Please be aware of plot spoilers in the article. If you have not seen the episode and do not agree to be spoiled, please do not continue reading.
introduce:
The most compelling storyline in this week’s episode involves Lex and his daughter Elizabeth Luthor (played by Elizabeth Henstridge of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., who directed ” “Superman & Lois” and directed this week’s episode). In unison, they stopped talking, the difference being that General Sam Lane wasn’t a bad guy, all he did seemed to be more about protecting his family.
Lex and Elizabeth:
Lex, on the other hand, unlike General Lane, is selfish and seems hell-bent on sticking to his old ways. His ex-wife was right to think Lex was selfish. When Elizabeth finally works up enough courage to meet her father and give him a second chance, Louis tells her that if she doesn’t, Lex will hurt her family. Lex clearly shows how selfish he is as a person.
Elizabeth is six months pregnant and doesn’t want her father back in her life if he isn’t willing to change, because while she knows Louis’ public accusations aren’t true (he was framed by Bruno Normanheim ) Lex has done a lot of other bad things. She even asked Louis why no other accusations could be found against her father. Lex’s lack of responsibility for his actions only makes Elizabeth more closed off. Lex has protagonist syndrome. Even if Louis wasn’t publishing the stuff that landed him in jail, he was still doing a lot of other things that would have had the same result. Lex doesn’t realize that his actions ultimately lead to him becoming the perfect scapegoat for Bruno Mannheim.
Lex’s Traumatic Past:
We also learn more about Lex’s past in this episode, specifically his abusive relationship with his mother and how that shaped his adult life. While this makes Lex more understandable as a character, he doesn’t gain any sympathy because he actively chooses to do so many terrible things that he’s no longer the victim he claims to be.
Superman life:
Lex also discovers, along with the rest of the world, that Superman is still alive and decides to visit the farm. Superman flies up to meet him on the road and they have a stern conversation. Lex blames Lois, but he also hates Superman for arresting him at his daughter’s school. Lex has no sense of responsibility, it’s almost like he allowed himself to become a victim because in his mind he was being punished for the wrong crime rather than the one he actually committed.
Lois’ decision in this episode seems to be a throwback to her fear of Clark battling the apocalypse again due to health issues from his heart transplant in last week’s episode. She’s also not sure how Clark’s body will react to a human heart transplant, since he’s an alien. I agree with Lois, Clark should definitely be Superman easily since Doomsday killed him the last time they fought. Clark seemed to be slowly coming to terms with the fact this week that he wasn’t as strong as he once was. He also visited his mother in the Fortress of Solitude, and Laura had him watch a VR sequence in which he studied his battle with Doomsday, which was pretty cool.
Kent Boys:
Jordan takes a back seat this season, ultimately becoming the one who comes up with excuses for Candace to explain Jon’s mysterious disappearance, since Jon is apparently now Lois’ super-speed transportation machine. I forgot that John and Candace were still together because the writers seemed to have written her character off last season of the show, so I didn’t really anticipate or care about her return because I thought they meshed so well this plot. Candace as a character mostly just supports Jon’s story, but doesn’t play a significant role herself beyond being a typical love interest. I’m glad they didn’t delay revealing that Jon has more powers than this episode, even though Candace will show up more. The decision to have Jordan tell Candace made sense because Jordan and Sarah had been through a lot of drama and Jordan knew keeping this secret wouldn’t end well for him and Sarah, nor would he want his brother to go through it Same thing.
With the exception of Superman and Lois, the romantic relationships on the show have historically been rocky and very dramatic, which may explain my bias towards Jon and Candace having couple drama, as it reminds me of Jordan and Sarah What a mess Ra was in the old seasons. The show also distracts from spending more time on the Kent family dynamics, which is why most fans are still watching the show after four seasons.
The episode returns to the Kent Boys’ friend Denise, who was one of the people who saw Doomsday leave Superman’s body in the Smallville town square during the season premiere. After witnessing the Kents’ reaction to seeing Superman’s body, Denise figured out the Kents’ connection to Superman, who she knew was the boy’s father. She tells Jordan and Jon that she won’t tell anyone Superman’s secret identity.
Louis’ plan:
Louis initially wanted to reunite Elizabeth and Lex, trying to use Elizabeth to get Lex away from her family. When Lois realizes that this might not work, she decides to come up with a more powerful Plan B, still using Elizabeth as a distraction while she sets her sights on something Lex doesn’t expect, the end of the world. Lois uses her father’s beacon device to summon Doomsday to her location so she can confirm her suspicions (Doomsday is a mutant version of Bizarro Superman). Louise understood this when she looked into his eyes (the same doomsday eyes as her husband’s). This allows Louise to appeal to the humanity she believes remains in the apocalypse by appealing to his love for his wife (Louis’s doppelgänger alter ego).
Lois convinces Doomsday to fly off the planet, essentially taking Lex’s biggest weapon off the chessboard. Lex is resourceful, but this should bring him down a bit and be a win for Kent. Short of Superman killing Lex, the only way to stop Lex might be to trap him in the Phantom Zone, or take the poetic route of having Doomsday return to Earth to kill Lex, since Lex is his creator.
judgment:
This week’s episode was written by Adam Mallinger. Overall, the show’s one-hour budget is generous and could have had interesting impact. I wonder how Lex will compete fairly with the Kents since he will have to deal with three super powered superheroes between Superman, Jordan and Jon without his most powerful weapon (Doomsday).
grade:
1. Story: 7/10
2. Visual effects: 7/10
3. Sound: 7/10
4. Performance: 7/10
5. Overall: 7/10
Join me every week for more reviews of the fourth and final season of The CW’s Superman & Lois.
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