REVIEW: Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13: Fail Safe
Once again Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13 was a worthy addition to a fantastic series, which I am really enjoying. The creators are really throwing everything they have into this series, and it clearly shows. I cannot wait to see where this series goes from here, I have a feeling it’s going to be explosive!
Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13 was very much a calm before the storm as we focus on the personal lives of those involved in the events of the series so far. Though it was a little light on the action front, it was still a fantastic episode that perfectly set the stakes for the remainder of the series.
Before I go any further, I would just like to issue a SPOILER WARNING, so if you haven’t yet watched this episode, please do not read any further!
Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13 opens up continuing the search for Leslie Larr after she mysteriously dropped off the grid when the battle between Tal-Ro and Superman started. This series has quite a lot going on, so much so that I’d actually forgotten that she was a threat, so this was a great surprise and hint toward the fact that the action isn’t over just yet!
When Superman, Steel and General Lane finally do locate her, I have to say that scene was awesome! The effects were incredible (once again) and it was great to see Superman and Steel team up again, though I will say it was a rather quick and easy capture considering how ruthless she has been in previous episodes.
We then go on to explore the trust that General Lane has for Superman/Clark. It’s safe to say that this is a completely new take on the character in this sense, from comic lore there is always a rift between him and Superman, especially when it comes to weapons. In this episode he pretty much offers up all of the Kryptonite weapons that he and the government are holding and creating as a “fail safe” against Superman, and fully entrusts him.
Though it’s nice to see General Lane come around finally, it just does not seem very logical to do it right at this moment considering all that has literally just gone on and I was quite surprised to even see him suggest this. What I did love though, was the fact that this series has pretty much completely turned the tables on where Superman and General Lane stand in terms of the weapons. In this episode Superman pleads his case for why they weapons are needed now more than ever, and the pair work together to really find an ultimatum, which turns out to be entrusting just ONE person with the use of the weapons.
This episode also sheds a new light on Lois Lane when it comes to her tenacity to get to the truth. Though it is fully understandable, she tries to hide the truth from Chrissy, who completely sees through the lies. I was quite surprised to see this, and though the full story could potentially put her husband and family in danger or at least in the limelight, she could have ‘altered’ the story slightly to keep certain things under wraps whilst telling the world what it needs to know. It’s a very tricky situation for her, but it will be interesting to see what information she has given Chrissy to write up in the Smallville Gazette.
Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13 then moves onto focus around the new threat that Superman (and likely Steel) now face and Tal-Ro presents Superman with some food for thought, which really stuck with him and actually went onto influence his decision on what to do with the Kryptonite weapons. This sequence really highlighted a great point, which is one of the many reasons I love and respect Superman, he is literally holding his power back at every stage in his life. Can you image the work and thought that needs to go into that?
Because of the way that he has been brought up his ways go completely against those of Krypton, as we are constantly reminded. Not just in terms of holding back, but his responsibilities and where his loyalties lie – protecting the people of Earth. This is explored quite a lot in else world stories, but his personality traits and goodness always tends to shine through in some way.
It was very interesting to see him actually agree with some of this though, and because of what John Henry Irons has experienced, it seems that really has him worried about what could happen. There was also another mention of General Zod here and like I said before it would be odd to introduce such a huge Superman villain and not explore that further, so that’s what I’m hoping to see.
Morgan Edge/Tal-Ro finally sacrifices himself to truly become The Eradicator, and what a fantastic scene that was! Once again there were incredible effects, particularly the use of slow-motion. This sequence just goes to show why this show is so good, not only does it fully commit to the characters and their developments/story-arc, but it constantly executes it perfectly! I love how he eerily drifts towards the soldiers and then out of the building, it was just so intimidating and it has me so excited for the remaining episodes of the series!
Despite that bit of action, this episode very much showed the emotional effects that an event like this can have on a town and the families that live within it. Not only that but it also showed how different people deal with what’s thrown at them, from acting out to leaving town. I really appreciated this focus, not only did it give us time to breath and calm down after last week’s fantastic episode, but it added a really nice touch and focus to the townsfolk of Smallville.
Once again Superman & Lois S1 Ep 13 was a worthy addition to a fantastic series, which I am really enjoying. The creators are really throwing everything they have into this series, and it clearly shows. I cannot wait to see where this series goes from here, I have a feeling it’s going to be explosive!
If you haven’t watched Superman & Lois yet, you can catch up now for free on The CW App.