Superman & Lois review, Episode 209: “30 Days and 30 Nights”

This week’s episode of Superman & Lois is quite interesting, because the Man of Steel himself is missing in action. Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) super-heard Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt) escaping from the DOD and jetting off in the middle of the night to stop Ally from entering the portal, but he ended up going through himself.

There has been no word from the Man of Steel from that moment on, and we can’t help but wonder: where did he end up? Is he okay? So many questions, and not enough answers!

In Superman’s absence, Jordan (Alex Garfin) and John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks) step up. It’s so exciting to see Jordan really come into his powers and discover new ones every day. This week we finally see him fly which was pretty epic. And he got to play the superhero more than a couple of times, much to Lois’ (Bitsie Tulloch) disapproval.

There was quite a bit of action during this week’s episode of Superman & Lois so let’s get right to the major moments from “30 Days and 30 Nights.” SPOILERS ahead!

Superman & Lois without Superman

Things are chaotic at the top of the hour as Superman jets off to stop Ally from going through the Bizarro portal. Unable to stop her, he flies right through it in pursuit.

Lois, Jordan, and Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) are struggling without him. In fact, the entire world is struggling without him. Crime is up, freak accidents are occurring with no one to stop them, and there is no end in sight.

For nearly a month Superman is nowhere to be found, which inspires the other characters to step up. I loved that element of this week’s episode.

In Clark’s absence, Lois is forced to take on the role of the single parent. With independent kids like Jonathan and Jordan, it’s not an easy task to keep a watchful eye over them. Not to mention, Lois doesn’t have an inkling that Jordan has been training with her father, Sam (Dylan Walsh), or that he’s been trying to help out in Superman’s absence.

Lois also has to contend with Jonathan still refusing to share how he got his hands on the X-Kryptonite. Needless to say, Lois is in a bad spot without Clark around, but she learns very quickly to put her trust in Jordan when the going gets tough.

Is it time for Superboy?

I’m going to guess that Jordan stepping into his powers is inching towards him fully embracing the role of Superman’s son, Superboy. That’s how he is known in the comics and it feels amazing to see that story slowly coming to fruition on Superman & Lois.

As I mentioned previously, in Superman’s absence, Jordan steps in to do what he can. Of course, things are still new for him, which is where John Henry Irons comes in. He’s trying to do what he can but he also can’t be present for every dangerous situation, which is where Jordan steps up.

There’s a moment in this episode when he rushes away when he realizes Kyle (Erik Valdez) is in trouble in the mines. Of course, all of this comes at the expense of his relationship with Sarah (Inde Navarrette). I’m sad to report that by the end of the episode, she decides to break up with him. If only she knew that he was responsible for saving her father’s life! Ugh, teenaged love is filled with heartbreak and agony. And that’s on top of being a teenaged superhero; it’s way too much to handle.

What I found particularly interesting about Jordan stepping into the superhero role is how it impacts Lois. She’s not happy to find out that he’s been training behind her back, and she gets even more livid when she learns from John Henry Irons that he was in the mines. Not only was that dangerous for obvious reasons, but there is still X-Kryptonite down there so it could have been a lot worse.

Lois and Jordan argue, which I think has been a long time coming and I’m glad the series did not delay it. It’s realistic, raw, and vulnerable. On the one hand, Lois has to accept that Jordan does have powers and will be using them as much as she does not want him to. But as a mother worried about her kid, her feelings are understandable.

The whole ordeal comes full circle when Jonathan finally shares that Candice (Samantha Di Francesco) was the one who got him the X-Kryptonite. With her help, Lois, Sam, and Jordan track down the X-Kryptonite operation. Lois lets Jordan tag along but only if he promises not to use his powers. That doesn’t last, because soon enough Lois and Sam are caught by the men inside the warehouse they were staking out. Before they are killed, Sam urges Lois to call on Jordan through his superhearing so he can come to rescue them.

She’s not on board with it but caves in because she realizes that she has to trust Jordan. And trust Jordan she does! He proves invaluable in saving them, and we finally got to see him fly. (Again!) I’m just loving this part of the storyline.

Elsewhere in Superman & Lois

Natalie (Tayler Buck) has a difficult time on the anniversary of her mother’s death. She tries to spend the day in her remembrance, on her own because John Henry Irons has been preoccupied with filling in for Superman.

It doesn’t help that Natalie sees him talking to Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and automatically assumes he’s flirting. And I mean, even if he is, the man has the right to move on at some point, right?

But I do get it; John Henry Irons didn’t even acknowledge what day it was, and settling into this new world has been a lot for Natalie. She is a teenage girl trying to figure out where she fits while having to be around this world’s Lois Lane, who is her mother’s doppelganger. So yes, while John Henry Irons does have permission to move on, I understood Natalie’s point of view.

After Natalie calls him out for it, you can see the regret in John’s eyes immediately. He breaks down crying while watching old home videos of Natalie and his Lois, which made me appreciate Parks’ presence on the show so much. I think this was some of his best acting since he joined Superman & Lois, so bravo for that!

There was a lot of activity in this week’s episode of Superman & Lois, and every bit was pivotal. The biggest piece of plot development was getting to see Jordan step into the role of what I hope will be Superboy. His progression to this point has been very deliberate and calculated, and I think it’s finally paying off. The series didn’t spend too much time keeping him in the training phase, which I appreciate. We needed to see him do what he did in this episode!

Without Superman around, this episode was a great opportunity to flesh out the other characters which it absolutely did. Superman/Clark is the glue that holds the world and his family together, and remains so even when he’s absent.

Superman & Lois truly is the best CW/Arrowverse show on right now, and I’m starting to be more invested as each episode goes by. I mean, did you see the promo for next week’s episode?!

Grade: A

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