Broadcast TV Superman & Lois - Season 2 (The CW) (1 Viewer)

[jayembee]

I'm surprised it didn't mention that at the very end, the title "Superman & Lois" appears on the screen backwards (though the backgrounding "S" shield wasn't reversed.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

So it looks like the "yellow mist" triggers one Kryptonian power on a temporary basis, but which power that is varies by person. The starting QB and Jonathan's girlfriend get superstrength, the girl Jonathan's girlfriend mentioned got super hearing, and Jonathan got the telescopic vision.

In other news, I'm interested to see what Jordan training with his grandfather looks like.

Bizzaro, as conceptualized on this show, makes for a compelling villain because he highlights just how dangerous Superman would be if he was as good of a person as Clark Kent. Having two of Anderson's supersoldiers get killed in their first encounter with Bizzaro was unexpectedly brutal and really drove home the danger of the threat.

And John Henry getting critically injured really strikes at a critical fault line in this new blended family; Natalie was already wary of her father helping Superman, and was already wary of Superman given what the Kal-El of her Earth did to her mother. This latest near death experience won't help any of those feelings of hurt and mistrust.

I wonder what the necklace Bizzaro was wearing does; it seemed to be drawing energy from Superman when they fought while he was wearing it. It was smart of Tag Harris to grab it before fleeing to safety.

Based on that scene at the bar, it seems pretty clear that Kyle was having an affair with the bartender when his marriage was on the rocks and he was drinking heavily. I do wonder if there's more to it than that; perhaps he has a secret kid with her?

I find most cult stories groanworthy, and so far this is no exception. In the vast majority of cases, the cult leaders aren't charismatic because they're genuinely charismatic; instead characters are drawn to them because the writers need them to be. At least the divide between Lois and Lucy is grounded in their troubled family history and Lucy's sense of betrayal at the way Lois framed her article. But Chrissy trusting the cult leader to tell her the truth about Lois was a real eye roll moment. Obviously the show is not going to make one of the two title characters and one of the most famous fictional journalists in American culture a hack writer. So Lois obviously does have the cult leader's number, and it's just going to take a while for Chrissy and Lucy to realize that.

That being said, the fact that the cult is called the Inverse Society and is reemerging at the same time that Superman's inverse has appeared can't be a coincidence.

 

[jayembee]

Agree with pretty much everything you said here, Adam.

My gut tells me that Ally isn't just your run-of-the-mill, every-day cult leader. Chrissy's turn suggests that Ally might have a literal "power of persuasion". Something along the lines of (from Jack Kirby's New Gods work) Glorious Godfrey and Amazing Grace.

Then again, my gut tried to tell me that Bizarro was Doomsday, so there's that...

 

[NeilO]

The one thing I thought was really missing from this episode was John Henry telling someone about the lady from the mine who bashed him on the head and was responsible from Bizarro crossing over. Why didn't he say anything? Who was she working with?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Tonight's episode eased a lot of my fears about the way this season is shaping up. Storylines that seemed disconnected started to converge, and the various storylines did a good job of building upon one another.

I really enjoyed Sarah's quinceañera, and the pretty extreme highs and lows that came with it.

The show has made a point of establishing the Cushing family's Mexican heritage since early in the first season, but this episode addressed it the most directly yet. The episode made it clear that they were outliers in the town when they first arrived, to the extent that they had to change their name to be accepted. It seemed a bit strange to me that an agricultural community like Smallville wouldn't have a sizable Hispanic population, at least during the harvest season. On the other hand, I could see the migrant farm workers being a point of tension in the community, since they would have undercut the salaries of local farmhands. Also, was it Kyle's parents that first settled in Smallville, or was it his grandparents?

Clearly Lana knew about the woman at the bar. What I'm less sure about is whether she knew about the affair or not. It seemed like she didn't, and that Kyle had assured her that he just went there to blow off steam. But it could be that she thought he'd taken up with her again. Either way, a real blow to their family just when they were starting to get onto sturdier footing again. I loved Lana's strength in the aftermath, though, and the way she resolutely worked to salvage Sarah's special day. And it's not a case of her putting on a false facade for their guests; she genuinely meant what she said, and was able to compartmentalize to be there for Sarah, both as a proud mom of a beautiful young woman and a protective mom trying to shelter her scared daughter from as much heartache as possible.

Jonathan is now demonstrating multiple powers, albeit seemingly one at a time. All of the humans who have taken Candice's X-Kryptonite cocktail have zeroed in on one particular power. The different with Jonathan would seem to be his hybrid physiology. The question is whether the inhaler is causing his powers or simply triggering powers that were going to manifest sooner or later regardless.

My gut tells me that Ally isn't just your run-of-the-mill, every-day cult leader.

This certainly appears to the be the case, as it looks like she's our Big Bad this season. Whatever the pendant does, aside from giving her followers a glimpse of Bizarro's dimension or universe, also allowed her to take over that other world. We know from the flashback to 1979 that her other relative warned her against it, saying it had nearly destroyed their family. But even as a young person, she wanted the wealth and power that came with it.

I appreciated that the show didn't have Chrissy turn against Lois. Her distrust is understandable, given all of the secrets Lois needs to keep from her as Superman's wife. But when Chrissy investigated for herself, she made her own judgments rather than just getting taken in by what Ally was preaching.

The one thing I thought was really missing from this episode was John Henry telling someone about the lady from the mine who bashed him on the head and was responsible from Bizarro crossing over. Why didn't he say anything? Who was she working with?

It was good to get an answer for that this week. The crime scene in the office trailer at the mines was particularly brutal, too; heads are not supposed to be bent in that direction.

I'm fascinated by the ways that this Bizarro is and is not like Superman. He considers himself a soldier rather than a hero, and is not above killing to achieve his goals. But he also fights on behalf of his world, so he's not like the evil Superman from John and Natalie's universe.

 

[NeilO]

This certainly appears to the be the case, as it looks like she's our Big Bad this season. Whatever the pendant does, aside from giving her followers a glimpse of Bizarro's dimension or universe, also allowed her to take over that other world. We know from the flashback to 1979 that her other relative warned her against it, saying it had nearly destroyed their family. But even as a young person, she wanted the wealth and power that came with it.

I appreciated that the show didn't have Chrissy turn against Lois. Her distrust is understandable, given all of the secrets Lois needs to keep from her as Superman's wife. But when Chrissy investigated for herself, she made her own judgments rather than just getting taken in by what Ally was preaching.

It was good to get an answer for that this week. The crime scene in the office trailer at the mines was particularly brutal, too; heads are not supposed to be bent in that direction.

I'm fascinated by the ways that this Bizarro is and is not like Superman. He considers himself a soldier rather than a hero, and is not above killing to achieve his goals. But he also fights on behalf of his world, so he's not like the evil Superman from John and Natalie's universe.

From Ally's reaction to Bizarro, I think she may be in over her head. She did not expect him there. I don't know whether Dr. Faulkner was working with Ally or not, but she used knowledge from Ally to make that connection and was trying to bring something over. (Possibly hoping for her own bizarro self.) She got more than she bargained for, though.

I think that when Ally crosses over, she has been treating it like a video game. She (or her bizarro self who she somehow influences) has been accumulating power over there not realizing the consequences for those there. She has been bringing people "over" so they can get some kind of power from their other selves.

It will be interesting to see what happens when Lois and Chrissy compare notes.

I went back to look at the previous episode and Bizarro's pendant look very similar to Ally's in the this episode, though without looking at them side by side, I don't know whether they are reversed in some fashion.

 

[NeilO]

So, Lt. Mitch Anderson gets told that he needs to get Superman on his side and he ends up shooting him with kryptonite and arresting him for treason. That is sure going to get Superman to see his side clearly.

Well, we got a lot of answers about Bizarro Superman and some information about the pendant, which was good. The story about two versions of someone merging and being more powerful correlates to what they were seeing when Superman and Bizarro Superman were together.

I had hoped Jonathan was going to play the game without the x-kryptonite, but he did and by the end he seemed to realize it was a hollow victory. I'm hoping that he won't be taking it anymore.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

General Anderson's move at the end of this episode was catastrophically stupid, and I have trouble believing that the senior leaders of the Department of Defense would go along with it. Superman is a beloved figure around the world, and if news gets out about what Anderson has done, the United States will be the target of global condemnation. Even if the DoD's standoff with Superman is resolved quietly before the wider world finds out about it, Anderson has permanently lost the trust of the most powerful man on the planet. Superman has extended a great deal of deference to the United States's military leadership. Whether that's in recognition of America's status as the foremost military power, or a consequence of his upbringing in small town America, Superman was there when the DoD needed him. Anderson has flushed all that down the toilet. And, as his superior officer pointed out at the beginning of the episode, the DoD and Superman had a productive working relationship for many years until Anderson became the liaison. When Anderson's scheme to force Superman to capitulate goes sideways, as it almost certainly will, Anderson will be the obvious scapegoat.

I found the domestic drama more compelling this week than the Superman stuff, even though Superman saving that Siberian village from an avalanche was undeniably thrilling.

The show has done a good job of making Kyle Cushing a deeply flawed man without making him evil. He could have dug his hole deeper this week by being an asshole, but he did the best he could given the betrayal he is guilty of. When Lana questioned him about the affair, he answered honestly. And when she asked him to leave, he did.

I really liked Lana's conversation with Clark at the diner, too. He was a good friend to her in that scene. When Lana asked him what he would do if Lois cheated on him, he didn't dismiss the question by insisting she never would -- even though it's true. He took the question seriously, and he answered honestly. He made sure Lana knew he was available to lean on, but also respected her need for space.

Jonathan and Jordan's conflict over the X-Kryptonite is really about the fact that Jordan has innate powers and Jonathan (so far) doesn't. Jonathan's seeing all of these doors open for Jordan that are closed to him, and that has to eat away at him even though he's tried to be mature about it.

Even though their detente lasted less than an episode, it was nice to see what Lucy is like when her and Lois aren't clashing. This episode gave us glimpses of the warmth and humor that Dewan brought to the "Supergirl" iteration of Lucy Lane.

The opening flashback to the Bizarro world was fascinating. It looked like all of the writing was backward, just like the El family crest on Bizarro Superman's shield. Lots of other things are inversed, too; the yellow sun weakens Bizarro Superman while green Kryptonite gives him strength. His Earth apparently has a red sun, so our Superman would like be powerless over there. Bizarro Superman has already lost way more than our Superman, with the Kent Farm mostly destroying and at least half of his family dead. His conflict with the military, which played out almost identically to Superman's ambush at the end of this episode, appears to have come much earlier.

 

[jayembee]

When Anderson pulled his crap on Superman, I was going "What?!?!?!"

I don't think he realized that his CO is going to be even more pissed at him by his being disingenuous about exactly who he was referring to as "the rogue Kryptonian" that she OK'd his plan for. Or he did realize it, but figures that if it ends in Superman giving him the location of Bizarro, the ends will justify the means.

 

[Garysb]

Since the people on the alternate Earth seem to have normal faces except for Bizarro will it be the inhaler that Bizarro takes causing the facial features? Then will the same thing happen to Jonathan, who is using? Perhaps the side effect only happens to people from Krypton. Though we haven't seen the quarterback that Jonathan replaced. Maybe it has happened to him.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It was gratifying that the show understood that Anderson had crossed lines that he couldn't come back from; some of the other Arrowverse shows have had a tendency to let bad people get away with doing bad things because the plot required it.

Tal-Rho made a good point about Superman's trust in America's military after all of this. The top brass understood that making Superman their enemy was untenable in the long-term, and putting it all on Anderson was a way to make the problem go away. But Anderson couldn't have done what he did without the support of the top brass. And I think Superman understands that, too. But Tal-Rho needs to be kept somewhere safe and secure, and the DoD facility is the best place for that. And Superman is extraordinarily even-tempered. He's not going to let his own feelings of betrayal and mistreatment get in the way of doing what's right. He doesn't want a war with America's military, or any unnecessary conflict that distracts from addressing the problem at hand.

Unfortunately for everybody, Anderson has convinced himself that Superman is his enemy. And so he has convinced himself that the enemy of his enemy, Ally Allston, must be his friend. And so he's done exactly the wrong thing. I do hope he realizes just how spectacularly he's screwed up before his ticket gets punched.

Jonathan sacrificing his own future to protect Candice is stupid but very in-character for the type of person he is. He knows why she is doing what she's doing, and knows that she has more at stake than just expulsion. All of that being said, I don't see how that secret stays secret for long; Candice has been selling to a lot of students, and it only takes one for the authorities to track her down.

Sarah not feeling like she could talk to Jordan about what she's going through speaks to the cost of protecting the Kent family's Kryptonian heritage. All Sarah sees is the seemingly perfect marriage of Lois and Clark; she couldn't know that at that time Jordan didn't know when or if he'd see his father again either. I figured Sarah would reach out to Natalie, who also has a parent who is out of the picture. But strangely, she's been completely off-camera since John Henry Irons was hospitalized. The upside to her reaching out to her summer crush, who is a child of divorce, is that we see Sarah take responsibility for her choices. Lana is a good person, and we see Sarah trying to model herself after her mother's good example.

Speaking of Lana: I love that Lois went to Lana for parenting advice, and I love that Lana was able to be there for her as a resource even with everything that's going on in her own marriage. And I really liked the diner scene, where Lana called out Mayor Dean with nothing but facts. Being a small town where everybody knows everybody's secrets cuts both ways. They've all been talking about Kyle's infidelity, but now they'll all also be talking about how cruel Mayor Dean was when Lana and her family were already hurting.

Sarah's friend gave her good advice about not shutting her father out. Kyle's actions hurt all of them, but he's still her father. Erik Valdez was great in that one brief scene, his gratitude and relief when Sarah let him in. It helps too that Lana is not the kind of spiteful spouse who would try to turn the kids against their father. Whether Kyle and Lana are able to mend their relationship, she definitely wants her girls to have a good relationship with their father. It's a sign of Kyle's growth, too, that he didn't turn back to the bottle or blame everybody else for his mistakes. He's owning his shit, and dealing with the consequences.

It sucks that next week is a repeat, but at least it's only one week.

 

[NeilO]

Unfortunately for everybody, Anderson has convinced himself that Superman is his enemy. And so he has convinced himself that the enemy of his enemy, Ally Allston, must be his friend. And so he's done exactly the wrong thing. I do hope he realizes just how spectacularly he's screwed up before his ticket gets punched.
...

It sucks that next week is a repeat, but at least it's only one week.

Anderson is definitely one of the stupidest people on Earth right now. His paranoia just took him round the bend.

Really good episode in all. I was thinking that Anderson didn't have a chance against Bizarro, especially after he gave him a jolt of kryptonite. I guess he figured out that didn't have the desired effect and that the XK would would reverse it. So, maybe he wasn't that stupid in that particular case.

I really would like to see the next episode right now, but we are probably only about halfway through the season, assuming there are 15 episodes again. So, plenty of more episodes to see it play out.

 

[David Weicker]

Anderson is definitely one of the stupidest people on Earth right now. His paranoia just took him round the bend.

Really good episode in all. I was thinking that Anderson didn't have a chance against Bizarro, especially after he gave him a jolt of kryptonite. I guess he figured out that didn't have the desired effect and that the XK would would reverse it. So, maybe he wasn't that stupid in that particular case.

I really would like to see the next episode right now, but we are probably only about halfway through the season, assuming there are 15 episodes again. So, plenty of more episodes to see it play out.

I would have liked to have seen a scene with the General. It was unclear if Anderson actually had permission to do what he did, or if he was just lying to Superman and the soldiers beneath him.

<Edit>
One other thing I would have liked to see.
When Superman tried to tell Anderson about Ally, and Anderson said "I don't care", I wanted Superman to say (these exact words) - "are you really that f***ing STUPID? Are you that incompetent at your job"
Granted, hearing Superman use the F word would be a shock, but it would have been warranted. And idiots on TV don't get called out enough.

 

[NeilO]

As expected, Superman & Lois is renewed for a new season.

‘All American,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Flash,’ ‘Walker’ Among Seven Early Renewals at CW

“All American,” “The Flash,” “Kung Fu,” “Nancy Drew,” “Riverdale,” “Superman & Lois” and “Walker” have all been renewed at The CW. “As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, these scripted series, …

variety.com

 

[NeilO]

Another good episode tonight. I am wondering whether Anderson is out for power for power's sake or whether he actually thinks he going "undercover" and will attempt to eliminate the threat. No idea how Lucy thinks she thinks she is going to safely accomplish her objective.

The preview for next week was really bad. It doesn't lead from this episode at all. It appears to jump a decent distance in the plot. It may be only a little bit into the next episode but there would seem to be some critical steps missing from this to that.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Clark being the doppelganger of the man who killed Natalie's mother has been the elephant in the room all season. It was nice to see that addressed head on. It's a super-surreal circumstance, and it's understandable that just seeing Clark triggers her trauma even though he had nothing to do with it. She knows that in her head, but she doesn't feel it in her heart. But Clark is Clark: empathetic, kind, and unfailingly respectful. It was also a nice moment to take stock of how far his relationship with John Henry has come since he was introduced as the first Big Bad in the series premiere. He believes that Clark can win Natalie over because Clark won him over, and wants that because Natalie feeling comfortable and at home with the Kents means that she has more than just him to rely on.

I loved the rental Clark found them; it's perfectly in keeping with the show's faded Americana aesthetic, but with that massive garage/machine shop it also feels like the perfect home base for Steel.

Kyle helping Lana prep for the election was unexpected. As tense and fraught as their relationship is at the moment, I appreciated that they're both being adults about it. Kyle clearly wants to win her back, but he's not pushing her too hard on that front. And Lana is establishing some clear boundaries. And they're doing their best not to put Sarah and Sophie in the middle of it.

I also like the fallout from Jonathan getting caught with Candice's inhalers. Clark feels Jonathan's behavior is indicative of a lack of integrity, but in reality the opposite is true. He's doing what he thinks is right, and he's accepting the consequences of his choice. At the same time, way too many people know about Candice's role for the truth to not come out eventually.

I was glad that Jordan tried to still make the meetup with Sarah and her friend; the whole altercation with the jerk in road was over in a couple of minutes, so he had plenty of time to make it back. It would have been better if he had gone into the diner, even with the cuts and bruises, but I can understand why he didn't think so.

Another good episode tonight. I am wondering whether Anderson is out for power for power's sake or whether he actually thinks he going "undercover" and will attempt to eliminate the threat.

I think Anderson is so enraged at Superman than he isn't thinking clearly at all. He went to Ally because Superman warned him about her, and his logic was that if Superman didn't trust her than she must be trustworthy. Then she showed him the shadow realm, so he knew she wasn't full of shit. But, judging by his actions this week, he's not content to play second fiddle to Ally.

No idea how Lucy thinks she thinks she is going to safely accomplish her objective.

She's full on brainwashed at this point. Nobody is going to convince her to turn her back on Ally. She's going to have to come to that realization for herself. That being said, she is the daughter of the commanding officer of the facility holding Ally. She can get places that others maybe can't.

Which raises the question of why Sam Lane is still in charge of the mission, given his obvious conflict of interest. It made sense to reinstate him temporarily; the DoD knew Superman trusted him, and they needed Superman's trust after the fiasco with Anderson. But after what happened in the interrogation room, someone should have red flagged that whole situation.

The preview for next week was really bad. It doesn't lead from this episode at all. It appears to jump a decent distance in the plot. It may be only a little bit into the next episode but there would seem to be some critical steps missing from this to that.

I thought it was bizarre too. However, based on the title and synopsis for next week's episode:

Spoiler: Speculation regarding 2x09

The title of the episode is "30 Days and 30 Nights" and takes us right up through Election Day. So I'm guessing that Clark goes missing early in the episode, and then there are one or more time jumps to cover the intervening time.

As expected, Superman & Lois is renewed for a new season.

‘All American,’ ‘Riverdale,’ ‘Flash,’ ‘Walker’ Among Seven Early Renewals at CW

“All American,” “The Flash,” “Kung Fu,” “Nancy Drew,” “Riverdale,” “Superman & Lois” and “Walker” have all been renewed at The CW. “As we prepare for the 2022-23 season, these scripted series, …

variety.com

Great news, but as you note, not really a surprise. This next season might be The CW's last season in its current format, since Paramount and WarnerMedia are looking to sell the network, but of the remaining Arrowverse shows this one is the closest to a slam dunk. Even if it doesn't get renewed at The CW, I would think HBO Max would pick it up as an original.

 

[jayembee]

I was glad that Jordan tried to still make the meetup with Sarah and her friend; the whole altercation with the jerk in road was over in a couple of minutes, so he had plenty of time to make it back. It would have been better if he had gone into the diner, even with the cuts and bruises, but I can understand why he didn't think so.

I dunno. He could've told her the truth (but not the whole truth), that his brother was in trouble with some dickhead, and he needed to help him. Unless he thought that that info might've gotten around -- or at least gotten back to Lois & Clark -- and posed more questions than the Fraternals (I still get a kick out of that name!) wanted to answer.

 

[NeilO]

I dunno. He could've told her the truth (but not the whole truth), that his brother was in trouble with some dickhead, and he needed to help him. Unless he thought that that info might've gotten around -- or at least gotten back to Lois & Clark -- and posed more questions than the Fraternals (I still get a kick out of that name!) wanted to answer.

Yes, that would have been a better decision, but in the heat of the moment he wasn't thinking clearly enough, so it is understandable. Though if they started asking questions about where it was his brother was in trouble, it might have gotten a lot more complicated quickly.

 

[TJPC]

You know, I like this show and have watched every episode, but I do really wish they could turn down the " teenage angst". That coupled with marriage problems etc. always threaten to turn a super hero show into a soap opera, which is definitely not what I watch the show for. It is not called "John and Marsha and Superman"!

 

[Garysb]

I am disappointed that next week is apparently a Superman light episode like the Barry light episodes on "The Flash". He will probably be in the first and last scenes of the episode. I think I prefer they film fewer episodes if the lead needs a break.

I don't know if Lana will win her election. I can see it go ether way. The underdog coming from behind to win by being true to herself or losing but knowing that she was honest and true to herself. Storywise I don't know what Lana being mayor would lead to or how it would relate to the Kent family.

I have a bit of a problem with the idea that people doing bad things for good reasons somehow makes what they did understandable. That Jonathan is protecting his girlfriend because of her family situation and that makes her, if not a good person, explains her motivation instead of just a drug dealer selling to kids, I have trouble with this. That is horrible no matter what her situation is. Kids have died taking her drug though I don't think they have shown any of the kids she sold dying. Hopefully this doesn't end with the Fraternals saving her from the drug dealers and her agreeing to testify against them in exchange for a lenient sentence.