Superman and Lois Sticks the Landing
Spoiler Alert on season 4 of Superman and Lois
It’s been over a week since Superman and Lois ended the Arrowverse on the CW. For those who missed the latest entry in the television part of Superman franchise, let me catch you up. It’s about Superman & Lois, but instead of the angst-filled dance of “will they/ won’t they? and when will Lois find out premise, Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) and Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) are married with teenagers.
Don’t get me wrong, it does have the usual use of superpowers, alternate universes, and bad guys. But it’s so much more. The Lois and Clark of this show are full-formed adults, struggling with adult sized problems. Lois struggles with estrangement from her sister, and a rocky relationship with her father. Clark struggles with his mother’s death, relationships with sons who don’t know his secret, and a long-lost half-brother.
Because of changes on the business side, this season was its last. The story was a unique take on the “Death of Superman” story in the comics. It featured most of the main characters, but added a Lex Luthor played by Michael Culditz. Lex Luthor is one of those iconic comic book baddies; basically whenever there’s a Superman, there’s also a Lex Luthor. Culditz took the character, and put a very cold, matter-of-fact spin on it; completely different from a lot of other recent actors who’ve played Luthor. It played off well against Tyler' Hoechlin’s warmth, and is one of the more memorable portrayals of Lex Luthor in a live action series.
The final season broke new ground with two episodes. Episode seven “Just a Regular Guy.” basically brought Clark’s secret that he was Superman out in the open. It was written in such a way that you saw how keeping secret impacted Clark, and his sons. By the end, it was the natural thing to do.
The other episode was the series finale “It Went By so Fast.” Without spoiling anymore, it was a more literal interpretation of “The Death of Superman” than anyone expected. But it was done in such a beautiful way, in keeping with that sense of humanity that threaded itself through the show’s entire four season run. It’s one of those endings where, the longer you sit with it, the more beautiful it is. Reboots being a trend, I’d welcome another season in a few years, but I’m also happy with the ending.