Superman & Lois review: “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events”

Superman & Lois fans, was that an episode or what?! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m still reeling from “A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events”.

Lots of shows do flashback episode to give viewers a better understanding of where the characters are coming from, and how they ended up where they did. For the most part, we know Clark Kent/Superman’s (Tyler Hoechlin) story. He crash-landed on Earth from Krypton as a young kid and was taken in by the Kent family. He met and fell in love with Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) while working at the Daily Planet, confessed to her that he is Superman, and the two began a life together, eventually having two boys. While there are elements to this story we know well, Superman & Lois adds more depth to America’s favorite superhero than ever before.

In fact, we even got to see the iconic moment from the cover of Action Comics #1, where Superman is holding a green car over his head just as it’s about to hit the ground. It was amazing to see them bring this to life on the small screen, with Hoechlin sporting the original Superman outfit made by his Martha Kent (Michele Scarabelli).

But while the flashbacks are incredible, it’s what happens later in the episode that has people talking. Sadly, we have to wait until July 13 to see the repercussions of these events. Until then, let’s break down the major moments from this week’s epic episode of Superman & Lois.

Superman & Lois revisit the past

The episode kicks off with a teenage Clark Kent (Dylan Kingwell) running through a frozen tundra with his sunstone, which is meant to guide him. He’s not very successful at first, until he angrily throws the sunstone in the ground. What we come to know as the Fortress of Solitude rises around him, with the sunstone suspended in the air at the entrance.

After placing the sunstone in the dais, Clark meets Jor-El (Angus Macfadyen), who explains who and what he is. Clark learns that Jor-El is his father, and he intends on teaching Clark everything he needs to know about being the hero he’s meant to be.

A montage unfolds and we pick up with Clark as an adult who finally learns to soar in the skies and embrace his powers. With a newfound purpose, Clark heads back to Smallville to inform his mother of his mission. He also sees Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) before he goes.

Since Clark has been gone for so long, the people around him have moved on, as he so abruptly learns when he spots Lana embracing Kyle (Erik Valdez). The two are now engaged, and while it breaks Clark’s heart, he has a mission, and a new suit to show off courtesy of his mom.

We know this part of the story, but I loved seeing a more emotional perspective on it. I loved seeing a vulnerable side of Clark, a side that had no idea what he was doing when he first started.

Clark heads to Metropolis to embrace his destiny. With his new suit, he gets right to work (giving us that Action Comics #1 moment) saving the folks of Metropolis.

The episode then shifts to Clark’s time at The Daily Planet and meeting Lois Lane. It was definitely love at first sight. Does anyone else get life from the chemistry between Hoechlin and Tulloch? It’s like they were meant to play these characters, and they do it incredibly well.

Clark sets about helping Lois bring problematic issues to the forefront. As they work together, love blossoms, and eventually they wed. Superman & Lois goes through these events rather quickly, but gives us enough so we can appreciate how these characters got here. Side note: I loved seeing Lois come up with Superman’s name right after he saves her from Atom-Man (Paul Lazenby).

As we fast forward through Lois and Clark’s relationship, we arrive at a critical point in the episode: everything we have seen so far has been an illusion, at least for Clark. As Lois is giving birth to their boys, it feels as if something is off.

And things are off; the illusion is courtesy of Superman’s half-brother Tal-Rho, aka Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner), who’s infiltrated Clark’s mind. Armed with new information, Tal-Rho is ready to break down Superman.

Tal-Rho’s plan

Superman is now at the beck and call of his evil half-brother, who knows exactly what to do in order to get him to submit to his evil plan. If Superman doesn’t cooperate, Tal-Rho will tell the world his secret identity, and ensure that harm comes to Lois and the kids.

As they are in the Fortress, Jor-El’s hologram appears to tell Superman to resist Tal-Rho’s commands, but before he can make a dent, Tal-Rho destroys the sunstone. That is essentially the end of Jor-El as we know it and perhaps, even Superman, who lies unconscious on the ground after being beaten.

A brief romantic interlude

We take a brief break from the chaos to check in with the Lang family. Kyle is back to normal after being possessed by X-Kryptonite and even attempts to make amends with Lois.

Meanwhile, Jordan (Alex Garfin), Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Sarah (Inde Navarrette) have an honest discussion about what the hell has been happening in Smallville. Now that Sarah knows about there being aliens in town, she can better comprehend what’s been going on.

But more than that, she can finally have a moment with Jordan to confess her true feelings. (Yay!) After so much back and forth, the two finally share a kiss and make their relationship official. I love that the underdog is getting a love story! Sure, Jordan has superpowers but he isn’t exactly the “cool kid” Jonathan has always been. It’s so nice to see a shift in dynamics here, and Jonathan being so supportive of his brother’s recent streak of luck.

A jarring revelation

Tal-Rho drops by the Smallville farm to alert Lois and the boys of what he’s done. He’s uber-threatening and attempts to murder Lois in front of Jordan and Jonathan, who he plans to kill right after.

Just as things start to get ugly, Superman arrives in the nick of time to offer himself as a sacrifice for his family. He’s willing to do anything as long as Tal-Rho stays away from Lois and the boys. Giving himself over to Tal-Rho like that means that things are about to get out of control.

A brief flashback reveals that a teenage Tal-Rho (Ben Cockell) created his own Fortress with a sunstone, and had his father, Zeta-Ro (A.C. Peterson) guiding him just as Kal-El had Jor-El. The only difference here is that these two are pure evil.

And now they intend to eradicate Superman, making way for the evil Superman John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) warned everyone about. Luckily, Lois makes a call to Irons, who will no doubt play a crucial role in Superman & Lois when it returns.

That was one hell of an episode, wasn’t it? Seeing Clark’s past leading all the way up until the big reveal of him surrendering to Edge is an absolute whirlwind. I didn’t think John Henry Iron’s deepest fears would come to fruition, but it looks like that’s exactly where Superman & Lois is headed.

How will this version of Clark/Superman/Kal-El affect the world, and more importantly, his family? And how will the chaos be stopped? I have no idea, but based on the promo above, it looks like John Diggle (David Ramsey) is going to come to Lois’ aid when she needs it the most. I can’t wait to see how that unfolds!

Until July 13 (when Superman & Lois returns from a brief hiatus)!

Grade: A-

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