Spoilers "Superman & Lois" Season 2

So the only active hero in Superman's universe is now Flash? Or... (feel free to spoil Supergirl's ending for me)

Is the Berlantiverse winding down?

 

I see it otherwise. The only previous live-action Superman show that had him in a shared universe with other heroes was Smallville in its later seasons, and we never actually got to see him as Superman there. So I want S&L to connect to the rest of the Arrowverse, because that's something we haven't seen in a Superman show before. I love the sense of community and connection in a shared superhero universe, and I feel Superman should ideally be part of that, since he's the archetype of the whole genre.

 

Seems like.

As for the ending of Supergirl, she's still out there and active, though S&L seems determined not to acknowledge her existence, no way, no how, not ever. For all that I don't need the larger Arrowverse cluttering this show, I would like to see Benoist, or Cryer, or Mehcad Brooks drop by.

Helbing has said we'll get clarification on just how S&L relates to the Arrowverse by the end of this season -- which suggests it's something other than simply, "It's part of the Arrowverse," which wouldn't really require further explanation.

Yep, I know, and I think we've addressed this disagreement before. Bottom line, I'm a fan of Superman and his supporting cast, not so much of the DC universe as a whole, and so all that other stuff is just an unwelcome distraction for me.

 

I hope that the recent culling doesn't mean this show gets the axe too...

 

It's already been renewed for a third season.

 

The thing that is weird for me is not only the avoidance of mentioning Kara, but also the fact that stuff that should be the same, like the Fortress of Solitude, is different. It just feels at times like they're purposefully ignoring or even contradicting Supergirl.

I really enjoyed the episode. I also get a kick out of alternate universe stories, especially ones like this that really go in the opposite direction of the primary world.
The hair, makeup, and costume people must have had an absolute blast coming with all of the gothy looks they gave everyone.
I did get a kick out the cubed earth, that a surprise.
I knew the moment Anderson learned about Superman's family, and apologized that he was doomed.

 

At one point I was wondering if Bizarro Jordan was gonna have any lines or whether his role in the episode was just to stand there with a miserable goth look going on.

Another nod/inside joke I spotted was the WB water tower but it was upside down.

 

That was the point where I was hoping he'd become an ally in the DoD like Sam had been. After all, the era of "everyone who learns the secret identity must die" is long over; these days, secret identities are kind of a dying trope (and deservedly so) and most superhero shows and films have lots of people in on the heroes' identities, if not everyone.

 

Yeah, but the way the whole thing was playing out just felt to me like it was building up to his sacrifice, which was exactly what happened.

 

And that's one more reason I dislike what the show did with his character. I hate the idea that death equals redemption. It's woefully cliched, if nothing else.

 

Only 2 seasons to tell Lana the secret. That’s a new record, but then again, that’s like season 31 in comparison.
I imagine the dynamic is going to change. She will probably want Sarah away from Jordan now.

 

Superman and Lois
Season 2 - Episode 11 - "Truth and Consequences"

Jonathan / Alt-Jonathan: Alt sees prime. Alt mouths off. and tries to merge with prime, but SM returns to stop the merger. Oh, Jordan tried to defend his brother, but is outclassed on the power / skill scale by Alt. Alt escapes, playing cat-and-mouse with SM.

Sarah/Lana: Lana is disturbed by Clark's recent behavior, telling Sarah that there's always been a side of him that was not always there. Sarah adds Jordan seems to share this personality issue. Feeling Sarah is ready for a car of her own, Lana (and Kyle) believe she's ready to have a car of her own.

Jonathan / Alt-Jonathan: The following day, he visits the Cushing home, giving Sarah a creepy, disrespectful vibe (as she drives off in the car her parents gifted to her). Alt finds and attacks Lana, knocking her out.

Clark/SM: Clark tries to mend fences with Jonathan after recent events; thanks to the partial merger with Alt, Jonathan suffers from a painful mix of a seizure and visions of a life not his own. Clark hunts down Alt, but loses track of him when Lana runs into him.

Clark has to drill the all-too obvious fact that contrary to Jonathan's accusation of Clark not being honest about who he is, Clark keeping his other side a secret protects Jonathan (SEE NOTES). Later as Clark learns Lana has been kidnapped by Alt, prime Jonathan--once again--rants about Clark's reason for keeping his secret.

Several pointless debates later, SM flies to an abandoned slaughterhouse where Lana is being held; Alt triggers an explosion which sends Kryptonite shards into SM, allowing the teen to stab SM with another piece of Kryptonite (SEE NOTES)..Alt leaves, not only anticipating the arrival of Alt-Lana, but to finish merging with his prime half, only to be blocked by Jordan.

Speaking of Alt-Lana, she makes her way to earth-prime to confront Irons and his daughter. Alt-Lana easily defeats the two, nearly nearly crushing Iron's head, until she's stabbed in the shoulder by Natalie wielding a shard of X-K, sending the alt-Lana back into the portal.

Prime Lana picks the Kryptonite out of SM, allowing m to regain his strength and chase after Alt...who is engaged in a fight with Jordan--the latter being on the losing end of it, but I guess something called plot convenience allows Jordan to find some inspiration to beat down Alt, just as SM arrives on the scene.

Lois: Lois tries to get Jordan to remember that Sarah's accusations (of his not being available) are not truly his fault--that he has more on his plate which needs to be dealt with, even if Sarah does not understand. That said, she suggests Jordan write a real letter--expressing his feelings in a way that texting will not.

Jordan: "Why were you talking to Sarah?" Oh, for---the angst just overflows from CW series. Anyway, Lois has to apologize for talking to Sarah without her child's approval (yeah...get that). Sarah shows up, believing something's happened to her mother; Lois suggests she goes back to her mother's office to wait, but not before Jordan tries to give her the letter Sarah flat out rejects the letter, leaving Jordan more embittered than ever.

Clark/Lana: After making an assbrained decision with the approval of his family, Clark revels his secret to Lana. Smooth sailing from this point forward, right?

NOTES:

The entire "plot" centered on the ever-idiotic notion that its A-ok for a superhero to reveal his true identity to anyone (and by association, the world). Superheroes... you know, the people who usually have a world (or universe) of enemies that would waste no time victimizing anyone close to the hero's civilian ID the second they were aware of the secret?

Not once did this episode feature even a particle of mature, reason-based arguments for exposing the secret of all secrets to anyone outside of the Kent family (or special circumstances such as Sam and Irons). In fact, its the behavior of the Kent teens--their willingness to tell anyone (obvious dangers be damned) that's a solid reason for maintaining the secret. Its as though the writers of this series never picked up a comic in their lives...I should say the best comics which dealt with the disastrous and/or lethal fallout of outsiders (friend or foe) knowing the hero's secret ID/life. There was no point to Lana knowing, which made Clark--after making every sound argument for keeping the secret--appear to have crapped all over his long-held, long-justified convictions.

I doubt the second half of this episode's title will ever be explored.

The soap opera returns on May 31st.

GRADE: C-.

 

I have to say, I really loved this episode's final scene. A lot of it was down to Hoechlin's choices in playing it: Clark seems downright scared, struggling with himself to overcome this self-imposed taboo he's lived with his whole life and has convinced himself is absolutely necessary to protect the people he cares about. I also loved how he chooses to demonstrate his powers in the gentlest and least intimidating way possible, by frosting down a tree with his breath. I don't have much use for secret identities as a genre convention, but their one virtue is that reveal scenes are often great, and this one was no exception.

 

Spoiler: Final Scene in 'Superman and Lois' S02.E11

There are people's homes in the background, if somebody saw Clark takeoff his glasses and just fly up, random strangers would figure out Clark's identity as Superman, & not just Lana.

In a place like Smallville, most everybody is bound to know everybody else, so Clark Kent is a reasonably well known guy in Smallville.

Seriously, pick your Time & Place.

 

My impression was that, having been "here" a while, Alt-Jonathan's powers have waned under the yellow sun, as did Superman's in the other world, such that the second fight was on more equal footing. Beyond that, it's hardly the first time a heroic figure finds hitherto unknown reserves of strength in a battle with high stakes (the life of Jordan's brother is a believable stake, within the context of the story). Was it convenient? Sure--but all fiction has moments of convenience little, if ever, seen in reality. Unlike reality's undirected nature, fiction is always designed (how well or poorly? I'll leave to another time--it's close to bed time).

 

Nice to the show directly interrogate the myth that a secret identity is a beneficial thing. I've come to believe it's a problematical trope, not just because it limits story possibilities (supporting cast can't play any role except people the hero has to hide the truth from), but because it requires the hero to deceive and gaslight their loved ones. It's a trope we see less and less of in modern superhero fiction, as if the more connected, open younger generation, people used to sharing every bit of their lives on social media, just don't relate to the idea. So it's appropriate that it was the boys arguing against their parents' conviction that it was needed.

Plus, it's always struck me as odd that Lana didn't know Clark's secret in this show, since most versions of the character since 1986 have known the truth since Clark's adolescence. So finally bringing her into the loop just feels appropriate and overdue, and it gives Lana the chance to be more involved with the Kents' storylines now.

The question is, will they tell Sarah the truth too? And what about Kyle and the other daughter?

Didn't Superman reveal his identity publicly in the comics a couple of years back? Is that still the status quo? And the Arrowverse's Supergirl went public with her identity at the end of her series. I wonder if that could be where they're heading.

As for other aspects of the episode, the main thing that stands out to me is, why the hell did Lana save the biggest piece of kryptonite for last? Logically, the huge chunk piercing Superman's heart should've been the first one she removed.

Not sure the tree would agree about that...

Also, the problem with these modern built-up rubbery Superman costumes is that he can't just pull open his shirt to do the reveal.

 

Really, this whole "My secret identity protects my loved ones from harm!" thing hasn't held water in decades.

 

I think it depends on who you are telling. If someone has super powers then than can handle any danger that comes their way. You need to tell someone you are about to get married to because people need to know what they are getting into if they are going to have a relationship with you.

Telling civilian best friends though seems to come with problems and the more people you tell the more people you put in danger. Even Superman can't be everywhere at once and we have seen Superman deal with this kind of issue the past 2 seasons where he is fighting a bad guy but his family is in danger at the same time elsewhere. If it wasn't for Irons it's likely at least one of his sons might have already been killed in part because he told them the truth.

 

In Superman's case, his closest friends (which seemed to be the people at the Daily Planet) were in danger all the time anyways. So really, the "It protects them!" thing still doesn't hold up.

Secret Identities in general are an outdated idea.

 

Anwar's right. Anyone a superhero publicly associates with is going to be in danger of being kidnapped and tortured just on the suspicion that they might know the hero's secret identity, whether they actually do or not. So it's hypocritical to say it's about protecting the loved ones -- it's actually about protecting the hero from being exposed if their loved ones are tortured. The only way it actually makes sense is the superhero never associates with any of the same people as the civilian identity, and superhero stories are rarely constructed that way.

And that means it's better if the loved ones or close friends do know the secret, because then they can be aware that they might be under threat and can take precautions.