REVIEW: Superman & Lois S2 Ep 4: The Inverse Method
With “The Inverse Method,” we’re given an episode that continues to thicken the plot with while occupying the meantime with glorious and classic superpower beat downs between the Man of Steel and his mirror image.
Superman & Lois S2 Ep 4 aired last week and it took me straight back to the comics, and perhaps you too, with Superman’s timeless rivalry with his mirror image.
Last episode we saw him as a clever homage to Doomsday, wearing the armor he first appeared in, now the cat is out of the bag and Bizarro is running amok, and it’s up to Superman to track him down. Fortunately, that is easy since the two have visions of each other as if they are connected. Meanwhile, Lois contends with a cult leader influencing her sister and the super-sons have secrets.
I appreciate the CW making me feel like a kid on Saturday morning while still maintaining their signature dramatic storytelling. Superman battles need space and power and with two of them squaring off, you can expect things to get extreme. Tyler Hoechlin pulls double duty and both Clark and Bizarro. We don’t know much about where this mirror Superman came from, but he has some sort of crystal amulet that seems to react to Clark. John Henry Irons (Wolé Parks), the Steel from a parallel Earth, joins the battle with a severely depowered suit. At the same time, he’s been slowly passing the torch to his daughter Natalie (Tayler Buck).
Lois (Elizabeth Tolloch) is facing another villain with Ally Alston (Rya Kihlstedt), leader of The Inverse Method group with a knack for manipulation and influence. Lois’ sister, Lucy (Jenna Dewan) was a member of said cult years ago and it nearly killed her. The opening of the episode shows an argument between the Lane sisters just before Lucy ran off with The Inverse Method. Ally appears to Lois in the present and when Lois calls her a parasite, it’s clear who she is.
Ally Alston is a character rework of Alexander Alston, the second to become the Parasite in a 2004 Greg Rucka story. She puts stress on Lois’ relationship with Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik), the editor-in-chief of the Smallville Gazette by revealing that she hid details from a recent article from her. What’s more, Chrissy was disguised and the Parasite saw right through it. The way nearly everyone stood up in the diner with her and followed her out lets you know who is going to be causing problems in the next episode.
As mentioned before, Superman’s sons have their own secrets now. Jon (Jordan Elsass) takes the crystal compound he bought from his girlfriend in the last episode during football practice. Will it give him powers? Will it turn him into someone who he’s not? Name a story where inhaling an alien substance ever ended well. Jordan (Alex Garfin) is secretly training with his uncle Sam (Dylan Walsh), possibly in a conspiracy against his father unbeknownst to him.
The action scenes with Bizarro are the episode’s highlights. We get two battles – at the Kent Farm and Salar de Uyun, the world’s largest salt flat in Bolivia. The air ripples with each hit and Bizarro is not a threat to be taken lightly with his freeze vision and heat blasts. Lieutenant General Mitch Anderson (Ian Bohen) of the DOD takes matters into his own hands and sends out his own Supermen of America squad which doesn’t end well.
In the battle in Bolivia, John Henry is injured and sent to the hospital. As we all know from Greg Rucka’s story, it came time for Natalie to take the mantle of Steel while he was injured. Maybe…just maybe. The next episode is called “Girl…You’ll be a Woman Soon,” I wonder who that could be referring to. A hero’s journey perhaps?
With “The Inverse Method,” we’re given an episode that continues to thicken the plot, while occupying the meantime with glorious and classic superpower beat downs between the Man of Steel and his mirror image. However, with each mountain-shattering fight scene, there must always be an intriguing mystery. Maybe we can expect this from Lois as continues her quest to find and save her sister from the Parasite and her cult. That’s what Superman and Lois stories have always been about whether on screen or comic page – the balance of two adventures.
Haven’t watched Superman & Lois S2 Ep 4: The Inverse Method yet? You can watch it for free NOW via The CW website.