Superman & Lois S2: Spoilers, Discussion, & Speculation

[Celgress]

Technically, Clark is the one that gave Jordan the locket to give to Sarah to appease Jordan for not spilling the beans over the secret.

The show is making light of Sarah's cheating but the viewers aren't so oblivious, framing the issue with Jordan around her bisexual awakening instead of the break in trust because she actually kissed someone else and is going on like it was nothing. It IS something, to Jordan. It wasn't great that while Jon and Nat meant well but them championing Jordan be truthful has ramification of their whole family and not acknowledging Jordan's hurt because he's hiding a Superman size secret. The show has mishandled Sarah since she came home from camp and every time they address her camp/Jordan stuff they make it worse and make Sarah look like a bad girlfriend not even worthy of Martha's locket, let alone knowing Jordan is the son of Superman.

I agree 100%. They are making Sarah into a **** character. Sure, Jordan was angry but who wouldn't be in that situation especially if it involved your first teenage romance when emotions are already running high. I just don't understand why Jordan was presented as completely in the wrong and Sarah as completely in the right. There was no nuance, weird...

[RobinGA]

Thoughts on the episode.

I really like the show, but there are times when it comes close to the line in many areas. It comes close to being a teenage angst show at times. It is profoundly influenced
by the Snyderverse take on Superman. Much of the show wants to wrestle with Superman coming inches from going to the dark side. I find that frankly annoying, but others out there
must feel differently. I just wish we could get a Superman who isn't struggling with his mind, his body, teams of Kryptonians, the latest bad guy from the multiverse. Where is
Lex Luthor when you need him?

I didn't see the turn to Bizarro. I watch the show with my wife. She enjoys it a lot, although even without being a comic book fan her Superman is entirely from TV shows and the movies.
But that means there are times when she gets lost for a second. She had no idea about Bizarro. From the discussion with Clark and others later it sounds as if he was new to them. The Bizarro I grew
up as a comic book fan in the 1970s and 1980s was often comic relief. He spoke poor English, was frequently confused, this feels different. I could do without another refugee from the multiverse,
but I don't write the show. I'm a little surprised that Bizarro seems to mentally cause such turmoil for Superman. I hope that gets explained next week.

I was pleased to see Jordan and Sarah get their bearings again. That said it was a little shocking to hear Jordan talking about this is the girl I'm going to marry. Is it possible? Sure. But the teenage
years can often make you feel that you are always meant to be with that person, then it all unravels pretty quickly. Clark's one year rule made sense, if for no other reason to give it time. Jordan doesn't
know tons about Kryptonian culture, what he wants to share is his powers. On that front. You can't help but wonder when Jordan becomes Superboy.

I'm not sure what to think of the Jordan-Sarah relationship. I mean they weren't together that long before the first season curtain came down. They really haven't had a lot of time to develop with one another.
I would like to see them do more as boyfriend-girlfriend. Perhaps we will see more of that in the weeks to come.

Jon continues to be struggling. The latest misstep has to be his frustration with being the #2 QB when he knows his rival is taking drugs. Now Jon wants them too. This feels out of character for Jon,
who often was a rock of stability. It feels as though he is clutching at straws. I like the character, but at times it feels he needs an intervention of some kind. I wish Clark paid more attention to him, it feels
like he falls through the cracks.

I'm not loving the Lois cult story. Last season early on Lois was ill-used, but found her footing. Now we seem to have backtracked a little. I'm just not looking forward to the coming of Lucy Lane. She was never
an attractive character. It would be nice if they gave her more to do.

General Lane has mellowed out a lot. I actually enjoyed him this week, which wasn't always how I felt last season. Time at the lake has suited him it seems.

Natalie and the brothers Kent related well to one another. It definitely had a brother-sister vibe.

Special effects were very well done. The armor assembling around John Henry Irons was cool, although it reminded you of Iron Man in the Marvel movies. The heat vision in the hand was a scene that really lit up the screen.

The episode felt like a bridge to what will follow in the weeks to come. You have to hope that Superman will pull it together.

[Quinlan58]

To all the people arguing that Doomsday is a nothing character with no potential to be anything else... that wasn't the point, for the ones of us who were mildly excited about seeing him. The point was never Doomsday himself, but the effect such an storyline could have on the show.

Anyway, still glad it ended up being Bizarro. I wonder if his necklace really is Blue Kryptonite, and if it is, what sort of effect it's having on him. The "miracle therapy" that Allston was selling on her cult was called the "Inverse Method", which may be a reference to Bizarro. She also mentioned "feeling a hole inside her" and that "she knew the only way to fill it", which, if she is Parasite, then that's some neat foreshadowing (and Parasite as a cult leader feeding on people's desires to fill the hole inside them is one interesting concept).

As for Jon potentially using XK, it's possible, but after the way they faked us out with Doomsday, I'm halfway expecting that scene to be a misdirection too, and Jon will simply investigate it, the way he tried to investigate Irons' van last season. I can't help but find it funny that last season he was flirting with a supervillain's daughter and this season he is dating a teenage drug dealer. It was also pretty dickish of him to go to Candace's home and basically tell her "I know your secret that could ruin your life, now sell me drugs", which wouldn't be a problem, except they also had him be ridiculously fast to forgive Clark for his outburst, framing him again as the "easy son". I wonder if the show will acknowledge that contrast, or if they'll just keep doing random stuff with Jon to justify his presence.

The show seems to have settled on a "Lois is extremely flawed and deeply hurt but absolutely a good person" take on her, subtly having the narrative acknowledge that by having Clark suggest (but not outright state) that Lois is sometimes hard to talk to. All fine, of course, I'd like Clark to have a few more (acknowledged) flaws too for that matter. I only wish they won't keep having her argue with Sam over the exact same reasons over and over again. I mean, it's absolutely realistic, but it gets boring after a while.

[rpmaluki]

I believe Bizarro and Superman are both suffering from the same debilitating effects from the "visions", what that connection is, I don't know. Maybe two versions of the same character cannot exist in the same universe and time line without causing each other pain. Was that ever a thing addressed in the Arrowverse? I ask because I have never watched it outside of this show or passed the first half of The Flash S1.

[Frontier]

Bunch of Article Interviews with Hoechlin came out recently!

Trouble at Home: Tyler Hoechlin on Clark Kent's Season Two Struggles

Superman & Lois Finally Confirms What's in the Mines, Tyler Hoechlin Reacts to the 'Really Cool' Reveal

Superman & Lois star Tyler Hoechlin explains why season 2's big bad is 'a gift'

Funny how the actors themselves aren’t always in the loop about what’s coming down the line either.

One of the big things I wanted with Hoechlin was him to play Bizarro, so I'm glad that's happening.

For me Doomsday’s only positive is that you can have him and Clark go all out in a fight. We get to see Clark cut loose and enjoy the spectacle of a Superman fighting without holding back. This show has better CGI than other Arrowverse shows, but we’ve seen a full fledged theatrical film Doomsday (terrible design aside) and animated Death of Superman adaption where the two go all out. There’s no way the show can match either in terms of spectacle, not unless they cut the season short and used the CGI budget for 3 episodes in one. Doomsday has one good story and that’s it, the only other story that could potentially be used here is the New 52 Doomed, since that’s less about a fight and more about Clark’s internal struggle, but that would be a repeat of S1 where Clark is in danger of being turned to evil. Otherwise Doomsday just works as the muscle, a season where Brainiac controls him and uses him as a weapon against Superman would suit me fine.

Admittedly him thrashing Clark around and shrugging off all other attacks was very Doomsday-esque.

Oh and he was talking in reverse

That is definitely a nice way of working in his opposite speech pattern...literally talking like Zatanna .

The show is making light of Sarah's cheating but the viewers aren't so oblivious, framing the issue with Jordan around her bisexual awakening instead of the break in trust because she actually kissed someone else and is going on like it was nothing. It IS something, to Jordan. It wasn't great that while Jon and Nat meant well but them championing Jordan be truthful has ramification of their whole family and not acknowledging Jordan's hurt because he's hiding a Superman size secret. The show has mishandled Sarah since she came home from camp and every time they address her camp/Jordan stuff they make it worse and make Sarah look like a bad girlfriend not even worthy of Martha's locket, let alone knowing Jordan is the son of Superman.

Yeah, I didn't really understand why everyone was taking Sarah's side and putting the onus on Jordan. Like, is it really okay to kiss somebody else while you're in a relationship even if you don't think it was serious? Jordan didn't care that she kissed a girl, he cared that she kissed someone else.

I believe Bizarro and Superman are both suffering from the same debilitating effects from the "visions", what that connection is, I don't know. Maybe two versions of the same character cannot exist in the same universe and time line without causing each other pain. Was that ever a thing addressed in the Arrowverse? I ask because I have never watched it outside of this show or passed the first half of The Flash S1.

It was a plot point in Batwoman.

[RobinGA]

Good to know about the explanation for Bizarro-Superman visions.
I wouldn't know about Batwoman. Not a show I watch.

[The Frog Bros]

Man, the space containment suit look for Doomsday, er Bizarro, was pretty sweet. Add the Steel mid air suit up to the whole thing and it makes for an awesome scene overall. Loved the shot of Nat watching the suit fly away from the barn. Really liking Nat as a character so far. Her talking about needing to upgrade the Steel suit was just great.

Speaking of Bizarro, somewhere Weird Al is smiling.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

When Jordan gets his own suit, I wouldn't mind it look like Tag and the other DOD Supermen. Better than any of the shitty Bendis or post Bendis comic book Jon Kents. Where they all look like uninspired rebirth Clark skins instead of something distinctive.

i wonder if Lois will lose her job as a result of the Lucy fiasco. Maybe thats what gets Clark back into reporting. Or maybe he starts noticing the kryptosteroid problem on Jon's team and starts an investigation.

[9th.]

Technically, Clark is the one that gave Jordan the locket to give to Sarah to appease Jordan for not spilling the beans over the secret.

The show is making light of Sarah's cheating but the viewers aren't so oblivious, framing the issue with Jordan around her bisexual awakening instead of the break in trust because she actually kissed someone else and is going on like it was nothing. It IS something, to Jordan. It wasn't great that while Jon and Nat meant well but them championing Jordan be truthful has ramification of their whole family and not acknowledging Jordan's hurt because he's hiding a Superman size secret. The show has mishandled Sarah since she came home from camp and every time they address her camp/Jordan stuff they make it worse and make Sarah look like a bad girlfriend not even worthy of Martha's locket, let alone knowing Jordan is the son of Superman.

I completely agree and I didn't like that the show was trying guilt Jordan into forgiving her. It came off like what she did wasn't that a big a deal and I didn't think Jon and Nat point made any sense at all. While the secret is a much bigger deal it's also an extremely different situation and it's not just his secret to tell.

[9th.]

Also im sensing a connection between Sara and Nat, I really hope they don't that route since the writers have done a great job integrating her with the Kents.

[rpmaluki]

Tbh, I don't think they will make Sarah and Nat more than friends (platonic friends needs more support on these shows), not if they want to establish a firm sibling relationship between the twins and Natalie. An ill advised triangle will not endear this story to viewers, they've already (unintentionally?) messed up Sarah as it is. They must be aware now how that has backfired with viewers. Let's not forget, there was also an unnamed casting just before the season began of a troubled high schooler, I now think this is Aubrey.

[RobinGA]

One issue that hasn't been really discussed here (unless I missed it) was the Lana campaign.

It felt like Lana was really bad at local politics. It was hard to see what the rationale was for voters to cast ballots for her.
Beyond of course the obvious question is what politics look like in this part of rural Kansas.
There are Democrats in Kansas, but there are also lots of conservative Kansans. I mean it has been nearly a hundred years
(1930) since a Democrat won a senate seat.

The "I'm a working mom" bit as she chopped up vegetables while being on twitter was cringe worthy.
It is usually the kind of thing that people enjoy mocking.

[Frontier]

I loved Clark's "acting" when he took the punch from Jon .

One issue that hasn't been really discussed here (unless I missed it) was the Lana campaign.

It felt like Lana was really bad at local politics. It was hard to see what the rationale was for voters to cast ballots for her.
Beyond of course the obvious question is what politics look like in this part of rural Kansas.
There are Democrats in Kansas, but there are also lots of conservative Kansans. I mean it has been nearly a hundred years
(1930) since a Democrat won a senate seat.

The "I'm a working mom" bit as she chopped up vegetables while being on twitter was cringe worthy.
It is usually the kind of thing that people enjoy mocking.

It's definitely one way to hold a video AMA .

[rpmaluki]

Tyler has a knack for "overacting" as Clark in public that makes him endearing and not clumsy or cringe. I admire that.

[Vakanai]

I just think Doomsday is a bit of a nothing character. He's plot mechanics with spikes on his body. That said, I though Smallville did a reasonably good job turning him into even more of a Hulk knock-off in order to make him work on TV, although the action scenes were laughably cheap.

Bizarro, on the other hand, has a lot more thematic and psychological depth to the character because he's a flawed copy of Clark.

Not in continuity, but I liked the origin the Syfy Krypton series gave Doomsday.

You know, Syfy pulled off a better looking Doomsday than Snyder, and the CW pulled off the containment suit. Maybe one day, in the far future, will get it all good and right in one showing. Man can dream.