"Superman & Lois" Season 4 Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

Interesting things Clark does this episode. One comical, the other - whoa. Idk what I liked better, Clark panicking when Lana sees him with hair dye or when Clark snaps and fights Lex. The latter was a nice full circle moment of the season continuing with Doomsday vs. Superman and building up to Clark vs. Lex this week.

But ugh, they wrote off Sarah...She balanced the boys out, imo. It wasn't an out of the blue reason and finally picked up on her crash and her own arc. But eh.

It clicked with me with this episode. Whenever they repeatedly mention the absent characters. It's like improv class where they're continuously reminding the audience about the story. That's why it's been annoying me, lol.

Yeah, Lex's line to Clark about seeing him for what he really is didn't land because we never watched them clash pre-jail for several seasons of the show. So we have no context. We the audience just has to accept. DC fans know most Lex's see Superman as a charlatan, pretending to be nice and caring.

I admit I totally forgot this world's John Irons sold weapons and tech to Luthor in addition to Mannheim. I assume now that Lex is back in Metropolis, he's gonna look into AU John. And well that S4 trailer gave a big bit of that away with what happens after that.

 

[Frontier]

I found Lex's stereotypical man-rage montage more comical than it was supposed to be .

Thanks to his new heart, Clark is more "Man" than "Super," meaning it's likely he might physically age normally now and he doesn't know how to process this. How much longer can he still be Superman? How much more will his body be affected now .?

Jon seems even more enthusiastic about this hero thing than Jordan was. Though at least it seems like it's less for ego which was one of Jordan's main problems...he's still being a bit overzealous .

Sorry for anyone who wanted to see them actually show the LanaxJohn Henry ship sailing, but because we can only have so many cast members in one episode we're just going to have it happen off-screen and put them long-distance .

Welp, it seems everyone in Smallville now knows Clark is Superman. The boys probably should have warned him ahead of time .

"After I crashed" - Just want to point out that the crash wasn't what got you in trouble, but the drinking while driving while trying to escape police .

Kind of feels full-circle in a way to bring up the boys' football careers when that started in season 1...even if it's Coach Gaines wanting two Kryptonians to give him an unfair advantage. But Coach Gaines knows a meal ticket when he sees it .

I mean, good for the people of Smallville for standing up to Lex, but it really isn't helping our main villains' intimidation factor to see him lose to a bunch of normal people in a rural real estate plot .

I guess Sarah's been wanting to get out of Smallville since season 1 so this is just finally giving her a chance to do that. I got the sense from her story last season that she was going to find a new appreciation for Smallville and maybe a reason to stay, but...nope. At least she got a nice moment with the boys at the end .

Why is Lana so depressed about Sarah leaving when she has another daughter who only seems to exist when the plot conveniently remembers her (if at all)? I mean, I guess Sophie isn't as great a sounding board as Sarah is, but it's not like Lana is going to be all on her own. Unless Sophie is spending more time with her dad, but it doesn't feel like it .

Otis trying to kill Lana was really intense and visceral. Granted, after Otis walked off what Jon did to him I'm genuinely surprised he didn't tank Sarah's bat .

Red Sun streetlights! Absolutely ingenious! I genuinely did not see it coming .

You do not mess with Clarks' childhood friend .

One of the more conventional Superman vs Lex Luthor fights where Clark is depowered. It's probably the first time this show felt like there was a really meaningful enmity between Clark and Lex and not Clark just so happening to be associated enough with Lois that Lex wants him dead too, though it also feels kind of late to be doing this now. Like, Lex trying to show Clark how ruthless he can be when his buttons are pushed is classic Lex Luthor, but he hasn't been this kind of Lex .

But hey, Clark won the fight! Even if it didn't make him feel any better

At least Jordan is finally putting himself back out there .

"You need a new suit." - Warsuit incoming ?

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 7 "A Regular Guy" - November 11, 2024

After some concerning interactions in town, Clark is determined to protect the secret that he’s Superman – a task complicated by Jonathan and Jordan. Lois considers the future of the Gazette after Chrissy proposes something drastic.

 

[Frontier]

So I guess they designated the Kyle and Chrissy episodes as the "light and fun" and breather episodes. Relatively speaking, of course.

It's kind of funny watching an in-real-time reaction to someone normal watching Clark Kent pull a Clark Kent and bail to do Superman stuff.

Nobody is better at acting like a wimp than Clark Kent!

JIMMY!!! It's nice to have a live-action version of Jimmy that actually feels like Jimmy, and wants to be "pals" with Clark. He even calls him CK! Though he still has a sister (who was the reporter from season 1) so I guess some things are still the same from Supergirl. Didn't seem like he had any relationship with Superman though.

I love Lois trying to push her man into playing baseball without actually understanding baseball.

Well, obviously not everyone is going to react well to knowing you have superpowers, especially if they feel you slighted them. This is exactly why Clark's dad didn't want him playing sports.

Lois Lane is not known for being a handywoman but bless her for trying!

Can Lois just go back to the Daily Planet? I feel like they keep avoiding having the Kents go back to Metropolis. I guess the Gazette was more "hers" instead of an employee of the Planet, but I feel like the Planet would be her and Clark's home.

No, not the Cushing grill!!!

"Another one growing up way too fast" - Sophie acknowledgement!

They even beat the Luthorcorp team!

Is Jimmy taller than Clark? Wow.

Jordan plays Killer Instinct!? I guess they can't always play Mortal Kombat or Injustice.

I feel like there were more issues in Jordan and Sarah's issues than just him keeping his secret from her. Granted, it didn't help.

Honestly I wouldn't trust Superman's identity with a former drug dealer either. But this would not have happened had they managed the Jon and Jordan flying.

I wonder if the boys are really prepared for what a life of being exposed might do to their family. Like, I get it, they don't want to complicate their lives or lie to the people they're closed to, but it feels like they're not always cognizant of what they could lose as Clark is.

Nothing more hard for a family than finding a house.

Honestly even if Timmy wasn't being gaslighted in front of his mom, it's not like he'd have less of a beef with Jon or Jordan. Not sure honesty would have really improved anything.

Jimmy's not an idiot but Clark just could not let go of his secret. Sad to see for such great pals.

It's hard to maintain a secret identity and social life. Some Superman's handle it better than others. This one had a clear emotional distance from everybody.

Well, you don't have to twist Lois and Clark's arm to own a newspaper!

Clark didn't deserve to get outted by Emmett...or by Luthor like that.

Honestly, is it so wrong to want to have a normal life totally separate from your Superhero life? It's like everyone inevitably has to go 100% public Superhero. I guess it's more inconvenient for teenagers but I feel like it's important for Clark Kent to keep his two lives separate. He never wanted him or his family to stand out, and he deserved to be seen as a normal person.

Now both Kara and Clark have gone on live television to announce their identity to the world.

Bibbowski's! Someday we'll get a proper live-action Bibbo.

I'm glad Clark got to make things right with Jimmy.

Lex has achieved his final form...clean shaven Lex in a suit!!!

 

[Yojimbo]

So this world inches one step closer to the Inverse World with Clark coming out. Though I think it was Jonathan having to reveal his powers to save someone that gave it away? Yeah, and a nice parallel to Prime Kara.

Well, it was amusing when Jordan joked about how at least they're not weirdo twins who only hang out with each other...

It was nice touch that Sam Lane continues helping people in death.

Guess it's going to be one easter egg a week. Last week, Clark's hair dye was Shadowpact. This week, the rocket he saved in the footage was named Pulsar Stargrave.

 

[Frontier]

It was nice touch that Sam Lane continues helping people in death.

I wonder if they spent all their paycheck on the gazette or how privately wealthy they are now...

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Superman & Lois: “A Regular Guy” Episode Recap"​

"Previously – The town of Smallville witnessed Lois’ grief when Doomsday killed Superman and slowly began to suspect that Superman is really Clark Kent. Lex Luthor’s attempt to move LuthorCorp to Smallville was thwarted by Mayor Lana Lang, but Luthor continues coming up with new ways to get at his enemies.

Clark Kent reflects upon his life. When he first moved to Metropolis, being Superman was easy because Clark was just another face in the crowd. He’s back in Smallville, and he can be just Clark Kent. Everything changed, however, when he died. He buys some items from Brit and Dunn’s and the cashier, Denise, is awkward around him. A news report shows a plane about to crash, and Clark says he has to run to his car to get his wallet. Superman saves the plane, and Clark returns to the store. Denise, believing him to be Superman, is puzzled as to how all this happened so quickly.

Clark returns home and tells his family he threw Denise off the trail and still has to fool other Smallville residents like Aidy Manning and Coach Gaines. Lois struggles to build a crib for Kyle and Chrissy, and she wonders how much John Henry has gotten out of Luthor’s man, Otis, who is in DOD custody. Luthor has been quiet, and that’s not a good sign."

Read the full episode recap here.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 8 "Sharp Dressed Man" - November 18, 2024

Luthor challenges Lois to a live telecast debate, though not everything is as it seems. John Henry and Clark face a troubling possibility.

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Superman & Lois: “Sharp Dressed Man” Episode Recap"​

"Previously – With the town of Smallville getting more suspicious of Clark being Superman, he tried his best to throw every individual person off his trail. After being publicly confronted by Emmitt Pergande, Clark decided not to hide any more. He not only admitted that he’s Superman, he also gave a live interview telling the world his story.

As Lex Luthor gets fitted for a new suit, Amanda McCoy gives him updates on their associates, Bash and Milton Fine. Amanda is hatching a plan to get the world on his side.

General Hardcastle’s men have been protecting the Kent home. Clark makes his way past them. Lois is more concerned with learning her latest test results. Jordan and Jonathan are reacting to their recent fame, even getting friend requests from Jamie Kennedy. They are worried about their mother, but Lois wants them to hang out with their friends.

Natalie Irons has the opposite problem. John Henry Irons insists they finish their work for the DOD before she can go out and have fun. John Henry then worries about the stress this is putting on his daughter. He says that with Clark back and both Jordan and Jonathan having powers that Natalie can quit if she wants. She declines, and John Henry wonders if she’s doing this for her late grandfather, Sam Lane. They are alerted to an overturned car, so Steel and Starlight fly into action. They quickly save a panicked man."

Read the full episode recap here.

 

[Yojimbo]

I wasn't feeling this episode for the most part. The good stuff was Lois, Lex, and Godfrey.

Ah, there we go. Superman is eventually going to lose all his powers. Yes, this is gonna end with a time skip to gray haired Clark and Lois on the porch and Jon and Jordan, in new full costumes, going off to save the day.

Goodbye Starlight armor.

Jon and Jordan's sections of episodes have always felt like CW drama fluff/filler but the break up-back together stuff with Candace felt like a waste of time and then quickly resolved sorta proves it. But then they shoehorn in a 1 episode arc for Nat. They seem to do the same thing of separating the main 4 into pairs then the family meeting to sloppily frame it together.

As I learned from @James Harvey, production didn't even try to disguise the Canadian suburb with digital editing. The exterior shot is the "most Candadian suburban home" and the "security sticker thing on the door is 100% Canadian."

Not feeling the take on Milton Fine so far. Very much a woman hating Internet troll stereotype.

Didn't care for Lex's warsuit is just them steeling the Steel suit... but the big irony is Lex just has to wait a decade and he can easily kill Superman except he has no clue and is gonna try something in the next 2 episodes. And then again, they haven't given any hint this Lex is a scientific genius yet.

But wow, would have guessed Cavanagh was Gordon Godfrey! Lois's barbs were on point, lol.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 9 "To Live and Die Again" - November 25, 2024

Lois struggles against the fallout of the debate. Clark uses Luthor’s tactics against him, while Jonathan and Jordan prepare for an impending battle.

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Superman & Lois: “To Live and Die Again” Episode Recap"​

"Previously – Taking the advice of his associate, Amanda McCoy, Lex Luthor cleans up and appears on Gordon Godfrey’s show to repair his reputation. He challenges Lois Lane to a debate at a later airing of the show. The debate gets heated, but it ends abruptly when Clark has to become quickly Superman and fight an out of control Steel armor. Superman saves John Henry Irons, but his armor falls into the hands of Luthor’s top brain, Milton Fine. Milton also hijacks Natalie Irons’ Starlight armor and sends it after her, but Jonathan and Jordan Kent save her life by melting the armor with their heat vision.

News of Superman losing his powers has hit the internet, and Jonathan and Jordan are concerned. Clark figures that the info John Henry got from scanning Clark is now in Luthor’s hands and that he leaked the news. Lois has been losing businesses that advertiser in the Gazette, because she came off poorly in her debate with Luthor. While Lois and the boys feel defeated, Clark thinks they need to change tactics with Luthor and mess with his mind, just as he is messing with theirs.

Still incredibly famous, Jonathan and Jordan have to fight theirway through a sea of adoring fans to get into the diner. There, they learn that the diner is now selling Superman merchandise and even named menu items after the Kents. Jordan is dismayed that while Jonathan gets a French dip named after him, he only has curly fries on the kids menu. Jonathan says they need to be prepared for whatever Luthor has planned."

Read the full episode recap here.

 

[Yojimbo]

What really ticked me off was 2 things not that uncommon for the show but are grating for the penultimate episode: Everyone talking cryptically to each other (i.e. I've got an idea then leaves room) over and over and Clark telling the boys to go away every 5 minutes then relegating them to crowd control. I'm concerned the Smallville battle is going to wrap up too quickly then focus on a time skip epilogue we've been speculating about. Feels like this season needed 1 more episode to breathe. The episode felt like the script was was a series of bullet points. Just skipping thru scenes like oops we only have 1 episode left, we gotta motor it.

Lex's slow implosion comes to a head this episode. Lex's obsession is blinding him to a fault and will probably lead to his defeat. Is Doomsday is going to turn on Lex? When Lex finally snaps at Amanda and Jordan helping the waitress were probably the best parts. The latter is a rare moment when one of the boys is utilized very well. The final showdown being in Smallville makes sense thematically and IRL for the production.

@James Harvey pointed it out to me and yeah, it's been hard to watch a Lois that continually deflates. Too manic. Lemme get this straight, she only waited until now to talk to Mannheim? Idk if these writers really understood Lois or they watered her skills down a tad too much. And only used her to squeeze out the drama when needed.

Well, still hopeful it will be a decent send-off to the series and DC's run on CW. Started with a Superman show, ended with one.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 10 "It Went By Too Fast" - December 2, 2024 (Series Finale)

The Kents fight with everything they have as Luthor makes his final move on Smallville.

 

[wonderfly]

From the front page of AnimeSuperhero.com:

"Superman & Lois: “It Went by So Fast” (Series Finale Episode Recap)"​

"Previously – Despite gaining more public support than Lois Lane, Lex Luthor grew increasingly unhinged. He had been following the plan of his partner, Amanda McCoy, but all he wanted was revenge on Clark Kent and Lois Lane. With the help of his top scientist, Milton Fine, Luthor stole John Henry Irons’ Steel suit. Lois, believing she could turn Amanda against Luthor, told her about the unfortunate story of a previous partner/girlfriend of Luthor’s. Clark worked on training Jonathan and Jordan Kent and concluded the only way for them to be as effective as Superman is if they work together. Their training was cut short, however, as Luthor returned to Smallville with the Steel to find Doomsday. Luthor killed Doomsday, turned him into mindless monster, and sent him to destroy Smallville. Superman tackled Doomsday only to find him stronger than ever before.

Going back in time a little from last week, the episode begins with Lana and John Henry playing pool. Despite beginning a relationship last season, this is only their fourth date (partly because of Lana’s mayoral duties and John Henry’s DOD duties and partly because the show trimmed down its regulars this season). Lana worries about Sarah studying abroad for a year, and John Henry tries to make her feel better by saying they can spend more time together. Given how little they see each other, they wonder if their relationship just wasn’t meant to be. Before they can discuss things any further, Superman’s battle with Doomsday rages outside. An explosion takes out a wall and knocks everyone down.

Outside on the streets, Lois tries to direct the fleeing people. She grabs Amanda and blames her for Luthor’s actions. Amanda says this wasn’t part of their plan, and Lois says Amanda can’t fix Lex Luthor. Doomsday throws Superman around and stomps him. Jonathan and Jordan want to help, but Superman tells them they aren’t ready. He continues the battle by himself."

Read the full episode recap here.

 

[-batmat-]

I'll admit I rolled my eyes when the first season 4 trailer came out and we were getting yet another "death" of Superman, so I wasn't really feeling all the drama from Superman's "death" in the first episodes.

I think this show went a bit overload with the drama aspects since season 3 with Lois' cancer, but that ended up coming full circle with all the characters involved in that season.

So finally when Superman does come back, I was more on board. And this season delivered the goods, specially in the last few episodes.

Superman's narration in the end with the telling of the whole story of his life was so emotional, my eyes were watered up the whole time. THIS is how you do the death of Superman. Not as some kind of shock value thing that ends up being reversed all the time.

It really was a beautiful sight to see his life play out with his narration, first with the Superman family in full force, Jon and Jordan growing old and taking on the mantle, having kids of their own, Lois passing away, Krypto, and finally the end. His "after life" moments were beautiful, lovely words that we should all take into heart, and a spectacular send off to these characters that have been with us for these years.

Farewell Superman & Lois, and thank you for showing us what Superman stands for, when many other versions of the character fail in that regard.