Warning: This article contains spoilers from the season 4 premiere ofBlack Lightningon the CW.
Then after Jennifer, a.k.a.
In other words, our hero is in a dark place.
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Below, EW chats withBlack Lightningshowrunner Salim Akil about the show’s final season premiere.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Did you knowBlack Lightningwas ending when you first started mapping out this season?
SALIM AKIL:Not really.
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I personally had maybe a slight feeling that it could be, but we didn’t know right away.
I think I just wanted to go back to dealing with the family.
We had ended on such a broad note of ending the Markovian war.
You have to deal with them and you have to seek help."
Is Jefferson’s biggest obstacle right now not fully seeking out help and not talking?
So yeah, that’s a huge obstacle for him this season.
He’ll come around, I’m sure.
We’ve never seen Jefferson this low before.
I don’t want to do one episode where everything is cool and cured in one episode.
We’ll spend a few episodes on that.
We won’t linger on it too long.
It’s not only that Jefferson is depressed, he’s also angry in this episode.
He takes his anger out on the cops and on the gang member.
The opening was inspired byElijah McClain, the young man who was killed in Colorado.
It is a balance.
There’s almost a yin and yang.
He was seeking revenge.
What I like about it is that you get to see the yin and the yang of that.
And we’re going to have to deal with that.
It’s like when Batman turns evil or Superman turns evil.
What are the consequences of Jefferson harming the gang member and the cops?
Does Black Lightning become public enemy No.
1 for the Freeland Police Department?
Well, that’s what they think.
Certainly the new chief of police, Anna Lopez [Melissa De Sousa], thinks that.
He goes comic book dark in the series.
So I’m really excited for people to see it.
What are the consequences of Jen spending so much time in the sky?
When we talked about trauma earlier, she’s retreating.
That’s what makes her feel safe.
That’s what makes her feel good.
And it also gives her a great deal of power.
Lynn is retreating into her work and testing out these metapowers.
What appealed to you about exploring Lynn as a metahuman?
Lynn’s always been an outsider.
She was the super-smart person in school and college.
She excelled in her field, but she’s always been an outsider.
I think for Lynn, she’s trying to find a common ground with her family.
When she used the powers in Markovia, that was a necessity to help save everyone.
If they’re not going to not have powers, then she’s going to have powers.
Of course, Tobias re-enters her life at the end of the episode.
What can you preview about their story line together?
You know, Tobias always has some kind of plan.
To me, Tobias is that fun.
Since this is the final season, are we building to the long-awaited fight between Tobias and Black Lightning?
[Laughs] You hit the nail on the head there.
Wayne Brady previously told EWthat he wants to return as Gravedigger before the show ends.
Have you started thinking of a way to bring him back?
Oh yeah, we’re trying to think of a way to bring him back.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
