The CW has released the official synopsis for “The Book of Ruin: Chapter One”, the upcoming fifth episode of Black Lightning‘s fourth and final season. The episode, which is set to air on Monday, March 8th, moves the series into its second arc of the season and suggests the proper return of Black Lightning. Thus far this season, Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) has been unwilling to suit back up as Freeland’s hero. He’s instead declared Black Lightning dead, though he’s used his powers for a more brutal brand of vigilante justice carried out on those who have directly harmed people he cares about.
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The synopsis also suggests that things are changing for Grace (Chantal Thuy) and Anissa (Nafessa Williams) as well. Thus far this season, Grace has continued to require medical care following her injuries at the end of Season 3. While the season premiere showed her to be in a coma of sorts, this week’s “The Book of Reconstruction: Chapter Two: Unacceptable Losses” showed her to have shapeshifted into an animal form.
You can check out the synopsis for the episode below.
TRUTH – Gambi (James Remar) supports Black Lightning (Cress Williams) as he departs on a special mission. Meanwhile, Grace (Chantal Thuy) tries to persuade Anissa (Nafessa Williams) to let her guard down. China Anne McClain, Christine Adams, Marvin Jones III, and Jordan Calloway also star. The episode was written by Adam Giaudrone and directed by Bille Woodruff (#405).
Season Four of Black Lightning will be the last for the series which started out as its own standalone world only to be incorporated into the Arrowverse during last season’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. Back in November, it was announced that Black Lightning will end with Season Four, but a spinoff Painkiller series is getting a backdoor pilot during the season. It was recently announced that the Painkiller spinoff had added three more actors to its cast, Sibongile Mlambo, Alexander Hodge, and James Roch, should the series be greenlit for production.
Painkiller will be written, directed, and executive produced by Black Lightning creator Salim Akil.
“With Khalil, I wanted to get into the idea of the duality of Black men,” Akil explained in an interview earlier this month. “How, in some cases, you’re one person in one area of your life and you have to be another person. I’m trying to figure that out with this character: how do you bring those two parts of you together without sacrificing who you truly are?”
Black Lightning airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. “The Book of Ruin: Chapter Four” will premiere on March 8.
