Spoilers "Superman & Lois" Season 2

This is the perfect show to do Death of Superman. Just how the rest of the family grieves and copes with Clark's death is going to make for good drama. I'm already looking forward to, yet dreading, the fallout. Lois I assume will try to keep the clan together and come off strong but start to crack. Jordan especially will take it hard coupled with whatever happens with Sarah, and Jonathan I could see rebelling in some fashion maybe turning from the loyal son/sibling he's been to someone more distant and wanting nothing to do with all the superheroics that comes with being a Kent.

On the superhero side, I assume this is where John Henry adopts the crest and cape to honor Superman. Hell, this could be what spurs Jordan to take on a Superboy persona. The back half of the season, or perhaps in season 3 could be Steel and Superboy vs the DOD's Team Superman for the battle of what it means to be Superman. Then of course there are the wild cards of the Eradictor and potentially Cyborg Superman as well.

 

I really don't want Jordan to become Superboy. Two crime fighters is enough in Superman and Irons.

 

Hmm, maybe, but so soon? It's only the second season. That seems like something that should be saved for later in the run.

Besides, that grieving and coping would be kind of cheapened if we know it's going to be reversed. Plus you couldn't exactly have the lead actor of the show absent for any length of time.

Here's a thought -- everyone expects the Doomsday story to lead to Superman's death, so wouldn't it be cool if they faked us out and had it turn out differently this time?

 

Maybe. I felt Slade Wilson coming back as Deathstroke in season 2 of Arrow was too soon and it turned out ok. There are so many Superman stories to adapt that, while this one is largely popular, it's far from the one that necessarily needs to be saved for later. Like I mentioned this could potentially be a storyline that plays into season 3 if they want to go that route.

If Tyler Hoechlin plays the Eradicator and/or Cyborg Superman he can still appear with Clark remaining dead for a while.

Faking out Superman's death gives me major flashbacks to how Smallville mishandled the whole Doomsday storyline. But you're right, given the show's track record, I do expect there to be some sort of twist on Doomsday and the big fight. Not sure what would pack a more emotional punch than Clark biting it, if even temporarily. One of the twins? John Henry?

 

Except we've already had versions of those characters in the Arrowverse. Although Hank Henshaw/the Cyborg was on pre-Crisis Earth-38, and wasn't satisfyingly handled anyway. I guess they could have someone other than Henshaw take on the Cyborg identity, but still, given how differently they've handled most of the Reign characters, I doubt they'd do anything as simple as a one-to-one adaptation.

The Doomsday storyline was dumb to begin with, so changing it can only be an improvement. I found Davis Bloome, a character with actual personality and motivation played by a superb actor, far more satisfying than some brainless (in both character and concept) slab of muscle and bone that couldn't do anything but roar and punch. The only thing Smallville did wrong was rushing the final transformation/battle, which was due to budget limitations.

Character death is the laziest, easiest way to create pathos. Especially when you know it's going to be reversed.

 

Who cares? We're getting what the producers say is a different Lucy Lane (same actor) which they're explicitly attributing in interviews to Crisis. We've had a different Morgan Edge, etc.

The Arrowverse is utterly irrelevant in reasonable expectation-setting for this show. They use any of it that they want, and ignore what they don't want to repeat.

 

Honestly, if Sam Witwer came back as Doomsday in some form I wouldn't be opposed. He definitely got the short shaft with his character's arc on Smallville.

 

Witwer is a fantastic actor, but a voice like his deserves to be used for a subtler character than Doomsday. If you can even call Doomsday a character. He's got as much personality as a big boulder falling on the hero.

 

Are they seriously doing a cult story? And with a character related to Lois no less.
That seems in poor taste.
Which each passing episode it seems less and less likely this episode is related to the ArrowVerse. I know it is but the show makes it hard to see it. That scene where the guy says Superman will have to do it alone. We know the JL is a thing. He could just ask them to help.

 

Why?

Good.

 

With all the stuff with Alison Mack. Just seems very on the nose

 

Uh, she was an actor on some other show fifteen years ago.

Most people have never heard of her.

 

An actor who was on another popular Superman show who had a highly publicised scandal.

 

Not really.

 

Superman and Lois
Season 2 - Episode 2 - "The Ties That Bind"

Clark/SM / Lois: SM visits Edge in the hope of having his visions interpreted, but he should have taken a step back in asking Edge about the Eradication process. Being saved by Anderson's "Ulti-kids" from a man using some all-too convenient X-Kryptonite gas just screams of Anderson screw-turning to publicly discredit SM.

The Lara "hope and regret" business...ehh, its sort of a wasted sub-plot, since Edge is a completely unsympathetic character, and who did not see his "I have no powers" being a lie? Despite what holo-mommy said about the value of Edge bringing SM to her, his actions from the previous season is the opposite of anyone having a good side. Yeah. He's a menace, not some fallen angel. A betting man would lay it all on his making a b-line to the creature in the mines.

Irons / Natalie: Introduced as consistently sullen, Natalie perked up a bit too quickly after 7 seconds of a conversation with Sarah (SEE THE JORDAN/SARAH ENTRY).

Staring at Lois AKA here we go again, and yes, it was telegraphed since the end of season one: Irons--despite saying he was "over" seeing Lois-prime as his wife--is beginning to fantasize again. Now that he's in the same house with her was--in so shock to anyone--a very bad idea, especially at a time when SM is neck-deep in his own problems. He says he will "....make the adjustment". ...we will see....

Chrissy: She was on the ethical side of things in questioning Lois' personal connection to the guru story, and despite Lucy being the unnamed source who stabbed Lois in the back, Lois will likely be forced to choose a side: her dedication to exposing a criminal, or Lucy.

Dr. Faulkner: Amertek mining X-Kryptonite...the creature finally breaking out of the earth...Dr. Faulkner leaning a bit too hard in the open P.R. act, and later revealed as being fully aware of the creature / reporting its potential to someone....yeah, this too was pretty predictable. The only shock revelation would be Faulkner's benefactor being Luthor, instead of Anderson (who was the audience's pick for the person on the other end of the phone).

Lt. Mitch Anderson / Threat Reduction Agency: SM should have known Anderson would not even blink about using the "barely 18" Tag as one of his soldiers; from the "either you're with us, or.." kind of conversations he's had with Anderson, he could be so clueless to think a government agency would see and use teens as assets.

Sam Lane: Back in the picture next week.

Jonathan / Candace: He's become well adjusted thanks to a social life he once thought was left in Metropolis. He believes the once lazy teammate is taking steroids due to his sudden gains in strength. After what Jonathan has experienced, steroids should not be the first thing he suspects...

Jordan/Sarah: Well Jordan is yesterday's news in Sarah's life; despite her last second invite for Jordan to help work on her car, he was wise enough to sense that things are going south.

As suspected, Jordan wanted to leap head-first into the spandex profession (or at least act back-up) as a way of getting his mind off of Sarah (i.e. attempting to bury emotions such as a broken heart).

Take note of his "You're his mother" reply to the Lara hologram. Tal-Edge--hearing that--could use that to his advantage down the road, even after Jordan almost lost his life to him.

The "secret" Sarah spoke of...just about everyone could see that coming, and Jordan's reaction was quite natural: first, a moment of confusion, then heartache and finally, a sense of betrayal--shutting her out. How this impacts life for the teens at school is anyone's guess...unless things grow more complicated with what is intended to be suspected about Natalie.

Expect Jordan to press Clark about training to be his sidekick, since he really has nothing else as a focus in his life. Still, he was a bit too impressed with himself after standing up to Tal-Edge, so that could lead to Jordan making a serious mistake.

Lana/Kyle/Sarah: It was fairly obvious that Hart dropping out of the race for mayor was going to lead to Lana running. One can only hope that the Cushings being thrust into the political ring will not lead to a replay of season one's martial strife.

NOTES:
As noted, so much of this episode's plots could be seen coming a mile away. One might argue being so up-front with the season's arcs so early is the best way to hook viewers, but some of the plots could have been allowed to grow over another episode or two.

SM punching Edge's face was the best moment of the series so far. Hopefully, Edge will take his uncompromising evil to a level that he will leave SM with one, rational choice--and its not sibling bonding moments.

Laughable CG Superman body tossed around. ....and SM really needs another suit sans the padding and airbrushed muscle shadows.

GRADE: B.

 

So she kissed a girl, but did she like it?

 

The Crisis accounts for any change to Lucy Lane’s backstory. It’s the same actress. They didn’t recast like they did for Edge. I’m not sure why if they’re changing her that they didn’t recast.

 

The several attempts to adapt it have left me cold as well, but an ongoing show may be the place that can get it right. The Doomsday fight in Death of Superman was just a big fight to get to the heart of the story: Funeral for a Friend with the world and supporting cast mourning Superman showing his importance, then Reign of Superman with the mystery of how he was being brought back. The movies have all had to give those elements short shrift due to time constraints, but a TV show can let that breathe far easier. It's almost a shame the show feels as disconnected from the wider CWverse as it does, as it'd be great to feel the effects on the characters in the other shows.

Ah yes: when the mindless monster was an EMT and the unstoppable killing machine was taken out by flying it into an abandoned factory really fast.

 

I guess it depends if she likes Cherry chapstick.

 

I don't know. I immediately thought of Alison Mack when they started talking cults. And, yes, I winced a bit.

SMALLVILLE isn't just some random show from years ago. It's the longest-running Superman TV series to date, running 10 seasons and 217 episodes, and Chloe Sullivan was a very popular character. It's not unreasonable to assume that Superman fans are familiar with it -- as well as Alison Mack's infamous involvement with a sex-slave cult.

Which doesn't necessarily mean that the whole topic is off-limits, but, yes, I was a little surprised that this new Superman show (on the same network as SMALLVILLE) went there.