This was a really nice Season. Loved it! Hope Season 2 can deliver as well.
This was a really nice Season. Loved it! Hope Season 2 can deliver as well.
A very satisfying finale for Season 1!
I greatly appreciate that there was no cliffhanger. Sure the bit with Natalie at the end was a heart tug but if they never made another episode, one could watch this whole season and feel complete about it all.
Sam retiring did throw me for a loop as well. I am fully expecting something next season to yank him back out of retirement though.
John's heart to heart with Lois about why he couldn't stay was well done by both actors. Let us see how Natalie just upset that apple cart shall we?
Looking forward to S2!
Supergirl's final batch of episodes for S6 is next week. We got 6/7 before it went on hiatus, anyone know how many more we should get? 6/8/10 more episodes to wrap the series.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" - Optimus Prime
Thoughts on #SupermanAndLois (SAL) season 1 episode 15 "The Last Sons Of Krypton". Spoilers follow below ...
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1. After some false starts, we have finally arrived at the one (technically second) true season one finale for SAL.
I kinda view this episode and the last two as SAL Mini-Season 1.5, as Episode 12 ("Thru The Valley of Death") still feels very much like the original intended finale, with the last 3 episodes sorta as an action-packed addendum.
2. A Kryptonian villain wants Krypton to live on Earth again. Again.
I think I'm good with taking a break from Kryptonian villains (on this or any show or movie) if they're always going to have the same motivation of restoring their dead planet on Earth.
Morgan Edge / Tal-Rho wanted this, the Eradicator always wants this in every medium in which it shows up, Zod in the movie Man of Steel wanted this, Zeta-Rho Possessing Jordan wanted this ... can they just come up with a different motivation, please? Stop trying to make Krypto-Earth happen.
3. Superman screaming his son's name into sub-orbital atmosphere like waves to locate him was a cool moment.
Reminded me of Zack Snyder's Justice League intro, when Superman's death cry was creepily audibly echoing all over the world.
3. Clark vs Zeta-Possessed Jordan was weird.
First off, giving Jordan the DCEU Darkseid's voice box is such a (deliberately?) off-putting choice. It would have been far scarier (but maybe more confusing) if Possessed Jordan was talking with his own voice, maybe with the glowing eyes.
Appreciated that Clark wasn't going to trade violent adult-sized blows with the body of his 15-year-old son, even if Zeta called him out for that.
4. Clark needs to fight other superhumans more and fight humans with hi-tech gear less often.
Watching Superman fighting other super humans is so much more satisfying than the P.I.S.-riddled tripe we get when he fights humans.
Clark fighting at superspeed is always badass. He always "forgets" that power when fighting humans (for no real reason other than Plot Induced Stupidity: i.e. there's no fight at all if he uses that power).
But against other super-speedsters? You get the full arsenal on display. Tyler Hoechlin looks good kicking ass.
5. John Henry Irons contributes a LOT to this show.
Seriously, Wole Parks is so good in this role. I hope in Season 2, he becomes a regular, and that he gets a red cape (or red cape-like wings) as well as his own unique S-emblem like in the comics.
Not sure how they could make his helmet more comix-accurate without going metallic face paint, which is really dicey and could look too much "Tin-Man From Wizard Of Oz".
Either way, loved his teaming up with Clark here. Going into battle is easier when you're together.
6. I love that Lois was an active participant and not a bystander in this particular conflict.
The show has done a real good job of eliminating "damsel in distress" as any type of valid descriptor for Ms. Lane. She plugs herself into any crisis in the way she can actually help best.
After one season of SAL, Elizabeth Tulloch is now second on my GOAT live-action Lois Lane rankings (right behind Teri Hatcher).
7. We finally got Jonathan vs Jordan ... sorta.
There was always the fear (after the pilot) that the two brothers would eventually be turned against each other ... because that's a staple of CW shows: trite confrontations, as well as love triangles and sibling rivalries.
This show thankfully has a negligible amount of any of those things.
It was a striking visua setting the boys one-sided fight, but hopefully this is the last time we see one of them actually grabbing the other by the throat for a long time.
8. Love of Family conquers all.
Alright, even I'm getting a little bored with the power of love being this family's overused explicit secret weapon to every problem.
Just like John Henry gives Clark the pep talk he needed to expel Zod from his mind a few episodes back, here Lois does the same for Jordan to expel Zeta. This is some weak tea mind control if that's all it takes to break free.
Then again, I really hate mind control / possession storylines in general, so I'm more than fine with this dumb trope having a dumb solution.
9. Tal-Rho should have died.
I get they didn't want Superman, especially this Superman, to kill anyone.
But there is absolutely no point to Tal-Rho continuing to exist on this show. His Morgan Edge charade is over. He cannot resume that human guise. He's broken out of Earthly containment before. He's directionless now ... and narratively useless. Still hate that he remains Kal's actual half-brother.
Leslie Larr has a lot more potential, but her secrets are out too. She can't be allowed to roam free. She's in the same boat as Tal.
If Clark wouldn't extinguish their threat forever, John Henry damn sure could have, and with a clear conscience, too.
10. That stinger: what a way to lead into Season 2!
Gotta admit, when I saw that rocket ship show up at the end of the show, for a solid 10 terrifying seconds, I feared the worst.
I briefly thought it was going to be Kara. I would have HATED that.
Immense relief and a bit of happiness when it was revealed to be Nat Irons herself, John Henry's daughter from the alternate Earth!
Their joyful reunion felt genuine, and then Nat laying eyes on (our) Lois in shock and saying "Mom?" gives us our throughline to kick off Season 2.
Bottom line: Solid end to a great first season.
The first season of Superman And Lois was an unqualified success to me.
They took a giant risk with putting this 80+ year old character in such a radically different setting (and stage of life) ... and it paid off so much better than I would have predicted.
In fact, it's best Superman storytelling since ... Superman Smashes The Klan (in print) from 2019, and the best live-action Superman since ... jeez, probably Superman II (in theaters) from 1981.
That's either high praise for SAL and/or faint praise for the live-action Superman stuff of the last 40 years.
Episode Grade: 8/10.
Season 1 Grade: 9/10.
Next up: Season 2 of Superman And Lois begins shooting this fall, and the Season 2 premiere date is most likely around February 2022, a full year after Season 1 first aired.
Really hoping we get more access to the rest of the Superman lore next year (more Metropolis, more Superman villians and supporting cast, more stories taken from the comix, more improvements on the suits, etc) especially since Supergirl will be all over by then.
Take a bow, Superman And Lois! Definitely one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021!
It's because he was re-entering earth's atmosphere, but yes - that was awesome. Honestly, the hammer-throw made me think, "Make sure you go for the head!" But it all worked out.
Oh, I was fully expecting him to die in the finale, so retired is a lot better than that. I imagine there might be some friction with whomever replaces him, especially in light of this Kryptonian threat and the questions Superman was answering ... was that foreshadowing? The hero being "feared and hated" story has been done so many times, I hope it's not.
Steel looks so good here, so I'm glad he might be sticking around. Man needs at least the cape or some "S" shield. I'll happily take one. I can't imagine they'd ever give him a steel face, but ditch the helmet. Give him a force-field over his head that provides his HUD - that'd be my solution. (though I imagine the CGI is a LOT easier during action scenes with it, which is a big reason for them to keep it)
Can we get a crossover where James comes back with his Guardian armor, then Steel shows up in his armor as Clark's new bestie and James gets all jealous? (I'm sure there's fanfic of this already...)
Last edited by j9ac9k; 08-19-2021 at 07:10 AM.
No Guardian, that was the stupidest so-called hero of the Arrowverse. The Olsen character was ruined by making him a big, sexy guy, almost hooking up with Kara, his role as the big deal reporter, editor instead of the side kick. Glad to be rid of him - no offense to the actor.
Too many normals who suddenly become martial arts super-dupers with some dumb tech. Supergirl is full of that. I do agree that is time to get rid of the Kryptonians, Daxamites taking over. However, the Supergirl alien of the week who kicks Kara and J'onn around was getting old.
Interesting that the Superman show does not have the swarms of aliens that Kara did. Maybe they ran out of forehead makeup. Need an alien - make a new forehead!
With Supergirl ending, her continuity could disappear from affecting Kal's, if they are wise.
Killing Kal's half-brother, no - too cruel - better put him the slammer. However, don't re - eradicator him.
I haven't seen a show have so many finale-esque episodes in sequence before the actual finale since I watched a season of Kamen Rider (or Planet With). Although I feel like, of all the finale's, this did a solid job of bringing things full-circle and ending on a good note.
Steel's reaction to the missile not working on Eradiactor should become a meme.
"JORDAN!" Both mom and dad got to scream out Jordan's name. They're that in-sync!
I guess it shows the difference between a peak Kryptonian with training like Superman and the defense council in the bodies of those soldiers when Superman just keeps smacking them away with little effort. Sure they got a few good hits and snagged him once, but otherwise they were barely a challenge for him.
Superman and Steel totally pulled a Raditz move on Eradiactor. I'm actually kind of surprised that restored Edge to normal instead of, well, obliterating him. It's actually kind of uncommon for them to defeat the Big Bad without killing or taking them out somehow, so points to that, though now that Edge and Larr are in custody I'm curious how they'll be used in season 2. A possible redemption storyline? Edge just wants a family.
How could you not appoint the man who, after you basically kicked him out, ran into a blaze to save someone as your fire chief? I'm kind of amazed how far this show has come around to making me like and support Kyle Cushing.
So is this going to be like Smallville where Jordan hasn't mastered flight because he was possessed? So he's still only got strength, heat-vision, and super-hearing.
Lois helping buy the paper from Chrissy was a nice move, but like...what about the Planet? I guess Lois probably thinks it's better that she goes into the reporting business for herself rather than take a chance that the Planet won't get bought out again and be stuck having to cater to corporate interests, but I feel like I'm the only one who cares about what's happening to it. Maybe bring Perry out of retirement to take it back.
Superman still not mentioning that Edge is his half-brother to the public. I guess that's not really pertinent to the case at hand.
You know you're in Smallville when you have a romantic moment in the tall grass.
Sam stepping down from the DoD and becoming a stay-at-home grandpa was unexpected, but probably a good move to keep Sam likeable. Narrative fiction has taught me to expect his replacement will probably be worse or anti-Superman, although I wonder if it'll be a name character.
I was wondering why everyone was dressed for a funeral, but then it turns out they're planning to bury Jor-El. Clark's buried Jonathan Kent numerous times, but it's rarer to see him bury and mourn his biological father (albeit a holographic AI version of him). When Clark needed him the most, Jor-El was there, and he's had him for most of his adult life. It's only a shame Jon never got to meet HoloGramps. Will they ever rebuild the Fortress?
Just when John Henry Irons is getting ready to leave because he's still uncomfortable being around Lois and wants to reconnect with his sister...Natalie shows up in her own pod. Most season finale's tease the next Big Bad or threat, while the Kent Family has to deal with a new complication. Like, things are really going to be awkward now that Natalie sees her mom alive with another family and that Lois doesn't know her (and Natalie is technically and technically not the daughter she miscarried), and two "brothers" she doesn't know if she even wants anything to do with. And she might take longer to understand Superman isn't a threat here than her dad did because to her he might still be the man that killed her mom. And, if Natalie made it, Zod!Superman probably did too, although it sounds like we won't be addressing that immediately. I guess I'm glad for John Henry.
So we start the season with the death of Martha Kent and we end it with the death of Jor-El. Interesting symmetry, but there's much more to the family relations this show has played with. I didn't see Natalie coming, but I'm glad that she and John Henry are finally reunited. Hopefully Sam's role next season will be just as big as it was this one since he was a pleasant surprise.
Either of those is plausible. Provided Kara doesn't do something like fly off to the future in the Supergirl finale, hopefully there is a way to have her make an appearance on the show.
I thought it was going to be an alternate Supergirl.
I guess this does leave the status of the Daily Planet in question, although I wouldn't mind if they didn't make that central to the story. I like where Lois is now.
So I have to ask- did you think they were going to introduce a NEW Kara? Like they were going to completely disconnect from the Arrowverse and cast someone new as Kara? Or maybe make it Kara Zor-L from a parallel Earth?
I firmly believe making Olsen Guardian was a consolation prize to Mechad Brooks when they decided not to have Olsen in a relationship with Kara in Season 2, after building up to said relationship for most of Season1.
I do agree with your second point- I can buy Alex being a vigilante, as she's had years of black-ops training under J'onn, and years working at the DEO with Supergirl. I can't buy Kelly, an Army shrink, putting on a super suit and not getting killed immediately.
At least Arrow seemed to do it right. Curtis sucked at being a vigilante for the most part, but he sort of grew into it. Ray had to build a super suit, and even then Oliver beat him easily the first time out. Kelly doesn't even look like she works out on a regular basis.
I would actually love if they brought back Col. Lauren Haley from Season 4 of Supergirl to replace Sam. She was played by a great actress, and she's already gone through an arc of starting off hating aliens, to coming to at least respect Supergirl. Or they could use crisis to erase all of that, and she can come in as an anti-alien hard-ass again.
Looks like all 15 episodes of Superman and Lois are now up on HBOMAX.
I just super-watched all 15 episodes. Definitely better than the other CW shows to me. The others lost me early on. SAL wasn't perfect but I felt it was much more cinematic than the other CW shows.
I like the family dynamics, although the teen rebellion/angst angle with the twins and Sarah towards their parents is a bit heavy-handed at times.
Since we technically have seen Superboy, Steel, and Eradicator, will Season 2 bring us Cyborg Supes? Maybe with a dash of Brainiac?
There is certainly room for a version of Supergirl in this show. I'm lost as to where/when Benoist's character and her universe is in relation to SAL's. I did kinda half-watch the COIE cross-over episodes, but it's been a while. I should re-visit them.
Oh, and a side note: is there a character tied to a CW version Wonder Woman and her supporting cast in the CW multiverse? I know Batman is missing; was just curious how CW has approached WW so far.
Original join date: sometime in 2002