Superman & Lois (2021) s01e14 – The Eradicator

This episode picks up three weeks after last episode’s hard cliffhanger, which had Adam Rayner escaping the Army and zooming off to the sun to suck in its energies. He’s still at it three weeks later. Apparently, it takes a while to charge a Kryptonian flesh battery. We also hear all the voices stuck in his head because he assimilated the Eradicator device (becoming The Eradicator, sans bitchin’ sunglasses). The voices aren’t great. The sun-sucking effects are surprisingly good. But the voices… I mean, I hope it’s the crew of “Superman and Lois” doing the recordings just so there’s an excuse for them being terrible. Without a cute story, however, they’re just awful.

The three-week jump is only important because it’s enough time for Smallville to start going under. Four businesses have closed. You think construction on your street is bad, wait until Dylan Walsh moves the Army in and encamps. The episode starts with Walsh pissed off the local newspaper is calling him on his shit, but it’s too little, too late from newspaper publisher Sofia Hasmik, who’s going to have to sell the paper anyway.

Three weeks is also enough time for Emmanuelle Chriqui and Erik Valdez to have given up on trying to stay in Smallville. Even though Tyler Hoechlin tries to talk Chriqui out of it and Victoria Katongo appeals to Valdez, it seems set. It’s important because Inde Navarrette doesn’t want to move away from Alex Garfin. The show’s really lost track of their character relationship; it doesn’t help Garfin’s kind of bad this episode, but there was an effectiveness to their bond the show’s lost. But seems to know it shouldn’t have.

There’s also the interesting detail Valdez was the only person at the Smallville Fire Department who wasn’t either sexist or racist to Black woman Katongo when she started, which might not be the message to send about this town we’re supposed to care about. Even though everyone’s basically a shit. Though not Kayla Heller, it turns out. She explains to Jordan Elsass she’s really from Central City and the daughter of a convict (so “The Flash” meets Spider-Man: Homecoming maybe?), so they moved to Smallville to get away from it all.

At least Elsass is good. Especially given he and Garfin go to an ill-advised house party, just as Rayner’s ready to invade Earth or whatever.

Hoechlin and Wolé Parks fight Rayner in (Chicago) Metropolis. It’s a good action sequence, with Chicago used for most skyline shots, then clearly Vancouver for the close-ups, and has some tense moments. It takes Elizabeth Tulloch to figure out Rayner’s evil plan for the good guys. Hoechlin and Parks rely too much on punching. And also on Walsh, who has no idea what’s going on either and just postures. But some good scenes for Walsh this episode. It takes him out of his element.

And then the cliffhanger’s great.

Oh, and Hoechlin and Tulloch get this great “parents’ worst nightmare” scene. It’s screwy because of Hoechlin’s Superman muscle suit, but the emotions come through.

Next episode’s season finale ought to be a banger.

Superman & Lois (2021) s01e12 – Through the Valley of Death

This episode has several things going on, like Wolé Parks delivering (compared to before) when the story requires it, Emmanuelle Chriqui having a great mom scene (shedding any memory of her lackluster performance a couple episodes ago), one low-key but big twist, what sounds like Man of Steel music cues (but for Super-sons Jordan Elsass and Alex Garfin), and a cameo from David Ramsey to tie the show into the Arrowverse. But it’s also an exceptionally efficient resolution to last episode’s cliffhanger.

While Adam Rayner and his shitty hologram dad A.C. Peterson try to make sure Tyler Hoechlin turns evil, the good guys are all trying to figure out a way to rescue Superman. Except for Parks, who’s planning to kill him no matter what anyone says. And his arguments are starting to work on Dylan Walsh, seemingly because Ramsey is on Elizabeth Tulloch’s “find a non-lethal solution” side. Ramsey actually has a bit to do in his cameo (including name-dropping “Oliver” and making broad illusions to the other superheroes Walsh apparently isn’t calling for help), and he’s good. It’s a little weird because it’s a superhero-free universe besides Hoechlin so far, but they get past it fast, thanks to all the drama.

In the meantime, Erik Valdez is recovering from being taken over by an evil Kryptonian hell-bent on planetary decimation. But more he’s upset because everyone in Smallville is blaming him for inviting Rayner to invest in the town and turn everyone in supervillains. Chriqui and Inde Navarrette try to convince him not to overreact and macho his way through it, leading to a good juxtaposition with Tulloch, Elsass, and Garfin’s story.

Most of the episode is pretty talky—Ramsey’s not in the episode in an action capacity—but the resolution finale, which they only really needed to put off another five or ten minutes to push to next episode, is some very solid Superman action. Director Alexandra La Roche does well with it, juggling multiple opponents and even some space-fighting.

Speaking of the space-fighting, Parks also breaks down how he got to this show’s Earth from his Superman-destroyed one, and it’s unclear why it doesn’t have more narrative weight. Like, bopping between Earths accidentally is a very comic book thing to do, given the episode’s grandiosity—not in a bad way outside some recycled flashback footage for Hoechlin to imagine when he’s getting brainwashed—it seems like there’d be more to it. Maybe they’re waiting.

Especially since the episode opens with actual character development for Parks—and his obnoxious A.I. assistant (Daisy Tormé).

And the episode even avoids an emotional impact-reducing cliffhanger. I wasn’t exactly worried, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise given there are only three episodes left to the season.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016) s07e02 – The Need for Speed

This episode is really Season Premiere, Part Two, with the season villain getting a reveal in the cliffhanger. They tease the reveal earlier, with Tala Ashe spending her time in the episode getting stoned, mooning over departed Matt Ryan, and trying to figure out what friend, foe, or category of either is the big bad this season. It’s a little forced and a waste of time for Ashe, but it references “Rip Hunter” for the first time in ages, so it’s occasionally engaging.

Plus, Ashe gets the punchline at the reveal later on, and it works out.

The main plot is Nick Zano pretending to be J. Edgar Hoover (Giacomo Baessato), so no one finds out Baessato’s dead. The show breaks its back complimenting the historical Hoover while “acknowledging” the problems, ending with Zano getting a pass for all the racism he easily commits while in the part. It’s messed up. For a while, they seem like they’re going to try with the Zano “when you look into the abyss” stuff, but then they rush the conclusion, and so it was all just pointlessly gross.

Jes Macallan and Caity Lotz spend the episode honeymooning and occasionally checking in with Ashe to move the C-plot along. Macallan’s got some funny scenes. It’s probably the least forced thing in the episode.

The B-plot is Olivia Swann and Lisseth Chavez discovering a human version of the ship’s computer, played again by Amy Louise Pemberton. Pemberton’s had physical appearances in the part on the show before, and they worked? I think they worked. Like the show never really leveraged it but could have.

Anyway. Swann resurrected and incorporated A.I. Pemberton instead of rebuilding the actual spaceship. Only Pemberton can’t talk, so it pisses Swann off. I’m not sure if it’s the script or the direction, but something’s not connecting with Swann’s performance here. Maybe because it’s shoving the character development back a few steps so there can be another life lesson from Alexandra Castillo. And Castillo’s life lessons are good and all, but it’s redundant. And derails Swann’s performance.

But it seems like it’s resolved by the finish, and we can get on with the actual show now.

What’s funny is “Legends” always sets up the next season in the finale but didn’t last season, and now they’ve spent two episodes getting it done instead of two to four minutes.

The episode’s fine. It’s just a low fine.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016) s06e10 – Bad Blood

There’s got to be a name for this episode’s narrative device; splitting the cast, so half are offscreen dealing with one plotline, leaving the rest of the cast to deal with their own. Then next episode, you get the other half of the story. Or, I’m somewhat confident has been the case with “Legends” before, you don’t. So next episode will not be Tala Ashe, Olivia Swann, Shayan Sobhian, Nick Zano, and Adam Tsekhman trying to contain a rapidly growing alien creature, which happens offscreen or down the hall or in the other room throughout this episode. It’s a bold move since it’s the first time this version of Ashe (the original character she played on the show) has interacted with long-lost brother Sobhian; we don’t get to see it.

Instead, it’s a pregnancy crisis for Dominic Purcell and daughter Mina Sundwall, with the action plot going to Matt Ryan and Lisseth Chavez. They are trying to get Ryan’s magic back in thirties Spain during the Civil War. It’s always Ryan’s episode—he’s plotting at the beginning with the portrait of Aleister Crowley (voiced by Matt Lucas)—and he gets some good scenes with Chavez trying to locate his moral compass, but the Sundwall and Purcell stuff is good too. Both are pregnant, something Purcell’s not too happy about, and Sundwall’s worried about him. For timey wimey reasons. Sundwall’s always been a welcome guest star—she gives Purcell shit with impunity, and it adds something to the character; he’s better with her around, like the character moments they’re able to get. Purcell’s got like four things he does really well on “Legends,” but with Sundwall, they sort of triple.

So good enough plot for Ryan, with some twists and turns and a good monologue for both he and Chavez. She maybe doesn’t hold her pistol seriously enough but is working out to be a fine addition (something they even comment on at the beginning of the episode). There’s also solid acting from Spanish Republican fighter Leo Rano, who’s got the key to the magic fountain Ryan’s looking for. Grainne Godfree gets the script credit; the script does a great job with that plot thread, which sort of drags Ryan along while Chavez runs to keep pace and make sure he doesn’t crash into anything. They’re a good team-up.

Caity Lotz and Jes Macallan aren’t on the episode much either; offscreen looking at wedding venues. Will next episode be their misadventures and then half the cast fighting a giant alien? I think the former’s more likely but also, maybe not. “Legends” is very assured in its narrative choices, and this many episodes in, I default to trusting their judgment. Plus, the cliffhanger with Ryan is going to be a bitch to wait through an episode on.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016) s05e08 – Romeo V. Juliet: Dawn of Justness

It’s another big win good episode of “Legends.” It’s the farewell episode for Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford, which has all sorts of feelings but also Routh not being able to tell best bro Nick Zano the truth. Routh and Ford tell everyone else they’re leaving—in this great line for the bathroom scene—but when it comes time for Routh to inform Zano, he chokes, leading to a recurring subplot as everyone else tries to get Routh to tell and Routh keeps avoiding it.

The last mission is going to involve William Shakespeare (Rowan Schlosberg) and a single set for said mission. The episode’s pinching pennies to get a nice cast—Ramona Young comes back for a visit, which ends up having the girls through Ford a bachelorette party on the ship while the boys have one for Routh in Shakespeare’s favorite tavern.

One tavern fight later, Romeo and Juliet gets a new title—Romeo v Juliet: Dawn of Justness with Shakespeare writing comic books now. Nice dig at the corporate overlord, but then also a really nice montage sequence for the finale. See, in order to save the future of literature, the team has to put on a production of the play to convince Shakespeare to keep going.

Matt Ryan plays Romeo, Tala Ashe pays Juliet and they get a lot of mileage out of their performances. Ryan is the show’s most reliable performer, always able to play a scene for the right effect, but he’s never really gotten to do a lot of fun acting though. He’s gotten to do gravitas, but never this kind of playful before. And Ashe’s the show’s strongest actor, who’s able to do the most with whatever material she gets, lots or little. So the two of them doing a playfully randy Romeo and Juliet is a delight.

It’s another strong episode—the bachelorette and bachelor parties both have some great moments (the girls get drunk and go wild, the boys get drunk and bro mope), then the big save the future finale goes nicely.

It’s a fine send-off for Routh, who’s been around since day one and really made the role something different, good, and nice.

Swell, actually. Routh made the role swell.

Legends of Tomorrow (2016) s05e04 – Slay Anything

“Legends” does a double homage this episode–Slay Anything is simultaneously an eighties John Hughes homage and an eighties slasher movie homage. High school prom killer Garrett Quirk is the latest condemned soul sent back to Earth to reign Hell or whatnot. So what does a spree killer become once Hell-powered? A telekinetic slasher, out to get the final girl (Veronika London).

Caity Lotz, Jes Macallan, and Dominic Purcell are trapped in the high school reunion where Quirk’s back to get London—it’s also Purcell’s old high school and he runs into almost flame Lisa Marie DiGiacinto, giving Purcell a rather personable arc—while Nick Zano and Brandon Routh go back further in time to the first prom to try to stop Quirk from ever becoming a killer in the first place. I think it’s the first time “Legends” has used Back to the Future logic, but it fits so much I wish they’d homaged it better.

Complications ensue because Routh’s fairy godmother girlfriend Courtney Ford is visiting him and when she hears the pleas of Quirk as a teen–now played by Seth Meriwether—she finds herself bound to him. A slasher with a fairy godmother. It ends up being Ford’s best turn on the show; she does an excellent job.

Also doing an excellent job are Tala Ashe (obviously) and Shayan Sobhian. They’re hanging out on the ship while Routh and Zano try to save Meriwether from himself. Very nice sibling interaction and character development for Ashe and Sobhian. “Legends” ends up doing a lot this episode—though besides some fighting and being cute with Lotz, all Macallan gets is a reveal about her podcast, which is rater funny.

Meanwhile, apparently the show’s saving Maisie Richardson-Sellers for Matt Ryan’s plot lines, which this episode separates from the main.

The stylish opening titles are permanent now too. “Legends” is firmly footed this season; the showcase for Ford just makes it too bad she’s leaving at some point in the near future (along with real-life husband Routh).

Bummer. But until then… “Legends” is working just fine.

Nice direction from Alexandra La Roche this episode too; lots of effective slasher movie nods.