The latest episode opens with Dr Helga Jace (Jennifer Riker) recording her latest entry to her video-log. It looks like she is trying to find a way to endear herself to Dr Lynn Stewart (Christine Adams). How is it that she doesn’t know there is nothing she can do to make herself likeable? There is a ruthlessness to Jace that Lynn simply doesn’t like. Jace’s confidence is somewhat misplaced.

Colonel Yuri Mosin (Christine Adams) reveals to Lynn that she had been subject to conditioning by Agent Percy Odell (Bill Duke) and the ASA to think taking Green Light was her idea. Even though Lynn doesn’t believe the Markovian colonel, with what she knows of Odell, she shouldn’t be so pessimistic. Mosin is correct. Odell did give the order for Lynn’s conditioning.

Later, we see Jace trying to take Lynn into giving up the formula. Lynn sarcastically starts to give Jace the recipe to her aunt’s peanut butter cookies. Whilst Jace is clearly unamused, considering how Lynn doesn’t trust her, she shouldn’t be surprised there is no cooperation. Lynn would rather die than help Mosin weaponize metahumans.

I am trying very hard to like Jennifer Pierce / Lightning (China Anne McClain). She doesn’t make it easy. The Way she treats people is increasingly hostile. Jennifer rarely thinks before she acts. With how her father, Anissa Pierce / Thunder (Nafessa Williams), and Peter Gambi (James Remar) has frequently kept her out of the loop, it is natural for her to express anger. She’s just expressing it at the wrong people. Jennifer apologies to Baron / TC (Christopher Ammanuel) for her attitude.

Jefferson is obviously not happy with there being two outsiders in the sanctum. The sanctum, for people not familiar with Black Lightning, is the base under Gambi’s tailoring shop. Think of it has his BatCave. Even though Jefferson does know TC or Brandon / Geo-Force (Jahking Guillory), with their respective connections to Gambi and Jennifer, the former high school principal should have nothing to worry about.

Having received a message from Lynn, Jefferson and Anissa return home. Shortly after arriving home, they find Sergeant Gardner Grayle (Boone Platt) waiting for them. He has bad news. Gardner tells Jefferson and Anissa that Lynn had been kidnapped by the Markovians. The sergeant reveals to them that Lynn had been kidnapped outside the pit. It was shortly after they have broken Tobias Whale (Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III) out.

When Gardner explains their reasoning for breaking Whale out of the Pit, not that he understands the science, it’s clear that the ASA’s plan to weaponize the metahuman kids falls apart if they don’t have access to a substance Whale’s body produces naturally.

There is no reason Jefferson or Anissa should trust Gardner. He works for the ASA. Gardner tells them that he knows who they are. Their metahuman identities are known to him. Even though it’s a huge risk for him going to Jefferson and Anissa, that’s how far he’s prepared to go to set things right. Gardner agrees to arrange a meeting between Black Lightning and Major Sara Grey (Katy M. O’Brian) at a place of Jefferson’s choosing.

No good deed ever goes unpunished. Anissa immediately thinks it’s a trap. She doesn’t know Gardner. Consequently, because of this, there is no reason for her to trust him. Despite this, considering the risk he took to get the information to them, a little trust is warranted.

Later, Grey meets with Jefferson. Once again, something we have frequently seen with the former high school principal, Jefferson seems to think rescuing Lynn is entirely on his shoulders. Grey doesn’t agree to Jefferson going it alone. The major wants some of her people on the team. Anissa talks Jefferson into working with the ASA. There is however one condition. All information pertaining to the people that go on the mission must be removed from ASA files. Can Jefferson trust Grey?

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At the Pit, we see Grey and Dr Matthew Blair (Brandon Hirsch) working together on the metahumans. The major had the doctor chip them with the same device that is in Painkiller. It soon becomes apparent no one can completely trust Grey. She has Blair program the metahumans to kill Lynn. Trusting Grey really isn’t an option.

Much of this episode revolves around trusting unknown quantities. We saw it earlier in the sanctum. It’s no different at the Pierce residence. Not everyone is willing to go out on a limb to trust people they don’t know.

In an off-screen conversation with Anissa, Jefferson tells his daughter about her mother. She’s been taking Green Light to enhance her cognitive abilities. Later, we see how that conversation ended. Anissa isn’t happy that her father kept Lynn’s condition from her. Jefferson always seems to think everything is his problem to solve on his own.

Elsewhere, at an undisclosed Markovian location, we see Whale expressing his usual racist vile. Whale’s attitude doesn’t wash with Nurse Michael Allen (Euseph Messiah) as he easily brushes such nastiness off.

Back at the sanctum, we see Jennifer with Khalil Payne / Painkiller (Jordan Calloway). She wants him back to the way he was when she knew him at high school. Brandon tells Jennifer about his mother and how he thought about her every day. There is a connection between them. It’s obvious to anyone that’s been paying attention.

Close by, sitting at a computer, TC locates the root directory files for the Painkiller operating system. Shutting the chip down isn’t an option because it would leave Khalil braindead. TC wants to find another option. In a virtual space, TC encounters Painkiller. He’s every bit as formidable in virtual space as he is in the outside world. TC is kicked out of the operating system. It’s here that TC realises the best option to save Khalil would be to create a firewall and trap the Painkiller files behind it. Jennifer uses her powers to help TC trap Painkiller behind a firewall. It works. The one thing that they don’t account for his Khalil himself.

Later, TC re-enters Khalil’s chip to discover why it is he has awoken. He finds Khalil hiding from the Painkiller program. Jennifer uses her powers in conjunction with TC’s abilities to enter the chip. She succeeds in getting Khalil to wake up. Khalil believes himself poison.

Jefferson finally speaks to Jennifer about Lynn. She doesn’t take the news well. Jefferson doesn’t initially want to take Jennifer with him on the mission to rescue Lynn. He’s always trying to protect her from the outside world and herself. Whilst that is how fathers are supposed to behave, there is a time when parents must let go.

As people transition into adults, even though Jefferson clearly doesn’t like it, decisions rest on Jennifer’s shoulders. It doesn’t look like Jennifer is giving her father much of a choice. He either takes her on the mission or she goes in on her own. Either way, she’s going to Markovia. Brandon is going as well.

Gambi doesn’t like that Jefferson is prepared to work with the ASA. Thinking that Gambi would want to stay in the sanctum and monitor mission progress from there, it comes as a surprise to Jefferson that he insists that he go on the mission. Gambi speaks the language, He knows the lay of the land better than Jefferson. How could he not? Jefferson has never been to Markovia.

Elsewhere, Anissa is facing the same issue with Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy) that Jefferson faced with Jennifer. Grace doesn’t take no for an answer. She’s going on the mission. There is no stopping her.

Lynn is finding it increasingly to concentrate. With her ability to focus is diminished, Lynn takes Green Light to continue working. Jace promises the colonel that he will get what he wants.

With everyone gathered for a mission briefing, Grey soon discovers none of Jefferson’s people trusts her. They are there because they want to get Lynn back alive. Little does anyone realise Grey has given a kill order on Lynn. Jefferson takes over the briefing.

Previously …