Weekly TV Reviews: Superman & Lois Premiere

 

Opening: We see the typical story of Superman. He fell to earth as a baby, found by the Kents, raised in Smallville, his father died (which set him on a path), he went to Metropolis, fell in love with Lois Lane, got married, then had twin boys (Jonathan - easy, always happy, always smiling; Jordan - more challenging, tantrums, night terrors, social anxiety disorder) 

Thoughts on Premiere: 

1.) Superman Vs. Clark Kent

Comes home from saving a nuclear plant only to be told that Jonathan had news and to apologize to Jordan for missing therapy (who finds Superman boring). Jordan is clearly that moody teenager that he can't seem to connect with. Immediately it's shown that he's struggling to balance being Superman and being a parent, with saving the world and being there for his wife and kids. He's currently keeping a secret from his sons and they disagree over telling them, with Clark believing they shouldn't tell and Lois wanting to tell. We've seen a lot of Superman adaptations from Christoper Reeve to Tom Welling, but I can honestly say that this is the first time we've seen them as parents trying to raise a family. 

2.) Normal Life

Clark is fired by Morgan Edge and gets a phone call from the doctor that his mother had a stroke. The loss brings Clark and Lois back to Smallville for the funeral where they learn about land being bought and jobs being gone. After the funeral, it's the introduction of Lana and her husband (who is very prickly and gives them grief for moving away with their skills not coming into the small town). Morgan Edge has plans to get into Smallville (and preys on the small communities). Martha made decisions about the farm without Clark knowing about it and then Lana is acting cagey about her plans for the farm. Clark finds out that his mother was helping everyone throughout the town and that she used the farm so he either decides to sell the farm out or repay the loan. By the end of the episode, Clark has an epiphany that his mom meant for them to come live in Smallville and that maybe their family needed Smallville which would be a simpler life. 

3.) Secret's Out 

Jordan tries to climb into the barn loft and falls, only for Jonathan to cover him before pipes land on them both. Jordan is on the trail of something strange happening after they were perfectly fine which clashes with Clark's fear of Jordan finding out because he's already pulled far away from him. Jordan knows there's a secret and goes into the barn Clark tells them to stay out of, with Jonathan more skeptical that anything is amiss, though secrets only stay buried for so long. It takes one guess to know that they would find the ship buried underneath the barn. They confront their dad after the discovery of the ship which pushes Clark to confess what he's been terrified to say. This effectively turns out the way Clark feared it would with Jordan pulling even further away and Jonathan turning away too. Jordan gets angry enough when he sees his brother being beaten up that he ends up shooting lasers out of his eyes. 

4.) Love Triangle?

It's clear that both Jonathan and Jordan are drawn to Sarah (Lana's daughter) though Sarah gives specifically Jordan her number. Love triangles are a natural element to any drama and it would seem that "Superman & Lois" will find the Kent boys vying for the same girl. The two brothers represent two different ideas with Jonathan as the classic jock and Jordan as the moody loner. The drama takes a turn when Jordan finds out that Sarah has a boyfriend when he kisses her and then her boyfriend starts beating him up which leads to an all-out fight with Jonathan defending his brother. It's clear their coming of age drama will be a major player throughout the season. 

5.) You Are Not A Hero

The plot of the episode follows something after nuclear power plants and has left Clark a message that tells him that he's not a hero in Kryptonian. This is another element to him that shows him torn between doing what's right for the world and doing what's right by staying with the family. Clark confronts his mysterious new enemy who has a plan that will clearly be going through the rest of the season. His world was destroyed which leads her to assume that he was from another earth and is picking up with a fight that this Clark has no idea about. 

Quotes:

"I never met a Clark before" - Clark "I never met a Lois before" - Lois 

"Life's a little different in Smallville" - Martha Kent 

"What's the FFA?" - Kent brothers 

"You may have fallen in love with Clark Kent, but you married Superman." - Lois' dad

"Dad can't put up a Christmas tree without falling off the ladder" - Jordan