Superman & Lois review: “The Ties That Bind”

Have I told you lately how much I love Superman & Lois? I mean, seriously, what a show! I know The CW is filled with shows set in the DC Universe, but there is just something extra special about this one. From the special effects to the storyline to the clever way they integrate comic book material, Superman & Lois truly has it all.

In last week’s episode, we got a glimpse of what was lurking underneath the town of Smallville and causing Superman to have vivid, painful visions. It looks like they are teasing Doomsday, and while we don’t get the official confirmation this week, I think it’s safe to say that is where we are headed.

I’m really enjoying the continued family dynamics on Superman & Lois, especially now that John Henry (Wolé Parks) and Natalie (Tayler Buck) have moved onto the Kent farm. I thought it was going to make things awkward and strange, and I still think it will, but so far it’s going pretty smoothly.

And as far as Superman’s troubles go, we also get a cameo from none other than Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner). There is quite a bit to discuss, so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

SPOILERS below!

Superman & Lois rely on brotherly love 

Superman/Clark’s (Tyler Hoechlin) visions continue to be a problem to the point where he can’t hide it from the rest of his family. I really enjoyed seeing how it brought the family together. This season started off with Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) at odds with everyone else after Natalie showed up. The guilt of not being Natalie’s mom in this world was eating her up, but now things are getting better.

And we all know Lois Lane is at her best when she’s fully focused on her family and her job! She is there to help Clark through whatever these visions are, which is what makes she and Clark such an amazing couple. Not to mention, Jordan (Alex Garfin) is stepping up to the plate to help his dad out now that he understands his powers a bit more.

To get a better handle on what these visions are, Clark decides he has to go visit Morgan Edge, aka Tal-Rho, his estranged and psychotic brother who is in complete lockdown in the middle of nowhere. It was the only place Clark could think to put him after Tal-Rho tried to implant Kryptonian consciousnesses into the citizens of Smallville.

Tal-Rho may not have his powers (or he pretends not to, anyway), but he’s still deceptive. And while he doesn’t have good intentions, he does give Clark some answers about his visions. After some cajoling and convincing, Tal-Rho gets Clark to take him to his Fortress to learn more about the visions.

Jordan decides to join Clark on this mission after learning his father went to see his uncle without telling him. Things are tense as we learn — all at the same time — that Tal-Rho does have his powers, Jordan is powerful enough to fight his uncle (woo!), and Clark’s visions are being caused by whatever is causing Smallville’s earthquakes. Clark learns this last bit in Tal-Rho’s Fortress from a version of their mother Lara (Mariana Klaveno), who exists before all the events that took place last season.

Elsewhere in Superman & Lois

That’s the gist of the episode, more or less, but there is plenty more going on. We finally find out why Sarah (Inde Navarrette) has been acting so strange since her return from camp: she kissed a girl there and has been feeling guilty ever since. It took an unexpected friendship with Natalie for Sarah to confess to Jordan what she’s been hiding. He isn’t too pleased about it, and I think it’s safe to say that their relationship has arrived at a crossroads. But hey, at least we learned Natalie is quite possibly the coolest girl ever and helped Sarah fix her dad’s car!

Speaking of Sarah’s dad, Kyle (Erik Valdez), he has quite an episode this week alongside Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui), who is going to run for mayor. The candidate she was working with for decides quits the race, and it’s not long before both she and Kyle realize that she is the right person for the job. Yay, go Lana!

Meanwhile, John is having a tough time living with the Kent family. It’s obviously been a lot for Natalie, but we can’t forget about John who also lost someone. It’s a lot to handle, and I’m glad the series took some time to give Lois and John some time together. This is going to get weirder before it gets better.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that while I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Supermen in last week’s episode, I might be warming up to the idea. I’m hoping that the series brings them together for a Superboy arc just like in the comics. I think that’d be really fun.

And then, of course, there’s Doomsday. We still haven’t seen a full look at him, but it’s clear that the people working on digging up the mines know something is going on. It’s only a matter of time before the lid is blown off!

Superman & Lois continues to be a wonderful watch and a truly captivating way to see this iconic comic book story come to life. The CW is doing this show right. Kudos to the production for making Superman & Lois everything Superman fans want and deserve.

I’m looking forward to where this season is taking us, especially when it comes to the Doomsday reveal. Hopefully, his presence doesn’t mean we’ll lose this world’s Superman, but if you’ve read the comics and seen the movies…you know where this might be headed.

Until next week!

Grade: B+

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