Superman & Lois review, Episode 214: “Worlds War Bizarre”

Superman & Lois returns this week after yet another hiatus to catch us up on Superman’s (Tyler Hoechlin) recovery. In the previous episode, Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt) drained him of his powers in an effort to merge the two worlds. It’s an interesting plot point but it’s been hard to get excited because of all the breaks the show has taken.

Nonetheless, Superman & Lois forges ahead as the town of Smallville deals with the revelation that two worlds are merging. As mayor, Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) tries to tell the townspeople but they completely disregard her. It’s not until Superman shows up and shares that she is telling the truth and that his powers really are gone that they seem to take it seriously.

Meanwhile, Ally’s plans are progressing as Lois (Bitsie Tulloch), Jonathan (Jordan Elsass), Jordan (Alex Garfin), John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks), and Natalie (Tayler Buck) try to figure out how to get Superman his powers back.

While I didn’t quite enjoy this episode, it was eventful, so without further ado, let’s get into all the nitty-gritty details of “Worlds War Bizzare.”

SPOILERS ahead!

Superman powerless

So is Superman actually getting better? Will he ever get his powers back? Comic book lore tells us Superman will be okay, but in the series, it’s unclear. As of now, his cells aren’t being recharged from the sun as they normally would; in fact, they’ve changed completely. It’s going to take time to heal because he isn’t exactly Superman anymore.

The timing is bad because of Ally Allston’s plans to merge both worlds. Superman can’t help out, so it’s up to everyone else to pick up the slack. It’s an interesting shift for Hoechlin to portray Superman as a superhero with no superpowers. He’s not doing okay.

While I haven’t been enjoying this series as much as I used to, I do appreciate this aspect of the plot. We always get to see superheroes in their element, but we don’t always get to see what happens when they’re living like the rest of us. The shift in going from saving the world whenever they’re needed to not being able to do anything is intriguing, and I think Superman & Lois does a great job of highlighting that in this episode.

I loved seeing Superman go to the Smallville town hall meeting to reassure the townspeople, as well as Clark going to talk to Sam (Dylan Walsh); he’s extremely vulnerable right now, so it’s exciting to see him take charge anyway. I absolutely loved that! If that doesn’t scream true superhero, then I don’t know what does.

The quest to merge the worlds

Okay, I’ll admit this is a bit terrifying and frightening. Watching all the doppelgangers descend on Smallville and seeing the red sun in the sky feels unsettling. Regular Earth being seemingly overshadowed by the other Bizarro Earth is beyond uncomfortable, so kudos for making us feel like all hell is about to break loose.

Given that Superman can’t really help out, it’s up to John Henry to do something about the chaos that Ally is causing. The clock is ticking, and with less than half a day left, John Henry attempts to do what even Superman hadn’t been able to.

During the mission to stop Ally, Natalie loses contact with her father and is left to make sure everyone on Earth is safe and sound. It’s a lot of pressure for a young teen to take on but the support of the Kent family means everything. I’ve enjoyed watching the dynamic between Natalie and the Kent family transform and change, and I think it went a long way to spicing up this week’s episode. Bravo for that!

“Worlds War Bizarre” isn’t the most exciting episode of the show we’ve seen, but as a lead-up to the season finale, it works. Next week we’ll see the conclusion to this storyline, and I think it could be one of the strongest episodes of the series if they do it right.

We know Superman doesn’t have his powers and Smallville is starting to merge with Bizzaro Earth, so the stakes are super high. I would love to see a finale that leaves things chaotic and uneasy. Will Superman get his powers back by the end of the season? If not, it could allow for the rest of the team step up into the limelight. I would love to see Jordan and Jonathan work together to fight the doppelgangers, with Natalie right alongside them. Let the kids take care of it with Superman down; I believe in them!

I guess we’ll find out how this story wraps up next week, but I sure am hoping for a thrilling finale!

Grade: B+

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