TV Recap: Across the Arrowverse – Week 4

Across the Arrowverse
Week 4

Each and every week, we watch and recap all of the Arrowverse show so you don’t have to! We break them down for you and let you know what’s going on … Across the Arrowverse!

Check out last week’s action here.

Supergirl
“Man of Steel” Episode (403)
October 28, 2018

Thi week picks up right at the end of the last episode with Alex and Brainy realizing the atmosphere had been irradiated with Kryptonite, Supergirl falling from the sky, and the Earth First Meeting J’onn was at breaking up. When he gets the call that Supergirl is in trouble, J’onn Martian Manhunters  the Fuck Up and saves Supergirl just before she crashes into the Earth. Back at the DEO, they put our girl under Yellow Sun Radiation Lamps but Brainy tells them that no where is really safe for her given the radiation in the atmosphere. J’onn recalls that Winn created a Kryptonite Shield that should leach the poison from her system.  Alex wonders who could do a thing like this.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

Flashback! Meet Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer). Two Years ago, Ben was an open minded college professor trying to convince his virulently anti-alien father than the presence of aliens and Nth Metal on Earth won’t be the end of life as they know it. Papa Lockwood (Xander Berkeley) disagrees and specifically sees Nth Metal as the end of American steel – which happens to be his entire life. The Lockwood men come upon a group of Lockwood Steel employees attacking an Nth Metal delivery truck and Ben tries to calm them down when his father won’t do anything.  The Nth Employees begin to revert to their alien appearances and one of them accidentally shoots a spike right into Ben’s chest.  Supergirl and the DEO arrive on the scene just as Ben is blacking out from his wound.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

When we come back from commercials, Ben is trying to defend his father’s employees to Alex while J’onn is outside trying to convince Papa Lockwood that the alien they all attacked is an American with the same rights as them and that the spike that impaled Ben was part of the alien’s natural defense mechanism.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

Papa Lockwood wants no part of this bullshit talk from J’onn and goes to check on his son.   The DEO gets called away to help Supergirl who had just been attacked with “stolen alien weaponry.” In the ambulance, Ben can’t figure out why the “FBI” is working with Supergirl but Papa Lockwood is more concerned about why “they are working against us.”

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

Sometime not too much later, an arm sling wearing Ben visits Lena at the newly re-branded L Corp (we see the signs going up over the old Luthor Corporation signs). He tries to make a case for Lockwood Steel’s proven track record in successful Luthor products which Lena doesn’t deny. However, she says, steel made with Nth Metal is the future and so Papa Lockwood should modernize. Or else he risks being left behind.

Sometime later still, a now healed Ben Lockwood is lecturing his college class on Manifest Destiny and America.  When his focus is distracted by a plaque on his whiteboard saying it was made with Nth metal (“like steel, only stronger!”), he switches up his lecture. Using examples like discovering the new world as progress for Europe at the expense of Native Americans and the Alien Amnesty Act as progress at the expense of some Americans worse off for it, Ben asks his students an important question.

“The next time someone tells you how great progress is, I want you to stop a moment. I want you to think about who paid the price for it?”

Ben comes home to find Papa Lockwood  has shuttered the entire factory.  Ben’s son, George, chimes in that it was the roaches fault for this but Ben is still making the counterpoint argument to his father and his son. Which is exactly when Rhea (Hi!, Teri Hatcher) interrupts their regularly scheduled programming to announcing the Daxamite invasion of Earth. Whelp, that was just bad timing.

Fast forward some time, the Lockwoods are running out of food and water and Ben wants to abandon ship and get away. Papa Lockwood wants to stay and fight and George wants to wait for Supergirl to come and save them.  Ben says Supergirl is an alien just like the “invaders” so don’t count on her to do any saving.  As the Lockwoods are packing up to leave, Martian Manhunter comes crashing through their roof, literally, locked in battle with a Daxamite who is shooting his blaster off everywhere lighting shit up on fire. J’onn subdues the Daxamite and tells the Lockwoods they’re safe before taking off. But, as the Lockwood home burns, I don’t think any of the Lockwoods feel particularly safe.

12 Months Ago.  Ben has a meeting with James on why Catco doesn’t cover the impact of extraterrestrial activity on the common man.  Citing things like homeowners insurance not covering damage from alien invasion, Ben is getting himself worked up, especially in the face of James’ calm responses that they are in fact covering things – their coverage won them a Pulitzer Price in fact. The meeting is cut short when Lena calls and James tells Ben that he’ll raise Ben’s points to Lena – she runs this place now. Ben leaves Catco looking like he wants to throw up.

Six Months Ago.  Ben is back in front of his classroom but he’s much more radicalized. He gives an impromptu lecture on “nativism,” traditionally defined as one who fears the other. Citing a Ben Franklin quote warning against immigrants and how they’ll never assimilate, Ben expands his analogy to include alien immigrants and how, separate from desire, aliens can never assimilate with American culture as a matter of biology. Specifically, that alien immigrants make the American worker obsolete. He is making his point in a class which includes aliens, B T Dubs.  One student even leaves.  “Ben Franklin’s fears have come to pass,” Ben says and tells his classroom that he’d be proud to be called a Nativist. His other alien student (Abby Ross) leaves, telling Ben that this isn’t nativism, it’s xenophobia.

“I can’t say I am surprised to hear that from someone with your complexion.”

Photo: The CW

After class, Dean Warren (Iris Quinn) tells Ben that he’s received more complaints and that he is being put on a leave of absence without pay. Ben has been warned repeatedly about his prejudiced rhetoric, the Dean tells him. He pleads that he can’t afford to lose his job given what his family is going through but the Dean leaves without another word. Ben sees the female alien from his class, the one that called him xenophobic, and follows her to the alien bar. Appearing slightly unhinged, he confronts the female alien and accuses her of tattling on him and getting him fired. He calls her Snowflake if that matters. Kara places herself between Ben and the alien and tries to diffuse the situation with karaoke song recommendations. Ben tries to get around Kara but she pushes him out of the way, advising him to not touch aliens or anyone else for that matter. He leaves the bar calling her Earth Traitor.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

Four Months Ago. Ben is handing flyer preaching the good word of Supergirl working with the FBI to round up political enemies.  He runs into Otis Graves in passing, who tells him to keep up the good work.  All of sudden, National City is under attack with last season’s final battles and Ben takes off running, trying to find his missing father. He finds him at the abandoned Lockwood Steel mill. Papa Lockwood went there hoping to be crushed and killed? I guess? He gets his wish as the building collapses on him but not before reminding Ben to raise George the same way Papa Lockwood raised him. He is human and this planet belongs to him!

At Papa Lockwood’s funeral, Ben remembers his father in eulogy and recites his favorite quote. The thrust of which is, “never give in!” Ben spots Lena at the back of the church. After the funeral, he confronts her outside about having nerve showing up. Lena says she wanted to set up a fund for his former employees but he cuts her off saying she is complicit in working with the “things” that killed his father. Lena tells Ben to not go down this path of blaming other people for his problems or else Ben will wind up like Lex.

“They’re not people.”

Ben goes off to drink with some die hard former Lockwood steel workers.  Empowered by alcohol, he tells his buddies that they should burn down the Nth Metal Plant – Papa Lockwood always told him to take a stand and fight. That night, they set the Nth plant ablaze but freak out when a human comes stumbling out, his leg on fire. Ben switches from worry to anger, though, when he realizes the man is not a human but his spiked alien “friend” from the beginning of the episode (using an image transducer). Ben calls him dangerous as he grabs some rebar. The alien says he’s not dangerous, he’s a floor manager but Ben isn’t having it. He strikes the alien across the face the with metal.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

Two Months Ago.  Ben is full on proselytizing on a corner about how James Olsen being out as Guardian is maybe what they all need – someone to fight back for them. He excuses himself to speak to Dean Warren who he spots across the street. Due to the genesis Terra-forming event, Dean Warren has lost her house and is living in student housing. She apologizes to Ben and definitely understands his point of view now. He’s all sympathy and invites her to a “support group” he’s starting.

Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW

On his way home, Mercy Graves rolls up on Ben in her limousine. She tells him that she knows who he is and what’s he been up to and tells him to get inside. He thinks he’s in trouble but she makes clear that she shares his opinions on aliens but says that he and his boys have been sloppy in their attacks on aliens.  She is offering him resources in exchange for his gift of communication and being able to bring people to their cause. She hands him a bag of body armor and tells her that big on their agenda is exposing the President as an alien. He laughs but she asks him to imagine how it would change the world if it was proved true. Before that, though, she hands him a file on Fiona, an alien bar tender who is becoming a problem. Mercy introduces herself and her brother and asks Ben what he thinks, “Besties?”

At the abandoned Lockwood Family Steel plant, Ben unpacks his new body armor but he’s not happy with the balaclava. He searches the factory and we see him find a familiar golden hued, iron mask.  We see the rise of Agent Liberty as Ben attacks the alien bar and holds his Earth First Rally. We flash back to the Graves’ launch the Kryptonite bomb and then  we’re back to today.

Photo: The CW

None of their ideas are working to make Supergirl better so Alex calls in Lena to help. When Lena arrives at the DEO, Alex tells her she appreciates Lena always helping when they call.  Lena gives them a device that will put Supergirl in a clean suit indefinitely while they figure out how to detoxify the atmosphere which, as Brainy helpfully points out, they still don’t know how to do.  At Agent Liberty’s lair, the Graves comes by with Jensen in tow.  Taking off his mask, Ben wants to know if Supergirl is dead? Not yet but soon. Mercy goes to kill Jensen but Ben objects to the human killing. Instead, he proposes that Jensen use his DEO knowledge to break them all back in to the DEO.

And scene.

Arrow
“Crossing Lines” (Episode 703)
October 29, 2018

Everyone not in prison is running a scam tonight.  Diggle, Lyla and Curtis are undercover abroad in Zurich while Felicity and Rene are breaking into the CDC (with the FBI’s help). Inside Slabside, Oliver is trying to find the “Demon,” Brick’s connection to Diaz, while there is chaos in the prison on a dark and stormy night.

A.R.G.U.S. Team.  With Curtis tech know how, John and Lyla infiltrate a Zurich bank to hack some bank records.  It’s hairy for a few minute but they get the info downloaded. Only problem? Curtis realizes that Lyla arranged for a simultaneous copy to be made of the downloaded information – without telling Curtis or John about it.  Why is Lyla keeping secrets from John? Glad you asked.  Lyla stumbled on a big case but got shut down by her higher ups for lack of evidence. She decided to go the way of the vigilante to get results – she left John out of it because she knew he wouldn’t approve, he did decline to take up Oliver’s mantle after all (sick burn, Lyla).  She tells Diggle that sometimes you have to “cross the line for the greater good.” They reconcile at the end of the episode with John realizing that Lyla is right.

Team Felicity.  Finding out that Diaz is hacking into the CDC with a plan to steal a compound connected to bio weapons, Felicity gets Agent Watson to go a long with a plan where they will trap Diaz and the Longbow Hunters inside the CDC. It goes sideways, as you imagine, Diaz gets away with the nasty stuff. There is another awesome Silencer fight – the show is really making the most of these fight sequences this season. In the aftermath of everyone escaping, Agent Watson is reassigned so Felicity has lost that FBI ally for now. Anyway, on to Plan B for Felicity & Co. Plan B includes Felicity somehow having kidnapped Silencer and stowed her away in the lair. She reminds a shocked Rene that sometimes you have to cross the line.  Across town, Diaz injects himself with some of the stolen serum and he now has super strength.Whelp.

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

Oliver.  Brick gives up the name of the Demon as the person that’s the connection to Diaz inside Slabside. Of course, he tries to double cross  Oliver in actually arranging a meeting with the Demon but Oliver handles his business as he does and gets the Bronze Tiger to get him into Brick’s secret prison game. As an aside, there is something of a break through in the relationship between Oliver and Bronze Tiger – we’re on the way to a prison bromance here, people! Unfortunately, the secret prison game is actually a good old fashioned secret prison fight club that Brick presides over (complete with correction officers watching and taking bets).  Oliver defeats Brick’s champion and “crouching tiger, hidden dragons” his way up to Brick’s second story viewing area. At knife point, Brick tells Oliver he’ll never get to the Demon because they hold him on Level 2 – the floor for the worst of the worst criminals; which isn’t really Oliver. Understanding what he needs to do, Oliver viciously takes down all of the corrections officers, punching and shiving as he goes. He falls to his knees as reinforcements arrive. The episode ends with Oliver being escorted to Level 2 so, you know, mission accomplished Ollie!

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
“Witch Hunt” (Episode 402)
October  29, 2018

Constantine joins the team, selling it as him doing them a favor and making no mention of the demon that tried to kill him at the end of last episode. The magical knuckle bones light up and we’re headed to the Salem Witch Trials! As Sara says, Let s get our “Puritan purit-on!”

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

Time Team.  The Legends arrive in town as Jane Hawthorne is being arrested for witchcraft. As she is dragged away, bound and gagged, a murder of crows arrive on the scene and attack the towns people.  On the Waverider, John tells them that spells are a verbal game so Jane couldn’t be the  witch – her daughter, Prudence, however is a good possibility.  When they follow Prudence into the woods, John casts a spell to expose the magic power at work and a Fairy Godmother (Jane Carr ), straight out of Disney central casting, appears. After a little song from the Fairy (complete with in world fairy music), Constantine begins to banish her but that’s a no go because she and Prudence share a bond – one goes to hell, they both go to hell. Prudence calls off her attack Fairy Godmother when Zari makes it clear they want to save Pru’s mother. Going rogue after Sara makes it clear they can’t interfere with Jane’s death – it’s timeline canon, Zari tries to break Jane out of jail but she won’t leave. Jane believes that if she sacrifices herself, Prudence will be able to live a long life (as long as she doesn’t use her power).

On the Waverider, Constantine has a conversation with the Fairy Godmother and deduces her real motivation – to use Prudence’s raging anger at her mother’s plight to unleash a millennia-long vendetta on humans.

At Jane’s trial, Zari loses her cool and almost force chokes all of the men to death. Whoopsies. Realizing how far she’s gone, she allows herself to be captured, her totem taken from her and the promise of a burning for her and Jane. Great work!

On the Waverider, the Fairy Godmother convinces Prudence that the Legends aren’t going to save Jane and so they’ll need to do it themselves.  Their escape includes turning Ray and Mick into pigs and sealing Constantine’s mouth.

At the burning, Sara arrives and takes out most of the townsmen but she can’t stop the fire from being set at Zari and Jane’s feet.  Prudence and the Fairy Godmother arrive and release them from their bonds.  Zari convinces Prudence that killing these men in revenge won’t solve anything and it’s not what Jane would want.  Pru releases the Fairy Godmother which strips her of her power.  Constantine, mouth now unsealed, arrives to subdue the Fairy Godmother.

In the wrap up, Sara consents to Jane going free but she has to leave this place (Zari is starting quite the time relocation program).  On the ship, Sara doesn’t flay Zari but rather tells her she understands the feeling of rage but that she needs to find ways to not let it build up.  John tries to convince the Fairy Godmother to enter his service to fight what’s coming for him. She knows all about it and would rather be in hell than face that (we still don’t know what that is).  John fulfills her wish.

Time Bureau.  In 2018, Nate has extended his stay to try and bond with his father. Dinner doesn’t end particularly well, especially when it becomes clear that Nate has no money.  Ava finds him living in the time bureau and he convinces her to let him help schmooze the defense department on her proposed budget.  She agrees but really, just wants him to put pants on. Understandable. At the pitch, Nate tries to back out when he sees his dad – this is one of those secret projects he works on.  Gary steps into his shoes and take about 30 seconds of speaking to cause the Time Bureau to be shut down. Put your nipple away, Gary!

Back in their office, Ava schmoozes Nate into going to speak to his father with proof that magic exists. He heads to the Waverider looking for the necessary proof and runs into Pig Ray.  He’s going to be the proof Nate uses.

In front of Mr Haywood, Nate comes clean that he’s a time traveler and this pig here, is his friend. Luckily, when the Fairy Godmother loses her power, Ray returns to his very naked form right in front of Mr. Haywood and Nate also steels out. Mr. Haywood has seen enough and signs off on the Time Bureau’s $4.2 billion annual budget.

In the wrap up, Nate finishes catching his father up on the last two years of Legends’ activity and he has finally earned some respect from his dad.  Ava offers Nate a job around the Time Bureau and while he doesn’t officially accept, when Ray is ready to head back to the Waverider, he chooses to stick around 2018 a bit longer.

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

 The Flash
“News Flash” (Episode 504)
October 30, 2018

We open with a flashback to the night of the Enlightenment. We see a woman we don’t know run into Nora after she participated in saving the world.

After an ill fated attempt at making breakfast and continued shade from her daughter, the team convenes at S.T.A.R. Labs. Sherloque runs down the things they know about Cicada and Ralph brings up his mask as a key worth tracking down. Sherloque doesn’t think this is a lead but it’s more billables for him against his debt so they go off to check it out. Everyone else heads to a charity softball game.

Team Flash.  FYI, Barry is a bad BAD athlete without his powers.  Nora, who now has a cell phone thanks to her dad, gets a notice from “Spyn Zone” – a blog that notifies anytime something happens in the city.  Iris tells Nora she knows Spencer Young (Kiana Madeira ), who runs it, because she was a junior reporter at CCPN when she worked there. She says Spencer never wanted to fact check anything – the scoop was all that matters. Nora gets possessed after getting a text just as a cop enters the field with a bomb in his bag.  Nora returns in XS gear and is able to save everyone. After the bomb goes off, Nora’s eyes return from the purple glow (so does the eyes of Jonesy, the bomber).  We see Spencer standing off to the side, taking a picture of the event.

Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW
Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW

At Jitters, Iris tries to convince Spencer to stop writing stories about XS given the new meta in town.  Spencer assumes this is jealousy based since Spyn Zone is getting the web traffic now and refuses to do anything.

At CCPD,  Jonesy (Klarc Wilson) tells everyone he has no memory of the bombing or how he got to the field even though Joe says there is video evidence of Jones going into the lock up where the bomb used was being stored.

Called to a fire at CCPN, Barry is walking XS through how they put out fires when Spencer gets restless waiting for XS to jump into action.  She whammies Barry, sending him to Las Vegas which leaves XS to put out the fire by herself. With Iris’ help, she’s successful and Spencer gets her story.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Iris figures out that, somehow, Spencer is causing the emergencies XS is being lured to and hypnotizing people also.  They had a plan to see if Spencer is a meta accept, when Nora approaches Spencer at Jitters to use the Meta Detection Machine, the ladies end up flirting instead of doing the meta detection. Iris pops in to remind Nora why she is there (turns out that Spencer is not a meta).  Alone, Nora reveals why she’s so nasty to Iris – Nora reveals a scar where Iris had implanted a powers dampening chip in Nora. Nora didn’t know she had powers until 6 months ago.

While The Flash and XS are responding to a bomb threat at a soccer stadium, Iris does some deduction work and figures out that Spencer is hiding the hypnotizing code in her headlines.  Unfortunately, they figure this out just as XS sees the headline on the jumbo screen of “XS Kills the Flash.” After a speedster dash around the stadium, XS catches The Flash and begins beating him up.  Iris arrives just in time to tranquilize XS before she kills The Flash.  Realizing that Spencer must be close by, The Flash tracks her down and cuffs her.

The Wrap Up.  Iris apologizes to Nora but says she must have had a reason to dampen her powers in the future.  Nora rejects this and says that Iris robbed her of her destiny to be like her dad. Barry comes in and takes Iris’s side, telling Nora she would have had a good reason to dampen Nora’s power.  Nora leaves in huff, she heads to her grandfather’s house to stay.

Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW

In the final scene, Cicada returns home, writhing in pain. He crushes a pipe with his bare hand – this seems like a new power for him.  He pulls his shirt back and that infected site we saw last week is spreading and glowing. I think we can fill in the piece of the story that this is where the dark matter satellite debris struck him.

Ralph and Sherloque.  Ralph detects a chemical near a Cicada crime scene which Ralph connects to a specific kind of mask used by Szrek Chem. Unfortunately, it turns out thousands of workers use that exact mask.  Sherloque is feeling pretty superior and Ralph, embarrassed at the lack of a lead the mask produced.  Unbeknownst to them, though, Cicada does in fact work at that plant and he sees them asking questions of the foreman.   Before they leave, Sherloque has some epiphany. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells has Caitlin punch him hard in the stomach while he wears the mask and he comes up wheezing, sounding exactly like Cicada.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Sherloque reveals that not only does Cicada use the mask but that his lungs are injured. And, they were injured the night of the Enlightenment from debris of the falling satellite. DeVoe had saturated the satellite in dark matter and so it makes sense people hit with it, would be affected. And not just meta humans but meta tech has been created – like Cicada’s dagger and Spencer’s cell phone (which we saw get smashed in the opening flashback).

Black Lightning
“The Book of Consequences: Chapter Four:
Translucent Freak” (Episode 204)
October 30, 2018

Have I mentioned I am really digging the comic book-style episode name  sequence at the start of every episode? New this season, it’s a very cool effect.

Jennifer’s Story.  Jennifer is struggling controlling her powers in her training sessions with Perenna. In an elaborate scene, she envisions Khalil showing up at her house where he attacks her family and then they fight.  Her powers activate but then she can’t turn them off.  Perenna tells her to control her power by reminding herself that she is the power.  It works for a minute but then she has a series of flash backs to pre-super-powered Khalil and she loses the control again.  Perenna tells her she’s making progress.

Freeland PD.  Henderson interrogates Whale but Tobias isn’t giving up any information.  Henderson calls him a “translucent freak” and says he is sure Tobias forgot something in covering his tracks.   In the hallway, Montez tells Henderson he needs to find actual evidence in the next 48 hours ma or else they’ll need to cut Tobias loose.

Jefferson shows up to confront Henderson about the news he heard (from Gambi) that Tobias is about to walk.  He tells Henderson that he’ll testify about his father’s murder – this is news to Henderson that Jefferson witnessed the thing.  Henderson gives him an icy reception and Jefferson tells him they need to squash their beef and work together here.  Henderson isn’t ready to hear this.

In a lawyer consultation room, Tobias meets with his lawyer and the Eastern European thug Anissa robbed. The lawyer puts on some headphones and turns around while the thug asks for Tobias’ permission to hunt down the powered woman that stole from them (and spill some blood on the streets of Freeland which, are Whale’s streets).  Tobias consents but wants body recognition at the clinic in case Black Lightning shows up – he’s mad no one knows who he is.

Jefferson is at the PD station to talk about testifying.  After just a few questions from Montez, she demonstrates why he’d make a horrible and unreliable witness. Whale is going to walk unless some better evidence appears.

After Jefferson leaves, Peter finds Fowdy trying to escape. Well, she’s only managed to fall off the gurney. She does on the floor before telling Peter where he can find Tobias or the briefcase.

Gambi Tailors.   Jefferson loses his shit as Peter tells him about Anissa and robbing the Eastern European thugs.  Peter defends his actions saying that he wasn’t going to let her go in alone nor was there any stopping her. Also, he told Anissa that he would tell her father after the fact so, here we are.  Jefferson is not happy.

Some time later, Gambi is working as a tailor (this always amuses me) when he hears a noise. We see he’s got Fowdy strapped to a gurney.  He tells her  she’s got sepsis and so she should come clean.  Fowdy thinks this is all an elaborate ruse.

Anissa shows up later to Peter’s shop and asks to move in.  Gambi says sure but makes it clear, he’s going to tell her parents where she is.

After making peace with Anissa, they head to the Lair to get the low down on the clinic attack.  Gambi doesn’t know all the details but enough to give them an idea that it’s going to be someone walking through the door with the bomb.

After his disastrous meeting with Montez, Jefferson heads to Peter shop to bitch about Whale getting out.  Peter assures him that he destroyed every shred of evidence that could tie Jefferson to the house on the night of his father’s murder.

Photo: Bob Mahoney/The CW

Pierce House.  Jefferson lays into Anissa for her Robin Hooding and tells her they have rules they follow, to say nothing of the danger she placed herself and the clinic in with her actions. He finishes with the parent trope of “live under my roof, live by my rules.”  Anissa doesn’t back down and says she has her own rules and she’ll be gone by morning. Whelp.  As she is packing up, Jen comes in and lays some guilt on her leaving Jen to rot in the house with all she’s going through.  Anissa loses her mind a bit when she sees Khalil texting Jennifer though Jennifer promises she hasn’t responded to any of the messages. Anissa promises to always be there for her sister.

Later, Lynn tells Jefferson that in his bid to help Jennifer, he forgot about how new this is for Anissa too. Also, he did some shitty things as Black Lightning when he first began his career.  Lynn – always a source of support.

That afternoon, Jennifer jumps on her dad about causing Anissa to leave, accusing him of acting like he never makes mistakes.  It’s hard being Jefferson sometimes.

Even later, Jefferson and Lynn catch up on their days. Lynn is sad about losing another kid.  On Jen, the news that she fried another laptop has them convinced that she should not return to school just yet.  Besides, Garfield isn’t Garfield these days.  Lynn assures Jefferson that he’ll take back the school – when he applies himself, shit happens.

Anissa come by to ask her dad for help. Gambi has learned the clinic is going to be attacked. The two agree to team up though neither admits to being wrong earlier.

Jefferson and Lynn tell Jennifer she can’t return to Garfield HS which really pisses her off. She’s done everything they asked and now … this. She stomps away.

That night, Jefferson watches angrily as Tobias is released from jail and gets even angrier when Whale makes a statement to the press about how he hopes they one day catch Alvin Pierce’s killer for the peace of mind of Jefferson Pierce and his family.

Garfield High School.  Jefferson breaks up a fight and gets the two boys to shake hands and drop their beef.  Until Principal Lowry walks up and expels the kid who threw the first punch and suspends the other. He also tells Jefferson to step back or leave. Jefferson follows Lowry to his office and threatens him (he admits its a threat). Lowry responds that the board may need their Black Jesus but he doesn’t and so there is the door.  Zero tolerance has no exceptions. Good day, sir.  Lowry is a dick!

Late at night, Jennifer sits in a hallway, Khalil walks up to her. He’s surprised she responded to his text. We don’t get to see any more of this conversation.

Pod People Lab.  Jace is conducting experiments which, unfortunately, causes one of the Pod People to freeze and die. Jace sees this as progress – more data – while Lynn is understandably disturbed at treating these people like test subjects.

Lynn finds Jace doing an autopsy on “Popsicle boy” and questions the tests shes running. Jace makes her position clear that all of these Pod People will die, it’s just a question of how quickly.  Moving on, Jace asks about the 3 samples of stable meta DNA she found in the files.  Imagine what experiments the ASA could run on these related metas, two of which must have inherited their gene.  Lynn swallows hard and tries to change the topic from her family.

Photo: Bob Mahoney/The CW

The Clinic.  As “Give Up the Funk” by Parliament kicks in, Thunder and Black Lightning evacuate the clinic and diffuse the bomb.  In the street, Gambi fights with the woman who dropped the bomb off and she’s quite the match for him.  She eventually gets away but at least no one got blown up.  Before they went to work, Jefferson told Anissa she could move into her grandfather’s house. 

Whale’s Lair.  In the final scene of the episode, we see Tobias celebrating with his men that he’s back as the goons all chant, “One Hundred” and drink champagne.

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