Come to shock the haters *

* Come to shock the haters

* Woke up in the ghetto
Got our hero back *

* Guns flapping, gangs acting
Like where we at *

* Black Lightning
Need to strike *

* Like where we at

* Show us another way
Besides guns crackin' *

* Nighttime super
This for payback *

* This our people
They're robbin' in the back *

* Stand back
You might get shocked
Off of contact *

* This was for the hood
This for being black *

* We ain't got no hope
They're killin' every day *

* I know we need you
In every way *

* We need results
We don't need to
See your face *

* Here he comes
Just to save the day *

* Here he comes
Just in perfect timing *

* To help the needy
And guard the blinded *

* Last night I saw a superhero
He was black *

* He said
This is for the street
Black Lightning's back *

I don't understand how
he got hooked so quick.

This new drug is bad like that.

But Bernard is in
the best treatment
facility in Freeland,

and when he's straight,
we'll get him back on track
and into college.

I've put everything I had
into giving him a better life.

I...

I appreciate everything
you've done for us.

Oh, of course. Of course.

Thank you.

Hmm. Stay in touch.

Hi, Jefferson, it's me.
I'm sorry about earlier today.

All I can say is,
this Black Lightning stuff has
my emotions all over the place.

If I'm being honest,
I'm angry with you.

But that doesn't mean,
I don't love you.

How'd you like the gifts?

You mind keeping
the lights off?
They hurt my eyes.

My name is Tobias Whale.

What're you doing
in my room?

I wanted to see
how you were doing.

Why'd you give me
all those gifts?

I understand
what you're going through.

Black Lightning
messed my life up, too.

I wanted you to have
some nice things to keep
your mind off your troubles

I know it's hard to see now,
but in time, you will.

Black Lightning's the reason
you're lying here paralyzed.

There was many times
when I was younger

I needed help,
but no one showed up.

I don't wanna have to see you
go through the same thing.

Why?

Well, I've followed your
athletic career a long time,

and it hurt me
to see you hurt.

But what I've learned
about pain is,

pain makes you stronger.

Pain makes you tougher.

And eventually,
you get to a point where
you don't even feel it.

If you'd like,
I can show you
how to kill your pain.