Originally Posted by
Robanker
So I've finally gotten a chance to watch Superman & Lois, and while I'm going to go into more details, I'll get the broad strokes out of the way: I really dug it. My girlfriend enjoyed it a lot too and wanted to keep watching and she's been so burnt by comics she all but ignores a lot of comic adaptions. She loved how wholesome Reeve was in the Donner film and Tyler won her over too. It was genuinely great to see my girlfriend get the Superman she enjoys back, and no matter what nitpicks I have, I'm so glad for that.
First and foremost, the cast.
Lana and her family are another point of concern. The way they shot her arrival is very much "guy sees the girl of his dreams" even though she's Clark's ex and it got me to say "aww #$&@ ass no" when it happened, compounded by her daughter confirming she's still got a bit of a thing for Clark, but thankfully it appeared to be a bait and switch and is never really touched on again. I'm done to death with Lana pining for Clark as an adult, though if she's in a failing marriage I can see her longing for the one who got away, or really anything/one else. Kyle sucks, but he's supposed to. The one humanizing moment we get of him is more about Clark being a genuinely good person to people he probably doesn't like and says more about our protagonist than anything else. It works, but as of now Kyle is just a one-dimensional foil for Clark and seemingly there to potentially add some tension to the marriage if ratings dip and the showrunners think it'll spice the show up. That will be the episode I drop the show. Lana herself was likable and shared that small-town charm Clark's generation seems to have. She feels like she comes from the idyllic world he was raised in and one of the last vestiges of Smallville as we remember it. This works for the show. Contrasting Clark, who is always idyllic Smallville, Lana who is its last gasp struggling for air, and the kids which are dealing with the death of small town America (complete with meth lab fires, Jesus) works on a lot of levels (like contrasting Lois, Clark and Lana with respect to city, adaptable and small-town life).
Then there's her daughter. Like Jordan, she's complicated. That's good. I like her fine, but overall she seems to mostly be used to either define Jordan or provide precious teenage drama plots. I'm a bit worried that she has little else going on. Like her mother and Lois, so far each of the women in the show satellite around a male character. It makes sense for Lois and Clark to be in each other's orbit, but I'm concerned about Lana and her daughter.
Sam Lane is probably the place I want to wrap. He's fine, and not a complete dick (yet?) but I really cannot stand how Clark seems buddy-buddy with a military official. This really feels awful. My headcanon until otherwise is it's more because that's his father-in-law than because he's some patriot following the government's direction. I really don't like Clark working that closely with a government. It just doesn't sit well with him being the people's champion. Sam is probably going to be a seasonal antagonist for the couple whereas Captain Luthor/Edge are Clark/Lois's foes respectively.
Overall, I had a great time even with my reservations. It's nice to see Superman done earnestly, even if it's essentially with a gimmick (being a family man). I want to see more for Lois (and Jonathan), but the tone of the show trends toward the positive and is more about watching a family overcome adversity while trying to improve their community as opposed to "WILL YA BOY DIE OR TURN EVIL? TUNE IN!" Granted they banked the trailer on "WILL HIS BOY TURN EVIL," but at least the pilot pointed towards "no, but they're going to struggle at times even if it'll work out in the end."
It's a solid show and has real potential. I'm glad that the CW-HBO joint venture pulled through and brought quality Superman back to the small screen. Been far too long. Sorry for the novel.