SUPERMAN & LOIS - "Pilot" Thoughts and Review

 

Potential Spoilers for Superman & Lois may follow...

In a world that often feels dark, complicated, and busy, it's easy to become jaded and distracted. Just the other day, a close friend of mine and I were discussing how mankind wasn't meant to be doing so much mental "work". Our bodies, our minds, and our souls are much happier, and rest better, when the physical and mental meet, and when life is simple. We remarked (he being from Kentucky and myself from Montana) that the "simple life" doesn't exist in this day and age the same way it did a hundred years ago. 

Now, with corporate takeovers, never-ending technological advancements, and the ever-frustrating political landscape of America, culture and society seem to be devolving as our lives get busier and more complicated. Often it feels hard to even breathe, let alone think.

Growing up, I was a huge Smallville fan. I loved the show, I loved the "small town", the characters, the "freak of the week" episodes, and, most importantly, how much I could relate, on a personal level, to Clark Kent. When I was young, Superman seemed so out of reach. I loved Superman: The Animated Series, his appearances on the Justice League animated series, and even the original Donner flick (not to mention the countless Superman/JLA books I'd read), but I never related to Superman. He always felt out of reach.

This changed when I discovered Smallville. For me, the series showed a more "human" side to Clark that we hadn't seen before. A not-quite-yet Superman who was unsure of himself, who didn't have all of his abilities, and who felt like he was destined for something he couldn't quite understand. This was a Superman I understood. 

And yes, I know there are a lot of people who dislike or even hate Smallville. I know many would argue that it's not a Superman show simply because Clark doesn't put on the suit or fly until the "Finale" (though, if that's what makes him Superman, then Action Comics #1 hardly qualifies), but I've never understood that because, at the end of the day, it was always clear that Clark would always do his best to help people, choosing to try to help save them as opposed to giving up or moving on. That's who Superman is.

Smallville helped me get through a time of my life where I felt like Clark, where I was going through a lot of the same things as he did (especially in the early seasons) and to this day it's still my favorite show. It helped me grow up. So, when I heard that Superman & Lois was in development after the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event, I couldn't have been more excited.

Superman & Lois feels like the natural continuation of the Superman story.

We've seen Clark Kent grow up in Smallville, we've seen him become the Man of Steel, we've seen Superman take flight, helping us believe a man could fly. We've watched as Lois & Clark chronicled The New Adventures of Superman, and we've even seen him Return(s). This series (in many ways mirroring the current Superman comic books) is no doubt the next step in the lives of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

And boy do they knock it out of the park... From the opening montage (that feels all too familiar) I was sold.

What I loved about Superman & Lois is how grounded in reality it is. Between the very real feeling deaths of Jonathan and Martha Kent to the relationship between Jon and Jordan, these feel like real people living real lives. We all know a Lois Lane, a Kyle Cushing, a Jonathan Kent. And we all know the serious realities of losing a job, moving a family, keeping secrets, and/or being afraid that they'll come out. This show, on paper, almost feels too (to use Sarah's words) "basic", and yet in practice, it doesn't feel that way at all. In fact, it soars.

Heading into this series, I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Nervous that the Arrowverse's continuity or world-building might have too much of an influence on this series, or that it might get in the way. Since we've seen Superman and Lois together on Supergirl and other shows, the fear was that Superman & Lois might be held back because of the continuity (specifically, their continuity) from their previous Pre-Crisis incarnations. Thankfully, that's not the case at all, and those fears were quickly swept under the rug in the first few minutes.

But let's talk about the rest of the "Pilot"...

It was wonderful. From the flashback to Clark's first years as Superman (I grew up watching the Fleischer cartoons often on family roadtrips, so that was a nice nod) to Lois' investigative nose knowing that Morgan Edge might be up to something, Superman & Lois makes you feel like the Superman comics you grew up with, or animated series' you watched, was coming to life before your eyes.

Tyler Hoechlin plays Superman masterfully and is the perfect choice for Clark Kent's return to television. My wife and I have been binging Teen Wolf recently where Hoechlin stared as Derek Hale (who couldn't, at times, be more different from Clark Kent), and let me tell you that it's been made very clear that he has enormous range. "I would have never thought they were the same person," my wife says. Hoechlin manages the lives of Clark Kent and Superman just as well as the men who previously wore the cape, putting out his trademark boy scout charm when saving a young boy as Superman to awkwardly trying to engage with his teenage sons as a father doing his best to juggle his double life, and while the secret is now officially "out", I'm looking forward to seeing more of that as this series continues.

But what would Superman be without his Lois Lane? I have to admit, I've always liked Bitsie Tulloch as Lois Lane from the Pre-Crisis days of the Arrowverse, but seeing her in Superman & Lois, in a starring capacity, is really something I'm looking forward to. To be honest, I didn't feel like Lois had much to do in the "Pilot", but I think that's okay. Between Martha's passing, helping Clark deal with his loss (something Lois has always been good at, and Tulloch performs masterfully), and the twins dealing with the fact that one of them has powers and their dad is Superman, there's a lot going on. But don't worry, because with Morgan Edge out there, you can bet that this star reporter is going to get out there and expose the corruption that's eating away at the good people of Smallville, and I can't wait for more.

Which brings us to the twins: Jonathan and Jordan. The twins seem to be a split of the comics' version of Jonathan Kent aka Superboy... Jonathan being the self-less, "good son" half, with Jordan taking on the more troubled, "half-Kryptonian" element that also exists within the comics version of Superboy. Splitting the character into two is an interesting choice for the Superman & Lois team to make, but a welcomed one as both Alex Garfin and Jordan Elass do a wonderful job of both being brothers and being two teenagers who learn that their dad is the world's most famous, and powerful, superhero. 

I can't wait to see more of their story and watch as Lois and Clark work to help Jordan understand and control his powers (I feel heavy Smallville vibes coming) and Jonathan cope with (at this point in time) not having them.

There's so much more worth talking about, but instead of spewing my theories, I suppose I'd rather ask the questions and facilitate some discussion...

What world is Captain Luthor from? What happened to his universe/Superman?

Will Jonathan develop powers?

Is the show going to portray Kyle Cushing as an actual character with real-world motivations or just as a charicature?

How does the rest of the Arrowverse fit into this show? And where on the timeline does this fall into place?

What is Morgan Edge up to?

Who all saw Jordan use his powers? Because, come on... With all the cell phones there, you know someone saw something...

Superman & Lois has so much potential to explore topics, ideas, and ideologies that past Superman series' haven't, and it's exciting to have a Superman series again on TV (and on the CW no less...) with a budget that seems to rival that of even a Marvel Disney+ series. The "Pilot" truly amazed me, and I can't wait to see what the remaining episodes of this season bring. But until then...

Up, up, and away!