Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man of many faces. A former Olympic athlete, respected educator and father of two, he’s also Black Lightning, superpowered protector of Freeland. But Jefferson is not alone. His oldest daughter, Anissa (Nafessa Williams), is a med student, part-time teacher and social activist. She is also the Super Hero known as Thunder, possessing invulnerability and super strength for as long as she can hold her breath. Jefferson’s youngest daughter, Jennifer (China Anne McClain), is a fiery teen who inherited her father’s athletic gifts but not his desire to be an athlete. Jennifer also inherited his powers. Her body generates pure electrical energy, and she possesses the potential to be more powerful than Anissa or Jefferson. Lynn (Christine Adams), Jefferson’s ex-wife, is fast becoming an expert in metahuman medicine. Together, the Pierce family fights the gang known as the One Hundred for the soul of Freeland.
For in-depth thoughts on Black Lightning: The Complete Second Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s essay here.
Video Quality
Black Lightning: The Complete Second Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a gorgeous AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.78:1. This is a step up from the broadcast and streaming versions of the show, as the disc provides a more consistent and stable image. The color palette tends to be more cold and steely to match the urban decay, but certain locations and special effects display some magical instances of beautiful colors popping off the screen. The levels of detail this presentation is able to eek out is quite striking, as all of the subtle details in the production design are easily identifiable. Black levels are appropriately deep and give way to a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast. There are no egregious instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The Blu-Ray is quite stunning as it showcases the cinematic feel of the season to great effect.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with a wonderfully active DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a fully fleshed-out world. One of the standout aspects of this show is the hip hop soundtrack that adds a lot of style to the story. This perfectly sets the tone, and it creates a nicely enveloping soundscape that draws you further into the show. Dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being stepped on by the score or any sound effects. More kinetic moments are given the appropriate power in the mix with a forceful showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are also precisely placed in the rear channels. The track handles panning effects around the room really well so that everything sounds natural to the world. The audio presentation here is fantastic on all levels.
Special Features
- Whale Of A Villain: A seven-minute featurette which analyzes the complexity of Tobias, his motivations, the themes of race he brings forth and more.
- Black Lightning – Come Visit Georgia PSA: A seven-minute piece which shows some of the employees from the Georgia Film team attempting to figure out how to make a fun tax incentive video by showcasing what has been accomplished on Black Lightning.
Final Thoughts
Black Lightning: The Complete Second Season continues to expand the story set up so strongly by the debut season in really interesting ways. Not only does Jefferson continue to struggle with how best to serve his community while butting heads with the ASA, but the kids and Khalil dive into some new territories that will continue to reverberate throughout the remainder of the series. This show was one that went under the radar a bit compared to other Arrowverse shows, but the level of storytelling on this one is among the strongest. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring an amazing A/V presentation and a couple of fun special features. It is great to have the Warner Archive continue this show on Blu-Ray after fans had nearly given up hope. Recommended
Black Lightning: The Complete Second Season can be purchased directly through the Warner Archive Amazon Store or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
