S01.E11: A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events

[scarynikki12]

Quote

Clark makes a startling discovery about Morgan Edge.

 

 

[scarynikki12]

Time for a history lesson!

I didn’t realize how young Clark was when he first found the Fortress. So young he hadn’t become Tyler.

I love how Clark tells his Mama everything.

A baseball cap and a big smile and Kyle looks years younger. Then he insists on apologizing to Lois about his Edge blindness.

Holy Superman references Batman! They’re all over the place and the comic writers and artists I follow on social media are Geeking.The.Fuck.Out. We got Clark pulling open the shirt to show the symbol, super changing clothes in the phone booth, revisiting the green car comic cover from the pilot, “like a bird or a plane”, Perry White!, Reporter Lois and Reporter Clark, flirting, and Lois meeting  Superman.

Martha is a gem.

Huh the Planet also does tv news.

Lois said she wanted a girl and ended up with twin boys. Knowing how much she loves them made her pouting even funnier.

Well Edge knows Clark and Superman are the same. Guess he’s going to die or get mind wiped by season’s end. He followed him to the Fortress. You need a security system Clark.

I like that this boils down to Edge having a tantrum because he wanted a little brother to idolize him. Fits the family thing.

I adore the smirk Jon sends Jordan about Sarah. He’s the Captain and whole crew of that ship and it’s so cute.

Jordan has powers and Lois still puts her body in front of her boys when Edge shows up. I love her so much.

Of course threatening Lois and the boys gets Clark to join Edge. 

Edge’s father looks like Jabba The Hut.

[AimingforYoko]

John Henry was right! But nobody ever wants to listen to the brother.

6 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Edge’s father looks like Jabba The Hut.

I was thinking more this guy:

[Primal Slayer]

These are the kind of episodes where it annoys me when a show that's in a multi-show universe ignores the fact that it's part of multi-show universe. Would've been the perfect time for Kara to swoop in or a mention of Kara but now we'll have to act as if no one would try to contact the one Kryptonian that can take on Superman if he goes bad. 

Apart from that, it was a great flashback episode! It was nice to get caught up in this version of Clark/Lois's origins. We got a Jimmy mention but of course no Jimmy, would've loved a Cat mention as well but oh well. So they changed the popular "Lois is in love with Superman and annoyed by Clark" and reversed it. I don't mind. I definitely want more Daily Planet in my life though.

Jordan got the girl and finally that storyline can be wrapped up and they can start the "we're dating and you're keeping things from me"

Edge is really the polar opposite of Clark in every single way and I dont know whether to laugh or kind of roll my eyes with just how on point it is. His father looks like he came out of GoT...yikes. They really wanted to drive home "this guy is evil and disgusting" and you can see why Lara was not into him at all but he was into her. 

[Diapason Untuned]

What an amazing episode.

This may actually be the best origin story for Superman I've ever seen, anywhere. I love how they mixed Silver Age stuff like Supes' first costume and that phonebooth spin with more modern stories like Superman Smashes the Klan. And just when I was getting cozy, it was actually all in his head, basically the plot of "For the Man Who Has Everything" 

Seeing Clark's anger at Edge threatening his family, his pain at losing Jor-El and his anguish when he had to surrender, what an emotional gamut that man has been running. I'm really looking forward to how they're gonna save him next week.

[bettername2come]

So Martha's a tiny bit psychic with dreams of Clark flying, I guess?

I love that Gregory Smith directed this. Seriously, I think Berlanti has pulled more from Everwood than the Arrowverse for this superhero show about a father who's grown distant from his 2 kids and moves to a small town to help bring his family closer. 

Tyler Hoechlin has the most beautiful smile. I love seeing the early stages of his relationship with Lois and his wonder with the new powers. I just love seeing them work together following a story and Lois tazing the guy after Clark saved her. I love that Lois fell in love with Clark, not Superman. And they remembered Jimmy exists! I got so sucked into the couply origin story stuff that I was surprised when Jor-El started yelling at Clark at the halfway mark. Edge showing up freaked me out so much more than it had any right to, especially with Clark still kind of confused in a dream state saying "Please, they're just babies." 

This Jor-El is much nicer than the Smallville one, sticking up for humanity and telling Clark he loved him in his final moments. 

Mama Lois throwing out the single arm to guard her super-powered son against the evil Kryptonian is just pure mom energy. I love her so much. And yay for Jordan using his heat vision on purpose! And to Jonathan for generally trying to check on his injured family.  

The 90s kid in me half-expected Dinozords to pop up out of the ground when Emo Teen Edge threw the crystal.  

So Lois called John at the end, but

Spoiler

based on the promo, did she actually call John Diggle?! I mean, he has ARGUS and probably inherited Oliver's Kryptonite arrow, so I wouldn't rule it out. There's 2 Johns, a J'Onn and a Jon in this universe and it's too many! They'd been pretty consistently referring to Steel as John Henry so I wonder if they're faking us out. 

It's amusing to me that the CW sneak peek released for this episode had to come from 3/4s of the way through to not give spoilers. 

18 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

Edge’s father looks like Jabba The Hut.

I was thinking the Albino from The Princess Bride meets Mercer Mayer's Little Critter. 

[cambridgeguy]

I bet everyone is glad Sam designed those kryptonite weapons now, especially since the hero turning bad for one reason or another is pretty standard stuff (both Flash and Supergirl did it in their first season too).  Of course it's possible that's a misdirect too (heroic willpower and all that) but it seems unlikely with all the buildup.  Hopefully John was off getting his armor ready since that he's the only other superhero who's in the main cast.

[AimingforYoko]

13 minutes ago, Diapason Untuned said:

I'm really looking forward to how they're gonna save him next week.

Not until July 13th.

[thuganomics85]

Ah, a good old "flashback episode that is nice and fluffy at first but then things get real with a quickness!"

Obviously the origin story for Clark/Superman has been done to death, but I liked how this played out and seeing some of the differences this go around, like Hologram Jor-El actually being supportive of Clark connecting with humans on a personal level, and Lois actually falling in love with Clark himself, since she kind of found "Superman" a bit annoying due to his caginess and how his heroics; while noble and great; did overshadow some of the other crime and issues that needed to be address.  And despite the limited screen time (compared to some of the other films and whatnot), the episode really did a great job establishing the relationship between Clark and Lois, and showing just how strong it is.  Certainly helps that Tyler Hoechin and Elizabeth Tulloch just have mad chemistry with one another no matter what the scenario is.  Definitely struck gold with this casting (way back in the Elseworlds crossover.)

Great seeing more of Martha and I wouldn't mind seeing her again in more flashbacks and whatnot.

Did like that they addressed Clark's former romance with Lana and initially being hurt when he returned and saw that she moved on.  But I think they did a good job at not making it look like she was the "one who got away", but still an important relationship that help Clark preparing to be ready for his true love.

But, of course, the flashbacks weren't all fun, because it turns out it was all Morgan Edge using a device to spy on Clark and find out the truth about his identity and who he cares for.  And now Clark has basically surrendered in order to protect his family.  Again, even though Edge had a rough upbringing compared to Clark, there seems to be a clear bigotry to humanity from him that I suspect would have always been there, and would have made him a problem no matter what.

Hey, Jordan and Sarah are now a thing, officially!  Well, until she finds out about the power stuff that he is still keeping from her, because that always tends to happen on these shows and it never ends well...

Man, I can't believe I'm actually starting to like Kyle now.  Of course, that just makes me wonder if he's destined to die a tragic, if heroic death somewhere down the line.

Aww, July 13th is so far away!

[DanaK]

Not knowing any spoilers, I went into this thinking this episode was a continuation from last week and stuff with Edge and got totally charmed by Superman’s origin story and Clark and Lois’s relationship and marriage even though I’ve seen pieces before in the movies and previous series. Bitsie and Tyler continue to have great chemistry.

Edge is clearly bad and his dad is even badder and a real piece of work

So was Lois calling Jon Henry or John Diggle? 

[Lantern7]

That was fun. Also unexpected, given that the local affiliate was supposed to run primary results tonight. They did not, and I'm not complaining.

Apparently, Clark broke into professional journalism the same way Kara did . . . a lot of "put me in, coach!" I'll credit Perry for not looking like life ran him under a bus a few times. BTW, whatever happened to Snapper Carr? It was nice that we had the Lois/Clark relationship evolve naturally, without Superman making it a bizarre love triangle. Good change of pace.

*sigh* Edge is still an asshole, and his father is a discount Darth Sidious. I mean, I get the butthurt for Lara choosing Jor-El over him (she must've loved dad bods), but he still came off as stock evil.

Edited June 25, 2021 by Lantern7

[dwmarch]

1 hour ago, Primal Slayer said:

These are the kind of episodes where it annoys me when a show that's in a multi-show universe ignores the fact that it's part of multi-show universe. Would've been the perfect time for Kara to swoop in or a mention of Kara but now we'll have to act as if no one would try to contact the one Kryptonian that can take on Superman if he goes bad.

I don't watch any of the other DC universe shows but yeah, they went way out of their way to avoid mentioning any kind of extended universe here. Edge even specifically asked about it.

Edge: Hey dad, which other specific Kryptonians should I be on the lookout for?
Dad: FUCK ALL THAT, DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE MCU?!?!

[scarynikki12]

19 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

I don't watch any of the other DC universe shows but yeah, they went way out of their way to avoid mentioning any kind of extended universe here. Edge even specifically asked about it.

Edge: Hey dad, which other specific Kryptonians should I be on the lookout for?
Dad: FUCK ALL THAT, DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE MCU?!?!

On that specific point Kara’s pod hadn’t arrived yet. It was knocked off course and she arrived after Superman had been around for a bit. That’s why she’s physically younger than Clark despite having been a young teen when he was born. So Jabba Dad not mentioning her as another Kryptonian on Earth is consistent with the timeline.

1 hour ago, bettername2come said:

I love that Gregory Smith directed this. Seriously, I think Berlanti has pulled more from Everwood than the Arrowverse for this superhero show about a father who's grown distant from his 2 kids and moves to a small town to help bring his family closer

I think you’re right and it’s the best route they could have taken. I don’t expect us to start shouting “Damn you Berlanti!” or anything but bringing the family feels is so great.

[Frozendiva]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

That was fun. Also unexpected, given that the local affiliate was supposed to run primary results tonight. They did not, and I'm not complaining.

Apparently, Clark broke into professional journalism the same way Kara did . . . a lot of "put me in, coach!" I'll credit Perry for not looking likelife ran him under a bus a few times. BTW, whatever happened to Snapper Carr? It was nice that we had the Lois/Clark relationship evolve naturally, without Superman making it a bizarre love triangle. Good change of pace.

*sigh* Edge is still an asshole, and his father is a discount Darth Sidious. I mean, I get the butthurt for Lara choosing Jor-El over him (she must've loved dad bods), but he still came off as stock evil.

I was having DVR recording issues and was happy that my time shift WPIX had the show on. Otherwise it would be the later KTLA shift channel. I wasn’t expecting a good episode.

[anamika]

So Sam Lane just packed up all his men and anti-Kryptonian weapons and left the Kents to fend for themselves? What the hell general Lane? Why was everyone so chill when Edge and his henchwoman was still out there? And Edge took back the eradicator?

Why is Edge more powerful than Superman? Initially I thought it may have been because of Supes using up a lot of energy earlier for the Krypto-people, but I recall Edge beating him up during their first meeting as well.

Yeah, Edge's dad looks appropriately evil.

Personally, I found the first half rather boring considering it's a story we have seen several times in different iterations and this version with Hoechlin and Tulloch wasn't anything special.

So Kyle seems to be on a redemption arc but I get the feeling something is going to derail his apology tour.

Glad John Henry is coming back.

Edited June 23, 2021 by anamika

[ukgirl71]

I loved the way teen Clark morphed into the Tyler we know in the show- it reminded me of River Phoenix “becoming” Harrison Ford in The Last Crusade.  And Jor-El’s pride in Clark when he first met him 🥰 - I actually like the old grump, just as we lose him (for now?).   One of the key differences between Edge and Clark seems to be just how much freedom the latter had to choose his path, with his parents, human and Kryptonian, allowing him to find his own path, his own motivation.
I agree about Tyler’s beautiful smile - 😍.  And isn’t it impressive just how much a shave (and a little CGI??) can make someone look younger?  That, and early Metropolis Clark’s sweet geekiness helps a lot.
I didn’t realise just how much I would adore seeing Lois and Clark, not Superman’s, relationship evolve through teamwork and genuine care for the forgotten and beaten-down people, a nice contrast to the other reporters fan-boying over Superman,  We even got some early demonstrations of Lois snark (“who’s the hero now?”) and her ability to take care of herself, with her tazer.  The fritzing in of that shadowy figure was our first hint that the show wasn’t “just” a straightforward flash-back - nicely done!

My inner dork utterly loved how Superman found out Lois was in love with Clark and had to act casual about it.

I felt Clark’s disorientation when the memories started diverging from his reality - with Lois apparently ignoring him, it was very unsettling.

Sarah and Jordan becoming “official” was sweet, but felt a little anti-climatic given everything else that was going on.  By the way, is Jordan actually the older twin - did I pick up the birth scene right?  It makes Jon all the more remarkable now if so.  I wasn’t expecting Jordan to step up, and out to protect his family, and use his heat vision.  Between that and Kyle’s apology, those few minutes felt full of some serious foreshadowing.

And are we taking it that Superman has gone bad because his body is now inhabited by Zeta-Rho’s consciousness?

Roll on 13 July!

 

 

[arc]

I've always hated the crystal Fortress of Solitude the Donner movies introduced. It was a cheap looking budget-saving (I assume) move, plus it made the Fortress's origins from Jor-El rather than something Superman built himself. I suppose this show also needed to save some money too and a teenage pre-Superman Clark is hardly going to build the Fortress by himself. But still, I hate it.

Good try, good effort but Cantonese is a tonal language and it's quite hard for people not used to tones. They shoulda just given Hoechlin a line in literally any other (non-tonal) language.

Boy, teenage Morgan Edge looked like a tool.

BTW did Kara not get a fortress crystal of her own???? WTF, Zor-El?

After those earlier episodes where Jor-El spoke to Clark, but no hologram, just the rotating CGI figure, I assume Edge crushing Jor-El's mind crystal was mostly about writing the character out.

[miasth]

I have always loved the more adorkable versions of Clark/Supes so that line my mom made it for me with that big grin just makes me smile.

Lois preferred Clark that is a change.  Her tasering the bad guy was so Lois. Lois Lane has always been a hit and miss for me due to how she is written . I love this version of Lois and Elizabeth Tulloch is awesome.

The Edge actor sold his desperation and despair over Clark not being the brother he envisioned so well that I nearly felt sympathy for him. It is tragic really because he has a family that is great and would have welcomed him. Yet he threw it all away because of his own bias and bigotry.

Papa Ro yikes. No wonder Lara hightailed it away as he was clearly a disturbed individual. 

Jordan tried, but it showed he has ways to go as his blast was no match for Uncle Morgan.  I felt like Supes was signaling to Lois with the statement he made before leaving with Edge.  Those Kryptonite weapons are about to come in handy and Clark is probably banking on them to stop him once he has been eradicated.

 

[cambridgeguy]

I hope all those people sitting outside Perry's open door heard what he said to Clark - you're hired as long as you agree to run some personal errands for him even if your resume is a "cry for help".

It's too bad we didn't get to see Lois introduce Clark to Sam - I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been as welcoming as Martha was with Lois. 

6 hours ago, anamika said:

Why is Edge more powerful than Superman? Initially I thought it may have been because of Supes using up a lot of energy earlier for the Krypto-people, but I recall Edge beating him up during their first meeting as well.

Superman almost always holds back.  He wasn't going to unload on Edge at their first meeting.

[Chicago Redshirt]

7 hours ago, anamika said:

So Sam Lane just packed up all his men and anti-Kryptonian weapons and left the Kents to fend for themselves? What the hell general Lane? Why was everyone so chill when Edge and his henchwoman was still out there? And Edge took back the eradicator?

Why is Edge more powerful than Superman? Initially I thought it may have been because of Supes using up a lot of energy earlier for the Krypto-people, but I recall Edge beating him up during their first meeting as well.

Yeah, Edge's dad looks appropriately evil.

Personally, I found the first half rather boring considering it's a story we have seen several times in different iterations and this version with Hoechlin and Tulloch wasn't anything special.

So Kyle seems to be on a redemption arc but I get the feeling something is going to derail his apology tour.

Glad John Henry is coming back.

From a Doylist perspective, basically having a division set up shop on the Kent farm would prevent the story they want to tell.

From a Watsonian perspective, Superman usually would be by himself enough protection. Which I guess highlights why it would be a bad idea to pull out specifically then -- the plan was that Superman would be down for a bit by doing a solar flare to wipe out the quasi-Kryptonians. 

As to Edge being more powerful than Superman, a couple possibilities:

1. Edge is actually more powerful than Superman in general because he has been on Earth longer and therefore has been soaking up solar radiation longer. Plus, he is less likely to have done things like solar flare his energy away (Clark presumably has done so a few times), get exposed to Kryptonite or other things to weaken him, because Edge has been hiding his Kryptonian nature.

2. Edge isn't necessarily stronger than Superman, but is more ruthless. Edge is willing to choose violence as a first resort, whereas Superman generally holds himself back.

3. My recollection of the first skirmish did not seem to show either having a decisive win. In this second, Clark was still recovering from the physical toll of the solar flare as well as the mental toll of the mind probe. 

As for the origin story, I don't think it was so been-there-done-that as many of them are. I liked that it established this Lois as someone with her own thoughts, drives, etc. rather than just an appendage to Superman's story. It seems like they decided to retcon AI Jor-El to be a good and supportive father in contrast with the more aloof version we'd seen so far in the series. 

[Lady Calypso]

I really, really enjoyed this episode. After finding last episode weaker than the others this season, I found that this one easily bounced back into great territory.

I enjoyed that we got half flashbacks which turned into an actual mindscape place that Edge was sitting in on to gain information. I love that the first thirty minutes was us seeing how Clark met Lois, how they fell in love and how they began to grow their family. It's very interesting to note that the moment that Clark IS able to make a breakthrough and realize something wasn't right, it was during the memory of Lois telling him about her pregnancy. For me, I interpreted it as Clark's inner subconscious trying to protect his sons from Edge, although it would have been obvious at that point that Lois' sons were his as well. 

It was great to see Lois fall in love with Clark, rather than Superman first. It was great to see her admit her being in love with Clark during her interview with Superman. This version of Clark/Lois is really working for me. 

I can see why Edge was able to beat Superman; he was still very weak from the solar flare. Sam even said it would take days for him to recover, and it had only been...what, no more than a few hours or a full day, at most? And Superman never goes full force unless he has all the information and has to. 

Still, it was sad to see him realize that he had to sacrifice his humanity to save his family, and he can't even be sure that Edge will keep his promise of not hurting his family. 

Jordan/Sarah finally take a step in their relationship! Hooray! And it was fantastic to see Jordan step up and actually try to protect his family with his new powers. We haven't had a lot of focus on Jordan controlling his powers, besides his superhearing, so him trying to laser blast Edge was neat. 

7 hours ago, ukgirl71 said:

By the way, is Jordan actually the older twin - did I pick up the birth scene right?

I think so? It could technically be interpreted either way. I personally interpreted it as Jonathan was born first, so he'd be meeting his baby brother shortly, but it could definitely be seen as Jordan being the older twin too. It was a vague line, for sure.

[Writing Wrongs]

8 hours ago, anamika said:

Personally, I found the first half rather boring considering it's a story we have seen several times in different iterations and this version with Hoechlin and Tulloch wasn't anything special.

I found it quite enjoyable to watch. Better than smug Henry Cavill and bland Amy Adams from the movies. And yeah, there's a connected multi-verse out there, but not everything has to be like the MCU.

[tennisgurl]

That was a really good use of flashbacks, I loved seeing the early days of Superman and how Lois and Clark fell in love. This was another great episode, although the ending makes me very nervous about what comes next for the Kent's. I thought the flashbacks were really sweet, I love how they are pulling a lot from the classic Gold and Silver Age Superman alongside the more modern cannon while also doing their own thing. Its great how they can take things that have long been considered the cheesier parts of the franchise, like the "its a bird, its a plane!" line, recreating the famous first Superman cover with him lifting the car, or Clark changing costumes in a phone booth, and really make them work through sheer earnestness. Also fun seeing Martha again, as well as Perry White. Martha was so awesome, I wish she was still around, the Kent's could really use her. 

We also got to see more of Clark and Lois meeting, falling in love, and being reporters, and its as adorable as I imagined it would be. Its hard to make a relationship we have seen develop so many times fresh, which is probably one of the reasons they decided to focus on them as a long established couple with kids for the show, but they really did make it work thanks to the chemistry between Tyler and Bitsie and the strong writing. Lois falling for Clark first instead of Superman was really great, they were so sweet together slowly falling in love, it really continues the theme that while Superman is a part of Clark, he really is Clark Kent, lovable midwestern farm boy turned reporter at heart, an alien Superman second. That's what Edge just cant understand, Clark is a Kryptonian by birth but he was also raised as a human so he will always have that humanity inside of him. 

Its pretty clever using the flashbacks to not only give us more background on Clark and Clark/Lois, but they used them to move the plot along, as it turns out that Edge was actually inside of Clarks head, searching through his memories to see what he could use against him and why he cares so much about this planet. Edge really is the opposite of Clark in every way, not only did he meet the evil Kent's when he landed on Earth, he also has an evil Jor-El who abuses him in an attempt to "prepare" him to complete his mission and destroy humanity, I can certainly see why Laura wasn't into this guy. While Edge clearly went through a lot of crap, and its sad that Clark never found out he had a brother before things went so badly and could have reached him, he clearly always had this feeling of superiority towards humanity and he is crossing way too many lines to feel too terrible for him. Especially now that he is threatening Lois and the boys and is trying to suck the goodness out of Clark via torture ray. 

Its nice that at least Clark got to revisit some nice memories before everything went to crap. Poor guy lost his crystal dad, had his kids threatened by his evil long lost brother, and had to sacrifice himself to save them, even probably knowing that there is no way to know that Edge will keep his word, and now could get turned evil against his will. The next episode could not come fast enough. 

[rmontro]

15 hours ago, bettername2come said:

So Martha's a tiny bit psychic with dreams of Clark flying, I guess?

I loved that line "Thanks, my mom made it for me" when the kid liked his costume.  Only a mother could come up with such a corny idea like having her special son wear a special costume for doing special things, and make it for him.

[ouinason]

God I love ET as Lois. I have to say that I'm relieved by that considering how much I hated her on Grimm.

[Proteus]

This episode was really beautiful. The chemistry between Tyler & Bitsie is amazing. This episode was one of the best Superman/Lois/Clark origin stories I've ever seen.

I just love this show.

[norcalgal]

21 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

So they changed the popular "Lois is in love with Superman and annoyed by Clark" and reversed it. I don't mind.

 

21 hours ago, bettername2come said:

I love that Lois fell in love with Clark, not Superman.

 

20 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

It was nice that we had the Lois/Clark relationship evolve naturally, without Superman making it a bizarre love triangle.

 

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

We also got to see more of Clark and Lois meeting, falling in love, and being reporters, and its as adorable as I imagined it would be. Its hard to make a relationship we have seen develop so many times fresh, which is probably one of the reasons they decided to focus on them as a long established couple with kids for the show, but they really did make it work thanks to the chemistry between Tyler and Bitsie and the strong writing. Lois falling for Clark first instead of Superman was really great, they were so sweet together slowly falling in love, it really continues the theme that while Superman is a part of Clark, he really is Clark Kent, lovable midwestern farm boy turned reporter at heart, an alien Superman second. That's what Edge just cant understand, Clark is a Kryptonian by birth but he was also raised as a human so he will always have that humanity inside of him. 

 I really, really loved that this show took the route of Lois falling in love with Clark, rather than Superman. It reminds me of my OTP from the Avengers  - Steve and Peggy.  Peggy *first* cared for the kid from Brooklyn, not post-serum Steve. I just love the idea that both women love the "man underneath the costume", as it were. That is, the man as he was raised, not the man who later was lauded by the world.

(This is why even though I felt the end of Endgame was problematic  - because Steve acted OOO - my 'shipper heart squeeeed at the end of Endgame).

[PAForrest]

Wow, this season is flying by in how fast the storyline is progressing - a little too fast, I think. Flash-fast! Unless what's happening now is just a big honking macguffin, the set up for the real story to come.

The flashbacks were really well done. I loved the entire Lois and Clark backstory, all the Superman story nods, and the twist that Lois was in love with Clark, not Superman. The only thing that confuses me is how soon Clark's father - Jonathan - dies. Maybe I'm confusing some of the story with Smallville right now, but it feels like Jonathan never really factored in Clark's life - only Martha did. And even she wasn't enough to keep Clark from leaving her for years.

It very much mirrors Clark's loyalties to his sons - where Jordan named for Jor-El is of primary importance to Clark, and Jonathan is the fleeting recollection of an Earth father he had but lost long ago and doesn't put a whole lot of thought into. Interesting.

But I really did adore how much Clark loved his first supersuit because mom made it for him. Awwwww.

Clark gave up so easily and quickly. I mean, we know he's not going to remain "bad" for too long. At least I hope not! But it looks like JHI was right on the money. I guess we're to assume the Superman in JHI's universe went bad under the same influence of Edge and his creepy gross AF daddy. Yikes! I'm with AimingforYoko - I immediately flashed back to the original Dune movie too. Like minds!

And Clark really shouldn't trust that Edge is going to keep his word anyway. The guy is a sociopath.

But again, all this is happening lightning fast. And the DOD is already gone from the farm even though they were aware Edge was still out there? Grandpa, what were you thinking?!?

I can't be paid enough money to care that Jordan and Sarah officially hooked up. However, once again this plot device feels like it happened in a blink. Which should mean it ain't going to last - something will happen to break them up, because that's how these things go.

So now we have to wait a few weeks for the next episode? Sad!

[kickingnames]

I love that, for all his powers, Superman couldn’t manage anything more subtle than a “doo de doo, I totally was not listening to your every word” look around the studio when Lois’ producer friend realized he could hear their conversation. Clark is such a dork, and I love every bit of it.

Hope this “evil Superman” storyline doesn’t last long. I know it’s part and parcel of Superman mythos to have him temporarily turned bad for one reason or another, but I’m so invested in Clark and Lois as a power couple I just don’t want to take time away from that.

[bettername2come]

21 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I think so? It could technically be interpreted either way. I personally interpreted it as Jonathan was born first, so he'd be meeting his baby brother shortly, but it could definitely be seen as Jordan being the older twin too. It was a vague line, for sure.

Personally, I thought it sounded like they were saying Jordan was born first, but it was vague and doesn’t seem to fit with what we know. It’s not like introducing 2 people at a party means the first one you said got there first. Based on the single baby they had pre-Crisis being named Jonathan, I’d assume it was the name they’d give their firstborn. Plus, Jonathan seems to have a more older-sibling personality. Also, I didn’t like the doctor saying the twins could meet. They’ve been sharing a watermelon-sized space for nine months; they’re acquainted.

[FnkyChkn34]

11 hours ago, PAForrest said:

The flashbacks were really well done. I loved the entire Lois and Clark backstory, all the Superman story nods, and the twist that Lois was in love with Clark, not Superman. The only thing that confuses me is how soon Clark's father - Jonathan - dies. Maybe I'm confusing some of the story with Smallville right now, but it feels like Jonathan never really factored in Clark's life - only Martha did. And even she wasn't enough to keep Clark from leaving her for years.

...

Clark gave up so easily and quickly. I mean, we know he's not going to remain "bad" for too long. At least I hope not! But it looks like JHI was right on the money. I guess we're to assume the Superman in JHI's universe went bad under the same influence of Edge and his creepy gross AF daddy. Yikes! I'm with AimingforYoko - I immediately flashed back to the original Dune movie too. Like minds!

I think he died shortly before Clark went on his quest with the crystal to find Jor-El and his fortress.  So IMO, this is similar to Smallville - Clark appeared to be a teenager about 16ish.

Here's my question - did Clark really give in?  Or is he acting and playing them?  Hmm...  

[blackwing]

I remember Clark talking in an earlier episode about how he left home and never came back, so this must have been what he referenced.  We see 16 year old Clark at the Fortress, then he returns about 2 to 5 years later as a fully grown man.  Was he really gone that long?  Because then the next scene is Clark starting work at the Daily Planet.  I am sure there were some cuts in between, since everything was a bit accelerated in the flashback but Clark seeks out Lana when he returns and she's engaged.  Did Clark not finish high school?  Did he even go to college?

Loved seeing the classic early Superman suit from the comics, the different styled S and the red underwear on the outside.  Loved the green car from Action Comics #1.

So it seems like Clark got subjected to some kind of mind ray and now he is under control of Edge.  Hopefully not for long.

[Snapdragon]

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Clark proposed at the Fortress of Solitude?  I mean, that's got to be one of the most unromantic things I've ever seen.  The Daily Planet would have even made more sense, as that's at least a place that they both have in common.

[PAForrest]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I remember Clark talking in an earlier episode about how he left home and never came back, so this must have been what he referenced.  We see 16 year old Clark at the Fortress, then he returns about 2 to 5 years later as a fully grown man.  Was he really gone that long?  Because then the next scene is Clark starting work at the Daily Planet.  I am sure there were some cuts in between, since everything was a bit accelerated in the flashback but Clark seeks out Lana when he returns and she's engaged.  Did Clark not finish high school?  Did he even go to college?

I have to guess at best he got himself a GED at some point, because no, it certainly doesn't look like he would have finished school at Smallville High or any other high school. I'm also guessing he didn't go to college - thus part of the reason why Perry White said his resume was thin. He had no real education or experience.

And why the hell would Clark have thought his high school girlfriend would still be waiting around for him after Clark disappeared for what looks like at least five years, if not more? I sincerely doubt she got communication from him while he was training at the Fortress of Solitude. His mother never heard from him either. So I'm shocked that Clark was naive enough to think Lana wouldn't have moved on long before he returned.

[cambridgeguy]

16 hours ago, PAForrest said:

And Clark really shouldn't trust that Edge is going to keep his word anyway. The guy is a sociopath.

If Edge was smart the first thing he'd do is tell evil Superman to vaporize Lois and the kids - what better way to test the effectiveness of the brain washing? 

[kickingnames]

5 hours ago, PAForrest said:

I have to guess at best he got himself a GED at some point, because no, it certainly doesn't look like he would have finished school at Smallville High or any other high school. I'm also guessing he didn't go to college - thus part of the reason why Perry White said his resume was thin. He had no real education or experience.

Since he took the time to learn all the languages of the world, I’m guessing by now he probably has at least an online degree or two as well.

[Chicago Redshirt]

8 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Clark proposed at the Fortress of Solitude?  I mean, that's got to be one of the most unromantic things I've ever seen.  The Daily Planet would have even made more sense, as that's at least a place that they both have in common.

I think that the show borrowed the proposal from the scene in Supergirl. In that continuity, Clark and Lois had been dating with her knowing his secret for an unknown number of years before he proposed around 2019. So she would have been knowledgeable about the Fortress and all that.

Here, on the one hand I sort of agree with you that given he literally could take her any place on Earth and several places off of it, the Fortress seems like one of the last places he should go. But on the other hand, it involves him saying effectively, "I want to share my life with you and here I am showing you a side of myself that almost no one gets to see." 

[bethy]

I’m hopeful that Clark and Lois have a “here’s what we do if someone figures out that Superman is Clark and threatens the family to coerce him to do something” plan. As well as a “I’m pretending to help the bad guys but I’m still actually a good guy” signal/code word or phrase.

I feel like all super families need to have that kind of emergency preparedness in place. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, bethy said:

I’m hopeful that Clark and Lois have a “here’s what we do if someone figures out that Superman is Clark and threatens the family to coerce him to do something” plan. As well as a “I’m pretending to help the bad guys but I’m still actually a good guy” signal/code word or phrase.

I feel like all super families need to have that kind of emergency preparedness in place. 

In the comics (at least for awhile), Clark had a secret phrase to let Lois know something really came from him, which was beef bourignon with ketchup, which is/was his favorite food. If at some point they incorporate that, I will have a nerdgasm.

[rmontro]

Of the CW superhero shoes, I'm liking this one and Stargirl.  I watch The Flash, but it seems to be foundering to me. 

I wonder if Superman was aware that the "pain ray" would turn him evil.  Because he knows what happened on the alternate world, I can't believe he would go along with it, family or not.  Unless, of course, he's faking it as some have suggested.

Edge's father is a dick.

[bettername2come]

14 hours ago, bethy said:

I’m hopeful that Clark and Lois have a “here’s what we do if someone figures out that Superman is Clark and threatens the family to coerce him to do something” plan. As well as a “I’m pretending to help the bad guys but I’m still actually a good guy” signal/code word or phrase.

I feel like all super families need to have that kind of emergency preparedness in place. 

If you live in a DC universe, everyone needs that like they need a "where the family meets after escaping a fire" plan.

[legaleagle53]

9 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

In the comics (at least for awhile), Clark had a secret phrase to let Lois know something really came from him, which was beef bourignon with ketchup, which is/was his favorite food. If at some point they incorporate that, I will have a nerdgasm.

Was he ever banned from France for such heresy?

[BooBear]

I really enjoyed this episode. I think Tyler H. really nails both Superman and Clark Kent but I was thrilled that in this version Lois saw Clark for the geeky hot guy that he is. Not to mention they work closely together and are respected reporters.. (having something in common).  I remember being so irked when Lois and Clark aired that Lois wasn't mature enough to see "Clark".  And they were consistent with her character. Lois is an investigative reporter. Some god shows up she isn't starstruck, she is suspicious. 

Lois is my new hero. This is the Lois I always imagined... though I thought the stun gun was a bit much. But it was a nice touch that she wouldn't go out there unprepared. 

These people are just soo normal.

I am kind of blah on the Morgan Edge plot. Reminds me too much of Superman II and Zod. 

I do hope there is a smart Lois and smart Clark had a conversation about this kind of scenario (especially with the warning they got about this from John Henry.)

 

[Affogato]

On 6/24/2021 at 11:09 AM, Snapdragon said:

Am I the only one bothered by the fact that Clark proposed at the Fortress of Solitude?  I mean, that's got to be one of the most unromantic things I've ever seen.  The Daily Planet would have even made more sense, as that's at least a place that they both have in common.

Trust. He is being vulnerable. 

[bluvelvet]

This episode had my heart palpitating, when Morgan Edge revealed himself in Clark's memories I was like noooo! Clark has submitted but I really hope he's playing a trick and that his love for his family will make the difference. I have to say I'm really enjoying Elizabeth Tulloch in this, I saw her in Grimm and didn't think much of her acting skills. I don't think she had good chemistry with the lead actor of that show but her and Tyler have it in spades.  Watching how they met and fell in love was very cute I loved it.

Can't believe they destroyed the fortress of solitude.

I wonder if Morgan will think of Jordan differently since he has powers? Can't wait for the next episode this series is so good.

Also the show convinced me to have some sympathy for Edge after meeting his daddy.

Edited June 28, 2021 by bluvelvet

[dmeets]

19 hours ago, bluvelvet said:

I don't think she had good chemistry with the lead actor of that show but her and Tyler have it in spades.

After seeing him in Million Little Things, I became convinced David Giuntoli was the problem (ironic, considering they married IRL). He has excellent bro chemistry, but hasn't sparked with any of his female costars IMO.

I hate that we (apparently) couldn't get through one season without going the Evil Superman route. Is it really that boring to write a character who's noble and selfless, but by no means perfect?

I do love that there are no secrets between Clark and Lois, and between them and the twins.

[TV Anonymous]

If his memory of childhood is reliable, Kal-El only discovered his power in his adulthood and only started doing superhero actions in Metropolis. So, there is no Superboy phase in this story?

[Chicago Redshirt]

6 hours ago, TV Anonymous said:

If his memory of childhood is reliable, Kal-El only discovered his power in his adulthood and only started doing superhero actions in Metropolis. So, there is no Superboy phase in this story?

S&L Kal-El seems to have gone off as a teen after his father died, spent time at the Fortress, and returned as a young adult. There was no Superboy phase, and I think we're to take it that the saving the kid was his first public superheroic action.

I could be wrong, but Clark hasn't had a true Superboy phase since the revision in the 80s with Man of Steel. In various versions, he generally got empowered as a teen, but he never acted as a costumed, publicly known hero in almost any version since then. Smallville did have teenage him doing heroic things, but it famously had a "no tights, no flights" rule that it started to move away in its later seasons when Clark was a do-gooder known as "the Blur" because he would sneakily help out and started fighting villains.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Chicago Redshirt

[arc]

12 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I could be wrong, but Clark hasn't had a true Superboy phase since the revision in the 80s with Man of Steel.

Part of this was DC Comics being supervillains. As I dimly understand it, Siegel and Shuster had signed away rights to Superman, but courts ruled that Superboy wasn’t covered under those contracts and the other more pertinent Superboy contracts were much more favourable to the Siegel and Shuster estates. So DC mothballed “Superboy” as a character until more recent legal developments gave them the ability to make Superboy comics again without paying the families.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, arc said:

Part of this was DC Comics being supervillains. As I dimly understand it, Siegel and Shuster had signed away rights to Superman, but courts ruled that Superboy wasn’t covered under those contracts and the other more pertinent Superboy contracts were much more favourable to the Siegel and Shuster estates. So DC mothballed “Superboy” as a character until more recent legal developments gave them the ability to make Superboy comics again without paying the families.

From some quick Googling I don't think this is all that accurate.

Here's one link: https://www.cbr.com/judge-rules-dc-comics-owns-superboy-rights/

It looks like Siegel originally pitched the adventures of a young Superman early on and DC's predecessor turned him down, but then had Shuster do a Superboy story when Siegel was in the army without his consent. That was considered copyright infringement. The sides eventually came to an agreement where Superman and Superboy were the property of DC. The copyright on both ran out around 2000, and the Siegel family tried to reclaim the rights to both. According to the stories I'm seeing, in 2013 it was settled that the properties belonged to DC. 

I'm not seeing any indication that the ending of Clark Kent Superboy as a character in the 80s was a legal maneuver or out of spite or anything like that. The fact that DC has had the right to do Clark Kent Superboy from 2013 and haven't revived him despite,rebooting suggests to me it is an editorial decision that they prefer to have Superboy be a different character than Clark Kent.