S01.E14: The Eradicator

[scarynikki12]

Quote

Lois is worried about Jordan as he and Sarah continue to grow closer.

 

[scarynikki12]

It took Edge three weeks to power up?? Wow he can download the whole of Krypton with that much juice.

If Sarah knew about Jordan’s powers she wouldn’t have to worry about moving cause he could speed over to see her any time they wanted.

Edge goes to Metropolis like on Irons Earth. We get downloads flying around and everything.

Mixed Messages is from Central City and moved to Smallville cause her dad’s in prison. I wonder if Barry put him there?

On Earth Prime it’s Larr who rises behind Lois while she’s on air. I’m taking this as proof that Superman from Irons Earth was also a download when he started killing people.

Lois is the definition of badass.

Hee! The high school kids carefully (and poorly) hiding the red cups when Lane comes to get the twins at the party.

Snugglemuffin’s arm got hurt again. And then Jordan was taken right in front of him. Edge you bastard!

I knew Jordan was too happy this episode. Poor kid became a download of Jabba the Dad.

I hope that Jordan being half human is what saves him. 

[cambridgeguy]

Once everything calms down I hope some Smallville resident (maybe Chrissy) will wonder why Lois suddenly appeared in Metropolis in time to do some pro bono on-air reporting for the Daily Planet. 

Is it just me or is this the first time we've seen Clark and Lana talk in a very long time?  The best friend angle would carry more weight if they hadn't spent an entire season apart - the most memorable conversation involving the two was when Lana was possessed by Lara. 

[bettername2come]

I think we all knew at least one Kent boy was getting taken from Lois crying in the promo. I do like that them being believably stupid teenage boys happens. Like yes, they shouldn't be daydrinking at 14 and ignoring Grandpa's calls but it's believable. 

Love that Jon stepped up and tried to shoot the kryptonite gun lefthanded. But seriously, no one thought Edge just standing there was a good idea? And Sam, why are you telling either of the boys to grab the gun? You know perfectly well only one of them has any business handling kryptonite weaponry. 

I do think Jordan being half-human and not from Smallville, along with not agreeing to the Eradicator will help him fight through the brainwashing. 

I wanted Sophie to get to say something during the fight between Sarah and their parents. I really like the relationship between Sophie and Sarah. Sarah seems like a great big sister. 

Which Flash villain do we think is that girl's dad?

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

If Sarah knew about Jordan’s powers she wouldn’t have to worry about moving cause he could speed over to see her any time they wanted.

In fairness, he can't do that yet. Though Dad should totally give him a lift. 

55 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Is it just me or is this the first time we've seen Clark and Lana talk in a very long time?  The best friend angle would carry more weight if they hadn't spent an entire season apart - the most memorable conversation involving the two was when Lana was possessed by Lara. 

Yeah, I thought the same thing. If he'd said childhood best friend or something, I'd have believed it more. Stop abandoning your best friends, Clark. And call Jimmy!

[dwmarch]

Line of the episode goes to Gen. Lane with his "I don't give classified intel to drunk teenagers!" A couple of episodes ago when Jon was getting interrogated by Miss Mixed Messages he could have told her something similar. Dude is in the military and takes that stuff seriously. He doesn't gossip about it at the dinner table.

Are these new Kryptonian hosts similar to the old ones in that a good impact with the ground will set them back to normal?

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/10/2021 at 9:00 PM, scarynikki12 said:

It took Edge three weeks to power up?? Wow he can download the whole of Krypton with that much juice.

If Sarah knew about Jordan’s powers she wouldn’t have to worry about moving cause he could speed over to see her any time they wanted.

Edge goes to Metropolis like on Irons Earth. We get downloads flying around and everything.

Mixed Messages is from Central City and moved to Smallville cause her dad’s in prison. I wonder if Barry put him there?

On Earth Prime it’s Larr who rises behind Lois while she’s on air. I’m taking this as proof that Superman from Irons Earth was also a download when he started killing people.

Lois is the definition of badass.

Hee! The high school kids carefully (and poorly) hiding the red cups when Lane comes to get the twins at the party.

Snugglemuffin’s arm got hurt again. And then Jordan was taken right in front of him. Edge you bastard!

I knew Jordan was too happy this episode. Poor kid became a download of Jabba the Dad.

I hope that Jordan being half human is what saves him. 

I do wonder what in-universe reason he doesn't go someplace random and create as many Kryptonians as he wants rather than revealing himself slowly and practically daring Clark to try and stop him. Or why JHI is not quite as thirsty for Kryptonian blood as he was in the past. 

Not that it matters, but I like the interpretation that JHI Kal-El simply joined because he didn't have the steady influence of Lois and possibly the Kents to tie him to humanity. 

I think we have to assume that Barry is responsible for Tegan's dad getting busted, that he has powers/super-tech and that at some point, he will show up in Smallville to be a problem for the Kents. 

On 8/10/2021 at 9:10 PM, cambridgeguy said:

Once everything calms down I hope some Smallville resident (maybe Chrissy) will wonder why Lois suddenly appeared in Metropolis in time to do some pro bono on-air reporting for the Daily Planet. 

Is it just me or is this the first time we've seen Clark and Lana talk in a very long time?  The best friend angle would carry more weight if they hadn't spent an entire season apart - the most memorable conversation involving the two was when Lana was possessed by Lara. 

It would be kind of fun if Chrissy takes the traditional Lois role of trying to find out just what's being hidden anyway. I don't know if I like the subplot of a big company trying to buy out the Smallville Gazette for several reasons. 1. It doesn't make much sense that anybody would be interested in buying it because it's a failing business in a failing industry in a failing town. It's not even like it has parts for a giant conglomerate to ship -- the real estate and other assets can't possibly be valuable, and it's a two employee shop as far as we've seen. 2. there is a good chance that the thread will either be dropped or mishandled.  

I am just grateful that they have given no signs that either Lana or Clark wants to rekindle their old flame. But I did get the vibe that Kyle's fellow firefighter might want to handle his hose....

On 8/10/2021 at 10:15 PM, bettername2come said:

I think we all knew at least one Kent boy was getting taken from Lois crying in the promo. I do like that them being believably stupid teenage boys happens. Like yes, they shouldn't be daydrinking at 14 and ignoring Grandpa's calls but it's believable. 

Love that Jon stepped up and tried to shoot the kryptonite gun lefthanded. But seriously, no one thought Edge just standing there was a good idea? And Sam, why are you telling either of the boys to grab the gun? You know perfectly well only one of them has any business handling kryptonite weaponry. 

I do think Jordan being half-human and not from Smallville, along with not agreeing to the Eradicator will help him fight through the brainwashing. 

I wanted Sophie to get to say something during the fight between Sarah and their parents. I really like the relationship between Sophie and Sarah. Sarah seems like a great big sister. 

Which Flash villain do we think is that girl's dad?

In fairness, he can't do that yet. Though Dad should totally give him a lift. 

Yeah, I thought the same thing. If he'd said childhood best friend or something, I'd have believed it more. Stop abandoning your best friends, Clark. And call Jimmy!

The Kents really need to make more than one pager. Between Jordan, Jonathan and Sam each of them should have been able to ring Clark with Edge just sitting there for as long as he was. 

Again, other than "because drama!" any reason why Edge used Jordan to download Papa Edge? When Jordan gets to be himself again, wonder if he will retain full KryptonIf ian powers?

I was expecting Jordan to feel weakened by being near the kryptonite gun and for Sarah to possibly get a clue of a connection.

If we are to assume that Tegan's dad was a named villain put in prison by the Flash two years ago, that would be in S4 (the Thinker season). Obviously she's not the Thinker's kid, but I'm sure there re some lesser villains it could be.

 

Edited August 14, 2021 by Chicago Redshirt

[thuganomics85]

Nice to get a pivotal scene with Clark and Lana finally, because I do think the show really hasn't fully explored their relationship and how their past has affected them going forward.  Thankfully Tyler Hoechlin and Emmanuelle Chriqui are able to elevate the lack of material and I think they've done a good job at establishing that the two's history have helped shaped them into becoming who they are now.  Also, they thankfully don't seem to be getting anywhere close to having any lingering romantic feelings and really feel like a pair who might have dated in the past and still care for one another, but have truly moved on and are happy with their current partners.  Really hope the show keeps things like this.

I know I should probably feel for them on some levels, but considering how most of the Smallville citizens have been acting; especially with how they've treated the Cushings; I'm kind of with Sam on the whole "Do you really want to tell these fools the truth?!" thing, because I feel like their reactions would probably just end up causing more headaches.

Hey, Jonathan's potential love interest might actually truly be into him after-all!  I do wonder if her father will end up coming into play.  I so hope he was someone Barry/The Flash put away!

John Henry Irons in battle really is what would happened if Thor somehow dawned the Iron Man suit.

Larr trying to take out Lois mirroring how Superman killed the Lois in Irons' universe was on the nose, but effective enough.

So, now Jordan has been taken and it looks like Edge/The Eradicator put Zeta-Ro's essence in him.  I doubt Jordan will stay under his control for too long, but I'm curious to see how they'll get him out of this predicament.

Can't wait till the finale!

[tvwatchergordis]

I wrote a complete essay just to erase the whole thing accidentally UGHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Well not writing that whole monster again so here's the main points I made.

• S&L is amazing and as both a major Superman and Lois fan(both individually and as a couple) I can't be happier with this show. Everything is near perfect or perfect anyway you look at it. I love what the EP, the cast, the writers have done with this show. Best Superman interpretation in a long time. Really feels like watching a movie instead of an episode. 
• Love Clark and Lois as parents, as a married couple and as a great team that they make in everything. 20 + years together and still as in love as ever. Love how naturally they held hands when walking into the town hall. One of my favorite versions of them for sure.
• Didn't expect Lois to spill everything at the meeting but then again that's so her wouldn't have it any other way.
• Clark definitely had a bad feeling when it came to Jordan and it came to fruition at the end. Clark's, Lois' and Jon's and devastation when Jordan was kidnapped broke me. Jordan saying ILY to Sarah was both touching and heartbreaking.
• Great Lana and Clark scene it said everything about their history perfectly. And yeah I didn't get any romantic vibes from them either. Just two friends with a lot of history.
• Sarah was way disrespectful to her parents. She might have said some truths but no Mexican parent lets their child talk to them like that. Trust me I know since I'm Mexican-American lol. 
• The Metropolis action scene gave me MOS feels but without the destruction. Also 👌 touch of redoing Lois' death at the hands of a Kryptonian but John Henry Irons saves her this time: Perfect!
• Speaking of JHI he needs to easy up on Jonathan and remember that he's also a 14yr old kid like his daughter.
• I really thought that the Eradicator would kidnap both of the boys but seeing as Jordan is the only one with powers it made sense that he was the only one taken. 
• The car crash scene was extremely well done! I was literally shaking, kudos to everyone
• Clark's "JORDAN?!!!!" scream in the promo breaks me(they better not cut that). You can feel his pain in that one moment. He's so gonna eradicate the Eradicator for daring to take his son from him. Hate that he's probably gonna have to fight possessed Jordan though.

I can tell it's gonna be an amazing season finale because S&L never disappoints and I doubt it will there. I'm dreading the hiatus though because it's a long wait til S2. One question though, how is Superman supposed to defeat the Eradicator if he's that powerful? UGH better find a way to defeat him pronto!

[cambridgeguy]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Larr trying to take out Lois mirroring how Superman killed the Lois in Irons' universe was on the nose, but effective enough.

Lois is lucky that evil Kryptonians are big fans of slowly rising up in the background. 

And this show really has it out for Jonathan's right arm.  That's twice in one season!

[Lady Calypso]

This was an awesome episode leading into the finale. They really set up a lot with that major cliffhanger. I assumed both boys would be kidnapped, but just Jordan being kidnapped for Zeta-Rho's consciousness makes total sense. Zeta-Rho is pro-Kryptonian. As much as a half-human half-Kryptonian would still suck compared to full Kryptonian, being put in a fake Kryptonian is probably not "pure" enough for him, and maybe he thinks being put into Jordan would make him stronger. Poor kid, though. He has a very happy episode with Sarah, followed by her telling him that they're moving, followed by him being in a car crash and being kidnapped by the Eradicator formerly known as his evil uncle, and then brainwashed. 

Also, poor Jonathan. He gets his right arm injured AGAIN (I do like the idea that, because his arm was still recently broken, that it was also weak enough to be broken again), has to try to shoot the Eradicator to save his brother, grandfather and friend, and then STILL has to watch his brother disappear in front of his eyes. But hey, at least he might have gotten a girlfriend out of Tegan. Speaking of her, hey Central City shout-out. I wonder who her father is and if The Flash put him away! 

Clark and Lois' realization that Jordan was taken? Heartbreaking. 

Clark/Lana get to share a scene together! Finally! Besides the lack of Clark/Jonathan scenes, I've also really felt a lack of Clark/Lana scenes, so I'm hoping for more since they really showed that they work well together in this episode. 

The Metropolis fight scene was fairly well done. Poor Jonathan, having to almost relive the image of his mother getting killed by a Kryptonian. But JHI to save the day! I am thoroughly enjoying JHI's "bond" with Jonathan, as well. I don't want Jonathan replacing Natalie as his protege in any way, shape or form, but I appreciate him somewhat mentoring him for the moment.

I did also enjoy Kyle's scene with his firefighter coworker.

[ukgirl71]

It says a lot about the quality of the writing and acting in this show that I now care so much about what happens to characters I either disliked or was bored with by in the early episodes, namely Kyle, John Henry and General Lane.

I was glad there wasn’t even one little hint of romantic feelings between Clark and Lana - their relationship has mellowed into caring friends, and it’s refreshing.

I was a little bored with the town hall scene and the newspaper being in trouble - I don’t honestly care yet, perhaps because it’s been essentially a small side story this season.

Yeah Lois, the “bigger picture” you weren’t seeing was your son getting Zeta-Rho’d.

It was poetic that John Henry got to save our Lois, and all without leaving the ground 😄
That car crash was eye-popping!  Just how are they gonna explain everything to Sarah - get out of that one Super-family!

I was strangely reminded of The Empire Strikes Back carbon-freezing scene when Jordan declared his love for Sarah - I really need to get out more 😂

I must admit I thought both twins were gonna be taken and turned into Kryptonian hosts - I think I wanted something for wonderful Jon other than the supportive brother/child who makes “too much sense” role.  Who knows, we may well get that next week 🤞

[Diapason Untuned]

This show is always so great! I love that they delving into what gives a small town its character and identity. It's always the people living there that make a town what it is. Edge's dad must be the nastiest ex ever. He actually put himself into poor Lara's grandkid. That's a nasty form of revenge.

Poor Jon. Guy was just having a good day for a change when this happens. Not only is his brother gone, he's gonna feel guilty that this happened because of him. Let this boy be happy, show!

 

17 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Like yes, they shouldn't be daydrinking at 14 and ignoring Grandpa's calls but it's believable. 

Pretty sure they're 16-17, but yeah, their stupidity is so believable it hurts.

 

Quote

And Sam, why are you telling either of the boys to grab the gun? You know perfectly well only one of them has any business handling kryptonite weaponry. 

Sam was too injured to shoot and if someone has to hold that thing, better it be Jon.

 

Quote

Which Flash villain do we think is that girl's dad?

Whoever it is, hope they're not in Barry's secret prison. Though Iron Heights doesn't seem like much of an improvement...

 

Quote

In fairness, he can't do that yet. Though Dad should totally give him a lift. 

Based on how Superboy works, he may never be able to .

 

16 hours ago, dwmarch said:

 A couple of episodes ago when Jon was getting interrogated by Miss Mixed Messages he could have told her something similar. Dude is in the military and takes that stuff seriously. He doesn't gossip about it at the dinner table.

Lois would rip him a new ass if he told her that.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Diapason Untuned

[cambridgeguy]

2 hours ago, Diapason Untuned said:

Pretty sure they're 16-17, but yeah, their stupidity is so believable it hurts.

They're freshmen - in the pilot they explicitly mention Jonathan being a prodigy who was lined up to be the starting QB.

2 hours ago, ukgirl71 said:

That car crash was eye-popping!  Just how are they gonna explain everything to Sarah - get out of that one Super-family!

The real miracle is that Sam and/or Sarah weren't killed.  Get some airbags in your vehicles General Lane.

[bettername2come]

3 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

The real miracle is that Sam and/or Sarah weren't killed.  Get some airbags in your vehicles General Lane.

With Sarah, Jordan was holding onto her during the crash so that probably helped.

[tvwatchergordis]

10 hours ago, Diapason Untuned said:

 

 

 

Pretty sure they're 16-17, but yeah, their stupidity is so believable it hurts.

 

 

The boys are 14 they say it in the pilot(I think) and in 1x03 after Jordan gives that awful: "Everything you do is a mistake." rant to Clark.

Lois says: "He's 14, he was lashing out. we can't take everything he says seriously." :)

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by tvwatchergordis

[blackwing]

Good episode.  I liked the battle in Metropolis but I guess I have question about this blue light download process that not-Edge is doing.  That's Zod in Edge now, is it?  I thought I heard a reference to Zod from Pruneface Dad.  How does this process work?  He picks people and just forces a download into them?  How long does this download last?  If they are now Kryptonians with all of the powers, how does a simple punch knock them out?  And are they back to normal after losing consciousness?

For that matter, how are these Kryptonians so well-versed in their powers?  They are Kryptonian consciousnesses... on Krypton they had no powers at all.  It's only because of the yellow sun that they have powers on Earth.  It took Clark YEARS to learn how to control and use his powers.  How are these downloads able to instantly fly so expertly?

And I know I'm obviously supposed to feel shocked and hurt, but I really don't care at all if Frodo Jordan stays bad.  I find Jordan incredibly irritating.  All iterations of him.  Angsty Jordan, Schmoopy Jordan, Sad Sack Jordan... all annoying.  

Agree about Clark's "best friend" line to Lana.  Obviously Lois is his best friend now.  But it was nice to see him and Lana talking, would have been nice if they talked more about some childhood/teen memories and what they can do to save the town.

[PAForrest]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

And I know I'm obviously supposed to feel shocked and hurt, but I really don't care at all if Frodo Jordan stays bad.  I find Jordan incredibly irritating.  All iterations of him.  Angsty Jordan, Schmoopy Jordan, Sad Sack Jordan... all annoying. 

I'm assuming he won't stay "bad" long, I doubt the actor can handle that role for an extended period of time, but who knows. I thought the episode was decent in general, but I'm sorry, I simply can't take seriously a pudgy faced, curly mopped teen as Edge's daddy. Plus, ew, the whole scenario is hella skeevy.

Sarah was annoying the crap out of me too, screaming at her parents the way she was, like she knows anything at all, while they're trying to do what they can to survive - especially since it sounded like Kyle was going to get a much better job with a promotion in Bristol anyway. I get she has a new boyfriend now, for all of a couple days, but seriously girl, take it down about a 100 notches. And just like that, Tegan suddenly looks miles better by comparison. Are we supposed to know or guess who Tegan's father from Central City might be? I stopped watching The Flash years ago, but the reference seemed to be more than a passing one. Maybe he's a character who will present himself in the second season.

I'm incredibly disappointed that the bonding I thought/hoped was going to happen between JHI and Jon isn't to be because JHI can't be bothered. Good grief, give that kid something of his own FFS! This has gotten beyond ridiculous, and just makes me believe more and more every passing week that the showrunner is using the series to deal with personal issues and grudges against his own brother by dumping on Jonathan while Sue'ing the crap out of Jordan. It's enough already, move on.

The Smallvillians were also annoying. People, the DOD being in Smallville isn't why your stupid town is dying. It was DOA before the show even started.

The scene with Lois reporting from the top of the building was the coolest one as a mirror to the events in JHI's world. But I'm not entirely sure the Eradicator has really thought out his plan - if he even has one. He keeps randomly body snatching people, but they don't seem to last long, then he's onto the next batch, and the next one after that. It just feels like a lot of spaghetti noodles being thrown against the wall to see what sticks.

I thought Superman gave up awfully easy and fast when it came to looking for Jordan. Where did the Eradicator take him? Was it off world?

Edited August 12, 2021 by PAForrest

[blackwing]

33 minutes ago, PAForrest said:

I'm incredibly disappointed that the bonding I thought/hoped was going to happen between JHI and Jon isn't to be because JHI can't be bothered. Good grief, give that kid something of his own FFS! This has gotten beyond ridiculous, and just makes me believe more and more every passing week that the showrunner is using the series to deal with personal issues and grudges against his own brother by dumping on Jonathan while Sue'ing the crap out of Jordan. It's enough already, move on.

Agreed.  I thought that Jon was going to be John Henry's protege, and kind of a surrogate son to replace the daughter with Lois that he lost.  But John Henry is being written as a jerk ass who has no interest in teaching Jon, and I'm not sure why.  It seems natural that if they really are going to go the route that Jon has no powers, that he and John Henry could build his own Steel suit and he could be Steelboy or Steel Junior or something eventually.  That would be a way to give Jon a better role on this show other than "the one with no powers".

 

36 minutes ago, PAForrest said:

I thought Superman gave up awfully easy and fast when it came to looking for Jordan. Where did the Eradicator take him? Was it off world?

I just assumed it was his hideout in the Badlands?  But I didn't pay close attention.  I'm wondering why Clark and Lois haven't thought about putting GPS chips into their kids?  Or maybe some kind of beacon that emits a sound that Clark can attune to when he wants.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

Good episode.  I liked the battle in Metropolis but I guess I have question about this blue light download process that not-Edge is doing.  That's Zod in Edge now, is it?  I thought I heard a reference to Zod from Pruneface Dad.  How does this process work?  He picks people and just forces a download into them?  How long does this download last?  If they are now Kryptonians with all of the powers, how does a simple punch knock them out?  And are they back to normal after losing consciousness?

For that matter, how are these Kryptonians so well-versed in their powers?  They are Kryptonian consciousnesses... on Krypton they had no powers at all.  It's only because of the yellow sun that they have powers on Earth.  It took Clark YEARS to learn how to control and use his powers.  How are these downloads able to instantly fly so expertly?

Most of your questions probably don't have easy/clear answers. My theories:

I don't think Zod is in Edgeradicator. I didn't hear Dad reference Zod in this episode. The last reference that I remember to Zod was that Edge forced Zod's consciousness onto Clark, who beat it. It's not clear what that meant for "Zod." The show seemed (to me, anyway) to suggest that a consciousness was a singular thing. In other words, the Eradicator did not seem like it could produce 1,000 Zods even though "Zod" was a digital thing. So my theory would be that once Clark shook Zod off, there was no more Zod to be downloaded. 

Presumably, Edgeradicator can force downloads on unwilling people in a way that Original Recipe Eradicator couldn't and they remain Kryptonian indefinitely. I don't think a simple punch from someone not at Clark/JHI's level would tend to knock one out, and I would assume that normally they would not be back to normal after being knocked out.

Different versions of the Superman story have had different levels of how quickly Kryptonians adjust to having super-powers on Earth. Man of Steel had the plot line of Clark gradually adjusting to his powers, particularly vision and hearing, and Zod needing a little bit to adjust as well. Superman II had their versions of Zod, Ursa and Non almost immediately being able to do what Superman could do (with Non being a little slower because he's dumb). It makes sense to me that Edgeradicator instills in them some level of basic training as to what they can do.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, PAForrest said:

I'm assuming he won't stay "bad" long, I doubt the actor can handle that role for an extended period of time, but who knows. I thought the episode was decent in general, but I'm sorry, I simply can't take seriously a pudgy faced, curly mopped teen as Edge's daddy. Plus, ew, the whole scenario is hella skeevy.

Sarah was annoying the crap out of me too, screaming at her parents the way she was, like she knows anything at all, while they're trying to do what they can to survive. Plus it sounded like Kyle was going to get a much better job in Bristol anyway. I get she has a new boyfriend now, for all of a couple days, but seriously girl, take it down about a 100 notches. And just like that, Tegan suddenly looks miles better by comparison. Are we supposed to know or guess who Tegan's father from Central City might be? I stopped watching The Flash years ago, but the reference seemed to be more than a passing one. Maybe he's a character who will present himself in the second season.

I'm incredibly disappointed that the bonding I thought/hoped was going to happen between JHI and Jon isn't to be because JHI can't be bothered. Good grief, give that kid something of his own FFS! This has gotten beyond ridiculous, and just makes me believe more and more every passing week that the showrunner is using the series to deal with personal issues and grudges against his own brother by dumping on Jonathan while Sue'ing the crap out of Jordan. It's enough already, move on.

The Smallvillians were also annoying. People, the DOD being in Smallville isn't why your stupid town is dying. It was DOA before the show even started.

The scene with Lois reporting from the top of the building was the coolest one as a mirror to the events in JHI's world. But I'm not entirely sure the Eradicator has really thought out his plan - if he even has one. He keeps randomly body snatching people, but they don't seem to last long, then he's onto the next batch, and the next one after that. It just feels like a lot of spaghetti noodles being thrown against the wall to see what sticks.

I thought Superman gave up awfully easy and fast when it came to looking for Jordan. Where did the Eradicator take him? Was it off world?

I would say that Sarah probably has somewhat of a point. But that may be because the show hasn't done as good a job showing what the Cushings' situation actually is. We saw that Kyle was asked to take some leave time and that some of his fellow firefighters don't like him, that the mayor was dissing the Cushings behind their back and that others have socially ostracized them to the point of vandalizing their home. Does Edge's disappearance mean that Lana is out of a job? Is Kyle able to get back to work? There's some level of whiplash from "We're the Cushings and this is our town and we can make it through this" to "Pack your bags, we're moving to Bristol!" Of course, on the flipside, I suppose if a family member got possessed by an alien consciousness and a large portion of my town hated us, I would pack up as soon as I could too. 

I see things from JHI's perspective: what he's doing is no place for a kid, and having Jonathan getting mixed up in it is almost certainly not going to end well for Jonathan. There might also be some conflating/PTSD over Natalie's fate factoring in to wanting to keep Jonathan at arm's length.

To me, the problem with the Smallvillains is that they should know more than they do and act accordingly. There were at least a dozen, and probably more like three dozen, who were turned into Kryptonians. From Kyle's experience, the people who were changed have some memory of what happened to them. A lot of people presumably would have seen Superman fighting with them. So the fight from the Smallvillains should be more "How come we don't have MORE DOD personnel here in case that happens again?" rather than DOD get off our lawns. 

[tennisgurl]

As soon as John Henry snapped at Jonathan about how Natalie went through something so terrible and that none of this was a joke, I knew that something terrible would happen to Jonathan, and here we are. I hope JH feels bad, I get that he has been through a lot but that's no reason to take it out on poor sweet Jonathan, who's just trying to help. I hope he doesn't feel too guilty about his evil uncle kidnapping his brother, he did everything that he could have done, its not his fault that Edge used a cheat code. I feel really bad for both the boys, it seems like they have been through a whole lot really quickly, and while Lois and Clark are awesome parents who are doing everything they can to support them, its still a lot for anyone to take in, especially as teenagers. I think they are going to be in desperate need of a relaxing family vacation when they save Jordan. Clark and Lois's reactions when they realized that edge had Jordan was such a gut punch, seriously, family vacation is necessary. 

The almost redo of the death of Lois was pretty on the nose but well done, luckily this time John Henry was here to save the day, with his Thor/Iron Man power suit, which can maybe help him get some closure. I love how Lois just keeps on reporting even after almost being vaporized, and that all the kids are the party were super impressed by how badass she is. This isn't Lois Lane's first near brush with death, its not going to keep her away from a story. 

Nice to see Lana and Clark get a scene together, their history and friendship has been rather unexplored, so it was nice to see them talking. We also got a good little scene between Kyle and his co-worker, who gave him a much needed pep talk to get him to stick around. Sarah is being pretty rough on her mom, this is a sucky situation and its hard to really see how to handle it for now, I don't know if I disagree with her on them leaving being a bad idea, but she should at least get where her parents are coming from in wanting a fresh start. Sarah did at least get to have some nice scenes with Jordan, until of course everything went to hell when uncle Edge showed up. 

Jonathan just has no luck with that arm, broken again already. At least that girl he was talking to last week might actually like him, and might be setting up a Flash crossover! So who was her father that the Flash put away? Its a pretty long list, no way would they throw out that detail without planning on following up. 

This was a great episode to lead us into the finale, I am so excited to see where this is going but also sad to see the show taking a break, It was a pretty dramatic episode, but I appreciate how they always take time to add some humanity and some humor, like the kids at the part awkwardly and obviously hiding their cups of beer from Sam. "Do I strike you as a person who revealed classified information to drunk teenagers?"

[ahisma]

2 hours ago, PAForrest said:

I thought Superman gave up awfully easy and fast when it came to looking for Jordan. Where did the Eradicator take him? Was it off world?

It looked like maybe some kind of nuclear power facility, which would be lead lined (and, I imagine, thick concrete blocking sound). Didn’t Superman have to fight “Captain Luther”/JHI someplace like that early on?

[blackwing]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I would say that Sarah probably has somewhat of a point. But that may be because the show hasn't done as good a job showing what the Cushings' situation actually is. We saw that Kyle was asked to take some leave time and that some of his fellow firefighters don't like him, that the mayor was dissing the Cushings behind their back and that others have socially ostracized them to the point of vandalizing their home. Does Edge's disappearance mean that Lana is out of a job? Is Kyle able to get back to work? There's some level of whiplash from "We're the Cushings and this is our town and we can make it through this" to "Pack your bags, we're moving to Bristol!" Of course, on the flipside, I suppose if a family member got possessed by an alien consciousness and a large portion of my town hated us, I would pack up as soon as I could too. 

 

But Sarah's situation is no different than thousands of kids every year who get told by their parents that they are moving because one of them is getting transferred for work.  Sarah isn't a little kid... she's 14.  She herself acknowledged that she has pariah status at school.  She's old enough to understand the vandalism of their house and that nobody seems to want them there.  She should understand that her parents need to work in order to put food on the table, and that this job for her dad is a great opportunity.  And that the town they were moving to was a much better environment.

I would have found it a lot more believable if she had talked with her parents about how she didn't want to leave Smallville because it was her home.  And that both of her parents grew up there and it was their home even longer.  And that by leaving, they would be giving in to all the people who are hating them for no good reason.

But instead.... "whaaaaat?!?!?  I finally found love with pudgy faced bad haired Frodo Jordan and you're gonna take that away from me?  How dare you?!"  Of course no kid wants to move away and leave all of their friends.  I can understand an 8 year old crying and pitching a hissy because she doesn't want to leave her two best friends and the only home she has ever known.  But Sarah is 14 and should be mature enough to understand the reasoning.  Instead, she made it all about her. 

Moreover, this Bristol place is only two hours away.  They could each drive an hour and meet in the middle.  Clark could even secretly fly Jordan there and Jordan could say Clark dropped him off and is going shopping.  It's only two hours.  Metropolis is farther (close enough that Sam and Lois could be there pretty quickly after hearing about Edge, I'd say 3 hours or less driving) and characters have been to Metropolis on this show a fair amount.

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

To me, the problem with the Smallvillains is that they should know more than they do and act accordingly. There were at least a dozen, and probably more like three dozen, who were turned into Kryptonians. From Kyle's experience, the people who were changed have some memory of what happened to them. A lot of people presumably would have seen Superman fighting with them. So the fight from the Smallvillains should be more "How come we don't have MORE DOD personnel here in case that happens again?" rather than DOD get off our lawns. 

I agree that some of the townfolk that got went into the MRI and got possessed by Edge's Kryptonian friends should have said something about how they want the DOD around to make sure this doesn't happen again to them.  Those people should have been scared.  "The last thing I remember is getting some kind of test, and then I woke up after I fell from the sky.  People told me what happened and I am horrified.  Please, we need all the help we can get against this Edge guy."

Where was Emily in the town hall scenes?  She's the only one I would recognise as a possessee, and I think it was odd that she wasn't there or didn't speak.

 

[scarynikki12]

My personal hope for Jon is that he follows in Lois' footsteps rather than Irons'. They may be setting him up to be a Steel protege but I want him to take that naturally inquisitive part of his personality and join his mom.

[Chicago Redshirt]

53 minutes ago, blackwing said:

But Sarah's situation is no different than thousands of kids every year who get told by their parents that they are moving because one of them is getting transferred for work.  Sarah isn't a little kid... she's 14.  She herself acknowledged that she has pariah status at school.  She's old enough to understand the vandalism of their house and that nobody seems to want them there.  She should understand that her parents need to work in order to put food on the table, and that this job for her dad is a great opportunity.  And that the town they were moving to was a much better environment.

I would have found it a lot more believable if she had talked with her parents about how she didn't want to leave Smallville because it was her home.  And that both of her parents grew up there and it was their home even longer.  And that by leaving, they would be giving in to all the people who are hating them for no good reason.

But instead.... "whaaaaat?!?!?  I finally found love with pudgy faced bad haired Frodo Jordan and you're gonna take that away from me?  How dare you?!"  Of course no kid wants to move away and leave all of their friends.  I can understand an 8 year old crying and pitching a hissy because she doesn't want to leave her two best friends and the only home she has ever known.  But Sarah is 14 and should be mature enough to understand the reasoning.  Instead, she made it all about her. 

Moreover, this Bristol place is only two hours away.  They could each drive an hour and meet in the middle.  Clark could even secretly fly Jordan there and Jordan could say Clark dropped him off and is going shopping.  It's only two hours.  Metropolis is farther (close enough that Sam and Lois could be there pretty quickly after hearing about Edge, I'd say 3 hours or less driving) and characters have been to Metropolis on this show a fair amount.

I agree that some of the townfolk that got went into the MRI and got possessed by Edge's Kryptonian friends should have said something about how they want the DOD around to make sure this doesn't happen again to them.  Those people should have been scared.  "The last thing I remember is getting some kind of test, and then I woke up after I fell from the sky.  People told me what happened and I am horrified.  Please, we need all the help we can get against this Edge guy."

Where was Emily in the town hall scenes?  She's the only one I would recognise as a possessee, and I think it was odd that she wasn't there or didn't speak.

 

But many of those thousands of kids who get told by their parents that they are moving get upset about getting uprooted just like Sarah did. And maybe I just read it into things, but I thought there was a component of being upset about the hypocrisy of cutting and running after previously being like "we're the Cushings" in addition to not wanting to leave her sweet baboo and in addition to general teenage angst. 

I imagine the average 14yo is not exactly going to be brimming over with maturity. 

Sarah and Jordan addressed the long-distance thing. Sarah fears that being two hours apart is going to be a problem, and cited to Eliza and Jonathan's breakup. Jordan tried to reassure her that doesn't mean that they will be breaking up. There'd be no way to know who would be right about that. Jordan and Sarah are relatively new, so who can say if the relationship would survive the relatively minimal drama of only being to see each other in person on the weekends? It's hard to say how much time would have passed since they first started dating, but let's say it's been a month. Seems plausible that a first love for Jordan could stand the test of time, and since he's basically been smitten with her since coming back to Smallville. It's equally plausible that as it's at least Sarah's second relationship and she and Sean broke things up after almost certainly dating for longer, that maybe there's reason for her to be insecure. It could be that Sarah focuses a lot more on Jordan as a positive constant in her life, making him more important than he might otherwise be. Remember, Sarah had mental health/pill issues before Jordan, friction between her parents, feeling abandoned by Kyle, dealing with his apparent alcoholism. Then she has her breakup with Sean and her apparently not having much in the way of Smallville friends beyond the Kents at this point It's been portrayed that Jordan's basically been one of the few things that has gone right for her recently and he's one of the few people who seemingly understands some of what she has gone through. So I could see her being even more clingy than even a stereotypical 14yo girl might be to her newly discovered love rather than recognizing the potential move as a fresh start.

I think the real world issue of not being able to get the Emily actress is probably the main reason she wasn't there.

But that brings up another point: in a real-world scenario, no way does the DOD let all these people who recently been possessed by evil Kryptonians walk around free and unmonitored. They would be quarantined and kept in seclusion in case Edge or Larr or someone tried to re-activate them. 

[MissLucas]

Sarah might have over reacted but let's not forget that she's already made a suicide attempt in her relatively short life. And although she came across as pretty balanced at the beginning of the show it was also clear that she felt numb and empty. Her friendship with both Kent brothers has helped her reconnect with others. Makes sense that she's terrified to lose that bit of stability - it goes deeper than just 'normal' teenage heartbreak.

[legaleagle53]

I wanted to mention the scene at the press conference where an angry mother confronted Lois directly and screamed at her that she had no understanding of what it was like to lose a child and to live with the guilt and the fear that maybe she could have said or done something different that might have saved him.  I watched that powerful scene and wondered what flashbacks that must have triggered for Lois regarding the miscarriage that only she, Clark, the boys, and her therapist knew about. I could see Lois fighting back the tears as she took that woman's verbal assault, and I thought, "Bitch, I get that you're grieving and angry, but you have no idea what Lois herself has been through. She DOES know what it's like to lose a child and to carry that burden of pain and guilt. She's been carrying it for almost 13 years!"

[kickingnames]

27 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

I wanted to mention the scene at the press conference where an angry mother confronted Lois directly and screamed at her that she had no understanding of what it was like to lose a child and to live with the guilt and the fear that maybe she could have said or done something different that might have saved him.  I watched that powerful scene and wondered what flashbacks that must have triggered for Lois regarding the miscarriage that only she, Clark, the boys, and her therapist knew about. I could see Lois fighting back the tears as she took that woman's verbal assault, and I thought, "Bitch, I get that you're grieving and angry, but you have no idea what Lois herself has been through. She DOES know what it's like to lose a child and to carry that burden of pain and guilt. She's been carrying it for almost 13 years!"

This is a great point to make, and more kudos to Elizabeth Tulloch. Watching that scene, I felt as though what was on the page was probably just simple foreshadowing of the episode’s end, but what ET played was a woman who absolutely has dealt with all that guilt and pain and is now quietly absorbing the hits this lady is throwing. It’s such a rich portrayal in a brief moment, and makes the end so much more traumatic. Like, obviously it’s the whole point of the show, but hasn’t this family been through enough?

[norcalgal]

15 hours ago, blackwing said:

Good episode.  I liked the battle in Metropolis but I guess I have question about this blue light download process that not-Edge is doing.  That's Zod in Edge now, is it?  I thought I heard a reference to Zod from Pruneface Dad.  How does this process work?  He picks people and just forces a download into them?  How long does this download last?  If they are now Kryptonians with all of the powers, how does a simple punch knock them out?  And are they back to normal after losing consciousness?

For me, the show should have made it explicit that one reason Edge chose Jordan to be "eradicated" is because of his half Kryptonian blood. That should make it easier/faster in theory to merge a Kryptonian consciousness with a partly Kryptonian body. Of course, under this theory, Edge should have taken Jon as well. Although I'm glad a previous episode explained why Smallville residents made better hosts than other humans - ultimately, their bodies were 100% human but transformed via Eradicator. 

For that matter, how are these Kryptonians so well-versed in their powers?  They are Kryptonian consciousnesses... on Krypton they had no powers at all.  It's only because of the yellow sun that they have powers on Earth.  It took Clark YEARS to learn how to control and use his powers.  How are these downloads able to instantly fly so expertly?

 

12 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Different versions of the Superman story have had different levels of how quickly Kryptonians adjust to having super-powers on Earth. Man of Steel had the plot line of Clark gradually adjusting to his powers, particularly vision and hearing, and Zod needing a little bit to adjust as well. Superman II had their versions of Zod, Ursa and Non almost immediately being able to do what Superman could do (with Non being a little slower because he's dumb). It makes sense to me that Edgeradicator instills in them some level of basic training as to what they can do.

To me, the Man of Steel version makes more logical sense. Kryptonians aren't magical creatures. Just because they develop powers on Earth doesn't mean they should *automatically*, and with *zero* trial and error know how to use their powers. Show should have taken 10 seconds to explain how the "eradicated" Smallville folks were so adept at using their new powers. (Their Kryptonian consciousness couldn't have taught them since they had no powers on Krypton)

[legaleagle53]

9 hours ago, norcalgal said:

To me, the Man of Steel version makes more logical sense. Kryptonians aren't magical creatures. Just because they develop powers on Earth doesn't mean they should *automatically*, and with *zero* trial and error know how to use their powers. Show should have taken 10 seconds to explain how the "eradicated" Smallville folks were so adept at using their new powers. (Their Kryptonian consciousness couldn't have taught them since they had no powers on Krypton)

And it squares with what Clark said and with what we saw Kara go through when she first started her career as Supergirl. They had to pretty much train themselves in the use of their powers -- and there was a definite learning curve that had to be mastered!

[rmontro]

I just want to say before this season is over, I think the premise behind this storyline is absolutely terrifying.  A whole race of hostile aliens, all with the powers of Superman, who apparently have no remorse or mercy, attacking the planet.  That is apocalyptic stuff.

[legaleagle53]

37 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I just want to say before this season is over, I think the premise behind this storyline is absolutely terrifying.  A whole race of hostile aliens, all with the powers of Superman, who apparently have no remorse or mercy, attacking the planet.  That is apocalyptic stuff.

What's even scarier is that they're his own people -- Kryptonians. Clark himself even admitted to Lois that it took everything he had not to give in to the temptation to let himself get turned permanently, and that scared the hell out of him. That's why he came around to agreeing with Sam about the need to keep those Kryptonite weapons on hand as the ultimate fail-safe against him or any other Kryptonian who completely turned.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/13/2021 at 12:24 AM, norcalgal said:

 

To me, the Man of Steel version makes more logical sense. Kryptonians aren't magical creatures. Just because they develop powers on Earth doesn't mean they should *automatically*, and with *zero* trial and error know how to use their powers. Show should have taken 10 seconds to explain how the "eradicated" Smallville folks were so adept at using their new powers. (Their Kryptonian consciousness couldn't have taught them since they had no powers on Krypton)

But even within the Man of Steel version, the new Kryptonians adapted to their flight and superstrength almost immediately, and at least in the case of Zod, hearing within a few minutes of screen time. 

Realistically, some powers would probably be easier to use generally, while others would take practice. And some people would be more adaptable than others. 

We as humans don't have to be trained to keep a regular heartbeat or to breathe. These are things we just do. Using superpowers could be similar. Or part of the download process could involve a virtual tutorial. Or the fact of having the underlying human with knowledge of Kryptonians having superpowers might make it easier. IIRC the neo-Kryptonians only used two to three of the power set: strength, flight and superspeed. These seem like they would be pretty basic and obvious, as opposed to, say, the vision powers or freeze breath.

[scarynikki12]

Edge also was soaking up the Sun's rays for three weeks which may have accelerated the adaptation process in the downloads.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/13/2021 at 9:55 AM, legaleagle53 said:

And it squares with what Clark said and with what we saw Kara go through when she first started her career as Supergirl. They had to pretty much train themselves in the use of their powers -- and there was a definite learning curve that had to be mastered!

When Kara first started her career as Supergirl, she had basic mastery of her powers. She just didn't know tactics and had an element of overconfidence. But she certainly didn't show any difficulties with flying or lifting/punching thing, which is all the neo-Kryptonians generally have done. Even in flashbacks, Kara has not shown the need for any real learning curve in getting to use her fundamental powers (other than vision). 

It's really only been in the last 30-40 years or so that there has been a notion that Clark gradually developed powers as a teen, as opposed to basically having them on first arrival. It may be that an adult Kryptonian is easier able to intuit how to use their powers.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

What's even scarier is that they're his own people -- Kryptonians. Clark himself even admitted to Lois that it took everything he had not to give in to the temptation to let himself get turned permanently, and that scared the hell out of him.

Those Kryptonians must be a ruthless bunch of SOBs.  Good thing Clark were adopted by Jon and Martha, he could have been a real monster.  

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It's really only been in the last 30-40 years or so that there has been a notion that Clark gradually developed powers as a teen, as opposed to basically having them on first arrival.

Well, that's certainly true. I grew up during the Silver Age, and the comics then made it clear that Clark had had full powers from the moment he landed on Earth. In fact, that's how the Kents were able to adopt him so fast - the orphanage where they had temporarily placed him was so overwhelmed by his powers that they rushed the adoption process through for the Kents so that THEY'D be the ones having to deal with "Superbaby"!

All that changed after the 1986 post-Crisis reboot. That is when it was stated that Clark didn't start developing his powers until after puberty, which is why he was never Superboy in that timeline.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, legaleagle53 said:

In fact, that's how the Kents were able to adopt him so fast - the orphanage where they had temporarily placed him was so overwhelmed by his powers that they rushed the adoption process through for the Kents so that THEY'D be the ones having to deal with "Superbaby"!

I don't remember that particular story, although I don't doubt that it exists.  There have been a lot of different stories over the years.  I thought the original story however, was that there was a long winter the year that Kal-el arrived, so the Kents were isolated out in the country.  So it was a simple matter for them to claim Clark as their own.

[legaleagle53]

10 minutes ago, rmontro said:

I don't remember that particular story, although I don't doubt that it exists.  There have been a lot of different stories over the years.  I thought the original story however, was that there was a long winter the year that Kal-el arrived, so the Kents were isolated out in the country.  So it was a simple matter for them to claim Clark as their own.

The story I told actually dates all the way back to the Golden Age when Superman first appeared, although the precise cause of his powers hadn't yet been established beyond the fact that Kryptonians were naturally stronger, faster, and more intellectually advanced than humans.

[norcalgal]

20 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

But even within the Man of Steel version, the new Kryptonians adapted to their flight and superstrength almost immediately, and at least in the case of Zod, hearing within a few minutes of screen time. 

Realistically, some powers would probably be easier to use generally, while others would take practice. And some people would be more adaptable than others. 

We as humans don't have to be trained to keep a regular heartbeat or to breathe. These are things we just do. Using superpowers could be similar. Or part of the download process could involve a virtual tutorial. Or the fact of having the underlying human with knowledge of Kryptonians having superpowers might make it easier. IIRC the neo-Kryptonians only used two to three of the power set: strength, flight and superspeed. These seem like they would be pretty basic and obvious, as opposed to, say, the vision powers or freeze breath.

I can see this POV, and could even be made to agree. But logically, if all Kryptonians get their power from absorbing Earth's sun, how much exposure would they need in order to develop those powers? Would a few minutes be enough to "power up" with ALL the powers known (speed/flight/strength/ice breath/laser eyes)?  Further, does longer exposure mean exponential increase in those powers? Think of it like a cellphone. If it's at 10% power then you plug it in for 2 minutes to recharge, what difference does it make if you recharge for 30 minutes instead? 

And to take this specifically to the "Eradicated" we've seen on Superman & Lois, because the original bodies are human (just downloaded with Kryptonian consciousness & exposed to the cave kryptonite), does exposure to Earth's sun not matter at all in order to gain powers? 

Maybe my problem is I'm conflating this series with the Man of Steel movie. Perhaps each lives in their own universe, and one has zero bearing on the "canon" of the other...?

[Affogato]

48 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

I can see this POV, and could even be made to agree. But logically, if all Kryptonians get their power from absorbing Earth's sun, how much exposure would they need in order to develop those powers? Would a few minutes be enough to "power up" with ALL the powers known (speed/flight/strength/ice breath/laser eyes)?  Further, does longer exposure mean exponential increase in those powers? Think of it like a cellphone. If it's at 10% power then you plug it in for 2 minutes to recharge, what difference does it make if you recharge for 30 minutes instead? 

I’ve certainly read stories where Superman runs out of power when he is away from Earth’s sun. So, yeah, they need time to fully charge in some stories. 
 

I wonder if Jordan’s problem is he has trouble holding a charge and if this will somehow fix him. You know, if he lives. 

17 hours ago, rmontro said:

I don't remember that particular story, although I don't doubt that it exists.  There have been a lot of different stories over the years.  I thought the original story however, was that there was a long winter the year that Kal-el arrived, so the Kents were isolated out in the country.  So it was a simple matter for them to claim Clark as their own.

I seem to remember they said he was martha’s (dead) sister’s son but I think I’ve encountered your version, too. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

43 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

I can see this POV, and could even be made to agree. But logically, if all Kryptonians get their power from absorbing Earth's sun, how much exposure would they need in order to develop those powers? Would a few minutes be enough to "power up" with ALL the powers known (speed/flight/strength/ice breath/laser eyes)?  Further, does longer exposure mean exponential increase in those powers? Think of it like a cellphone. If it's at 10% power then you plug it in for 2 minutes to recharge, what difference does it make if you recharge for 30 minutes instead? 

And to take this specifically to the "Eradicated" we've seen on Superman & Lois, because the original bodies are human (just downloaded with Kryptonian consciousness & exposed to the cave kryptonite), does exposure to Earth's sun not matter at all in order to gain powers? 

Maybe my problem is I'm conflating this series with the Man of Steel movie. Perhaps each lives in their own universe, and one has zero bearing on the "canon" of the other...?

I wouldn't say it's a problem! 

It would be nice if there were some consistency across or even within a version of the Superman mythos but there's not a ton, really.

I wouldn't be surprised if in our discussion we have put more thought into the potential mechanics of how this all might work than the writers. 

Broadly speaking, the pre-1986 Superman stories had it effectively so that a single second of exposure to yellow sun rays would unlock the full spectrum of super-powers. 

Later incarnations added the explanation that Kryptonians are living solar batteries. They have varied on the notion of some ramifications of that such as:

 1. Can they get "super-charged" by getting extra exposure to yellow sun radiation or simulated yellow sun radiation? (Arrowverse Kryptonians can, and Edgeradicator apparently spent three weeks in close proximity to the sun)

2. Does red sun radiation immediately drain all Kryptonian powers making them normal, or limit their stores of super-energy so that they can do a few super things but will run out of gas? (Arrowverse has had it both ways, I think)

3. Can a Kryptonian discharge all their stored yellow sun energy in one burst, and if so , what happens, and how long does it take to recharge? (The Arrowverse and some of the comics have the ability to "solar flare" out an energy burst that drains a Kryptonian and leaves them ordinary for about a day or so, although I think Clark did it in an episode of S&L and didn't seem to be normal human at all afterward).

If we were to attempt to extrapolate something from the above, in the Arrowverse a base Kryptonian could go from 0 to 60 within a day of normal exposure to solar radiation, and that can be accelerated through artificial means. In Supergirl, we have seen yellow sun lamps used to accelerate super-healing, and yellow sun grenades deployed to give a temporary burst of powers when she had been in a place with a red sun to the point she was powerless. 

My fanwank is that both the original Eradicator and the Edgeradicator not only installed the Kryptonian consciousness in its subjects, and gave them the ability to process yellow sun radiation, but also gave some level of Kryptonian Superpowers for Dummies and gave them at least some initial solar battery charge. The OG Eradicator took several treatments for an ordinary person to become Kryptonian, so maybe even it didn't require any downloaded training on Kryptonian superpowers or enhanced energy conversion. Maybe after treatment 1, Edge or Larr or someone began to explain what was happening to the new Kryptonians along with some level of explanation of what they would soon be able to do. And maybe even after treatment 1, the  subjects began gradually getting to be able to transform sunlight into superpowers. 

With Edgeradicator, it seems the process is faster, and presumably he has been able to speed things up because of spending three weeks soaking up yellow sun. 

[Paloma]

17 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Kryptonian Superpowers for Dummies

Love this!

[Lantern7]

Forgot to post. Great that we're going strong into the finale.

Question: can the Kent boys not succumb to peer pressure? "Hey, guys! Listen, the town is crumbling into dust, everyone is moving out. So . . .  kegger? And, natch, the boys go for it damn near every time.

I'm going to chalk up the "take the shot!" bit on Sam having a concussion. What was he expecting? "You missed?!? Crap! Okay . . . throw the gun at the sonofabitch! That's gotta be effective one day!"

The big winner? Kyle. "Wow, so Morgan Edge was some Superman alien. Dang. I don't think anyone thought of that. Lana, remind me that we gotta cook up a lot of humble pie. If we live through this, I mean."

[legaleagle53]

56 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Forgot to post. Great that we're going strong into the finale.

Question: can the Kent boys not succumb to peer pressure? "Hey, guys! Listen, the town is crumbling into dust, everyone is moving out. So . . .  kegger? And, natch, the boys go for it damn near every time.

I'm going to chalk up the "take the shot!" bit on Sam having a concussion. What was he expecting? "You missed?!? Crap! Okay . . . throw the gun at the sonofabitch! That's gotta be effective one day!"

The big winner? Kyle. "Wow, so Morgan Edge was some Superman alien. Dang. I don't think anyone thought of that. Lana, remind me that we gotta cook up a lot of humble pie. If we live through this, I mean."

For them, or for the town for going all Kristallnacht on them?

[kickingnames]

On 8/12/2021 at 11:03 PM, kickingnames said:

This is a great point to make, and more kudos to Elizabeth Tulloch. Watching that scene, I felt as though what was on the page was probably just simple foreshadowing of the episode’s end, but what ET played was a woman who absolutely has dealt with all that guilt and pain and is now quietly absorbing the hits this lady is throwing. It’s such a rich portrayal in a brief moment, and makes the end so much more traumatic. Like, obviously it’s the whole point of the show, but hasn’t this family been through enough?

Quoting myself — I just rewatched this scene, and I gotta add kudos to Tyler Hoechlin here too. Lois is fighting tears, but Clark has this depth of emotion in that moment too, even in his brief look at Lois. Sharon Powell may never know that they know, but Clark and Lois absolutely do know her pain all too well.

[miasth]

Lois Lane as usual is all sorts of awesome.  This had become one of my favorite incarnations of the character.

So is Edgicator able to suppress the good Kryptonians or are there not many of them which is why we only heard the voices of the evil ones. Considering the psychotic behavior of these people Edge wanting to resurrect them made no sense. There was a huge possibility they would have attempted to grab power and betray him.

Kyle sober and no longer an Edge cheerleader makes him actually likeable. Sarah heaping the same blame on him as the other townspeople must have stung. While I get her anger, it was like not ok Sarah not ok.

Lana and Clark fell flat for me. I suppose because they haven't been interacting much.

Jordan being infected with Pa-Rho...did not guess that one though I figured something would happen to one or both boys.

 

[7kstar]

On 8/12/2021 at 10:50 AM, PAForrest said:

I'm assuming he won't stay "bad" long, I doubt the actor can handle that role for an extended period of time, but who knows. I thought the episode was decent in general, but I'm sorry, I simply can't take seriously a pudgy faced, curly mopped teen as Edge's daddy. Plus, ew, the whole scenario is hella skeevy.

Sarah was annoying the crap out of me too, screaming at her parents the way she was, like she knows anything at all, while they're trying to do what they can to survive - especially since it sounded like Kyle was going to get a much better job with a promotion in Bristol anyway. I get she has a new boyfriend now, for all of a couple days, but seriously girl, take it down about a 100 notches. And just like that, Tegan suddenly looks miles better by comparison. Are we supposed to know or guess who Tegan's father from Central City might be? I stopped watching The Flash years ago, but the reference seemed to be more than a passing one. Maybe he's a character who will present himself in the second season.

Watched this by binging so it has a different feel than when you have to wait for the next ep.  I find the young adult actors are pretty good at creating freshman.  Having worked with so many kids with emotional issues, they weren't that far off.  KIds yell at parents more today period.  Parents are lucky they only have one or two kids to deal with doing it, Try a classroom it will freak you out. 

Glad to see I wasn't the only one that thought the actor looks like Frodo.

That said, a few things also since I taught kids acting for over 20 years.  Young actors have a tendency to see anger as one thing, yelling.  Plot reasons made Sarah yell.  But I think with a little stronger directing, the actress could have done more with what was written.  Things have been building up.  She didn't believe they would move and for the first time, she has someone who can relate to her and even help her feel.  She hasn't really dealt with her dad's things well.  Prior to this, she hasn't yelled but just given up. 

Plus add the point that she has to be mad to leave, so she is at the party.  She's acting out and not really acting like herself.  Even yelling at her friends wasn't totally normal, although we did she when she lost it with Jonathan.  The real issue is young actors see anger as yelling as they say I'm supposed to be mad now.  Instead, you are playing against showing the anger and it can be quiet too.  But it isn't a norm for young actors to know this.  Also, if their training isn't there, their life experiences may not really be there either.  I didn't find it something that really set my teeth on edge, so it didn't bother me as it has for others. 

The actor that plays Jordan is doing a pretty good in being like the kids he is portraying.  I could give horror stories of real reactions for kids that are labeled as Jordan.  The outbursts are all over the place and way too dramatic.  What I loved was that some believed because they were emotional in real life, they would be outstanding actors.  Sometimes if I could get them to do X.  Sometimes they were just too destructive.  The one reason I hated was so they could learn how to socialize.  Yes it could do it, but not in a classroom of 30.  Then it needs to be in a small group setting and with the right kids.

There will always be weak spots in an ep.  For a first season they have had a pretty good set up.  Has there been moments that were cringeworthy of course, but I find myself really enjoying the show and perhaps it will fill the void that Supernatural once held.  I won't bring up the other points that others have stated so well.

I do love the dynamic between the twins & Lois and Superman.  I like the love interests the boys have.  That last scene was excellent.  The only thing I did get confused on a few time is Jonathan's hurt arm seems to come and go.  Can I nitpick a few things about the last part sure but on the whole it was satisfying.

[John Potts]

I'm not a teenager (and haven't been one for a loooong time), but surely somebody would be on their phone at that party? No way would they be unaware that Metropolis was under attack. I also don't believe the town would be so anti the army. If you're worried about going out of business, having a battalion of soldiers posted in your town just upped your customer base. Of course they would have concerns about why they were there, but there would be upsides as well.

Still don't buy Sam would have kept Edge in captivity. This is a guy who was prepared to kill his son in law, yet he only (ineffectually) imprisoned Edge. Superman has a "Don't Kill" policy, but Generals don't. You'd also think he'd come up with a better cover story (hell, say they've found dangerous amounts of uranium in the mine, it wouldn't be entirely unbelievable). And did the army just stand around while the Kryptonians were marauding through Metropolis? We saw Sam observing, but we didn't see any soldiers get involved in the fight.

Loved Steel saving Lois ("I never miss!"). Didn't love the "Shoot him!" scene because it was so obviously not going to work. If nothing else, Kryptonians should be able to just dodge the bullet (if they know it's coming).

On 8/11/2021 at 6:20 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

Again, other than "because drama!" any reason why Edge used Jordan to download Papa Edge? When Jordan gets to be himself again, wonder if he will retain full Kryptonian powers?

I was wondering that, too.