Black Lightning decides to fight back when the ASA threatens his old neighborhood. Thunder battles Painkiller, and Tobias has a plan for Lynn to stop the ASA from weaponizing the metas.
Tropes
- All for Nothing: Brandon is devastated to know that Dr. Jace, the woman he has hunted down for years, isn't even in Freeland, having been abducted by the Markovians.
- Beam-O-War: Black Lightning and Williams get into one after the latter copies the former's powers. However, since Williams doesn't have a suit like Black Lightning's, it doesn't go well for him.
- Big Damn Heroes: Thunder comes to Black Lightning's and the Resistance's help.
- Blessed with Suck: Baron's ability to communicate with technology means that he can't stand being around modern society, with smart devices around that are constantly bombarding him with information.
- Card-Carrying Villain: During his questioning, Tobias proudly boasts that he brings hell to everything around him.
- Clark Kenting: Played with, in that it isn't until Khalil takes off his glasses that Anissa recognizes him.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Black Lightning and Williams' fight winds up being this. They get into a Beam-O-War after Williams copies the former's powers but he doesn't know that Required Secondary Powers aren't included so he passes out in the middle of their fight from trying to channel too much power at once for him to handle.
- Anissa and Khalil's fight is similarly one-sided in the former's favor. Khalil is able to get in some good hits and even momentarily gets the advantage by trying to poison her but she solidly holds the advantage and wins this time because of several factors. Anissa's strength matches if not exceeds his and she has Super-Toughness as well so he can't overpower her or do much damage through brute strength. He attacked her head on instead of ambushing her like last time, so she's on guard from the beginning. Anissa knows about his poison so she's able to avoid having it used on her again. And this time Anissa is acting as Thunder so she can use her shockwaves openly, which prove to be the biggest advantage she has over him.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Khalil is decidedly on the losing end during his fight with Anissa but is able to get the upper hand on her briefly, landing several hits and nearly poisons her again before she overpowers him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Brandon tells Jennifer that Dr. Jace didn't just kill his mother, she experimented on her when she was pregnant with him and she died as a result when he was turning 10.
- Destination Defenestration: Anissa ends her fight with Khalil by blasting him out a window.
- Enemy Mine: Tobias Whale proposes this to Lynn to help her against the ASA, wanting Maryam's invisibility powers in return. She is forced to flee before she can consider the offer, however.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Sergeant Grayle and a bunch of other ASA operatives show at least a bit of hesitation when they are ordered to evict Mrs. Shepard.Grayle: (resigned) Orders are orders.
- From Bad to Worse: With Odell still not returning, and Major Grey now also being injured, Commander Carson Williams takes control of the ASA forces, who is even worse.
- Gas Leak Cover Up: It's revealed that the rest of the country isn't aware of the Markovian incursion into Freeland or the ASA's occupation of the city, the official story instead being that it's quarantine for a SARS outbreak.
- Graceful Loser: During their Beam-O-War Willaims boasts about having both Black Lightning's powers and military tactical training, only for Black Lightning to fire back that he's going to overload himself without protective equipment. Williams concedes the point right before he passes out.
- Heroic Rematch: Anissa gets one with Khalil when he comes after her. She wins this time because he came after her head on instead of ambushing her like last time, she knows about his poison so she avoids getting hit by it this time and she can use her shockwaves without worry because she's acting as Thunder this time instead of Blackbird.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Williams copies Black Lightning's power to fight him, but because he doesn't have a suit protecting him from the side effects, his nervous system is quickly overwhelmed and he collapses.
- Internal Reveal:
- During a rematch with him, Anissa discovers that Khalil is alive.
- The world finds out the truth about the occupation of Freeland, after Gambi, Baron and Anissa manage to upload the footage.
- Henderson happily outs himself as resisting against the ASA.
- Mythology Gag: Baron was dubbed Technocrat by the ASA, a reference to his heroic identity in the comics that was a member of the Outsiders.
- Never Mess with Granny: Jefferson's old teacher Mrs. Shepard doesn't even flinch at the prospect of ASA forces storming her building, refusing to leave and even packing a gun.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Jennifer sees much of herself in Brandon, as she too was consumed by revenge.
- Person of Mass Destruction: Brandon causes a small earthquake during his All for Nothing breakdown.
- Required Secondary Powers: Subverted for Jefferson who needs the suit avoid being overwhelmed by his powers. This works to his benefit when Williams copies his powers and knocks himself out because they don't come with a built in resistance to channeling so much electricity.
- She's Back: Anissa's powers are back. And on Gambi's behest, she helps her father as Thunder, not Blackbird, to inspire hope.
- Smug Snake: Williams is overly confident of his abilities when he goes up against Jefferson, only to be promptly beaten due to lacking the man's suit to control his powers.
- Technopath: Baron (or TC, how he calls himself) can not just control machines, he can actually talk to them.
- The Siege: The Resistance defends the Franklin Terrace building against the invading ASA forces.
- This Is Unforgivable!: The ASA being fully willing to force Mrs. Shepard out of her home (and possibly even kill her) is the breaking point for Jefferson, joining forces with Henderson's resistance to finally fight back against the ASA.
- Villain Has a Point: Combined with Brutal Honesty. Tobias totally rips apart Lynn's delusions of the ASA being anywhere near benevolent, pointing out that they are never going to release the children, and are instead going to use them as weapons for their own gains.
- Villainous Breakdown: Williams has one when Khalil and the ASA forces are defeated.
- Writers Cannot Do Math: Tobias claims to have been born in 1946, which would make his father, who just recently died (and not by natural causes) at least 90 years old.
