After a sort of bottle-neck episode and a large break, Superman And Lois returns in top form with an incredible episode that pushes the season towards its end. While the last episode focused more on reflection, this episode amped up the intensity as Superman fought off none other than General Zod from taking over his mind. From start to finish the episode had me on the edge of my seat, and it surely stands out as one of my favorites of the season.
I'm sure we all breathed a sigh of relief when we realized Superman hadn't yet been fully turned. What was the real surprise though, was that it was General Zod who Tal-Rho and his father are attempting to revive. I thought this was a great story decision, and it was a unique way to bring Zod back into the fold without straight-up resurrecting him. It also gives merit to my theory that this whole season has used Smallville's ninth season as one of its main inspirations. Based on the ending too, it looks like that trend is going to continue. (Which of course, is a good thing to me!)
(Side Note: to my knowledge, the only time Zod's death has been mentioned is back during Supergirl Season 3. If so, I think it's cool to have that connection there, as it's something that only fans who had watched that show would know. Correct me if I'm wrong though.)
What this episode did so effectively was showed us just how much Clark's family cares for and believes in him. Many of the best scenes here involve Lois and the boys just talking about how much they love and need him, usually in an attempt to get John and/or Sam to rethink going after him. The scene with Lois revealing Superman's identity to John was particularly gutwrenching, as it showcased Lois having to risk a lot in a final attempt to stop the death of her husband. Jonathan's attempt to talk John out of it was also well done, reminding us yet again that despite his jocky nature, he's got an emotional side to him.
The most exciting part of the episode though was when it appeared that Zod had fully taken over Superman. This leads to a brief but visually impressive fight between him and John, ending with John nearly killing the man of steel. What stops him though, is Clark briefly regaining control. This is where we see a fundamental shift in John's character, as even though Clark laid in front of him begging to be killed (to save everyone from Zod), John finally realized why Lois, Jonathan, and Jordan believed in him so much. With his help, Clark is able to fully break free of Zod's control. They both then team up to take down Tal-Rho, who manages to destroy the eradicator before being taken into custody. Why did he destroy the eradicator? Looks like it was to let Zod's consciousness take over his body, or maybe even the consciousness of all the dead Kryptonians?
The main Superman/Zod/Steel/Tal-Rho conflict wasn't the only focus of the episode though. Jordan also began to master his superhearing, helping the military be able to locate Superman's location. At this rate, it won't be too long until he's suiting up! Outside of the Kent family though, the Cushing's also had some solid development as well. The fallout of all Edge's subjects being returned to normal has caused many Smallville residents to turn on Kyle and Lana. This results in Kyle not being welcomed at work, friendships being broken, and the family's house being vandalized. Despite all of this sadness, however, it serves as a catalyst to bring the family even closer together. By the episode's end, the family seems to be at a better place than they've ever been.
The last thing I'd like to touch on is the appearance of none other than John Diggle himself! While I loved seeing him onscreen again, his appearance didn't amount to much. He simply delivered Argus tech to Sam, then got (reasonably) made at him when he found out it was going to be used to kill Superman. I did hear that his cameo appearances had to be somewhat altered to accommodate for COVID filming schedules, so it's possible his role was originally meant to be a larger one. Hopefully, this isn't the last time we see him around on this show! (He did mention Oliver which is cool!)
So what did you think of the episode? What do you think happened to Edge? What is the season's endgame? Post in the comments!
