REVIEW: Superman & Lois S2 Ep 5: Girl…You’ll Be A Woman, Soon
Superman & Lois S2 Ep 5 moves the Bizarro arc to a conclusion while the main antagonist role shifts over to Ally. Something that was noticeably absent from the previous episode was Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan).
Superman & Lois S2 Ep 5 is here and last time we left Clark and Lois; they were taking on villains of their own. Clark was contending with Bizarro while Lois was on the trail of the Parasite. We were also left with the fate of some characters and plot points left on a cliffhanger. Please note this review contains spoilers.
This week’s episode of Superman and Lois leaves some of those points and characters in the dark in favor of more down-to-earth drama. However, it’s still relatively early in the season and things still feel like they’re just picking up with the Kent family.
We start our episode with a sort of villain origin story of Ally Aston (Rya Kihlstedt). Apparently, that necklace that Bizarro is so fixated on has been on Earth for some time. It appears to be a gateway to another world where everyone is the opposite of themselves. This also gives us a possible origin of where this Bizarro came from. Ally and her family had involvement in a cult of their own and she was being groomed to be a leader of her own one day. Even as a young girl, she is still subtly portrayed as a feeding parasite with the breath mint, she keeps in her mouth until the flavor dies.
In the present, Chrissy (Sofia Hasmik) goes off to investigate Ally on her own much to Lois’ (Elizabeth Tulloch) chagrin. Her motivation is a little back and forth, whether she’s doing this to spite or prove herself to Lois as her coworker is both plausible. Apparently, this relationship between them has been going on since the beginning of the season. At this point, it is more than appropriate to have a tipping point than draw it out anymore, I feel as though it is coming on within the coming episodes. Chrissy is introduced to this alternate bizarro land and experiences it first-hand. Bizarro arrives on the scene with Superman coming to realise the true origins of his own double.
Prior to this, Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) was busy tracking Bizarro (Tyler Hoechlin) after he injured Henry Irons (Wolé Parks). He visits a surviving member of General Anderson’s super-team than Anderson (Ian Bohen) himself. With the leader of the DOD still obsessed with bringing all super threats under his jurisdiction exclusively, the Man of Steel has to continue to rely on the visions he shares with his double half. Bizarro also becomes wordier in this episode, but instead of his usual wacky, dimwitted manner of speaking, it’s all reversed. No, I don’t mean everything he says means the opposite, I mean that his lines are literally played in reverse. The Bizarro world of the Arrowverse is truly backward it seems.
Bizarro’s rampage takes him directly to the source of his possible placement on this world – Ally. During his search, he kills Dr. Faulkner (Catherine Lough Haggquist). The ensuing battles between Superman and Bizarro aren’t as spectacular as the last episode with no unique locations, but it has the good ol’ trope of the hero figuring out that the villain has a weakness in a eureka moment. Clark is able to beat Bizarro with kryptonite that is harmless to him so therefore effective against his mirror self. Because as we all know, mirrors are inverted. Superman takes Bizarro to his fortress where he and the computer hologram of his mother question him. Bizarro reveals the intention of his rampage – to stop Ally from destroying everything. The only way to do that, according to him, is to eliminate her. This sets up a great morality trial for Clark in the coming episodes.
Meanwhile, the episode’s drama takes centre stage with Lana’s (Emmanuelle Chriqui) daughter Sarah’s (Inde Navarrette) quinceañera. This was hyped up in the previous episode and is where this episode gets its namesake. In Latino culture, a quinceañera is a party for when a girl turns 15 – like a celebration of passage into womanhood. I had previously thought it would be a reference to Natasha Irons (Tayler Buck) becoming the new Steel in her father’s absence, but she doesn’t even appear in this week’s episode. Sarah discovers that her father, Kyle (Erik Valdez), has been having an affair with a bartender he met and she was threatening to go to the Mayor of Smallville (Eric Keenleyside) with the information. That can do some serious damage to Lana’s own mayoral campaign. Despite her husband’s betrayal, Lana is still determined to give Sarah a good quinceañera. This is an incredibly human scene among all the comic book havoc. It’s really deserving to have it happen with characters that took a backseat in the previous episode.
Speaking of havoc, Jon (Jordan Elsass) discovers Sam (Dylan Walsh) training Jordan (Alex Garfin) and decides he wants in. With the help of his performance-enhancing inhaler full of the mystery compound, he is able to impress his grandpa, of course, this isn’t without side effects. Jon Kent has powers everybody! Or at least something is happening as Jordan notices. But this isn’t the Superman Son of Kal-El Jon Kent, there are things that are off about him. He’s more aggressive and crass and ever since taking the first inhale, he hasn’t been himself. If anyone has seen The Boys, then they would know that no good comes from superpowers through drugs – a lesson Jon may soon find himself learning.
Superman & Lois S2 Ep 5 moves the Bizarro arc to a conclusion while the main antagonist role shifts over to Ally. Something that was noticeably absent from the previous episode was Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan). If she had the history with Ally’s Inverse Method cult the last episode showcased, then she must play a major role in confronting the Parasite who had manipulated her in the past. Her appearance shouldn’t be a guest role, but a major supporting character. Aside from Superman against Bizarro, I was hoping to see the Lane sisters come together to confront Ally. Maybe that could be the next episode’s premise along with some answers on Henry Iron’s condition. We’ll also perhaps see more answers on this alternate Bizarro world, inter-dimensional and planetary travel has always been a staple in Superman stories. I am truly looking forward to seeing more of that.
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