SUPERMAN & LOIS 1.11

 

RECAP - SUPERMAN & LOIS  1.11:  "A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events"

This week, we took SOMETHING of a brief pause in the action in Smallville, as we focused on Superman, and what's going on with him, before we jump into the next disaster awaiting the Kent Family and Smallville.  We see Kal-El take a stroll down memory lane, as he recovers from his encounter with the neo-Kryptonians created by Tal-Rho/Morgan Edge.  He's depleted of power at this point in time, and has headed to the Fortress to recover before going back after his half-brother.  So, what journey did Clark take us through, as he recovers?  Let's find out....

This episode focused on Kal-El's journey from when he left home in Smallville to "find himself".  We start out with Clark making the journey north to the Arctic, where he tosses the Kryptonian crystal into the snow....and then the Fortress rises.  He then uses the crystal to activate the hologram of his father, Jor-El.  Jor-El then says he's going to teach his son how to be a hero for this world.  So, we go through a montage of Clark training in the use of his powers.  Once he finishes his training, we see him return home to Smallville...telling his mother Martha about meeting Jor-El, finding out about Krypton, and realizing what he's been put on Earth to do.  Martha then presents him with a gift...clothing that she had saved from the rocket crash, and said she'd made it into a uniform for him....so that he could be the hero he was destined to be.  Clark went to go see Lana, whom he had a crush on back in the day...but when he goes to tell her he's returned, he sees that she's with Kyle...and Kyle proposes to her.  Clark is heartbroken, but Martha makes him understand that life went on without him.  So, he must do the same. 

We move to Clark in Metropolis, looking to find his way around when he hears with his super-hearing about a car about to crash into people....he races out, and saves the boy we saw at the beginning of the season, and how everyone talks about the rescue.  He had changed to and back to Superman in an old phone booth (an ode to what he used to do in the past), and overhears someone talking about the Daily Planet getting wind of this story.  It inspires Clark, as he turns around and sees the Planet in the distance.  Jumping again, we see his job interview with Perry White, whom he convinces to hire him, and pairs him with Lois Lane.  They have their moment in their first meet, and then we jump to them working together through a montage.  They had been working on a story, and getting closer.  Eventually, Clark comes into the Planet looking for Lois, but she's missing.  With his hearing, he finds out the person they were investigating had Lois in his sights, and planned on killing her.  He races out, and rescues her, and stops the man from harming anyone else.  This is the first time Lois meets Clark in his superhero identity. When she asks his name, he amusingly says that she'll think of something.  When some bystander asks her who he is...she coins him "Superman".  

Later on, we see Lois on TV talking to Superman about who and what he is, and he's careful enough to not divulge too much information.  They take a break from the interview, and Lois is frustrated that he won't give her a straight answer.  Her friend tells her that he likes her, and she's not interested, since she's already in love with someone else----Clark.  Not knowing that, at the time, Clark can listen to her whole conversation.  They go back to the interview, and Superman says that Clark is a lucky guy to have Lois.  Moving forward, we see Clark bring Lois to Smallville to meet his mother, and she's worried, but Martha is very welcoming.  Clark then tells his mother that he's going to confess to her about who he is.  We then see him finally tell Lois of his dual identity.  We go from there to Clark proposing to Lois, to their marriage, and then to when they find out they're pregnant with the boys.  

It's when Lois is in the delivery room, having the boys, that Clark ends up "stepping out" of the dream, as he keeps seeing some kind of flickering shadow...something he'd notice in his dream before...and it ends up being his half-brother, Tal-Rho.  Tal says Kal is weak, and will use his secret against him to destroy him.  Tal threatens the boys, and Superman says not to kill them...they're babies.  But Tal says he wouldn't do that...but teenage boys, however---that's another story.  Superman wakes up, and realizes that Tal is there at the Fortress, using a Kryptonian dream device to show him how weak his life is.  Tal is there to discuss the terms of Kal-El's surrender.  Superman isn't in the mood for it, and he goes to attack Tal, but Tal is still more powerful than Superman right now, as he's still recovering.  Tal and he did damage to the Fortress, and Superman is left lying, as Tal leaves...looking to destroy his targets. 

Back in Smallville, Kyle is still trying to process everything that went down with Edge, and the incidents that led up to him being possessed by a Kryptonian.  Lana is trying to console him, but he still feels guilty.  He apologizes to Lois, and is grateful to her.  Lois says it's okay.  Meanwhile, Jon, Jordan, and Sarah are talking about the events, and she thanks them for their help.  She wants to speak to Jordan privately, and Jon excuses himself.  Sarah is especially thankful to Jordan, and says she doesn't want to be just friends anymore, and kisses him.  Later on, Lois and the boys return home, when they're confronted by Tal, who is there to kill Lois and the boys.  Jordan orders him to leave, and fires at him with his heat vision, but Tal easily fights it off, and blasts Jordan, knocking him down. Superman arrives just in time to order his brother to stop.  He says he'll surrender, just as long as he leaves Lois and the boys alone.  He bows to Tal, and as much as Lois and the boys beg him NOT to do this, he surrenders, and he and Tal take off.  They arrive back out into the desert, where Tal shows him HIS fortress...where we go back in time to see how HE arrived there, his Fortress rising, and conversing with HIS father about their master plan---but they don't have the Eradicator machine---but soon will.  Tal takes Kal-El to meet his father, and they said that he will learn, and he will become one of them.  Then, as what happened to Tal, Superman gets blasted with a red energy beam just like his brother...converting him to the Kryptonian side...becoming more evil.  At the end, we see the boys and Lois at home, worried about Clark.  Lois then makes a call to John Henry Irons....and she tells him that their worst fears happened...and to be ready.

This was a nice place to pause, and give us a pretty cool retelling of Superman's story from when he left Smallville until now.  It also establishes his origin in the Arrowverse.  And yes, while we KNOW how Clark proposed to Lois at the end of the ELSEWORLDS crossover, CRISIS re-imagined the universe, so events unfolded a tad differently.  That was the good thing about that crossover, is that it wiped the slate clean enough for the show runners to be able to have a clean slate to work with.  We also get to witness the great chemistry between Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch---they DO make an amazing Lois &Clark.  And to watch their story unfold was fairly sweet.  It was also cool to see Kyle and Lois make amends....and you have to commend Lana for sticking by her man...though all the mess, she's been a loyal wife.  Hopefully, this will push Kyle into a better direction, and mend the fence with Sarah as well.  And as for Jordan and Sarah...we saw them to getting together at some point.  But...there's still the looming issue of Jordan's powers hanging over them....and how will Sarah react when she finds out?  She might not take the secrets as well.  And will Lois fess up to Lana when they have to try and save Clark?  We've got some pretty interesting questions to answer within the last few episodes.  But we're along for the ride.  

What did YOU all think of this little trip down memory lane?  And did you expect...as I did...that John Henry Irons' premonition about Kal joining Tal to happen?  Albeit, the circumstances are different, it looks as if Lois was prepared for this eventuality.  I feel A LOT of heartbreak is going to happen before the end of this season, and we're going to see Superman's good standing fall.  How he manages to redeem himself will be the story to tell.  But for now...we're prepping for the worst.  But...hey!  Lemme know YOUR thoughts!  Subscribe to the blog, and hit up the comments section below!

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