JEFFERSON: Previously on Black Lightning...
I'm gonna make him pay, Khalil.
I'm gonna put Tobias Whale in the ground.
Dad, I'm ready to take down Tobias.
Give me a suit if I need one. I don't care.
Revenge is not the right thing, justice is.
For a guy like Tobias, revenge is justice.
But I also know that our powers supercharge our emotions, and vice versa.
ANISSA: I've been thinking a lot about us.
And I want you to meet my family.
Hey. Your eyes, they change color? Huh? What?
I have to go.
Did I say something wrong? Grace!
The Markovians are in Freeland, and they tried to kidnap Dr. Stewart.
We can protect you. If you can safely move the pod kids.
You'll need us both to keep the pod kids alive if you want them moved.
(BEEPING) -(AUTOMATED VOICE) Access to project MOD granted.
These are the pod kids.
It's where they were giving the original vaccinations to the kids of Freeland.
TOBIAS: That's Dr. Helga Jace.
I bet if anyone knows where those four metas at the clinic are, it's her.
TODD: Are you sure about this?
Before they were meta-humans, these were convicted murderers.
Homicidal psychopaths.
How soon before you get these cans open?
TODD: I have no idea what to do with it.
I know who does. Abort the order to cancel Dr. Jace.
We're gonna have to make her a more permanent guest.
(POP SONG PLAYING)
Hey, baby girl, don't worry.
If things get out of control, I'm right here.
All right, Jen, give me 50%.
Wow. She's barely breaking a sweat,
she's already kicking out more energy than you did in your prime.
In my prime? What are you saying? You calling me old?
Not old, Jeff, just less young.
(CHUCKLES)
All right, Jen, you can power down.
My bad.
(SIGHS) Can I please stop being Jen-in-a-box?
Honey, just a second.
I thought overloading the sanctum was virtually impossible.
It is. The sanctum's power grid is built to withstand
the electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear explosion.
So my hot-headed 16-year-old daughter is a walking nuclear bomb?
Not nuclear, Jeff, but like Perenna said, she is powerful. Extremely powerful.
After all she's been through...
I'm not sure she's stable enough to keep her abilities in check.
Dad?
Yeah?
You know Anissa taught me how to read lips, right?
So thanks for your vote of confidence. I appreciate it.
♪ Last night I saw a superhero, He was black ♪
♪ He said "This is for the street Black Lightning's back" ♪
Dr. Stewart.
Agent Odell, I don't like this habit you have of dropping by unannounced.
And where's your sociopathic sidekick?
Dr. Stewart...
I understand you're hesitant to help us move the pod children to another location.
But I wanna help with your decision.
I'm prepared to offer your lab here at Bowman College
a grant of $1,000,000.
Agent Odell, I'm not sure the people you're used to dealing with,
but I'm not for sale.
If you want my help, I'm gonna need the truth about everything.
Why you're having me followed, who tried to kidnap me,
and what happened to Issa. Everything.
Some things are better left unknown.
Then good luck moving the pods. I'll pray for them.
(SIGHS)
Markovia has been running an unsanctioned metahuman program for decades.
Their assets had very small lifespans,
so they stockpiled dozens of viable metas at their disposal,
and put them in stasis for safekeeping.
Why would the Markovians come to Freeland? Why now?
Because of you, Dr. Stewart.
Me?
The Proctor Green Light mess made world news,
and you are front and center.
You are close to stabilizing the pod kids, the Markovians know it.
And if they can obtain you
and force you to do the same for their metahuman army...
They'd be the most powerful country in the world.
Why go after Issa? He's not a scientist.
The Markovians live by a very simple rule.
Either you are with them or against them.
Every metahuman in Freeland, be they in pods,
jumping out of body bags, stomping holes in the streets,
throwing bolts of lightning, is in danger and will be acquired,
or terminated.
If so many lives hang in the balance, I'll help move the pod kids.
But on one condition. You keep Dr. Jace away from me.
We took some high-res photos from a drone
and found bolt patterns for four large, rectangular structures.
Hell, they left a third-of-an-inch impression on the concrete floor.
First thing that popped into my head is that maybe these are some of those
pod things Lynn has been working on at that warehouse across town.
That's why I came to you.
Whatever was here had to weigh a couple of tons
in order to leave this size depression on the floor.
I can't say whether it was pods or not.
If it was, they're made differently from any pods I've come across.
We also found some weird, purple residue right here.
(BEEPS)
What are you doing?
My watch is also a Geiger counter.
'Course it is. What else you got?
Poison darts in your pen? Phone in your shoe?
Whatever was here was slightly radioactive,
but it didn't possess enough radiation to be used as a weapon of any kind.
I'm guessing it was more like a power source.
What does that mean?
I don't know. It raises more questions than it does answers.
Well, just what I need, more questions.
So, did Dr. Jace give us a way to wake up these human popsicles?
She did.
TOBIAS: Hmm.
(CUTTER) It's the serum that brings them out of their stasis.
One syringe?
Not enough to bring 'em all out so she's still of use to me.
The woman is smart, I'll give her that. What are these watches for?
The prison metas aren't controlled by the briefcase,
so Dr. Jace came up with another way to keep them in line.
They have implants in their brain stems. The watches enable them.
I'll give those evil child-snatchin' bastards one thing.
They've got great taste in watches. (CHUCKLES)
So, who do we wake up first?
Let's see.
Let's go with... this one.
Marcus Bishop. He can control and emit vibrations.
All right, let's wake Marcus' ass up.
(BELLOWS)
(EXCLAIMS) (TOBIAS LAUGHS)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
You couldn't have done that any sooner?
Things just got a lot more interesting.
(TOBIAS CHUCKLES)
Hey.
Hey. I'm sorry, Uncle Gambi. I hope you don't mind.
Of course not.
(SIGHS) There's just something I had to do research on.
What kind of research?
This is Grace Choi. She's my, uh...
We're dating, Uncle Gambi.
Okay.
I just thought that everything was going great,
but after Khalil's funeral, I stopped by her place, she was gone.
So I found this picture in one of Grace's bedroom drawers,
and I'm running facial recognition on the adults.
I was hoping that maybe if I can track them down,
they can give me some kind of clue as to why she left in such a hurry.
My gut is telling me that she's in trouble.
And I just wanna know that she's okay.
This sounds like it's a lot deeper than just dating.
Old folks always say, "You never know what you have until it's gone."
It's true.
I found this pill on the floor in Grace's apartment.
Could you help me analyze it? Of course.
I know it's a long shot, but...
maybe there's something.
I'm sure Grace will turn up soon.
Yeah, I sure hope so, Uncle Gambi. I really do.
TAVON: Now...
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or does it crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet?
Or maybe it just sags like a heavy load, or does it explode?
Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes. Thank you.
(BELL RINGS)
Okay. I will see you all tomorrow. Tavon, good job.
You know, it's not right what Lowry's doing.
Garfield is your school.
All he cares about is making rules
and making himself look better in front of his bosses,
and that's not right.
I mean, all the students think so. The teachers, too.
Okay, look, Tavon,
I was the one who wasn't here for Garfield when it needed me most.
Not Lowry.
You always say that Garfield is a place for second chances.
Where's your second chance, Principal Pierce?
If you wanna bask in this Lean on Me moment a little longer,
I can come back a little later.
Well, well, well, if it isn't Bad News Napier.
What'd you come to tell me? Am I losing my house now?
(CHUCKLING) They taking back my gold medals? What?
Jefferson, I'll admit, the last few times I've come to see you,
I wasn't exactly delivering sunshine and rainbows.
(CHUCKLES) But this time is different.
Did you get a chance to see
any of the footage from the sit-in a few days ago?
I heard they posted it, but I haven't really looked at it. No.
Well, the video went viral,
and it doesn't exactly paint Lowry in the best light.
Listen, take this down right now,
or I'll have you removed, and it destroyed.
JENNIFER: Can anybody here say that if they were crippled
and had the chance to walk again, you wouldn't take it?
We're all in pods. You guys realize that, right?
STUDENTS: Yeah! Just like the kids on the news.
Trapped by a system that doesn't give a damn about us,
and run by people like you. (STUDENTS AGREEING)
Take her.
The board is getting crucified in the court of public opinion.
People are chimin' in on social media saying Lowry isn't fit to be principal.
Okay. What are you trying to tell me, Napier?
I'm saying the way this thing is shakin' out,
I think I might be able to get you your old job back.
(LAUGHS)
We're moving the pods tomorrow, Dr. Stewart.
Agent Odell, moving them will undermine the progress we've made.
Besides, I think I've discovered a way
to jump-start the neurotransmitters in the pod kids' brains,
speeding up their recovery and reviving them permanently.
We should at least wait until I've had a chance to test it.
More time is something we don't have. Markovians know where we are.
I'm sorry, Dr. Stewart. We move tomorrow.
(TOBIAS LAUGHING)
You're right.
Our sorry excuse for a father said we wouldn't amount to nothin',
but look at us now.
Were you talking to that painting of Tori?
Yes. We were just talkin' about how far we've come.
She told me to tell you hello.
(CHUCKLES)
I think she's actually happy you're back in my life.
I couldn't sleep, so I came downstairs.
Did you know great whites are solitary hunters?
Why did you call me for this job? I mean, really, you could've hired anyone.
'Cause you're the best at what you do.
And I trust you.
More than that...
Tori trusted you.
Tell me, why'd you take the job?
Maybe I was tired of being a solitary hunter.
(SIGHS)
(ALARM BEEPING)
TOBIAS: Damn!
The ASA disconnected the pods from the main power source.
They would only do that to move them.
If they do,
there's no guarantee that the briefcase's connection to the pods won't be broken.
So what's our next play?
We're goin' in.
And we're taking a touch of Hell with us.
NEWS REPORTER: Human rights organizations continue to protest
human experimentation in Markovia.
(SIGHS) I don't trust Odell as far as I can throw him,
but after what he said about the Markovians
and every metahuman in Freeland being in danger, I had no choice, Jeff.
Well, Anissa and Jen know to lay low till all this blows over.
If this blows over, Jeff.
We have survived worse things. We will survive this, too.
(INHALES AND CLEARS THROAT) Speaking of surviving,
I think I found a way to stabilize the pod kids for good
using a derivative of Looker's silver element.
Wait? Is that safe?
I hope so.
It has the ability to supercharge deteriorating nerve cells in metahumans.
It's a theory I've yet to test, but...
I'm working on it.
So, how did it go today with Gambi and Jennifer's suit?
You know, it was, um, an enlightening experience.
So in other news, Napier came by my classroom today.
Ugh. God. (CHUCKLES)
What bad news did he bring today? (LAUGHING) Right?
That man is all about the bad news. No, but not this time.
See, apparently, uh, 'cause of all the fallout
from the sit-in that your youngest daughter started...
Mmm!
Lowry's job is in jeopardy.
What?
There is an emergency, closed-door board meeting tomorrow at Garfield.
They want me to testify to his character.
(SIGHS) (LAUGHS)
If I play my cards right,
Napier thinks that I could have my job back by morning.
Oh, Jeff! Oh! (CHUCKLES)
That's amazing!
You deserve this. (SIGHS) Thank you.
No one looks out for those kids the way you do.
Let's hope the board thinks so, too.
Well, I don't see why they wouldn't.
If you go in there. On second thought... (LAUGHING)
(BEEPS)
Mr. Bishop, so glad you could join us.
Who the hell are you?
My name is Tobias Whale, and this is Cutter.
Let me be the first to welcome you into the 21st century.
What do you mean, "the 21st century"?
I mean your ass has been frozen in that pod over there like a TV dinner
for the last 25 years.
(GRUNTS)
I knocked you out once already. Next time, it'll be permanent.
Sit your ass down.
You ASA? Negro, do I look like ASA?
I'm simply a businessman trying to make you a business proposition.
Nah.
No, you're just like all the other cats.
You promise the world, but deliver nothing but pain.
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
You're half right.
If you don't do what I ask, there will be pain.
If you complete the task I give you, well...
You'll be rewarded quite nicely.
I'm not looking for a puppet, Marcus.
I'm looking for a partner.
So what's it gonna be? Partners?
When will Dr. Stewart join us?
I have some interesting theories. I wanna talk to her
about how to tackle the pod kids' cellular matrix deficiencies.
Dr. Stewart will not be joining us, Dr. Jace.
She wants you nowhere near the pod kids.
It was my suggestion to bring her back in.
This is the thanks I get? Ungrateful little bitch.
You will remain in ASA custody at this facility
to keep you safe from the Markovians.
And also, since we're moving the pods,
I'm gonna need your expertise close by just in case.
In case of what?
In case the Markovians kill or abduct Dr. Stewart.
Thank you for convincing Mom and Dad to let me crash here a few days.
They've been walking on eggshells since I got home.
Yeah. They're just worried about you, Jen. So am I.
How you holding up?
It's just not fair that Tobias is walking around a free man
while Khalil's in the ground.
I know you're frustrated...
Please. Don't do that. I already know what you'll say.
You'll side with Dad and say I need to be responsible.
Hell no! Look, Tobias has to go.
But what I do agree with Dad is, is that Tobias is dangerous.
And we can't be running around half-cocked with no plan.
We cannot take Tobias down if he kills us first.
Wait, did you just say "we"?
You thought I'd let you go out there alone?
(CHUCKLES)
But listen to me. For now, we have to lay low.
And you heard Dad, it's mad real for metas in these streets right now.
Thank you.
Yeah, I got you.
(BOTH CHUCKLING)
Always. Yeah, I know.
So, (CLEARS THROAT) what's the deal with Grace?
You track her down yet?
Nah, not yet.
(SIGHS)
Seriously, I'm really worried about her, Jen. I am.
What?
Mmm-mmm. What's on your mind?
Anissa, look, you know I love you with everything I've got,
but you're kind of assuming that Grace is in danger.
Maybe the life you lead is making you paranoid.
Grace lives a normal life. What if she's not in any danger?
She's gotta be in danger. Why else would she just leave like this?
Well, maybe she decided that things between you two were too serious,
and she dipped.
I'm just saying, there's a possibility that
maybe Grace just doesn't wanna be with you anymore.
(CELL PHONE VIBRATES)
Oh, Jen, I gotta run to the sanctum.
Wait. Is everything okay?
Yeah. It's just something I'm doing research on.
There's food in the fridge
and cash on my dresser if you wanna get anything to eat.
This shouldn't take long, and, Jen...
Hey.
Now, don't go nowhere.
Anissa, where would I go? Where am I going?
Jen, I mean it. Okay.
I'll be here. Go handle your business.
Sorry.
Excuse me. I'm gonna need you to prep Wendy Hernandez
for transport to the isolation wing of the facility.
I'm gonna need to get Agent Odell's approval.
I have complete autonomy over the kids in this facility.
So would you please prep her? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
(GRUNTS) (SCREAMS)
(EXCLAIMS)
Yeah. I heard about you. Taking down dealers, stealing their bag.
I don't want your money. I just want answers.
Where's Tobias?
Where's your mama, bitch?
(SCREAMING)
I said, where is Tobias?
I don't know! I don't know!
The only person I know that might see him...
(GROANS)
...is the runner that took over for Painkiller.
Give me a name. I said give me a name!
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
Mr. Pierce.
You're about to get your old job back
until you lose it again for being negligent, which you will.
(JEFFERSON SCOFFS)
You know, I gotta tell you something.
As much as you think you are, you're not the right man for this job.
Really? You are,
with your metal detectors and your zero-tolerance policy?
You enable these kids, you coddle them. I don't.
I draw a line in the sand.
If people see the line, they know not to cross it. If they do,
they suffer the consequences.
Do you even care about what happens to the kids
after they cross your line,
or are they just somebody else's problem then?
Look, Lowry, Garfield was built to help those kids
that, historically, society turns their backs on.
Mr. Pierce, these kids need consistency.
They need to know someone's gonna be here for them, day in and day out,
not someone who'll disappear...
(SIGHS) I'm done.
Hey. You got the ping?
I did. What'd you find? Anissa...
Technically, Grace Choi doesn't exist.
What do you mean, she doesn't exist?
It's a completely false identity.
Given the quality, it's one she paid a pretty penny for.
Grace's real name is Shay Li Wylde.
She was abandoned as a child and she went from foster home to foster home.
This picture is from one of those homes, but the adults in it are long dead.
Shay Li was abducted at 16 and sold to a child prostitution ring.
Oh, my God.
She was inside until the ring was broken up by ICE.
Then Shay Li vanished until she resurfaced in Freeland as Grace Choi.
Anissa, there's a lot this woman didn't tell you about herself.
Are you sure you wanna find her?
There is a lot that I kept from her, too, Gambi. We all have our secrets.
And yes, I do.
BOARD MEMBER: Mr. Pierce, a video has gone viral which strongly suggests
that Principal Lowry may not have the temperament
to lead a diverse school such as Garfield.
As a long-time champion of Freeland students
and a leading member of this community, what is your assessment?
PRINCIPAL LOWRY: You're about to get your old job back,
until you lose it again for being negligent.
What could possibly keep Jefferson Pierce away from Garfield High?
Dad, I'm ready to take down Tobias.
Give me a suit if I need one.
GAMBI: He's a member of the Markovian Intelligence Service.
They're especially ambitious and brutal.
LYNN: Jeff, we've been attacked.
BOARD MEMBER: Mr. Pierce?
Are you with us? Yes, yes, of course.
I've thought long and hard
about all the possible ways I could answer this question.
And I feel as though people are reacting to the video and not the man.
Lowry is different.
He's not very likable,
but he deserves the opportunity
to fully implement his program before it's evaluated.
Mr. Pierce, I'm a little confused here.
Don't you want your school back?
Of course I do.
But what the students need now is stability,
and I believe that Principal Lowry gives them that.
They said you'd be coming by looking for me.
Well, here I am.
(CARS APPROACHING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
I got a chance to analyze that pill you gave me.
It's a custom compound in a mega dose of a medication used to treat schizophrenia.
Wait. So Grace is schizophrenic?
It's a definite possibility, which could explain why she picked up and left town.
Be advised, we have a one thirty-three at the abandoned Seahorse Motel
between members of The One Hundred
and a small hooded individual with lightning-like powers.
Come on, Jen. What are you doing?
("TOP OF THE WORLD" BY KIMBRA PLAYING)
(GRUNTING)
(EXCLAIMS)
(SCREAMS)
(SCREAMING) Where is Tobias?
Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you.
Tobias would just kill me like he killed Painkiller.
I ain't trying to go out like that.
(SCREAMING)
GUARD: Get down on the ground!
Get on the ground!
MARCUS: No, you first.
(SCREAMING)
I thought you were about knives.
No one needs to know I was here.
Hey, this way.
(ALARM BLARING)
No.
(LINE RINGING) Jeff... Jefferson?
Jeff, the facility is under attack.
I don't know how long...
Jeff? Jeff?
Took you long enough.
How'd you know we were coming?
The ASA are moving the pods.
The briefcase is connected to the pods.
It's simple deductive reasoning.
You.
You did this to me!
Marcus, no.
It's so nice to see that the brainstem implants are still working.
If you wouldn't mind?
Now, we have pods to collect.
What the hell was that?
I stuck my neck out for you.
I set this whole thing up so you could get Garfield back,
and you do what?
You side with Lowry?
Nape, there's so much going on in my life right now.
Now, sitting up there, I realized just how much.
The students of Garfield deserve more than I can give them right now.
Well, know this, don't expect any more favors.
(CELL PHONE CHIMES)
LYNN: Jeff, the facility is under attack. I don't know how long...
GASPS: Oh, my God.
Jen, Jen, you're okay. You're okay. Jen. Jen.
What happened?
I don't know. You were passed out when I got there.
I brought you to the sanctum so you can recover.
Anissa, look, I'm sorry.
I know I shouldn't have snuck out. Okay?
I'm sorry, but I couldn't just sit there and do nothing.
Please don't yell at me.
I will yell at you tomorrow, girl.
Come here. I'm just happy you okay right now.
Okay. (CELL PHONE RINGING)
It's your dad.
Don't tell him. He's gonna burst a blood vessel.
Jen...
(SIGHS) Hey, Dad. Yeah, I know you're calling because...
The warehouse?
No, I'll bring your suit.
Mom's in trouble. I gotta go.
Just go. I'll wait here with Jen. Wait...
Wendy?
Wendy? You're awake. How do you feel?
Dr. Stewart.
Where am I? Okay, okay.
I know it's confusing. I'll tell you all about it,
but right now, we have to get out of here.
That's it. I got you.
Great. Beautiful.
Wendy, you think you'd be able to blow through these doors?
I can try. Okay, okay.
(SCREAMING)
You two okay? We're fine.
Did you stop them? Did you save the kids?
I'm sorry, they, uh...
They got away.
Come on.
You okay?
It's okay.
Whoa! Gambi, where's Jen?
Perenna took her home to get some rest.
You guys got lucky. (SIGHS) Thank God.
You have a lot of rage inside you, little girl.
What I fear is that if you let it fester,
let it go unchecked,
there's a very real possibility that...
That what?
That you will literally explode.
Did you find any footage?
Everything video-related around that warehouse went dark for half an hour.
(SIGHS)
Has to be the Markovians. Odell said they were coming.
Oh, great.
I found a reference in my old ASA files
to a metahuman used in guerrilla warfare over 25 years ago.
He sounded identical to the one that broke into the facility tonight.
His codename was Shakedown.
He was part of a covert ASA-run program to turn violent inmates into metas.
There were four of them.
They called themselves the Masters of Disaster.
Subtle.
When the ASA scrubbed the operation,
the metas were supposedly destroyed, but apparently not.
I'm guessing there were pods in the basement of the clinic,
and Shakedown and his team were inside of them.
The question is, where are they now?
("SNATCH IT BACK AND HOLD IT" PLAYING)
How soon before all my metas are at full strength?
Two weeks to a month if I let them gestate properly.
Four days if I push it.
But some will die in the process. I'm good either way.
Since I'll be renting these super freaks out to the highest bidder,
the more, the merrier.
The more there are,
the merrier my bank account will be.
I expect to be compensated as well.
After all,
you're about to be the most powerful metahuman arms dealer in the world.
TOBIAS: I didn't hear you come in.
No one ever does.
TOBIAS: Good for you.
One question: Are you out of your damn mind?
Feet on my desk, drinking my scotch?
Earned it.
Did some deep cleaning.
Really?
I thought you said no.
You were right.
Todd's already cracked the briefcase
and he doesn't know how to work the Leavenworth pods.
We have Dr. Jace for that.
Mmm. So...
Todd got a new car.
Excellent.
(CLOSING THEME MUSIC PLAYING)