S04.E03: Always My Hero

[scarynikki12]

Quote

Reeling from failure, Jordan begins to spiral; Jonathan discovers newfound strength; Gen. Lane recruits John Henry and Natalie Irons, before making a choice that will change everything.

 

 

[Affogato]

Totally unspoiled, didn’t even watch the trailer. Does this mean Jonathan shows superpowers? 

[historylover820]

My stupid CW always freezes and pixelates. Will watch tomorrow on streaming.

[scarynikki12]

If Superman is dead in the present (until the final stretch of course) while we get flashbacks to important moments in Clark and Lois' life then I tip my hat to the show.

I love how terrified Clark was to tell Lane he's Superman, hee. And HA! at simply taking off the glasses being all that's needed for Lane to finally see it.

Uh oh, Jonathan is pissed at Jordan. Here's years of pent up aggression that apparently leads to powers? Sure I'm down. Maybe this will lead to twin bonding and Jordan supporting Jon for once.

Hee, Jon perfected his powers already. It's the natural athlete in him I think.

OF COURSE Jordan sulks because Jon takes to his powers right away. Sigh, Jordan this all ties back into the problems with you being Frog Boy. You want the accolades with being a superhero and you want to be the only one other than Clark to do it because you feel special. At no point are you focused on helping people and doing good. If you were you'd be delighted Jon has powers and has taken to them so quickly because it means another person to help and do good.

Given Jordan's sulking I fully expect Lex to reveal Lois chose to save Jon last episode and won't see it was because of his (then) lack of powers. A negative reaction will be understandable but Jordan will no doubt take it far beyond that.

Of course Lane was opposed to Clark proposing. Kinda wish Lane's reaction was something along the lines of "Lois doesn't believe in asking the father's permission" but it's in Clark's personality so it's no big deal.

Since we're doing flashbacks any chance we'll get to see Lex's AMAZING WIG again? I want to see it eat Cleveland.

Frog Boy, Lex. HIS NAME IS FROG BOY GET IT RIGHT.

Here we go! Lex revealing Lois picked Jon and Jordan's going to let it feed his insecurities. I bet the phone is bugged too so Lex will be listening when Jordan confronts Lois.

I hope Lane doesn't inject himself with the serum. It'd be a way to write Dylan off the show while technically keeping the character around but I want it to be used to attempt tot bring Clark back. 

Frog Boy would be a great villain and one of Superman's sons going bad would be an interesting story but it's the final season so not likely.

Lane gets shot, injects himself to save his life, and waits for Doomsday. Guess he's going to die after all.

I hate that Lois had to watch Lane die too but he went out like a badass. Not that I want to see this but sending Doomsday after Lois may have actually worked while Lane's career means he's always known he could be killed and probably made peace with that reality decades ago.

Nice twist how the opening funeral is really for Lane not Clark. Where does the average person think Clark is? Just hanging around the farmhouse?

Welcome back Clark. Hope your body doesn't reject the heart.

[baldryanr]

I'm going to assume Lois called Lucy and she was too distraught to come to Sam's grave.

Nice of Sam to go out a hero, but damn, Lois is going to need some serious therapy after all of this.

Why do I get the feeling Clark's powers are going to be limited and/or unreliable thanks to his new heart?  Plus there's the question of how he can risk going out again when Lex can just send Doomsday after him.

 

Edited October 15 by baldryanr

[Galileo908]

Steel: "We should've helped Clark." If only the budget allowed you to be in more episodes this season.

41 minutes ago, baldryanr said:

Why do I get the feeling Clark's powers are going to be limited and/or unreliable thanks to his new heart?  Plus there's the question of how he can risk going out again when Lex can just send Doomsday after him.

"Our budget won't allow for most of my powers." 

Screw you, Lex Luthor. I knew that robocall last week was gonna come back to haunt them.

And Jonathan has powers! And of course he's a natural at it and it causes tension with Jordan.

[bluvelvet]

I have to say I love this show. Pity it was cancelled. Interesting way to get Superman back but I’m so happy it didn’t take half the season. Of course she chose Jonathan because Jordan is the one with powers. I really hope that’s the end of that and it doesn’t rear its ugly head again. 
Loved seeing John and Natalie back again  

Lois is really going through boy!! I agree with the poster above who said she will need some serious therapy. The actress is killing it in this role. I saw her on Grimm and wasn’t impressed but here she’s 🔥 

Edited October 15 by bluvelvet

[DanaK]

No! They killed Daddy Lane! Like others, I fully expected Lane to be turned into a monster after taking the serum in order to fight Doomsday. Kudos to the swerve that instead Doomsday killed him and Lois gave his strengthened heart to Superman, who then woke up. I was expecting not to see an alive Superman for several episodes, so this is a nice twist

[historylover820]

Like I said, my CW was pixelating and freezing, so I'll have to watch it on streaming tomorrow.

But, I'm actually glad that Jonathan now has powers. I like Jonathan (no matter the actor playing him). And, hee for him to adapt to his powers so quickly.

I agree with the poster above who said that Elizabeth Tullock is killing it as Lois Lane. I also watched her in Grimm, and Juliet was probably my least favorite character in the ensemble. But, that reminds me -- I'm from KC, and every summer the celebrities from KC (Paul Rudd, Jason Sudakis, Eric Stonestreet) have a charity event called Big Slick that raises money for Children's Mercy Hospital. They have a softball game before a Royals game, and it attracts a lot of celebrities to participate (like Weird Al). And, this year, Elizabeth Tullock joined in the softball game. I was trying to figure out the connections that led her to join in (BTW, she is not much of a softball player!) But that was so cool to see her!

[kickingnames]

3 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I hope Lane doesn't inject himself with the serum. It'd be a way to write Dylan off the show while technically keeping the character around but I want it to be used to attempt tot bring Clark back.

[thuganomics85]

Damn, a lot of stuff happened for this one!

At long last, Jonathan finally gets his powers!  Not just that, but he basically seems to have all of Superman's powers and is able to adapt to them easier than Jordan did.  Yeah, I can see that causing some conflict between them.  While I get him being excited, I hope this doesn't lead to him being too reckless or corrupt, because I think it makes sense that Jonathan will be more level-headed and actually be more effective with the whole crime-fighting thing.  Not an insult on Jordan or anything, but since he's a little older now and has been through a lot already, I can see Jonathan being on better footing here.

As I figured, Lois did pick to spare Jonathan because she had faith Jordan would be able to get out of whatever threat he was in due to his power.  In other unsurprising news, Lex did record it and was trying to use it to pit Jordan against her.  It worked at the start, but it seems like he came around at the end.  I doubt this is over, but I really don't seem flat-out turning on Lois/joining Lex's side, because even he has to know that Lex doesn't give an actual shit about him.

The Irons are back and working for the DOJ since Superman is no more.  Glad we will still be checking in on them, even if it won't be for every episode.

Finally, it is time to say goodbye to General Sam Lane, as he is killed by Doomsday after refusing to tell Lex where his daughter is.  But wait!  Turns out Sam did it on purpose because he injected himself with Bruno serum/Clark's blood, and John Henry took it to Hol-Lara in order to put it in Clark.  And it seems to be working!  Of course, I suspect there will be some kind of unexpected consequences or side-effects, but I'm glad they aren't dragging this out.  Fare thee well, Sam.  You could be kind of an impulsive dick at times (like with some of these flashbacks here), but there is no doubt you did love your daughter (s) and grandchildren, and you made sure your sacrifice meant something.

I guess the lower budget made it a no go to get Jenna Dewan back as Lucy for the funeral scene.

Even if it all works out, Lois will need to see that therapist again because wow, is she being put through the ringer here.

Saw that David Giuntoli a.k.a. Elizabeth Tulloch's real life husband and former Grimm co-star directed this one.  Pretty cool!

[DanaK]

I’m kind of low key loving how unphased Luther’s associate is about all the craziness 

[bluvelvet]

Something that occurred to me. Luther currently thinks that Jonathan doesn’t have any powers ? I wonder if that’s going to come into play later on?

Also next week’s preview, Jordan is already annoying me with the whining that it’s his fault etc etc. I actually like Jordan but he’s very inward facing or self centered. 

[MissLucas]

That was excellent and heart-wrenching. Elizabeth Tulloch deserves all the accolades.

One detail I really loved is that Sam did not forget Nathalie in his goodbye speech. I always loved their bond.

As for Jordan - I think he's probably the most difficult character to write for. He reminds me a bit of Nate from Ted Lasso. Introvert who got bullied a lot suddenly gets power(s) and is not that particularly good at handling it.

[Affogato]

4 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

That was excellent and heart-wrenching. Elizabeth Tulloch deserves all the accolades.

One detail I really loved is that Sam did not forget Nathalie in his goodbye speech. I always loved their bond.

As for Jordan - I think he's probably the most difficult character to write for. He reminds me a bit of Nate from Ted Lasso. Introvert who got bullied a lot suddenly gets power(s) and is not that particularly good at handling it.

 Nothing annoys most people as much as someone struggling with their problems. They should snap out of it. Enough with the negativity. Depression, all of it. It’s boring. Especially if you have funny looking hair. Just stop bothering us. 

[opus]

Man, whoever greenlit this final season really wanted to see Lois tortured.

[blackwing]

This was a good episode.  I wonder if it was always Lane's plan to sacrifice himself and give his Kryptonian-blood infused heart to Clark?  Or did that only come about after he got shot in the stomach?

If it was just a simple matter of getting a heart with Superman's blood in it, couldn't any heart have done?

I am sad that Sam died.  I knew they would never sacrifice Jordan, but I so wanted it to be Jordan.  I cannot fully express how much I absolutely loathe Jordan.  He sucks in pretty much every way possible.  I knew last week that Lois probably chose Jon because Jordan has powers and could find a way to save himself.  So of course Jordan cries and whines about it instead of trying to understand the impossible choice that Lois had and her mindset.

This character has been nothing but angst since Day One and the only good thing about the ending of this series is that I won't have to listen to him whine and moan ever again.

So nice to see John Henry and Natalie.  Can they at least appear in more episodes?

Was the soldier who shot Sam named John Jones?  Is that supposed to be J'onn J'onzz the Martian Manhunter?

Throwaway line saying Kyle bought Chrissy a new minivan.  I think it's implied that she is pregnant and needs a new car?  Even though I don't need to see them, I thought it was nice that they were mentioned.

[tennisgurl]

This is a rough time for the Kent's, especially poor Lois. She watches her husband die, is forced to choose between her sons by her nemesis (even if they're both fine) and then her father dies too, killed by the same thing that killed her husband. I'm sad to lose Sam, he's certainly one of the most interesting interactions of Sam Lane we've seen, but at least he went out fighting and bringing Clark back. Nice bait and switch in the beginning that the funeral was for Sam and not Clark, and I liked the flashbacks of Sam coming to terms with Clark and Lois's relationship. 

I love how Clark revealed his identity to Sam by dramatically removing his glasses and Sam immediately recognized him. He was so nervous to tell him who he really was too! It really is just the glasses and the vibe.

So much happened in this episode, including Jonathan finally getting his powers, and he's a natural! Of course, while Jonathan is thrilled by this and everyone else is relieved that we now have another superhero who can protect the world, Jordan immediately starts pouting instead of being happy for his brother or happy that he has someone else who can help him fight Lex now. No, he has to make all of this about him and his insecurities, even actually listening to Lex Luther over his own mother! As if everything hasn't been about him since he got his powers. I really do feel for Jordan, he's grieving, he struggles with anxiety and depression, he feels insecure next to his seemingly perfect brother, and his mom choosing Jonathan over him, even if it makes sense given his powers, had to hurt a bit, he really needs to work on his tendencies to make everything about him. 

Nice to see John Henry and Natalie again, and I am glad that they got some closure with Sam as well, especially Natalie. We even got a reference to Kyle and Chrissy, which I liked to hear. Even if the budget wont allow them to be around, we can at least acknowledge that they still exist. 

Elizabeth Tulloch is crushing it this season, just as much as the show is crushing her. Lois is going to need all of the therapy ever. 

[baldryanr]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

This was a good episode.  I wonder if it was always Lane's plan to sacrifice himself and give his Kryptonian-blood infused heart to Clark?  Or did that only come about after he got shot in the stomach?

If it was just a simple matter of getting a heart with Superman's blood in it, couldn't any heart have done?

It looks like the heart had to be relatively fresh - while I'm sure he probably could have gotten some volunteers, maybe he was hoping for some fatally injured soldier to use instead.  But once he was shot AND he knew Doomsday was coming, that was that.

On the one hand, I get that talking to your dead Dad's AI hologram would be weird. On the other hand, if you suddenly develop powers, shouldn't the Fortress be one of the first places to visit?

[kickingnames]

9 hours ago, Affogato said:

 Nothing annoys most people as much as someone struggling with their problems. They should snap out of it. Enough with the negativity. Depression, all of it. It’s boring. Especially if you have funny looking hair. Just stop bothering us. 

This has never been my issue with Jordan. I get the depression and the ongoing mental health fight. My issue with Jordan has always been his treatment of others when they don’t just let him have his way without question, particularly his parents. His go-to move seemed to be getting in his parents’ (usually Clark’s) face and mouth off, followed by storming off. He repeatedly and blatantly ignored what they told him to do and then took zero responsibility when his defiance cause actual problems in the lives of those close to him. His “you can’t tell me what to do, I have powers“ attitude can’t be chalked up to mental health. It’s immaturity, and while that’s par for the course at that age, it’s no less exhausting.

All that being said, I’m not actually a fan of snuggle muffin Jonathan finally losing it on Jordan and only after screaming in Jordan’s face does he finally get powers. I get that there was no more time to put off that story, but it still felt rushed to me. But since they’re rushing things, I’m hoping against hope that Jordan gets over his own attitude soon enough for the twins to actually get to use their powers together as a team.

 

[historylover820]

What is going on with this show and killing off fathers? Is John Henry going to be next? Since I'm facing the death of my own father, this just doesn't seem fair to me!

I also have never liked Jordan, and kickingnames, you pretty much hit the nail on the head for me as well. My issue was never been his social anxiety and the mental health fight. In fact, I applaud this show for tackling it. But, the attitude, especially with his powers, is tiring. And that's why I just gravitate to Jonathan. He was kind of a fish out of water in Smallville and then has to watch his brother with the powers. But, although some hiccups along the way, he just seems more grounded and level headed, but also more upbeat, than his brother. Which is why it did make me laugh that Jonathan not only seems to have all of his father's powers but took to them so naturally. Of course, he probably also knows "Well, Jordan has this power, and he handles it like this. So let me try this as well."

Though, I guess, Jonathan reminds me that I'm watching a family drama, but Jordan reminds me that I'm watching a CW show. And I think that's ultimately the difference. I've never been a big CW show fan, if you understand my meaning.

[edhopper]

Luthor is committing multiple crimes in public, including ordering a murder. He is sitting in a diner in Smallville, arrest him.

[historylover820]

I do want to say --

How awesome was it that Jordan was reading To Kill a Mockingbird? It is my all-time favorite book (and the movie is one of my top 10 favorite movies). I've read that book at least once a year since I was 11 years old. It is the book that got me through college (I wrote something like 5 term papers on it). So, it did my heart good to see him reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

[Affogato]

21 hours ago, historylover820 said:

Though, I guess, Jonathan reminds me that I'm watching a family drama, but Jordan reminds me that I'm watching a CW show. And I think that's ultimately the difference. I've never been a big CW show fan, if you understand my meaning.

Yes, but it seems to me that ‘family dramas’ are for parents. The teens have issues (crashed car, joint under bed) so the parents can deal with them. CW are, many of them, young adult shows. Different perspective. 
 

so, I agree. Jonathan is a parent pleaser. Jordan is actually a person. 
 

i don’t have time for the dissertation right now. Something like, Jonathan found things to support him when he was neglected by his family and he lost them when he moved to smallville. At the same time Jordan opened up a little. Then stuff happened and some of the development was lost. But if you meet Jonathan in real life, you probably haven’t met him. 

[DanaK]

On 10/15/2024 at 2:16 PM, blackwing said:

This was a good episode.  I wonder if it was always Lane's plan to sacrifice himself and give his Kryptonian-blood infused heart to Clark?  Or did that only come about after he got shot in the stomach?

If it was just a simple matter of getting a heart with Superman's blood in it, couldn't any heart have done?

There was supposed to be another donor for the heart, but I guess with Sam being shot and the monster on its way, he felt they had run out of time. I don't remember all the dialogue that surrounded that

[baldryanr]

On 10/15/2024 at 9:47 PM, edhopper said:

Luthor is committing multiple crimes in public, including ordering a murder. He is sitting in a diner in Smallville, arrest him.

Police officer: Lex Luthor, you're under arrest.

Lex: My lawyers will get me out in an hour.  Also, I'm going to have all of your loved ones killed, then if I'm feeling generous I'll put you out of your misery too.  What's that, you want to just kill me?  See the above.

So, which brave officer of the law will be risking that? 

[Cattoy]

3 hours ago, baldryanr said:

Police officer: Lex Luthor, you're under arrest.

Lex: My lawyers will get me out in an hour.  Also, I'm going to have all of your loved ones killed, then if I'm feeling generous I'll put you out of your misery too.  What's that, you want to just kill me?  See the above.

So, which brave officer of the law will be risking that? 

And if that was the slightest bit true, no one would ever be arrested. Mob bosses, gang leaders, drug dealers, general crazies with lots of family - they all end up in prison.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, Cattoy said:

And if that was the slightest bit true, no one would ever be arrested. Mob bosses, gang leaders, drug dealers, general crazies with lots of family - they all end up in prison.

If superman puts them there. Or Lois. In this world Lex’s evil mob bossdom is a magical talent. 

[Terrafamilia]

So, we've gotten one heart transplant. I don't for a minute believe Clark's heart got stomped on. I'm sure it is awaiting a transplant as well - just not in Clark (at least not in Clark til closer to the end of the series).