S04.E09: To Live And Die Again

[scarynikki12]

Quote

Lois struggles against the fallout of the debate; Clark uses Luthor's tactics against him, while Jonathan and Jordan prepare for an impending battle.

 

 

[Galileo908]

Man, Jordan got the curly fries from the kid's menu. At least the package looks like his head. It was nice to see Jon and Jordan team up and train and save people their own way.

And oops, Amanda realized that Luthor is crazy and wants to unleash Doomsday onto Smallvile. And now Doomsday LOOKS like Doomsday now. Can't believe next week is the last one.

[scarynikki12]

There's a kids menu item named after Jordan so of course he gets a complex about it. Jordan, call your therapist and work on your need for fame.

Ok Jordan's curly fries in that bucket are hilarious and totally looks like him.

I like how Supes is working Lex with regard to Amanda's influence. If he can plant the seed correctly Lex will get suspicious and turn on her.

Clark's eternal dorkyness helping Lois calm down and focus is his greatest power.

If Amanda has any ulterior motives where Lex is concerned becoming the second largest shareholder should help her along.

Training at the Fortress! I love a good montage.

I think the issue here is the boys are approaching head on as if their fights will always be straightforward. They need to start thinking of the many paths their adversaries may take and plan as much as they can.

Well hey there Bruno. Hope you have some legitimate dirt on Lex so Lois can win.

I guess if Lois takes Lex out for good Amanda's in a position to take his company from him in response even if she's not intending to do that now.

Shame there's only one episode left after tonight. I would love to see Milton put on the suit and go full Brainiac but that would require more time.

I will laugh so hard if Doomsday has managed to return to his Bizarro state. Lex wouldn't know what to do.

Logically at least one of these guards should be on Lex's payroll but I think we're supposed to assume Bruno managed to get locked up in a prison with his own people. Especially given Bruno's "I take care of my people while Lex only looks out for himself" comment.

This is not important but the way Jordan's hair is styled I can't tell if it's to match the curly fries or if it's a wig.

Given her expressions I think Amanda has been genuine in being up Lex's ass so I'm curious if she'll turn on him or just wait for her moment.

The boys are teasing Clark. Everything is ok. Their greatest strength is being twins. It's how it should be and it fits the show we've been watching this whole time.

Looks like Lois got to Amanda after all. And she has a line in the sand with regard to Lex using Doomsday to level Smallville. Interesting. 

I LOVE watching Clark easily handle the boys in training. I would watch an entire season of this.

Aw Dooms is trying to go home. This time don't kill Supes and just leave instead. Lex would hate that.

I hope they get Luthor Corp to pay to repair the town when the fight's over.

 

[DanaK]

Oh Amanda. Loving a bad boy with no soul will burn you in the end, especially one who can’t let go of his grievances 

[TiffanyNichelle]

I thought the thing Milton had found was John Henry's information on the Fortress and that Lex would go there and destroy it. Instead he just created the classic Doomsday look and is setting up Clark's second and more permanent death. This is such a fun show!

But I did like the scenes of the boys saving the day in small ways at the end. Especially Jordan helping the diner owner calm down.

I'm somewhat dreading the series finale. I feel like it's going to be incredibly bittersweet.

[baldryanr]

10 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

There's a kids menu item named after Jordan so of course he gets a complex about it. Jordan, call your therapist and work on your need for fame.

If a teenager getting whiny about being seen as a kid requires therapy then every young adult on the planet should be booking an appointment right now. 

If he's truly bothered by fame (or lack thereof) then he's got a nightmare coming because the press is always going to try to rank him and Jonathan. 

As for the more immediate concern, maybe Superman should try diving into the sun again.  In retrospect, he should have tried that the first time he fought Doomsday.

Edited November 26 by baldryanr

[Quark]

I suppose, if Doomsday has any sort of intelligence, he isn't going to kill Superman, but try to get Clark to help him get home.

I imagine Clark will be more than willing to do so.

[tennisgurl]

I loved seeing Clark training the boys, that was really fun, even if it seems like they might never have quite the level of powers that Clark has. That's ok, they can be the Wonder Twins, two half's of one whole! 

It was nice to see Bruno again, I bet Lois is REALLY missing Bruno and Pia right about now, they were criminals but not anything near Luther. They were not only quite a lot more rational and less petty than Luther, they did really care about their community, friends, and family, even the Kent's in their own way, than Luther could ever care about anyone. 

Clark might usually be a sweet straight shooter, but he really played Luther like a fiddle when he commented on what a good idea Amanda had with the interview, he knew that his controlling nature when spiral and it would start a split between them, which it did. Amanda finally caught a clue, that Luther will never see her as an equal or partner, for such a smart woman she sure did have a big blind spot for him. 

Jordan talking the waitress down from an anxiety attack was a nice moment, especially given his history with anxiety. 

If Doomsday still has anything left of him, hopefully Clark can get through to him and help him get home.

[blackwing]

I feel like we are being cheated, seems like there is so much story left to tell and there is only one episode left.

Things that need to get resolved: 1) Clark/Lois vs. Luthor, 2) Doomsday, 3) Clark's health/heart, 4) Lois' reputation, 5) the boys' developing powers and are they ever going to get codenames

This was a good episode, setting up the grand battle between Superman and a Kryptonite-armour enhanced Lex Luthor.  I wanted Clark to teach the boys how to work together to take him down... I think that is going to be the key to how they help in a battle against Doomsday and/or Lex.

I'm so tired of the Amanda character.  I half-expected Luthor to throw her out the window of his high rise apartment last week.  I get that this is a no-name actress who probably doesn't cost a whole lot, but I would have much rather had John Henry and Natalie on the entire season instead of her.  Or Lana.  I bet Emmanuelle Chiriqui would have taken a pay cut in order to appear in the whole season.

Are we going to get to say goodbye to John Henry, Natalie, Lana, Sarah and Kyle next week?  I hope they appear.

[thuganomics85]

I know Jordan isn't wild that his food item at the diner is on the kid's menu, but to be fair, it looked like it was a sizable portion, so at least everyone will be getting their money's worth!

I was wondering if Bruno was going to factor back in and I'm certainly not going to complain over that prediction being true.  Still one of my favorite advisories out of the entire Arrowverse.  Someone who did horrible things and deserves to be locked up, but can truly buy that it came from wanting to benefit his community and felt like he had no choice in a lot of ways with doing what he did.  Just a more layered character all around.  Plus, it goes without saying that Chad L. Coleman never misses.  Glad he got a final chance to shine here.

At least Amanda has come around to realizing that Lex is the worst and might be flipping on him, but I'm still a little disappointed that is the extent of it because I was hoping Yvonne Chapman would be able to bust out some of her Kung-Fu moves again.

Clark training the boys was a nice moment.  Definitely think this is ending with him hanging up the cape for good and them taking over as a crime-fighting duo.

Even if the Doomsday threat is dealt with for good, I wouldn't blame anyone from Smallville if they just tuck tail and run for good.  Granted, no place is really safe in D.C. world (or any comic book world, really), but for such a small town, it seems like danger is lurking in every corner.  At least it isn't as bad as the actual Smallville show, where a new powerful baddie seemed to be popping up every day!

The Milton actor really is playing him exactly like Dr. Curdle Jr. from Riverdale and I'm not against that choice.  He might be a bit typecast but he's good at it!

Finale next week!

[iarwain]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

Are we going to get to say goodbye to John Henry, Natalie, Lana, Sarah and Kyle next week?  I hope they appear.

Yeah, how about that fascinating Kyle and Chrissy relationship?  How can we live without more of that?  I agree about the rest though.

I can't let the season pass without wondering aloud about Jordan's rosy cheeks?  Not trying to be mean, but it almost makes him look like a clown.  Is it the blood flushed health of youth, or are they putting some sort of blush on him?

I initially thought the curly fries were because of his curly hair.  But it sounded like they named their favorite dishes after them.

[historylover820]

I actually really liked Jordan in this. I loved how he referenced his panic attacks when he was calming the diner owner down. I loved that he sat with her and protected her. 

And, I laughed at his frustration that his food item was on the kids menu. And I don't blame him for being frustrated. And I agree with the poster above who said that if every teenager who whines about not being treated as an adult needs therapy, every teenager on the planet should be booking an appointment. That's part of being a teenager. You're whiny. You want to be treated like an adult. And, especially since his twin brother has his food item listed in the regular menu. But, I also found the fries hilarious and, yeah, a pretty sizeable portion.

If the three super beings go after Doomsday and Lex, they would probably be able to defeat him. Add John Henry and Natalie to the mix. I understand Supes wanting to keep the boys safe, but he's weakening every day. The twins' combination can help. Remember them tag-teaming Natalie's super suit?

I think I'll be fine with seeing Clark's powers completely leave him next week in the finale and he turn over the cape to the boys. I don't think I'm at a good place to see him die again. Like I said earlier this season, I'm watching my own personal Superman, my Dad slowly decline from cancer, to the point where it's hard to make these end of the year plans because I'm scared Mom will be calling me home because Daddy has passed away. So, for me, I want to see Clark be able to live a much longer, albeit normal life. I don't want Doomsday to kill him a second time. (I teared up when he said how much he loved Lois and the boys).

I can really see the last scene of this series (are we going to have a two hour series finale? I hope so, because as stated above, there are a lot of things to wrap up), Lois and a depowered Clark having a barbecue at the Kent farm with their friends. We'll see Chrissy and Kyle and their baby, Sarah will be home from studying abroad, Lana and Sophie will be there - even though we've only seen Sophie once in like 2 seasons, Natalie and John Henry will be there. The twins will hear a distress call. They'll look over at Clark, who, even though he no longer has powers and can't hear what they hear, he knows what's going on, and he will nod and will whisper for them to go. 

The only ones who I see factoring into the plot itself of the finale are the Irons. We definitely don't need to have a plot line with Kyle and Chrissy, although, as in my imaginary last scene, they are there. Sarah is studying abroad. Lana may be there to help Lois discover something to take down Luther. 

I'm going to miss this show, and I plan on getting season 4 on blu-ray to match my other three seasons. TH has become my second favorite iteration of Clark Kent, after Christopher Reeve. I will miss his eternal dorkiness. I love how great of a dad and husband he made Clark.

You know, there's been a debate, probably since Batman and Superman first debuted: what is the real persona and what is they "mask."

For Batman, except for the Adam West series, I always say that Batman is the real persona. Bruce Wayne died with his parents and Batman was born then. Bruce Wayne is the mask that Batman puts on.

For Superman, it's usually Clark is the real persona. Or like Dean Cain said in the 90s series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: "Clark is who I am, Superman is what I can do." In TH's portrayal, Clark is DEFINITELY the real person. Even when he's Superman, he's Clark Kent. And I really kind of love that.

Edited November 27 by historylover820
Thought of something

[Affogato]

My vote for the last scene is a time jump. Kyle and Chrissy’s new house, baby has been born, everyone is there, barbecue. Maybe we see the new costumes for the twins as they fly off to thwart some disaster while Clark looks on proudly. “Don’t worry, Dad, we got this!”

[Affogato]

12 hours ago, iarwain said:

 

I can't let the season pass without wondering aloud about Jordan's rosy cheeks?  Not trying to be mean, but it almost makes him look like a clown.  Is it the blood flushed health of youth, or are they putting some sort of blush on him?

 

Pretty sure it is natural. 

Edited November 27 by Affogato

[norcalgal]

My thoughts on this penultimate episode:

• Give me curly fries any day over French dip, no matter if the fries are from the regular or kid’s menu 
• except for when Jordan helped Vicky May with her anxiety, it REALLY irked me that the townsfolk were still in positions of stupidity (next to windows, out in the open) when crap is happening. Given how many times superpowered disasters happened in Smallville, you’d think by now townspeople have learned to get under cover, but nope. So irritating and STUPID!
• why the heck would Doomsday listen to Lex?!?!  Where’s the logic in this?  In fact, where was the logic in Lex being able to *control* Doomsday the first time around?! 

I hope the show ends on a high, and that montages posted in this forum above do happen.

Edited Friday at 05:44 AM by norcalgal

[kickingnames]

Fraternal forever! But also I don’t want Clark to lose his powers. Or die.

I am even less ready for the finale than I was two episodes ago. 😭

Edited Saturday at 10:44 PM by kickingnames

[kickingnames]

P.S. I loved that the curly fries container had Jordan’s goggles and everything. Did anyone else catch Jordan breaking into a smile right at the end of that scene? I don't know if that was planned or just the actor’s natural smile, but his whole face lit up. It was precious.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 11/28/2024 at 11:39 AM, norcalgal said:

 

• why the heck would Doomsday listen to Lex?!?!  Where’s the logic in this?  In fact, where was the logic in Lex being able to *control* Doomsday the first time around?! 

Far be it from trying to rationalize the thought process of an alt-universe alien, but....

I could buy that after essentially been tortured and killed numerous times, Doomsday developed some sort of Stockholm Syndrome relationship with Lex. It retained enough intelligence to enjoy becoming more powerful and to credit Lex with having improved it. (Which is distinct from the comic book Doomsday's reaction where it came to resent the Kryptonian scientists who were deliberately killing it, much like Lex was). One has to handwave that Luthor a) realized that Doomsday would resurrect every time he killed it b) had the means and creativity to kill it all those times c) wouldn't just direct those means at Superman himself rather than go through the baroque efforts of upgrading Doomsday and hoping to turn him against Supes.

In terms of the most recent appearance, I'll fanwank that it is frustrating to Dooms that he has these memories of his Lois and family but that he will never be able to get back to them. That in combination with the latest death evolving him past the point of rationality and caring.

3 hours ago, kickingnames said:

Fraternal forever! But also I don’t want Clark to lose his powers. Or die.

I am even less ready for the finale than I was two episodes ago. 😭

I do wonder if Supes is going to get a last minute transplant of Dooms' heart. That would solve the stuck with a 60-year-old human's heart problem...I would tend to doubt  that they will end the series with a depowered/weakening/dead Superman. I've read and watched a lot of Superman stories, and I can't really think of any that end on any sort of down note or close off the possibility of him springing into action if needed.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Another heart possibility: Luthor still has Clark's actual heart stashed somewhere and the one he stomped on in front of Jordan was a decoy. I binged the season just yesterday, and it struck me that even out of his chest, Clark's heart would be too tough for Luthor to damage it just by stepping on it. Heck, I don't know if a single stomp on a regular human heart by someone of Luthor's size would render it unfixable, especially when Kryptonian superscience is factored in.

Which I guess leads to the question of why they have invented warp drive, suspended animation, etc. but haven't come up with artificial hearts, the ability to clone, etc.