Pilot
Episode 1 of Superman and Lois begins with a beautiful montage through time as we see Lois and Clark Kent’s life up until this moment. Two kids, Jordan and Jonathan, the white picket fence and all the trials and tribulations that come with being parents are all showcased here. Time passes and Clark’s children wind up as teenagers, unaware of their Father serving Metropolis as Superman. This time, Clark heads out and cools down a boiling reactor with a giant iceberg. Clark returns home and greets his two kids. While Jonathan’s introduction is warm, Jordan’s however is not. With high school due to start and therapy still underway, Jordan is distant and cold toward his Father. To make matters worse, Clark is fired from his job and receives a call from his Mother. Only, it’s actually Dr Frye on the phone who breaks the news that Martha has passed away. The funeral takes place and the whole family arrive in Smallville to pay their respects. Among those in attendance is teenager Sarah Cushing, whom Jordan takes a fancy to. While the boys get cozy with Sarah, thinking about investigating the barn, the parents all sit together and catch up. Well, that catch-up soon turns hostile when the conversation steers toward Morgan Edge. It turns out this guy is renovating energy but Lois is not so open to what this means. When she mentions the bad things he’s doing, Kyle smirks and reveals that Martha has already made a decision regarding the farm. However, they’re all interrupted by Jordan and Jonathan messing around with the router in the barn. Jordan falls and a whole stack of metal poles rain down. Jonathan plunges forward and tries to save his brother. As Sarah rushes off to get help, Clark bolts into and uses his strength to save the pair. It turns out they’re both absolutely fine. Clark believes Jonathan is the one with powers and able to shield himself. While the kids are okay, General Sam Lane shows up and updates Clark on the power plant situation. Someone is studying Clark and that can only mean bad news for them all. While Lois wants Clark to stay in Smallville, her Father reminds her that she married Superman and normal is not on the table. In the morning, the kids head back in the barn and find a trapdoor leading down to the basement. With flashlights in hand, they investigate and find Superman’s ship. Clark and Lois learn that Martha had financial issues regarding the farm and upon her death, there was an agreement in place for the bank to own part of it. The pair are interrupted though by Jordan and Jonathan arriving and confronting their Father about the ship. It’s here Clark breaks the news to them that he is in fact Superman. After showing off his powers, the boys turn away from him – especially when Jordan thinks he favours Jonathan. As the boys walk away, Clark tries to grapple with his life falling apart. Unfortunately he’s interrupted by a distress signal coming through from another nuclear facility. Clark manages to talk to the mystery foe, who’s dressed in a full suit of armour and obscured with a mask. Apparently his planet was destroyed too but before they can continue, a chase ensues across the globe. This chase eventually leads to Superman being stabbed and left to fall back down to Earth. At the same time, Jordan shows up at the mine with Sarah but after connecting with each other, he leans in for a kiss. Unfortunately it turns out she has a boyfriend and he charges over, knocking Jordan to the ground. Despite Jonathan showing up too, the pair are pummeled to the ground by the group. In a twist that’s probably obvious to anyone who’s watched TV in the last 20 years, it turns out Jordan is the one with powers. He hits the fire with a laser eye blast, just as Clark Kent arrives on the scene after saving himself. After talking to the kids about what’s going on, Clark believes that Martha’s real goal here is for them to move back to Smallville and live a simpler life. They break the news to Lana that they’re not selling up but have done their research. It turns out the company interested in buying out the farm is owned by none other than Morgan Edge. Meanwhile, we cut across to the man dressed as Master Chief from the Halo series and find out exactly who he is. It’s actually Luthor! Oh no…
The Episode Review
The CW network has always been the butt of jokes when it comes to middling superhero shows or cheesy writing. With Stargirl last year (a joint production with DC Universe) the superhero genre expanded to show some serious girl power but with believable characters and a well written premise. Superman & Lois is a sole CW property and it seems like they’ve learned from the mistakes of the past to deliver a similarly well written romp. The opening 10 minutes of the pilot in particular are great, showing off some decent cinematography and a lot of action. The family are all empathetic and the set-up is simple, effective but more than a little predictable. Even this early on it was always going to be Jordan with the powers and going forward we’ll undoubtedly see a power shift as Jordan and Clark grow closer together and Jonathan begins to resent his Father. In fact, this could lead to him either getting involved with Morgan Edge. And what are the odds on Morgan Edge and Luther being aligned together? Again, that’s just a theory. Either way though, this is a solid offering to add to the long list of Superman movies and TV shows, armed with some lovely moments dotted through this hour-long pilot. Roll on the next episode!
