S03.E12: Injustice

[scarynikki12]

Quote

Finally, after seventeen years behind bars, Lex Luthor is set to be released from prison. Lois and Clark clash with Jordan over his carelessness around using his powers in public, while Jonathan struggles with Kyle’s change in behavior at the firehouse.

 

 

[scarynikki12]

The opening montages this season have been absolutely perfect. 

The CGI on Lois' post-mastectomy chest is excellent. 

I love the music chosen for Lex's introduction. What song is that?

Also, Lex has been behind bars since before the kids were born? Sorry, boys, your life as you know it is gone. You're now going to live in a world where Lex Luthor fucks with your family on the regular. As a bonus he'll also be coming from a revenge angle.

Maybe the jokes about his goggles will convince Jordan to ditch the Frog Boy image. Just wear a mask with some grease paint under the eyes and you'll be fine.

I love Lois' classic reporter look in the flashback but it also makes me laugh. 

I'm enjoying how dramatic Lex is. Of course he's walking away from prison with a storm brewing.

An easy way to get the Daily Planet off Smallville's back would be for Frog Boy to be seen in a couple places around the country. Then it may seem like he flies around and just happened to be near Smallville when the accident happened.

Kyle's glee every time he sees Clark since learning about Superman is hilarious. 

If Lex still maintained this kind of power and connection in the prison how has he not been fucking with the Kents this whole time?

Why do I feel like Lex is walking to Smallville rather than Metropolis? Do we know where the prison is located?

Now I'm thinking Lex is somehow causing the tornado.

Ah, Frog Boy coming to help get rid of the tornado I think Lex caused.

In one of the shots Jordan's skin even had a green tinge so the Frog Boy moniker stands. He's also enjoying the fame way too much which is an arc that makes sense for a teenager with powers.

Ok I guess Lex didn't cause the tornado.

Jordan super-smacking Clark's hand away made him so angry he's going to cry. I love it.

Ha! I knew Lex was going to Smallville so the prison must be reasonably close.

Seriously, Lex kept tabs on the Kents this whole time yet...didn't fuck with them?  Not even a little?

Lex must pay Otis really well. Almost twenty years in prison and he still picks him up right on time.

Bizarro's a full on zombie! Who I think just ate Otis???

[bettername2come]

26 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

The CGI on Lois' post-mastectomy chest is excellent. 

And then they went the "actress pregnant, character not" route with the scarf draped over her chest. Which does make sense as a character choice. 

I kind of love the character choices feeling very grounded in real life behaviors in this one. Of course Sarah and Jordan are going to act like bratty teenagers about stuff. Of course Lana's going to go to the Kents to tell them about Jordan's behavior since it puts him in danger. Of course Clark is going to advocate for fair treatment of his son. Of course Sarah and Jon are going to be annoyed at their parents for intervening without checking with them. Of course Jordan's gonna use his powers to help when a tornado appears. Of course he's gonna eavesdrop on his parents when Lex Luthor appears. 

Nice moment of Sam directing people to safety. 

Really the most unrealistic thing in this one is Lex is in the yard the second Clark decides to listen for him. 

All right how long until one of the boys is abducted by Lex Luthor? Ooh, is he going to take Superboy Jordan as collateral to keep Superman from intervening with the Kents then wonder why he can't find both twins?

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

An easy way to get the Daily Planet off Smallville's back would be for Frog Boy to be seen in a couple places around the country. Then it may seem like he flies around and just happened to be near Smallville when the accident happened.

...

If Lex still maintained this kind of power and connection in the prison how has he not been fucking with the Kents this whole time?

Why do I feel like Lex is walking to Smallville rather than Metropolis? Do we know where the prison is located?

Now I'm thinking Lex is somehow causing the tornado.

Ah, Frog Boy coming to help get rid of the tornado I think Lex caused.

In one of the shots Jordan's skin even had a green tinge so the Frog Boy moniker stands. He's also enjoying the fame way too much which is an arc that makes sense for a teenager with powers.

Ok I guess Lex didn't cause the tornado.

Jordan super-smacking Clark's hand away made him so angry he's going to cry. I love it.

Ha! I knew Lex was going to Smallville so the prison must be reasonably close.

Seriously, Lex kept tabs on the Kents this whole time yet...didn't fuck with them?  Not even a little?

Lex must pay Otis really well. Almost twenty years in prison and he still picks him up right on time.

Bizarro's a full on zombie! Who I think just ate Otis???

Yeah, they really could have figured out a way to roll out Frog Boy better. After two decades of Lois and Clark writing about Clark's exploits, they had a lot of options to reveal that there was another person with powers. 

I was working on a theory that Lex HAS been f---ing with the Kents all these years. He just can't be overt about it because he knows Lois has, as he said, Superman and the DOD as protectors. My theory is that Lex deduced how he was framed and engineered his "unframing" by arranging for both Peia and Lois to get cancer, hoping that Peia would death-bed confession her part of the frame and Lois would be forced to report the truth.. Maybe that's a little tin hat, but we'll see.

I would nitpick that it's messed up that Superman and Lois apparently had no idea that Lex has become basically the real warden over Stryker's Island for years. Surely someone would have checked up on him, or word would have gotten out from some of the inmates or guards he was lording over. 

I think that this is my favorite Luthor pretty much ever. Not the hammy Luthor of the Gene Hackman variety (although he will always have a special place in my heart) or the woobie Michael Rosenbaum Lex from Smallville (ditto) but someone who through sheer force of will and machiavellian evil is truly a proper antagonist for Superman. God, I hope this gets another season at least so we can have Luthor lurking more than just the next episode.

[opus]

4 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

God, I hope this gets another season at least so we can have Luthor lurking more than just the next episode.

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[AD35]

6 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I think that this is my favorite Luthor pretty much ever. Not the hammy Luthor of the Gene Hackman variety (although he will always have a special place in my heart) or the woobie Michael Rosenbaum Lex from Smallville (ditto) but someone who through sheer force of will and machiavellian evil is truly a proper antagonist for Superman

Now this is a Lex Luthor I wouldn't mind seeing more than once and one who has a real personal chip on his shoulders against the Kents.

7 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Of course Jordan's gonna use his powers to help when a tornado appears.

Did anyone else besides me get some serious flashbacks to a similar scene in the Man of Steel movie? Now that Jordan is sort of revealed to the world and Lex is out of prison, I'm wondering if these two developments might suggest the Kents might move back to Metropolis for the next season.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I do love that Lois because of who she is didn't take a second to even consider taking Lex's offer. But part of me thinks she should have. Or at least mulled over the possibility. I mean, she just survived cancer. Does she really need to be reporting that badly that she is willing to risk whatever vengeance Luthor may cook up with 17 years of spite eating away at him and (presumably still) billions of dollars to pay for it? Can't she attempt a workaround and publish all her work under Clark's byline or Chrissy's?  

[baldryanr]

Thankfully Lex's daughter is about 30 now, so no chance for a Romeo and Juliet love story with Jon or Jordan next season.  We just did Natalie and Matteo (I guess she and her dad were busy with that this episode?) so no reason to rehash things. 

56 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Can't she attempt a workaround and publish all her work under Clark's byline or Chrissy's?  

Lois would see that as the most cowardly move in the world.  She doesn't report on celebrity gossip, she goes after stories that piss off a lot of very powerful and not so morally upstanding people.  Making Clark a target doesn't help her overall safety, and putting a giant bullseye on Chrissy is just as bad.

[DanaK]

I’m not sure I liked the more violent turn the show took this episode with Lex on the scene. If he’s full on part of the next season, I fear the same

I do wonder if Lex is that in control of the prison why he didn’t he just engineer getting freed? And why didn’t the authorities know he was in control?

[Affogato]

Luthor is a right bastard, isn't he? the working man's Fisk, with his table and his gently prepared eggs. I think the distinctive way he prefers to bully people into giving him what he wants, instead of paying them,was developed nicely in this episode. It seems that Luther exerted a fair bit of control over his holdings during his imprisonment.

Lois can't give into that kind of bullying, and her operating covertly will only put others in danger, but I see that she may need to muster some big guns and perhaps that leads into a return to Metropolis, at least for some of the next season.

Otis must have been a welcome snack for ZBizarro, after all of those (admittedly large and toothsome) rats. I think. I wasn't clear what happened then, because of the glaring white light and all, but I assume Luther will survive. It would be fun if he didn't, though, thus sidestepping all expectations. That aside, it seems Manning may not have told the dod about Bizarro and seems to have less control over him than one would hope? If they knew you think they would have taken him to a dod facility.

I'm not even sure Jordan behaved that egregriously. He said, well, it was badass behavior and someone's life was saved. Well, it was. I'm sure many of his classmates thought so, too. I get that it goes against the Clark Kent method of active heroism, to defend himself that way,and I even think Clark is right to think that way. they are dangerous alien weapons, after all. Still, Jordan could get a bit of validation from his parents. Good job saving lives, now let me explain why I feel that way.... It is interesting that BJonathan has powers and clearly struggles with some of the same issues Jordan does, so maybe this could be a way of broaching the conversation with Jordan.

Moving to Metropolis would help him hide in a crowd, but moving teens in the last year of high school isn't a great idea in general, so I wonder what will happen next season. Jordan already is struggling socially.

Sarah seems way over Jordan, though. so, less Sarah and more angst for Jordan, who clearly doesn't think she is that over him or understand why. 

Sam is awesome. I will miss Sam. I will also miss Kyle and his nascent relationship with Jonathan.

 

[Affogato]

13 hours ago, bettername2come said:

And then they went the "actress pregnant, character not" route with the scarf draped over her chest. Which does make sense as a character choice. 

I kind of love the character choices feeling very grounded in real life behaviors in this one. Of course Sarah and Jordan are going to act like bratty teenagers about stuff. Of course Lana's going to go to the Kents to tell them about Jordan's behavior since it puts him in danger. Of course Clark is going to advocate for fair treatment of his son. Of course Sarah and Jon are going to be annoyed at their parents for intervening without checking with them. Of course Jordan's gonna use his powers to help when a tornado appears. Of course he's gonna eavesdrop on his parents when Lex Luthor appears. 

Nice moment of Sam directing people to safety. 

Really the most unrealistic thing in this one is Lex is in the yard the second Clark decides to listen for him. 

All right how long until one of the boys is abducted by Lex Luthor? Ooh, is he going to take Superboy Jordan as collateral to keep Superman from intervening with the Kents then wonder why he can't find both twins?

In interviews I get the impression the actors advocate for realistic behavior for their characters and that it is a talking point in the writers room and on the set.

I'm not entirely convinced that Lex didn't have their schedules down and timed that perfectly, along with the pickup from Otis. He is good. After 17 years he was able to time his walk perfectly with his assigned pickup.  Likely he would have bellowed for attention.

It doesn't seem as if he knows who Superman is, which may be a secret that will help them out. Will he kidnap the twins? That would be pretty overt illegal behavior, which I think he is trying to avoid. I wonder if he will start by introducing a Berserker superman to the world.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

I'm not even sure Jordan behaved that egregriously. He said, well, it was badass behavior and someone's life was saved. Well, it was. I'm sure many of his classmates thought so, too. I get that it goes against the Clark Kent method of active heroism, to defend himself that way,and I even think Clark is right to think that way. they are dangerous alien weapons, after all. Still, Jordan could get a bit of validation from his parents. Good job saving lives, now let me explain why I feel that way.... It is interesting that BJonathan has powers and clearly struggles with some of the same issues Jordan does, so maybe this could be a way of broaching the conversation with Jordan.

The thing about Jordan's behavior is it's at the same time fully understandable and yet very dangerous. I don't blame him for wanting to be public with his abilities, and getting even a percentage of the fame and recognition his dad has. To be able to go from a loser outcast with mental health issues two-three years ago (and even to some degree now) to respected for what he can do is a temptation that you can't really expect a 16-year-old to resist.

But purposefully making people aware that there is a second person with superpowers who has intervened at least twice in Smallville, and he's a young-seeming white male about yeah-high with this build is a very slippery slope. Junior already suspects that the person is someone they may know. As Sam pointed out, someone can easily start to put the pieces together and deduce that the Smallville Samaritan is Jordan, or is related to Superman, or any number of things that put him, Lois, Jon and Clark at greater risk of being found out and of physical danger. Granted, with the secret still confined to the circle of trust, they are in danger routinely anyway, but it would be heightened.

That's on top of the moral hazard of being a hero not primarily for the sake of helping people in need but to get attention and social media likes.

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, DanaK said:

I’m not sure I liked the more violent turn the show took this episode with Lex on the scene. If he’s full on part of the next season, I fear the same

I do wonder if Lex is that in control of the prison why he didn’t he just engineer getting freed? And why didn’t the authorities know he was in control?

I think that this Lex was violent because in prison you in a sense have to be.

I can buy that Bruno and Peia did such an excellent job framing him that he couldn't get around it. The evidence against Lex was a recording that 100 percent sounded like Lex confessing to the murder. Arguing "That recording's a fake" seems a longshot even in a world where superpowers and superscience exists. And once convicted, you can't necessarily bribe or bully everyone you would need to in order to get that conviction overturned.

I guess we have to accept that the Warden kept his mouth shut knowing that Lex had goons who could find and kill his family members at any time, and the prison guards also were either bought or bullied into being Lex minions too.

[blackwing]

I've always hated Jordan.  For three seasons now, he's done nothing but whine.  He whines about Sarah, he whines about his powers, he whines about not getting to use his powers.  He's basically a pissy little beeyotch about everything.  He obviously wanted attention and thinks it was unfair that he wasn't getting the recognition and hero worship.

I think a lot of it comes from being dumped by Sarah, twice.  She dumped him the first time because he was evasive and always hiding something.  Then she learned his secret, and dumped him again.  I would imagine that he wants the attention because he wants to show Sarah that if she doesn't want him, that's fine, because there's plenty of girls who would love to be Frog Boy's girlfriend.  I get that he's 16 and immature, but still.  The way he landed and immediately smiled for the cameras and basked in the glory.  He just doesn't get the risk that he's bringing upon Lois and Jonathan. 

I wish there was a way for Clark to be able to suppress his powers.  Kryptonite doesn't seem to affect Jordan but surely there is something that can.  Surely John Henry or Natalie can build some kind of power dampener?

So the prison Lex was in was somewhere in Kansas, perhaps reinforcing the idea that Metropolis is also somewhere in Kansas.  But he walked all the way to Smallville?

The tornado was pretty awesome.  Watching Superman flying into the heart of the tornado was awesome.  The Smallville residents must be aware of the threat of tornados since they live in Kansas.  I loved how Sam, Lana and Sarah immediately took charge of the residents in each of their areas.  I will miss these three next year.  Less others means more Jordan.  Ugh.

[Chicago Redshirt]

46 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I've always hated Jordan.  For three seasons now, he's done nothing but whine.  He whines about Sarah, he whines about his powers, he whines about not getting to use his powers.  He's basically a pissy little beeyotch about everything.  He obviously wanted attention and thinks it was unfair that he wasn't getting the recognition and hero worship.

I think a lot of it comes from being dumped by Sarah, twice.  She dumped him the first time because he was evasive and always hiding something.  Then she learned his secret, and dumped him again.  I would imagine that he wants the attention because he wants to show Sarah that if she doesn't want him, that's fine, because there's plenty of girls who would love to be Frog Boy's girlfriend.  I get that he's 16 and immature, but still.  The way he landed and immediately smiled for the cameras and basked in the glory.  He just doesn't get the risk that he's bringing upon Lois and Jonathan. 

I wish there was a way for Clark to be able to suppress his powers.  Kryptonite doesn't seem to affect Jordan but surely there is something that can.  Surely John Henry or Natalie can build some kind of power dampener?

So the prison Lex was in was somewhere in Kansas, perhaps reinforcing the idea that Metropolis is also somewhere in Kansas.  But he walked all the way to Smallville?

The tornado was pretty awesome.  Watching Superman flying into the heart of the tornado was awesome.  The Smallville residents must be aware of the threat of tornados since they live in Kansas.  I loved how Sam, Lana and Sarah immediately took charge of the residents in each of their areas.  I will miss these three next year.  Less others means more Jordan.  Ugh.

Jordan is affected by Kryptonite, but as always, the effect of Kryptonite is plot-dependent. Sometimes it's crippling, sometimes it's barely an inconvenience. I think it was said that it affects Jordan differently in an episode where Clark took multiple hits from some sort of kryptonite gun and Jordan took one and was pretty much laid out. We know that Jordan is weakened by red sun radiation from back when JHI had set a trap for Clark, IIRC.

One of the things that did take me out of the episode was that everyone needed to be told by our regulars repeatedly what to do b/c of the tornado, when, one would hope that as Kansas residents they'd have had it reinforced from when they could talk that they need to stay away from glass, stay low and seek nearby shelter as best they could.

[Affogato]

43 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I've always hated Jordan.  For three seasons now, he's done nothing but whine.  He whines about Sarah, he whines about his powers, he whines about not getting to use his powers.  He's basically a pissy little beeyotch about everything.  He obviously wanted attention and thinks it was unfair that he wasn't getting the recognition and hero worship.

I think a lot of it comes from being dumped by Sarah, twice.  She dumped him the first time because he was evasive and always hiding something.  Then she learned his secret, and dumped him again.  I would imagine that he wants the attention because he wants to show Sarah that if she doesn't want him, that's fine, because there's plenty of girls who would love to be Frog Boy's girlfriend.  I get that he's 16 and immature, but still.  The way he landed and immediately smiled for the cameras and basked in the glory.  He just doesn't get the risk that he's bringing upon Lois and Jonathan. 

I wish there was a way for Clark to be able to suppress his powers.  Kryptonite doesn't seem to affect Jordan but surely there is something that can.  Surely John Henry or Natalie can build some kind of power dampener?

So the prison Lex was in was somewhere in Kansas, perhaps reinforcing the idea that Metropolis is also somewhere in Kansas.  But he walked all the way to Smallville?

The tornado was pretty awesome.  Watching Superman flying into the heart of the tornado was awesome.  The Smallville residents must be aware of the threat of tornados since they live in Kansas.  I loved how Sam, Lana and Sarah immediately took charge of the residents in each of their areas.  I will miss these three next year.  Less others means more Jordan.  Ugh.

He is a fairly faithful depiction of a teenager who also has his particular social anxiety issues. It is pretty clear that he is happy to get positive attention, even craves it, because he hasn't gotten much of it in his life from his peers.  He has spent a lot of time alone in his room watching his more normal brother have friends and play football. As with Lois's bouts with cancer, it is these careful depictions that make the characters fleshed out and realistic. I mentioned elsewhere that BJonathan also had some of the same reactions to being powered on Bworld, so some of the issues are teenaged issues as well. I doubt that much of it really has to do with being dumped by Sarah, although he may not realize it until later, during therapy. Sarah was his only friend, his first friend, and he hangs on to her because he needs friends.  He should have been helped to make more social contacts and had more support from Clark, in particular, who understood both the pain of the powers coming in and his social awkwardness.  Clark is a flawed person who struggles to give his family attention in the face of his demanding hobby of saving the world at large.

1 minute ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

 

One of the things that did take me out of the episode was that everyone needed to be told by our regulars repeatedly what to do b/c of the tornado, when, one would hope that as Kansas residents they'd have had it reinforced from when they could talk that they need to stay away from glass, stay low and seek nearby shelter as best they could.

I wondered at that as well, having spent some time in tornado prone areas. It is a wonder the whole town isn't in Oz. Or are they?

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I think that this Lex was violent because in prison you in a sense have to be.

I can buy that Bruno and Peia did such an excellent job framing him that he couldn't get around it. The evidence against Lex was a recording that 100 percent sounded like Lex confessing to the murder. Arguing "That recording's a fake" seems a longshot even in a world where superpowers and superscience exists. And once convicted, you can't necessarily bribe or bully everyone you would need to in order to get that conviction overturned.

I guess we have to accept that the Warden kept his mouth shut knowing that Lex had goons who could find and kill his family members at any time, and the prison guards also were either bought or bullied into being Lex minions too.

You know, I'm fairly sure that you bring that level of violence with you.  I also think he is modeled on Onofrio's Fisk

[tennisgurl]

A whole lot happening here, we get to meet Lex Luthor himself and Bizzarro is a zombie! Who just had himself an Otis snack! We are really going hard as we head into the season finale. I like this Lex so far, he's a lot more coldly brutal than a lot of Lex's we've had, but that makes some sense given his backstory of being in prison for seventeen years, even if he took over the prison right away. Having him gunning for the Kents looking for revenge against Lois is going to be an interesting dynamic, its different than his usual "I hate Superman because I'm petty" motivation. 

I'm glad that we're getting another season, I was really worried what with the CW television massacre, but I hate that so much of the supporting cast is getting cut. Hopefully they will still be around a decent amount of the time, the show isn't really the show if its just all Kents all the time, ending all of the other characters arcs or cutting them way down. 

Kyle practically glows whenever he sees Clark now, he can hardly keep himself from fanboying, its pretty hilarious. I really appreciate that the show is alright with its characters not being all that likable but in ways that seem true to their characters, when they get upset you can understand why. I actually thought that Jordan just commenting on how this mysterious hero is a badass wasn't that bad, it was his behavior later on that was super bratty. Its really annoying to watch but you can understand how a kid who has been an outcast with anxiety issues and has felt overshadowed by his brother would jump at the chance to get positive attention, even if everyone around him is telling him its a bad idea. I can see how both Sarah and Jonathan got upset at their parents going off to "fix" their problems by involving other adults and feel like their parents are just making it worse, being treated like a kid tends to really piss teenagers off. 

I feel like somehow Lex is behind that twister. No idea how, but leaving jail as a massive storm rages just feels very Lex. The twister looked cool and I liked seeing so many reactions to it, especially Sam and Sarah separately getting people to safety. 

Jordan letting people know so much about him, especially when he's wearing those silly googles as his only disguise, is going to massively backfire. Junior is already putting the pieces together and if too many people see him and start figuring out who is he that could start huge problems. I did think that the brief scene with Jonathan and Jordan in their room where they mutually complained about their parents and then played video games. Very quiet and felt very true to life with siblings.

[historylover820]

I'm from Kansas, and I know people who would stand and gawk at a tornado.

Yeah, Jonathan and Sarah have a right to be upset and frustrated at their parents. While I can see Clark and Lana were trying to do good (Jordan needs to cool the "Look at me! I'm a superhero!" and I get that Clark would want to fight for Jonathan), they went about it the wrong way. Particularly Clark's meeting with Kyle. Unless how Kyle treats Jonathan really does become a problem, let Jonathan fight his own battles. This is growing up.

Jordan's issues with his parents is different. I get where Jordan is coming from -- sometimes validation is great, particularly since you keep being told by everybody that you're in the wrong for doing what you're doing. But, he's still growing into his powers. Just the last episode, he developed x-ray vision. As Sam said, he's not as cautious as Clark. He has really no concept of balancing his secret identity of normal, but socially awkward teenager and superhero. The socially awkward is probably the biggest problem. From what we've seen, Clark seemed to be a well-adjusted teenager, he seemed popular enough for a small farming town. He matured into someone who can keep Clark Kent, regular dude, and Superman separate.

Jordan craves validation.

But, the craving is a problem, and it might be too late to dial it back. It won't be hard for Junior to start connecting the dots, even with Jordan's stupid costume. They figure out Jordan is Frog Boy (I like that), it's not going to be too hard to figure out that his father is Superman. That's going to be dangerous for everyone. Particularly since Lex Luthor is now out of prison.

Part of Clark's anger is that Jordan is not listening to him. He just jumps in. Also, him not speeding away but letting himself be put all over social media is just asking for trouble. 

But, Clark should not have confronted Kyle about Jonathan's treatment. 

[TiffanyNichelle]

Welp, RIP Otis. Sucked to go out like that! This Lex is on a different level from most others. This Lex would have stomped Jesse Eisenberg's Lex into bits. I'm a little scared to see where he goes from here.

 

I gotta say the first half they really had me feeling bad for Jordan with how everyone was coming down on him but then he did the tornado rescue which his father could have easily handled on his own and dropped down in the middle of the crowd so everyone could cheer him on. I get that as a teenager, it probably felt cool and all but it was still the wrong thing.

10 hours ago, Affogato said:

I'm not even sure Jordan behaved that egregriously. He said, well, it was badass behavior and someone's life was saved. Well, it was. I'm sure many of his classmates thought so, too.

Honestly what he said was pretty mild for all the talk of him being accused of strutting around, boasting and it was barely that.

As much as I didn't like Sarah complaining about how she's working so hard to keep Jordan's secret when he's trying to tell everyone (IMO, he didn't) I did like that this is the flipside of the comic book show standard of someone being upset that they weren't let in on a secret identity. Knowing a big secret like this isn't always fun and easy to keep. It's a lot of work. You want to know? Well there's a burden to it.

[Lady Calypso]

So, another fairly solid episode. I think what I liked about it is that nobody's responses to things were perfect, but they were certainly relatable.

I do think that the initial scene of Sarah/Jordan with their group of friends was written poorly because I initially thought Sarah was overreacting. I didn't see what she saw in Jordan because nothing of what he said seemed to scream bragging to friends. 

However, they did fix that later on with Jordan's response to his parents, which helped, and maybe Sarah was reading between the lines in that first scene. 

I do think Jordan's ego has been massively growing this season, but honestly, it's about time. A kid with powers is something that I assumed would get to Jordan's head eventually; it just took a couple of seasons to finally get there. And it does make sense, given Jordan as a person who is now feeling more confident in himself and getting the training that he needs. I'm glad they're exploring this, even if it makes Jordan look like a brat. It feels very realistic that the fame and validation would get to his head. Similarly to Jon-El on Bizarro Earth, it really does show the parallels and the consequences of having powers as a teenager, and especially when Jordan sees his dad save lives and gets validation as Superman every day.

I loved the Clark/Jordan scenes, as well. When Jordan not just defied Clark, but used his powers against him and Clark was absolutely seething, it was such an interesting dynamic, one that I've wanted to see for a long time. Jordan's not reacting well at all, but the show is acknowledging it and it's super realistic. 

Clark also made a mistake with Jon, by approaching Kyle first without talking to Jon first about it. I didn't love Kyle's response to Jon; he's still a kid, after all. Even if he's working at the station, he's still a minor, so even if he had gone to his parents first, who cares? Kyle just seems upset that Clark/Superman has a more negative perception of him (well, in his mind; we know Clark isn't actually upset at Kyle). 

And I did like Sarah's perspective all episode. She went to her Mom to talk about Jordan and got upset that her mom ran straight to the Kents, AND then told Jordan off and said that, yeah, the car accident WAS about her and she IS allowed to feel upset about the entire event, including what Jordan did. And I don't blame her for feeling stressed by keeping this secret. Sarah has improved leaps and bounds from season 2.

Lex Luthor's first episode has been fairly solid. I loved the guitar riffs in a few of his scenes, and I do not mind the more violent, hands-on approach that they're taking with his character. I don't know many versions of Lex, only Supergirl (Superman was never my favourite superhero to keep up with) but this version has, so far, proved himself to be a formidable villain. I really liked his scene with Clark and Lois at their farmhouse. The two of them SHOULD be afraid of retaliation when Lois obviously does not quit her job and should be taking measures to protect Jon and Jordan, because if Lex feels like Lois damaged his relationship with his own daughter, there's no doubt he comes after her through the twins. 

Overall, solid episode and I'm nervous and excited to see what comes with the finale.

[AAEBoiler]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:00 PM, scarynikki12 said:

I'm enjoying how dramatic Lex is. Of course he's walking away from prison with a storm brewing.

Was Lex watching the weather reports to make sure he was released on overcast, potentially stormy day? Did he look out and say, "Sunny, temps in the 60's with a light breeze ... can we push my release til tomorrow?"

[thuganomics85]

Lex Luthor is here in the form of Michael Cudlitz!  Because I guess if one former Walking Dead actor leaves, another has to take his or hers place!  I enjoyed this take on Luthor compared to the previous ones.  Almost had a Wilson Fisk vibe, honestly.  But I liked the fake-out where it looked like was going to take out those three prisoners physically himself, only for it to actually be a swerve and he was using them as a way to get beat up and get on the Warden's radar.  Would have been an atypical cliche if he was so badass that he could dispatch three grown men with ease, so I liked how it showed he isn't just brute force but has the intelligence that is expected of Lex.  Curious to see what is in store for him.  Kind of going with the theory that he might have pierced things together and knows (or suspects) Clark is Superman and is waiting for the right time to use this information.  After-all, he had seventeen years to plot his eventual revenge...

Taken by itself, Jordan's support of "Superboy" wasn't that outrageous, because it didn't really feel like he was boasting (as Jonathan and Sarah were claiming/acting), but more like a fanboy of some kind.  But this episode definitely showed that he is letting his powers and the need to be a superhero get to him, and actually cares about fame and being recognized for it.  Yeah, this isn't going to end well, but it is too late to walk it back and just trying to stop him from heroing isn't a likely option.  Clark and Lois need to go back to the drawling board about finding a way to protect him (including from himself) but let him still be the hero he wants to be.

Also, Clark definitely meant well, but going behind Jonathan's back to tell Kyle to not treat him differently was clearly going to backfire and make Jonathan feel like he's being treated with kid gloves even more.  Parenting is so hard!

Still liking the mature way they are handling Lois and her cancer story.

Clark going into angry dad mode reminded me once again that Tyler Hoechlin can be intense and even kind of scary!

Bizarro is back, baby!

Can't wait for the finale next week!  Glad we know that we are at least getting another season, although I'll miss the supporting case if they all go. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Granted, I've been out of the loop, but Cudlitz as LEX Fucking! LUTHOR???!!!😒 Nope.nope.nope. Uh-uh, nope. 

It's just as bad as Ducky Crier as Lex.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Granted, I've been out of the loop, but Cudlitz as LEX Fucking! LUTHOR???!!!😒 Nope.nope.nope. Uh-uh, nope. 

It's just as bad as Ducky Crier as Lex.

Give it a shot. It is a very very different take on Lex, and so far it seems like most of the comments are very positive.

And the only Lex that is as bad as or worse than Cryer is Jesse Eisenberg. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

And the only Lex that is as bad as or worse than Cryer is Jesse Eisenberg. 

This is true.