Weekly TV Reviews: Superman & Lois s1 ep5

 

Up, up, and back with "Superman & Lois." 

Read on for our Recap & Review:

The one weekend every year that everyone came together: Harvest Fest. The episode features a tradition in Smallville that has Clark excited to share this with the family and this enthusiasm came from the joy Martha Kent had during this festival. Jonathan also plans to see his Metropolis girlfriend Eliza who is coming down to visit before calling and breaking up with him while Jordan gets his dream come true by getting asked out on a festival date by Sarah. 

1.) Harvest Fest

The donation festival comes with Clark working through the grief of losing his mom by donating some of her stuff. The flashbacks for the episode come with a mother-son moment and a look at teenage Clark in his early days stopping crime long before he wore the cape and was only wearing a mask. Thanks to the missing miner's new abilities, the town center bursts into flames and comes crashing down leading Kyle and the other firefighters to stage a rescue (with a little help from Clark who blows out the fire). The fire in turn destroys everything inside the center so all the donations that people gave, some of which was all they could afford to give. The flashbacks are a great way to get in touch with the loss and grief of losing Martha. Her death was the catalyst for the Kents going to Smallville and so seeing this episode focus on this loss up close was a necessary development for Clark and the story. The scenes also showed some guilt that Clark harbors over past treatment of his mother - such as telling her that he wasn't put here to be Martha Kent's son. The layers of the characters are part of what gives the story strength and heart by showing them as complex humans that have guilt, struggles, anger, and feelings. 

2.) Lois' Story Takes A Turn

The woman that previously reported her son missing in the mines returns - with her son in tow. One catch. Her son has no memory of what happened to him or of the phone calls he left to his mom. Now she has no interest in taking part in Lois' investigation thanks to the return of her son. The mother-son duo is seen again donating clothes for the Harvest Fest just before her son calls a mysterious woman and lasers flash from his eyes. Lois's job as a reporter is a main element of the story and we love every second of it, which we say in nearly every review so far. We've enjoyed Elizabeth Tulloch in her roles on Grimm and we were excited when she became Lois Lane. The character of Lois has always been an independent reporter with a strong-willed personality and doesn't let anything stop her. These are qualities that have made the character so enduring and each actress that has portrayed her has perfectly embodied these characteristics. 

The end adds another element to Morgan Edge's agenda with Smallville when he writes a check to help cover the loss of donations. And a way to honor Martha, Lana surprises Clark with a bench dedicated to her memory in her favorite spot. A spot that so-happens to be where Clark said good-bye to his mom before leaving Smallville and not looking back. All-around a great episode about Clark's past, his choice to leave Smallville, and the memory of his mother. The ominous ends find Captain Luther seeing that Lois Lane is with Clark Kent results in him returning to his RV angry. In a shocking twist, we learned that in his reality, he was the one married to Lois and not Clark while Superman was the villain. The very end finds Jordan attacked by Harris who demands to know 'what he did to him' just before the episode fades to black. 

The show will be back May 18 with new episodes.

Quotes:

"Moving on can be a distraction. Sometimes you need to sit with it" - Martha