News & Interviews for Black Lightning: Season 2

Critic Reviews for Black Lightning Season 2

All Critics (10) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (0)

The Akils pushed the boundaries of superhero network television.

Feb 22, 2019 | Full Review…

Joelle Monique

The Beat

It's probably going down as one of my favorites in the series, if for no other reason than it's incredibly well balanced for all three Pierce women.

Oct 25, 2018 | Full Review…

Carmen Phillips

Autostraddle

The Book of Consequences: Chapter Three: Master Lowry, brings a little more superhero action to the forefront. This season hasn't been boring in any way, but it is a bit of a relief to see the main man back in action.

Oct 25, 2018 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Charles E. Henning

Tell-Tale TV

Few shows -- network or otherwise -- make me feel as much as Black Lightning does, and this was particularly true in the final scene of tonight's episode.

Oct 17, 2018 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

Kayti Burt

Den of Geek

Oh man, I missed this show. The music, the portrayal of Black families and our communities is so spot on - it's not only fun, but poignant, as well. Sure, it's the CW, so expect some cheese, but all in all, Black Lightning is the sleeper superhero hit.

Oct 11, 2018 | Full Review…

Rebecca Renee Haas

Black Nerd Problems

Black Lightning continues to be an engaging character-led series. There are a few storylines introduced, but the mystery briefcase seems to be the MacGuffin that will propel this season forward.

Oct 10, 2018 | Rating: 7.5/10 | Full Review…

Carl Waldron

IGN Movies

This feels like a particularly strong mid-season episode that's designed to remind you who Black Lightning's characters are and what's pushing them forward and the fact that this is only the season's premiere promises that we're in for a wild ride.

Oct 10, 2018 | Full Review…

Charles Pulliam-Moore

io9.com

Black Lightning's parallels to real-life American suffering is one of the things I enjoyed most about season 1, and I'm glad it's set to continue this season.

Oct 10, 2018 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Christian Holub

Entertainment Weekly

Top Critic

The new season also puts [Williams'] in a role enabling her to balance the scales in ways that her lawful father cannot, which should prove interesting as the season develops.

Oct 8, 2018 | Full Review…

Melanie McFarland

Salon.com

Top Critic

Despite a few flaws, Black Lightning's clear desire to educate and inspire through compelling family drama continues to make it a superhero show of consequence.

Oct 8, 2018 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Allison Keene

Collider

View All Critic Reviews (10)

Audience Reviews for Black Lightning: Season 2

• Jul 30, 2019

  'Black Lightning' is back for another season after a successful first run on the CW TV's first black superhero and the rest of his family continue to fight against crime, social issues, and Tobias Eden the town of Freeland is in disarray after more children are being affected by the green light drug and Tobias is gaining more power Pierce may be out of a job when the school wants to close and his family is going through various changes power-wise and emotionally Jennifer's powers are evolving and Anissa still wants to give back to the town to help get it back on its feet Pierce's replacement takes matters into his own hands by making massive changes to the school but not for the better Syionide is taken out and Tobias has Khalil as his new associate to continue taking over the city then a new hire for kill called Cutter comes in A new band of enemies led by a woman called Looker is in a race war with a group called the Perdi and she utilizes a silver liquid called Element that's deadly to people Anissa plays Robin Hood by robbing from the biggest crime syndicates to help the less fortunate but Jefferson doesnt agree with her mehtods Jennifer meets another meta-human who puts her in a metaphysical safe space to make her emotions and powers stable, it might be challenging for her to put aside her feelings for Khalil More metas are being experimented on inside pods but can they all be saved? is the system rigged? does the government own us? are superiors only concerned with themselves since they dont speak African American? do schools have more money for metal detectors and guns more than books for students? Are schools more comfortable with a white principal than a black principal to make things more accessible?, black beauticians at beauty shops come to express their blackness each visit, it's sadly true to this day that even without the benefits of being rich and white being black means missing out on every opportunity despite the qualifications, society brands us as 2nd class citizens still, how can we be hurting so much and not bleed, The finale leads to old faces and newer ones facing off to determine the fate of Freeland as well as Tobias and Black Lightning What lies ahead for Season 3? The return of a familiar face? A newer enemy worse than Tobias? Can the Pierces still work together as a superhero family? Let's hope the lightning can still strike with this one
  

  Jon C
• May 12, 2019

  I'm wondering if developer Salim Akil has "plan" for this show. You know, the kind of "plans" showrunners have for when and how their shows conclude and therefore write the shows with an overall angle as opposed to just operating on a season-by-season basis like most other TV shows. This second season felt more like just a continuation from what happened before - not "starting a new book" if you will. I bring this up because BLACK LIGHTNING stands out in that it does not feel like it is starting a new story every season but actually telling a much bigger story that will last over the course of multiple seasons. BLACK LIGHTING is still the best in the superhero genre on TV due to its more patient (not to be confused with slow) and dramatic sense of pacing, a continued emphasis on saving innocents in a community that desperately needs saving, and a dedication to deeply exploring its own universe in a way that doesn't fall into a rinse-repeat "villain-of-the-week" structure. This season has Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) brought down to a more humble level as he loses his position as principal of Garfield due to not being present when the school was attacked by Tobias (Marvin "Krondon" Jones III) & Khalil (Jordan Calloway). It also explores the fallout of the discovery of the green light kids with Lynn (Christine Adams) leading the science team to try to wake them up and study their powers under the brutal authority of Agent Odell (Bill Duke) as Freeland becomes more populated with metahumans. But Tobias also has his own, alternative plans for these people of great power. Meanwhile, Jennifer (China Anne McClain) is placed under house quarantine by her parents as she struggles to control her volatile abilities - rendering her more powerful than her father and sister combined. But that won't stop her from communicating with Khalil What I've continued to like about BLACK LIGHTNING is the excellent blend of removing much of the procedural trope nonsense (villain-of-the-week, powerful hero always getting confounded by such villain for inexplicable reasons, supporting cast with rather convenient non-super powered talents like limitless hacking & tech innovation etc.) of other weekly superhero shows, maintaining a grounded tone that feels earnest, and excellent episode-by-episode pacing that doesn't turn the show into a slog like how more premium superhero shows are. It represents a direction that I feel like the genre is heading in and I feel that change happening in current shows like SUPERGIRL and especially ARROW right now. In addition, there is a strong focus on character-driven drama as it really is more about the people behind the masks than not. In some episodes, Jefferson Pierce never even puts on his costume despite him being the titular lead and it never feels wrong because you hardly ever get a sense of a separation of identities. Black Lightning IS Jefferson - regardless of whether he wears the mask. One criticism I have for this season, it is that the menace of Tobias Whale seems to have diminished a bit. One could easily blame this on the fact that he is still involved with the show since the tradition as of late is to dispose of the "big bad" in the season finale. But I think it is more that the things Tobias does this season are less involved with affecting the town of Freeland and more of the long game of obtaining super-powered metas to carry his evil deeds. The most menacing he was this season was in his interactions with Khalil, which go from taunting to toying to being brutally violent with a smile on his face. Another would be that I feel like the world building of Freeland took a bit of a backseat most of the time. Not as much screen time devoted to Garfield or other miniscule aspects of the school. Less development on how the town operates like the government, the police structure, and so forth. Also, is Anissa still going to college? If not, then what exactly is she doing other than being a superhero herself and occasionally partying and hooking up with girls? This leads into the indicated direction of the next season, which is going to involve a conflict that expands far outside of Freeland to a country called Markovia - of which presumably the US is going to be in a eugenics arms race with (and if STAR TREK has taught me anything, it's that such a war - cold or hot - will not end well). This concerns me as I worry the show is going to start straying away from its heart which is about the living and breathing town of Freeland and more on a foreign policy conflict in a fictional universe. I mean, it's better than doing this at, say, season 5, for that would come off like "jumping the shark." If Akil and his writers figure out a way to thematically blend the two settings, I'd be interested to see. But as of right now, the direction is concerning as I just don't feel like they're done focusing on saving Freeland and hope it won't get ignored. But as of right now, it is like I said before - still the best in the genre right now.
  Travis B
• Apr 22, 2019

  A bit split so far, I'm about 10 episodes into season 2. I loved the first season, the family and Black Lightning are great. The pod kids are interesting and Gamby is awesome. However, the amped up race situations in this season have made me feel alienated as a white viewer and fan. I understand race situations are included into the show for relatability and I don't condone that at all, i think it's important, but the show feels like it's went well out of it's way to villianize whites and this has certainly made me feel disconnected from the show. Not sure if I'll finish the second season at this point.
  Andrew S
• Apr 12, 2019

  Black Lighting can't help but feel more of the same come its sophomore season, although most of its characters are still as engaging as ever and the action still has most of the first season's spark intact.
  Mark L
• Apr 09, 2019

  This season made me kind of mad with it's predictable writing and irritating characters.
  Chris B
• Apr 07, 2019

  Despite the story line in season 2 wondering a bit there is still enough to keep me coming. back. The Pierce family is now a united front with three superheros-- Black Lightning, Thunder and Lightning. There were so many deaths/resurrections its hard to keep tack. I still think Tobias Whale (portrayed by Marvin "Krondon" Jones III) is one of the best villains on TV. And good news, "Black Lightning' has already been renewed for a season 3 so the story will not stop here.
  GMonsterTV !
• Apr 02, 2019

  same repetitive storyline..not gonna watch season 3
  

  Yashraj P
• Mar 24, 2019

  Season 2- 7/10 Although there's still plenty to enjoy, I'm afraid that this show lost steam after the first season. I think it's the increased episode that's responsible. Although I originally admired the show for not relying on the villain of the week like the Arrowverse shows, the season is no longer compact ends up with too many stretched-out story lines. To make matters worse, the show goes for a long game multiple seasons approach. A couple of mysteries setup half way through don't even get answered this season. Superhero Black Lightning's friends and family end up getting upset with each other's choices way too much, and that was already getting old last season. Villain Tobias Whale (played by Krondon Jones) kind of goes through the motions and I got so tired of him spouting out racist remarks about a billion times. However, these issues lie mostly in the first half. Things get a lot more entertaining when the setup is put out of the way. There are lot of interesting ideas and characters and when the show entertains, it really entertains. Highlights include the continuing tragic path Khalil, who Tobias manipulated into evil last season, the interestingly weird South Freeland episodes, and Lynn Pierce's new rival Dr. Helga Jayce (played by Jennifer RIker), and the show's ability to feature strong emotional scenes. (Although, I don't understand at all why they decided to make the superhero Looker from the comics (played here by Sofia Vassilieva) a racist supervillain.) Overall, yeah this is kind of a slog at first but if you liked the first season you may probably still get something out of this.
  

  Jack W
• Mar 19, 2019

  TV REVIEW: �??BLACK LIGHTNING�??S SEASON 2 ISN�??T AS ELECTRIC AS THE FIRST, BUT STILL HAS SOME SPARKS�?? When the first season of Black Lightning came onto the CW, I�??ll admit I was unfamiliar with this DC Comics character and I questioned why they were casting someone to be an aged version of the superhero. I mean, why didn�??t they just do a live-action version of the Static Shock animated show instead? But then the first season came out and it was both gritty and electric (pun intended), and mixed in gang wars with family values to be entertaining as hell (8.8/10). Season 2 picks up right after season 1 and the thirty year old containment pods have now unleashed new metahumans on the people of Freeland and it�??s up to the Pierce family to shock them all! This new season certainly ups on the superpowers, as new metas are terrorizing the city and both of Jefferson�??s daughters have embraced their abilities. With the increase in action though, I felt a lot of the narrative that made the first season so strong seemed lost across an increased number of episodes. Also, I felt that it suffered from the introduction of too many new characters, all of whom try to get their own storylines, creating a bit of a mess. Still, Krondon�??s Tobias Whale is as menacing as ever and Nafessa Williams�??s Thunder packs a strong punch to go with her father�??s electric powers. Let�??s hope in season 3 that they put the focus back on the Pierce family and their dynamic with James Remar�??s Gambi and Damon Gupton�??s Detective Henderson. OVERALL SCORE: 7.4/10 �??TIME TO PLUG BACK TO GIVE IT SOME MORE JUICE!�??
  Flicks &
• Mar 18, 2019

  Love this show, even if its goofy at times.
  matt e

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