Black Lightning 3×2: “The Book of Occupation: Chapter Two: Maryam’s Tasbih,” Recap & Review

For a recap of last weeks episode, “The Book of Occupation: Chapter One: Birth of Blackbird,” click here

***This post contains major spoilers for episode 3×2: “The Book of Occupation: Chapter Two.”***

Maryam

Things are not going so good for Maryam, the young meta girl who can blend into any surrounding. Since she’s been at the ASA facility getting treatments she’s losing her hair, she can’t eat, and her body is weak and fragile. Lynn and Jefferson decide to help her with her powers but it ends up with Maryam passing out. After she passes out Jefferson goes to her to get some intel on a certain 6 ft tall white Albino Man. She says she hasn’t seen him.

LaLa

LaLa, must we forget, has Tobias’ computer, but can’t crack the code to open the files. He is on a hunt to find Tobias, but before he can do this he needs to take back the streets and the 100. His former crew is out here gauging people for food and LaLa aint happy with Sinzell the new guy in charge. Sinzell shoots LaLa in the head but LaLa is indestructible at this point and sweats the bullet right out. Sinzell runs away scared as LaLa shows his old gang who’s still in charge.

Media Blackout

After 5 metas were found and killed at the ASA facility last episode with help from the media, Deputy Chief Henderson puts the Freeland media on notice and declares Freeland a media free zone (unless its cleared with the ASA). Nothing comes in, nothing goes out. Theres a underground resistance, spreading that the ASA is responsible for all this, O’Dell can’t crack the encryption.

Lynn & Jefferson

Lynn & Jefferson are still in the ASA facility being used by O’Dell. Lynn has been deciphering data for O’Dell but Jefferson doesn’t like that she’s doing all this for him. Lynn & Jeff also miss their children and haven’t talked to them in weeks. Commander Williams interrupts to take them to their new quarters (stocked with Lynn’s favorite wine and Jeff’s favorite whiskey). Jeff knows they are being played by the ASA but Lynn doesn’t see it and wants to help these children. Jefferson’s powers have been getting stronger since O’Dell has been testing him. While O’Dell is having this conversation with Lynn, Jefferson is using his powers to listen and O’Dell tells her that Jefferson is using his powers right now.

Later, Lynn thanks Jeff for helping her with Maryam earlier. Jeff admits that he was right  that the kids have been fighting and he learned from Maryam. Lynn gets mad at Jeff for pumping the girl for information and they get into a big argument over it. Jeff is mad that O’Dell has her wrapped around his finger.

The Markovians

The Markovian soldiers are brought together by their leader Colonel Yuri Mosin at Wolfsbane Mountain telling them its the greatest mission of their life and pledging to return covered in American blood.

Back to South Freeland

Anissa (as Blackbird) is fine as she almost got blown to pieces at the end of the last episode helping the detained meta’s through the force field around Freeland. They arrive in South Freeland and are being looked after by Anaya and the Perdi whom we met during last season’s Book of Blood chapter. Its interesting as I didn’t expect them to show up again, but Blackbird and Anaya aren’t on the same page and Anaya is a little on edge as they don’t have enough food and water for all the detainees that are here and Anaya says she didn’t agree to this many people.

Anaya confronts Blackbird about all the food they are eating and how the Perdi need to look out for themselves. Blackbird tells Anaya that she paid for all this and that there will be more money and is surprised that Anaya isn’t helping as much as she thought. Blackbird ends up nearly crippling Theirry (Anaya’s father) before walking off and declaring everyone to eat as much as possible.

On the farm, a chloro-kinetic (power to manipulate plants) meta, is working in the fields which is useful for Anaya but she still won’t trust Blackbird again. Blackbird gets a surprising call from Gambi with nobody being able to call in or out of Freeland. Gambi lets her know that there are ASA soldiers on the outskirts of the farm. Blackbird then heads out and knocks out the guards before they can find the farm.

Jennifer

Meanwhile at home, Agent O’Dell tries to sneak up on Jennifer but Jenn hears him coming. O’Dell wants to help the Pierce girls and give them more rations which Jenn refuses because she doesn’t want to be above everyone else. O’Dell wonders why the cameras have been turned off to which Jennifer says that she fried them because she was creeped out getting spied on the whole time. O’Dell relays to Jennifer the message her parents recorded for her on a phone which O’Dell lets her keep.

At school, Jennifer breaks up a fight between students. Jennifer calls them out telling them they are acting like animals. The boy calls out Jennifer telling her she’s next. Jennifer knocks the boy out and the others that came after her. The students start clapping but she tells them to stop and this isn’t right.

Gambi

Gambi using the facial tech Jennifer used last week poses as a cop so he can get in touch with Henderson. Gambi needs comm-drives that only Henderson can steal to get Anissa back in safely to Freeland. Back at the police precinct, Henderson makes a big disturbance about one of his detectives being put in the ASA facility so Gambi can steal the comm-drive.

Painkiller

Painkiller is back but he’s not the same as he once was. O’Dell has implanted a neural chip into his brain that allows him to learn anything and take orders from O’Dell. O’Dell gives him his first assignment…to kill his mother. Commander Williams thinks by having him go after his mother on the first time it may not work and reverse the mind-wipe. O’Dell sees only positives, if it works in this scenario it will always work. Later, Painkiller heads to his mother’s hows and chokes her out, killing her in the process.

Thoughts:

“Maryam’s Tasbih,” was an interesting episode that was packed with many interesting developments. Like most every week, there was not a lot of action but it did a lot to set-up the season so far. Almost every character (besides Tobias) got a decent amount of character work. LaLa coming back and taking over the 100 as an indestructible gang lord, Painkiller as O’Dells new weapon, and a trip back to South Freeland were some of the things I did not see coming. Plus, the Markovians are real and getting ready to strike within the next few episodes.

At this point, im sick of Jefferson and Lynn bickering like an old married couple but you know, they are a old divorced couple. I can see it from both sides, but it looks like this going to come back and bite Lynn in the butt. Jennifer chastising the students for fighting and clapping after the fight showed a lot of character growth for her. Anissa on the other hand looks like a Mortal Kombat character in her suit and is making some strong decisions when it comes to the meta detainees. I hope she doesn’t go too far. Theres one more chapter in the Book of Occupation, at this point im ready to see Jefferson get out of the ASA facility and suit back up with his family, but it may be a slow burn on that front for the rest of the season.