Superman And Lois: Season 3

It's a Berlanti CW show, so I anxiously wait for it to start sucking week in and week out. That production company has NO quality control, and any series with a promising first season invariably turns awful in later seasons. It hasn't happened to this wonderful show YET, but the knot in my stomach refuses to go away.

"Superman & Lois" is my favorite live-action DC show. Like EVER. And season 2 worried the hell out of me for that reason. To be blunt it was NOT as good as Season 1, and many of the faults of other Berlanti shows started to creep into it. But it still mostly focused on the emotional beats of the Kent family, which was really all I cared about. I thought Lana's marriage drama and run for Mayor was lame. But those four damn Kents together still slayed me week after week. I lived with it.

So far, Season 3 is better than Season 2. The Big Bads seem a lot more toyetic than a middle-aged female cult leader going by her first name.

One thing I don't know if fans will give the show proper credit for, but I love how they handled the casting change for Jonathan. Every other show would make a meta joke about it. Jonathan being a new actor is introduced to the audience as such, but neither he nor the characters act like something unusual has happened. I find that not only respectful to his new actor, but also to the previous one who couldn't stay on the show. I like how the show didn't treat it like a huge deal. And as one of the Kents, the actor who previously played Jonathan was one of the four best things on the show. Changing him is a huge deal and loss. But the show decided to keep the continuity of the story solid instead of jarring the viewer, and hoping we'll be able to get used to it with a little time instead is the right move. This is how recasting SHOULD work. Every time.

I love that Lois and Clark are making goofy "derp derp" noises when the kids are acting snotty and embarrassed of them. Tyler Hoechlin is my favorite Superman because he's not an alien Demigod above us all. He's a real person. And a lovable, funny, charming one at that.

Speaking of Hoechlin,. when the weird looking villain performs the Whammy on him, he gives some GOOD confused reaction shots. Like Dwayne Johnson-level raised eyebrows. Great stuff.

I thought Sam Lane bringing up the school to Nat was despicable. But what I loved was when John read him the riot act over it he has enough self-awareness to realize how badly he behaved. And he tries to repair the situation with Nat. When he tells her he sucks at relating to people, him doing that proves it. But the fact that he understands that about himself and is trying to change it, makes me forgive an otherwise stupid, unforgivable thing.

I was very pleased with the show for how they dealt with Lana coming to Kyle's place when Chrissy was there. A lesser show would have made her find out about the tryst... After she told him that she couldn't go through with signing the divorce papers and wanted to give him one more chance. Can I say not only how refreshing it was Kyle was allowed to keep his private life private from his ex? But that Lana wasn't crazily punished for it and the audience made to feel as if Kyle was the bad guy? I'm happy about that.

All in all, I was happy about the premiere in general. ****1 removed link

Good drama. EARNED drama. The Good Hurt I am always chasing but TV almost always denies me.

I admire the show for allowing us to see Lois tell her kids about the cancer. A lesser show would find it redundant and end on "I've got something to tell you." But the whole damn show is those four characters. So yeah, have each of their reactions on the record.

I really like Bruno Manheim, which is a pleasant shock. I don't buy what he's selling about people. But I believe HE believes it, which is freaking interesting as all hell. His sincerity in chastising Superman for never bothering to save anyone in Suicide Slums is damning because while Superman is pointing out Manheim refuses to deny his freeing Miller, Clark himself can't deny he's never put in a save in the Suicide Slums either. Superman may be an alien. But the show is suggesting in that moment that he stands in for ALL of white privilege. And he kind of does in popular culture too. And I love the show for exploring that idea.

The stuff with the kids at the party is nonsense that doesn't matter. And yet I'm invested enough in each of these kids that it actually does. Funny how that works.

The moment where Lois talks the judge off the ledge is great. Superman is there if she were to fail. But moreover he is also there to hear Lois tell someone else she has cancer and she's scared. In a big way Superman isn't needed in that scene. Lois saves the judge herself. But Lois needs Clark to hear this, which makes Superman more needed in the moment than he's ever been. I love that both of those things are true.

I don't give a crap about superheroics. I care about the four Kents. And this episode was a wealth of drama, and heart-tugging togetherness, and everything I love about the show. The mystery of the funky Big Bad is almost besides the point. The Kents themselves knock me dead week in and week out. *****.

It was all right. Not going to set the mythos on fire. I was annoyed with Lois as anyone else. I get that she doesn't want to be treated like she's sick. But healthy Lois is actually smart. How is doing dumb stuff putting other people in danger a way to not feel sick? Seems counterproductive.

I'll tell you another reason I'm angry. Both times she missed chemo Sam read Clark the riot act. It wasn't Clark's fault, but I understand why he blamed him. Lois doing this is having negative consequences for other people she isn't even considering.

Lana was working my last nerve too. Mostly because she doesn't know when to be upset. Was Kyle going to her office on a fishing expedition cool? Of course not. But he didn't want the marriage to end. What it is under that circumstance is totally understandable. Isn't Lana supposed to be a politician? You'd think she'd understand a little diplomacy and discretion is what is called for here.

I was on Sarah's side of the argument about Lana being controlling and selfish. Until she says that's probably why Kyle cheated on her. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, especially if it turns out Lana had a physically abusive mother... But I personally think a mother is well within her rights to slap her daughter if she says THAT specific thing to her. It seems weird that the a tearful Sarah meeting Kyle in the diner after Lana cries and apologizes and promises never to do anything like that again seems to hint that the producers think LANA is the one out of line there. I think Lana was being a hot mess all throughout the episode. Her slapping Sarah when she did was the one understandable thing she did. I don't agree with the show trying to say it's an example of her being out of control.

I don't ever envision a circumstance where it's ever okay for a dad to hit or beat their kid, but I think there are several scenarios in which it's okay for a Mom to slap them. Son or daughter, that strikes me as a Mom thing. Probably because I grew up in the 1980's. I don't share the show's values about that here.

It was all right. But I was getting aggravated by the end. ***.

The thing I like about this show, and the thing I respond to is the fact that the characters talk to each other and work their crap out. That's refreshing, especially for a superhero show. And seeing it makes me wonder how I ever could have confused something with honest and real characters as something that could ever have taken place in The Arrowverse. How dumb was I? How dumb were we all?

I liked Clark putting the fear of God into Candace's dad. He was a surprisingly loathsome character, and on a show with very few characters with no redeeming virtues. But you don't get lower than "flashing a gun at a woman with cancer". Batman does not exist in this Universe. And considering what a badass Clark is, it's clear he doesn't actually NEED to exist. Kyle said it best after witnessing all that: "Damn, Kent!"

I mentioned last week that I didn't blame Lana for slapping Sarah. What pisses me off is how Sarah declined to tell Kyle the REASON she slapped her. It was kind of cool when Kyle rushes over to Lana's upon learning what happened. You're like, "Look out for Papa Bear." But what kills me about Sarah not telling Kyle the whole truth is it's stupid. Did she think her father and mother would NOT compare notes about that? And I think the thing that annoys me, is that it's credible. I don't normally condone television having characters act like asses because it's supposedly realistic. I do not care if whiny, emo jerks finally have a hero all their own they can relate to in "The Spectacular Spider-Man". But the reality is real-life teenagers ARE that dumb, and manipulate and play their parents off of each other like that. And I can be mad if a show has Peter Parker behaving like a total tool since he's supposed to be an admirable hero. But Sarah is not a hero, and just regular civilian teenage girl. And civilian teenage girls tend to suck. That goes for civilian teenage boys too (just to be fair).

Lois and Clark laughing that having Candace over is going to be a disaster is great because they understand exactly what problems are coming in the next few weeks. Very self-aware that they are going to have to keep teenage hormones in check, and will have to be lucky to walk in on them BEFORE they've gotten down to business. Yeah. It's a disaster in waiting.

Lois saying the cancer doesn't get to decide if Candace stays is a nice moment. I don't necessarily agree that Clark should not be telling the boys to treat her differently under most other circumstances. But that was specifically the thing she didn't want, and the specific thing he made him concede for her to take treatment seriously. I understand his feelings there, and I actually think he's probably actually right. But it is not only going against her wishes, but it's going against what he promised her too. In Clark defense, he didn't even think of it like that until Lois pointed it out. Which is why I love the fact that the character talk their problems out with each other.

I wanted to see Jordan get the haircut! I didn't think what he said to Sam Lane was particularly out of line for a snotty teenager (we've already established teenage boys suck) but I liked at the end that Sam actually told him he hurt his feelings. And him saying he never would have said that a few years ago is true. Sam being able to say that is definite character progression. In a good way.

I think Manheim's plan to try and get John under his thumb is stupid for the reasons showed. John took care of business and rescued the sister on his own. If I were Manheim I'd see the error in this line of thinking, and back down. But him threatening the family in New Orleans reminds me of the textbook definition of insanity. This will not end well. For Manheim.

I love Superman frying the blood in the DOD, and Sam's sheepish reaction to the scientist. Two years ago, Sam would have been pissed himself. At this point that expression says, "What exactly did you expect?" Heat vision is definitely this continuity's version of Superman's Staples Easy Button.

Man, I love every inch of this show. ****1/2.

I liked most of it. And the things I didn't like (like Lana wanting to dig up dirt on Dean posthumously) worked out by the end. Apparently, the things I didn't like were things the writers didn't like either.

The scene with Clark in the waiting room with the women undergoing chemo is basically the reason I watch television. Great drama has its place, but GOOD drama? One that hits all the sweet spots of The Feels and The Big Hurt? A much rarer pleasure. And this show has value because it delivers it often enough for me to be pretty sure it knows what it's doing there, and is not just pulling random bad crap and confusing tragedy for drama. Lois' cancer arc could have easily turned into that (it's called misery porn). But her telling Clark at the end that she wanted his opinion, especially if he disagreed with her was just a beautiful bit of maturity for a couple of fictional characters allowed to treat each other well and behave like adults.

I have to say Lois' plan to go undercover at the hospital to dig up dirt on Manheim is harebrained. Not necessarily because it's dangerous (I take Manheim claiming he'll help her get better at face value) but because a cancer ward is the precise type of legit business Manheim runs that would have zero damning evidence on the premises. I don't think Lois necessarily understood everything he told her about the facility was likely true, but I think that's her white privilege more than anything else. I think the difference between her and Clark is that Clark has enough awareness to understand where Manheim is coming from when he talks about class struggles.

I was a little miffed at Mateo for the kiss myself, and I think it WAS a little too forward, but I love Nat talking out the problem with Sam. And she tells him he wouldn't understand. And he says that probably true but that he still wants to try. And lo and behold there is some common ground there after all. I'm not looking forward to Sam using a senior dating app and meeting a new gal pal, but I thought how he related to Nat there was very sweet, as was her calling him "Grandpa."

That fight with the villain was both brutal and clever. We saw things in it we don't usually see in TV fights. It was creatively done.

I value this show. ****1 removed link

This show is ridiculously easy to like. It allows Clark Kent to cry and being a real person. And his refusal to even entertain the notion that Lois could die shows him being a flawed husband, and with Jordan, a flawed father. I feel like this specific Superman is someone I like and understand. Henry Cavill and Tom Welling are pretty aloof, and Christopher Reeve is nice, but it's hard to tell which persona is the real one. I feel like the only other Superman interpretation I actually understand is the DC Animated Universe version voiced by Tim Daly and then George Newbern. I loved the cartoon version's sense of humor and humanity, and Tyler Hoechlin goes even further in that direction, to make Clark's personal flaws make him feel like a real person. Neat trick.

Interesting reveal of the lady behind the mask. Mostly because I was half-worried it might have been Lois from an alternate universe or future.

Perhaps the plot of Sophie feeling forgotten is a Mea Culpa that the show itself needs to stop doing that. Granted, she's annoying, bratty character. But she doesn't HAVE to be, right? I liked Jonthan talking her down. Nice hero moment for him. Heroes don't just wear capes.

But I want to make something clear: I approve of Jonathan's burgeoning friendship with Sarah. But if they turn it into a love triangle with Jordan I will be furious. I actually think they will which makes it the one part of the episode that made me unhappy.

The friend who took Lois out to lunch is amazing. She does NOT want to believe the bad things Lois is saying about Manheim. But she doesn't attack Lois for them, and despite disagreeing with her, she doesn't let it drive an unnecessary wedge between them. She's a freaking adult. And I believe that if and when she learns the truth she'll accept it for that reason. I LOVE how the characters are permitted to be adults instead of teenage snots with each other.

Lana Cushing is the notable exception. I disagreed with both her and Kyle. He says he can explain. She says don't bother. They are both wrong. Because Lana does not deserve an explanation. They are divorced. "Too soon" or not is not up for her to say, and Kyle is allowed to date whoever he wants. It's not up to her, or down to her approval. The Kyle as seen in the first two seasons isn't someone I like very much (I actually hated him in Season 1) but I thought him reassuring Chrissy about Lana not really being mad at her was very sweet. I think he's right and I hope he is. Because as unfair as Lana has been this season, that's TOO unfair. And considering people work through their problems on this show by talking them out, I hope and expect the same thing there.

This is definitely my favorite live-action DC Comics show of all time. ****1 removed link

Messy, messy, messy. A little TOO messy, I think. I liked a lot of it, but it sort of got away from me by the end.

I realized Manheim's sick wife was Lois' cancer friend Pia. I didn't pick up on that last week. That's fine. As far as storytelling goes, it's fair and makes sense. Even more interesting is finding out she was ALWAYS a Metahuman and a killer. That's fine.

Mateo being their son however sucks butt. It's the randomest and stupidest of coincidences, especially since the show went out of its way to make us like him. And I did. I specifically love the fact that the second Nat storms out after John ruins their lunch Mateo's last words are to thank him for it like a good guest. I'm PISSED the writers did that now.

And really, I love the show. But this week has the potential to have been the shark jump. Why? Star Trek fans really think almost nothing of Star Trek: Voyager. Because it was so badly written it had feasible and easy solutions to bringing the crew home from the Delta Quadrant, and the only reason it didn't use them is because the show would be over. Like when Q offers to bring Janeway and the crew home, every single Star Trek fan scowled at Janeway smugly insisting the crew would find its own way home. Or what about the time Tom Paris broke the Warp 10 barrier? But the crew refused to use it to bring everyone home because apparently a day later you turned into a lizard. Considering the EMH was able to CURE Janeway's and Paris's lizardness easily afterwards it makes the viewer like "Why the hell don't they do it anyways?"

The idea that Clark and Lois refuse Kryptonian technology to cure Lois' cancer and save her life because it wouldn't be fair to the rest of society is a similar level of writing so bad and nonsensical, that only exists because the writers don't have a better solution. But the thing is, I do. If I were the writers I never would have brought up the Kryptonian tech at all, and simply hoped the viewer would either ignore it or forget about it. And if I DID bring it up, I would use Lara's excuse that it was too dangerous. That would make LITTLE sense considering how dangerous cancer actually is, but it would make SOME sense. When Manheim tells Clark that he would do anything to save his wife and Clark agrees, him setting aside the thing that would cure her for sure for a made-up writers' room reason makes both of them liars. It also makes me believe Manheim loves Pia more than Clark loves Lois. What a freaking unforced error. I can't get over it.

A lot of the episode was decent. Sarah had an interesting drag on Chrissy by suggesting that because she's ten years younger than Kyle it's gross. Chrissy age was never specified before this, but I find that an interesting controversy.

Similarly, I liked the idea that Lois snooping into Pia's business is out of line. Pia is the murderer and Big Bad both she and Clark are looking for. And it doesn't matter in my mind. Lois is not in the correct moral or ethical position to ask the specific pointed questions she is to a woman undergoing chemo treatment. Are her suspicions right and justified? If anything, they don't go far enough. But the reality is Lois has no business doing that to the woman who is helping her through this difficult time. And I like that Lois is starting to get that.

As for Jonathan's snit, I was surprised Lois and Clark told the boys they lied to them about how serious it was. Because it was my understanding the boys already knew. And yeah, a Last Will and Testament is a NORMAL thing to do when you have cancer. Were I Lois, I'd be furious they read her final messages to them. I don't understand why that isn't considered a boundary violation and a case of the kids crossing the line. I thought it was interesting Lois and Clark apologized to the kids for supposedly lying to them. But they were owed an apology from the kids for going through their personal papers and violating their mother's most sacred trust and final words. That is the much bigger sin in my book.

I like Clark telling Jonathan he is every bit the Kryptonian Jordan is, and Jordan is every bit the human he is. It's something I don't think Jonathan understands, but it's always been true.

I don't know, man. Parts of that were shady as hell. It being this show, I still liked a lot of it. But I had grave concerns about the long-term health of the show after that. "Saving Lois' life would be unfair to the rest of humanity" is NOT an argument any well-written show should EVER be making. **.

I was resisting it. But it got me around to their way of thinking. And it's mostly the events in the episode that did it.

Lois not wanting to run the story was the right move. Even in hindsight. Because who Manheim is married to isn't actually news. You can see what shakes down from that revelation just fine without violating a friend's privacy for essentially a nonincriminating gossip news item. And Chrissy's horrible questions to the cancer woman make me wonder how she ever became a reporter and exactly what Lois had been teaching her. The lady tells Clark he should be ashamed of himself. And he should be. For how Chrissy was making the woman she was questioning feel while she's undergoing chemo.

It turns out Manheim is both a good guy deep down, and his own worst enemy. His reaction to John in a public setting in front of his son who had no idea he was a criminal was just plain stupid. That level of rage didn't even make sense on his end. If Bruno were savvier he could have played it cool, and watched John getting violent and disturbing-the-peacey, while Nat looked on in horror and Matteo concern. If the season were 22 episodes long, I'd argue that's what they should have done. Since it isn't, I'll live with it.

But Bruno could have ended the episode riding high had he played that right. Instead his son is disgusted with him and his wife captured and nearly dead. This is on him.

I think John's thinking is probably right about Nat not seeing Matteo ever again. She obviously won't listen and she WILL see him, but it doesn't really matter if Matteo is trustworthy or not. He seems to be to me, and the great irony is that apparently his parents raised him right. The problem is he is in the vicinity of extreme danger. Like the dude who framed freaking Lex Luthor for a crime he didn't commit, and the dude spent a decade behind bars because of it. If I were her parent, you couldn't PAY me to put her on the same CONTINENT as the fall-out that is gonna shake out from that. Holy crap.

The small character stuff was on-brand for the show, but in an episode with such big character moments, it didn't charm me nearly as much as it usually does. But it's a good episode. Can't wait for Lex. Storm is a-coming. Not just for Bruno. Superman too. It sounds like he was equally responsible for putting him away, as was Lois. This will not end well for anyone.

I thought the morals the episode were tryng to impart at the beginning were wrongheaded, but the events of the episode got the characters to where the show claimed they should be in a way I could accept. ****.

I love the Kents. Clark and Lois lovingly cuddling at the end is why I watch the show. What great people to center a show around. We are very lucky.

I like that the fact that John Henry killed a guy is a concern, but not necessarily a dealbreaker. When he says it was him or him, it's not entirely true in fact (Superman could have apprehended him) but certainly in spirit. If he were cop that would have been considered a clean shooting. Superman is not expected to stop all clean police shootings either.

Matteo suggesting that John is a bad guy is a poor excuse for his mother trying to murder him. But the fact is throughout the episode he IS a bad guy. I'm glad Nat changed his mind at the end, but it's not something she should have needed to point out. It's not just Superman who was finding his tactics abhorrent. Sam (SAM!) thought they were out of line too.

I love the fact that Sam and Clark are so simpatico now. It's really interesting.

Lois' fear about losing her breasts is great drama because it's a real fear in this situation, and a real reality for women with cancer. While I disdain the fact that the show hasn't actually shown Lois losing her hair, I think this specific idea shows a woman with cancer's fear about her appearance fully.

I love that Clark collects baseball cards. Along with the DC Animated Universe Superman, the Clark on this show is the only other interpretation of the character I actually find remotely human and relatable. Few writers are interested in those aspects to Superman so they aren't present. But Clark is a real and lovable guy for selling the cards (including his mint Cal Ripken Jr. Rookie Card) to buy his girl a pretty dress.

I think the reason Jordan and Jonathan actually hug it out is because both of them are too terrified of Sarah to contradict her. Wouldn't you be?

I love this show and am really worried it hasn't been renewed yet. What is the CW waiting for? ****.

Jordan's really trying to burn his bridges with both Clark and Sarah. What a jerk.

Kyle knows now. Can't wait for THAT conversation with Clark, much less Lana and Christy.

Matteo is complicit now. Bums me out.

I liked Jonathan and Clark after the party. Clark is getting ready to ream him, and Jonathan not only points out that he wasn't drinking, but that he's also not Jordan's keeper. Him also saying that it's been a month since he's seen Candace also strikes me as a pretty good excuse.

It's sort of weird Clark is mad at Jordan for drinking. Because of his powers, he can't actually get drunk. Did the show forget that or did Clark?

Lois is right that the fact that Clark loved spending time with his mother at the boys' age makes him lovable. It also makes him weird. The t-shirt is super dorky too.

All of the stuff with Lana and the governor made me cringe. And Kristy sort of had to sit there and take it. And even after all that Sarah wrecks the good impression she was trying to make. Were I Christy I might have declined the "She really IS a good Mayor" line at the end.

Kyle being sick of both Sarah AND Lana was awesome. He's not the character who is ever granted the high ground much, but I felt his rage was justified there at least.

Solid week. ****.

Sarah feels a LOT of guilt for Jordan being mad at her. Let me offer an opinion her parents were unnable to because they didn't have the exact context for it: Jordan is mad at her because he chooses to be. She apologized and if he were either really her friend or cool he'd accept the apology and drop it. They could even drift apart after that if Jordan really IS that hurt. But Jordan consciously saw that Sarah was hurting and chose to rub it in her face instead. That is not actually her fault, and not something she needs to feel guilty over. Yes, she made a mistake. But Jordan himself was hardly blameless that night. Him refusing to forgive her after she forgave him means Jordan's cuteness shtick has worn entirely thin with me. After he did that, it now feels a bit like a con and a put-on. I think I am going to treat those puppy-dog eyes with a grain of salt from here on out. They might actually be crying crocodile tears.

But I still loved the scene of Jonathan centering him when he gained X-ray vision for the first time, and was freaking out. Jonathan is a pretty great brother that I'm thinking Jordan doesn't currently deserve.

It feels right for Manheim to confess his crimes to get Matteo immunity, and even gives his character a bit of redemption the audience half-wanted, but knew wasn't possible before this. I love that Superman delivered Peia's final message to them, and that it gave that family a measure of peace. Superman doesn't just punch bad guys. He talks them down when he can.

I appreciate that Kyle isn't mad at Clark and is tickled instead. But Chrissy was right he was overreacting to her. I think he would have pulled a similar snit on Lana and Sarah if Sarah hadn't turned out to be in crisis. And at the end of the day, Kyle realizing he could turn the snit about that subject off at will is the reason he admits he was being a jackass to Chrissy. If he could have snagged Lana and Sarah into this grand conspiracy of his loved ones keeping secrets from him as well, he might have stayed mad. Him realizing it boil down to a performance for effect probably put things in perspective.

But yes, I find it very interesting and refreshing he isn't mad at Clark. Also interesting (but unsurprising) to learn he bullied Clark in high school. I don't think that was something we knew, but when he said it I was like "Of course." Totally on-brand for a self-proclaimed jackass.

I'll tell you what I don't like. Clark enjoys a restaurant called "Bamzoombas" because "they have great wings". I love that Clark on this show is relatable. I love that the producers don't treat him as an emotionless alien God far above humanity in both his virtues and pursuits. But that is not relatable to me. It's skeevy and gross. And yeah, regular guys are skeevy and gross. As much as I approve of relatable Clark Kent, people shouldn't relate to him because he's as gross as they are. That should not be an audience identification point. A Clark who is as dorky and silly as a real person is? Fine. One as icky as one? Nope.

But really, it was a good episode. But the Bizarro tease was frustrating. We've been teased LEX all season and there's only two episodes left. I feel like if the show IS canceled (and it might be; it's super expensive and losing The CW money, as high as the ratings are, and as much as the fans love it) they'll have put off the thing we really wanted for far too long. I just hope it is renewed, and Lex's appearance isn't too little too late. ****.

Renewed for season 4! Yay!

I love this Lex Luthor. Why? He's laconic. Totally refreshing after Jon Cryer's constant chatterbox whining turned him into the worst Lex Luthor screen actor in history. This Luthor also super scary. I liked all of the power moves he pulled at the prison. Well, except for one.

I taking a star off the episode for him sitting on a prisoner as a chair. It's meant to be hardcore and scary. Instead it's stupid and ridiculous. It's something Cryer's Luthor would do which is why I hated it.

Honestly, if this was all it was, were I Lois, I'd retire. The problem is this is NOT gonna be all it is. I think Luthor would have every right to demand that of her. If that was the end of it. But him seeking out Bizarro in the sewer means it wouldn't have been.

Bizarro eating rats. Now I've seen everything. Dear God.

A lesser superhero show would have let Jordan's bragging on behalf of the masked hero go with no more notice than rolled eyes from people in on the secret. Sarah is legit pissed instead, goes to Lana, who goes to Lois and Clark, who are justifiably furious.

Honestly, Jordan has completely lost me this season. The wrong kid got the superpowers.

Take note. Clark did wrong by Jonathan. But he takes his lumps from Kyle like a man instead of a whiny brat.

For the record, I think Kyle was being an ass. And if it wasn't about this Clark would have had to tell him to tone it down about something else. That being said, Kyle has a point that he would have preferred John went to him. And the reason is pretty clear. It was embarrassing to essentially have Superman call his job performance into question like that. And yet, Jonathan is simply annoyed and moves on.

Tyler Hoechlin is great because he does something no other Clark does. He can make Clark legitimate scary. Like him telling Jordan never to physically lash out at him would never work if he wasn't so theatenning when saying it. Really the only REAL way he can stop Jordan from doing that is beating up his own aon. The seriously frightening look he gave Jordan was enough to worry the kid that was an actual possibility, so he goes to his room instead, as ordered. Good for Clark.

The other good hairy eyeball he gave was to Luthor on the porch. I think Michael Cudlitz is a badass for standing up to it. For some reason I feel like Jon Cryer would wilt under that gaze. Hoechlin was never asked to play Clark or Superman like this on Supergirl or the Arrowverse crossovers. It's a fun and new facet to Clark I'm delighted he brings to this otherwise unconnected version of the character.

It's interesting Lex' beef is entirely with Lois and Superman, and NOT Clark. VERY.

Jordan tells Sarah not everything is about her. She corrects him. This is. This is her life and he's messing it up. And this is me punching the air. Go, girl!

It was a good week, especially knowing there IS a season four and this great Luthor stuff won't wind up the world's most regrettable case of "What Might Have Been." The show's been renewed! Yay! ****.

Wow, it is a GOOD thing the show has been renewed. If it hadn't been, I would have been furious.

And just for the record, I still wasn't crazy about the episode. I loved the creepiness of the moment of Luthor essentially begging Bizarro to let him kill him, but most of the rest of the episode left me cold.

Did Sam NEED to have been catfished by a Luthor associate? Was it necessary? Usually I appreciate the show because it allows us the nice moments. It broke it's contract with me about that when doing that.

When Lana and John had sex, the first thing that popped into my mind is that if I were John I would have been mad. She popped all the buttons on his shirt and ruined it. I'm sorry, that's not sexy, that's rude. Because Lana could get away with that behavior with a worse looking fella, but John's kinda a dreamboat. I would have been pissed were I him.

Jordan remains on thin ice to me.

Clark and Lois' love scene was nice but I don't feel like it resolved too much of the self-consciousness she was feeling over losing her breasts. Yes, Clarks accepts her and still thinks she beautiful. But for women with cancer who lose their breasts, it's also about how everyone else sees them too. Loved ones being loving is not a surprise. I hope in Season 4 Lois is still nervous about this thing. Whatever this episode was, that was NOT any sort of acceptable "resolution" to that at all.

Discussions of abortion are between the lines of Kyle asking if Chrissy "wants" this. After Dobbs, abortion rights are hanging by a thread in Kansas currently, but they are still hanging.

I guess I'm just not down with turning Bizarro into Doomsday. It's not like the Doomsday parallels weren't teased in his very first appearance, so it at least fits the canon. But it feels... dumb, and too pat, and wrecking a previously interesting character to turn him into an uninteresting one. Sigh.

Not a fan of this finale. A bit of a disappointment. **1/2.