Superman & Lois
We've reached the end of the second season of "Superman & Lois." I have to say that overall, I think I've enjoyed this second season even more than the first. I thought this was a really original take on the concept of Bizarro World and it made it much less silly. Let's get right to it.
"Worlds War Bizarre"
Superman: "You're not going to hurt my family."
Bizarro Jonathan Kent: [laughing] "What are you gonna do about it? You don't have powers."
General Sam Lane: "Son, you don't have to do this."
Lois Lane: "You are better than this."
Bizarro Jonathan Kent: "No, not yet, but I will be. You know, all of us will. Except you. That's the irony, isn't it? If my dad were alive, you two could've merged. You could've fixed him, you could've made him whole. But I guess since he's dead, you might as well be, too."
Superman recovers from his fight with Ally, but after a visit to the fortress learns that his cells have been completely drained of solar energy and that it could take years for them to fully recharge and for him to regain his superpowers. The DOD puts out a cover story to explain the appearance of the Bizarro square sun in the sky, but the people, including Chrissy Beppo, aren't convinced. Lois isn't sure if she should tell Chrissy and Lana the truth or go along with Sam. But, if Superman really is down for the count, is there anything that can be done?
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| Look over there! |
I think that penultimate episodes are ultimately better than final episodes in its first two seasons "Superman & Lois" have definitely proven that to be true. We left off with everyone in a pretty bad way. Clark barely made it out of his confrontation with Ally Alston alive.
"Superman & Lois" really give us a Superman we don't see very often. Clark wakes up, but his cells are completely drained of solar energy. He's not just human, but he's extremely weak. He can barely make his way up the stairs at the house. He feels helpless and almost devoid of hope and that is not a Superman that is portrayed very often. Clark heads to the fortress and Lara doesn't have much better news. Clark is basically back to how he was when he first came to Earth and it took him about four years to fully gain his powers. But the people of Earth don't have four years.
I think this episode posits something really interesting. When you only have one hero, what do you do when he's out of commission and an event he usually handles is upon them. We get confirmation that Superman is the only hero on this Earth, which I don't think they have ever specifically said. I honestly think that this idea of the world coming together to fight this is interesting with Smallville being a microcosm of this world is a good idea. But, I don't think that they do enough with it. It's mainly just, be with your family and pray for a miracle.
One thing that I enjoyed about this episode is how it sort of brought resolution to the "Lois as the conflicted journalist" storyline. Since the climax of season one, Lois has been struggling with her journalistic ethics against her loyalty to her family and her husband. It's a conflict that I haven't really seen explored in a Superman story, which is crazy because it makes a lot of sense. Lois has been taking steps to resolve this, particularly when you look at her taking Chrissy with herself and Sam to confront Lucy in the last episode. So, it's not a shock when she chooses to tell Chrissy the truth about the DOD cover story and then Lana. This is makes sense for Lois and I'm looking forward to a united Chrissy and Lois next season.
Lana continues to have one of the strongest arcs of this second season. It's kind of snuck up on me. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the infidelity storyline and the mayoral storyline, but they've been extremely strong and they have given Lana a nice showcase. Lana was a standout supporting character last season, but she was in the background a lot. This season they have moved her into the forefront and Emmanuelle Chiriqui has shined. Whether its Lana as a mother putting her family back together or Lana as the strong leader or the betrayed best friend, Chriqui has shined and I'm hopeful that this carries over to season three.
My main issue with this episode is the town meeting. It just doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Earlier in the episode it feels like the majority of the citizens in the diner didn't believe the DOD. So, it comes as a big surprise when no one is buying the actual truth that Lana gives them. And do we really need another reason to hate George Dean. It feels like they are looking for a reason to introduce Superman into the action and it comes at the expense of Lana, which is not a great look. They've done so much to build her up and they kind of take all that way in one fell swoop. Though, I did love Superman subtly reading Dean in front of everyone.
The action in this episode is sparse but extremely impactful. There are a lot of cool visuals in this episode. There is the appearance of the square sun. Jordan going after Jon-El, which is a great moment for Jordan. Natalie showing up in her Steel suit to knock some folks around. A solid episode all around that ends on a cliffhanger as the worlds begin to merge.
Grade: B+
"Waiting for Superman"
Clark Kent: "Congratulations, Mayor. On the speech, on the events, on being exactly the kind of leader you have always wanted this town to have."
Lana Lang Cushing: "Thank you. It means a lot coming from you."
Clark Kent: "I wish I'd been there. To vote for you, to help with the campaign, to be there when things were hard."
Lana Lang Cushing: "You were busy. And as a trade-off, you did save the world. Would've been kind of rough dealing with Armageddon my first week as mayor, so let's call it even."
Clark Kent: "That's fair."
Things aren't looking great. The worlds have begun to merge and people are popping between each world with no warning, including Lois Lane and Kyle Cushing. The re-appearance of Tal-Rho gives the heroes some hope but its short lived when he's almost killed by Ally. Superman convinces his brother to toss him into the sun to potentially supercharge his cell and return his powers to him... or kill him.
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| BFFs |
Much like the season one finale, this finale is split in two parts. The first half is the slam bang resolution to the Ally Alston/Bizarro World storyline and the second half is an epilogue that sends our characters in new directions for season three and teases the potential big bad for season three.
Let's look at it part by part. The first part is a pretty fast paced conclusion to the Inverse World drama with Ally Alston. If you've been wondering where Tal-Rho has been since the death of Bizarro, he's back to try to help his brother and his family. I think redemption arcs like this can be tricky, but I've bought Tal's, even though its been a short amount of time. I think that part of what makes it believable is that he's doing it for his family which is very on brand from Tal. He doesn't care about the people of Earth, but he does care about his brother, nephews and sister-in-law. Tal is quickly dispatched by Ally, which is not a huge shock, but he's instrumental in getting Superman his powers back.
There is so much really cool sci-fi action that is mixed in with the genuine pathos and emotion and character work that we've come to expect from "Superman & Lois." The episode is extremely chaotic but that is on purpose. The switching from one world to another, causing cars to crash, planes to fall from the sky. Amidst this chaos, Lois gets some really meaningful moments with Sam and Kyle. I do kind of wish that there was more with the Bizarro Lois Lane showing up on Superman's Earth. It just feels like a missed opportunity.
The actual conclusion of this arc makes very little sense, but that's OK. Its worth it for the pure comic book nonsense that the episode throws at us. There is Superman being tossed into the sun. Nat and John Henry in the space between worlds in the portal. A super solar charged Superman literally punching the Ally Alston's apart. And then vibrating the Earth's through one another which feels like an homage to the first "Superman" film. I'm not sure if it works or makes total sense, but it is cool and a lot of fun to watch.
The second part of the episode is basically an extended epilogue and it is fine but it does sort of halt the momentum that the first part of the episode had. There was a lot of wrapping up. Tying up loose ends. Clark and Lana make up. Lana shares a bittersweet, potentially final dance with Kyle. I'm glad that they didn't put them back together because it wouldn't have felt true to the journey she's been on. After learning Jordan's secret in the last episode, Sarah and Jordan seem to be on their way to reconciliation.
Tal-Rho buys the boys tricked out SUV's and then disappears into the Inverse World. It seems like he is going to try to be the Superman of that world? I do hope this isn't the last we've seen of Tal. Lois heads to see the Allys and I'm not sure this scene was particularly necessary, but I kind of did enjoy the bittersweet element. Lucy is back on good terms with the family and heads to Metropolis to start her life again.
The moments of this epilogue that stuck with me was Lois telling Chrissy Clark's secret. It was a great moment and a long time coming. I laughed out loud when Clark points out how Chrissy has been staring at her since she learned the secret. This Earth's John Diggle pays a visit to John Henry Irons to talk about Bruno Mannheim, the leader of Intergang, who apparently killed this Earth's John Henry. I wonder if that will be a plot point next season. The episode ends with Clark forming a new Fortress in the middle of the ocean that will be one for the entire Kent family and there is some allusion to maybe Jonathan getting powers?
All in all, season two was a strong sophomore outing and I'm ready to dive right in to season three.
Grade: B+
Next up, we jump into season three with the first three episodes.
What did you all think of this season? Did you enjoy this take on Bizarro World? What do you hope to get from season three? Let me know in the comments.
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