Spoilers "Superman & Lois" Season 1 spoiler discussion!

Lois at work is among the best parts of this show.

But really, the entire thing is composed of nothing but "best parts."

 

Yeah, there really isn't any part of the show I don't like.

 

The kids. I’m not sure I care about them. I like to see Superman do his stuff. I’d like to see some good enemies each week.

 

Imagine their murder.

 

So you want an ordinary Superman show rather than what this is.

Although I guess the only "ordinary" Superman (or equivalent) shows in that sense that we've gotten in live action have been the George Reeves Adventures of Superman and the '88-92 syndicated Superboy. Lois & Clark focused as much or more on the romantic comedy aspects as the superhero action, and Smallville was a prequel. So maybe that kind of Superman show isn't so routine after all. Still, it is something that's been done before. I appreciate the chance to explore a later stage of Superman's life story that we haven't seen explored onscreen. And Hoechlin is fantastic as Nerdy Dad Clark, so I wouldn't want to lose that.

Still, I agree it would be nice to see a more eclectic range of adversaries and plots. Superman is the world's hero, and he should need to take on crises beyond whatever Morgan Edge is doing that week. I like the family drama more than I thought I would -- I particularly like how much Jonathan stands up for his brother despite having reason to resent and envy him -- but they could tell stories about the kids having to learn to be more independent while Dad's off saving the world from supervillains and Lois is building her case against Morgan Edge.

 

You’re probably right. I’m more of a traditionalist. But I haven’t given up on this yet.

 

Thousands of Auntie Mays? Is that the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse?

 

Personally, I don't mind the kids. but I am getting tired of Jordan's weekly foot stomping and whimpering. I get that they want to show a child who already has some emotional challenges to deal with without all of a sudden having to deal with super powers. I think that is completely realistic. I just think it could be written/portrayed differently.

 

DCComics.com has posted an interview with Jordan Elass, the actor who plays Johnathan Kent.

 

That's Elsass.

I still find it wild, not only that the actor who plays Jordan's brother Jonathan is named Jordan, but that the first syllables of his names are "Jor-El."

 

So it’s Natalie instead of Martha here?

 

Kryptonite doesn’t seem to effect Superman as much as it effects supergirl.

Had Kara inhaled that gas she would have been passed out on the floor in a second.

Same with those bullets two episodes ago.

Edit: ah it was synthetic kryptonite. So probably weaker.

 

Must not be the high quality stuff.

 

It's synthetic.

It's a cute call-out to older versions of the character for Supes to call Lois "Miss Lane."

She's a Ms or a Mrs Lane. Or maybe Kent, who knows?

 

Superman has also been active for 20 years and so he’s probably built up a little resistance to it more so than Supergirl.

 

Superman and Lois
Season 1 - Episode 8 - "Holding the Wrench"

Clark/SM / Lois / Irons: Acting as a framing story for the episode, Lois seeks therapy about losing her temper and risking hurting someone she loves (SEE Jonathan's entry).

At the DOD, Superman tries to interrogate the would-be killer; Irons minds drifts back to the moment he tried to escape his planet, as that world's Superman attempted to stop him. Breaking out of the memory, he angrily demands to see Lois before he says anything else, but blurts out his connection to that world's murdered Lois, and in his rage, vows to kill Superman to prevent him "from doing it again."

The DOD considers torturing Irons to get information; Superman protests, but is flatly told that her has no authority in the organization...

Sam steps in, trying to play "good cop" and reach Irons, only to have the man promise that just as that world's Superman killed his Sam Lane, this earth's Superman will eventually do the same. Sam says that will, never happen, but his wheels are turning.

As Irons is returned to his cell, Rossetti, one of Edge's superpowered lackeys--kills his superior, and warns that Irons' troubles are just beginning. The man leads Irons to the research lab--where a large number of Kryptonite-powered weapons are stored; he boasts that he has all of Superman's powers, and can defeat him--but needs the weapons to be certain. Irons--wanting that particular kill for himself--sets off an alarm.

Elsewhere, Superman and Sam hear the alarm and discover Irons is missing, but Sam warns Superman that he cannot go near the lab for obvious reasons. Superman risks it, encountering Rosetti, believing he was the one in need against Irons. Rossetti spins to fire a Kryptonite gas gun at him, and in between a super-beatdown, tells the Kryptonian that he's "on the wrong side." Superman fights back, but is far too weak to keep up the fight...until Irons runs a Krptonite spear through Rossetti--killing him. Irons tries to use it on Superman, until Sam and Lois arrive to stop him. She tries to reason with the man, telling him that this Superman is good and will never turn evil. More importantly, if Irons kills an innocent man, he will simply be a murderer.

Superman recovers, but has lost trust in Sam regarding the weapons. Sam tries to justify the weapons with his concern for all possible threats--including the Kryptonian kind, but that does not exactly warm Superman's heart. Still, Superman trusts Sam enough to warn him about Edge's attempt to build a Kryptonian army. Alarmed, Sam wonders if Irons was right....

Later, Superman and Lois bring Irons to the farmhouse to recover his RV, with an observing Jonathan questioning Lois's state of mind after what she saw on the RV's videos; Lois overhears that, remarking that she probably deserved the insult. With Jordan out of the room, she shares that one thing she's never revealed before--the loss of her daughter, and how its made her so protective over him. She wants to develop a special bond with him due to being "extraordinary humans" in a family of superhumans. Mother and son have a tearful reconciliation.

Superman tries to enlist Irons to fight in this alleged coming war, but he still says he's not ready to fight by his side. He finally admits Lois is not the woman he knew, and drives off to parts unknown, reprogramming the AI to recognize him as Irons, not Luthor.

Jonathan / Jordan Kent: Jonathan volunteers to help his mother, since he feels inadequate helping his father when he has the help of Jordan. The two search Irons' RV, and Lois is made uneasy by the AI recognizing her as an authorized user. Looking at a monitor, Lois sees images of herself--and Irons in some sort of relationship. She finally realizes why Irons was after her. Jonathan watches Irons' videos--including the news footage of that world's Lois being killed by his father's lookalike. Returning to the RV alone, he snoops around, setting off the AI's defense system, with shutters blocking every exit, and counting down to eliminate him...

Lois calls for Clark, and Superman manages to rescue Jonathan in time. Later, Lois severely admonishes the boy for snooping in the RV alone. Jonathan argues that he was looking for weapons, as he feels powerless and wanted some sort of defense. Lois goes completely off the rails screaming at Jonathan, for "going behind" her back in searching the RV alone, and hurts his feelings with every word, calling him "stupid" and demanding he "get out of her face." Clark does not say much during this exchange, and Jonathan is painfully aware of that lack of a defense.

Later, Jonathan confides in Jordan about Lois' rant, telling him he's the only person he has in town. (SEE NOTES).

Kyle/Lana/Sarah: For a moment, it seemed Kyle was going to be written as being honestly supportive of one of his family members, as Sarah decided audition for her school's show. Addressing her anxiety, he tells her pain is brief, but regret lasts much longer. With that, he convinces her to try out after all, but after learning (from Lana) that his mancrush Edge did not see him as "leadership material," he drowns his sorrows in the expected manner, missing Sarah's audition. Meanwhile, Jordan shows up, supporting her on the piano; one can see he's still crushing on her, despite Sarah just wanting to be friends (for the time being).

NOTES:
Lois had a miscarriage of a girl, which led her to become hypersensitive to protecting her children--fearing that she was at fault for the miscarriage and she could have lost another child.

Tulloch had been the runaway best performer on the series from the start, but her work in this episode--with her range of emotions--was so well delivered, it solidified her position as this series' talent coup.

Jonathan believes Jordan is the only person he has in that town; despite reconciling with his mother, his feeling of being an outsider in his own family, and not really distinguishing himself at school (with Jordan stealing his thunder at football), has to lead to more reckless behavior.

Jonathan stressed the need of using superpowered weapons (like that discovered in the RV), as he reminded Lois that they are powerless against such threats. This statement is important, as it was clearly designed to mirror Sam's beliefs and research into Kryptonite-powered weapons. One wonders how long it will be before Jonathan is placed in danger his father cannot protect him from, leaving him to feel that in a world of growing super-threats, he needs to be armed and ready to put up a real defense...

Next week, Lois complains about keeping Jonathan safe...

GRADE: B.

 

Good point.

 

I caught that name convenience, too.

 

This was a terrific Lois episode, really letting her character shine. It showed so many facets of her and captured her so well, and Tulloch did a fantastic job. We learned so much about her history and relationships in this continuity, and even though we saw her at her most vulnerable, she also came through and saved the day when Superman couldn't. Really great stuff.

It is surprising that the DOD just let Irons go. Also, it's odd that the writers changed his niece Natasha to a daughter named Natalie.

It just struck me that it would be cool if they'd gotten Katie McGrath to record the "Captain Luthor" A.I.'s voice. Or Andrea Brooks or Brenda Strong or Rhona Mitra (Mercy Graves) -- someone associated with Lex. It would be a nice bit of subtle continuity, something they wouldn't even have to call attention to but would just be there as an Easter egg. They can't mix the casts and crews physically because of COVID restrictions, but for a voice role, that wouldn't be an issue.

I don't think that's true. When Lex used kryptonite on her before banishing her to the Phantom Zone, she was weakened but still conscious. And when her teen self had kryptonite shards embedded in her fist in the recent time-travel episodes, she lost her powers but was conscious and mobile.

The inconsistency is that Superman didn't get the "green veins" effect that Supergirl does when she's exposed to kryptonite. I wish the shows' effects teams would coordinate more.

 

Superman and Lois is fast becoming my favorite iteration of Superman. The show is doing well what the comics never got a good handle on — showing Lois and Clark as a married couple and parents with real world problems in the midst of the fantastical.

Tulloch is the most reportery Lois since Phyllis Coates and Margot Kidder. Hoechlin is surpassing Christopher Reeve in the role. He Clarks and Supermans so hard. The teens feel like real teens and not TV teens. And there's a nice balance between the teen and adult stories.

But I also like that they have both Lois and Clark grapple with emotional problems as well as the usual super hero theatrics. This last episode was a fantastic example of that. Tulloch is an amazing actress and brings so many layers to her Lois.

I know this show is connected to the larger Arrowverse but I like that it's mostly self-contained. For me, this lets the show stand on its own as a Superman show... not part of some larger shared universe.