Black Lightning (2018–…): Season 4, Episode 2 - The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Two - full transcript

Previously, on
Black Lightning...

No, no. Henderson!

He died because
I let him into my world.

I'm not putting on
the suit.

Black Lightning's
dead.

Now,
I'd like to introduce you

to our new chief of police,
Chief Lopez.

I will make sure
that every meta in this city

is documented
and tagged,

so that we know
their whereabouts

and power capacity
at all times.



It just feels like
you've abandoned us.

You ever think
maybe you abandoned me?

You left me and the girls.

Lynn. How is your sobriety?

My goal is
to isolate the meta gene

to the point
where I can use it

against any attack
against Freeland.

It's going really well.

- What the hell?
- I thought he was dead.

John, I love Freeland.

What does
that mean, exactly?

I've committed a substantial
amount of money to help repair

and rebuild
any public institutions

that were damaged
during the war.



He's got a plan, and it's not
gonna be good for any of us.

Dad, come on.
He knows who we are!

This is Chief Lopez.
And it's a new day in Freeland.

So listen up.

Many of you have been facing
unprecedented challenges

in your homes and families.

This department appreciates

your professionalism
and dedication.

We have a lot to do.
And we're gonna get it done.

There's too much blood
on the streets of Freeland.

And those streets don't belong
to The One Hundred gang

or the Kobra Cartel.

They don't belong
to the freaking meta-humans.

They belong to us.

From our best information,

the war between The One Hundred
and the Kobra Cartel

is being carried out on orders
from their leaders.

For The One Hundred,

that individual
is known as Lala.

The Kobra Cartel

is reportedly
known as Lady Eve,

but she hasn't been seen
since the war with Markovia.

Her underboss is reportedly
known as Destiny.

And for the meta-humans
who plague our city,

I have obtained
next generation DEGs

so that my officers will never be
outgunned by meta-humans again.

♪ Last night I saw a
superhero He was black ♪

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

*BLACK LIGHTNING*
Season 04 Episode 02

Episode Title: "The Book of
Reconstruction: Chapter Two"

Aired on:
February 15, 2021

Welcome to the
Lady Eve VIP game.

We strive to deliver,

so do not hesitate to tell us
if there is anything

that we can do
to improve your experience.

Deal 'em.

Let's go.

Only the driver made it back.

You know Destiny's coming.

Let her.

If she looking for me, that
means I ain't gotta look for her.

I'm worried about the metas.

Blackbird done turned the
ex-Resistance into special ops.

And that Lightning,
she got too much power.

So whatcha wanna do?

Chief Lopez is getting next
generation DEGs to kill metas.

Make sure some
fall off the truck.

Okay.

There won't be no peace until
there's one power in Freeland.

I'm gonna kill Destiny's peeps.
And I'm gonna kill metas.

I'm gonna kill...
until that power is me.

Henderson,
you got a hole in your chest.

I'm not ready, man.

Henderson,
you were my best friend.

♪ Oh, you wanna strip away ♪

♪ Veracity is great ♪

♪ But you'll bleed ♪

♪ And all ♪

♪ For a lukewarm embrace ♪

♪ You serrate your face ♪

♪ With glee... ♪

Jeff?

J... Jeff, are you okay?
What are you doing out here?

What time is it?

I thought you were coming
down to the couch. I...

Jeff, what...

I'm going to take a shower.

What were you doing out there?

Hey. What are you doing
out of bed?

You were just wounded.

Oh, I'm fine, Mom. I heal fast.

Well, you need me
to take a look at it?

No, no. I'm fine.

Well, can I make you some eggs?

I'd rather have cereal.

Jen, you have unopened mail
from the college board exam.

It's a month old.

Didn't you apply
for your SAT or ACT?

No, not yet.

I think
you're being irresponsible.

Seriously, Mom?

We just finished a war fighting
the ASA, Markovians, Gravedigger.

I'll get around to it.
I lost my appetite.

Jen.

Um, looks like we still have to take
blood from Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Plank.

Mmm. Mrs. Plank needs
to go get X-ray, too.

And she's a little bit more
comfortable with a female,

so I'll handle that.

Of course you will.

Even though you have
to take her up two floors

and all the way to
the other end of the facility.

Mmm. It's really not a problem.

You're always willing to do
the dirty work around here,

even though
your mom's the boss.

It's impressive.
And you do it smooth.

Okay, so, hold on.

You're good-looking
and you're charming,

but, sweetie, I'm gay,
so you can chill out.

No, I wasn't...

Oh, come on.
Game recognizes game.

And once upon a time,
I was a little player myself,

so I ain't
mad at you.

Funny.

That new serum has a kick.

Okay, where were we?

Hi. I'm Katie.

How may I assist thee,
Tobias Whale?

Nice touch.

I have the paperwork
we've been waiting for.

Perfect.

I need your signatures
here, here and here.

What?

Am I a threat?

Not while I'm watching you.

You're now the owner
of 18 blocks formerly known

as the neighborhood
of Browning.

Want me to start shopping
construction loans?

No, thank you.

Looks like Iraq in Browning.
Not a single structure in one piece.

No electricity or plumbing
or infrastructure of any kind.

If you don't develop it,
Browning is useless.

Thank you, Val.

She thinks you're crazy,
but you want it a mess.

That's exactly
why I'm buying it.

Chaos has always been
my friend.

Katie, find and access
the mainframe

at Dr. Stewart's Center for Gene
Therapy and Genetic Research.

Found.
Defeating countermeasures.

Access granted.

Excellent.

Watching Jefferson
struggle with losing his friend,

I had a revelation.

I...
I don't have any friends.

Why do you think that is?

I don't know.

Well, asking the
question would be the first start.

Don't patronize me.

I'm not and I wouldn't.

In order to have
a whole couple,

we must have whole persons.

So, I'm gonna be seeing you
individually as well as together.

So, tell me more about you.
What do you like doing?

You mean, like, hobbies?

I don't have any.
I mean, I have my work,

and I... I have my family
and that's it.

Is that enough?

Finally.

Ouch.

Are you finished?

I had my serum tweaked
to insulate my skin,

so that was like doo-doo
off a duck's back.

If I was you,
I'd calm down, Jefferson.

It's dark outside.

But anyone could see us
right now.

Don't blow your cover,
big dummy.

I just stopped by
to say I haven't forgotten.

What?

I haven't forgotten
all the stress and strife

you've caused me
over the years.

I also haven't forgotten that
you cost me my sister's life.

No. No, that was all you.

I haven't forgotten
that you murdered my father.

So, no matter
what everybody else thinks,

I know who you are.

Hmm. I know who
and what you are, too.

And I have to wonder why I
haven't seen your blistering Black ass

playing dress-up lately.

I don't need a suit
to kick your ass, so let's go.

I'm a captain
of industry now, Jefferson.

A philanthropist,
for God's sake.

I can't be out here tussling in
a parking lot with some thug.

But that's the spirit.

See, I'm gonna take away each
and every thing you love.

But it's no fun if you
don't fight back.

Shift's over.

Any interest in grabbing
a strictly platonic drink?

I just moved here, so I'm
trying to meet some people.

Mmm, I can't,
but thanks anyway.

Oh, cool. Another time, maybe.

Yeah.

I'm gonna make some notes
in these files

and, uh, see you tomorrow.

Okay, cool. I'll see you.

Hmm.

Oh, I can't deal
with this now.

Uh, hey, Darius, uh, wait up.

Change your mind?

All right.
Okay. I'm just saying

that even though there's a lot
going down that's not cool,

Freeland has, like,
crazy good energy.

I mean, the last month, I've had
the best Jamaican food of my life,

went to a cool-ass
listening party,

and gone to alumni happy hour
from both my alma maters.

Damn. Okay.

- What?
- I don't know.

It's just, that used to be me.

I used to be out all the time,
having fun.

Mmm. Not anymore?

Not really. You know...

Responsibilities.

Yeah, I hear you.

I mean, to be honest, I've been
forcing myself to go out.

I had to put
my dog down recently,

so it's been weird being home.

I'm sorry.

It's fine.

Fourteen years old.

Been with me since
he was eight weeks.

Rusty was sick the
whole last year of his life.

I know he suffered,

just wonder if I did the
right thing waiting so long.

It's hard. It's just,
like, you don't want to give up

but, at some point,
it's like... come on.

Yeah.

Okay. So, uh,

we're gonna need another
round over here, please.

You got it.

- I'm sorry.
- No, it's cool. It's cool.

Wait, hold up.

There's, there's a, uh,
a shootout around the corner.

What? Whoa, wait, hold...

Where you going?

Uh, I gotta go.
People might be hurt.

Right, uh, we are doctors.

I guess I should go with you.

Okay, I guess.

Mmm.

Hey, sweetie, I thought we
agreed if you weren't coming

straight home from school,
you'd call first.

Oh, I forgot. Sorry.

Did you sign up
for the SAT and ACTs?

I don't know if I'm going to.

What? What's that
supposed to mean?

Jen. You need a future,

something more
than being Lightning.

Why?

A shootout at Third and Harper.

All the restaurants and bars
over there, it'll be a bloodbath.

All right, I gotta go.

Well, at least let me
look at your wound first, okay?

Gambi, do you have a fix
on where the shootout is?

Gambi?

Gambi?

Screw it.

Nobody move.
She'll kill us all.

Everyone,
get out of here!

Run, now!

Your turn.

Drop the gats and go.

Hey, yo, chill, chill.

Or you're all going down.

Yo, it's her!

Go!

Jen!

Jen!

Gambi. Gambi,
where is she going?

Gambi!

I'm glad you picked the wine.
This is fantastic.

Thank you, Monovista.

Can I tell you a secret?

It's happened before.

In Morocco,
I had a giant crush on you.

Must be why you shot at me.

Yeah, after that.

After that, you went with the CIA's
recruitment pitch instead of ours.

That was
a rejection of the ASA,

not the dashing Peter Esposito.

- Do you miss it?
- The CIA?

Not at all.

You know,
when you left the ASA,

you could have gone to the CIA.

They would have jumped
at the chance.

- Probably still would.
- Nah.

That place is not for me.

Well, maybe this is
the place for you.

I'm authorized to let you know

that I could be
very flexible on salary

if you come to Monovista.

I'm not interested.

Are you playing hard to get?

Because if you're
so not interested,

why are you here?

I'm not interested in a job.

I'm interested in you.

Whatever happened here,
it's over.

Help! Please, help!

Whoa, whoa.
That's Marcel Payton.

He works at my dad's school.

What happened to you?

Nothing, I just, I hit my head.

Judging from the outfit, I'd
say there's more to that story.

- Is Jen home?
- No.

Don't change the subject.

Okay.

I injected myself with Wendy's
powers and went out there.

Somebody needed
to watch Jennifer!

Oh, okay, so it's my fault that
you're dropping meta-boosters now?

All these years, you told me
I was addicted to my powers.

Look at you.

You didn't beat Glimmer, you
just traded one drug for another.

No, it's... this is not me,
it's you.

You always think
the worst of everything.

Well, this time, I'm not going
to let you bring me down.

Come on. Keep pressure
on that wound. Come on, kid.

- Come on, kid.
- Come on.

- Come on, kid.
- Come on.

No. Move.

No. Come on!

Anissa, he's gone.

Hey. You okay?

No.

May not be the manly thing
for me to say, but...

no.

Hell no.

I saw a child die last night.

Yeah.

Definitely messed up.

I keep asking myself how could
I have changed the situation.

Hey, I became a doctor
to save lives.

And last night I was useless.

Trust me, I feel you.

There's limits

to what we can do as doctors,
and that's real.

But you are not
useless, Darius,

unless you stop.
And that's real, too.

Okay?

Yeah, you're right.

And I'm not gonna
let this make me stop.

Thanks.

No problem.

Man, I am so sorry.

Look, look. Go home,
take whatever time you need.

I was home.

We lost our house
in the war.

The only places available now
have rents too high

for a teacher's salary.

We have to live in the car.

Oh. Marcel, you,

you've been here with me
at Garfield for five years.

- Why didn't you come to me?
- Man, what could you do?

Look, we just
got caught up. I'm...

I thought I was
handling it, but...

I was wrong.

And I got my son killed.

What? No, no, no.

That is not on you.

Marcel, don't do that
to yourself.

You got three kids who need
you to have your head on straight.

No. Not anymore.

Child Services took
my other kids.

It's done.

I'm done.

That's awful.

Man, I can't help
but see myself in the man.

If I watched one of my kids
get killed in front of me...

No one should see that.

Everywhere I look lately, it
seems like I see things I shouldn't.

People dead who shouldn't be.

Bad people just getting away
with whatever they want.

I can't do anything about it.

Are you familiar with
the principle of entanglement?

Physics.

Uh, particles

that are separated
are somehow still linked.

Exactly.

Psychologists have known
for some time

that feelings are linked.

When we empathize with another,
it brings up feelings in us.

You spoke of great loss

and it's only natural
that this teacher's loss

has magnified your sufferings.

You know, you just used
the word to describe me

that my wife never would.

"Natural."

And that hurts you?

You know,
I'm, I'm not trying

to talk about her
behind her back.

Jefferson, you're entitled
to all of your feelings.

Okay?

Okay?

Yeah, okay. Okay.

The entanglement aspect
of feelings,

it can bring up
old wounds to bear

and, at times, be overwhelming.

Do you feel like that?

Uh...

I don't think I've...

I don't think I'm overwhelmed.

Well, you're a very
competent individual,

but you still have
your moments.

I've done my homework,
Mr. Pierce.

And your old wounds are
public knowledge and significant.

You're referring to the murder
of my father.

Yeats once said,

"We must have a place
for what we lose."

Here we can develop tools
to do that work.

If you're willing.

- Okay.
- When you're willing.

What's going on with you?

I'd like to ask you
the same question.

What? Jennifer said she tried to reach out
to you last night when she was tactical.

You didn't answer.

I'm sorry about that.

Okay, is there something
I need to know about?

As a matter of fact, there is.

We have a major problem.

The new police chief
plans to acquire

dangerous new
directed energy guns.

So what? You've been dealing
with those since ASA was here.

Not like these.
They're next generation.

In its promotional materials,
Monovista International

is promising a six-hundred-percent
increase in lethality.

Great. Just great.

What next,
frogs falling from the sky?

It's not hopeless, Jeff.

I've already started working on a
defense against these new DEGs.

Okay. So that's something.

Did you hear a One Hundred
member shot a kid last night?

Unfortunately.

I want to know who he is.

Oh, for God's sakes, Jefferson.
Then what?

Don't worry about it.

I am worried about it.
And so is Lynn.

She told me she found you
passed out on the porch last night.

You were out there
using your powers

without wearing your suit,
weren't you?

I picked up
your energy signature.

You screwed up, Jeff.

You don't want
to be Black Lightning

but you're willing to light up
a couple of cops

and intentionally cripple
a man's arms.

- I don't want to hear it.
- Well, you're gonna hear it!

Because you're not just some
thug running around getting payback.

You have to hold yourself
to a higher standard.

Man, you are a symbol of
justice for a city that badly needs it.

No, you're singing
the same song!

Where did that get me?
Or Freeland?

Freeland would be lost
without Black Lightning.

Freeland is lost!

When Henderson died, all that Black
Lightning could do was just watch!

Tobias is walking around,
shockproof now!

No, this whole Black Lightning
thing is a waste of time.

But that shooter
is not walking away from this.

You're wrong, Jeff.
You're, you're wrong.

Between your grief
for Henderson

and using your powers
without the suit,

you're not thinking clearly.

No, no, I am thinking
clear as day.

Find the shooter.

No.

- All right, you ready?
- She ain't gonna listen.

Yeah, well... she has to.

Jen.

- We need to talk.
- We need to talk.

What? Are you in pain? Is there
something you need me to look at?

No, Mom, I'm perfectly fine.
I'm not here for treatment.

Okay, so, what do we need
to talk about?

Okay, look. Bottom line is, you
need to get back in your lane.

Excuse me?

Here we go.

I don't expect anybody
to tell me to stay in my lane,

least of all the people
I brought into this world.

Okay, we're not trying
to disrespect you here,

but we have to be honest.

Dad told us you followed me
the other night. You got hurt.

Mom, you could have
died out there.

You really need to stand down.

I can't.

Not without your father
to help you.

I have to watch your back.

Mom, you don't.

You're a liability.

Okay? You're not a meta.

Well, I saved your ass
last night, young lady.

And I saw you get cut.

And I saw you fly straight up.

You went to the upper
atmosphere, didn't you?

To pull the energy?

Mom, please don't
turn this around on me, okay?

I didn't go anywhere.

I didn't. And the fact
that I can heal like that

means that I don't need you
to watch my back. So...

Okay. Hey, hey, hey, look, Mom.

Listen, we love you
and... and we get that

you're just trying to help us,

but you do not
have the training.

Right. Dad taught us
how to fight.

Yeah.

I get it. You're both metas.
I'm not a meta. I'm in the way.

Okay, no, Mom. Come on.

We need you
just like we always have,

just not out there
in the streets.

No. It's fine. I get it.
I'm a liability.

Hi.

Give us the room.

- Said you wanted to talk?
- Yeah.

I'm just going to start.

When we worked together,
I did think about you.

A lot.

I thought a lot about you
since then.

And all the good things
in my life

that I let pass me by.

I made a choice back then.

The kind of choice that determines
the life you're going to live.

I want to make
a different choice now.

With you.

I am flattered that you
thought well enough of me

to offer me a job.

But being a troubleshooter
for corporate security's

just more of the same.

Living in dark places,
doing dark things. I...

I can be so much more
than that.

I couldn't agree more.

Your ability to do
high-level tech

and high-level field work

made you invaluable
to the ASA.

I can use you here in R and D
for the same reasons.

It'll cost you.

I'll pay. When can you start?

My schedule is open.

I appreciate y'all
for coming.

Bitch, you crazy.

I don't know
how you snatched me up,

but best to believe
y'all messed up.

It's called skills
and training, baby.

No, it's called suicide.

Listen.

You're here tonight
and not dead

because Freeland is a mother
to all of this

and she's sick of all this.

Now, y'all got beef
with each other, that's fine.

Do what y'all got to do.

But this here parking lot
is off-limits every night.

Pretty young thing.

Come on.

You ain't Lady Eve.
You can't tell me nothing.

Well, I'm telling you.

Now, the homeless of Freeland
get to stay here at night.

They get to live here, have a
chance to get back on their feet.

That's the deal.

Take it or die.
Here and now.

That don't bother me.

But you right.

Territory don't mean
a damn thing

if your customers
can't buy product.

We in.

People on their feet means
more gamblers and johns.

Damn. You ain't a bad bitch.

The Kobra Cartel
will honor the Blackbird zone.

The metagenes respond to
different environmental influences,

including other genes,
which could be a variable.

We love you and we
realize that you're just trying to help us,

but you do not
have the training.

You're a liability.

Okay?
You're, you're not a meta.

You didn't beat Glimmer.

You just traded
one drug for another.

I'm in such a love of people...

- Hello?
- Hey, TC.

Hey. Everything okay?

Yeah. Look, Gambi's busy.

So I'm gonna need you
to search the camera footage

for that shooting on Harper.

How can I help?

Get me the address
for who shot that kid.

I'm getting East 23rd Street.

- Apartment two.
- Yeah.

His name's Lydell Green.

Hey, I don't know who that is,
but you better stop playing.

You killed a kid.

You're going to
turn yourself in.

If not, I'm gonna be back here,

and we're gonna do this
all over again.

Please, don't.

When you go to the cops,
you're going to be on crutches.

- No, no.
- No, no!

Ahhh!

Closing theme music playing...