Tobias and his sister discover you can go home again. Gambi gives Jefferson the power of flight, Jennifer stands up for herself and Anissa gets one step closer to the truth.

One of the reasons Black Lightning works as well as it does is how much it trusts the audience. This entire show, from the start, is about the second act of Jefferson Pierce’s life. We’re thrown into the deep end of a city on the brink of a break down, a man about to answer the call of heroism for the second time and lose his family as a result and a family that have problems, and calls of their own. That’s been an immensely satisfying experience to watch unfold. And this week, finally, we start getting some answers.

For a start, this really is a family thing. Jefferson’s father, a crusading journalist, died for a story that may explain the outbreak of metahumans in Freeland. Anissa is on that trail this week and blowing through doors that no one else has gone through for a long time. Better still, the show is wasting zero time with her; Anissa knows she’s a metahuman, knows she has powers, knows she needs to protect herself. It’s all laid out here and while she’s never reluctant, she displays a caution that her father does not.

The ongoing Green Light investigation provides a backdrop for Jefferson’s worst day. His new powers (‘electrical vision’ is especially fun) are a nice upgrade and mean the man at least doesn’t have to walk to every crime scene now. But as this episode shows, Jefferson is already throwing himself back into Black Lightning to an extent that’s damaging his relationships and damaging his health. That’s absolutely in keeping with how the show has gone so far, continually giving us something fantastical and then showing us the price tag. It’s smart, tight, mature writing and a big part of why stylistically Black Lightning has far more in common with the Marvel Netflix shows than the Arrowverse.

Peter Gambi, played by the mighty James Remar, is one of the few areas where we don’t have answers yet and he’s all the more fun for that. Remar has, I suspect, been very specifically costumed to look like Jim Gordon. There’s the same crumpled suit, the same moustache, the same world weary idealism.

And yet he’s on first name terms with Tobias Whale. And is one of the very few people we’ve met so far who has displeased Whale and lived. The tailor knows far, far more than he’s letting on or we know. That scene with Tobias, Jefferson’s headaches, where he gets the suit tech. Answers are coming and Jefferson may not like them.

This is an episode that feels like it’s shifting gears, but not in a bad way. Jennifer’s plot is still resolutely ‘domestic’ and all the stronger for it while Krondon shines as Tobias this week. There’s a clear similarity between him and the Netflix version of Kingpin but Krondon is doing an excellent job of differentiating them, his rage far more controlled and measured in its release. Plus the addition of his sister, played by Edwina Findley and hints at the organisation they work for and their past make Tobias far more relatable. A monster certainly, but a familiar one.

Verdict: A slow escalation and expansion this week and the show’s all the better for it. Arguably the most consistently strong of the DC shows right now. Certainly the most confident and assured. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart