Superman on Television

Superman & Lois: Episode Reviews

Season 2 - Episode 5: "Girl... You'll Be a Woman, Soon"

Reviewed by: Michael Bailey

Originally Aired: February 22, 2022
WRITTEN BY: Rina Mimoun & Adam Mallinger
DIRECTED BY: Diana Valentine

REGULAR CAST:
Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent/Superman)
Bitsie Tulloch (Lois Lane)
Jordan Elsass (Jonathan Kent)
Alex Garfin (Jordan Kent)
Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cushing)
Erik Valdez (Kyle Cushing)
Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana Lang Cushing)
Wole Parks (John Henry Irons)
Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons)
Sofia Hasmik (Christy Beppo)
Ian Bohen (Lt. Mitchell Anderson)
Daisy Torme (A.I. Voice)

GUEST STARS:
Ian Boehn (General Mitchell Anderson)
Dylan Walsh (General Sam Lane)
Rya Kihlstedt (Ally Allston)
Joselyn Picard (Sophie Cushing)
Wern Lee (Tag Harris)
Maryann Cushing (Carman Aguirre)
Eric Keenleyside (Mayor George Dean)
Catherine Lough Haggquist (Dr. Faulkner)
Cynthia Mendez (Tonya Martinez)
Mariana Klaveno (Lara Lor-Van)

Rating - 5 (out of 5): Well...that episode was...a lot.

Not in a bad way. I continue to be impressed by this show's ability to keep me engaged and this two-week break was harder than I thought it would be. But the show is back, and this episode did not disappoint.

Chrissy Steps Up

It turns out I was once again wrong about a theory involving a character's motivations. You would think that I would have learned by now not to assume things. Chrissy did not, as I suggested in my last review, try to interview Ally in an effort to gain her trust so that she could bring Ally down. Chrissy did interview Ally in order to fully investigate what the woman is about and for about five seconds I was worried that after Ally drugged her Chrissy would somehow be in Ally's thrall, but the conversation Chrissy and Lois had at the party dispelled that worry. I loved the way Chrissy was portrayed in both the scene with Ally and then the scene with Lois. This was a great episode for her character, and it showed that while she still has some issues with Lois and those issues need to be addressed Chrissy is still firmly her own person, who had a much more interesting backstory than I previously thought she did.

I've loved this character from her introduction, and I like that the writers are giving her more layers.  Sofia Hasmick's comic timing was great during this episode.

Really, Jonathan?!

The Jonathan doing XK drugs storyline is interesting to me because the writers are exploring what the pressure of being one of the non-powered people in a superhero family can push you to do. Jonathan and Lois had a great scene in the previous season where she told him that they are extraordinary people in an extremely extraordinary family, but the difference between Jonathan and Lois is that Lois did not grow up knowing that the genetic lottery did not give her powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Jonathan is not acting out of character by taking the XK because there is no such thing as "acting in character." People are different throughout various points in their life and sometimes people make bad decisions. That's not "being out of character." That just how life is most of the time.

I have been impressed with the writing of the teenagers on this show, mostly because they feel like teenagers and not some adult version of teenagers that you see on most shows. Teenagers make terrible mistakes and taking drugs is one of them. I am looking forward in seeing how the writers deal with this and how Jordan Elsass deals with the material they give him. He's doing a fantastic job of selling someone that is getting deeper and deeper into becoming an addict.

Really, Kyle?!

There was a real gut punch to Kyle's infidelity coming to light and that gut punch was due to the scene at the beginning of the episode with Kyle and Sarah and then Kyle and Lana dancing. It was a sweet moment that showed a family that had been through a lot and seemed to be stronger than ever and then the truth about Kyle cheating on Lana not only comes out but comes out at Sarah's quinceañera.  The cast is having to do a lot of heavy lifting with the material the writers are crafting and both Erik Valdez and Emmanuelle Chriqui along with Inde Navarrette crushed the scene where Lana finds out about what Sarah overheard.

Again, this isn't your typical family soap opera drama. It all feels very real and it's easy to hate Kyle for what he did, but the writers and Erik have done so much to make him a well-rounded and likable character that I can't bring myself to totally write him off. I don't condone what he did at all, but at the same time I like the guy, so it's complicated.

Bizarro vs Superman Round 3

In my previous review I said that a small portion of the special effects during the fight on the salt flats were a little off. This was not me trying to badmouth the show. I liked how it looked but there were shots that didn't look as good as the others. That was not a problem in this episode. The effects, especially the exchanging of freeze and fire breath, were cinematic and the shot of Bizarro flying in and out of the hotel room was amazing. The scenes where Superman is doing Superman things are always short, but it's television and they pack so much into those briefer scenes of action. Besides, sometimes a protracted battle can get wearying.

 Involving the hologram of Lara into the story was great. I like that Clark has at least one parent to go to when he needs guidance or an extra hand in containing a bizarre doppelganger.

You know...like everyone has to from time to time.

The end scene tied nicely into the cold open flashback and Lois' conversation with Chrissy. The various plot threads are tying together as is the potential for Ally to become a truly scary villain for both Lois and Superman. That idea is really cool because as much as it would great to see Lex Luthor or Brainiac sometimes an original villain, like Tempus on LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, can be even more fun because it is unexpected. On top of that the writers are giving us a new take on the idea of Bizarro and Bizarro World. SUPERMAN AND LOIS' sophomore season continues to impress.

As ever, I can't wait for the next episode.

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