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

[Garysb]

And of course, this episode shows that this show is on its own. Otherwise there would be heroes from all the other connected shows trying to help out.

Maybe when the merger gets stopped/undone it somehow pushes "Superman and Lois" into the Arrowverse proper. Of course, at this stage after all the cancelations, there might not be much reason to do it.

As the main villian for the season Allie has had very little screen time. She just sends other people to do her dirty work. Lucy Lane should have been in this episode after the large part she played in the prior episode. Her disappearence again kind of shows off the budget restictions on the show.

 

[NeilO]

In case anyone had any lingering doubts - they explicitly stated in the finale that other worlds have "leagues of superheroes there. We only have Superman."

I am perfectly happy with that situation. If they want to have Superman appear in The Flash or another show, they have their own version of him to use. This series so far works better on its own.

As far as the final in of itself, I enjoyed it and am glad that they left a good amount of time in the episode to wrap up some personal issues of many of the characters.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The whole Ally Allston storyline has been muddled, and this wrap up was no exception. The rules of the merge and of Ally's powers were never really clearly established, so it was hard to understand the stakes of what was going on.

That being said, if you have a whole bunch of nonsense that doesn't make a lot of sense, having Superman save the day by spinning the world really fast has a beloved history.

Seeing Superman recharge inside the sun was really cool. On the other hand, there wasn't really a lot of suspense; if it hadn't worked, he would have been vaporized long before getting that close. And probably suffocated long before that.

I liked the effects and the consequences of the worlds starting to merge, with people getting tossed back and forth between the two worlds. There was some real pathos there, like Kyle being trapped on the other side, and Bizarro Lois seeing the happy family that could have been.

In case anyone had any lingering doubts - they explicitly stated in the finale that other worlds have "leagues of superheroes there. We only have Superman."

What's strange about that is that only a couple minutes later, Diggle stops by the diner with intel from Argus. And explicitly references the aftermath of Crisis.

From what showrunner Todd Helbing told TVLine, the original plan for the show was to be heavily integrated with the rest of the Arrowverse, and the original script for the pilot had a number of references to the other heroes. But then COVID made crossovers impossible, and the lack of interconnection became more and more untenable.

So they ultimately decided to set this show in its own universe, one of the many that spun off when the multiverse rebooted after Crisis. This universe and the Arrowverse both have a Superman who looks like Tyler Hoechlin, a Lois Lane who looks like Bitsie Tulloch, a Lucy Lane who looks like Jenna Dewan, and a John Diggle who works for ARGUS and looks like David Ramsey.

But that's it. In the Arrowverse, Sam Lane looks like Glenn Morshower rather than Dylan Walsh. Kara never became Supergirl: Maybe she never existed. Maybe she didn't survive the destruction of Krypton. Or maybe she's still a 12-year-old in stasis, trapped in the Phantom Zone.

I am perfectly happy with that situation. If they want to have Superman appear in The Flash or another show, they have their own version of him to use. This series so far works better on its own.

The Arrowverse is DC's most successful and well-executed live action shared universe to date, even though it was largely made on a shoestring budget.

But it's down to just "The Flash" now, and next season is probably going to be that show's last. So the benefits of being part of a shared universe aren't what they were a few years ago.

And by not being part of the shared universe, they're not beholden to any of the storytelling choices made by the other series (which have gotten increasingly questionable in recent years), nor the other series' casting choices.

If they want to bring back the same actor to play this universe's version of the character, like with Lucy Lane and John Diggle, they can. But if they want to bring in somebody new, or take the character in a completely different direction, they can do that too.

I loved Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor, one of the few bright spots of the pretty abysmal later seasons of "Supergirl". But if they want to do something completely different with Superman's greatest nemesis, they can.

Likewise with Supergirl. In a few seasons, when the show is looking to revitalize the family element after Jonathan, Jordan, and Natalie have graduated high school, a preteen Kara can crash land in the Kents' corn field and be raised by her cousin as a surrogate daughter.

As far as the final in of itself, I enjoyed it and am glad that they left a good amount of time in the episode to wrap up some personal issues of many of the characters.

Definitely. I always like it when finales save the whole second half to provide real resolution, rather than just rushing things in the final minute or so.

I'm glad that John Henry and Natalie are sticking around, and that John Henry's storyline is a way of leading us into Intergang.

I'm glad that Clark and Lana are back to being friends, and that Sarah and Jordan can give their relationship a shot without other peoples' secrets getting in between them.

I loved the resolution for Tal-Rho. He'd burned too many bridges to be rehabilitated on this Earth, but the Bizarro world had an opening for a new Superman. But he'd better figure out a way to adapt to the red sun.

The new Fortress is interesting -- was the icy one destroyed, or just too full of bad memories at this point? -- and I'm glad that he wants Lois and Jonathan to be involved with it too. Jordan inherited his powers and Natalie built her suit. Maybe the Kryptonian technology Clark mentioned will allow Jonathan to find a middle ground for some superheroics of his own.

 

[Garysb]

I agree there was no benifit for the show to be set on the same Earth as the Arrowverse when only The Flash is left on that Earth and hopefully just for one more season. They also don't have to explain why Superman and Lois have teenage twins when during the last crossover they had one baby. I think this also solves the problem of Supergirl using so many Superman characters. If they choose Superman and Lois can do their own version of say Toyman or Mxyzptlk or even the Legion of Superheroes with Jordan joining.

Even if Covid hadn't made crossovers impossible I think they had run their course. In my opinion the best was Crisis on Earth X. The others after that pailed by comparison. Sorry to say the best part of Crisis on Infinite Earths was the title flashing on screen at the end of the previous crossover, Identity Crisis.

I don't see any downside and plenty of upside.

Adam the idea of a teen Kara coming to Earth when Jonathan and Jordan grow up and can no longer be convincing as teenagers is genious. I hope the show lasts that long and most important, the quality continues. The biggest problem with all the Arrowverse shows that I watch is how bad the writing gets the longer a show is on. Perhaps they should be limited to 5 years. I will scream at the TV if a character mentions leveling up on The Flash season finale.

 

[jayembee]

[Scene: Clark throws his magic crystal out into the water, and a new Fortress of Solitude (or should that now be "Fortress of Four-titude"?) starts erupting from the sea.]

My wife: "Doesn't he know that everyone will be able to see his Fortress on Google Earth?"

(I did point out the same would've been true of his previous Fortress.)

 

[NeilO]

[Scene: Clark throws his magic crystal out into the water, and a new Fortress of Solitude (or should that now be "Fortress of Four-titude"?) starts erupting from the sea.]

My wife: "Doesn't he know that everyone will be able to see his Fortress on Google Earth?"

(I did point out the same would've been true of his previous Fortress.)

I was going to say that there might not be any Google Earth on his Earth, but that is irrelevant.

As long as they have the equivalent of the GOES or Landsat series of satellites, one of them will see it. (Not to mention any DoD satellites.)

 

[TJPC]

When I was reading comics, the FOS also had a gigantic arrow like key pointing to it!

 

[Garysb]

Since the Nexstar has purchased 75% of the CW and has announced they will focus on cheaper programming then original scripted series, I guess it is time to be concerned as to if "Superman and Lois "will continue after next season.The CW will be the home of reality shows and scripted shows produced for other countries, which are cheaper. TNT and TBS are ending their scripted series so they don't appear to be a place for the show to move if the CW cancels it. HBOMax is merging with Discovery+ so who knows what that will look like in a year .

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Since the Nexstar has purchased 75% of the CW and has announced they will focus on cheaper programming then original scripted series, I guess it is time to be concerned as to if "Superman and Lois "will continue after next season.The CW will be the home of reality shows and scripted shows produced for other countries, which are cheaper. TNT and TBS are ending their scripted series so they don't appear to be a place for the show to move if the CW cancels it. HBOMax is merging with Discovery+ so who knows what that will look like in a year .

The logical choice would be to make it an HBO Max original. The question is whether the Discovery leadership will allow one of the big three DC heroes to be on a direct-to-streaming TV show instead of blockbuster feature films.

Glad we're guaranteed one more season, at least.

In other grim news, Jonathan Kent is being recast after Jordan Elsass left the series for 'personal reasons'

 

[Garysb]

Jonathan Kent to be recast in Season 3. Jordan Elsass Exits Series. I was sorry to read this. I hope he is OK. Apparently people who follow him on instagram say he has been open about mental health issues. Glad he is taking the time to get well.

‘Superman & Lois’ Recasting Jonathan Kent as Jordan Elsass Exits Series

The role of Jonathan Kent will be recast on the CW series, which is adapted from DC Comics characters.

variety.com

 

[Garysb]

Jordan Elsass comments on his leaving "Superman and Lois."

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Thanks for sharing that. He's absolutely doing what he needs to do to get himself well, but you can definitely see the guilt he feels for letting down his fans and the people who have rooted his career on. I don't know if contract issues played any role in his departure, but it sounds like he's enjoyed making the show and was pumped to go back before everything started to get away from him.

 

[Garysb]

Since the Nexstar has purchased 75% of the CW and has announced they will focus on cheaper programming then original scripted series, I guess it is time to be concerned as to if "Superman and Lois "will continue after next season.The CW will be the home of reality shows and scripted shows produced for other countries, which are cheaper. TNT and TBS are ending their scripted series so they don't appear to be a place for the show to move if the CW cancels it. HBOMax is merging with Discovery+ so who knows what that will look like in a year .

Some not good though not unexpected news. Mark Pedowitz Chairman and CEO of the CW has left the company. Other executives will probably follow.

Per Deadline"

Now Pedowitz’s exit marks the beginning of the end of the CW as we know it — a full-fledged broadcast network built on original scripted series — with observers expecting it to eventually resemble outlets like myNetworkTV or Pax. Other CW executive departures and layoffs are likely as the new owners start to implement their plans.

Mark Pedowitz Exits As Chairman & CEO Of The CW As Nexstar Acquisition Closes

Mark Pedowitz is stepping down as Chairman and CEO of the CW after eleven and a half years at the helm of the broadcast network, one of the longest tenures ever in network television. The move come…

deadline.com

So long CW.