‘Black Lightning’ Recap: “LaWanda: The Book of Hope” – And It Don’t Stop
In its second episode, Black Lightning proved that it’s putting characters first and superheroics second — and that’s a good thing. To tell a great superhero story, you need a story that matters outside of the super-powered stuff. In its premiere, Black Lightning packed in a ton about the world of Freeland, Jefferson Pierce’s family, his world view, his life as a vigilante, his work as a principal, and a variety of different black experiences within the city itself. All of those were introductions, however well it filled them out, but “LaWanda: The Book of Hope” gave space to explore those dynamics much further — and only a small fraction were related to powers.
“LaWanda” also showed just how savvy the show is when it comes to tech and the media. In “Resurrection,” we saw how characters are always referencing, typing on, or generally holding on to their cellphones. Throughout both hours now, we’ve seen a lot of emphasis on local news, talking heads, and most importantly how powerful a camera can be. In the premiere, Anissa and Jennifer tried to film the police detaining their father. In “LaWanda,” a cell phone played a pivotal role in showing Lala as a killer. “Mobile phones are the enemies of bad guys,” Gambi says later to Jefferson. “When are they going to learn?
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