Superman & Lois S1: Spoilers, Discussion, & Speculation

[9th.]

Are we going to learn what that yellow crystal Jordan grabbed from the rocket was for?

Pretty sure we are, we might see something once they go to the fortress. I'm really hoping it's not just a key.

Also anyone know if Kelex is a thing in the Arrowverse? I didn't watch Supergirl or the crossovers.

[9th.]

Pete Ross is never mentioned in the pilot, is he? He’s a character that has always seemed lost in the woods for decades. The Smallville TV essentially replaced him with Chloe and the comics have had an even harder time finding anything interesting to do with him in the comics. If they do reintroduce him in this show, I hope they stick with him as a black guy. That element of the character never really got explored at all in Smallville. Given how overwhelming white Kansas is, it feels like something that might be potentially interesting to dig into

He was mentioned when Lana was telling a story about the 3 of them, something about a truck. I don't remember the whole thing but I do remember him being mentioned.

[rpmaluki]

Pete Ross is never mentioned in the pilot, is he? He’s a character that has always seemed lost in the woods for decades. The Smallville TV essentially replaced him with Chloe and the comics have had an even harder time finding anything interesting to do with him in the comics. If they do reintroduce him in this show, I hope they stick with him as a black guy. That element of the character never really got explored at all in Smallville. Given how overwhelming white Kansas is, it feels like something that might be potentially interesting to dig into

Lana mentioned him by name in the car wreck story.

[daBronzeBomma]

This was my review (that I posted in 3 different Facebook groups in which I'm a member) immediately after watching the pilot episode:

#SupermanAndLois

7 takeaways from the pilot episode (mostly spoiler-free):

1. This is a very different yet very familiar Superman. This is the opposite of a Year One origin setting: this is Superman Year 20.

The show is going to be anchored by Tyler Hoechlin's portrayal of Kal-El, both in his Clark Kent and Superman guises. And, so far, he is up to the task.

Hoechlin presents a Superman who is good at both getting emotionally vulnerable with his family and getting physically violent with his villains (more on that in a moment).

At the very least, he has Superman's smile down!

And that suit is evolving, has evolved, and hopefully continues to evolve.

2. Wow, this show literally looks great.

I mean, the cinematography does not look like the typical shoestring CW budget at all. It's almost feature-film quality.

The fight scenes are good and the SFX are much better than expected.

I sincerely hope this is how the show itself will look like for its entire run.

3. Lois Lane as The World's Greatest Journalist HAS to be an aspect given as much screen time as her dual roles as Clark's partner and mom to Jonathan and Jordan.

Of all the recurring characters in the show, Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois is the one most in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

She definitely will get screentime both as wife and/or mother, but SHE is the best reporter (and chief breadwinner) in the family, and her professional side needs to get equally compelling focus as her personal life.

But I think she's a damn good Lois so far.

4. We need to talk about the kids.

Because, holy crap, they're way better than advertised. Both of them.

Jonathan could easily be a popular bully who seems to have a touch of Clark's powers, but he isn't. Kid gives off genuine likeability, even while being oblivious, while showing up when it counts.

Jordan is the bigger surprise and the much harder job to pull off, but ... that kid is fascinating to watch. In the wrong hands, it'd be so easy to dislike him, but he is so relatable.

Was afraid I'd resent both of them even being there (taking up time away from Superman), but eff it, they have such a believable teenage brother bond that I'm in.

5. The pilot mixes grief, anger, anxiety all with various amounts of hope in ways that don't negate anything.

Poverty and addiction are not things with which Superman really ever deals. Maybe it's past time he did.

It's weird: you can pick out bits of past incarnations in the "Superman And Lois" pilot: a little "Lois & Clark" here, some "Smallville" there, a wee bit of "Krypton", some "Man of Steel" and of course "Superman: The Movie".

And yet, it so far manages to put out its own unique vibe apart from its predecessors.

6. Lois' dad General Sam Lane is a surprise.

He is a member of Clark's inner circle: he is (so far) firmly a good guy who has known the secret for a long time.

General Lane is also quietly Clark's own Comissioner Gordon to aid the costumed Superman on his missions.

It's hands-down the best use of that character I've yet seen in any medium.

7. I really, really wish this show was exclusive to HBOmax instead of the CW.

I really don't want the CW Supergirl showing up on this show. Although their shared CW past has clearly been actively rewritten thanks to that Crisis crossover last year: there is absolutely no mention of Kara at all during Clark's flashbacks or elsewhere in this pilot.

The only person I want to have come over from the other CW shows would be Jon Cryer's excellent Lex Luthor.

I really want this show to exist independently of anything else.

Bottom line: Solid A. Highly recommended. I'm hooked. Definitely got my DVR set for the next episode already.

[Jewel Runner]

I am the reverse.He's too into suffering.Jordan like wallowing,Keeping social anxiety aside.Jon is altruistic by instinct.He jumps in to shield people.That's superman.


Resentful for what? girlfriend dumping him and losing football. Yeah!Not the arc I would want.**** happens.The kid took having no powers with a smile.That's a champion. Heck!he felt like Goku with ”my skills on field are legit”.I don't want Jon to be some crummy Bruce Wayne like whiny guy.The kid is a champion.Stoicism is a trademark of true champions.Smiling when the chips are down.

Also,if Jon didn't understand Jordan he wouldn't have gotten in time to protect him with Bullys.He wouldn't have asked Clark to leave them alone.Jon had no problems with the news.Jordan was the one taking it badly.Meaning,that was not for himself.

My god can you say anything without needing to bring up Batman for no reason?

[stargazer01]

This was my review (that I posted in 3 different Facebook groups in which I'm a member) immediately after watching the pilot episode:

#SupermanAndLois

7 takeaways from the pilot episode (mostly spoiler-free):

1. This is a very different yet very familiar Superman. This is the opposite of a Year One origin setting: this is Superman Year 20.

The show is going to be anchored by Tyler Hoechlin's portrayal of Kal-El, both in his Clark Kent and Superman guises. And, so far, he is up to the task.

Hoechlin presents a Superman who is good at both getting emotionally vulnerable with his family and getting physically violent with his villains (more on that in a moment).

At the very least, he has Superman's smile down!

And that suit is evolving, has evolved, and hopefully continues to evolve.

2. Wow, this show literally looks great.

I mean, the cinematography does not look like the typical shoestring CW budget at all. It's almost feature-film quality.

The fight scenes are good and the SFX are much better than expected.

I sincerely hope this is how the show itself will look like for its entire run.

3. Lois Lane as The World's Greatest Journalist HAS to be an aspect given as much screen time as her dual roles as Clark's partner and mom to Jonathan and Jordan.

Of all the recurring characters in the show, Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois is the one most in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

She definitely will get screentime both as wife and/or mother, but SHE is the best reporter (and chief breadwinner) in the family, and her professional side needs to get equally compelling focus as her personal life.

But I think she's a damn good Lois so far.

4. We need to talk about the kids.

Because, holy crap, they're way better than advertised. Both of them.

Jonathan could easily be a popular bully who seems to have a touch of Clark's powers, but he isn't. Kid gives off genuine likeability, even while being oblivious, while showing up when it counts.

Jordan is the bigger surprise and the much harder job to pull off, but ... that kid is fascinating to watch. In the wrong hands, it'd be so easy to dislike him, but he is so relatable.

Was afraid I'd resent both of them even being there (taking up time away from Superman), but eff it, they have such a believable teenage brother bond that I'm in.

5. The pilot mixes grief, anger, anxiety all with various amounts of hope in ways that don't negate anything.

Poverty and addiction are not things with which Superman really ever deals. Maybe it's past time he did.

It's weird: you can pick out bits of past incarnations in the "Superman And Lois" pilot: a little "Lois & Clark" here, some "Smallville" there, a wee bit of "Krypton", some "Man of Steel" and of course "Superman: The Movie".

And yet, it so far manages to put out its own unique vibe apart from its predecessors.

6. Lois' dad General Sam Lane is a surprise.

He is a member of Clark's inner circle: he is (so far) firmly a good guy who has known the secret for a long time.

General Lane is also quietly Clark's own Comissioner Gordon to aid the costumed Superman on his missions.

It's hands-down the best use of that character I've yet seen in any medium.

7. I really, really wish this show was exclusive to HBOmax instead of the CW.

I really don't want the CW Supergirl showing up on this show. Although their shared CW past has clearly been actively rewritten thanks to that Crisis crossover last year: there is absolutely no mention of Kara at all during Clark's flashbacks or elsewhere in this pilot.

The only person I want to have come over from the other CW shows would be Jon Cryer's excellent Lex Luthor.

I really want this show to exist independently of anything else.

Bottom line: Solid A. Highly recommended. I'm hooked. Definitely got my DVR set for the next episode already.

I agree, I was so pleasantly surprised how good it was. And I really hope Kara doesn't appear any time soon.. I'm dreading it, to be honest.. But I'd love to see Grant's Flash. Jon Cryer too.

Now I just pray they keep the momentum going. I'm seeing mostly praise for this show so far, even from some Snyder fans.

[Agent Z]

Pete Ross is never mentioned in the pilot, is he? He’s a character that has always seemed lost in the woods for decades. The Smallville TV essentially replaced him with Chloe and the comics have had an even harder time finding anything interesting to do with him in the comics. If they do reintroduce him in this show, I hope they stick with him as a black guy. That element of the character never really got explored at all in Smallville. Given how overwhelming white Kansas is, it feels like something that might be potentially interesting to dig into

Lana mentioned him in the pilot.

[Celgress]

Pete Ross is never mentioned in the pilot, is he? He’s a character that has always seemed lost in the woods for decades. The Smallville TV essentially replaced him with Chloe and the comics have had an even harder time finding anything interesting to do with him in the comics. If they do reintroduce him in this show, I hope they stick with him as a black guy. That element of the character never really got explored at all in Smallville. Given how overwhelming white Kansas is, it feels like something that might be potentially interesting to dig into

Pete is mentioned once by Lana.

[Celgress]

I am the reverse.He's too into suffering.Jordan like wallowing,Keeping social anxiety aside.Jon is altruistic by instinct.He jumps in to shield people.That's superman...

I disagree, I find him more authentic and believable as a character. I think it is my love of Manga/Anime that makes me enjoy Jordan far more than Jon, at least thus far. I prefer heroes or anti-heroes who start with flaws rather than being "perfect" from the beginning, those who overcome their flaws to improve themselves, characters who become great but are not born great (for lack of a better phrase). This is my same problem with Jon in the comic books he is too perfect and far too much like his dad (both in appearance and attitude) for my tastes.

[Celgress]

This was my review (that I posted in 3 different Facebook groups in which I'm a member) immediately after watching the pilot episode:

#SupermanAndLois

7 takeaways from the pilot episode (mostly spoiler-free):

1. This is a very different yet very familiar Superman. This is the opposite of a Year One origin setting: this is Superman Year 20.

The show is going to be anchored by Tyler Hoechlin's portrayal of Kal-El, both in his Clark Kent and Superman guises. And, so far, he is up to the task.

Hoechlin presents a Superman who is good at both getting emotionally vulnerable with his family and getting physically violent with his villains (more on that in a moment).

At the very least, he has Superman's smile down!

And that suit is evolving, has evolved, and hopefully continues to evolve.

2. Wow, this show literally looks great.

I mean, the cinematography does not look like the typical shoestring CW budget at all. It's almost feature-film quality.

The fight scenes are good and the SFX are much better than expected.

I sincerely hope this is how the show itself will look like for its entire run.

3. Lois Lane as The World's Greatest Journalist HAS to be an aspect given as much screen time as her dual roles as Clark's partner and mom to Jonathan and Jordan.

Of all the recurring characters in the show, Elizabeth Tulloch's Lois is the one most in danger of getting lost in the shuffle.

She definitely will get screentime both as wife and/or mother, but SHE is the best reporter (and chief breadwinner) in the family, and her professional side needs to get equally compelling focus as her personal life.

But I think she's a damn good Lois so far.

4. We need to talk about the kids.

Because, holy crap, they're way better than advertised. Both of them.

Jonathan could easily be a popular bully who seems to have a touch of Clark's powers, but he isn't. Kid gives off genuine likeability, even while being oblivious, while showing up when it counts.

Jordan is the bigger surprise and the much harder job to pull off, but ... that kid is fascinating to watch. In the wrong hands, it'd be so easy to dislike him, but he is so relatable.

Was afraid I'd resent both of them even being there (taking up time away from Superman), but eff it, they have such a believable teenage brother bond that I'm in.

5. The pilot mixes grief, anger, anxiety all with various amounts of hope in ways that don't negate anything.

Poverty and addiction are not things with which Superman really ever deals. Maybe it's past time he did.

It's weird: you can pick out bits of past incarnations in the "Superman And Lois" pilot: a little "Lois & Clark" here, some "Smallville" there, a wee bit of "Krypton", some "Man of Steel" and of course "Superman: The Movie".

And yet, it so far manages to put out its own unique vibe apart from its predecessors.

6. Lois' dad General Sam Lane is a surprise.

He is a member of Clark's inner circle: he is (so far) firmly a good guy who has known the secret for a long time.

General Lane is also quietly Clark's own Comissioner Gordon to aid the costumed Superman on his missions.

It's hands-down the best use of that character I've yet seen in any medium.

7. I really, really wish this show was exclusive to HBOmax instead of the CW.

I really don't want the CW Supergirl showing up on this show. Although their shared CW past has clearly been actively rewritten thanks to that Crisis crossover last year: there is absolutely no mention of Kara at all during Clark's flashbacks or elsewhere in this pilot.

The only person I want to have come over from the other CW shows would be Jon Cryer's excellent Lex Luthor.

I really want this show to exist independently of anything else.

Bottom line: Solid A. Highly recommended. I'm hooked. Definitely got my DVR set for the next episode already.

I agree with your detailed review. You've done a great job summing up the first episode of what I hope will continue to be a fantastic series.

[Vordan]

Pretty sure we are, we might see something once they go to the fortress. I'm really hoping it's not just a key.

Also anyone know if Kelex is a thing in the Arrowverse? I didn't watch Supergirl or the crossovers.

Yep Kelex exists in the Arrowverse, I like his design there and I hope he shows up.

[Kara Danvers]

The ratings for episode one were good but lower than the pilots of every other Arrowverse show and I am confused. More people are watching the freaking Walker Texas Ranger reboot. How is a new Superman with a bigger budget than other CW shows not breaking records.

[manwhohaseverything]

I disagree, I find him more authentic and believable as a character. I think it is my love of Manga/Anime that makes me enjoy Jordan far more than Jon, at least thus far. I prefer heroes or anti-heroes who start with flaws rather than being "perfect" from the beginning, those who overcome their flaws to improve themselves, characters who become great but are not born great (for lack of a better phrase). This is my same problem with Jon in the comic books he is too perfect and far too much like his dad (both in appearance and attitude) for my tastes.

Having an altruistic instinct doesn't mean you are perfect(whatever that means).It means you have instinct to sheild those weaker than you.The kid is cocky and proud.That doesn't sound perfect.He starts fights,Takes on bullies..etc.You know who has altruistic instinct,sasuke.A rival character to naruto ,if you are familiar.Heck! many rival characters have it.Vegeta has self-sacrificed as well.

My god can you say anything without needing to bring up Batman for no reason?

Ok.which character am i supposed to use to compare?The only guy i feel that whines too much about his tragedy is bruce.Personal opinion.You can just ignore.I mean,people call superman the boyscout.

The ratings for episode one were good but lower than the pilots of every other Arrowverse show and I am confused. More people are watching the freaking Walker Texas Ranger reboot. How is a new Superman with a bigger budget than other CW shows not breaking records.

That is concerning.

[rpmaluki]

The ratings for episode one were good but lower than the pilots of every other Arrowverse show and I am confused. More people are watching the freaking Walker Texas Ranger reboot. How is a new Superman with a bigger budget than other CW shows not breaking records.

Three words - Supernatural's Jared Padalecki.

Hardly five seconds after that show ended Walker was ready to go. This Superman, on top of being undermined by the Supergirl show, needed to convince CW haters to give him a try. Walker didn't have those two mountains to climb right out the gate.

Considering the dire state of live ratings these days, it was still a two year high achievement. I can only hope it gets better now that people know it's not a cookie cutter CW superhero show.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

It would be interesting if Jon's powers were initially the super senses instead of strength/speed/flight etc. It would force him to learn how to be the guile hero. Having both brothers get powers but they don't get the whole set is a way to differentiate them and keep it consistent.

I do prefer Jordan to Teen Jon but that's more because I like the idea of a more changed Jon. Restingvoice pitched a more reserved Jon in the "what a Jon Kent Superman book needs" thread. Beyond that I can't say I prefer Jon/Jordan over Jon in the comic just yet.