Black Lightning (2018–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Book of Revelations - full transcript

Black Lightning works with Anissa to help find information to clear Black Lightning's name. Jennifer begins interning for Lynn. Meanwhile, Gambi finds himself in a precarious situation.

Previously on Black Lightning...

Anissa came by with a
box of Alvin's research.

I didn't have a chance
to look through it,

but I did come across some pretty
advanced biochemical formulas.

Dr. Lynn Stewart is highly capable.

And she's been doing
research that's off-limits.

It's either her or you.
You understand that?

If I kill Lady Eve without
the Shadow Board's permission,

I might as well bury myself with her.

Not necessarily.

Evelyn Stillwater-Ferguson
was killed by electrocution,



making Black Lightning
their prime suspect.

Latavious, that is enough!

You know my damn name!

Do you believe in the
Resurrection, Latavious?

Anissa?

You can't afford to lose your head.

That's when people get hurt.

Then train me. Show me how to do this.

You're clearly not ready.

Eventually, she will go back out
there, whether we like it or not.

Training her is the right thing to do.

And our search for Black Lightning

has expanded to include
another five officers.

Freeland PD won't rest until Lady
Eve's murderer is brought to justice.



She was a good woman, did a lot for us.

I told people when Black
Lightning came back,

all he's doing is beating
up on young black men.

Now he's out here killing black women?

What's next? Little kids and babies?

Why you think he
hiding behind that mask?

'Cause he know he trippin', man.

Like, I understand
fighting The Hundred...

but Lady Eve?

That's wrong, man.

I got you, old man.

Yeah.

Urban mix.

I don't see him as no damn hero.

He's worse than these
crooked-ass police in Freeland.

I feel like wherever he
was before he came back,

that's where he should've stayed.

Freeze.

Freeze?

He might be racist,
but he wasn't a threat.

And you probably broke his ankle
and maybe gave him a concussion.

The flag on the T-shirt.

No, I know why it happened.

You looked and you
assumed he was a threat,

so you didn't actually
see that he wasn't.

Look, our goal is to
stop crime and violence

with no harm to civilians, even if...

we don't appreciate their worldview.

You...

You can't be reactive,

going around smashing
whatever statues you feel like.

Picking fights with punks from Garfield.

No. You have to be in control.

Every minute.

I'm not perfect, nobody is.

All right, you ready?

Brace yourself.

Hold your breath.

This attempt at framing
me, you know what it proves?

I'm getting under someone's skin.

I'm guessing it's about Green Light.

Mmm-hmm.

And we are getting close
to shutting it down.

And since the police
will be looking for me...

What... Hey.

You can't be startled.

Ever.

You have to see into the
shadows, look around corners,

because if you breathe
at the wrong time,

you die.

Got it?

Yeah, I got it.

All right, well, since the
police are looking for me,

I'm sure with a shoot-to-kill mentality,

so we have to clear Black Lightning

before I can get back in the suit.

- Okay.
- Okay, first training mission,

we find whoever killed Lady Eve.

Now you listen to me,
do whatever I tell you,

and hopefully you will
learn a few things.

- You ready?
- Yep. Ready.

Urban crowd.

♪ AOB ♪

♪ Them boys on your
head Like I can't go ♪

♪ Like I can't go ♪

♪ I go everywhere You can't go ♪

♪ Can't go ♪

♪ Counting so much
money Make my arms sore ♪

♪ Weed so strong they can
Smell it in the Congo ♪

♪ Yeah, I'll be AOB In this... ♪

♪ My name in your mouth
Has a kick though ♪

♪ Ring, ring, ring, ring
Now that's a bank roll ♪

♪ Counting right now feeling
Like I worked a bridge toll ♪

♪ Ridin' down the
club With my doors up ♪

♪ Doors up ♪

♪ Stand now... That
wouldn't let me... ♪

♪ Now they outta luck
This ain't luck, bruh ♪

♪ Go on, let him through ♪

Kill that noise. Kill that noise.

Hey, no, man, nobody
invited you up in our...

Oh.

What's up, boss?

We was just using the stage because...

Nobody was.

Ever since that shootout,
Tobias ain't been around,

- so we weren't sure if we was...
- That sounded good.

And that's what's up.

Where you been at, Lala?

They told us you wasn't coming back.

Who's "they"?

There were rumors.

"Rumors"?

Yeah, like, you were in jail or...

Or what?

That you were dead.

"Dead"?

Yeah, I think I was.

Damn.

Play that song again.

I like it.

♪ I don't wear them ♪

♪ I will never Get
no money with them ♪

♪ Never... ♪

I regret not killing Black
Lightning the minute he returned.

It was the logical choice
based on what we knew.

And now Lady Eve is dead.

We can't be sure he killed her.

She and her bodyguards
were fried with electricity.

What other proof do you need?

Someone could have set him up.

- Who would do that?
- I don't know, I just...

I value your counsel,
Peter, and I usually

appreciate your measured approach,

not today.

He was a nuisance, now he's a
danger to me, to you, to the ASA.

I've put a price on his black ass.

That's a mistake, Martin.

If we catch him, who knows how
he could advance our understanding

of enhanced human abilities?

We should just wait...

ASA's dissected enough metas.

One more isn't going to
help us create our own.

Lady Eve was the liaison
between us and The One Hundred.

She got Green Light on the streets
faster than anyone in the country.

Her murder sets the
Freeland experiment back.

Yes, that's true,

but there's no harm in making sure

that killing Black Lightning is the
right thing to do before we do it.

I don't like power I don't control.

When Black Lightning returned,

you said you would figure out
who he was and take care of him.

You didn't,

so I'm bringing ASA operatives into town

to kill him, plain and simple.

Give me any information you have
that will help them track him down.

- Martin...
- I'm sick of this neighborhood, Peter.

They don't take care of
it, the food is all fried.

The only thing the people here
are good for is experimentation.

They should be happy we're here.

Green Light will give their
lives purpose, direction.

We're doing God's work, Peter.

God's work.

Jennifer already eat?

No, I don't think so.

She's upstairs moping.

I told her that

until she finds an appropriate
after-school activity,

she'd have to do an unpaid
internship at my lab.

Ouch.

Well, I figured cleaning
up after the break-in

might drive her back to track.

Yeah, or teach her how
to pick up after herself.

I'd settle for that one.

Yeah.

How was training?

It's good.

It's okay that I asked, right?

And there's no code that
says a mother can't know

how her daughter's
doing with her powers.

No, no. Look, I know...

I know how hard this is for you.

A million times worse than watching
our kids learn how to ride bikes.

Scraped foreheads I can handle,

but the thought that she might not...

No. Uh-uh, uh-uh.

No catastrophic thoughts.

Hmm?

Besides, she is really
taking it seriously.

'Cause she wants an A or because
she thinks it's important?

Well, I think because she knows

I won't let her go out
with me if she doesn't.

Look, right now, I'm just trying to help

her understand that
she's not invincible,

so she doesn't hurt
herself or someone else.

You know Anissa's problem,
it's the same as it always is.

She reacts, usually
from an emotional place,

without thinking about the consequences.

- Do you remember in second grade...
- Hmm.

When she got suspended...

- Oh.
- For kicking her teacher

'cause she thought he
made her friend cry?

Yes. Oh, yes.

Yeah.

The stakes are different now.

How do you train someone
to be what they're not?

She has her mother's brains.

It won't take her long to realize
that if she wants to change the world,

she has to change herself.

Why can't Kam help us?

Because Kam has a PhD and better things

to do than clean up after the break-in.

Okay, well, you have a PhD and an MD.

That's true. Maybe I should
let you do it yourself.

That's not what I meant.

No, I know what you meant.

What you meant is this is boring

and you'd rather be
doing something else.

Right. That's... That's what I meant.

Look, just because you
dropped your activities

does not mean your father and I

are going to let you spend all your
free time texting with your friends.

So, what's up with Dad and Anissa?

- What do you mean?
- You haven't noticed?

They've been acting really
weird, at least around me.

They were mad at each other,
and wouldn't tell me why.

And now it seems like they're 98 and

two, but sharing some kind of secret.

Something's going on.

Look, everything's fine.

Families go through stuff. It's normal.

Wait, did... did you see
any old papers in here?

No.

On yellow legal pages?
They were kinda crumpled.

Still no.

They're all gone.

What's gone?

Uh...

I have to pick something up.

You're free to go home.

Yes.

Oh, um...

Can I hang up posters
with Kiesha at the school?

Yeah, but then go home.

Um, it'll be sort of late.

- Okay.
- Okay.

Okay, what are you hoping to find?

I don't know.

But the police have already
cleaned up the crime scene,

and Gambi said the official
report is short on details,

so Lady Eve's body

is the only evidence we
have to look at right now.

Which doesn't mean this is a good idea.

Look, you said the building was empty

and you picked a route that would
keep us off camera surveillance, so...

I did say those things,
but I just meant in general.

I heard a rumor that there's a big

reward out for Black
Lightning's capture.

Oh, yes, this is the perfect time
to give me that bit of information.

Who's putting up the money?

I don't know.

We're at the janitor's closet. Now what?

The spot you want is just
ahead, below the vent.

Okay.

And this is where Gambi says
is the best place to break in.

All right.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

How much force do you need?

Uh... enough to get through the wall.

And how much is that?

I don't know.

Tap it with your finger.

Okay.

Okay.

Clearly, that wasn't it.

Whatever you think.

Okay, maybe I could've
used a little less.

You think?

Twins?

All right, let's see.

- A-ha!
- Yeah?

Looks like they'll pick her up tomorrow.

Good thing we came tonight.

Oh.

All right, Gambi, you seeing this?

Yeah, I got it.

Pick up her arm.

Her arm?

Gently.

Go on.

When you work with cadavers in school,

do you ever think about who they were?

No.

Yeah, well, she had a life, family.

You know, yesterday, she might
have been making a grocery list,

planning a family get-together,

and then someone killed her,
for whatever their reasons,

not caring about who would be left

behind to mourn the loss of her passing.

And even if you do care,

people are gonna die just the same

if you don't learn to
modulate your powers.

More importantly, your
mother, Jennifer and myself

will mourn the loss if you get killed

- because you weren't vigilant.
- Jefferson.

So you need to stay
woke, and as always...

- Jefferson.
- What?

Oh... If she had been
killed by a lightning strike

or a Black Lightning strike,

Dad, there'd be a tree
pattern on her skin.

What she said. It's called
Lichtenberg scarring.

It's a fractal pattern that occurs

when electricity passes
through an insulating material.

This is more of a burn, like it
was caused by a high-voltage flash.

So this was caused by
some kind of a weapon?

I believe so.

Black Lightning's never killed anyone,

so I understand how the
coroner wouldn't know

what kind of wound
pattern he might create.

How much power would a
weapon like this take?

A billion joules.

Well, how would you do
that in something portable?

With nuclear power.

You can track radiation, right?

Which means we might be able to
find the weapon that killed her?

Yes.

Okay, we're done here.

Um...

All right, brains, not brawn.

Good job, Anissa. Let's go.

Hey.

We are closed.

Please. It's important.

I can't accept any samples.

Well, I'm here for a report on
something I dropped off a few days ago.

We had a break-in.

- What?
- Yeah.

Got some equipment stolen,
a whole bunch of samples.

They screwed up our computers.

Cops think it was junkies looking
for drugs and stuff to sell.

We just started notifying people,

but I might not have what you came for.

Can you check to see if
my sample was affected?

- Yeah.
- It's for Doctor Lynn Stewart.

It was a powder.

I asked you to do an
X-ray crystallography.

Yeah, it looks like your sample
was one of the ones taken,

and the results file was corrupted
when they trashed our computers.

You must have a backup.

Partitioned on the same
drive. I'm really sorry.

There must be a printout.

I always print a hard copy when
I'm double-checking my results.

These guys made a real
mess. It could take...

What?

We've had someone on maternity
leave for the last month.

I'm really behind.

Maybe there's a copy in
the "to-be-filed" folder.

Oh, could you check? Please.

- Yeah.
- Thank you.

You know, I'm not one to judge a
person's extracurricular activities,

but I don't know how you ended
up with student government.

Whoever controls the money
controls the school, so...

Oh, so, this is a power play?

Yeah. Just like your mama
making you work in her lab.

Nah, she's just worried
I won't get into Harvard

if I'm sitting around texting you.

- Oh, That's cute.
- Ah, thank you.

Wait, you're applying to Harvard?

Not the point.

Okay.

Send it to me.

Okay.

Ooh.

Hey, what you doing?

I'm gonna put one up here
so nobody takes it down.

No, Kiesha, that's dumb.

Get down before you kill yourself.

Getting kidnapped made you so emo.

Getting kidnapped didn't make
me emo. You're making me emo.

Kiesha, I'm serious.

Oh, my God.

That's really unsafe,
you need to get down.

I'm serious.

Kiesha, please.

Kiesha!

Okay, I'm fine.

Damn, girl, you dropped your phone.

Yeah, scared you were
gonna break your neck.

Ah, no. Hey, now you got
an excuse to get a new one.

I'm thinking maybe I
should change my slogan.

"I bounce, so our class
money won't have to."

So, now that you're
back, what's your plan?

I don't know yet.

The man without a plan.

You know word on the street
is you're dead, right?

And that one's trying to take your spot.

Ain't nobody can take my spot.

Dead or alive.

I can't believe you letting
these dudes drive you home.

You do understand they'll
know where you live, right?

They cool.

How can you know that for sure?

You killed me for putting
a camera in your face.

I told you to take your ass home.

So when they come for you,
you going to kill them, too?

I don't know yet.

I might.

But they won't come for me.

Nah. I don't think you should wait.

I don't trust them.

Especially that one.

You definitely should
kill him right now.

Kill my dude?

Yeah.

He's driving the car. You want to crash?

LaWanda, you crazy.

I'm good.

I'm just saying, people turn.

I said I'm good.

Everything cool, Lala?

Yeah.

So, this satellite tracks radiation?

- Yes.
- Everywhere in the world?

The two of you continuing this
investigation is a bad idea,

even if you're not dressed as
Black Lightning and Thunder.

We have to clear Black Lightning's name.

- Yes.
- I agree,

but please, let me do it.

If you get caught digging
into Lady Eve's murder,

someone could put two and two
together and realize who you are.

Then I will make sure
that doesn't happen.

Yes, let's go then.

Yo, wait. Wait. When you power up,
are you susceptible to radiation?

I don't know.

- Chemicals?
- I don't know.

Okay, what about water?

Are you like a witch? Do
you sink or can you swim?

- I don't know.
- You don't know a lot.

What are you waiting for?

You, to come to your senses.

Wait, that's Lady Eve being killed.

Oh, that's Hampton Woods.
What are they doing out there?

I don't know. But please,
let me go check it out.

You're not putting me in any danger.

There's no bounty on me, and
I can take care of myself.

No, I need to train Anissa, Gambi.

Besides, I can take care of myself, too.

So, unless you can tell me a
reason why this is more dangerous

than all the other crazy things
you let me do over the years...

I'm just trying to help you.

Which I appreciate, but I can handle it.

You're just so damn stubborn, Jefferson.

Gambi!

Dad, you know how I
feel about the woods.

No. Black people die in the woods.

Yes, in horror movies,

but only after the monster
kills the white nerd.

And we don't have one of
those with us, so you're good.

Okay.

Wait, hold on.

- Hey, Lynn.
- Hi.

I found something disturbing,
I guess is the right word.

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

That sample Anissa brought over
from your father's investigation,

I analyzed it, and it's a vaccine.

A vaccine?

- For what?
- I'm not sure.

But what I am sure about is
the components of the vaccine

are the same active
ingredients in Green Light.

Wait, the sample Anissa
found was from 1986.

Are you saying someone's been
working on Green Light for 30 years?

It looks like it.

Okay, well, if we figure
out who produced the vaccine,

then maybe we can find
out who's behind all this.

Well, I tried,

but I've struck out with my pool
of doctors and health officials.

Thirty years is a long time ago.

You know what, talk to Gambi.

He's been in Freeland almost as long.

He may not know anything, but he'll
know someone who knows something.

- And, Lynn?
- Yeah?

Please be careful.

Of course.

♪ Come, Thou fount
Of every blessing ♪

♪ Tune my heart To sing Thy grace ♪

♪ Streams of mercy
Never ceasing... ♪

Mr. Gambi?

Mrs. Johnson.

How was your daughter's wedding?

Oh, she was beautiful.

And so was I, thanks to you.

Is there anything I can do for you?

It's a beautiful song.

♪ I'm fixed upon it ♪

♪ Mount of Thy redeeming love ♪

That it is.

Although it's never been
one that's made me cry.

Do you believe it's true?

That the good Lord delivers
us from our troubles?

Yes.

I do.

He expects us to do our part,

but I believe He's there to
help us over the finish line,

though sometimes, what we want

and what we need are not the same thing.

I see the wisdom in that.

You will be in my prayers, Mr. Gambi.

You will be in my prayers.

Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.

♪ Rescue me from danger ♪

♪ Interposed His precious blood ♪

So, once you realized you had powers,

how long until you decided
to become Black Lightning?

Uh, I did a few things here and there,

but it took me a while before
I committed and got the suit.

Why'd you stop all those years?

That's complicated.

Mom, right?

That's between me and her.

- Which is a "yes."
- Yeah.

But an "ask your mother" yes.

So, who trained you?

- Gambi. Fighting and tactics.
- Oh.

Even before I knew I had powers.

And why is so he mad at you right now?

No, no. He's not mad. He's worried.

That's how he gets when I
don't do what he wants me to.

Sarcastic Italian, that's
how he shows his love.

Wait, hold on. It should
be right around here.

Right there.

I guess we can be
grateful for the second

rule of high-profile assassinations.

Always kill the killer.

Okay. What now?

I call Henderson.

This is evidence.

Black Lightning doesn't get exonerated

unless Freeland PD conducts an
investigation and clears him.

Whoa, you call him on that?

I mean, was carrying a tin can
attached to a string too bulky?

This is current technology.

Okay.

Let me see that.

Yo, Henderson.

You got a pencil and paper?

Hampton Woods,
coordinates 33, 47, 84, 43.

You'll find a shallow grave, a body,

and the weapon that
actually killed Lady Eve.

Heyo, tell the morgue to hold the
body so you can match the wound.

You're welcome.

I know you didn't say thank you.

It's implied in your
loud-ass questions.

Does he know you're Black Lightning?

No. That would put him
in an impossible position.

Yeah, because of that lame cell phone.

Okay.

I'll be right there.

Gambi, it's Lynn.

Take your time.

I was hoping you could
help me with something.

I, uh...

I hope your help
involves the silk damask

because my supplier accidentally
left me two bolts of it.

I'm afraid not.

Yeah. Well, then let's pray purple
suits come back into fashion.

What do you need?

Well, I've been doing some analysis
of a vaccine from 30 years ago.

That's a long time ago.
Why the interest now?

Well, I just got the sample.

It was in a box of research for a series

of articles that Alvin was writing.

Alvin Pierce?

Yeah.

Turns out that the vaccine's
related to Green Light.

But I want to know where it came from.

Problem is, it's so old,

there's no information about the
drug company that developed it.

Do you remember a doctor
or a clinic director

who was working in the
community back then?

No.

Well, a vaccine has to
be government-approved.

Did you have any contacts that maybe

- might be able to answer...
- Lynn.

I can't talk about this.

Thirty years ago.

You moved here around the time
the vaccine came to Freeland.

You never talk about
your life before Freeland.

- No.
- You never wanted to share anything.

We assumed you had your reasons.

- I did.
- Gambi,

Jefferson trusts you.

I know.

I think...

I think it's time for me
to have a talk with him.

Excuse me, Lynn.

Okay, I've finally realized the
most important part of a stakeout.

Go to the bathroom first?

Uh, that would have helped a lot more

than all of your "you're
going to die" talk.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Dad. There's somebody over there.

Wait, wait, wait. That's not right.

What's not?

Well, Henderson would have sent

uniformed officers to secure the scene,

a crime scene unit, not a
lone person in street clothes.

Okay, well, then who is he?

Freeland PD is full of dirty cops.

So, I'm guessing someone must've

intercepted Henderson's
dispatch and sent him first.

All right, stay here.

- Stay here? Dad, I should go with you.
- No, no. Stay here.

- I'm just going to see what he's doing.
- I...

I can disable him from
a distance if I have to.

Stay here.

Wait.

- Dad!
- I told you...

Dad, I could tell he didn't know
that those weapons were dangerous.

Whoever sent him, they
thought he was expendable.

He just didn't know.

I spent all this time

telling her she had to
anticipate danger or she'd die,

and then I failed to anticipate
danger and almost get myself killed.

She has to understand her powers,
and I can help her with that.

Mmm.

But I was trying to change her.

Her understanding of people,
her desire to protect.

No, no, no. I have to be very
careful not to screw that.

Not just because she saved my life.

She saved my life.

I'm... I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm... rambling. Endorphins.

Are you waiting for Jennifer?

No.

You got your sad eyes.

What's going on?

I went to see Gambi, like you suggested,

to see if he could help me
find the source of that vaccine.

Yeah.

It turns out, he knows
more than I thought.

What do you mean?

Jefferson, you need to talk to Gambi.

Ask him the questions we've never asked.

To find out who he is...
and where he came from.

What did he tell you?

Just... go talk to Gambi.

I have so many questions.

If I was dead, then how did I die?

How did I come back?

Why did I come back?

I know, baby. I know.

But it's all going to be okay.

Lynn said I needed to talk to you.

I was just... trying to protect you.

Protect me from what?

All these years...

I've kept secrets from you.

I had to.

But now the only way to protect
you is to tell you the truth,

tell you everything.

What are you talking about?

My real name is Peter Esposito.

Thirty years ago, I came to Freeland

as an agent for a government
organization called the ASA.

They were conducting an
experiment in Freeland,

giving the people a
vaccine to make them passive

and keep them docile

in what was a very
politically-explosive environment.

But their vaccine inadvertently
created metahumans.

People with special powers.

And it was my job to find them.

But when I realized that the ASA's
vaccine was killing children...

I leaked the information...

to your father...

and his investigation got him killed.

Murdered.

My father... was murdered.

Yes, he was.

And you turned me into Black Lightning?

No.

I know it doesn't make
what I've done better,

but I had nothing to
do with that experiment.

As soon as I realized
that you had powers,

Alvin's kid,

I knew I could never let them get you.

And so all these years, I've tried
to protect you the best I could.

- But now...
- But now, what?

I can't anymore.

Martin Proctor...

the head of the ASA for this area,

is looking for you,
and I can't stop him.

If you use your powers or you go
out in the suit, he will find you,

and they will kill you.

And they will find Anissa...
and they will kill her, too.

I'm sorry, Jefferson, but you
have to stop being Black Lightning.

Stay away from me.

Stay away from me.

Stay away from my family.

Must be here.

Ah, Jen, whatever it is,
I don't have time for it.

Are you pregnant?

No. No, but something weird
is definitely going on.

Okay.

What? You broke your phone?

No, Anissa, look at the edges.

I did that.

With my hands.