Superman and Lois: Season 2, Episode 7 - Anti-Hero

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

Plot

As Superman pleads with Anderson to investigate Ally Allston from the confines of a red sun cell, Lois struggles to help Lana take the fight to Mayor Ford. Meanwhile, relations between Jordan and Jonathan strain further as Jonathan's secret is exposed to his family and Sarah seeks advice from an unexpected source.


Influences

The Supermen of America series and Euphoria (anti-drug storyline)


Goofs

After disabling the red sun filter in their cell, both Tal-Rho and Superman are able to escape their cell at superspeed. However, as shown in previous episodes of Supergirl and Superman and Lois (most notably in Crisis On Infinite Earths) a Kryptonian needs to be exposed to yellow sunlight before their powers are restored even partially after an extended period absorbing red sunlight. 


Performances

Once again, Elizabeth Tulloch steals the show, selling Lois' torment over what her sons have done and the idea that she's failed them as a mother.

The interactions between Tulloch and Emmanuelle Chriqui are also incredible. It's gratifying to see Lois and Lana discussing motherhood and their own issues with barely a mention of Clark and the friendship is well played here.


Artistry

The fight scene between the various Supermen and Anderson is fantastic.


Super Trivia

This episode was originally titled "Fallout." The same title was previously used for episodes of Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl.


Technobabble

The Smallville sheriff does not classify X-Kryptonite or Yellow Mist as a drug, but does have dogs trained to sniff the substance out.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Lois and Lana discuss Mayor Dean's strategy.)
Lois: If it was up to me, I would run your ads for free every single day up until the election, but I'm afraid that would violate every campaign finance law imaginable.
Lana: So what do I do? I mean, Dean's got the power of his office and the town gossip all working in his favor.
Lois: But you have the truth. Don't underestimate that. 

Tal-Rho: I pity you, brother. I mean, after everything you've done for humanity, to find yourself here...
Superman: Do you ever stop talking?
Tal-Rho: Cast out, imprisoned. It's humiliating.
Superman: Yes. Well, the real punishment is having to listen to you. 

Lana: Please just promise me--
Sarah: Not to smoke space drugs? Yeah, I'm not that stupid. 

Mayor Dean: But my point is this... if you can't keep control of your own family, if you don't really know what's going on in your own home, how are we supposed to trust that you'd know what's going on with all of us?
Lana: Because I love this town, George, and everyone in it.
Mayor Dean: Well, Lana... I just can't be sure, given your current situation, if we can be sure of that.
Lana: Well, I guess I'll just have to make it clear to everybody during our debates. But what should really be in question here, George, is what kind of person you are-- someone so willing to attack a member of this family during one of the most painful moments of their life.Does that sound like family values to you?

(Clark comes into Jonathan's room.)
Jonathan: You're back.
Clark: Yeah, I am, and you know what? I was not expecting to hear what your mother just told me.
Jonathan: Dad, I can explain.
Clark: Jonathan, no! Your mom gave you multiple chances to tell her the whole story, you chose not to.
Jonathan: I'm sorry.
Clark: What were you thinking?
Jonathan: I just--I-I wanted to be better.
Clark: By taking drugs? Have we taught you nothing? Have not heard a single word that either of us has ever said to you?
Jonathan: Yes.
Clark: Then, damn it, act like it. Tomorrow you will go, and you will apologize to Principal Balcomb. Then you will apologize to Coach Gaines. And after that, you will apologize to the entire football team. Your mother and I are gonna figure out how you're gonna finish out the school year, whether it's in the next town over, online, or somewhere else. And after all that, Jonathan, you and I are gonna have a long talk about all the important things I thought you already knew so that you don't ever misrepresent yourself or this family again. Do you understand?
Jonathan: Yes, sir. 
(Clark leaves. Jonathan immediately starts crying. Clearly his father's disapproval was the last straw.)


Continuity

As the episode opens, Superman is locked in the same cell as Tal-Rho.

Anderson tells Superman he will remained locked up until he reveals the location of Bizarro.

Superman says he'll gladly hand Bizarro over for trial, but they need to destroy the pendant Bizzaro had first.

Anderson says he has no intention of bring Bizarro to trial or bargaining with Superman. He also blows off Superman's warning about Ally Allston.

Sam Lane tells Lois he's still trying to work his connections to get details about why Clark has been arrested and that he's trying to arrange a face-to-face meeting with General Hardcastle.

Lois tells Jordan and Jonathan to settle whatever dispute they have themselves because she doesn't have time to deal with it.

Lana Lang came from a broken home and hoped to avoid putting her daughters through the same thing.

Sarah helps Lana with gathering Kyle's belongings and says she blames Kyle for this situation - not Lana and says Lana shouldn't blame herself either.

Lana sees that Mayor Dean has an add in the paper, billing himself as a Family Values candidate and promoting a meeting to discuss that topic.

Sarah is ignoring Jordan's calls and texts. He goes to her before their first class and tries to empathize, but Sarah says she doubts he can really understand what is going on.

Candice meets Jonathan at his locker with more Yellow Mist. However, Jonathan tells her he is done taking the drug.

While they are talking, the sheriff's office arrive with drug-sniffing dogs, apparently trained to look for Yellow Mist.

Jonathan takes all of Sarah's stash with the intention of dumping it. However, the dogs single him out before he can walk away.

Lana confronts Lois at the office regarding Mayor Dean's add.

Lois says that Dean paid $3000 for the advertisement which is far more than Lana can afford.

Lois is called about Jonathan being caught with the Yellow Mist.

Anderson puts a Kryptonite collar on Tal-Rho and threatens to kill him slowly if he doesn't tell him where Bizarro is hidden.

Lana confronts Sarah over Jonathan using Yellow Mist. Sarah denies knowing about it or using the drug herself, but she says Jordan is freaking out over it.

Sarah tells Lana that she knows Jordan means well, but that the biggest problems he has with his family is Clark wearing nerdy shorts when he's at work as a football coach. 

Lana suggests Sarah find another friend she's comfortable venting to to discuss her father.

Jonathan was caught with 20 Yellow Mist inhalers.

Jonathan denies selling drugs and claims he was going to get rid of them when he was found with them.

While the Sheriff is not pressing criminal charges against Jonathan (X-K is not technically a drug) the school is still discussing whether or not to expel Jonathan. 

Jonathan refuses to explain how he came into that much X-K.

Jordan walks in as Lois is grilling Jonathan and is asked if he knew anything about this. Jordan presumes she means Jonathan using Yellow Mist and admits he found out the night before. This is actually the first inkling Lois had that Jonathan was using Yellow Mist and not just protecting a drug dealer.

Jonathan admits to using Yellow Mist for a couple of weeks, but says he swore he'd quit after Jordan caught him with it.

Superman lies and tells Anderson that Bizarro is at 76.2 N longitude, 100.4 W latitude. This is later revealed to be the location of his old Fortress of Solitude. These coordinates would place it somewhere in Northern Russia in our world, on the land mass between the Kara and Laptev Seas.

Lois goes to Lana to vent about the situation with Jonathan.

Lana advises Lois that sometimes listening is the best thing you can do for your teenager.

Lois says Lana is a great mom and suggests she take the fight to Mayor Dean regarding his "family values' talk.

Jordan confronts Jonathan and asks if he was dealing drugs. Jonathan tells him to leave him alone.

Anderson and his team discover what remains of Bizarro's armor at the old Fortress of Solitude site. He takes this as proof that Superman has been lying to him and that all the Kryptonians are working together.

A fight breaks out between Superman and Tal-Rho, after Tal-Rho threatens to reveal Superman's secret identity to Anderson. However, this is all part of a plan to lure the guards into their cell to try and break up the fight, allowing them to get their guns and use them to disable the red-sun lamps.

Anderson tracks both Superman and Tal-Rho back to the new fortress in the Bad Lands. He goes chasing after them, despite having an order to report to General Hardcastle over what just happened.

Anderson takes a supply of Yellow Mist the Department of Defense apparently confiscated with him, along with a gun and Kryptonite bullets.

Bizzaro says that, on his world, he and his version of Tal-Rho were inseparable allies until his Tal-Rho betrayed his family and his wife tried to kill Bizarro. (While this is not confirmed directly, it is believed this might be the shadow Lana Lang seen in 206.)

Sarah meets with a girl named Aubrey at the diner in Smallville. She is confirmed to be the girl at camp whom she kissed once.

Aubrey lives in the town of Clover, which is a two hour drive from Smallville.

Sarah apologies for not keeping in touch after camp, but Aubrey says she understands the kiss weirded her out and made things weird since she had a boyfriend.

Aubrey's parents also went through a rough divorce, so Aubrey knows exactly what Sarah is dealing with.

Sarah says part of her wants to talk to Kyle, but she thinks it is disrespectful to Lana to do so.

Aubrey tells Sarah that she didn't talk to her dad for a year and it didn't help things. In fact, she thinks it made her meaner and she got into two fights that semester and chipped a tooth.

Sarah and Aubrey agree to be friends again and to stay in touch.

Jordan tells Lois he doesn't think Jonathan was selling drugs and is covering for someone.

Lois thanks Jordan and says she hopes he's right but he still isn't off the hook for not telling her Jonathan was using X-K.

Jonathan admits he started using X-K to try and keep up with Timmy Ryan because football was the one thing he could do that made him as great as everyone else in the family. He once again denies selling drugs.

Lois says she thinks Jonathan is telling the truth but she's still incredibly disappointed.

Jonathan still refuses to say where he got the Yellow Mist from, even after Lois tells him that the principal told her that he'd be expelled unless he could prove the inhalers weren't his.

Anderson fires a missile at the new Fortress and attacks the Fortress single-handed, manifesting heat vision as he uses the Yellow Mist.

Tal-Rho takes several Kryptonite bullets intended for Superman.

The hologram of Lara releases Bizarro and begs him to save her sons.

Anderson's green Kryptonite weapons do nothing to Bizarro. However, he figures out that the X-Kryptonite weakens him and begins using it like pepper spray to weaken Bizzaro before killing him.

Superman uses his heat vision to vaporize the Kryptonite fragments in Tal-Rho.

Superman takes Tal-Rho back to his cell. He says Anderson is a wanted fugitive and that he has made his peace with the Department of Defense.

Tal-Rho apologizes for hurting Jordan and Superman addresses him as "brother" after telling him that maybe someday he can apologize to Jordan himself.

According to Sam Lane, Anderson is wanted for going AWO and stealing X-K and Kryptonite weapons from Project 7734.

Sam Lane offered to lead the manhunt himself, despite being retired, since he had suggest Anderson be promoted into the position of replacing him.

Clark likes red wine and Chinese food after a long day.

Lana confronts Mayor Dean and says she doesn't think a person with family values would attack someone during one of the worst times of their life. This gets several people to walk out of the meeting with Mayor Dean after she leaves.

Sarah tracks down Kyle as he's grocery shopping and asks to talk to him.

Clark reads Jonathan the riot act and this finally causes Jonathan to breakdown crying.

Anderson goes to Ally Allston and gives her the pendant Bizzaro had.

Location

The undisclosed location where Tal-Rho's cell is kept.


The Bottom Line

Another great episode that moves all the subplots forward  and builds the drama across the board.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 10 - O Mother, Where Art Thou?

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

Plot

The truth behind Morgan Edge's plan is revealed, as Clark, Lois, Lana and General Lane rush to protect Smallville from an enemy within. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Jordan reach out to Sara, after she storms out of her parents house, accusing her mother of covering for her father's drinking again.

Influences

New Krypton (the idea of a Kryptonian invasion of Earth) and the movie Man of Steel. .


Goofs

Who names a device meant to save lives "The Eradicator?" (Granting this is a nod to the comics, it's still a weird thing.)

If the Kryptonian people are generally peaceful and wouldn't approve of Zeta-Rho's plan for restoring Krypton, why is everyone Tal-Rho brought back on-board with helping him? (Presumably he had a list of "loyal Kryptonians" to bring back and held off on bringing back his mother until it would be too late for her to object.)

How the heck did all the Kryptonians chasing after Superman get to the ground safely? (Perhaps Tal-Rho acted to save the hosts of his people at super-speed?)


Performances

Emmanuelle Chriqui does a fantastic job showing both the steel of Lana Lang and the heart of Lara Lor-Van in this episode.


Artistry

The battle between Superman and an army of Kryptonians is another great moment. It's becoming a bit trite for me to say so many of this show's action sequences look like they came from movies, but it is true.


Super Trivia

The episode title is a play on the title of the movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou."

Tal-Rho is an original character created for the Arrowverse. However, the conceit of a Kryptonian sent to Earth as a child being treated badly and being captured by a government and experimented upon has occurred in several alternate timelines; most famously The New 52 Earth 2 comic (with Val Zod) and the Kal-El of Flashpoint.

Tal-Rho's plan seems to be an adaptation of Zod's scheme to create a new Krypton in the movie Man of Steel, only instead of trying to recapture the genetic record of Krypton that was stolen by Jor-El, he's using the technology of Lara Lor-Van to place copies of Kryptonian minds in human bodies.

The device which Tal-Rho uses to transplant Kryptonian minds in human bodies is called The Eradicator. In the comics, the Eradicator was a piece of alien technology corrupted by the war-like Kem-L, who took what was meant to preserve the lives of dying cultures and turned it into a weapon that would preserve his fascist vision of a perfect Krypton by seeking out other civilizations and rebuilt Krypton on other worlds. He dubbed this technology "The Eradicator." The Eradicator later evolved into a sentient humanoid being with many of Superman's powers and was one of the four "Supermen" to emerge during the Reign of the Supermen story.

The Arrowverse Eradicator was created by Lara Lor-Van as a way to preserve the lives of the Kryptonian people. Why she named it the Eradicator is unclear. 


Technobabble

Dr. Donovan confirms that the minds inside the Eradicator are copies of people's minds rather than their essences. There is no way to communicate with them while they are inside the Eradicator. A consciousness requires a host to become activated.

According to Lara Lor-Van, the Eradicator works on the same principal as a computer, save that instead of placing data on a storage device, it places it within a brain. The former conciousness exists until the transfer is complete. However, this process takes days if not weeks and depends upon how willing the host mind is to accept being taken over. Until the process is complete, the Kryptonian mind can emerge at any time.

Lara says that the process that places Kryptonian minds in a human body can be reversed, but it requires them going through the Eradicator again.

The device Lara fashions to restore the humans converted by Tal-Rho requires energy equivalent to Earth's sun, if not greater. Clark empowers it by releasing all the energy in his body as a solar flare.


Dialogue Triumphs

Tal-Rho: The time has almost come, Kal-El. Our people will awaken soon. And when that happens, I need you by my side, or you will be eradicated too. 

Lana: This is my town, and at every critical juncture I’ve failed it. So don’t tell me this isn’t my responsibility. Not when I stand here about to lose everything.
Lois: I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you have a family.
Lana: Yeah, and my husband is one of them, who is gonna to become some alien psychopath if I don’t do something. I have to save Kyle, Lois. If there’s any chance that he’s still alive, I have to do it.
Lois: What about Sarah and Sophie?
Lana: They mean the world to me, you know that.
Lois: That’s why I can’t let you do this.
Lana: No, it’s why you have to. I have to fix this for them, for me, for everybody here.
Lois: There’s no guarantee this will even work. This is alien science.
Lana: Well, it’s a good thing I’m just a local loan officer who doesn’t know any better.

Superman: You know, you don’t have to do this. There’s always another way.
Lana: I don’t think you really believe that. Also did Superman just lie to me?
Superman: (laughing) It’s not lying. I’m just, uh… I’m just an optimist.
Lana: I guess that’s what makes you a hero.
Superman: You’re the hero right now, Lana.

Lara: Tell me. What is it like being with my son?
Lois: Most of the time, it’s easy. And sometimes it’s very difficult. Most of the time, I feel very secure, and then I’ve also had some of the most terrifying days in my entire life. But there’s always love and respect.
Lara: A partnership?
Lois: Very much so. 

Lara: On Krypton, I had all the hopes and dreams one could ever have. And I lived them all. And then one day, those hopes and dreams were for the son I just had. Thank you, Lois, for making them come true.


Continuity

Morgan Edge reveals that in addition to having Kryptonian powers he can also speak Kryptonian.

Morgan Edge reveals that he is a full-blooded Kryptonian named Tal-Rho. He says he was being quite literal in addressing Superman as brother, saying that his mother was also Lara Lor-Van.

Tal-Rho's father, Zeta-Rho, was Lara Lor-Van's first partner. They had been genetically matched, but Lara found their pairing less than ideal and left Zeta-Rho to pursue a romantic pairing with Jor-El.

Zeta-Rho had plans to colonize and enslave other worlds, but never got the chance to fulfil his plans within his lifetime. After learning of Jor-El's plans to save his family, Zeta-Rho sent his son to Earth as well.

Tal-Rho threatens to kill Superman if he doesn't join in his plans for Earth.

Sarah accuses Lana of covering up Kyle's drunkenness and storms out of her house to stay with a friend, Denise.

Lois tries to call Lana to warn her about Kyle, but Lana isn't answering her phone, being too focused on trying to get Kyle to talk about what happened ever since he first went to Morgan Edge.

General Lane says he will send some of his men, who have mobilized in Smallville, to get Lana.

Clark fixates on Tal-Rho's claim that he can restore their mother.

Lois suggests Clark find out if that really is possible, assuring him they'll be find with half the DoD on their front lawn.

Clark goes to the Fortress of Solitude, where Jor-El confirms it is possible Zeta-Rho acquire Lara's technology. He also confirms that Tal-Rho is telling the truth about he and Superman being half-brothers.

When Clark asks why Jor-El never told him about his half-brother, Jor-El says he never saw any need to do so. He also says that using Lara's technology to take over human bodies was not the way Lara had intended to preserve the memory of Krypton. She had intended for their minds to be preserved in the same way the Sunstone created a hologram of Jor-El.

Jor-El says that the Eradicator Lara Lor-Van designed is beyond his understanding and that he cannot help him to use the technology directly.

Jordan texts Sarah, but she's ignoring him.

Jonathan tells Jordan about the video he saw in 108 of another world's Superman killing another version of their mother.

When Jonathan raises his concern about the idea of saving Krypton maybe getting his father to join with Tal-Rho, Lois says the difference is that, in the other world, that Clark Kent didn't have a family, and in Earth-Prime he does.

Kyle tells Lana that he went to Morgan Edge behind her back because he thought she'd lied to him about the Executive Training program because she didn't believe he was good enough - not because she was trying to protect him.

General Lane and his men capture Kyle Cushing. Thankfully, it turns out their Kryptonite weapons are effective on Tal-Rho's soldiers.

Sophie Cushing is said to be staying with Lana's parents.

Lana notes that it has been so long since anything strange happened in Smallville.

Lana singles out one odd person among Edge's personal staff: Dr. Dabney Donovan, who is listed as Edge's personal physician. He was the one who conducted all the health exams for everyone enrolled in the Executive Program.

Lois recognizes Dabney Donovan as a former professor on the tenure track at MIT and says he has dual PhDs in genetics and molecular neurochemistry. 

They try to interview "Kyle" about where the Eradicator is being kept, but he refuses to speak except to make threats.

Jonathan and Jordan meet with Sarah at the local diner.

Jonathan tells Sarah the truth - at least in so far as her father has been possessed by an alien mind and that Morgan Edge is responsible. 

Los says that Tal-Rho wouldn't be giving Superman time to make a decision about joining him if his plan didn't require time as well. 

The DoD finds Donovan and the Eradiactor.

Donovan is willing to work with the DoD, but says he barely understands how the Eradicator works and that reversing the process will require the person who made it.

Lana volunteers to act as a host for Lara Lor-Van.

Lois asks to talk to Lana in private, so she can try to talk her out of volunteering. Lana thanks her, but says it's her responsibility to fix this since she didn't stop Kyle from building up Edge to the locals and recruited everyone for the Executive Program.

Jonathan and Jordan try to take Sarah to see her father. General Lane is called out to talk to them.

Jonathan once again tells off General Lane for acting like his secrets are helping anyone.

"Kyle" mocks Sarah's concern for her father and says that Kyle is dead.

"Kyle" recognizes Jonathan and says that he'll be the first to die when he finally escapes.

Clark has a private talk with Lana, as Superman, where he says he admires her courage.

Lara Lor-Van recognizes Superman as her son instantly.

According to Lara, the Kryptonians are a peaceful people who did not, for the most part, believe in Zeta-Rho's philosophy.

Lara confirms she had no intention of using her technology to supplant another race.

According to Lara, marriages were arranged through the great houses by genetic pairings for many years on Krypton and many older families still underwent the process, but marriages for reasons of love became more common before Krypton's fall.

In an act of pettiness, Zeta-Rho stole the sunstone crystal containing Lara Lor-Van's mind from Jor-El's rocket. This left Kal-El with only a hologram of his father to teach him of Krypton's culture and their family history. 

Clark tells Lara that he had a mother on Earth - a woman named Martha - and that she made sure he was raised properly and loved.  

Lara realizes from the way Clark looks at Lois that she must be his chosen love. Clark confirms this and tells Lara about Lois and their sons.

Jonathan tells Jordan that he should talk to Sarah alone.

Jonathan says he's never going to apologize for telling the truth but right now Jordan being there for Sarah will mean more than anything.

Sarah is upset because now she's afraid the last thing she said to her dad was calling him a drunk.

Leslie Larr informs Tal-Rho that the Eradicator has been captured, but Tal-Rho is not worried and asks her to get the others ready for their arrival.  She also says he believes his brother has chosen humanity and will not stand with them.

Superman meets with Tal-Rho and learns his history and why he wants to conquer humanity in the way that he does.

Tal-Rho's rocket landed in England, where it was found by a rural couple. Rather than being welcome, he was threatened, and killed them reflexively with his heat vision after the man brandished a gun. He was later captured and turned over to the British government, being experimented upon until he escaped around the time of his 19th year. He went on to take the name Morgan Edge and started building an empire to enact his father's plan.

Lara talks to Lois in private and asks what it is like to be with her son, before thanking her for having made all her dreams for the life her son would have on Earth come true.

Jordan apologizes to Sara for not making it to her performance in 109, but she says it's okay, guessing it had something to do with the craziness around her father. 

Jordan says he is sorta glad he wasn't there since it gave Sarah a good memory of her father.

Clark powers his mother's device by releasing all the energy in his body as a solar flare - a technique first executed in the Arrowverse in S106.

Tal-Rho flies away when he senses that Superman is up to something.

Clark activates his mother's device and all the possessed people are restored to normal.

Somehow, all the Kryptonians chasing Clark were safely placed on the ground in Smallville.

Sarah goes to confront her father and is there when Kyle goes back to normal.

The DoD cannot fine any sign of Morgan Edge or Superman. 

Superman crash-lands in some icy region, clearly almost powerless.

Tal-Rho meets with Leslie Larr at the Shuster Mine and says it is just them for now, but all is not lost.


Untelevised Adventures

Tal-Rho details how he came to Earth and became Morgan Edge.

We learn that Superman's mother had a first marriage and a son before she married Jor-El.


The Bottom Line

A little heavy on exposition, but with enough great character moments to keep things from getting too dull. However, the last five minutes and the best action sequence in the show's history more than make-up for it.