Erika Alexander Joins Black Lightning As Superhero Therapist

 

Superheroes finding therapy is good for story. It’s part of the current Heroes in Crisis event series and it will be part of Black Lightning‘s upcoming second season. As executive producer Salim Akil previously revealed, Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain) will seek some counseling to deal with the events of the previous season and her emerging powers. Which may be way the Pierce family turns to a telepathic therapist.
TVLine reports Erika Alexander will play Perenna in three episodes of the series, helping Jennifer adjust to her new circumstances.
In a recent interview with Variety, Akil expanded on his decision to feature Jennifer (China Anne McCalin) in therapy during the second season. “We don’t believe in that sh*t, but we’re the No. 1 people who need it. After slavery and Jim Crow, they should have sent an army of therapists into the black communities to heal people,” he told the site. “All of the sh*t you see in our communities is because we haven’t healed properly from the amount of abuse and oppression, and if you can say that being raised by a bad parent f*cks your brain up and you pass it onto your children, than what do you think years and years and years and years of oppression has done to a whole group of people? And so I wanted to at least mention it — at least say, ‘Maybe we could get a little help.’”
For Jennifer in particularly, the circumstances are very specific. As Akil put it, “It’s hard enough just being a young woman, then being a young black woman, and now having these powers that everybody’s afraid of.” Hopefully, a little telepathic guidance will help her deal with her emotions and her abilities.
Black Lightning returns October 9th on The CW.