Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 12 Review: The Resurrection and the Light: The Book of Pain

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That was a wild ride, Black Lightning!

Ever since Tobias disappeared into the ether earlier on Black Lightning Season 1, I've been counting down the days until his big return. 

Thankfully, his return was served up on Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 12, and it cranked up the stakes higher than they've ever been before. 

Capture Not Kill - Black Lightning

Tobias has been biding his time, and it was time for him to show up in the flesh and dole out his own form of justice for what happened on Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 7

Tobias is being driven by revenge, and while that may be good for the audience because it's giving the show a nice dose of action, it spells certain doom for the innocent people in Freeland. 

Related: Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Who Died?

It's clear that Tobias doesn't actually like Khalil. Tobias used the teenager as a pawn in a much bigger game, and that's why Khalil is roaming the streets of Freeland with an implant that's allowing him to walk. 

Taking the fight to the school made sense. Black Lightning was definitely going to show up and try to save the day. 

Father and Daughter Fighting Crime - Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 12

For Khalil, however, it was more about taking down those who wronged him while he was a student and that was worrying in today's climate. 

In this day and age, school kids are being attacked by truly deranged individuals, and if there was any show we could trust to reiterate that, it was Black Lightning. 

The visuals of the kids in despair were unsettling. It's always controversial to go this route, and there's no telling if there will be any immediate backlash to it. 

Black Lightning is not as strong as everyone thinks he is, and that's starting to become problematic. Being in poor shape was the reason his relationship with Lynn failed to work in the first place. 

Despite the former couple having sex, it's difficult to get on board with them because there's already been so much back and forth. 

Kara In School - Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 12

Black Lightning has been a breath of fresh air as opposed to some of the other shows on The CW. A tired back and forth relationship is a bit of a misstep.

It's natural for Lynn to worry about the fate of her man, but I think I speak for most viewers when I say that there's nothing more unappealing than a tired old relationship on the rocks. 

The big positive for Jefferson being Black Lightning is that he has two great daughters who will leap to his defense any day. 

Related: Enjoy UNLIMITED access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video. WATCH ANYWHERE. CANCEL ANYTIME!  

On the surface, it was laughable to have Jefferson die at the hands of the villains. It seemed cheap and tacky because there was no way he was going to stay dead. 

But his "death" served a bigger purpose: to help Jennifer come to grips with her powers and realize that she can do good with them. 

It will present more testing times for the teenager because she was so dead set on having her powers removed. You know, not everyone wants to be a superhero these days. 

My eyes rolled into the back of my head when she went to meet Khalil. Was anything good going to come of it? I mean, he's got a terminator-like spine. 

Looking for the Villain - Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 12

It's obvious Khalil still has a conscience, but if he needs to be put down, I dare say the best course of action would be to send some electricity straight to the spine. 

Now that the family is off the grid, it's going to take long for Kara and Martin to figure out the truth about who is the superhero family in Freeland. 

Related: Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 8 Review: The Book of Revelations

It's hard to believe we have just one more episode left of Black Lightning Season 1. Even though there were some serious missteps with both the storytelling and some of the characters, the series is still one of the better superhero shows on the air. 

Other tidbits from the episode:

  • The Anissa and Syonide fight was perfect. Syonide never expected Anissa to be so strong and that's what was so satisfying about it. 
  • Lala does not look happy to be joining forces with Tobias. Will he have another plan up his sleeve to get ahead of the game on Black Lightning Season 1 Episode 13?
  • Are the metahumans in the containers going to wake up before the season is over? It would be great to get more of the details about the plan. 
  • Gambi out in the field and causing trouble for the villains is the best side of Gambi. 

Okay, Black Lightning Fanatics!

What are your thoughts on how the fights played out? Are you tired of the back and forth between Lynn and Jefferson already? Will Khalil join the good fight before the finale wraps?

Hit the comments. 

Remember you can watch Black Lightning online right here via TV Fanatic. Get caught up on all the latest developments right now. 

Black Lightning continues Tuesdays on The CW. 

The Resurrection and the Light: The Book of Pain Review

Editor Rating: 4.6 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 2.6 / 5.0 (27 Votes)

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

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