Line #27 Recap/BlackLightning2018S3E16Liberation


1	The Pierce family and their allies go to war with Gravedigger's forces.
2	----
3
4	* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs:
5	** Gravedigger assaults the Pit to get his hands on the metas.
6	** Major Grey leads her elite commandos in attacking Gambi's shop and the Sanctum to retrieve the briefcase.
7	** A subtle one, but when [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind Khalil attacks Painkiller]], he does so in the former's training facility, not in the hallway outside his mother's apartment, where they've fought their [[Recap/BlackLightning2018S3E14Homecoming previous]] [[Recap/BlackLightning2018S3E15FreedomAintFree battles]].
8	* AndYourLittleDogToo: In a direct contrast to his previous behaviour of [[EvenEvilHasStandards leaving Khalil's mother be back in season 2]], Tobias threatens Nurse Allen by [[KilledOffscreen having already murdered his father]] and threatening the life of his mother. By the end of the episode, he's also killed Allen himself.
9	* BackForTheFinale: Commander Williams returns for the first time since [[Recap/BlackLightning2018S3E8TheBattleOfFranklinTerrace his defeat by Black Lightning]].
10	* BadassBoast: Gambi response to Major Grey and a whole bunch of heavily armed ASA agents busting into his hideout is not being concerned, but instead ''thanking'' Grey that she brought along everyone who knows the Pierce family's secret so he can kill them all, which he does.
11	* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Khalil goes up against Painkiller again, and this time comes out on top.
12	* BeamOWar: Brandon and Jennifer combined their powers into one powerful stream of energy, which Gravedigger counters with EyeBeams.
13	* BerserkButton: Gravedigger reacts very poorly to Jennifer mocking his goals. Jennifer in turn gets pissed when Gravedigger disrespects Martin Luther King.
14	* BittersweetEnding: Markovia's invasion is stopped and the ASA is finally taken down, but Henderson is dead, Grace is in a coma, and Gravedigger and Tobias are still on the loose. Also, it appears that Lynn has fallen off the wagon and is taking Green Light again.
15	* BroughtDownToNormal: Lynn succeeds in shooting Gravedigger with the anti-serum, which enables Jefferson to knock him out. It isn't clear whether this is permanent or not.
16	* CharacterDeath: Jamillah Olsen, Commander Williams, Major Grey, Bill Henderson, Nurse Allen and Dr. Jace, from all appearances.
17	* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies: This episode has an extremely high body count among major characters.
18	* CrazyPrepared: Lynn once again gave herself meta invulnerability before going to the Pit to work on a countermeasure against Gravedigger. This allows her to survive Commander Williams' attempt to kill her and then take him out.
19	* CruelMercy: Black Lightning convinces Khalil not to kill Odell, as it will be worse for him to face trial and imprisonment for his crimes.
20	* DangerTakesABackseat: Odell gets in his car to flee Freeland, only to find Khalil seated behind him with a gun.
21	* DeadlineNews: Jamillah Olsen is gunned down by a Markovian soldier while reporting on their invasion.
22	* DefiantCaptive: Jennifer is not impressed with any of Gravedigger's goals and dares him to let her out so she can kick his ass.
23	* DragonTheirFeet: Odell is captured right before the last commercial break. The last act then opens with Major Grey carrying out his previous orders to her to retrieve the briefcase from Gambi.
24	* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Henderson saves Black Lightning from being shot by a bunch of Markovians, which ends in his own death.
25	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Subverted. Major Grey and Commander Williams are both clearly unsettled by Odell's decision to abandon and nuke Freeland, but they still go along with it.
26	* EveryoneHasStandards: While Brandon is NotInThisForYourRevolution, his friendship with Jennifer is enough for him to help Jefferson bust her out.
27	* GodzillaThreshold: Finding out that the ASA intends to nuke Freeland is enough to convince Lala and the 100 to join the EnemyMine against the Markovians after Lady Eve informs him.
28	* HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee: At the end of the episode, the Pierce family all testify before a congressional committee (which is composed of judges for some reason) about the ASA's crimes.
29	* HeKnowsTooMuch: Commander Williams's orders to destroy all sensitive information in Freeland includes killing Dr. Jace and Lynn, with him succeeding in the former.
30	* HeroicBSOD: When Jefferson asks Lynn what happened to Commander Williams, all she can offer is "I don't want to talk about it."
31	* HeroicRematch:
32	** Khalil brings it to Painkiller [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind on his own turf]]. The result appears to be a WildCard if not an outright AntiHero.
33	** Likewise, Black Lightning goes up against Gravedigger again, but this time he's really just [[WeNeedADistraction keeping him busy]] until Lynn shows up with her {{BFG}} loaded with PowerNullifier {{Phlebotinum}}.
34	* HeroicSecondWind:
35	** Khalil is on the losing end against Painkiller at first, before finding his footing and winning.
36	** T.C. gets one after the ASA's countermeasures overwhelmed him.
37	* KarmaHoudini: Tobias and Gravedigger both get away to scheme another day.
38	* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Odell finally faces justice for his crimes.
39	* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Jefferson retreats from his first battle with Gravedigger.
40	* LetsYouAndHimFight: Gravedigger decides he doesn't have time to fight Grace and Thunder, so he [[CompellingVoice tells the former to kill the latter]].
41	* LukeYouAreMyFather: Jefferson informs Gravedigger that they're related. Gravedigger doesn't care.
42	* MotiveRant: Gravedigger explains his motivations to an imprisoned Jennifer, as he wants to establish a metahuman nation on Markovian soil.
43	* NeonSignHideout: Averted with the surface entrance to the Pit, then the aversion is {{Lampshaded}}.
44	-->'''Henderson''': It doesn't look like much.
45	-->'''Gambi''': It's ''not supposed to''.
46	* NeverFoundTheBody: Gravedigger, Lady Eve. The former, at least, is later shown to still be alive.
47	* NeverMyFault: A newscast at the end of the episode reveals that the Markovian government is refusing to accept responsibility for Gravedigger's assault on Freeland, citing the ASA's actions as provocation.
48	* NotQuiteDead: Gravedigger somehow survives the explosion of the Pit unscathed.
49	* NotWorthKilling: Jefferson points this out to Khalil in regards to Odell, saying that he should rot in prison.
50	* NukeEm: What Odell wants to do to Freeland.
51	* RedemptionRejection: Lynn tries to appeal to Commander Williams, in pointing out that he is a metahuman too. He doesn't take it, which ends in his death.
52	* {{Revenge}}: Tobias kills Nurse Allen, as well as his father. He spares his mother, however.
53	* SacrificialLion: Jamillah is killed in the episode's prologue, and is the first of [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies many]] to die in the episode.
54	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Odell eventually decides that the war with Markovia isn't worth the effort and orders that the ASA evacuate the city and prepare to nuke everything.
55	* SelfDestructMechanism: Odell triggers one in the Pit in order to DestroyTheEvidence of his crimes.
56	* ShoutOut:
57	** Odell's password to destroy the safe house is "Rosebud." The end of ''Film/CitizenKane'' shows the namesake sled [[KillItWithFire going up in flames]].
58	** Gravedigger tells Lynn that she [[Film/AvengersInfinityWar should have gone for the head.]]
59	* SpottingTheThread: Gravedigger quickly realizes that Jennifer is Jefferson's daughter.
60	* ThickerThanWater: Jefferson tries to convince Gravedigger to stand down due to their blood relation. It doesn't work, as he barely even believes him.
61	* TookALevelInBadass: Khalil, enough so to break out of the firewall ''and'' beat down Painkiller to regain control of his body.
62	* TrashTheSet: Gambi's tailor shop looks to be a total loss, Sanctum included. Ditto the Pit, which Odell blows up.
63	* UncertainDoom: Lady Eve is [[HistoryRepeats once again]] severely injured in a shoot-out. That said, if she ''does'' die again, Lazarus Prime could just yet again resurrect her.
64	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Painkiller doesn't take Khalil seriously, which ends badly for him.
65	* UselessSpleen: Invoked by Khalil after shooting Odell.
66	* VillainousRescue: Lala, Devonte and a bunch of his other men save Henderson, Two-Bits and the rest of the resistance from being overrun by the Markovians.
67	* WhamShot: One of the attendees at the congressional hearing deactivates a holographic disguise and reveals himself to be a still-alive Gravedigger.
68	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Henderson hates being in the forest.

Context Recap / BlackLightning2018S3E16Liberation