Reviewed by: Michael Bailey
Originally Aired: April 11, 2023
WRITTEN BY: Andrew N. Wong
DIRECTED BY: David Ramsey
REGULAR CAST:
Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent/Superman)
Bitsie Tulloch (Lois Lane)
Michael Bishop (Jonathan Kent)
Alex Garfin (Jordan Kent)
Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana Lang Cushing)
Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cushing)
Wolee Parks (John Henry Irons)
Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons)
Erik Valdez (Kyle Cushing)
Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cortez)
Sofia Hasmik (Chrissy Beppo)
GUEST STARS:
Dylan Walsh (Gen. Sam Lane)
Chad L Coleman (Bruno Mannheim)
Samantha Di Francesco (Candice Pergande)
Patricia Drake (General Hardcastle)
Daisy Torme ( A.I. Device)
Spence Moore II (Matteo)
Allegra Fulton (Older Chemo Patient)
Dylan Leonard (Junior)
Jason Beaudoin (Deadline/ Jason Distefano)
Daya Vaidya (Younger Chemo Patient)
Rating – 5 (out of 5): It’s weird. Despite liking this episode as much as I did, I also don’t have all that much to say about it. Outside of the fight with Deadline this was a quiet episode, but that’s not an insult. Most of the scenes were steeped in character and most of them were very emotional.
Clark’s conversation with the other chemo patients had to be my favorite. For one thing it was incredibly well written. This is the sort of scene that proves that the writers are in this story for the long haul and having Clark listen to their stories lent weight to the storyline as a whole. It’s almost funny when you think about the most powerful man on the planet, not to mention the world’s greatest super-hero, was sitting in what had to be an uncomfortable chair talking to two normal people going through extraordinary circumstances. Tyler’s performance sold all of this, and it was interesting to see how much acting he did with his eyes.
It was nice seeing Sam being the grandfather he was meant to be. I loved him riding with Nat at the beginning and then being there for her when she needed someone to talk to. He may not have been the obvious choice, but the scene outside the dance was very sweet and when Nat called him Grandpa I got a little choked up. I like that the writers are exploring how weird Nat’s life is and how she never had time for a boyfriend or a social life.
It’s going to be too bad when it turns out that Matteo is Bruno’s son.
Lois’ scene with Bruno was another highlight. A few episodes back I wrote about how it was nice to see some more traditional Superman scenes. In this episode we got some traditional Lois scenes and seeing her sneak around and then get confronted by Bruno made me so happy. More than that I liked that she was able to meet Clark in the middle about having an opinion on how she deals with her treatment.
The dance was a lot of fun, especially Kyle. As the weeks go on, I am more and more sold on his and Chrissy’s relationship. You can see it’s a little weird for them, especially Chrissy, but it’s kind of cute at the same time. Sarah reaching out to Junior was nice to see, though her drinking is problematic given her father’s history.
Finally, the fight with Deadline was very different than other battles Superman has had on the big and small screen. The choreography was solid, and the special effects really sold that this was a comic book battle come to life. The Kryptonite knife added a real sense of danger to the entire affair and the ending had a humorous vibe, which I appreciated.
My only real issue was the Kents allowing their sixteen-year-old son to make an eight-hour drive by himself. I realize he has a license, but he’s had it for about five minutes and that’s a pretty long stretch to pull so early in his driving career.
Maybe that’s just me.
