Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back once again with another review! There's a new hero in the DC/CW Multiverse. His name: Black Lightning. When the series was announced last year, I was skeptical. Black Lightning is one of the lesser known heroes in DC Comics, definitely not one I'd pick to have his own show, especially considering there's another black Superhero with the powers of electricity I'd prefer to see in live action. But as more footage came out for the show, I grew more and more intrigued with it. Now that the first episode's finally out: how is it? Let's find out!
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce, a retired Superhero turned principal who must put his suit back on once again when new dangers arise in the 100 gang and threaten both his family and his school.
Right off the bat, just from the trailers, I could tell that this show feels more adult compared to the CW trinity in Arrow, Flash, and Supergirl, at least in the first episodes. Those three shows had something that tried to attract the young adult/teen audience that comes with the CW Network. Whether it was a romance subplot or just their young, attractive cast members or leading actor themselves. For the first episode at least, this series avoids that. Instead telling a story about a retired hero who struggles with the idea of coming out of retirement in an attempt to bring all of his family back together.
And it isn't just Jefferson's inner conflict that helps give the show its own identity, it's also how Jefferson interacts with his daughters and his ex wife. It's also how the show's willingness to touch upon issues that black people have to face these days in Police Brutality, Gang violence, and even each other. It doesn't pull punches, and I'm glad that a superhero show on Network television is doing that.
And since I brought them up, I do want to talk about the fantastic job this cast has done. The cast in this show, especially the sisters played by China Anne McClain and Nafeesa Williams, feel like a family that you've seen in real life. I wouldn't be surprised if they were all long lost siblings and never knew about it, that's how well that chemistry in the entire family cast is. Take it from a guy who grew up with two sisters, Jennifer and Anissa's interactions are pretty spot on.
Of course I can't mention the cast without the leading man himself, Cress Williams. If I can be frank, while some of his acting in the beginning was kind of shaky to me, as the episode went on, he quickly grew on me. He knew when to be charming, he knows when to be commanding and he certainly delivered when it came time to deliver those big serious scenes.
I wish I could say Black Lightning won me over with this first episode, but in hindsight, it won me over with its first trailer. The first episode just delivered the stuff I hoped to see. The feeling I got from watching this episode is the same feeling I got when I watched the first episode of The Flash a few years ago. A great leading man, an even greater supporting cast, an intense villain (the little we saw of him), and a strong start that leaves me wanting more. Here's hoping it doesn't go the way Flash did halfway through its second second season and most of its third.
I know this one's cutting it pretty short, but these were the things I took away from Black Lightning. I give the first episode two hearty thumbs up and needless to say, I'll definitely be back to watch the show next week.
Take Care...
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