Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 6 - Broken Trust

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

 
Plot

Clark reconsiders his decision to let Jordan play football, as Jordan prepares to face his former bullies on the field, as Superman and General Lane come into conflict over how to handle the disappearance of Tag Harris. Meanwhile, Lois finds an unexpected ally in her efforts to investigate Morgan Edge's mining operation

Influences

Smallville (high-school slice-of-life drama, with teens getting powers from Kryptonite)


Goofs

Presuming that Metropolis is on the east coast (as in Cisco Ramon's map of Earth-Prime from The Flash) and Smallville is in Kansas, there's no way Smallville High and Metropolis High would be playing against one another in a regular season football match. 


Performances

Tyler Hoechlin cements his status as this generation's Superman with the scene where Clark holds back his heat vision while pulling the Kryptonite from his wounds while still acting as a shield. The anger on his face is clear, but his anguish is not directed at the soldiers - it's at the fear he might lose control and hurt someone and Hoechlin makes that clear without saying a word.

Another great bit of non-verbal acting comes from Wolé Parks, who says so much with a single tear drop after Lois Lane tells him off.


Artistry

The sequence of Superman chasing Tag Harris and working to save a derailed train is fantastic. 


Super Trivia

The original title of this episode was "Smells Like Teen Spirit," in a reference to a classic Nirvana song.


Technobabble

The Stranger has a hand-held laser that can cut through solid rock. It can be recalibrated to act as an energy weapon that can knock out a Kryptonian with one shot at close range.

X-Kryptonite is also known as X-K.

The Department of Defense has some means of tracking Tag Harris by his unique energy signature, but it is inexact.

The Department of Defense is armed with guns that can shoot Kryptonite shards.


Dialogue Triumphs

Lois: Who is it?
The Stranger: Your new best friend.
Lois: What are you doing here, Marcus?
The Stranger: Still open to sharing a byline? Friend of mine got hands on a couple inspector badges. One’s for you, if you want it.
Lois: (skeptical) You somehow get not one but two inspector badges and you’re just gonna give me one of them to be nice?
The Stranger: They’re working around the clock to get those mines ready. Right now the tunnels are packed with inspectors. Security is stretched thin. A lone Black guy might look suspicious, but the two of us together, it’ll seem more legit. So… are you in… or out?

(Clark, Jonathan and Jordan are in a hotel room. Jordan is sprawled out on the bed. Clark is standing over him while Jonathan is making an ice pack.)
Jordan: For the hundredth time, I’m fine.
Clark: No, you’re not. You just detonated like a bomb in the middle of a high-school football game in front of a crowd full of people.
Jordan: I could have controlled it, all right? I just let it go ’cause you were there.
Clark: Yeah, but what if I wasn’t? Jordan, sit up and look at me.
(Jordan sighs and sits up.)
Clark: Do you understand how dangerous this could be? Tell me exactly what happened. Were there–were there any symptoms, any signs, something that would have made you think that this was coming?
Jordan: Look, Dad, you’re thinking about this too much. I just–I had a moment, all right?
Jonathan: (quietly) Jordan… that’s not 100% true.
Jordan: Jon...
Clark: What?!
Jonathan:  Jordan, he needs to know. Look, the first time that he had one of these... episodes or whatever, I mean, it stopped. It seemed fine.
Clark: The first time?!
Jordan: I had a migraine at school. It wasn’t a big deal. 

Clark: And you didn’t tell me?!

Jordan: I didn’t tell you ’cause I knew you’d overreact! I knew you’d stop me from playing the game! 

Clark: Yeah! And I would have been right! 

Jordan: So I’m just supposed to be punished for something that isn’t my fault? This was my shot, Dad. This was my chance to show the d-bags at Metropolis who I am. You remember how they treated me, right? 
Clark: Jordan, I know. I know. And I get it, okay? I know what it’s like to be picked on.
Jordan: Yeah, but you get to grow up, and you get to be Superman. Who am I? I’m a weird kid with headaches. I just–I wanted to be good at something–that was all.
Clark: That’s not what your powers are for. Jordan-
Jordan: Dad, I’m not you, okay?!

General Lane: I don’t know what you’re upset about. The girl’s safe and on her way home. The subject’s back in custody. Let’s take this as a win.
Clark:  His name is Tag.
General Lane:  I wish I had your trust in people, I really do.
Clark: So do I.
General Lane: You put me in a bad position tonight.
Clark: You know, I thought about all the ways you might try to stop that boy. Never occurred to me you would actually use live rounds, let alone ones fitted with Kryptonite.
General Lane: My job is to protect the American people by any means necessary.

Clark: (nodding) And now I know.

Lois: You are armed to the teeth with the kind of weapons that would put you high on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. And this security badge–I sent a photo to a friend of mine, and she said it’s one of the best forgeries she has ever seen. So why don’t you tell me who you really are and why you are in Smallville, ’cause I don’t buy that you came to write a story.
The Stranger: I can’t tell you why I’m really here. But I can promise you, like you, I am trying to prevent something bad from happening.
(Lois is fuming as her cel phone rings.)
Lois: Hey, babe, can I call–
(We don't hear what Clark says but it makes her go quiet.)
Lois: How bad? I’m on my way.
The Stranger: (concerned) Are you okay?
Lois: (angrily) To be continued!
(Lois gets into her truck and starts to drive off. As she does, a single tear duns down The Stranger's cheek.)

(Jonathan has gone to bed, angry about not being able to be quarterback anymore after finally getting a chance to play again. Clark and Lois are trying to help Jordan cope with what he did by accident.)
Clark: I told you, your powers come with responsibility, and I need you to get that.
Lois: Honey, we know it was an accident. We know you’re sorry. Jon knows, too. He just needs a second. But your dad is right. Things are different now.
Jordan: Yeah, I know. I know they’re different.
Clark: Do you? Because you made a big point at the hotel of saying you’re different from me. But you’re not. That anger you felt that made you want to use your powers the way you did tonight? I have those feelings, too.
Jordan: You do?
Clark: Yes. But I keep them in check. Otherwise, I risk losing the trust of the very people I’ve sworn to protect. When I first showed up in Metropolis as Superman, there was a lot of talk about what the world should do with someone who had powers like mine. And it took me a minute to realize that other people were more afraid of what I could do than I was. So what I had to do, more than anything, was earn their trust, prove to them that, no matter what, I would never use my powers to hurt them. 20 years later, every time I use my powers, that trust is tested, every time. Just today, in fact. The thing about trust, Jordan– once you break it, it’s take a lot longer to heal than a wrist.

Continuity

The episode picks up where 105 ended, with Tag Harris chasing Jordan after seemingly having knocked him out at the end of the last episode.

Tag says that he saw a video of the rave at 101 and that Jordan was right there before the keg explosion that seemed to trigger Tag's powers. He also says he knows Jordan has something special about him too, though he doesn't say how he knows this.

Jordan uses the special pager his dad gave him.

Tag runs and Superman goes after him after checking to make sure Jordan is okay.

Tag is astonished to see Superman, implying that he doesn't know that Clark is Superman or that he's related to Jordan.

Tag Harris can run faster than Superman can fly.

Superman is able to mend a broken train rail in seconds, stopping a train from derailing.

Clark says that Jordan seems to be healing faster than a normal human, but he's still vulnerable.

Clark says that Sam Lane called to assure him the Department of Defense is searching for Tag and that his escaping was a fluke as he was much faster than they had measured, suggesting his powers had suddenly increased.

Lois thinks whatever gave Tag Harris powers came from the mines.

Morgan Edge's mines are now lined with lead fiber, so Clark can't use his X-Ray vision to see what is in them.

Clark offers to help Lois investigate the mines, but she says he should focus on the boys until Tag Harris is caught.

Lois thinks there is a connection between Morgan Edge and The Stranger, saying it can't be a coincidence someone who knows Superman's real name showed up at the same time Edge is giving people Kryptonian powers.

Jimmy Cutter was one of the bullies who picked on Jordan in Metropolis. He's apparently been talking smack about an upcoming game between Metropolis High and Smallville High on social media.

Jordan has an intense reaction to Jonathan scraping his spoon against a cereal bowl, as if he had a migraine. Clark notices this, but Jordan says he just has a slight headache.

Clark asks if Jordan wants to sit this game out, but Jordan says he's good to go.

Morgan Edge appoints Lana Cushing to a new role managing his company's efforts to revitalize Smallville.

Jordan has another reaction to Jonathan closing his locker door.

Sarah Cushing tells Jordan that she plans to come watch the game tomorrow night to cheer him on.

Jordan starts to lose control, his eyes glowing red as he clutches his ears, as the class bell rings.

Jonathan gets Jordan into the bathroom and talks him down.

Jordan says he's been hearing high-pitched noises.

Jonathan tells Jordan they need to tell their dad what is happening. Jordan says he will after the game, because he needs to show the kids who bullied him - Woodrum, Cutter and Campana - that they can't bully him anymore. Jonathan reluctantly agrees to say nothing.

Kyle Cushing admits he's a little jealous Lana is getting a job working for Edge instead of him, having hoped maybe there would be something for him after all he did acting as Edge's advocate in Smallville. Lana tells him her new job benefits them both.

Lois tells Kyle and Lana that she thinks Morgan Edge is engaged in illegal and dangerous activities and that she wants their help to get into the mines to prove it. They both refuse, even after Lois says Superman is looking into Edge as well.

Kyle says he has a friend who hasn't worked in eight months who has a job thanks to Edge.

Clark tries to train Jordan on how to control his strength by getting him to punch a thick tree trunk. He hurts his hand trying to go by instinct, leading Clark to try and teach him how to throw a punch. Jordan is able to throw the punch and crack the wood after Jonathan tells him to pretend it is Cutter's face.  

Tag Harris is so fast even the DoD satellites can barely catch a glimpse of him and then only when he's stopped moving.

Sam Lane tells Clark that Tag Harris has been seen in Metropolis, but that Clark should stay with the boys as his squad can bring Tag down. Clark says that Tag seems more like a scared kid than a menace.

Sarah changes her mind about going to the game after learning Lana can't get a sitter for Sophie.

Tag is revealed to be spying on Sarah.

Jordan is sent into the game and told to tackle player 55. This turns out to be Cutter.

Jordan has another attack spurred by the referee whistle, which Clark notices. His failure to tackle Cutter leads to Smallville High's quarterback being injured.

Jonathan asks their coach to send him in, as he knows all of Metropolis plays and can counter them, having been planning to be their quarterback.

Cutter tells Jonathan that he's dating his ex-girlfriend Eliza now and that she wanted him to know that.

Jordan brings down Cutter and talks smack back to him. Clark notices and pulls him from the game.

Lois calls a contact with "the Post" to try and get a press pass with access to the Shuster Mines.

The Stranger, still posing as Marcus Bridgewater, approaches Lois with two forged Inspector Badges for the Shuster Mines.

The Stranger talks his way past security, but the guard seems to recognize Lois Lane.

Sophie doesn't like live-action movies.

Tag tries to speak with Sarah, saying she was always his friend and stuck up for people who weren't treated fairly.

Everyone in Smallville was told Tag Harris went to live with his dad.

Tag accidentally knocks out Sarah when he has a spasm.

Cutter leads the Metropolis players in ganging up in a charge on Jordan. While this is going on, Jonathan runs a play and scores a touchdown.

The attack triggers Jordan's powers, which Clark helps him hide by having Jordan discharge his heat vision into Clark's hands.

Kyle and Lana return home to find Sarah is missing and Sophie has no idea what happened to her.

Jonathan tells Clark about Jordan's earlier episodes.

Lana calls Clark to ask if Sarah went to the game at the last minute. He confirms that she didn't. As the are discussing Sarah disappearing, Kyle finds footage on their home security system of Tag Harris ringing their front doorbell.

Clark goes to look for Tag Harris, telling Jordan and Jon to stay in the hotel room.

The Stranger lies to Lois about how he got a hold of schematics for the Edge EnerCopr mine project, saying a friend helped him find them.

Tag took Sarah to an abandoned building in Metropolis. 

Tag has a small pile of worn-out shoes in his hide-out.

Lois notes that she is suspicious of The Stranger's story, given his claims to be an ex LuthorCorp employee who quit to become a journalist.

The Stranger shows Lois a cache of X-Kryptonite, which he identifies as the rarest form of Kryptonite.

Lois is not familiar with X-Kryptonite.

Leslie Larr finds Lois and the Stranger and attacks them with her heat vision.

Clark scans Metropolis with his super-hearing trying to find Sarah and Tag.

Some of the other players from the Smallville team come by the room to check on Jordan and invite him and Jonathan to go out and get some beers to celebrate their win. The other players talk them into it, saying they are only going up the street to a liquor store.

The Stranger does something with his laser that makes it into an energy weapon that knocks out Leslie Larr, allowing him and Lois to escape.

Tag shows Sarah the video of the rave and how the flare which ignited the keg came from Jordan. He asks if Jordan had told Sarah anything about what happened that night.

Clark arrives and tells Tag not to run, saying he's come to help him.

A group of Metropolis players, led by Cutter, show up and start trying to pick a fight with the Metropolis players.

Cutter provokes Jordan into taking a swing at him, but Jonathan steps in and catches the punch, which breaks his hand.

Tag has a speed-spasm as the Department of Defense soldiers arrive loaded for bear. Clark steps in to block their bullets, only to be shot by a soldier armed with a gun that shoots Kryptonite shards.

Clark starts to lose control of his powers in the same way Jordan did, but holds his heat-vision in check while plucking the Kryptonite shrapnel from his shoulder. He then unleashes the flame to melt the Kryptonite once it is in a corner.

The DoD forces stand down after Clark tells them to.

Clark tells Sam Lane, in no uncertain terms, how disappointed he is.

Lois says she had a friend look at the security badge The Stranger gave her sand she said it was one of the best forgeries she had ever seen.

Lois asks The Stranger who he really is, because she knows he isn't a reporter. He says he can't tell her but that, like her, he is in Smallville to try and stop something bad from happening.

Clark calls Lois and tells her about Jon's injuries.

Johnathan's arm will be in a cast for six to eight weeks. It's still unknown if he'll get the full range of motion back, however.

Clark has never heard of X-Kryptonite either, when Lois asks him about it. 

Lois tells Clark that Leslie Larr has Kryptonian powers too. She also tells him about "Marcus Bridgewater" and how he has a ray gun no journalist should have.

Sarah talks with Jordan about Tag having powers and how he was focused on Jordan. She also tells him about the video of the rave and how Tag thought Jordan had something to do with what gave Tag his powers.

Jordan lies and says he has no idea what Tag is talking about, even after Sarah says that he could tell her if there was something weird going on with him.

Lana talks to Lois about what Sarah told her about Tag and says she now believes Lois is right about the mines being involved. She agrees to help Lois investigate Morgan Edge and what he is up to.

Jordan has another episode along with what a seizure. The episode ends with Clark flying him to the Fortress of Solitude.


The Bottom Line

Another great episode which rebuilds the momentum lost during the two month break. This is Superman done right, plain and simple.