Black Lightning (2018–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry - full transcript

Previously on
Black Lightning...

Thirty years ago, I came
to Freeland as an agent for the ASA.

Their vaccine inadvertently
created metahumans.

We need to know
what we're dealing with.

- Agent Odell...
- You wanted the job. This is it.

We're going to have to sue the government
for the return of your loved ones.

We need to raise
well over $500,000.

Praise the Lord.

The school board
found your replacement.

I am honored to remain
at Garfield as a teacher.

What could possibly
keep Jefferson Pierce



away from Garfield High
after it was attacked?

Jefferson Pierce
was already there.

Discovering you have powers must be
mind-blowing on so many levels.

Which part do you want me
to deal with first, Mom?

Watch your tone, young lady!

Mom, are you okay?

Now, the purpose of Black Lightning
was to kill Tobias

for literally shoving my father's articles
down his throat until he died.

Detective Summers,
what do you got for me?

- And why would I help you?
- I know who has the briefcase.

I need the briefcase.

Time to die.

Ahhh! Let me go!

Let me go!



Roommate thinks
it's Green Light.

I had to knock her out
with my nightstick just to cuff her.

What happened?
Start with five milligrams lorazepam,

followed by three milligrams...

Get back! Get back!

Stop!

Stop!

Police. Stop!
We're not gonna hurt you.

Come on.

Don't make us.

I gotta get home.

I got to get home.

Okay, okay.

Okay, hell, I get it.

- I gotta get home. I gotta get home.
- Look, I wanna go home, too.

Why don't you
just come with us?

I gotta get home.

I can't... I...

Tell us why
you need to get home.

Is there something
you need to get to?

Is there someone
who's waiting for you?

Tell me,

what do you need?

Let me help you.

♪♪ Last night, I saw a superhero
He was black ♪♪

♪♪ He said, "This is for the street,
Black Lightning's back" ♪♪

And this is the last one.
It's a camera from inside the school.

There isn't a single camera inside
or outside of Garfield

that captured Tobias
or Syonide on school premises.

All right.

Look, I know that the footage

from my goggles
isn't admissible,

but maybe if we just
show it to the police...

I mean, it'll motivate them
to put more energy behind finding him.

They've been trying
to find Tobias for 30 years.

Energy might not be the problem.

So it's still all on us.

Nothing's changed.

Well, not nothing.

Tobias has got Painkiller
and he's got that

ASA briefcase of Proctor's, which,
according to your Ms. Fowdy, contains hell.

You know,
your pep talks need work.

Okay, so Khalil, he's still the best path
to finding Tobias.

I just hope the kid I knew
is still in there somewhere.

I don't think the kids
that he darted would feel the same way.

Oh, speaking of which,
I could use one of those darts.

I've been trying to develop
an antidote based on your blood sample,

but you have
screwed-up chemistry.

I would prefer a dart
that hasn't been activated.

Okay. Anything else?

Don't let him kill you again.

Khalil.

Khalil.

Khalil!

Man, I didn't hear you.

You were focused, that's good.

Incredible focus
was one of Syonide's best qualities.

Run me through the pick-up schedule
for protection money.

Uh, money is paid on Monday.

Whoa! Hey.

- Man, what the hell?
- I didn't tell you to let it go.

Take it.

- Go on.
- Money's paid on Monday.

Delivered to consolidators
on Tue... Ah!

Psst. Ah!

You're a bit of a slow
learner, aren't you?

Hmm.

Paid Monday,
consolidated Tuesday,

brought to me on Wednesday.

I count it
and bring it to you. Ow.

Hmm.

It's important to have
a schedule and stick to it.

With Syonide gone,
you're gonna have to man up.

Do more.

Burn what's left.

According to
Reverend Jeremiah Holt,

after almost three decades,

his church's Rebecca Lee
Crumpler Free Clinic

is in danger of shutting down.

A redevelopment project
led by Vladislav Zlovac

has bought all
the other buildings on the block,

and by acquiring
the Clinic facility,

hopes to create
a multi-use complex

that will be, according
to zoning applications,

"The Crown Jewel of Freeland."

The Clinic has less than two weeks
to find a way to remain open.

Our calls to Zlovac's office
for comment went unanswered.

Man, these real estate guys
are no better than drug dealers.

Mm-hmm.

These people are gonna die
without that Clinic.

They won't get
preventative care.

They won't get prenatal care.
They won't get diagnostic

Whoa! You're dating Zoe B?

Yo, that's crazy.

You're gonna get
crushed though.

She gonna love you one minute,
forget you the next.

I can't believe you're following
my dating life on social media.

Okay, first of all, ain't nobody
following your dating life,

okay, it just popped up.

And second, what else
do you expect me to do

when the only freedom I have is
to walk around the block for exercise?

By the way,

do you know what Mom and Dad
plan on doing about my situation?

No, but...

I do hear your name a lot
in whispered conversations.

Okay, so you hear my name,
but not what they're saying?

Nothing about me going
back to school? Come on.

I'm not about to hide behind the couch
and listen to our parents.

I would do the same thing
for you, Harriet.

Just like I'm telling you
the truth about

you needing to stop focusing
on this shiny object.

You're wasting your time,
for real.

I'm not wasting anything.

Zoe was fine.

And, besides,

aren't you the one who told me
I need to get back out there?

Ouch!

Jen, did you just
have an energy spike?

No.

I've been trying
to control my powers

so Mom and Dad
will set me free.

There's one digit
that I almost feel good about.

Anyway, I'm just saying

you need to get into a relationship
that actually means something.

Not some
social media booty call,

'cause in two or three years,
when you're old and wrinkly,

- ain't nobody gonna be looking at you anyway.
- Mm-hmm.

Gonna be saving clinics with only your
super-suit to keep you company.

- Is that what you want?
- Oh!

So, really,
so you just zapped me outta love?

Yeah, and to wake your ass up.
Zoe B is a bad look for you.

She's cotton candy,
and you need soul food.

How about Coleman at Trinity
or Harrison at Stanford?

You already asked them
and they said no.

Yeah, but maybe you could bring
the weight of the government to bear

and convince them
to come on board.

We prefer Dr. Jace.

Why? She's insane,
Agent Odell.

She's a leading computational chemist
in the US

and no one has her experience
in protein synthesis simulations.

If I'm gonna
save these children,

I need great minds that I don't need
to hide the knives from.

You told me that
you needed more help.

This is what I have to offer.

It's hard not to see this as you trying
to sabotage my efforts.

If I was trying to do that,

you'd have failed by now.

Agent Odell, when these kids die,
it's on your head.

No, it's not, Dr. Stewart.

Need I remind you
that you stole this job,

so everything
after that is on you.

You know, I'm gonna
set up a meeting...

so that you can convince

Dr. Jace to, uh,

come on board.

No, no,
we absolutely can do that.

Okay.

Okay, no, that's perfect.

Right. Okay, great.
Thank you so much. Bye-bye.

- I'm Jeffer...
- Mr. Pierce. Yes.

Principal Lowry.

Mr. Lowry...

welcome to Garfield.

Yeah.

- Would you like me to show you around the school?
- No.

But I did hear about your meeting
with the students.

Classy.

Yeah, uh, I just wanna make sure
the transition is easier for them.

Right, well,
let's hope it worked.

- Listen, Mr. Lowry...
- It's Principal Lowry.

Yes, of course.

The metal detectors,

- is that really necessary?
- Obviously.

Or you'd still have this job.

Now, since I don't seem to have
an office just yet, why don't we meet

in the conference room to go over
a few things in about an hour?

- Sounds good.
- Good.

Are you all right?

Can I help you?

Aren't you sweet.

I'm in the neighborhood
to meet with you, Jennifer.

You just said my name.

Did I?

My name is Perenna.

Hey, easy. Calm down.

What the hell?
Where are we?

- Sit down and...
- No!

You're safe here.
I just wanna talk to you...

No, I don't wanna talk!
Take me back to where we just came from!

I'm serious!
Get me out of here, now!

- Wow, it's not by the bottle.
- The carafe. Was that correct?

- The carafe...
- How could you two do that?

Hmm? No warning, no choice,

just sending some random woman
to track me down on the street?

It's not bad enough that
I'm trapped in this house,

that I can't live my life,

but now I don't even deserve to know
what's happening to me?

Of course you do,
Perenna just wanted...

Does it look like
I care what she wanted?

Whoa! Young lady.

Now watch how
you talk to your mother.

What about what I want?

How about how I feel?
Do you guys ever think about that?

Je... Jen.

Every moment.

Perenna felt it was
important to meet you

without there being
expectations on your part.

Look, we're sorry
if you felt sandbagged...

You don't understand,
I'm way past sandbagged!

Sweetheart...

we don't have any other ideas

on how to help you
control your powers, and we...

We don't want you to hurt
yourself or other people.

Gambi just suggested Perenna

because of her special skills.

You think I'm a monster.

- No! No!
- No, we don't.

Baby girl, no.

Look, I'm so sorry.

It's my fault.

Okay? All of it is my fault.

If I could take it away,
I would.

I'm sorry.

This is not the life
I wanted for you.

- Deputy Chief Henderson?
- Yes.

- What's your name, son?
- Hicks. Roman Hicks, sir.

This is my tenth day
on the job.

All right, what you got here?

Well, there's a scorched service weapon
under the front seat

- and a...
- A crispy critter on it.

Well, I wouldn't
have said that, but yes.

Now, this...

This looks like
one of our unmarked cars.

Does it belong
to Detective Summers?

Well, the fire was hot enough to melt most
of the serial numbers off the dash,

but the five numbers
we can read match.

Well...

now we know
why he was missing.

Medical examiner said he'd have
the dental ID in a couple of hours.

You see anything
like this at the academy?

- Mm-mmm.
- Well, that's a professional torch job

to hide evidence.
What does that tell you?

That the killer didn't
wanna be tied to the scene.

Which means this is a
next-level kind of criminal...

and Detective Summers
was probably doing bad things.

Dr. Jace?

I'm Dr. Lynn Stewart.

Did they tell you
why you were coming here?

No.

I'd like to include you in a team working
to save the children

who were the victims of the vaccinations
and Green Light experiments.

The pod kids.

Yes.

Do you know what I did?

You had a theory
about infrared spectroscopy

and its use in the treatment
of neuropathy.

You conducted an unauthorized
experiment on 11 patients,

causing them
to lose their feet.

Despite that terrible
lapse in judgment,

I'm confident
you can contribute.

So, what's in it for me?

Wouldn't you rather
be doing science

than sitting in a cell?

I do science all the time,
Dr. Stewart.

They took away my lab,
they didn't take away my mind.

I understand officials have
denied you visits to your son.

If you help me,
I will try to facilitate a visit.

Ten.

- Excuse me?
- Ten patients lost their feet. One died.

Melinda, is that you?

I thought you were
going to choir rehearsal.

Don't turn around.

Whoever you are,

this week's donation has
already been taken to the bank.

I'm not here
to take your money.

I brought you money.

Ah.

Robin Hood. Listen, um...

I never got a chance
to say thank you.

You should use some of that money
to help save the Crumpler Clinic.

Your donation has already been distributed
to the lawyers for the children in the pods.

And though I'm very grateful,
it still isn't enough.

How much do you need?

If you could write a check, you wouldn't
be wearing that mask.

That wasn't my question.

Well, we have the right of
first refusal on the building.

Fair market value is
a little more than $300,000.

Okay.

Young lady...

can I pray for you?

Lord, we know that you move
in mysterious ways.

So we just come to you today asking you
to keep everyone safe,

and asking you
to let your goodness flow

into the dark places

for the benefit
of all of your children.

Amen.

Amen.

Any issues?

Rion didn't show.

I found him at his house
with some chicken-head.

He had it,
he just got distracted.

That's what happens when these Negros
grow up without their daddies.

All they wanna do is lay up
between a woman's legs

and have another baby
they're not gonna take care of.

Your father ain't live
at home either, did he?

No.

- But my mom was...
- You need to check Rion

so he understands
the importance of structure.

Last week, he was late.

This time,
you had to go find him.

Next, he'll come up
short on the count.

Nip it in the bud now.

Hi, Grace.

What do you want?

I just wanna talk.

I meant to drink.

Look, I'm sorry
you saw me at Zoe's.

You mean caught you at Zoe's?

No, that's not what I meant.

I am sorry that I dropped off
without a conversation,

but you and I weren't
in a relationship.

Doesn't mean I couldn't
have had better manners,

but it also doesn't mean
I couldn't see other people.

And I sure hope
you were seeing other people

because you are
too damn fine to be lonely.

Yeah, I was
seeing plenty of people.

Not that it's
any of your business.

No. No, none of
my business at all.

Grace, I...

I take my work
really, really seriously,

but my sister pointed out
that it doesn't mean

I can't take other things
seriously, too.

I'd like to try.

Hey.

You wanna come in?

This ain't a social call.

I got a murdered cop.

Evidence destruction by fire.

The torch job is professional.

It takes tools and skills,

and only three people
in Freeland could do it.

Two of them
are currently in jail.

- And the third?
- He won't talk to a cop.

His livelihood depends on it.

So, in my, uh, role as
former principal of Garfield,

you want me to convince him
to come clean?

I think Black Lightnin'
might be more persuasive.

I texted you his info
and his mug shot.

Wait... So you're cool
with the whole vigilante thing?

Former principal?

I lost my job.

Black Lightning
saved the school.

Jefferson Pierce abandoned
the school and the students, so...

Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
Good night.

Bill...

at some point, we need to talk
this thing out, man.

Yeah, at some point.

Yo, Rion.

Hey, has anybody seen Rion?

I said, has anyone seen Rion?

Really, bro?

You walking up in here
like you're Allah,

asking for people
with bass in your voice.

This ain't even
about you, Romel.

Look, Kadil, Katnip, Karen,
whatever the hell your name is...

...not too long ago,
your black ass was in a wheelchair.

Before that...

you were
runnin' track in hot pants.

Now all of a sudden,
you a gangster barking orders?

Man, you ain't nothin'
but Tobias' bitch.

Fine.

First of all,
I ain't nobody's bitch.

And second,
the name's Painkiller.

Rion.

Tobias don't like me having
to track you down for his money.

No, I paid you your money.

- Why are you running?
- Ain't nobody running.

Don't make me chase you.

What made you
change your mind?

Something my dad said.

Look, can we please just do this
so that we can both get on with our day?

Where the hell are we?

A place inside you that will eventually
allow you to control your powers.

Wait, a salon?

Or is there any
safer space than this?

Although some would argue
that this is a place

that actually strips black women
of who they naturally are.

Uses hot combs, lye, and all sorts of
other alchemy to hide our blackness.

We turned it into something
completely different.

For generations, black women have
come here to talk, to share,

to laugh, to cry,
to be safe from the world.

Black beauticians
have influenced politics

and been foot soldiers
in the fight for freedom.

Did you know that profits
from shops like this

paid for buses to get people
to the march on Washington?

Great. Now you sound like my sister.

Did you seriously bring me here
for a this-week-in-black-history moment?

I've always
liked the beauty salon.

I manifested this reality
since you're new to the work.

But if you're not going to use it,
I can always take us someplace else.

I just want you
to be comfortable.

I'm not comfortable.

Okay? I really just wanna
go back to the real world.

I know it's hard to believe,

but you're doing
better than most.

And here,
anything is possible.

You know what we're do gonna first?
We're gonna practice.

We are going to build a box
to put your feelings in.

What do you want it to be?

Wood?

Rock?

Gold.

Mmm.

All right, let's begin.

How'd it go?

Went to a beauty salon.
Built a box.

Uh, oh, okay.

Good?

Yeah.

Most of the pods are in this room,
but we have

several other rooms where we've isolated
the children with vulnerabilities.

Is the anesthetizing agent
the same for all of them?

Yes.

And like the labs
we were just in,

make sure you don't cross the line.

It really works.

Yes.

If you go outside
the prescribed areas,

that implant in your ankle
will disable you.

If you try to remove the implant,
it will disable you.

And if you somehow manage
to get it out and remain alert,

the implant will sound an alarm
and the guards will shoot you.

I'm pretty sure allowing
guards to shoot me

isn't part of
the Hippocratic Oath.

Or don't you care
about that anymore?

Let me be clear.

You stay out of prison as long
as I say you stay out of prison.

The minute I think you're a danger to me,
or anyone who works here,

or these children, I will have you
thrown into such a dark place,

you'll wonder if the sun still shines.
Do you understand?

Yes. I understand.

We're not gonna be friends.

I couldn't find
a single thing

Zlovac had been involved in
until this Freeland project.

Who even lets a real estate
novice spend a billion dollars?

It's money laundering.
Plain and simple.

There's no other
reasonable explanation.

The redevelopment project's
probably never gonna happen.

Where is the dirty money
coming from, though?

Who knows? Drugs, guns,

it could be foreign dictators stealing
from widows and orphans.

The clinic is set
to be sold this week.

Does Zlovac have that much cash
in his bank accounts?

Nope.

So the money's not there yet.

- What are you doing?
- I'm not telling you.

You'll run off,
you'll tell my dad.

Next thing I know,
he's trying to stop me...

I am not gonna
tell your father.

At least not before you do
what it is you're gonna do.

Excellent.

It doesn't mean I'm gonna
keep my mouth shut, though.

If I see you doing somethin' stupid,
I'm gonna tell you.

I wouldn't expect
anything less, Uncle Gambi.

I'll talk to you.

Turn it off.

What the hell
is wrong with you?

Stop electrifying that.

You first.

Car in the parking lot.

Guy in the front seat.
Who hired you?

Nope.

That electric rope
is about 1,500 volts.

I can generate
a hundred times that.

You got a lot of
flammable things up in here.

I can protect myself,
but, uh, what you gonna do?

Probably just die, right?

- Who hired you?
- I... I don't know!

This guy just snuck up

behind me in the alley.

Threw some money down.

He told me
he was gonna kill me

if I didn't do the job
in the next hour.

What'd he look like?

All I saw were these weird
gladiator things on his arms.

I suggest you find
another line of work.

Tobias
killed Detective Summers?

Gladiator arms.

It sounds like Painkiller,
but that kid is just a sidekick.

At least we know that he's still
in Freeland after the school attack.

Well, I already knew that.

A One Hundred member got darted
and fell off the balcony, broke his neck.

Okay, were you able
to get anything from him

that would lead us
to Painkiller or Tobias?

Well, surprisingly,
between the long fall

and the general lack of life,
he wasn't very chatty.

Why would Tobias
kill your detective?

I don't know, but he isn't a guy
who really needs a reason, right?

What... No.

No, he's worked really hard to stay out
of the spotlight for 30 years.

Why antagonize you now?

Look, I don't know.
Maybe he just didn't wanna be different

than every other
gangster in Freeland.

Good morning, Ms. Payne.

I know why you're here.

I've talked to the police.

I'll tell you, too.
I don't know where he is.

Now I know that's not true.

Maybe he didn't
come home right away.

Too excited about
being back on his feet.

But I saw the news reports when he was injured.
You were right there.

That young man loves you.

So I know he came to see you,
if only to give you money.

Even so, I've got
nothin' to say to you.

I know you wanna save him
from the trouble he's in.

It's too late. That boy
got himself into something.

There's no way out.

That's what he thinks,
and that's what he told you.

But it's not true.

As long as Khalil's alive,
there's hope.

But the clock is ticking.

He's not stronger or smarter
than the people he's in business with.

He give you a burner phone?

A number so you can reach him,

like any good son would?

You want him to live,

you need to call him

and tell him to meet with me.

How do I look?

Good.

Then let's go.

Look, I only came here to tell you
to stay away from my mother.

She just wants to help you.

If you wanna help her,

then you don't tell her
her son's going to die.

You know you're
no match for Tobias.

Just tell me how to find him,
and I'll take him out for you.

Right. And when you fail,
then I will die.

I won't let that happen.

If that Thunder chick never showed up,
he would've beat your ass at the school.

Yeah, you're not that much
of a match for Tobias either.

You're better
than this, Khalil.

- My name is Painkiller.
- No.

You had a life before,
people who loved you.

Even in that wheelchair,
it was better than this.

You stay away.

Or I'll make it
my life's mission

to track down
all the people you love

and kill them
just like I killed you.

Where's Tobias?

You little bitch!

Both hands
where I can see 'em, Whale.

Turn around now.

You know,
I almost didn't believe it,

that somebody dropped
a dime on you.

But today is my lucky day.

Tobias Whale, you are under arrest
for the murder of Alvin Pierce.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be held
against you in a court of law.

You have a right
to an attorney.

If you cannot afford one,
one will be appointed to you.

Let's go.

I know I helped you figure out
this meeting was taking place.

That doesn't mean I think
it's a good idea for you

- to go down there.
- I'll be fine.

Why do they
all have ponytails?

These aren't your
ordinary street thugs.

They're not gonna
take this lightly.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
is this the money?

Probably.

- Anissa...
- Uncle Gambi, the clinic is running out of time.

If I don't help, then I'll just be wasting
the gifts that God gave me.

That's what your father
always used to say.

I got you.

God bless you, sister...

whatever the hell
your name is.

So, I changed my mind.

I want my containment box
to be made of diamonds.

Well, they are
a girl's best friend,

but, uh, we're not
doing that today.

But I thought I was building a box
and stuff with my feelings inside,

so I could
get on with my life.

We are. But before you can
stuff your feelings into anything,

we need to know
what those feelings are.

- Hey.
- I wanted you to hear it from me.

We caught him.

We caught Tobias.