Black Lightning S01E01 "The Resurrection" Recap

Jefferson Pierce is a high school principal but he used to be a superhero known as Black Lightning. He picks up his older daughter Anissa after she is arrested for protesting and on the way home he is pulled over and momentarily put into handcuffs as a suspect for a crime he didn't commit due to the increasing racial tensions in his community. He has a flash of his powers, due to the anger he feels at the situation, which causes the lights in the immediate vicinity to flicker and go out before going back on.

Jefferson's youngest daughter Jennifer sneaks off to a club owned by a gang called the 100. He goes to rescue her and is forces to use his powers to knock out the lights in the process. He also shoots lightning out of his hands and unleashes it in his punches to take out various gang members. Jennifer gets away without any injuries. Police arrive at the scene and hold Jefferson at gunpoint, threatening him. His eyes begin to glow and then they attempt to taze him but he absorbs the electricity and blasts it back to knock them down. Then he shoots a large electrical blast into their cop car and leaves it on fire while the officers lay on the ground disoriented.

Jefferson has some injuries from his encounter with the police officers and his friend Gambi tries once again to persuade him to become Black Lightning again but Jefferson doesn't want to break the promise he made to his ex-wife Lynn to give up the superhero life so that they can potentially resume their relationship.

A 100 gangbanger named Will tries to attack Jennifer at the school but Anissa easily beats him down. Jefferson stops the man from drawing his gun so he decides to pay a visit to the local gang boss Lala to strike up a peace agreement. Will later returns to the school with some of his friends and abducts Jennifer and Anissa. In order to ensure their daughters' safety, Lynn approves of Jefferson being Black Lightning again since the police are not efficient enough in ensuring their safe return.

Jefferson teams up with Gambi once more to don a new superhero suit that's even better than the one he used to wear that will aid in his quest to get his daughter back. He infiltrates the Seahorse Motel and fights off the armed gang members. Though he saves his daughters, he doesn't find Lala who had been beating Will for acting impulsively and not getting his approval first. Jefferson gets to Will before he can go through with Lala's orders to make the girls disappear.

Lala is brought to Tobias Whale, the head of the 100, and non-fatally shot by a crossbow. Tobias demands that Lala kill Black Lightning, with the implication being that he himself will be killed if he fails.

Jefferson brings his daughters home where Lynn tearfully embraces them. The trauma of the experience triggers Anissa's own superpowers. She later discovers them when she breaks a sink in half after waking from a nightmare.

Black Lightning airs on Tuesdays on the CW at 9/8c.