SUPERMAN & LOIS 1.5

 

RECAP - SUPERMAN & LOIS  1.5:  "The Best of Smallville"  

We got some VERY interesting revelations in this edition of our Superman Family before we hit the "break" for this show, so that Kal-El's cousin, Kara, can start HER final flight as Supergirl begins HER final season this coming week (so, if you don't see new editions of this show for the forseeable future, you know why).  We got more backstory on our mysterious Captain Luthor, more on what happened with Derek Powell, and Jonathan finally breaks.  All of this done under the backdrop of one of Clark Kent's favorite times of the year:  The Smallville Harvest Festival.  

For as much excitement as Clark had for the Smallville Harvest Festival, and his ardent wishes for his family to enjoy this event---it didn't go off quite as planned.  And for all involved, it has a lasting effect....both positive AND negative.   Jonathan alone goes through HIS first real rough patch, as he finds out early on that his longtime girlfriend Eliza, whom he was hoping would be coming to Smallville to visit him during this festival, breaks up with him suddenly, and it causes him to lash out, because he feels he was taken away FROM his life in Metropolis, and that it was his family's fault for dragging him here, taking him away from his life, and he didn't want to be here.  He feels he's never going to play football, his brother is a star on the team, his status is gone from what it used to be in Metropolis, and he's finally showing signs of typical teenage resentment towards being uprooted from his life.  He takes it out on his family, and actually asks his father about moving OUT of Smallville, and staying with some friends back in Metropolis to finish school.  Lois & Clark shoot that idea down, and then Jonathan goes to the Festival, and meets up with some of the other players on the team, and proceeds to get drunk.  This is not lost on Jonathan, who was looking to get him sobered up, but not before he's busted by Lois & Clark.  Jordan takes a tongue lashing himself for not stopping Jonathan, and sours the night for both boys----especially when Sarah snapped at Jonathan for being drunk.  

One positive note for the boys--is while we KNOW Jordan is crushing hard on Sarah, she's not quite ready to jump into another relationship yet, and what she really needs is a friend right now until she works through not only her own personal issues, but her family issues as well.  Jordan, however, is okay with this, and it helps solidify THEIR friendship.  As for Jonathan---while he screwed up BIG TIME this week...you also feel for him.  While many of us thought the adjustment to Smallville would be hard on Jordan, it's Jonathan that's suffered.  Lost his girlfriend, his status back home, and now can't even get into a football team where his brother is flourishing.  So, it was his time to lash out, as we've seen this happen to Jordan the last few weeks.  Clark & Lois did agree that IF he can't make Smallville work for him, they'll discuss other options.  But Clark is extremely hoping that Jonathan will come around.  

This entire incident with his son reminds Clark of when he was Jonathan's age, and he had his issues with Martha, because she was reluctant for him to go around performing acts of heroism, and risk being exposed.  Clark argued with her about it, and felt he needed to go find himself, so he ended up leaving home.  Martha gave him a box that had a crystal from his ship in it, and then they said their goodbyes at the bus station.  Clark told Jonathan as he gave him that same box that he regretted not spending more time with his mother before she died.  It's something that gnaws at him to this day, and he hopes Jonathan doesn't go down that same path.  Clark DOES get some satisfaction this episode on that front:  the very bench that Martha used to sit at in town...at the bus depot, and watched the town, was dedicated to her by Lana.  He and Lois sit there and talk about his mom, and what the future will bring...not knowing they're being watched.

Speaking of Lois, she is being followed all over town by Captain Luthor, as she runs errands, but also gets a call from Chrissy, who has Susan Powell show up with her son, Derek.  Derek seems off, and Susan is awfully quick to want to bury the story, since she got her son back.  He has no idea how he got to where he was, or what really happened to him.  Later on, however, Derek shows up at the community center where everyone in town is donating for the Festival, and he can't control the superpowers he's gotten.  His heat vision loses control, and he destroys the building, causing a fire.  He ends up disappearing right afterwards, and Kyle and his firefighter crew and on the scene trying to put it out, but his partner and friend got hurt in the incident, and Clark manages to discreetly put out the fire.  Lois questions Kyle about what happened, and if he'd seen Derek, but he said he thought he did, but he's gotta worry about his friend.  Lois gives her condolences, and is on the case.  It seems that Susan had called Chrissy and said Derek went missing, hence Lois looking for him.  Lois gets a call from Chrissy later on, and finds out that Chrissy tracked Derek to some secret lab, where he meets up with Leslie Larr.  Apparently THEY are a thing.  Derek is desperate to get cured from what's happening to him, and Leslie puts him into a machine to temper his powers a bit.  Lois and Clark are at the festival when Chrissy calls Lois---Clark is off like a shot when he overhears the conversation.

As Superman races to find Derek before he causes more damage, he's also being followed by Captain Luthor, who had been shadowing Lois this entire episode.  He even bumps into her at one point, coming off as a reporter who's following the Morgan Edge story.  He tries to get more information out of her, but she pretty much stonewalls him, and tells him that when he has some proof....get back to her.  He ends up following Superman when he and Derek start fighting, and Derek is on the run from the Man of Steel.  Luthor then uses a bazooka to blast the both of them out of the sky.  Both men crash to the ground, and when Superman tries to help Derek, the Powell man , but Derek says that he's already dead....and disintegrates into nothing.  When we catch Luthor spying on Lois and Clark on the park bench, we can see how upset he is---as we flashback to one of his memories, where---in HIS world---he and Lois are a couple.  

We also see that Kyle isn't handling the situation with his partner and friend Mitch very well, either.  Mitch was seriously hurt, and he's comatose at this point in time.  Lana tries to console him, but Kyle is drunk, which doesn't make Lana happy.  It causes another fight, and Lana takes off.  Kyle is still moping on the couch when Sarah arrives home, and tries to talk to her, but she's just not in the mood.  So, there's still issues within the Cushing Family that need to be worked out.  This is why Sarah just needs Jordan as a friend at this juncture, and he's more than willing to just be there for her.  

Jordan gets the biggest shock of the episode as he's walking home, and attacked by Tag, who has escaped his situation at the DoD...and he attacks Jordan, asking what he did to him.  And that is how the show ends.

This was a solid episode, as we continue watching all these characters grow, and get more insight into our villains of the piece.  Captain Luthor and Lois being an item in HIS world doesn't exactly come off as a surprise, but it DOES fuel his anger towards Superman, and makes him want to destroy the Last Son of Krypton even moreso.  With what happened to Derek Powell, it's causing Lois and Clark to really wonder about what Morgan Edge is doing, and how Derek got superpowers.  It looks like, at some point, they're going to have to team up to crack this story.  I like that Chrissy took the initiative.  She's got a knack for being a really good reporter, and she's taking cues from Lois, even if Lois isn't giving them to her.  I just hope Chrissy doesn't bite off more than she can chew.  She's a good supporting character, and Lois needs someone like her in her wheelhouse outside of Clark and the boys.  It helps keep Lois grounded, in her element, and allows her to be...well...Lois Lane.  

Jonathan was long overdue to have his outburst, and vent HIS frustrations about his life changing.  Having Eliza just dump him out of nowhere was the last straw for him.  With no girlfriend, being on the bench while his brother is playing, and feeling like a third wheel between Jordan and Sarah...had to expect Jonathan to have his outburst at this juncture.  We'll see how he responds down the road here.  

How did YOU guys feel about this installment?  Subscribe and leave your comments below.  We're taking a little bit of a hiatus from Smallville for a bit, as we head back to National City to finish out Kara Zor-El's story.  But fret not---we WILL be back to our favorite little Kansas town to pick up this story, but for now---we're going to get answers to our questions, and see how the town reacts once Morgan Edge is exposed.  So, check back here for another recap when the next episode drops.  

Until then....Up, up, and away!