Seems like you can add hearing to that list.
Clark had no idea Lois had and was going to activate that emergency emitter. Jordan and Jon both heard it. Clark never showed up.
Spoilers "Superman & Lois": The Fourth and Final Season
- Thread starter The Realist
- Start date
Clark had no idea Lois had and was going to activate that emergency emitter. Jordan and Jon both heard it. Clark never showed up.
Clark said something in last week's episode about barely being able to hear out of one ear. Think there was also an instance or two last week of the boys hearing something before he did. Come to think of it, there's an element of "Dad's getting old and slowing down" to the whole thing.
The preview for next week also had a line about Clark's super-hearing barely working.
I don't think that's the case, considering that he's recovering from fatal injuries and a heart transplant. Nobody would be expected to return fully to their original strength and fitness after something like that, regardless of age.
Still, it's looking to me like the series is going to end with Superman retiring and Jon and/or Jordan inheriting his mantle.
Metaphorically, I meant. (One of those writer things.
)
Metaphorically, I meant. (One of those writer things.
That's what I mean. I don't believe the writers are using it as a metaphor for aging, simply for recovery from major injuries/surgery. Just as they've been exploring how Lois isn't fully the same after her cancer treatment and has to adjust to the changes in her body and her life, now they've put Clark in the same situation.
More fundamentally, though, I think they just want to do the Hero's Journey thing and have Superman step back so one or both of the Superboys can come into their own.
SIMMONS! I was so pleased to see Elizabeth Henstridge! She was terrific!
It was great to see Lois taking the initiative on this. I'm glad she remembered that Doomsday was originally another universe's version of her husband (Bizarro) and tried to find that person inside him.
Lex... geez. He spends 17 years desperate to see his kid, actually opens up to her, and then... rejects her for his vendetta. So terribly sad. Cudlitz did a nice job with this.
I know it sounds like Jordan spilled the family secret to Candace, but I'm not so sure. We shall see.
It was great to see Lois taking the initiative on this. I'm glad she remembered that Doomsday was originally another universe's version of her husband (Bizarro) and tried to find that person inside him.
Lex... geez. He spends 17 years desperate to see his kid, actually opens up to her, and then... rejects her for his vendetta. So terribly sad. Cudlitz did a nice job with this.
I know it sounds like Jordan spilled the family secret to Candace, but I'm not so sure. We shall see.
That's the first time this character has actually seemed like Lex Luthor to me. His defining trait, usually, is that he's unable to let go of his vendetta against Superman no matter what; in some versions, that fixation is the one thing that keeps him from being a good man or seeking redemption. This show transfers the vendetta to Lois, but the psychology is the same.
Superman and Lois - the final season
Episode 5 - "Break the Cycle"
GOOD, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS: Luthor's inability to end his plot against the Kents is understandable; his daughter was only seeing the situation from one point of view--one that did not suffer apparent false imprisonment, which assured the destruction of his family. From the flashbacks up to the present, Lois still cannot bring herself to fully comprehend what it means to go to prison for crimes one did not commit, which makes her self-righteous to self-destructive degrees, since she's content to say "sorry", yet play the "whataboutism" card when referring to Luthor's other crimes, as if those incidents justify the means used to send him to prison. The scripting is realistic here, as it does not present Lois (or Clark as her enforcer) as the law personified, but people who felt very comfortable in their judgements and the actions caused by said judgements...until they had to answer it.
Luthor did lay out all he felt for his daughter, finally revealing his childhood abuse--the latter beingthe motivating factor for his wanting to protect his daughter and connect to her in the way he (as a child) was unable to with his parents. That said, the framing emotion between the two was about perceptions of perfection; being a "perfect" parent is a fool's errand both from the parent--and adult child's expectations, which this episode was trying to get across. IOW, both sides of the parent/child relationship have their flaws, judgements always at the ready, and its often used to either barter for an ideal relationship, or punish when either is not satisfied.
BAD: Lois' appeal to Doomsday was astoundingly corny; if everything about his creation/mutation had been explored (i.e., knowing its motivations), I cannot recall a scene (from last season) where he has some suppressed part of his old self, and if he did, he disregarded it in favor of his single life's goal. Talking Doomsday out being--himself--seemed like a quickie set-up to lead to two possible outcomes: Luthor--if he can no longer control Doomsday--will move on to Braniac and wage his final assault against the Kents, and Doomsday will return Han Solo-style at the last minute to aid the Kents by killing Luthor, Braniac and ultimately himself. I would be surprised if he's taken to the Fortress to talk to Kal's mother / or receive some sort of treatment to bring more of his old self to the surface.
Jordan tells Candice the secret? Ridiculous. Now, she's an exploitable liability, which has been part of the Luthor plot with others. It takes no great effort to construct a lie to cover tracks. Didn't they learn anything from their father's stories about managing his secret life when he lived in Metropolis?
GRADE: B.
Episode 5 - "Break the Cycle"
GOOD, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS: Luthor's inability to end his plot against the Kents is understandable; his daughter was only seeing the situation from one point of view--one that did not suffer apparent false imprisonment, which assured the destruction of his family. From the flashbacks up to the present, Lois still cannot bring herself to fully comprehend what it means to go to prison for crimes one did not commit, which makes her self-righteous to self-destructive degrees, since she's content to say "sorry", yet play the "whataboutism" card when referring to Luthor's other crimes, as if those incidents justify the means used to send him to prison. The scripting is realistic here, as it does not present Lois (or Clark as her enforcer) as the law personified, but people who felt very comfortable in their judgements and the actions caused by said judgements...until they had to answer it.
Luthor did lay out all he felt for his daughter, finally revealing his childhood abuse--the latter beingthe motivating factor for his wanting to protect his daughter and connect to her in the way he (as a child) was unable to with his parents. That said, the framing emotion between the two was about perceptions of perfection; being a "perfect" parent is a fool's errand both from the parent--and adult child's expectations, which this episode was trying to get across. IOW, both sides of the parent/child relationship have their flaws, judgements always at the ready, and its often used to either barter for an ideal relationship, or punish when either is not satisfied.
BAD: Lois' appeal to Doomsday was astoundingly corny; if everything about his creation/mutation had been explored (i.e., knowing its motivations), I cannot recall a scene (from last season) where he has some suppressed part of his old self, and if he did, he disregarded it in favor of his single life's goal. Talking Doomsday out being--himself--seemed like a quickie set-up to lead to two possible outcomes: Luthor--if he can no longer control Doomsday--will move on to Braniac and wage his final assault against the Kents, and Doomsday will return Han Solo-style at the last minute to aid the Kents by killing Luthor, Braniac and ultimately himself. I would be surprised if he's taken to the Fortress to talk to Kal's mother / or receive some sort of treatment to bring more of his old self to the surface.
Jordan tells Candice the secret? Ridiculous. Now, she's an exploitable liability, which has been part of the Luthor plot with others. It takes no great effort to construct a lie to cover tracks. Didn't they learn anything from their father's stories about managing his secret life when he lived in Metropolis?
GRADE: B.
Last edited:
Okay, I'm back to not liking this Luthor, because they've reverted to him just being a one-note bully. This Luthor is a boringly blunt instrument, and this episode reduced Clark to one too, although at least it showed him and Lois not being happy about getting dragged down to that level.
Everyone in Smallville figuring out Clark's identity and reacting to it in various ways is interesting. I have a feeling that what Amanda has in mind for Luthor that requires a "killer suit" is a press conference to out Superman's identity. I have wondered why he's been sitting on that.
I miss seeing Superman in costume. This show feels like a throwback to the superhero shows of my youth, the ones that seemed embarrassed to be superhero shows and only had the heroes in costume for a few minutes per episode. I remember how refreshing I found it that Supergirl often had Kara in her Supergirl costume for most or all of an episode, that it embraced it rather than feeling it had to minimize it.
Everyone in Smallville figuring out Clark's identity and reacting to it in various ways is interesting. I have a feeling that what Amanda has in mind for Luthor that requires a "killer suit" is a press conference to out Superman's identity. I have wondered why he's been sitting on that.
I miss seeing Superman in costume. This show feels like a throwback to the superhero shows of my youth, the ones that seemed embarrassed to be superhero shows and only had the heroes in costume for a few minutes per episode. I remember how refreshing I found it that Supergirl often had Kara in her Supergirl costume for most or all of an episode, that it embraced it rather than feeling it had to minimize it.
Based on the mid season trailer, I don’t think do
UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE.
My fellow Superfans, the only reason tonight was not the very best episode of the entire series is because the first season's "Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events" is virtually unsurpassable. But this was AMAZING.
For one thing, it was often so FUNNY. The show rarely trades in much humor, and though I love it with my whole heart, part of me has always wished for a little lighter touch. But I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a single episode. The scenes with the townspeople, one by one, making it obvious they've all figured out Clark's secret were hilarious, as was all the stuff with the hair dye. Priceless, delightful, and very welcome.
But all that was expertly balanced with some of the best and most intense drama the show has ever done. I loved the early scene where Lana, with a spine of pure steel, stands up to Luthor in her office, and it only got better from there. The townspeople standing together to turn down Luthor's life-changing financial offer was incredible. This is what I come to a Superman story for: to see not only Clark and Lois, but other characters as well, being their best, their strongest, their most courageous.
Then the attack on Lana was violent and terrifying. I was reminded a bit of the first season scene where Lois was attacked in the motel room. This had a similar visceral intensity, but again, I loved how both Lana and Sarah showed their mettle. Lana put up a pretty good fight, all things considered, and then Sarah coming out and creaming Otis with the bat was, frankly, awesome.
But even that was nothing compared to what was coming. The aftermath at Lana's house was so effective. You could just feel Clark's frustration, guilt, and sense of helplessness. Hoechlin was great, and the moment when Lois was like, "Sweetie, can you get Lana a glass of water?" -- THIS is what Superman's been reduced to, and you can see it hit Clark right where he lives.
And then -- THEN -- the confrontation and fight with Luthor. Absolutely off the chain. The red-saturated screen, the rain, the thunder, the lightning, the music, the sheer vicious no-holds-barred intensity of the fight -- I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, amazed at how intense and brutal it was. I don't know what else to say, except that I don't know that the show has ever been so physically riveting before.
I thought last week was pretty lackluster, but this made up for it in spades. Absolutely incredible effort on every level.
Whew!
My fellow Superfans, the only reason tonight was not the very best episode of the entire series is because the first season's "Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events" is virtually unsurpassable. But this was AMAZING.
For one thing, it was often so FUNNY. The show rarely trades in much humor, and though I love it with my whole heart, part of me has always wished for a little lighter touch. But I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a single episode. The scenes with the townspeople, one by one, making it obvious they've all figured out Clark's secret were hilarious, as was all the stuff with the hair dye. Priceless, delightful, and very welcome.
But all that was expertly balanced with some of the best and most intense drama the show has ever done. I loved the early scene where Lana, with a spine of pure steel, stands up to Luthor in her office, and it only got better from there. The townspeople standing together to turn down Luthor's life-changing financial offer was incredible. This is what I come to a Superman story for: to see not only Clark and Lois, but other characters as well, being their best, their strongest, their most courageous.
Then the attack on Lana was violent and terrifying. I was reminded a bit of the first season scene where Lois was attacked in the motel room. This had a similar visceral intensity, but again, I loved how both Lana and Sarah showed their mettle. Lana put up a pretty good fight, all things considered, and then Sarah coming out and creaming Otis with the bat was, frankly, awesome.
But even that was nothing compared to what was coming. The aftermath at Lana's house was so effective. You could just feel Clark's frustration, guilt, and sense of helplessness. Hoechlin was great, and the moment when Lois was like, "Sweetie, can you get Lana a glass of water?" -- THIS is what Superman's been reduced to, and you can see it hit Clark right where he lives.
And then -- THEN -- the confrontation and fight with Luthor. Absolutely off the chain. The red-saturated screen, the rain, the thunder, the lightning, the music, the sheer vicious no-holds-barred intensity of the fight -- I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, amazed at how intense and brutal it was. I don't know what else to say, except that I don't know that the show has ever been so physically riveting before.
I thought last week was pretty lackluster, but this made up for it in spades. Absolutely incredible effort on every level.
Whew!
I assume it was so that the gas would eventually ignite. They didn't necessarily need the house to explode, a raging inferno would do just as well.
No, I noticed that too. The whole idea, as I understand it, is that you blow out the burners after you turn on the gas. If the burners are on, then the natural gas gets combusted into carbon dioxide and water vapor, so there's no more suffocation hazard. If they'd left only one burner on and let the gas come through the others, then that might have worked as an ignition source, but leaving all four burners on full would do nothing except make the kitchen hot, and there wouldn't have been any unburned gas (or rather, the butyl mercaptan added to the odorless gas to alert people to leaks) for Lana to smell. So that was a straight-up mistake on the production's part.
Also, if Otis's intention was to suffocate Lana and Sara with natural gas, then he shouldn't have stayed in the house, because he would've succumbed too. (Although we're talking about Otis, so maybe he was just really stupid about how he did it.)
IIRC, wasn't the oven door open too? That may have been intended as the gas source.
Anyway, as usual, I have limited interest in nitpicking, especially when the episode as a whole was so great. If they got the gas bit wrong, it doesn't substantively reduce the show's overall quality one iota.
Anyway, as usual, I have limited interest in nitpicking, especially when the episode as a whole was so great. If they got the gas bit wrong, it doesn't substantively reduce the show's overall quality one iota.
I do really like the continued 'aging' Clark stuff. There was a certain element when it came to Crisis and seeing Smallville Clark having given up his powers to become human that was like "Would Clark really just completely give up being able to help people with his powers like that?"
Here. It's just a natural consequence of his fight. He also has two sons with powers to 'take over'. I think there may be some traditionalists who aren't happy, but this is a random 'what-if' universe. There's no Supergirl, no Flash, no other superheroes. (well besides the Irons). Yea, we've seen versions of Superman live for centuries, or longer. DC One Million Superman was like over 850,000 years old.
But I like the idea that this Superman in this universe has assumed a more 'human' lifespan. He's still powered, he can still help people... but he's not going to be a god or become a god.
BTW, I also like the running joke (at this point) of how many in the town now know Clark=Superman lol.
Here. It's just a natural consequence of his fight. He also has two sons with powers to 'take over'. I think there may be some traditionalists who aren't happy, but this is a random 'what-if' universe. There's no Supergirl, no Flash, no other superheroes. (well besides the Irons). Yea, we've seen versions of Superman live for centuries, or longer. DC One Million Superman was like over 850,000 years old.
But I like the idea that this Superman in this universe has assumed a more 'human' lifespan. He's still powered, he can still help people... but he's not going to be a god or become a god.
BTW, I also like the running joke (at this point) of how many in the town now know Clark=Superman lol.
I'm starting to wonder if
we're heading for some kind of loose adaptation of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" as the series finale. Worth noting that "Jordan" was Superman's alias in that story after he faked his death. It would make sense -- we're seeing Superman on the verge of being outed as Clark Kent, he's losing his powers, his arch-nemesis is coming after him, and he's got superpowered progeny. The threads seem to be aligning in much the same direction as that story.
Interesting thought!
I had to keep myself from yelling, "Kick his ass, Clark!" all through that fight.
I had to keep myself from yelling, "Kick his ass, Clark!" all through that fight.
Similar threads
