SUPERMAN & LOIS 1.10

 

RECAP - SUPERMAN & LOIS  1.10:  "  O Mother, Where Art Thou?"

Revelations galore are what we get in this week's installment of The Man of Might and his reporter wife.  As Morgan Edge has finally shown his hand, and revealed his master plan.  Plus, we find out the REAL story behind the business mogul/supervillain.  And it's a bomb that's dropped on Kal-El's world.  As the family now has to rally together in order to face the threat of a total world takeover by Edge and his newly created Kryptonian Army.  And the boys are there for Sarah as well, when she begins to worry about her dad Kyle.  So, things have culminated into this one moment, and let's see how things unfolded in Smallville.  

We picked up from last week, when Superman met Morgan Edge out in the desert, where Edge revealed his master plan of taking over the Earth:  by re-creating Krypton.  As it turns out, Edge IS a Kyrptonian who also crash landed on Earth.  In fact, as Edge further reveals to Superman, he was the FIRST to land on Earth from Krypton, before Kal-El and Kara.  He landed in the English countryside (which accounts for the accent), and that he was sent their by his father to help restart the Kryptonian race in the wake of Krypton's destruction....but that's not even the BIG shocker laid on the Last Son of Krypton:  Edge...or as he reveals his Kryptonian name---Tal-Ro.  His mother was Lara----yes....Kal-El's mother.  It turns out, that prior to Lara marrying Jor-El, Tal-Ro's father and Lara were matched up, and he was created in a chamber from their DNA.  But their mother spurned his father for Kal-El's.  His father never got over that.  He's been spending time using the X-Kryptonite to revive their people, and when they are awakened, he's going to need Kal-El by his side, so that they can bring Krypton back to life.  Superman isn't down with it, and he attacks.  They both fight, but Edge gets the best of Supes, and then gives him time to make his choice.  With that, he disappears. 

Back at the Cushing household, Sarah is hashing it out with her mom about the excuses she makes on behalf of her dad, who keeps letting her down. Lana is trying to reason with Sarah, but it goes unheard.  Lana is worried what happened to Kyle, so she goes to get answers.  When she DOES talk to him, she wants to know what went on, and whether or not he started drinking again.  He tells her that she lied to him about the job Edge offered, and that he didn't believe in her.  She wasn't sure what the job entailed, and that he took it anyway.  She wants to know what went on with the job training, and he told her about how he was taken someplace, and put into a machine.  While Lana is trying to get more out of Kyle, Lois and Clark are discussing the reveal he got from Edge.  Lois has been worried about Lana, and has been trying to contact her, but to no avail.  Once Clark fills Lois in on what and who Edge is, she encourages him to head to The Fortress to get some answers from his father, Jor-El.  So, Clark departs for the Arctic, and Lois decides to pay the Cushings a visit.  When she arrives, and Kyle sees her, he instantly goes into Kryptonian mode and attacks both Lois and Lana.  However, General Lane arrives with the DoD to subdue Kyle with K-Gas, and capture him.  Lana is confused, and Lois explains to her what's been going on.  

Clark and Lois go over everything Morgan Edge as been doing to Lana, and how Edge has turned her husband, and many OTHER citizens of Smallville, into Kryptonians.  Lana said she had been asking Kyle how he got his powers, and he explained about a machine somewhere in the warehouse district, and they manage to find it on a map.  They also discover that there was a prominent scientist, Dr. Donovan, who had been assisting Edge with the conversion of the townsfolk to Kryptonians.  Smallville was the most likely candidate because of the townsfolk have been long exposed to the X-Kryptonite in the mines and all over town where it's been buried. 

The boys are trying to console Sarah, as she is worried about her dad.  As the DoD is moving into town to prepare for Edge's attack, they finally fess up to Sarah---sort of---about what's happening.  She doesn't want her last memory of her dad being that of a fight.  They also agree to take her to see her Dad.  At first, they meet resistance from General Lane, but his grandson Jon pulls him aside, and says that he needs to act like a grandfather for once...instead of a military man.  Because despite ALL his best intentions, everything he tries to do RIGHT blows up in his face.  He relents, and lets them in.  Once Sarah sees her dad in a cell with  Kryptonite running through it to keep him subdued, she tries to reach him, but the Kryptonian within him says he's gone, and that he's going to kill all of them.  As they get Sarah out of there, Kyle says that he plans on killing Jon first.  

The DoD did find the machine Dr. Donovan and Edge were using to convert the townsfolk to Kryptonians, and they arrest him, and want to know how to reverse the effects of the Eradicator machine.  He says he only knows so much, and that the only one to be able to reverse it was the one who created it:  Lara.  Superman is taken aback, because he knows that the ONLY way to stop Edge's plan is to bring his mother back.  Once at the base that the DoD has set up in town, Lana is taken aback at seeing Superman in person.  Lois had still wondered why Edge would give Superman time to think, when he's much more ruthless than that.  All involved realize that Lara must come back in order to find a way to reverse the effects of the machine.  Lana volunteers, because she says she's been here the longest, and has been exposed like everyone else.  Lois and Superman refuse, but Lana says that she's let this town down, and she won't allow it to fall because of Morgan Edge.  So, while Lois and Clark confer on whether or not it's a good decision, they give her time to think.  Lois encourages Clark to talk to her, and give her a pep talk.  I think Lois was also kind of nudging Clark to tell her that he was Superman....but instead, he tries to offer her comfort and confidence.  I think she senses something, but passes it off as him being an optimist.  

Lana goes through the process, and comes out of the other side of it as Kal-El's mother, Lara.  She is overjoyed to see her son, and is proud of what he's become, and that he had a family that loved and raised him.  She talks about how her and Edge's father, Zeta, were matched, but she ended up leaving him for Jor-El, because she fell in love with him.  She also says the Eradicator Machine was NOT created to supplant a race, and that Zeta got delusions of grandeur about it.  They effects CAN be reversed, but they have to get EVERYONE exposed to be put through the machine again.  Edge calls for Kal-El, and Lara urges him to go...and Lois urges him to reason with him as a brother.  Superman and Edge meet.  Edge discusses how he was hunted, captured, and tortured as he grew up until he escaped.  He believes he was charged with a mission, and that's to bring back the Kryptonian Race.  He won't fail his mission.  He tells Kal-El that he doesn't understand what it's like to lose a world, as Earth is all he's ever known, while he knew Krypton was dying.  Superman tells him he will fail in his endeavor, and Edge thinks otherwise....as he has called upon his army from all over...as they've been flying from all over town to answer his call. He gives Superman a choice:  Us or Them.  Superman says that there IS no "Us" or "Them". Superman flies off, and takes the army with him, as they give chase to him.  He races towards the Eradicator Machine with them, and says that there is no way to get that many people to the machine, and Superman says they need a bigger power source...so he offers himself.  Everyone is NOT in agreement with that, but Superman insists it's the only way.  He'll be drained of power for awhile, but there is no other option.  He races in, grabs the device, and he flies off overhead, as he uses his heat vision to activate the device...the army is chasing him, using their own heat vision.  Edge witnesses this, and urges them to break off the attack, but they don't listen.  There's a huge blast, and we then find all of Edge's army all back to normal, as the townsfolk are returned to their human selves.  

Lois checks on Lana, who sees her return to normal.  All the townsfolk are okay, but disoriented.  Sarah goes to see her dad, as it appears Kyle is now back to normal.  But there is no trace of Superman.  It turns out Superman made it back up to the Arctic north, and landed just outside the Fortress...falling to Earth, now powerless for the time being.  Not too far behind, we see Leslie Larr and Edge...who managed to avoid the blast, and still kept their powers.  Leslie asks him about the plan, and he said they're without an army....for now.  But being just outside the Fortress, it appears Edge has a backup plan to still make his mission succeed. 

This episode moved pretty quickly, and I was a bit surprised as to how the plan of Edge's with the Smallville townsfolk elevated, then was resolved so quickly.  I was expecting more of a build, and have the final battle for everyone happen in the season finale, but judging from the END of the episode, Edge has a Plan B...and I feel we may STILL see Kal-El get twisted and turned against Earth, as he is now powerless for the time being, and will be susceptible to Edge and Leslie Larr's powers.  And with the Kryptonian knowledge at the Fortress at his disposal, Edge can still execute his master plan...on a much lager scale.  So, the battle isn't won yet.

I give credit to the kids for being brave in the face of danger...but that's becoming something of a normal thing for the boys.  Jon REALLY stepped up this episode by giving it to his grandfather once again.  These boys do NOT get enough credit for the smarts they have.  And it also fortifies this trio as friends that will come in handy in the future.  Sarah expressing regret over the fight with her dad, and then seeing him as someone else allowed her to have a little catharsis at the end.  That despite all his flaws...he's still her dad...he still loves her, and she loves him. 

I thought it was such a sweet moment for Clark to have with Lara.  The look of wonder in her eyes, seeing her grown up son, and watching him be the hero, it was a great performance by Emmanuelle Chriqui to give us as Lara---her facial expressions, and her stoicness as Kal-El's mother...as well as her usual great performance as Lana---wanting to step up and be a better person than she has been.  I HAD hoped that when Superman was talking to Lana, that he'd tell her who he really is, or that Lana would've told HIM, having known for a long time....but they didn't go there.  Which is a bit disappointing.  These two are best friends, and we honestly don't see that enough on this show. It's something I DO hope they explore down the road. 

Edge being the illegitimate child--of sorts--to Lara is something that, while surprising, isn't TOO surprising.  It was honestly the only play the writers had.  It pits brother against brother, and they feel that it gives the story an extra amount of weight to it...as one brother...abused and tortured, did NOT receive the love and nurturing the other got.  Edge is about restarting the race, and making humans suffer for HIS toil...whereas Superman...having been RAISED on Earth, despite being born on Krypton, will fight for the world that has become his.  Now, with Clark powerless...it makes me wonder if he'll be manipulated into becoming Edge's main weapon, and whether or not the prophecy of John Henry Iron's world becomes reality on this one.  

Either way, we're in for a wild ride the last 3 episodes of this season, and I look forward to what is gonna happen.  How about you?  What do YOU think and feel about what transpired this week?  Subscribe to the blog and leave a message below.  

Until next time....Up, up and away!