Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), respected educator and father of two, is also Black Lightning, superpowered protector of Freeland. And he doesn’t fight alone. He is joined by his superpowered daughters, Anissa (Nafessa Williams), aka Thunder, and Jennifer (China Anne McClain), aka Lightning, as well as his ex-wife, metahuman expert Lynn (Christine Adams). Together, the Pierce family combats the ills eroding their city, including a menacing gang that calls itself The 100 and infamous gangster Tobias Whale (Marvin Jones III). Worse, Freeland has been plagued by government-sponsored experiments and drug trafficking, creating metahumans and addicts while making Freeland the target of a dangerous foreign power, Markovia. Fortunately, the family still has allies in their fight: former covert superspy Peter Gambi (James Remar) and Jefferson’s neighbor, the scrupulously honest deputy police chief Bill Henderson (Damon Gupton).
For in-depth thoughts on Black Lightning: The Complete Third Season, please see my colleague Ben Belcher’s essay here.
Video Quality
Black Lightning: The Complete Third Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a stunning AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.78:1. These Blu-Ray releases continue to be a step up from the broadcast and streaming versions of the show, as the disc provides a more consistent and stable image. The levels of detail this presentation is able to eek out is quite striking, as all of the subtle details in the production design and costumes 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 color palette tends to be more cold and steely to match the environment, but certain locations and special effects display some magical instances of beautiful colors popping off the screen. The Blu-Ray is quite gorgeous 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 lived-in world. 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 weight 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 surround speakers really well so that everything sounds natural to the 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. The audio presentation here is top-notch on all levels.
Special Features
- The Best Of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019: A 51-minute featurette which gives you highlights from the 2019 Comic-Con panels for Arrow, The Flash, Black Lightning, Batwoman and Supergirl. The moments that are chosen are mostly fun and informative, but it would have been nice to get the entire Black Lightning panel.
- Black Lightning – Come Visit Georgia PSA: A six-minute piece which shows some of the Black Lightning team attempting to figure out how to make a fun tax incentive video by showcasing what has been accomplished on Black Lightning.
Final Thoughts
The third season of Black Lightning finds the narrative delving into its darkest pockets yet. The way in which the show continues to make pointed rebukes of our modern climate through a very entertaining superhero show is immensely impressive. This season also deserves kudos for finding a way to make the lovable Wayne Brady into a villain that strikes genuine dread into your core. As homogenized as some of the CW output can be, Black Lightning continues to serve as a breath of fresh air. The third season Blu-Ray features a fantastic A/V presentation and a couple of interesting special features. If you are a fan of the show, it is well worth picking this set up. Recommended
Black Lightning: The Complete Third 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.
