After last week’s bombshell dropped at Sarah’s quinceañera and the ongoing crisis of Bizarro’s appearance and the machinations of Ally Allston, I think it’s fair to say that there’s a lot going on in Smallville these days. And it’s not about to change any time soon, it seems, as this week packs in a number of moments that propel the show to even greater heights than we’ve seen so far. I don’t know how they do it, I really don’t.
With that being said, though, let’s dive in and try and find out as we look at Superman & Lois‘s “Tried And True.” Oh, and spoilers.
1. At Dawn, I Woke, I Was Alone
Woof. From literally the first frames of this episode, I could tell we’ve hit another level of presentation for this show. I don’t know how it keeps topping itself, but it does. Awash in red and as the opening bars of Ween’s “Tried And True” begin to play, we get a glimpse into the bizarre mirror dimension from whence Bizarro came. I think I mentioned last week that I’d love to see even just a snippet of that world and not only did I get that, it was done in incredibly engrossing way. Every detail of that opening track stands out as something terribly evocative of this world, that uncanny feeling of reflection that isn’t quite right. Knives embedded into the kitchen tabletop of the Kent family farm. The blacked out faces of Lois and Jonathan (but not Jordan? curious) in the family photo. The dilapidated barn. The… cat? Just this short glimpse tells everything we need to know about the hellscape that Bizarro hails from, but yet I still can’t help but to want even more.
And then the show kicks into high gear with a stunning Oldboy-referencing brawl. The physicality at play here is immense and showcases the true physical power of a Kryptonian fighting like a cornered animal. It’s incredibly how much they are able to convey how overwhelmingly formidable Bizarro is and how twisted he can be with so little. It’s not until we return to Tal-Roh’s Fortress that we hear Bizarro speak, finishing his tale of his arrival. Up until that point, it’s entirely the visual design of both the character and the world he inhabits that conveys his power and menace. Hoechlin continues to be stellar here. As he acts against himself, you can see the uncanny similarities between the two reflections of each other. That simmering rage and frustration boiling just underneath the surface, with the only thing separating them being that our Superman is able to suppress those feelings while Bizarro is given over to them. It’s incredible work by everyone involved and a showstopper of an cold open that as the haunting, dirge-like minor key of the title theme plays, I had to prepare myself for an episode as dark as anything we’ve seen up ’til now. And I can tell it’s only going to get darker before it gets lighter.
2. And As She Came, To Me, I Fell Back Down, Realising
I’m glad that we hadn’t seen the last of Lucy. It would have been such a shame to waste Jenna Dewan for just the one episode so Sam rolling up to the farm with Lucy in tow was a welcome surprise. Maybe not for Lois, mind you, but certainly for me. I love Sam acting the mediating force here. You can see his need to reconcile his family and we even see him admit his mistakes as a parent – for being so absent and so tied to his work that he neglected his daughters’s wellbeing – later on in the episode. It’s just a real shame how easily Lois and Lucy come to trading blows, throwing spite and bitterness at the other. In fairness to Lois, it is pretty difficult to convey to Lucy that Ally isn’t just the figurehead who you devoted your life to because she offered you salvation at your lowest point isn’t just a shitty cult leader, but she is actually trying to take over this world and it’s mirror opposite.
It’s such a turbulent reunion and it’s incredibly compelling to see it play out as the big, tense emotions ebb and flow. Watching them go from being at each other’s throats to finally being able to settle down and catch up before Lucy gets to meet her nephews and talk football with them and see Clark (confirming, I believe, that Lucy doesn’t know Clark is Superman, which is interesting) again, it feels like such a shame when things turn sour at the big game. There was this beautiful moment where it felt right. Even Lois admitted it was kind of nice to catch up. This was never going to be a conflict where they could kiss and make up and move forward that easily, but I did find myself hoping that this reconciliation would put them on a path to mending their family. I’d like to think that’s still on the cards moving forward, but right now I can’t be so sure. Maybe it’s just too far gone, maybe it’s not. I certainly hope it isn’t.
Continued below3. I Called You On, The Force, Of Time And Space
See, Anderson’s the prick’s prick. Here’s yir man getting a right leathering from his superior over what happened with the kids Anderson sent to their deaths going after Bizarro. Then he’s getting slapped in the face by the grieving mother at the kids’s funeral for sending them to their deaths. All in all, not the best week he’s ever had. It wasn’t just cathartic to see him getting a dressing down, though, I actually felt a twinge of hope that maybe now Anderson would strive rebuild the working relation between the DOD and Superman. I even saw Superman telling Anderson that he’s taking Bizarro out of play as him extending an olive branch of sorts. Trying to keep in the loop, offering him the chance to accept his need to destroy the pendant before things get worse. Well…
Things get worse. Anderson doubles down on his defensive, reactionary position. His need to be the one holding all the cards all but blinds him to the possibility of putting ego and animosity aside for mutual benefit in the face of a larger threat. This could have been a moment to mend things between Anderson and Superman, but he uses the moment to destroy any last shred of common ground they had to stand on. Ending the episode with a mirror of the opening Oldboy scene except this time getting see Superman unload on a bunch of DOD goons was exactly the icing on the cake this episode needed. It brought everything full circle and leaves Superman in the most vulnerable position we’ve seen him in. Depowered, shot in the chest and imprisoned until he gives them the information they want. Namely, the location of Bizarro. Tensions are so high right now and we’re only six episodes into this season! Like I said, I don’t know how Superman & Lois consistently manages to one-up itself every week, but I hope it doesn’t stop any time soon.
4. Oh, That It’s Cool, For You, To Love Me Mow, I’m Everything
“I promise, I have everything under control.” Ron Howard voice: He did not.
God, Jonathan, what am I to do with you. Not only did you lie to Jordan about developing powers to hide your shame and insecurities that lead to using XK, but now that Jordan thinks they’re both supersons of Krypton, he’s making it even worse for you by simply trying to be supportive. He wants to be there for his brother in a way that no one was for him. Someone to share in what’s happening to them, someone to help with the anxiety and the stress of this developing new phase of their lives. Thing is, that only drives home Jonathan’s feelings of inadequacy over being the normal son. Jordan simply wants to be supportive and all it’s doing is making Jonathan push him away even further for fear of him getting too close and learning the truth. Not to mention, Jon getting starting QB for the big game leaves him feeling patronised by his family’s supportive.
It’s a destructive cycle and one that makes me feel so disappointed in the character. I have this real sense of a maternal instinct over these two kids because of all this time I’ve spent watching them grow and change and settle into their new lives and all of the trials and tribulations that come with it. To see it squandered by such careless and petty choices just breaks my heart. I should make it clear that while all of this is a sense of personal disappointment in the choices of a fictional character, I am by no means criticising the show’s decision to go down this path with Jonathan nor how it is portraying this storyline. Jordan Elsass and Alexander Garfin continue to be the unsung heroes of the cast, bringing earnest warmth and heart to the material. I remarked on this throughout the first season, but it would have been so easy for the CW to cast it’s usual array of hunky 20-something Hollister models that they continually try to pass off as high schoolers. Eschewing that and getting kids that feel and act like real teenagers with real problems and giving them exceptional material to work with the backbone of this show as much as Clark or Lois is. It’s simply phenomenal and continues to be a highlight of the show, week after week. I just hope that Jonathan was true to his word about giving up the XK after experiencing the hollow victory of taking the easy to success.
Continued below5. I Felt The Cries, Of Healing
SIX MONTHS? KYLE.
SIX.
MONTHS?
Streets. Immediately.
I’m going to skip to the end and work my way backwards here, but I am so happy to see Lana not putting up with Kyle’s shit anymore. It’s such a shame, much like with Jonathan’s XK storyline, to see last week’s bombshell revelation destroy everything the Cortez (or, I guess, it might be going back to Lang) family had built up. This was a family on the verge of falling apart when we met them way back in the Pilot and so much has changed since then. They put the real work into fixing that, all during a time of incredibly strife and uncertainty, and, for a moment there, I really thought they’d earned their happy ending. That Sarah’s quinceañera would go off without a hitch and this family united could bring about a real change to the town of Smallville as Lana ran for mayor. But no. Kyle, God bless him, for all the work he put into changing himself and atoning for his past sins and mending his burned bridges, his past couldn’t help but come back and bite him in the ass.
There was a moment there when it really could have gone either way and I would have accepted Lana’s decision. Emmanuelle Chiqrui did such a fantastic job this episode of portraying the conflicting emotions raging inside her. The tempest of shame, resentment, betrayal and the feeling of it all falling down right when it felt like things were on the right track, it’s truly devastating to watch. I sympathised entire with her conflict, with her need to hear Tonya’s side of the story, and her eventual decision to finally put her foot down. As much as she may love, or have loved, Kyle and despite all the work they put in to make their family work together, Kyle might have burned one too many bridges. It might have all been too little, too late. It’s devastating drama that breaks my heart and it’s also the reason why tuning into Superman & Lois is my favourite hour of the week.
