'Black Lightning' Season 3 Finale Review: A victory for Freeland and its heroes in an electrifying endgame

An impressive episode that closed multiple story arcs, 'The Book of War: Chapter Three' was an engrossing watch from start to finish featuring some killer action sequences and an amazing soundtrack
Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Cress Williams and China Anne McClain (The CW)
Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Cress Williams and China Anne McClain (The CW)

Spoiler alert for 'Black Lightning' Season 3 Episode 16 'The Book of War: Chapter Three: Liberation'

The long and twisted road that has been 'Black Lightning' Season 3 has finally reached its end with Episode 16 and what an end it is. After putting Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning (Cress Williams) and his city through hell for months, the season's ending finally gives both Freeland and its hero the victory they deserve. 

An impressive episode that closed multiple story arcs, 'The Book of War: Chapter Three' was an engrossing watch from start to finish featuring some killer action sequences and an amazing soundtrack.

This was just one of those season finales that truly fills your heart and leaves you with both a sense of closure and excitement for all the things to come. 

Some fans are bound to be mad about how the finale left things between Anissa Pierce / Thunder (Nafessa Williams) and her girlfriend Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy), with Grace being put in a coma after being mind-controlled into fighting Anissa.

That was a pretty sad moment but Nafessa Williams pulled off some commendable acting, perfectly capturing the sheer panic that's engulfing a character who is normally so fierce and strong. 

There was plenty of sadness in the episode, especially with Damon Gupton's Chief Henderson sacrificing himself to save Black Lightning. It was a tragic scene for sure, further accentuated by Leon Bridges's 'River' playing in the background for maximum heartbreak. 

We could go on and on exploring every aspect of the episode, every performance, because honestly, they're all that good.

From Khalil Payne / Painkiller's (Jordan Calloway) redemption to Tobias Whale (Marvin "Krondon" Jones III) plotting his return and the conversation about racism and the subhuman treatment meted out to African-Americans in the past and, as Gravedigger (Wayne Brady) might argue, in the present, there are just too many exciting and satisfying things in this episode to cover in a single review.

Suffice to say, this was by far one of the best episodes we've seen in the Arrowverse. 'Black Lightning' has never flown so high and here's hoping this is just a sign of more to come. 

'Black Lightning' Season 4 doesn't have a release date announced yet but it is expected to begin airing sometime in the fall of 2020, exclusively on The CW.

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