As a general rule of thumb, superhero stories on television should have a good balance between action and drama. If there is too much character drama and emotional storytelling going on, at some point it should be broken up with an action scene. This week’s episode of Superman & Lois defied that trend. If it were any other show, that would most likely signal trouble. But Superman & Lois, since the beginning, has done an excellent job grounding its drama without pandering to its audience. It definitely can pull off an episode without action, which it did via a story filled with emotion and compelling character arcs.
Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) continues to question herself as to whether or not investigating Bruno Mannheim’s (Chad L Coleman) hospital is the right move. This time, Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) goes and questions Manheim himself. He ends up discovering that the woman Lois has been talking to this entire time is in fact Manheim’s wife, his driving motivation to invest in the hospital. It’s a heartwarming revelation that complicates the situation. Also, for the first time, the history behind Manheim and his wife is revealed, showcasing them as brutal murderers willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
Superman & Lois’s missteps have been few and far between. However, there was a remarkable twist at the end of this episode that was also questionable. It turns out that the boy Natalie (Tayler Buck) had been dating is in fact Manheim’s son. This undoubtedly will complicate the story and is a great twist to elevate the drama. That said, a lot of this writing is very coincidental. Lois just so happens to get cancer, just like Manheim’s wife. And a chance encounter causes John Henry’s (Wolé Parks) daughter to become smitten with Manheim’s son, even though the two men hate each other. While it is a bit contrived and a huge coincidence, that more or less can be overlooked since the show is just doing so well in other areas of its writing.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays on the CW.
As a general rule of thumb, superhero stories on television should have a good balance between action and drama. IfCOMICONRead More