Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 15 - Last Sons of Krypton

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

Plot

Clark's worst nightmare comes true, as Jordan is possessed by the zealot Zeta-Rho. As The Cushings help General Lane in preparing Smallville for a Kryptonian invasion, Lois embarks on a dangerous journey to save her son as Clark and John Henry prepare to fight the Eradicator.

Influences

Reign of the Supermen


Goofs

Sarah is show arriving with her parents at the crash site where General Lane and Jonathan were left behind, despite having been there earlier when Jordan was abducted in the last episode. (It's possible she ran to her dad's truck and the scene started with them all leaving it.)


Performances

Honestly, it's impossible to single out any one member of the ensemble as particularly fantastic. They're all spectacular. 


Artistry

The shot of Superman hovering over the world just listening is a powerful, cinematic moment.

The shot of John Henry falling to Earth is equally powerful and a nice callback to the first episode.

Super Trivia

This episode was directed by Tom Cavanagh, who plays the various versions of Harrison Wells on The Flash.

The title is a play on Superman's nickname, the Last Son of Krypton, referencing his half-brother Tal-Rho as another surviving son of Krypton.

When Sarah asks General Lane if they have any idea what happened to Jordan, he says the World's Finest are looking for him. This is a nod to the World's Finest comic book, which was devoted to Batman and Superman team-up stories.

Jonathan is seen playing Injustice 2 - a video game in which Superman is a character. (He is playing Sub-Zero and loses.)


Technobabble

John Henry and Jonathan find a way to apply John Henry's red solar tech to his kinetic hammer, enabling it to pierce the Eradicator's energy shields and drain his power. Unfortunately, it must be thrown a long distance and has to hit him dead center to be effective.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Lois explains her plan to rescue Jordan.)
Clark: Lois... 

Lois: You and Kyle and all the other people that Edge used as Subjekts, you all said the same thing... that there was a darkness that overcame you when you were eradicated. I've been helping Jordan push through that darkness his whole life. I can do it now. I can access his memories and wake him up. 

Clark: Yeah, but they won't just be Jordan's memories, they'll be Zeta-Rho's too. And if he realizes you're in there like I did with the Edge, he'll wake up, and then he'll come for you. 

Lois: And if that happens, Jonathan will be there. I have seen him under pressure and he is in complete control. Clark, you and I brought the boys into the superhero world and I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but I have seen how capable they've become. They're strong like their father. 

Clark: Like their mother. 

Jonathan: Here's all the weapons I borrowed.
(Johnathan drops a sheet holding a goodly amount of weapons on John Henry's work bench. He gives Jonathan a withering look that seems to say, "Really?")

(John Henry lays out his plan for using the red sun hammer to stop Eradicator.)
Lois: I'm guessing you only get one shot at this?

Clark: I'll handle Edge. 

Jonathan: Right, 'cause that's totally doable. I mean, he only has, like, six other badass Kryptonian dudes with him.

(There is a long pause. The blunt teenager spoke the truth nobody else wanted to admit.)

Jonathan: Look, those are terrible odds. This is really the plan? 

Lois: It's the only plan we've got.

John Henry: So. Terrible odds.
Clark: Sure. But better together.

Lois: How's it going out there? 

John Henry: A work in progress. 

Jonathan: Jordan, you gotta wake up. Promise if you do, I'll never ever... do any of the stuff you hate.
(Jonathan sighs and turns around. Suddenly, Jordan's eyes open.)
Jonathan: Jordan! Mom did it!
Zeta-Rho: No. She didn't. 

Lois: Jordan. Honey, I'm here, okay? I'm here. 

Jordan: I'm sorry I'm not strong, Mom. 

Lois: Yes, you are. 

Jordan: He said that I was pathetic. An embarrassment, and the weakest of my kind. 

Lois: Jordan, that's 'cause he knows how strong you really are. 

Jordan: I'm not strong, Mom. 

Lois: Yes you are. 

Jordan: I'm not strong, Mom! 

Lois: Yes, you are. What Zeta said is not true. You have no idea how strong you are. You're stronger than any of us. All your life you have been strong. You are a fighter. I need you to fight now harder than you ever have. You find that strength that I know is there. You find that strength to come back to us. I know you can do it, baby. Find that strength and fight.

(After Clark catches him falling from orbit.)
John Henry: Nice timing.
Clark: My best.

Superman: I've seen more than my share of disasters. Big, small, natural, or otherwise, they can change a place forever. And it's not just the physical destruction. Sometimes it's the people who may never be the same. Oftentimes, a crisis has a way of revealing a person's true nature, for better or worse. 

Chrissy Beppo: Makes me wonder, are you at all worried that this would make people afraid of Kryptonians? 

Superman: (smiling) You mean me? That's not something I will ever be able to control. But I know who I really am, just like I know who the people of Smallville really are. 

Chrissy Beppo: What do you mean by that? 

Superman: This small town was hurting. Its people were hurting. An event this big could have destroyed it, could've torn it apart, but it didn't. It brought it back together. I saw people find strength they didn't know they had, face their fears, become heroes. I'm not the one who saved Smallville. Its people did. And I know because of this experience, by going through this together, Smallville will be stronger than it has ever been before. 

(John Henry turns down Lois' offer to stay with them on the Kent farm.)
John Henry: Nah, I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea. 

Lois: Clark and I talked about it. He really trusts you.
John Henry: It's not about him. Every time I look at you, I see my wife, the only woman I've ever loved. She's with someone else and they're happy. 

Lois: John...

John Henry: No, I know you're not her but it doesn't change how it feels. 

Lois: I just want you to be happy. 

John Henry: I know. Which is why I can't stay. 

(Lois pulls John Henry into a hug.)

Lois: Thank you for everything. 

John Henry: Just take good care of your boys... - all three of 'em. 

Clark: (On Jor-El) Growing up, I always felt different... alone in some way. I had so many questions about who I was, why I was here. And all that changed when I met him. He taught me so many things about my homeworld, about my family, about myself. But the greatest thing... the greatest thing he ever did for me... is just be my dad.

Natalie Irons: Mom?!

Continuity

As the episode opens, Clark and John Henry have had no luck finding where the Eradicator took Jordan, after searching Morgan Edge's Fortress, his lab, his office or the site of the Fortress of Solitude.

Clark goes back out to search and asks John Henry to stay behind at the Department of Defense in case the Eradicator attacks it.

Kyle and Lana help treat General Lane's injuries and agree to help get him back to the DoD command center in Smallville.

Sarah asks Jonathan why Morgan Edge took Jordan. He does not answer her.

The next step of Zeta-Rho's plan involves resurrecting the Defense Council of Krypton.

Lois confronts Leslie Larr, but doesn't get any information apart from Zeta-Rho planning something Superman can't stop.

A mob of protesters haver swarmed the DoD outpost in Smallville.

Lana, Kyle and Sarah elect to stay and help manage the crowd and calm people down rather than abandon the neighbors who abandoned them.

Superman hears Jordan and goes to him, but it's part of a trap Zeta-Rho set.

The Eradicator comes to Smallville and implants the minds of the Defense Council of Krypton into the bodies of six of the soldiers who stand against him.

John Henry tries to fight him, but the power of the Eradicator drains his suit to half power after one attack and his red sun missile from 112 cant penetrate Eradicator's energy shield.

General Lane orders Smallville be evacuated.

John Henry asks Jonathan to help him inventory his red sun weapons and see if they can work something out.

Clark describes overcoming Zod's mind as nearly impossible, suggesting Jordan might not be able to avoid being taken over by Zeta-Rho the same way.

Lois suggests using the device that let Morgan Edge enter Clark's memories in 111 to try and reach Jordan.

Sophie Cushing is said to be with her grandparents.

John Henry and Johnathan enhance the kinetic hammer to unleash red solar energy on impact.

Clark gives Jonathan the sonic weapon Killgrave used in 104.

The Eradicator goes into the Shuster Mines and a cavern full of X-Kryptonite, apparently planning to charge the whole town of Smallville from there.

Zeta-Rho and the Defense Council guard the mine entrance.

Superman knocks Zeta-Rho out and has John Henry transport Jordan's body back to Lois and Johnathan at the Kent Farm.

Lois starts digging through the mindscape, but keeps coming back to Zeta-Rho's memories of insulting his son when they first met.

The energy surge started by the Eradiator triggers an Earthquake and several fires in Smallville.

Lana and Sarah start guiding people into the diner to use it as a shelter, as Kyle runs into a burning building to save a girl.

Zeta-Rho awakens in Jordan's body. Jonathan shoots him once with the sonic gun but it only works for a moment before he starts strangling him.

Lois finds Jordan in a memory of him hiding in his room. She tells him that he's far stronger than he thinks and that he has to fight Zeta-Rho. This inspires him to break the control.

John throws his hammer at the Eradiator from orbit, as Clark charges in to hold him steady. It takes the last of his power to manage this, but the shot connects and destroys the Eradicator, leaving Morgan Edge as only himself. The energy surge also seems to free the DoD soldiers from the control of the Defense Council.

Leslie Larr seems to sense the Eradictor's detruction from her cell.

Superman makes a statement confirming that Morgan Edge was a Kryptonian, but does not reveal to the world that he is his half-brother. He also explains how his plan was to transplant Kryptonian minds into human bodies, but he no longer has the ability to do that. He also says that a mineral in Smallville allowed this to happen, but it can't happen anymore.

Kyle holds a barbecue to celebrate the city's salvation.

Kyle devises a new recipe for what he calls Victory Ribs, but he says he's only sharing it with Lois Lane.

Kyle and Lana apparently made their peace with most of the people in Smallville.

Lana is on speaking terms with Emily Phan again, after sharing a box of white wine together.

Kyle got his job back as the chief of the Smallville Fire Department so they are staying in town.

Jonathan sees Tegan Wickhem at the victory party and she smiles at him.

Lois sold the brownstone the Kent's used to own in Metropolis and used it to match half the offer Chrissy Beppo was given for The Smallville Gazette. She says she wants to partner with her on the paper. Chrissy agrees.

John Henry got a call from the Department of Defense offering him a job. He asks General Lane why he didn't ask him personally.

General Lane explains he is stepping down from active duty to focus on his family.

John Henry tells Lois that he's thinking of reaching out to the version of his sister that exists on this world.

Lois says he'd be welcome to stay and help out on the farm while helping Clark defend the world, but John Henry says it would still hurt too much to see a copy of the woman he loves with someone else, even though, logically, he knows she is not his Lois.

Sarah tells Jordan that she loves him too.

The remnants of Jor-El's crystal are buried under a tree on the Kent family farm.

As John Henry is about to go on the road, he receives a report of a spaceship locking onto the CPU of his power armor, which is approaching the Kent farm at high velocity.

The spaceship is piloted by Natalie Irons, who somehow followed her father across the divide between realities.

The Bottom Line

A fantastic finish to a fantastic season. This is Superman done right.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 14 - The Eradicator

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

Plot

As Morgan Edge builds his power and bides his time while undergoing a horrific transformation, Lois becomes worried about how much time Jordan is spending with Sarah. Meanwhile, Jonathan grows closer to John Henry and Clark pays Lana a visit.

Influences

Reign of the Superman (Steel and Superman teaming against Eradicator, with Jordan as Superboy)


Artistry

The special effects work and action sequences are of cinematic quality.


Super Trivia

This episode originally aired three weeks after episode 113. Coincidentally, there's a three week gap between the events of both episodes.

Mention is made of one of the newly made Kryptonians being brought down at Jurgens and 4th Street in Metropolis. This is a nod to writer/artist Dan Jurgens, who was one of the creators responsible for the Death of Superman storyline.

Technobabble

Jonathan notes the difference between a rocket launcher and a missile launcher.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Clark hears General Lane's alarm go off.)

Clark: Speaking of, it’s your dad.
Lois:  Did he find Edge?
Clark: No. He seems upset.
Lois: He’s always upset.

(John Henry is making adjustments to his hammer. Jonathan is watching him work.)
Jonathan: So how many volts is that?
John Henry: More than you can handle.
Jonathan: I don’t know. I’ve used it before with no problem.
John Henry: Well, it would be a problem now.

(Jonathan picks up a random part.)  
Jonathan: So what other modifications are you making?

(John Henry takes the part from him, clearly annoyed.)  
John Henry: What did I say about asking questions?
Jonathan: Not to ask them.
(John Henry nods as Jonathan walks over to his power armor. He points to the bug symbol.)
Jonathan: So what’s… what’s the deal with this? 

(John Henry is waiting for his hammer to come back on-line as he faces a Kryptonian. The hammer finally finishes recharging and comes to his hand. He spins and throws it.... past the Kryptonian.)

Kryptonian: You missed.

(The camera tracks the path of the hammer, as if flies into Leslie Larr and sends her into the side of a building, saving Lois Lane and Janet.)
(We see a number of reaction shots of Lana and Kyle and the kids at the party, as well as Lois herself, stunned by the sudden attack.)

(The hammer goes flying back to John Henry's hand, knocking out the Kryptonian on the return flight.)
John Henry: (into radio) Larr’s down, and I got another one. (to himself) I’ll never miss.

Continuity

This episode takes place three weeks after the events of 113.

The opening scene repeats the closing scene of the last episode, showing Morgan Edge close to the sun, absorbing solar energy as he hears the voices of the Kryptonians in the Eradicator, now seemingly all in his head.

Lana is said to be holding another open house when Lois asks Jordan if there will be an adult in the house while he's hanging out with Sarah Cushing.

Jonathan has been spending a lot of the last three weeks working with John Henry Irons and is eager to go back to working on his hammer.

Teague Family Hardware apparently went out of business and is the fourth small business in Smallville to close down in the last month.

Chrissy Beppo wrote an article attacking the Department of Defense still occupying Smallville and blamed them for the business closings, since people are scared to come into town to shop.

General Lane agrees to speak at a Smallville Town Hall meeting about what happened with Morgan Edge and explain why the Department of Defense has stayed in town for so long.

Clark goes to Lana's open house and discourages her from moving, saying that she's the heart of Smallville since his mother died.

Sarah tells Jordan she doesn't think they'll be moving since her parents can't find anyone to buy their house.

John Henry tells Jonathan he has nothing left to teach him and tells him to go enjoy being a teenage rather than spending time around him.

Chrissy tells Lois that she got an offer to sell the Gazette and that she might have to take it given that their subscriber base is shrinking as Smallville gets smaller.

The crowd at the town hall meeting is actively jeering General Lane and his soldiers when they show up.

Kyle goes to clean out his locker at the firehouse during the town hall meeting, knowing most of his former men will be there.

Jonathan and Jordan get invited to a party by Sarah's ex-boyfriend, who pointedly ignores her as he talks about it at the diner.

Sarah tells Jordan she can go without him, as she promised to play with Sophie and play "Princess Hair Salon."

Lois reveals that Morgan Edge is still on the loose.

Derek Powell's mother, Sharon, shows up at the meeting and shows a letter from the Department of Defense saying her son's death in 105 was still under investigation when it was clearly a part of what was going on with Morgan Edge.

Tamera thanks Kyle for everything he did to fight for her because of the people who were reluctant to accept a Black woman as a fire-fighter and says she put in a good word for him with the chief of Bristol County, where Kyle applied for a job.

Sharon Powell tears into Lois, saying she has no idea what it's like to lose a child. This causes Lois to freeze up, given her miscarriage, which was revealed in 108.

General Lane and his men are forced to leave the meeting after they get a message that Morgan Edge just attacked the facility where Leslie Larr was being held. Clark slips out at the same time.

Larr and Edge show up in Metropolis and hover above Centennial Park. 

Lois goes with Clark and immediately starts trying to help evacuate people, while searching for a GBS colleague who has a video camera on the scene.

General Lane says he'll call his grandsons and make sure they get home safe.

Jordan and Jonathan ignore General Lane's calls, figuring he'll call back if it is important.

Jonathan apparently helped John Henry build a missile launcher for his armor.

Kyle starts to have second thoughts about moving from Smallville based on his talk with Tamera. Shortly after he tells Lana this, he gets a phone call from the fire chief in Bristol County, who wants to hire Kyle to replace him as he retires. 

Bristol County is a two hour drive away from Smallville.

Sarah storms off after calling her parents hypocrites for trying to leave Smallville to start a new life somewhere else after everything they ever said about fighting to save their hometown.

The Eradicator can now transfer Kryptonian minds into human bodies merely by looking at them. This causes four new Kryptonians to emerge as Superman and John Henry confront Leslie Larr and Morgan Edge.

Larr confirms that there is no Morgan Edge or Tal-Rho anymore and that he has become something else.

Jonathan runs into Tegan Wickhem at the party and she apologizes for trying to manipulate him before. When he dismisses her apology, she claims she honestly did want to hang out with him but everyone in Smallville thinks she looks down on them because she moved there from Central City two years ago.

Tegan says her father was sent to prison and her mom felt they needed a fresh start.

Sarah crashes the party to talk to Jordan and tells him about the move.

Sarah and Jordan's conversation is interrupted by a news report of the battle in Metropolis.

Lois finds Janet, the colleague from GBS, and takes command of her broadcast to tell the public what is going on.

Leslie Larr flies up behind Lois, in imitation of how the Lois of John Henry's earth died at the hands of Superman in 108. Jonathan recognizes this and tells Jordan it's just like the video he saw of the other Lois Lane's death.

John Henry is able to knock out Leslie Larr from a distance.

Superman and John Henry are able to bring down all the Kryptonians except the Eradicator, who flies off.

General Lane is informed that his grandsons are not at the Kent farm.

General Lane crashes the party and drags Jonathan and Jordan home. He agrees to give Sarah a ride back, however.

The Eradicator attacks General Lane's vehicle, leaving Lane injured. He takes Jordan with him.

Jordan tells Sarah that he loves her before he is abducted.

Jonathan summons his father and tells him what happened. 

Superman can't find any sign of Jordan or the Eradicator on Earth.

In a concrete bunker, the Eradicator transfers the mind of Zeta-Rho into Jordan's body.


The Kryptonite Factor

It seems uncharacteristically lazy of the show's writers to have Jonathan and Jordan blow off their grandfather's phone calls to build the drama.

It's also a bit odd that General Lane doesn't have a full military escort and his protection is limited to a Kryptonite pistol in his glove compartment, given the circumstances.


The Bottom Line

A largely enjoyable episode, despite some contrivances in the script and the drama of Smallville's collapse being undercut by the Battle of Metropolis. The action sequences of Steel and Superman fighting to protect Metropolis are pitch perfect and the cliffhanger is a killer.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 13 - Fail Safe

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

Plot

Lois and Chrissy start work on a new story as Clark visits Morgan Edge in custody and starts to ponder whether or not the world should have some kind of safeguard against a Superman gone mad. Meanwhile, Johnathan finds a welcome distraction after a very long day, as Sarah and Jordan skip class to escape the bully Sarah is now enjoying as the daughter of the town pariahs.


Influences

Reign of the Superman (the concept of the Eradicator) and every Superman story centered around Clark considering if the world needs a way to stop him from going out of control.


Performances

Again, the entire ensemble is great, but if one moment were to be singled out, it would be Tyler Hoechlin's delivery of Clark's confession that he liked losing control. The dialogue itself is not that great, but the delivery sells it.


Artistry

The special effects for the fight between Leslie Larr and Superman and The Stranger are of cinematic quality.


Super Trivia

The end of this episode sees Morgan Edge transformed into a being very much like the Superman villain The Eradicator. In the original comics, the Eradicator was created by a xenophobic Kryptonian scientist named Kem-L to strike against the teachings of a popular alien missionary known as Cleric. The Eradicator was programmed to preserve Kryptonian culture, as Kem-L saw it, and genetically altered the people of Krypton so they could not leave their planet's surface and travel to deep space. The Cleric took the Eradicator with him from Krypton and gave it to Superman centuries later.  The Eradicator attempted to override Superman's mind and turn Earth into a new Krypton.

The Arrowverse version of the Eradicator does virtually the same thing, only it takes over Morgan Edge's body in the end.


Technobabble

John Henry Irons has his own Kryptonian tracking system, which he is using to scan for Leslie Larr.

General Lane's inventory of anti-Kryptonian weapons includes two dozen rifles and handguns, a few thousand Kryptonite bullets and a collection of knifes, swords and spears. There are five prototype weapons in varying stages of development and enough raw Kryptonite to fill a couple of warehouses.


Dialogue Triumphs

Clark: Where is Leslie Larr?
Morgan Edge: How could I know? I can’t see beyond these lead-lined walls… And all I hear is what’s in my mind.
Clark:  There may still be time for her.
Morgan Edge: It’s too late. Leslie Larr replaced Irma Sayres a long time ago.
Clark:  And you feel nothing for what you’ve done?
Morgan Edge: I feel more than you could possibly imagine. But my concern isn’t for the souls of this planet. It’s for those that need to be resurrected, my own, even your soul, Kal.

(Superman and John Henry Irons stand over the downed Leslie Larr)
Superman: (holding up his fist) Nice shot.
(John Henry bumps fists with Superman)
John Henry: Thanks.

Jordan: Denise and Avery still giving you crap about what happened?
Sarah: I just know they’re talking about me, but it can’t be worse than what they’re saying about my parents.
Jordan: That’s not fair.
Sarah: I don’t think fair is a real thing. 

Superman: I don’t know what the plan was, but it wasn’t a good one.
Morgan Edge: It’s called loyalty, something you know nothing about.
Superman: I am loyal to the people of this world who accepted me.
Morgan Edge: (laughs) Accepted you? They fear you. They always will, and they should.
Superman: You’re wrong.
Morgan Edge: You should be a god, but you became a slave to them. Don’t you ever wonder who you might’ve been if you hadn’t landed here, been raised by simple farmers?
Superman: I’d be nothing like you.
Morgan Edge: We both know that’s not true. You fight against your real nature every day.
Superman: You don’t know me.
Morgan Edge: I know the power surging through you. I know how every moment you make a choice to hold yourself back, because that’s the only way we can walk amongst humans without killing them, isn’t it? It’s all about control. But didn’t it feel good to lose it just once?
Superman:  Goodbye, Tal.
Morgan Edge: I can see it in your eyes, brother. You felt it!

Jonathan: So you really built this thing from scratch, huh? Pretty amazing.
John Henry: You’re a gear head?
Jonathan: I don’t know what I am. Always been an athlete, you know, so…
John Henry: Me too. You know, you can be more than one thing.
AI: Perhaps you could tell Jonathan a tale from your own upbringing?
John Henry: Would you please just shut down?

(Lois and Clark are arguing about Clark wanting the DOD to keep their Kryptonite.)
Clark: Lois, will you please just listen–
Lois: No, there’s nothing you can say that I wanna hear, and now I’m angry, and I feel sorry for yelling at you, but I also have to stay angry so that I can scare the hell out of Jordan. So why don’t you just stay here, and let’s just both take a moment to think, and then we can talk about this later after I bail our son out of jail?

Chrissy: Wasn’t expecting to see you.
Lois: I owe you an apology.
Chrissy: Kinda busy, Lois.
Lois: You were right. I lied. My dad is hiding something, and I can’t betray his trust.
Chrissy:This story is bigger than you or your dad. We have a responsibility to the people. This town is falling apart.
Lois: Believe me, I know. People are tearing each other down, looking for someone to blame, and if we do nothing, we are as responsible for its downfall as anyone else.
Chrissy: (dryly) If only there was something we could do.
Lois: I can’t write this story. I’m too close to it to be objective… But you can.
(Lois hands Chrissy a paper, which she reads.)
Chrissy: It’s a statement… from your dad.
Lois: He wouldn’t go on the record about everything, but this is enough to tell most of the story and to focus the blame where it belongs: on Morgan Edge.
Chrissy: This was really messed up, Lois.
Lois: I know. I hope that I can earn back your trust. 


Continuity

As a teenager, Morgan Edge underwent sever torture at the hands of the Zeta-Rho hologram while waiting for the Eradicator to arrive on Earth.

Edge has no idea where Leslie Larr is.

Edge confirms that Leslie Larr has completely taken over the body of Irma Syres.

Clark reveals that he has the crystal holding Zeta-Rho's hologram, but that he will not destroy it while ensuring it is never used again.

The Department of Defense will be sticking around Smallville for a while longer and is shutting down the Shuster Mines while removing all the X-Kryptonite.

Principal Balcomb is holding an all-school assembly to present the official explanation for what happened: Morgan Edge was experimenting on people and giving them powers while mind-controlling them.  Lois Lane uncovered the truth, with the help of General Lane and Superman, and they stopped Edge.

Chrissy has been texting and calling Lois non-stop, wondering when she is returning to work.

Mayor Dean meets with Kyle and Lana and suggests that Kyle continue to take a leave of absence for a few more weeks, while he tries to change the narrative that has people shunning the Cushings, blaming them for Morgan Edge coming to Smallville.

Sarah decides to skip the assembly rather than endure anymore of her classmates starring at her because of her parents. Jordan goes with her.

Tegan Wickhem, the popular girl who Jonathan tried to flirt with 107, approaches him and encourages him to skip the assembly as well.

Chrissy asks Lois to get a statement from her father. Lois says General Lane never talks to the press, but the DOD should release a statement. 

John Henry Irons is revealed to be working out of one of the Kent farm barns.

Clark offers to put in a word for John Henry Irons with General Lane to see about getting him a job. John Henry thanks him, but says once they catch Leslie Larr he thinks he'll move on and try and find a new life for himself.

Leslie Larr launches an attack on the Department of Defense headquarters.

Clark and John Henry apprehend Leslie Larr.

General Lane tells Clark that he was wrong to back Project 7734 and that he's going to bury all the anti-Kryptonian weapons in concrete and sink them to the bottom of the ocean, while retaining enough to guard Morgan Edge and Leslie Larr appropriately. The Department of Defense will no longer maintain enough Kryptonite to outfit an army.

Tegan Wickhem asks about Jonathan having a girlfriend in Metropolis. He affirms that they broke up. She then tells him that she isn't seeing anyone.

Sarah's friends, Denise and Avery, are still giving her a hard time about her parents.

Lana says she can't get her old job at the bank back, as they hired a replacement right away and the bank (being owned by Edge) is currently under investigation.

Kyle and Lana see some of the fire-fighters, including Tom Mitchell (105) and Tamera (112) at the diner. Kyle accuses Tom of pushing the mayor to pressure Kyle into taking a longer leave of absence.

General Lane refuses to make a statement to the press, even to Lois, and says the Department of Defense will not be commenting on the Edge incident, saying that is a courtesy rather than a standard procedure.

General Lane says that if he comments on the story, it will give it legitimacy and carry it outside of Smallville.

Zeta-Rho stole the crystal containing Lara Lor-Van's personality so that she could see how he made his vision for Krypton restored before destroying her forever. He denied Morgan Edge the chance to access the crystal and talk to her.

Clark meets with Edge again to ask where the Eradicator is. Edge asks Clark if he enjoyed losing control and not holding himself back and says he can see that he did.
Lois lies and says she has no idea what her father is hiding, but Chrissy senses this and tells Lois that she can't have a reporter who isn't honest with her working for her.

Tegan Wickhem claims to have dressed up as Lois Lane for career day. 

Jonathan figures out that Tegan is only talking to him to grill him for information on the Kryptonian invasion - not because she likes him. He leaves her and walks back home alone.

Kyle suggests moving away from Smallville, but Lana thinks maybe she can find a job in one of the outlying areas.
Sarah takes Jordan to Atlas Pond - a place she goes to when she wants to get away from things. She says she used to go to it as a girl with her grandmother.

Sarah and Jordan are caught by the police.

Clark tells General Lane that he thinks the DOD should keep Project 7734 active just in case something ever happens to where he needs to be killed.

John Henry Irons spray paints the Nat-Bug symbol onto his armor.

The AI suggests John Henry reach out to this Earth's version of his sister.

Jonathan talks with John Henry Irons about his gear, only to be caught skipping school by Lois.

General Lane calls Lois and tells her he is worried about Clark after their meeting.

Kyle asks Sophie what she would think about moving.

Lana and Lois are both called by a police officer named Kya about Jordan and Sarah skipping school.

As Lana and Lois are leaving the police station, Lana overhears Mayor Dean talking with the sheriff and blaming the Cushings for the whole incident with Morgan Edge.

Jordan and Sarah are let go with a warning despite trespassing on private property.

Clark says he's been controlling his powers every second of every day for almost 40 years.

Clark also admits that a part of him did enjoy letting go and that scares him.

Lois agrees to there being a fail safe to stop Clark, but only if the Department of Defense is not in charge of it.

Clark asks John Henry Irons to act as the Gatekeeper of the Project 7734 arsenal. He agrees. 

Lois gets a statement from her father and gives it to Chrissy so she can write about what Morgan Edge did and shift blame away from the Cushings.

When Morgan Edge learned of Superman's existence and that he was his half-brother, he rebelled against Zeta-Rho and tried to find a way to enact his plan while winning Kal-El over to his side.

Lana is now entertaining thoughts about moving from Smallville.

Jonathan and Jordan are both grounded for ditching school.

Morgan Edge's vitals suddenly drop and energy explodes out of him as his eyes glow blue. For some reason, the Kryptonite field does not affect him.

The final scene reveals Morgan Edge hiding on the far side of the sun, absorbing its power, and that all the Kryptonian minds inside the Eradicator have now taken him over.


Untelevised Adventures

The flashbacks show Morgan Edge recalling his training with the hologram of Zeta-Rho.


The Bottom Line

A great episode all around, which gives all of the ensemble a chance to shine and raises the stakes heading into the finale of the first season.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 12 - Through The Valley Of Death

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

Plot

With Clark having fallen under Morgan Edge's control, Lois turns to John Henry Irons for help, only for the two to start butting heads on how to handle the problem. Thankfully, an old friend is there to help, as Jonathan pushes Jordan to practice using his powers so they can find their father.


Influences

Every story dealing with a corrupted Superman and the Iron Man movies (John Henry Irons' HUD display scenes.)


Goofs

John Diggle is said to have delivered some specialized ammunition from ARGUS for John Henry Iron's rocket, based on Lyla's orders. However, Lyla Michaels was promoted in the Series Finale of Arrow. While it is possible she is still overseeing ARGUS, the whole thing is a little confusing.


Performances

David Ramsey is a delight as Diggle, though his appearance is largely pointless.


Artistry

The effects work for the Steel/Superman fight is fantastic.


Super Trivia

In this episode, the Eradicator is used to try and imprint General Zod's mind into Clark's body. Clark was said to have fought General Zod and killed him in the reality of Earth-38, Pre-Crisis on Supergirl. It is unclear if this event still occurred on Earth-Prime Post-Crisis.


Technobabble

Clark can hear fluctuations in the collective sonic frequency with his super hearing, but it took him years of practice to narrow his focus to look for specific things.

Project Icarus was a project created by John Henry Irons and Lex Luthor which led to the creation of a rocket-powered projectile using red solar energy technology. In theory, it could depower a Kryptonian long enough to kill them. Unfortunately, Irons can't confirm that it works as the one time he tried using it was just before he was transported to Eartrh-Prime.


Dialogue Triumphs

John Henry Irons: Clark Kent is Superman? And your boys?
Lois: They didn’t know who he really was until this year. It’s part of why we moved here. I needed you to know the truth about why Superman is different here. He has a family to fight for, which means he won’t give up, and neither can we.
John Henry Irons: Lois, this doesn’t change anything.
Lois: How can you say that? He loves his sons. He loves me. That matters.
John Henry Irons: What about all the other sons, the other wives, that will be killed when he attacks?
Lois: He won’t attack. He won’t give up, which means he can be saved.
John Henry Irons: Lois, he wanted you to call me because he knew what I would do. He knows, worst-case scenario, if it comes to that, that you won’t hesitate.
Lois: Fine. I need you to believe the possibility that there’s hope.
John Henry Irons: If that’s what you need, then you called the wrong guy.
Lois: John.
John Henry Irons: No, Lois. Everything you are saying is just getting in the way of what needs to be done. But you were right about one thing, Lois. I will not hesitate. I saw you die. I lost Natalie. Millions of people, gone. I won’t let that happen again. I have a responsibility to do the right thing.
Lois: And I am telling you that killing Superman is not the right thing. John, please, I’m begging you, don’t do this.
John Henry Irons: I’m sorry, Lois. 

General Lane: I know this isn’t what you expected, but Lyla wouldn’t have helped otherwise.
John Diggle: Yeah, and I wouldn’t have come.
General Lane: That, too.
John Diggle: Doppelgangers, other worlds, glowing boxes, losing the people I love, I’m done with that life.
General Lane: Knowing your past, I don’t blame you. Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of letting this one just play itself out.
John Diggle: Come on, he’s Superman. I’ve fought beside him. He’s the best we have. Oliver would’ve said that. Hell, they have would have.
General Lane: This is not an easy decision for me to make.
John Diggle: What? Exhausting every option to save the life of an ally? A hero? That should be an easy one.

Jonathan: Do you know who I am?
John Henry Irons: I have a pretty good idea.
Jonathan: My name’s Jonathan. Jonathan Kent. When you were at the DOD, your RV was parked at our farm. I saw a lot of videos about you there. I saw what happened to my mom. I saw who my dad was. I saw a lot about you too. I saw about your daughter, Natalie. You seemed like a really good dad. But I just want you to know… This guy you’re about to kill… He’s a really good dad, too.
John Henry Irons: I wish there was another way, son. 

Jonathan: There’s always another way. 


Continuity

As the episode is open, John Henry Irons is in Metropolis, parked on the campus of MIT (Metropolis Institute of Technology) working up the courage to approach his younger sister on this world.

The AI in John's RV still refuses to just call him John.

John takes Lois' phone call from the end of last episode and learns about Superman being turned.

Morgan Edge tells Clark that his plan is to turn his body into the host for the will of the Kryptonian General Zod, who was an ally of his father.

General Lane is confirmed to not know where the Fortress of Solitude is.

Kyle Cushing is undergoing regular mandatory military check-ins with medical check-ups to make sure he is still free of Kryptonian influence. 

The number of the Cushing house is 4526.

One of the other fire-fighters, Tamera, tells Kyle that he should take a few more days off instead of coming into work because people are still angry at him for pushing Morgan Edge as the solution to the town's problems.

Jonathan suggests Jordan try and use his super-hearing to find Clark.

Lois wants to come up with a rescue plan to save Clark, but John Henry Irons wants to put him down.

John Henry Irons says that it took Superman 7 minutes to destroy Metropolis on his world.

General Lane is calling in all of his Project 7734 weapons as a precaution if Superman is taken over by an evil Kryptonian, but he isn't telling Lois about that.

John Henry Irons says he has a weapon that might be more effective than Kryptonite - a red solar missile.

Jordan is able to hear people as far as Australia or New Zeland, but he can't differentiate the accents.

John Henry Irons tried to use his red solar missile on Superman after luring him out into space, but he was transporting into Earth-Prime before he could confirm it worked.

Lana and Kyle have a tense confrontation with Emily Phan, who blames Lana for what happened to her and tells her not to talk to her anymore.

Lois meets with Lana and Kyle and says she'll do what she can to try and make it clear they aren't the villains in all this.

Lois asks Kyle for details on the possession process.

Kyle says that he started losing himself and couldn't remember things, like his family, and it hurt to resist but he did find a way to fight back against the process even as he had a feeling that his family would be better off if he quit fighting. This suggests the conversion process can be resisted.

Clark tries to make a run for it in Edge's fortress, and calls Jordan's name while he is outside.

Edge figures out what Clark did and tells Jordan that if anyone comes for his father, he won't be the man they find waiting.

John Diggle from ARGUS delivers the ammunition for John Henry Irons' red solar rocket. However, he is not happy when he learns what the ammo is for and says neither he nor his wife would have agreed to help General Lane if they'd known they were being asked to help build an anti-Superman weapon.

John Diggle and Lois Lane know each other. This is the first time they've seen each other since Lois and Clark moved to Smallville.

Lois is not happy when she learns why John Diggle is in Smallville.

Lois tells her father about what Kyle Cushing said about it being possible to fight the Eradicator control.

John Henry Irons tells John Diggle he is from another Earth.

Jordan and Jonathan tell General Lane that they think they know roughly where Clark is.  They also mention the threat against trying to find Clark.

Someone attacked the Cushing home while they were in town, breaking windows and spray-painting GET OUT OF SMALLVILLE on the front of their home.

Lois takes John Henry Irons aside and tells her why she is so sure that this world's Superman can't be corrupted - because he is her husband and the father of her sons.

John Diggle makes reference to the glowing box he discovered in the Arrow finale, but does not explain what it was.

The Cushing family clean the paint off their windows together.

Jonathan Kent goes to John Henry Irons and tells him about how he saw the videos and photos of his family in 108. He says Irons seems like a good dad, but tells him that his dad is a good dad too.

John Henry Irons and a Zod Possessed Superman fight.

John Henry Irons tries to break through to Superman and tells him Lois and his sons still believe in him.

Clark is able to shake off Zod's control.

John Henry Irons uses the red solar rocket to neutralize Edge.

Edge is imprisoned in a state of the art facility.

Lois invites John Henry Irons to dinner at the Kent house, but he says he has to finish debriefing with her father and he thinks they need some family time.

Sophie Cushing returns home from wherever she was staying.

Sophie has no idea what has been going on in Smallville.

Leslie Larr is said to still be on the run, but the DoD is looking for her.

In his cell, Edge is hearing a voice telling him to complete what he was sent to Earth to do.


Location

Tal-Rho's Fortress of Solitude, located in The Badlands


The Bottom Line

Probably the weakest episode of the series so far, but that's largely because so little happens in it. Even the Diggle cameo is largely pointless. Still, there's enough good dramatic moments to make it worthwhile. 

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 11 - A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events

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

Plot

Clark recalls his earliest adventures as Superman and how he fell in love with Lois and started a family, but there's something strange about this walk down memory lane.

Influences

For The Man Who Has Everything (Superman being trapped in an artificial world based on his memories), Action Comics #1 (a tribute to the cover), Superman: The Movie (Clark's background and the general style, the creation of the Fortress of Solitude), Superman For All Seasons (Clark's line about his mom making his costume), the Adventures of Superman radio show (character of Atom Man) and Man of Steel (the Fortress sequences, the montage where Clark ages to adulthood while flying) 

Goofs

In the initial broadcast of this episode on CTV in Canada, a temporary VFX shot was left in the sequence where Tal-Rho's fortress is created.

Performances

Anyone who doubts Tyler Hoechlin's ability to play Superman after this episode clearly hasn't been watching this show.

Artistry

The special effects showing the creation of the Fortresses are on-par with the Superman movies made almost 10 years ago.

Super Trivia

See 101 for explanations of the scenes repeated from the pilot.

No specific year is given for when Clark returned to Smallville, but it seems likely it was 2004. This is based on the fact that when he sees Lana and Kyle at the local movie theater, the Marquee is promoting a Harry Potter double-feature and Friday Night Lights.  The film version of Friday Night Lights was released in 2004.

One flashback sequence in this episode has Clark changing out of his Superman costume and into his street clothes in a phone booth. This was a frequent occurrence in the classic Superman comics.

One passerby quotes the classic introduction to Adventures of Superman, saying that Superman flew off  "like a bird or a plane" just after his first appearance. 

There is a brief mention of Jimmy Olsen getting a picture of Superman, after Lois and Clark meet for the first time, but the character himself does not make an appearance.

While not identified by name in the episode, the reporter character who tells Lois that he's going to get a Pulitzer for his story about the flying mystery man is credited as Ron Troupe - one of the most enduring members of the supporting cast of the Daily Planet in the comics and Lois and Clark's brother-in-law in the Post-Crisis reality, where he married Lucy Lane.

Henry Miller, the Nazi criminal Superman confronts during his first meeting with Lois as Superman, is based on the classic Superman villain Atom Man. Originally created for the Adventures of Superman radio show and later adapted into live action for the second Superman serial, Atom Man Vs. Superman, he was introduced into the comics in World's Finest #271 in September 1981.

The Arrowverse version of Henry Miller is not identified as Atom Man. Also, his powers are based around a super-suit, whereas the comic book Atom Man had energy protection powers based upon Kryptonite; the result of an experiment by his scientist father to create a super-soldier.

As in many Superman origin stories, the Superman name was Lois' idea.

Lois evokes the classic Superman credo when asking him what he stands for. He mentions Truth and Justice but dithers when she says "The American Way," but only because he thinks its a ploy to get him to admit to where he grew up.

On Supergirl, when Lois discovered she was pregnant, she and Clark traveled to Argo City where they could be certain the yellow sun wouldn't cause their child to kick its way out of the womb. This is retconned by the scene in this episode of Lois giving birth, on Earth, in the post-Crisis timeline.

Technobabble

According to Jor-El, Kryptonian cells absorb the yellow solar radiation of Earth's sun in ways humans cannot, creating nearly endless energy.

Tal-Rho employs a Kryptonian device created by the scientist Ter-Lock, which allows the wearer to navigate the resting mind of another.

Dialogue Triumphs

Clark: I'm ready, Father. I can feel it.
Jor-El: In body and spirit, yes, but there is something else you need to learn. Something which I cannot teach you here.
Clark: What is it?
Jor-El: Why you wish to help them. Go. Reconnect with the world. Open your heart to them. Find out why you wish to be their champion.

(Everyone in the newsroom is talking about the latest Superman sighting.)
Clark:  Seems like a pretty big story.
Lois: Yeah, which every reporter here is tripping over themselves to cover. (sighs) Boys and their heroes. 
Clark:  Aren't heroes a good thing?
Lois: Yeah, of course, and I know that we need this guy. It's just that ever since he showed up, he's been dominating the conversation. Metropolis has so many problems that aren't just rescue operations. They're systemic. Here, look at this. 
(Lois shows Clark a picture of a burned-out building.)

Clark: These lightning bolts...?

Lois: Nazi symbols. They've been popping up all over lower Metropolis along with a rash of arson attacks against minority-owned businesses. 

Clark: Do you have any idea who's responsible? 

Lois: By all accounts, some psycho in a metal mask and a trench coat. 

Clark: (stunned) I didn't know about this. 

Lois: That's my point exactly. I have been covering this for months, only my reporting keeps getting drowned out by everyone's favorite miracle man. 
(Clark looks down and seems to make a decision.)

Clark: How can I help? 
(Lois slowly smiles in response.)

(Superman has just beaten Henry Miller. A crowd cheers as police sirens in the distance get closer.)
Lois: How'd you know about this? 
Superman: I've been reading your reports in the "Planet", but also my hearing.
Lois: Your hearing?
Superman: Oh. (chuckles) My, um,  super-hearing.
Lois: We haven't formally met. I'm Lois Lane.
(Lois grabs his hand before he has a chance to pull it away. Not that he takes the chance.) 

Superman: It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lane.
Lois: And you are who exactly? Mister Metropolis? Red and Blue Man?
Superman: (chuckles) I'm sure you'll come up with something.
(Clark takes off and the crowd gasps. Lois just watches him.)
Man: Who was that?
Lois (inspired) Superman.

(Lois and Clark are in bed together.)
Clark: I can't believe I married Lois Lane.
Lois: I'm all yours, babe. For better or for worse.
Clark: You know, I... I kept my secret from everyone for so long, and now I know why. It's for you. So we could have this life together.
Lois: There's no one I'd rather share it with.
Clark: This might be a weird time to say it, but I can't wait to tell my dad about the wedding. He's gonna be so excited. I mean, as excited as a hologram can get, I guess.
Lois: (smirking) Well, he's gonna have to wait till after the honeymoon. 

(Lois and Clark just found out they are having twins.)
Lois: Do you think this is because of Superman?
Clark: My father assured me everything's gonna be fine.
Lois: He also didn't know we were having twins, and that is a pretty big curve ball. 

Continuity

Most of the flashbacks in this episode are extended versions of the scenes detailing Superman's life in 101.

The opening sequence shows a teenage Clark Kent wandering into the Arctic, guided by his sunstone, and using it to create the Fortress of Solitude.

Clark apparently did not return home to visit Martha Kent during the time he was training with Jor-El.

Clark explains about Krypton to his mother.

Clark intends to go to Lana Lang to tell her about his powers, only to change his mind after seeing her with Kyle Cushing and noting that she had an engagement ring.

Kyle just got a job at the fire station when Clark came back to visit Lana.

Martha Kent had a dream about Clark flying and was inspired to make him his first Superman costume.

When Clark first arrives in Metropolis, he is trying to find Milledge Avenue and an apartment complex there just before he makes his first public appearance as Superman.

Clark was inspired to apply for a job at the Daily Planet after a passerby at the scene of his first rescue as Superman said someone at The Planet should write about that.

Clark is able to persuade Perry White to hire him, despite a lack of experience as a professional writer, after agreeing to pick up his dry cleaning every Thursday.

Clark was assigned to follow Lois Lane and learn the ropes upon being hired.

Clark helps Lois with a story involving someone burning down minority-owned businesses and leaving behind Nazi symbols.

Clark's work impresses Lois, who offers to talk to Perry about getting him a beat of his own. Clark says she doesn't have to because he enjoys working with her.

Lois attempts to confront her prime suspect - a hardware store employee named Henry Miller - about his crimes. This leads to her first meeting with "Superman" as he arrives to protect her and the innocents in the area, when Miller attempts to kill several people in "Little India" with flame-throws and grenades. 

After defeating Henry Miller, Clark notices a faint figure flicker in and out of view as if a ghost were watching him.

Lois conducted the first on-camera interview with Superman for the "Daily Planet Today" web series, one year after his first appearance.

Superman reveals that he's from a planet called Krypton and that he was raised since infancy on Earth, but he doesn't discuss where he was raised.

Clark speaks every language on Earth, but claims this is a matter of study and not a superpower.

Lois' producer Janet notices that Superman seems to have a crush on Lois, but she dismisses this because she's in love with Clark Kent.

Clark revealed his secret identity to Lois on their first trip to Smallville to meet his mother.

Clark told the Jor-El hologram about his wedding. In the middle of it, Jor-El suddenly shouts that he needs Clark to get out of there, now!

Lois used three pregnancy tests to confirm she was pregnant.

Clark notices something odd about the time Lois tells him about how she's pregnant, but is drawn back into the illusion by her happiness.

Lois wanted a daughter. Clark just wanted their child to be healthy.

Clark notices the flickering figure again as he and Lois find out they are having twins. This leads him to discover that he's in some kind of simulation based on his memories, when Lois continues to talk to open air like he isn't there.

As Lois mentioned in 105, she was in labor for 27 hours delivering the twins.

Tal-Rho appears in the hospital and encourages Clark to watch his sons being born again.

Clark realizes that Tal-Rho now knows everything about his past and that Lois is his wife and Jonathan and Jordan his sons.

Clark wakes up in the Fortress of Solitude, where Tal-Rho is waiting.

Tal-Rho claims he wanted to understand Clark and what could cause him to betray Krypton.

Tal-Rho destroys the sunstone holding the Jor-El hologram.

Kyle Cushing says he feels like he drank ten whiskey chasers after being possessed by a Kryptonian.

Most of the people of Smallville only know the broad strokes - that Morgan Edge was giving people powers but messing with their minds to control them. The DoD has left out the part about people being possessed by alien minds.

The DoD are still patrolling downtown Smallville.

Sarah thanks Jonathan and Jordan for telling her the truth about her father.

Sarah asks for a moment alone with Jordan, during which she kisses him and says she doesn't want to be just friends anymore.

Kyle apologizes to Lois for doubting her.

Tal-Rho arrives at the Kent farm, just after Lois, Jonathan and Jordan return home from the Curhings.

Clark promises to surrender to Tal-Rho is he promises to let his family live unharmed.

Tal-Rho takes Clark to his Fortress of Solitude, which is in a desert somewhere.

Tal-Rho created his Fortress in the year 1987.

Zeta-Rho was a much crueler teacher than Jor-El, torturing Tal-Rho as part of his education.

The Zeta-Rho hologram and Tal-Rho begin to torture Superman in the same way Tal-Rho was conditioned.

Lois calls a man named John and tells him that she thinks Superman has just been turned.

Location

Tal-Rho's Fortress of Solitude, located in a desert somewhere - 1987
Tal-Rho's Fortress of Solitude, located in a desert somewhere - 2021


Untelevised Adventures

The episode reveals how Tal-Rho formed his own fortress, with a hologram of his father to advise and train him.


The Bottom Line

One hell of an episode with one hello of a cliffhanger.

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.

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 9- Loyal Subjekts

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

Plot

Lois and Clark begin to crack the mystery of why Morgan Edge is interested in Smallville beyond the X-Kryptonite in the Shuster Mines. Meanwhile, the DoD's Kryptonite weapons have unintended consequences that put Jordan's life in danger and lead to a reckoning between Lois and her father.

Influences

New Krypton (invasion of Earth by Kryptonian refugees)


Performances

This is another great episode for Elizabeth Tulloch, who gets to showcase Lois Lane's inner steel as she confronts Morgan Edge and her father.

Not to be outdone, Jordan Elsass gets two equally great moments: comforting his mother as she falls apart and confronting his grandfather on his own negligence. 


Artistry

The bank robbery scene is fantastic and Superman responding to the people in Spanish is a neat nod to the old Christopher Reeve Superman movies.


Super Trivia

This episode introduces Dabney Donovan - an employee of Morgan Edge who assists with the transformation process that turns people into hosts for Kryptonian minds. In the comics, Dabney Donovan was the co-founder of Project Cadmus - the think-tank that created the Superboy clone and various bits of advanced technology for Intergang.


Technobabble

The Kryptonite gas which Lieutenant Rosetti used on Superman is a biological weapon and it turns out to be communicable. Direct exposure makes Clark temporarily able to bruise and causes him to become winded. Jordan develops a cold and loses control of his powers when he sneezes.

The Jor-El hologram determines that Jordan is in respiratory distress and that his lungs are filling with fluid. Given that he can condense large quantities of air, he's also cooling it, like Clark does when he uses his Freeze Breath.

Intense heat can be used to burn Kryptonite out of a Kryptonian's body, but the process is painful.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Lois has just made a scene at one of Edge's recruitment meetings.)
Edge: Well, that was desperate.

Lois: I know what you're doing. 

Edge: Providing good jobs to a community in need?

Lois: You are putting Kryptonian consciousnesses into people's bodies. You are taking them over and giving them powers. 

Edge: And your evidence for this is... ?

Lois: Derek Powell, Reno Rosetti, Leslie. 

Edge: Oh, so two dead men and my personal assistant. I have to say, this story has holes even by your standards. 

Lois: We both know it's the truth.

Edge: In my experience, truth is rather subjective. Who do you think people are more likely to believe? A has-been slumming it at the local paper? Or the man who's giving this town the best economy it's ever known? 

Lois: These people are not puppets to be controlled by you. They have dreams. They have families. 

Edge: No one's being forced to do anything against their will. Everyone's made the same offer: the chance for a better life. (points to his ad copy) Says so right there. 

Lois: We're not publishing this. 

Edge: Then I guess word of mouth will have to suffice. You can't stop this, Lois. Perhaps it's time you use that device you have to call in your super friend?

Lois: Perhaps it is. 

Edge: Risky, though. Need I remind you where he's from? He may take comfort knowing there are others here just like him, as John Irons prophesied. 

Lois: Superman is nothing like them. 

Lois: (to General Lane) All my life, your job was your number one priority. Accepting that wasn't easy, but I learned to live with it, and somehow even grew to respect it because I believed that you were trying to do the right thing, and I honestly naively thought that once I had a family, you might change, start putting us first, but I was wrong. Knowingly and willingly endangering the lives of the people I love... I can't forgive that. So when this is over, I want you to leave and never come back. You're not welcome here anymore. 

(Jonathan walks in on Lois crying.)
Lois: I should've protected him. 
Jonathan: (sighing) Mom, this isn't... this isn't on you.
Lois: I'm your mom. My one job is to keep you guys safe, and I keep failing at it.
Jonathan: No, no, you don't.
Lois: You were almost gunned down in John Henry's RV...
Jonathan: That was my fault.
Lois: Got into a car accident.
Jonathan: That was also my fault.
Lois: I feel like I can't turn around without one of you being in mortal danger. Why is it so hard to keep you safe?
Jonathan: I don't know. Just... Just part of being a super family, I guess.

(Jonathan walks out on the porch. General Lane is there.)
General Lane: Just waiting to hear back from my team. Then we'll get everything straightened out with Jordan and your dad.
Jonathan: Little late for that, isn't it? Why'd you do it? Why'd you build those weapons to hurt my dad?
General Lane: Your father's the most powerful being this world's ever known. My job is to keep us safe, which means being prepared for any scenario, no matter how unlikely. You and I, we're not like your dad, or even Jordan.
Jonathan: He's my twin brother.
General Lane: Yes, but the minute his powers surfaced, you and him began walking two very different paths.
Jonathan: That scares you, doesn't it?
General Lane: It does.
Jonathan: You know, I think you're wrong. I think you're wrong about you and I being alike.
General Lane: How so?
Jonathan: I could never be scared of my family, no matter what powers they might have.
General Lane: Jonathan, you haven't seen the things I have.
Jonathan: Yeah, you're right. But in the end, I don't think that would matter 'cause I'd still trust them, and you'd still be a coward. 


Continuity

The opening scene shows an unseen person being led into Morgan Edge's office by Leslie Larr. This person is later revealed to be Kyle Cushing.

Lois notes that Edge was in and out of Hazel Green and Granville in weeks, so there has to be something he needs in Smallville beyond the X-Kryptonite.

Clark starts helping Lois with her investigation, as he's no longer working as a football coach.

Emily from 107 is run through the transformation process. Her full name is revealed as Emily Phan.

Emily is determined to have "complete host acceptance."

Jonathan and Jordan plan to go the talent show - Jonathan to be supportive and Jordan to play piano with her.

Lois suspects that Sarah wants to be more than "just friends" with Jordan, despite what she said, but says she'll leave it to Sarah to tell him that.

Lois asks Clark to try and get people to stop signing up for Morgan Edge's "enhancement" program, after they learn from Lana that he's looking for more recruits past the original five.

Lana reports that none of the new enhanced workers are acting strangely apart from seeming happier and more motivated.

Kyle thanks Jordan for stepping up when he failed to show up for Sarah's audition in 108.

Sarah says her father has been talking about how he's changed and is quitting drinking.

Sarah once again warns Jonathan to stay away from Tegan Wickhem.

Clark approached Emily Phan at the diner and asks how she's doing . She also reports that she's feeling better than ever.

Clark hears a bank robbery in Mexico and leaves to deal with it.

Clark can speak fluent Spanish.

During the fight, Clark becomes winded and he feels his heart beating faster than normal.

Chrissy Beppo reports that Morgan Edge just bought a ton of ads for the next paper, looking for more "enhancement" recruits.

Lois confronts Edge at his office, disrupting one of his meetings.

Edge reveals that he knows about John Henry Irons and his prophecy of what will happen. He doesn't explain how he knows this, however. (Probably it was leaked to him from Lieutenant Rosetti before his death.)

Edge also knows about Lois' device for signaling Superman.

Jonathan finally got his issue with his locker sorted out.

Jonathan approaches Tegan Wickhem and asks her out, only to be shot down. She said she was just being nice to him because he broke his arm.

Clark returns home to realize that the regular bullets of the bank robbers actually bruised him. 

Sarah starts grilling Jordan over any 'secret talents" he might have besides playing the piano.

Jordan sneezes and freezes his hand. This is the first the he uses the classic Ice Breath power.

Jordan leaves his practice with Sarah in a rush and calls his dad with his pager.

Clark has reportedly never been sick a day in his life.

General Lane says his men are working on a cure.

Sarah goes to Jonathan and asks why Jordan ran off. Jonathan plays dumb, but says he'll look for Jordan and make sure he's going to be there at the talent show that night.

Emily Phan tells Lana that there is a special process as part of the enhancement program. She says Morgan Edge told her it must be kept secret and she couldn't tell anyone - not even her family.

Lana and Emily have known each other since the 5th grade.

Lana tries to fish for more details regarding the program, only for Morgan Edge to reveal that he knows she is Lois Lane's mole.

Edge says that Lana can undergo enhancement herself or he will have her killed.

Jordan wants to go to the talent show, but his cold is getting worse.

Clark takes Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude to see about treating Jordan there.

Lois tells her father that once Jordan is well, she wants him to leave and never contact her or her children again.

Clark determines he can heal Jordan, but it will require burning the Kryptonite out of his system using intense heat rays in the Fortress of Solitude.

Jonathan comforts Lois as she wonders where she went wrong as a monther. 

Emily Phan saves both Lana and Kyle seats at the talent show.

When Jordan doesn't show up, Kyle has his guitar read and plays to accompany Sarah.

Jonathan tells off his grandfather, calling Sam Lane a coward for being afraid of his own grandson and son-in-law.

Emily Phan's daughter Avery is also in the talent show.

Emily leaves as her daughter is performing.  Kyle follows after her.

Edge sends his "Subkelts" after Lois Lane, having learned from Leslie Larr that Superman is still weak from the Kryptonite weapon.

Lana calls Lois and tells her about Emily Phan leaving in the middle of her daughter's performance.

Lana turned down Edge's offer, despite his threat, and tells Lois that Edge knew Lana was acting as her spy.

Emily Phan and another man, Jasper Townes, show up to kill Lois.

General Lane has some of the Kryptonite gas with him. He uses is to hold off the Kryptonians and Jonathan and Lois escape to the barn>

Kyle Cushing shows up and tries to attack Lois.

Jonathan repels Kyle Cushing with a red-sun energy weapon he stole from John Henry Irons' RV.

Superman arrives and the three Kryptonians flee.

Lois forgives her father for what happened.

General Lane says that from now on Lois, the boys, Clark and Smallville are his priority. 

Jordan describes freeze breath as feeling like you have a piece of wintergreen gum in your mouth all the time.

Jordan texts Sarah but she ignores his message.

Kyle Cushing returns home and speaks to Lana in private. He says he blacked out at the talent show and when he woke up his ribs hurt and he was a in a field outside town. It is here he reveals that he took Morgan Edge's offer to "better" himself.

Chrissy Beppo finds a common link between all the people who were ideal Kryptonian hosts - all of them were Smallville natives. 

Derek Powell was from New Carthage. Reno Rosetti was from Metropolis.

Leslie Larr's real name is Irma Sayers and she was from Smallville.

Another one of Edge's test-subjects was named David Fuglestad.

Clark theorizes that the large ammount of X-Kryptonite in Smallville has been radiating people for years.

Edge uses Lois' stolen pager to summon Superman.

The episodes ends with Edge revealing that he has a suit of Kryptonian armor with a unique crest and that he also has Kryptonian powers. He also addresses Superman as "brother."


The Bottom Line

While a bit heavy on exposition, still an enjoyable episode with some great character moments for Lois and Jonathan and one heck of a cliff-hanger!

Superman and Lois: Season 1, Episode 8 - Holding the Wrench

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

Plot

As Clark prepares to face John Henry Irons, he encourages Lois to reach out to her old therapist after certain facts come to light about the man they know as The Stranger. Meanwhile, Jonathan's efforts to help his mother nearly lead to lethal consequences, as Jordan helps Sarah with auditioning for the school musical.

Influences

Reign of the Supermen (origins of Steel/John Henry Irons) and New Krypton (invasion of Earth by Kryptonians)


Goofs

If The Stranger's AI is programmed to respond violently to intruders in the RV, why didn't it threaten Clark when he broke into the RV in 107? (Perhaps it only responded to certain areas, like the weapons racks, being tampered with?)


Performances

Elizabeth Tulloch nails Lois' anguish undergoing therapy in this episode and her anger at Jonathan for doing the kind of foolish thing she would do in her search for answers on a story.


Super Trivia

John Henry Irons reveals that a Kryptonite spear is his favorite weapon. This was also the preferred weapon of Lex Luthor in the comics and the weapon was later worked into Batman v. Superman.

The daughter that John Henry Irons and Lois had together in his world is revealed to be named Natalie. This is a surprise, as fans had assumed her "Nat-bug" nickname to be a reference to John Henry Iron's niece in the comics, Natasha Irons.


Technobabble

The Stranger's RV is lead-lined, preventing Superman from being able to see through it.

The Stranger's AI is programmed to allow some people besides him to have access to the RV. One of them is Lois Lane.  It reacts violently to intruders.

Lieutenant Trask's medical kit includes Sodium Pentothal, benzilate and a few other drugs General Lane can’t pronounce. Some of them are experimental.

The majority of miscarriages are caused by genetic issues - not because of the mother going through trauma.

The Department of Defense has developed several Kryptonite-based weapons, including fragment grenades, bladed weapons, aerosol sprays and biochemical gas..

The Kryptonite gas was an experimental, synthetic Kryptonite designed to invade the respiratory system, weakening a Kryptonian from the inside, leaving them vulnerable to more traditional tactics and weapons.


Dialogue Triumphs

Jonathan: Any idea what might be in here?
Lois: Not really, but your dad said it was lined with lead, so someone is hiding something.
(Lois and Jonathan enter into The Stranger's van.)
Jonathan: Classic creepermobile.
Jonathan: Exactly, so be careful.
AI: Identification required. Identify yourself.
Lois: Lois Lane.
AI: Voice authentication confirmed. Good morning, Lois.
Lois: How do you know my name?
AI: You are one of my authorized users. How can I help you, Ms. Lane?
Lois: Um, what can you tell me about John Henry Irons?
(There is a hydraulic noise from the next room, as a bed folds up into the wall revealing a computer console. The screens on the console have a default screen saving picture which seems to show John Henry Irons, in uniform, getting a medal.)
Lois: (grabbing Jonathan's shoulder as she takes the lead) Careful.
Jonathan: What is that?
(The two walk into the room and look at the computers.)
Jonathan: Whoa. That was easy. 

Lois: I don’t really look back with regret. I reflect, or… But I don’t usually regret, but this?
Dr. Wiles: Is it possible you’re being too hard on yourself?
Lois: No. I was enraged. You have no idea the things that I said.
Dr. Wiles: I read your articles, your critiques. Let’s just say I know what your words are capable of.
Lois: I can go full scorched Earth, and if that is my intention, you deserve it. But this person didn’t. I think that sometimes, words cut so deep that they forever change how you see a person. And I don’t know how fix this.

Lois: We’ll figure this out. We’ve been in similar situations.
Clark: Learning that the man who’s trying to kill your husband is your other husband from another world? It kind of feels like new ground to me. 

(Jonathan is sitting at the dinner table. Lois is standing over him, incredibly angry. Clark is hanging back, but not looking much happier.)
Lois: Are you out of your mind? You don’t go snooping around some guy from another world’s murder van!
Jonathan: I mean, I… I thought it was safe earlier.
Clark: Jonathan, nothing is as it seems with this kind of stuff.
Lois: I said I would go back in there with you. What were you thinking?
Jonathan: I just thought I’d look around.
Lois: Without me? Jonathan, what were you really doing in there?
Jonathan: Mom, even I knew how upset you were earlier about what we saw in there, and then that crazy hammer thing that he made, I thought that maybe I could go in there and I could look for…
Clark: Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on. You were looking for weapons?
Jonathan: Dad, you and Jordan basically are weapons. I am the only one in this house that is completely unarmed. 
Clark: Jonathan, your mother and I will protect you.
Jonathan: Really?
Clark: Yes!
Jonathan: Because I was one second away from being dead, and Mom couldn’t do anything, and you? You almost didn’t even make it in time.
Lois: Jonathan, look at me. Look at me!
(Jonathan turns his head to look at her.)
Lois:  I let you come with me because I trusted you. I trusted that you were responsible enough to know what’s at stake, to know how dangerous this all is!
Jonathan: So now you don’t trust me?!
Clark: Okay, let’s calm down.
Lois: (shouting) You knew there was a risk! I know you did, and yet you went in anyway, alone, behind my back! What… to find weapons? You almost died, not because you were unarmed, because you were reckless and stupid! And if you had died, the only person that would’ve been to blame is yourself. Get out of my face! 

(The Stranger stands over a helpless Superman, having just killed Rosetti. He holds a spear with a Kryptonite head.)
The Stranger: On my world, we had our own 7734. Out of all the weapons I used to kill Kryptonians, this was my favorite.
Superman: I’m not your enemy.
The Stranger: I figure, why take the chance? 
(The Stranger raises the spear, ready to strike as General Lane and his men sweep into the room, with Lois right behind them.)

General Lane: Drop the weapon now!
Lois: (running in front of the soldiers) Stop!
General Lane: Hold your fire! 

Lois: You wanted to see me? Here I am. 

The Stranger: You should go, Lois.

Lois: I’m not going anywhere.
(Superman coughs.) 

The Stranger: Suit yourself.
(The Stranger gets ready to thrust the spear again.)

Lois: John, I know about Natalie! I know what happened on your world, to you, and to your family. 

The Stranger: Then you know why I have to do this. 

Lois: Please. Please, I see the anger in your eyes. It’s covering something I can relate to: the torture that comes from wondering if you failed, if there was something you could’ve done to save them, but there wasn’t. If there had been, you would’ve found it! They’re gone, and it’s not your fault, but it’s not his fault, either. 

The Stranger: You don’t know what’s coming. 

Lois: John, our worlds are different. Our Superman is good. He would never turn on us, ever.

The Stranger: How can you know that? 

Lois: I know. And if you kill him, an innocent man, a hero, what does that make you? 

(The Stranger hesitates but finally steps back and drops the spear.)

(General Lane has just finished describing all the Kryptonite weaponry the DOD developed.)
General Lane: You should know it was my sincere intention none of this would ever be deployed.
Superman: Sam, I want to save you the trouble of lying to my face.
General Lane: I hope for the best, but it’s my job to prepare for the worst, even when it comes to you. I am sorry you had to find out like this.
Superman: Trust goes both ways.
General Lane: I know. And I know I have some work to do to regain yours.


Continuity

Lois sees a psychiatrist at the Department of Defense office her father works in. We find out later in the episode her name is Dr. Wiles.

Dr. Wiles agreed to see Lois, even though she is not enlisted, as a favor to General Lane, as her husband was a cadet along with Sam Lane when they were going through military school and she credits him with keeping her husband from getting kicked out twice.

Lois speaks of losing her temper with someone and being afraid she's going to hurt them more than she already has.

Clark has informed Coach Gaines that he, Jonathan and Jordan are taking a break from football for a while. He's not happy but understands and has asked Jonathan and Jordan return their uniforms as soon as possible.

Clark is working on fixing the truck which Jonathan and Jordan bent out of shape. Jonathan tries to help Clark, offering him a wrench, but he uses his powers to handle everything.

Clark leaves to go to the DOD as Superman to assist with the interrogation of The Stranger.

Lois says she is going to investigate The Stranger's RV to see if she can learn more about him.

Jonathan asks if he can help Lois with the RV, since he didn't feel like he could help much with the truck. She agrees.

Lana is working on a list of small businesses in need for a new assistance program Morgan Edge is sponsoring.

Kyle specifically asks about the leadership program Lana was working on. She lies and says they had enough people. Kyle specifically tells her to mention his name if they decide to expand it.

Sarah reveals she was asked to audition for the school musical by Jess Kriker - the daughter of a Mr. Kriker selected for the leadership program. Sarah says Jess hasn't talked to her since the third grade.

Kyle offers to play the guitar for Sarah to sing to at her audition.

Jordan runs into Sarah as he's returning his uniform. 

Sarah reveals that she has major stage fright. She can perform with a choir, but can't stand all the attention being on her.

Jordan sympathizes and says he used to play piano and did recitals as a kid, but it got to be too much because of his anxiety.

Jordan says he'll stop by the auditions to offer moral support.

The Stranger thinks back on his romance with Lois and his daughter giving him a bracelet before he went to face Superman.

The John Henry Irons of Earth-Prime was an Army Ranger who served two tours in Afghanistan. Upon leaving the military he went into the private sector and made a name for himself as a mechanical engineer. He died six years earlier under mysterious circumstances. 

Superman asks The Stranger if his life was different on his Earth.

The Stranger recalls flying his ship as his Superman was attacking him, while he was trying to fly away towards something.

The Stranger reveals that the Superman of his Earth was a hero up until he joined with an army of invading Kryptonians and that what happened on his Earth is starting to happen on Earth-Prime.

The Stranger refuses to answer any questions until he is allowed to speak to Lois Lane.

Lois and Jonathan go through the personal photos on The Stranger's computer. They seem to suggest a background similar to that of the Earth-Prime John Henry Irons, with photos showing him working on a drafting table, in a factory, in uniform, playing football, graduating and, eventually, photos of him with his Lois Lane and their daughter.

The Stranger reveals that Superman killed Lois Lane on his world and that she was his wife and the mother of his daughter.

Lois and Clark discuss the pictures she found and what The Stranger told him over the phone.

Los makes reference to the events of Elseworlds and how she and Clark have had to clean up the mess caused by an evil version of Superman before.

Clark offers to come home so they can talk in person. Lois says he doesn't need to do that.

Lois offers to come and talk to The Stranger, even though she doesn't want to. Clark thinks maybe he can empathize with him without it coming to that.

Lois tells Jonathan she wants to take a break before going back into the RV.

Kyle once again pushes Sarah to audition for the musical, having gotten a lot of sheet music so she can pick out a song.

Lieutenant Trask is an interrogator on General Lane's team who has apparently tortured people in the past. Before turning The Stranger over to him, General Lane decides to talk to him personally, since they were apparently allies on his Earth.

Jonathan goes back into the RV on his own. After looking at several pictures of Natalie Irons (who he comments seems cool) he stumbles across the video of the other Lois Lane being killed by Superman.

Jonathan breaks into the Stranger's weapons locker. This triggers the defenses of the AI, who tries to kill him. 

Lois calls Clark with her signal device when she realizes where Jonathan is and that she is locked out of the RV. Clark is barely able to get there in time to protect Jonathan from a lethal safeguard, which he destroys.

Lois shouts at Jonathan for being stupid after he admits he was trying to find The Stranger's weapons thinking maybe he could use them to protect himself.

Leslie Larr approaches Kyle. She tells him Morgan Edge was disappointed he elected not to take part in the executive program and that Morgan Edge had specifically asked about him.

Kyle confronts Lana about how she lied to him. Lana covers by saying that Leslie Larr is mistaken and that Morgan Edge doesn't tell her everything, despite Kyle's insistence she's basically his right hand.

General Lane tries to win The Stranger over by warning him about Lieutenant Trask. This doesn't work, however, as The Stranger says his General Lane would never torture or drug a prisoner. 

The Stranger tells General Lane that he died a hero on his world and that Superman killed him.

Flashing forward to Dr. Wiles and Lois' meeting, Lois finally tells Dr. Wiles that the person she yelled at was Jonathan. She doesn't give the details beyond him being stupid and nearly dying.

It is revealed that Lois had a miscarriage roughly 18 months after she had Jordan and Jonathan. She lost the baby - a girl she was going to name Natalie, after her father's mother.

Lieutenant Rosetti kills Lieutenant Trask and reveals himself to be one of Morgan Edge's subjekts.

Jonathan goes to the school looking for Jordan, when Jordan is ignoring his texts. He finds him at the auditions, getting ready to watch Sarah.

Kyle doesn't show up to play with Sarah. This leads Jordan to volunteer to play the piano for her instead.

Sarah sings Amos Lee’s “Little Light”

Like Derek Powell in 105, Lieutenant Rosetti is unable to totally control his power.

The Stranger knows the layout of the DOD facility and which section of the base Lieutenant Rosetti is taking him - Sector 5.

Sector 5 of the base houses a Research and Development lab that is developing Kryptonite weapons. The lab is room 7734.

The base is put on lockdown as Superman goes to apprehend The Strange, not knowing that Rosetti has gone rogue.

Rosetti releases a Kryptonite gas to fight Clark.

Clark is able to use the weapons against Rosetti, who is weakened by Kryptonite as much as he is.

The Strranger kills Rosetti with a Kryptonite spear. He is about to kill a weakened Superman, when General Lane and his men arrive. 

Only the fact that Lois asks him not to kill Superman and her assurance that he is not a killer in this world keeps The Stranger from killing Superman.

Rosetti was a third-generation military man who never showed any signs of being superhuman. This leads Clark to think that The Stranger is telling the truth and that maybe Derek Powell was right about Morgan Edge transferring alien sentience into human hosts.

Lana listens in on Leslie Larr speaking to the executive training program.

Sarah confronts Kyle about his not being there for her.  He defends himself by saying he had gotten some bad news about a job offer and had to blow off some steam.

Sarah tells Kyle she should never promise her anything.

The Stranger is set free and goes back to his RV.

Lois apologizes to Jonathan and explains that she was venting over the grief she thought was past from her miscarriage. She promises to teach him how to deal with the fear of being vulnerable and says they have to stick together as the two extraordinary humans in a family of superpeople.

Superman says that The Stranger being released is a show of trust, given that they believe there is a war coming with Edge's Kryptonians and they need all the help they can get.

The Stranger says that just because he let Superman live doesn't mean he's ready to fight by his side. Superman says he understands but that if he changes his mind, he can contact Lois.

Upon reentering his RV, The Stranger tells the AI to erase the profile for Captain Luthor and to start a new one for John Henry Irons. He also asks the AI to shut down for a bit, as he wants to drive on his own for a while.

The Bottom Line

An amazing episode and probably the best bit of acting from Elizabeth Tulloch to date.