“Closer”

Superman & Lois begins its third season with a birthday party, celebrating the importance of meaningful connection and the promise of a new threat.

It’s a turbulent time for superhero shows on network TV. The CW is undergoing some major changes and expensive shows like this are at risk because of the new direction the network looks to be going in. The Flash ends the historic run of the Arrowverse and this show remains standing for now. The best thing to do is enjoy it while it lasts because this is some of the best superhero content around.

This season picks up less than a month after the ending of the previous one. A monologue from Lois catches the viewer up on the aftermath of Ally’s attack and sets up the themes of celebration and appreciation that weave through most of the characters. Ally’s attack has inspired everyone to appreciate all that they almost lost, work to improve the good things they already have and cast off anything that dragged them down. Recalibration is in the air and everyone is working to be the best version of themselves. Starting a season with a desire to recalibrate is structurally sound as it allows the challenges to delay the desired progress before the successes and failures can be accounted for at the end of the season. It may be simple but there’s a lot of room for storytelling within that.

For the most part, life seems positive for everyone. Clark and Lois are finding time to be together making use of Tal’s various holiday homes, Jordan is enjoying training with Clark and Jonathan is working to get his own version of freedom by learning to drive. Challenges still exist within that such as Clark and Lois still working to balance the demands of work and family with working on their own relationship, Jordan thinking he’s ready for heroics that Clark doesn’t believe he is and struggles on both sides with Lois teaching Jonathan how to drive.

It’s good to see that Superman & Lois hasn’t lost sight of what the show does best. The family dynamic is still as sharp and real as it ever was. Relatable family details ground the superhero happenings and ground them in ways that are easy for audiences to relate to. It’s important because it adds depth and meaning to outlandish concepts that don’t exist in the real world. Details such as Lois and Jonathan getting frustrated with one another because learning how to drive from a family member is far from ideal for many people and Jordan being reluctant to defer to his father’s experience when learning something from him are challenges that occur in most -if not all- families.

Notably, Jonathan and Jordan face similar challenges because it allows them to reflect on them and give each other advice to listen to the person who has been doing the thing they’re trying to learn for a long time. It’s a plausible teenage blind spot to fail to see the solution to a problem you’re facing while clearly seeing that the same solution applies to someone else. They provide that answer for each other and they’re both intelligent enough to recognise that they are being overwhelmed by emotion in their own version of the same problem. Their scene together also allows viewers to see how the dynamic between Alex Garfin and the newcomer to the role of Jonathan, Michael Bishop. They have great chemistry and bounce off one another naturally which bodes well for Bishop as an addition to the cast. So far he seems to fit well into the show though it’s unquestionably an adjustment after two seasons of Jordan Elsass in the role.

Jonathan learning to drive is raised and resolved over the course of this episode which removes the opportunity to continue the parallel of Jordan and Jonathan learning from a parent which raises the question of what Jonathan will move onto after this. The previous seasons often pushed Jonathan into the background and made his difficulty finding purpose in his current surroundings the main fixture for him. Jordan was featured more heavily because of his powers and the writers made favouring Jordan over him in terms of focus part of the story but it still didn’t do Jonathan any good as anything interesting related to him was featured far less.

This trend seems to be continuing as there’s no suggestion of what Jonathan will be doing following passing his driving test while Jordan has a clear narrative to follow. His attempt to help resolve the crane accident prompts disappointment in Clark who insists that he’s not ready to take on situations like that. This is backed up by his complete inability to handle it. He makes the situation worse because he lacks the experience and knowledge to safely resolve the problem. Jordan is well-meaning but clumsy and Clark doesn’t want him getting involved until he’s satisfied that Jordan knows how to deal with it.

It all seems perfectly reasonable but Jordan is struggling to be obedient because he can hear terrible things happening and knows he has the power to help but he is forbidden from doing so. There’s a great scene where he hears things that could be improved with his help and is upset that he can’t be involved. There’s a definite opportunity for Clark to impart meaningful wisdom around this that bizarrely doesn’t begin in this episode. Clark must ignore most of what he hears otherwise he would never stop being Superman so there should be advice that he passes along about how best to deal with hearing people in distress and deciding what needs his attention. Smallville tackled this in a very limited capacity with that version of Clark explaining why he doesn’t need to get involved in certain situations. Jordan needs that guidance because he has to find a way to live his life knowing that someone will need help somewhere in the world at all times.

Similarly, the experience issue is something that Clark should weigh in on as he didn’t have anyone guiding him in his early days so some examination of the teething problems he experienced that he wants Jordan to avoid. At this point, Jordan sees Clark as a figure of perfection who doesn’t make mistakes when conducting heroics so one way to get through to him would be for Clark to acknowledge that he made lots of mistakes when he was starting out. This will help Jordan understand that there is a learning curve and that mistakes are really costly so it’s in his best interests to learn from Clark and avoid making those early mistakes that cost lives.

In the midst of the difficulties teaching their children, Clark and Lois deal with the possibility of Lois being pregnant. It turns out to be a false alarm that is replaced with the possibility of a serious medical issue but it allows them to explore what they want in their lives. By the end of the episode, they both come around to the idea of having another child because they’re nostalgic about the early days of parenthood and want to bask in the feelings that come with them again. For Clark, it’s an opportunity to learn from his mistakes and be more present at the beginning of a child’s life, unlike last time. Much of the first season dealt with the rift that was created between Clark and his sons because of his frequent absence early in their lives due to his responsibilities as Superman. His focus has shifted to being more family oriented so he could apply that to a new child and not have them grow up feeling that their father isn’t around much.

The false alarm and subsequent identification of a potentially serious medical issue forces a stop on planning for a new child for now but it’s something that could potentially come up again once that’s dealt with as it received too much attention to not be a discussion that is dropped after this point. Their willingness to consider having another child is an indication of moving onto a different life stage where they acknowledge that their sons are more independent and their lives are more stable so they believe that this is something they are well placed to do together. It feeds into the idea of improving things that are already good by making their loving family larger.

Other characters also feed into these ideas. Sarah is still firmly committed to being friends with Jordan because she needs time to figure herself out. It’s awkward for Jordan because he wants to be with her and feels strange interacting with her knowing that she doesn’t want anything more than friendship. This results in him avoiding her but Sarah isn’t someone who lets awkwardness linger so she confronts it head-on and is very clear about where she currently stands and what she needs from him. Once again, Sarah shows maturity beyond her years and highlights how beneficial therapy has been for her.

Sam’s desire to get to know Natalie is interesting as it leans into how complicated things are from her perspective. In her world, Sam was her grandfather and she had a relationship with his doppelgänger that she has lost. He isn’t looking to replace that but he is interested in forging his own connection with her. It’s something she is receptive to as she is still working on finding her place in this unfamiliar world. She knows that she can’t get her grandfather back but might be able to have a meaningful relationship with this version of Sam.

That possibility is challenged almost instantly when Sam tactlessly offers her the opportunity to enrol in the DOD Academy because he feels that she’s being wasted at Smallville High and a genius like her should be working on world-changing projects. This upsets Natalie because all she wanted to do was have a pleasant evening at the cinema in order to feel like a normal person so feels ambushed by Sam’s offer and feels that he wasn’t actually interested in spending time with her. He clears it up by pointing out his flaws that created difficulties in building relationships with his own family and asks that they try again, something Natalie is willing to do.

It’s unlikely to be the end of the discussion around Sam’s offer and it’s a great opportunity to explore Natalie’s feelings about the state of her life at this time. It isn’t clear if she feels comfortable at Smallville High or if she has friends of her own that she would have difficulty leaving behind. She has previously interacted with Jordan and Jonathan because of her father’s friendship with Lois and Clark so that’s not a good barometer for Natalie building a life for herself. Similarly, interacting with Sarah on a couple of occasions doesn’t offer insight into how happy she is in her own life. Her issue with Sam is based entirely on concluding that he wasn’t interested in spending time with her which is now resolved so now there is an opening to examine Natalie’s life and what she wants from it.

Other characters have plenty of room to improve their lives. Chrissy and Kyle connect over shared loneliness and the general feeling that there’s a lot in life they are missing. Lana’s delay in signing the divorce papers leaves him in a kind of limbo as he feels that he can’t move on with his life until that administrative formality is over. Until that happens their marriage is both over and not which makes him feel stuck. Lana signs the papers by the end of the episode which opens up a new avenue of emotional problems for Kyle as he has to define his life knowing that his marriage is definitely over.

It looks likely that a relationship with Chrissy will be a big part of his processing that change. Her insistence that it’s purely a one-time thing seems unlikely and the fact that it happened speaks to a need for her to have something in her life beyond work. She points out that a 16th birthday party is the extent of her social calendar and she’s clearly unhappy with that fact. Chrissy has barely been defined outside of her work previously so making work all she has in life part of her character and using it as a starting point for a character arc is a good way of turning a weakness into a strength if it’s followed up on in a satisfying way. It’s similar to the lack of development of Natalie outside of the role she performs in the show and hopefully a statement that these characters will receive some overdue attention.

Some time is spent building the threat that will plague Clark as Superman over the season. The previous season set up that Bruno Mannheim (Chad L. Coleman) would be coming into play and this episode delivers on that by showing the beginnings of his plan to give criminals powers. His first test subject is Henry Miller aka Atom-Man (Paul Lazenby); a villain that Clark fought in his early years as Superman as depicted in a season one episode. He is out of prison, has powers and makes vague fear-filled statements about people being after him and having to do something for them. Before Clark can get more information Henry appears to be shot and killed with no evidence of bullets. His only clue is a mysterious masked figure resembling the comic character Onomatopeia so there’s very little for Clark to work with but plenty to be concerned about. The end of the episode features Henry’s resurrection at Bruno Mannheim’s request and the indication that things are going according to plan. It’s too early to say whether this will be an engaging story but the action sequence involving Clark and Henry was very impressive.

---

Verdict

A strong opening to the season that offers several engaging promises of things to come, explores its core ideas well and continues the trend of excellent character work in this show. The themes of celebration and appreciation that weave through most of the characters are well-established and consistently featured throughout the episode. Recalibration is in the air and everyone is working to be the best version of themselves. Starting a season with a desire to recalibrate is structurally sound. Positive situations such as Clark and Lois finding time to be together, Jordan’s training and Jonathan learning to drive are tempered by realistic challenges that demonstrate that the show hasn’t lost sight of what it does best. The family dynamic is still as sharp and real as it ever was. Jonathan learning to drive is raised and resolved in this episode which leaves a notable gap as there’s no suggestion of what may be next for the character. In contrast, Jordan’s ongoing arc is clear. It points to a continuation of favouring Jordan as Jonathan fades into the background. Jordan’s desire to be a hero and use his abilities to help people while being forbidden to do so by Clark has a lot of potential for Clark to give him guidance based on his experience. It oddly goes unaddressed in this episode despite the clear opportunity to do so but there’s a lot to play with here. Clark and Lois dealing with the possibility of Lois being pregnant allows them to explore what they want in life. They both come around to the idea of having another child because they’re nostalgic about the early days of parenthood and want to bask in the feelings that come with them again. For Clark, it’s an opportunity to learn from his mistakes and be more present at the beginning of a child’s life. The false alarm and subsequent identification of a potentially serious medical issue forces a stop on planning for a new child for now but it’s something that could potentially come up again.

Other characters also feed into these ideas. Sarah is still firmly committed to being friends with Jordan because she needs time to figure herself out. It’s awkward for Jordan because he wants to be with her and feels strange interacting with her knowing that she doesn’t want anything more than friendship. Sarah isn’t someone who lets awkwardness linger so she confronts him avoiding her head-on and is very clear about where she currently stands and what she needs from him. Once again, Sarah shows maturity beyond her years and highlights how beneficial therapy has been for her. Sam’s desire to get to know Natalie is interesting as it leans into how complicated things are from her perspective. The possibility of them having a meaningful relationship is challenged almost instantly when Sam tactlessly offers her the opportunity to enrol in the DOD Academy because he feels that she’s being wasted at Smallville High. She feels ambushed by Sam’s offer and feels that he wasn’t actually interested in spending time with her. He clears it up by pointing out his flaws that created difficulties in building relationships with his own family and asks that they try again, something Natalie is willing to do. This provides an opportunity to explore the life that Natalie leads and how she feels about it. Other characters have plenty of room to improve their lives. Chrissy and Kyle connect over shared loneliness and the general feeling that there’s a lot in life they are missing. Lana’s delay in signing the divorce papers leaves Kyle in a sort of limbo that he’s freed from when she does sign them which opens up a new avenue of emotional problems for Kyle to deal with. It looks likely that a relationship with Chrissy will be a big part of his processing that change. Her insistence that it’s purely a one-time thing seems unlikely and the fact that it happened speaks to a need for her to have something in her life beyond work. This could potentially turn issues with the handling of the character into a starting point for a character arc. The same applies to Natalie. Some time is spent building the threat that will plague Clark as Superman. It’s too early to say whether the plot has merit but the action sequence involving Clark and Henry was very impressive.

We’d love to know your thoughts on this and anything else you might want to talk about. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter or just leave a comment in the comment section below. You’ll need an account for Disqus but it’s easy to set up. Don’t forget to share your rating in the “User Review” box

If you want to chat with me directly then I’m also on Twitter.