Beware of spoilers for the episode in the article. Please do not continue reading if you haven’t watched the episode yet and you are not okay with being spoiled.
Introduction :
The show’s fourth episode opens with Superman flying back to the Kent farm and reuniting with his family. The musical score of the series and the way it's filmed really lend to Superman and Lois feeling like a weekly movie rather than a series even with season 4’s budget cuts. This week's episode was written by George Kitson and Max Kronick and directed by Gregory Smith.
Three weeks later :
The show quickly jumps forward three weeks after Clark’s return from the dead. Tyler Hoechlin narrating the episode made me realize just how much of a backseat he took during the last three episodes and how his presence was missed on the show. Three weeks later, Lois and Clark are arguing because Clark wants to go after Lex but Lois is worried Clark isn't ready and they don't know how Sam Lane's heart will affect him in the long term. Superman and Lois has proved to me that writers can write a tv show about a couple and have them have some conflict in their relationship without making their relationship toxic.
Kyle and Chrissy :
Kyle and Chrissy make their first appearance of the season as they plan their wedding. Chrissy is on edge because of her mother and a pipe bursts at the courthouse so Chrissy and Kyle can't get married there. Lois suggests to Chrissy for them to get married at the Kent farm instead. Lois welcomes the distraction from her own family drama. Chrissy agrees to the new venue and asks Lois to be her maid of honor. Kyle and Clark also have a cool scene in the barn and Kyle asks Clark to be his best man. I like that the writers of the show understand that smaller character moments are just as important as the big action heavy moments.
Clark and Jon:
Jordan is still pissed about finding out his Mum chose to save Jon (before his powers were activated), so he doesn't go training with Clark and Jon. Jon is a natural, the shot of Clark's shocked face when Jon masters flying in the canyon in one go was pretty cool. Jon even appears to be quite strong busting through a literal mountain unharmed. The visual effects in the show continue to be top notch. I was worried when we didn't get to see close up shots of Jon flying last week but the show made up for it this week. We even got a close up daylight scene of Clark and Jon flying side by side which was pretty cool.
It looks like Lois was right about Clark needing to take things easy because his heart started racing fast when he was flying with Jon and Clark fell from the sky. Things could have been much worse if Clark was alone or having a rematch with Doomsday. Lois was rightfully concerned when she found out about Clark’s incident.
Beppo family drama :
Chrissy’s Mum saying Chrissy and Sarah are practically the same age was funny. Chrissy is old enough to be Chrissy's older sister, not her classmate. Sara has been much more likable this season so far. I wonder how Mrs Beppo would have felt about Sarah being a good kid if she had met Sarah during her rebellious teen phase.
Mrs Beppo and Kyle :
Chrissy's parents clearly don't approve of Kyle marrying Chrissy (the Dad doesn't even show up for the wedding) and the tension is obvious from the dinner scene. Mrs Beppo asks Kyle if he is marrying Chrissy just because she is pregnant and Kyle tells her that he loves Chrissy.I completely get Mrs Beppo’s concern Kyle has been divorced for a year and he is older than Chrissy.
Jordan :
Jordan has been constantly replaying Lex's audio for three weeks, I feel the Kent family has been through too much for that to cause a rift between them. So Jordan should know better at this point in time but it seems Jordan never quite dealt with his past insecurities. He just got powers and hid behind them and now Jon has powers he feels like he isn't special anymore and Jon is the favorite again, at least that’s the impression the first half of the episode gives us.
Lois and Jon's mission :
Lois and Jon hunt down General Lane's ex-girlfriend Gretchen (whose real name is revealed to be Sheryl Kimble) after Jordan hears her talking to someone in Metropolis. This is one thing Jordan can say he is better than Jon at so far ( super hearing ). Lois tells Sheryl that Sam is dead and offers her protection in exchange for writing an article with her. Superman is still believed to be dead by the world so I wonder what protection Lois thinks she can really offer Sheryl that she would accept, in terms of personal safety she is better off staying by Lex's side.
Jordan and Lois :
Lois made the first move to approach her son and Jordan revealed what's really been troubling him. Jordan feels like he is responsible for both his grandfather's and father's death. Jordan tells her he isn't mad she chose to save Jon but that she was probably right because he feels like ruins everything and he isn't worth saving. Everything the family has gone through recently seems to have reignited his old insecurities. I'm glad Jordan had a great conversation with his mother and they settled their issues.
The Runaway Bride :
Chrissy has an emotional breakdown and tells Sarah about all the family pressure she has been feeling. It’s unfortunate that the show seems to have finally figured out how to use Sara as a supporting character and the show is ending. Highlighting Sarah's empathy as a character makes her a much more likable character. Sarah ran into the barn and announced that Chrissy had gone missing. Clark calmed Kyle down and he confided in Kyle about how he doesn't feel the same since coming back. Clark told Kyle to be patient and Kyle called him the “Super best man ever”.
Lois found Chrissy in the town square and had a chat with her friend. Chrissy and Kyle have had a very fast union and Chrissy feels like she doesn't even know Kyle well enough even though she does love him. Chrissy said she wishes they had what Lois and Clark have as a couple, Lois told Chrissy that Clark and her work on their relationship a lot and it didn’t magically happen over night. In the end, Chrissy and Kyle agreed to stay together but slow things down by not rushing into marriage. Coach “DJ” Gaines had everyone at the barn dancing to 80s style music in a pretty cool scene to cap off Chrissy and Kyle’s subplot. Mrs Beppo also seemed to be sold on the idea of Chrissy and Kyle as a couple by the end of the episode.
Jon's solo mission :
Jordan and Jon heard a fire in Metropolis through their super hearing. Jordan told his brother to go alone since he had been training with Kyle for months but part of me knew it wasn't going to end well for Jon. Jon flew down to Metropolis and he used his super breath to put out the fire but he discovered that the fire was created by one of Lex’s goons trying to kill Sheryl Kimble. Jon was knocked out by one of Clark's goons' fire devices. Jordan heard that his brother was in trouble, and he told his Dad that Jon needed help. Superman showed up to save Jon in a pretty epic show of power as he dispatched Lex’s goon quickly. Clark said John Henry Irons took Lex's goon to the DOD to keep Superman's return a secret for now but I knew Gretchen getting away likely meant she might tell Lex. Superman being alive was confirmed to have leaked to the press by the end of the episode, I wonder if that is how Jimmy Olsen's character enters the fray, we are 4 episodes into the season already.
Other Thoughts :
1. I think the lack of extras has probably been the biggest sign that the show has had it’s budget cut so far but this episode definitely tried, the barn scene was pretty packed.
2. Sarah asking if the Kent farm barn was cursed because there is always drama there was pretty funny, the barn did mark the beginning of the end of her parents marriage.
3. Jordan gave Jon a Superboy costume (similar to his). I'm not a fan of Jordan’s Superboy suit even though I understand it’s practicality, I hope that we at least get to see the boy's in more comic accurate suits before the show ends.
4. Did anyone else notice that Sophie is taller than Sarah now ? , that alone shows us how much time has passed since the show started.
Verdict :
I think the show feels much more intentional this season and this episode is a great example of that. This season has been very good so far and I can’t wait for next week's episode to see how the world and Lex Luthor reacts to Superman's return.
Rating:
1.Story: 8/10
2.Visuals: 8/10
3.Sound: 8/10
4.Performance: 8/10
5.Overall: 8/10
Join me weekly for more reviews of the fourth and final season of Superman and Lois on the CW.
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