SUPERMAN & LOIS 1×02 “Heritage” Review

Synopsis

While adjusting to their new lives in Smallville, Lois and Clark make an important decision concerning one of their sons. Meanwhile, tensions begin to rise between Lois and Morgan Edge. Lastly, Lana invites the Kent family over for a barbecue.

Review

My main concern from the pilot episode of Superman & Lois was that it was using a large lump of the budget to draw in new viewers before the special effects take a major dip come episode two onwards, let me say this right now, this is NOT the case. 

Picking up exactly where episode one left off, Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) is taking his newly powered son Jordan (Alex Garfin) to the Fortress of Solitude to introduce him to his heritage as well as gain a greater understanding of his developing powers.  It appears ‘Crisis’ has rebooted the design from the Supergirl series and we only really saw a small area but we were introduced to this universe’s Jor-El which is a welcome surprise to the Arrowverse Superman lore.  

There is a clear change in Jordan’s behaviour now he knows he could potentially have all the superpowers of the world’s strongest hero.  Quite early on we are also shown the first signs of the brothers changing dynamic, where Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) was ‘Mr Popular’ in Metropolis and to a certain level the closest to Clark out of the sons, he has now found himself taking a back seat compared to his brother.  While Jordan lacked friends in Metropolis, Jonathan had many as well as a girlfriend and a chance to be the star quarterback, all the things he has had to give up to help his brother.  Previous CW shows would set this up for a brother vs brother showdown later in the series however this show has proven once again it is in a different league from its counterparts.  The brothers both take snipes at each other but after a while they both open up to what’s under the surface.  Jordan thanks Jonathan for giving up everything to move to Smallville and Jonathan telling Jordan he will help him come to understand his potential powers.  It seems at this stage Jordan does not quite have all the Clark’s powers and can only store a small amount of solar energy but I believe this will shift down the line for both brothers.  Something the SuperFam will have to deal with when they cross that bridge.

Superman and Luthor go head to head once again this week, I am finding Tyler Hoechlin’s version can be very similar to his Bruce Timm animated counterpart in that when he lets loose his power level jumps exponentially. Compared to their last encounter when Clark got thrown back to earth by Luthor, this week he was able to take him down twice and even eliminated Luthor’s ship and suit in the process.
Captain Luthor’s story also took a major step forward this episode.  We are shown a glimpse of his past where he fought in a war alongside his version of General Lane when their entire unit is wiped out by an evil looking Supe’s.  I got a distinct Brightburn/Injustice vibe from this scene where we could be seeing an evil version of Superman down the line. 
It’s clear that Captain Luthor will be looking to recruit General Lane in the future and something tells me he might sway in that direction the more Clark puts his family first (also what is 7734 and why is it written on the back of a Superman crest?).

Not to be left behind the boys this week, Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) also got to get into the ring against Morgan Edge for the first time.  Sadly she did not fare as well as the others as Morgan Edge has the peoples support despite the damage he left behind in previous towns.  But Lois takes the title for this week’s stand out moment when she calls him out at a Daily Planet meeting and resigns there and then.  Elizabeth Tulloch absolutely nailed it when she walked out.  

My one critique so far is how distant it feels to the rest of the Arrowverse shows. Not only in its budget but in its world building. While I would never expect them to have Barry Allen running in to help or even the Legends to drop by, a reference to their existence wouldn’t go amiss. Hell, give us a name drop of Kara as someone who might be able to help with Jordan’s developing powers. 

Verdict

Superman and Lois once again delivered a fantastic episode with great character development throughout and a superb, almost cinematic quality in its presentation. It might just be the best looking show the CW is currently producing and currently shows no signs of dropping its quality.  While we might not be seeing Captain Luthor for a while (I mean, dude has lost his ship and his suit is busted up thanks to Clark). It will be interesting to see who else will be bringing trouble to the Superfam in the next few weeks and disrupting the peaceful town of Smallville.

Next Episode

Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tullock who return as the titular characters. They will, in turn, be joined by Emmanuelle Chriqui as Clark’s ex-girlfriend, Lana Lang, Erik Valdez as Lana’s husband, Kyle Cushing. Dylan Walsh will portray Lois’ father, General Sam Lane. Jordan Elsass and Alexander Garfin also co-star in the series as Superman and Lois’ sons, Jonathan and Jordan Kent.

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