TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Superman & Lois Episode 12: Through The Valley Of Death

Tonight’s episode of Superman & Lois really reminded me of why I love this show (despite the incredibly bad pacing of the episode releases!), because at its heart this is a true show about families. Not just one, but many, and this episode showed it mostly perfectly.

Let’s start out with the biggest things first. After agreeing to help Morgan Edge, Superman was subjected to something that would cause him to turn, and as a result, Lois called in Irons to “help” with the situation. The crux of the episode as a whole was one of whether the “nuclear option” was the only option, or whether they try and save Superman.

Thankfully, they made this a much deeper issue that they likely would’ve (and have) in previous episodes. They made it clear how John wasn’t wrong to want the nuclear option because of what happened on his world. To his wife, to his daughter. And they even showed that conviction throughout even when Lois revealed the truth about her relationship with Superman and Jonathan tried to appeal to him as a dad.

John nearly pulling the trigger was a big deal as well, and if it wasn’t for Superman begging him to do the right thing and kill him, he would’ve done it, and that was the difference between being lame, and being meaningful. I also applaud the writers for delving deeper into John’s life by trying to have him reach out to his sister on this Earth (remember, Earth-Prime’s John Henry Irons is dead), and I wonder if that’ll be a factor in future episodes.

I also appreciate how there was a true “group effort” to try and find and save Superman. From Lois researching whether the “eradicated” could resist the mind control, to Jonathan helping Jordan use his hearing to find him in the Badlands, and more. It pulled in many different factors to make it work, and by the end, it did work in the best way possible.

Now, what might surprise you is that the very non-violent story involving the OTHER main family of this story was just as great. Usually, this kind of story would weigh things down, but in this case, it actually enhanced it.

Seeing both Kyle and Lana deal with the backlash of the Morgan Edge conspiracy was well-handled. From Kyle being told to stay home from work because his co-workers feel uneasy around him, to Lana being blamed for selecting the victims, to the “Get Out Of Smallville” tagging and Kyle’s outburst, it was all great. And the water fight was beautifully shot and showed that even when everyone is against you, your family can make any situation better. Trust me, I’m surprised to say that because I’ve not like Kyle since basically episode 1 and yet this was his best episode yet and proof about this family matters just as much as the Kents.

…waiting for the shoe to drop? Good, because there were a few faults. Not the least of which…was Zod.

Seriously? Zod? AGAIN!??!? I made numerous references to Zod in the previous few reviews because of how his plan in the Man of Steel movie and Morgan Edge’s plan in Superman & Lois were basically the same. And now we find out that the whole point was to put Zod’s mind into Superman? And because Superman resisted he’s “gone for good”? Why not just say Superman was corrupted? Why invoke the name of Zod and then dispose of him just as quickly?

Meanwhile, Sam Lane continued to be a one-trick pony despite EVERYONE begging him to not go nuclear. Irons going good before him was honestly a little pathetic on Sam’s part, and then the “I won’t doubt you again Clark” line just honestly can’t be believed at this point after everything he’s done.

On the logic front, it was VERY odd that they saw Morgan Edge blow up the Eradicator and then…not question why. You could argue they were relieved but both Superman and Steel saw him blow it up and yet…they’re fine with him in prison? Come on, they should’ve known better.

Finally, and most frustratingly, DIGGLE!!!! After a BRILLIANT showing in The Flash, his “world tour” went right back into he gutter as he was there for like two scenes and was gone without so much as a goodbye. And we STILL don’t know what happened with his Green Lantern ring that caused the mental episode in The Flash. Now the only episode left with him is Supergirl later this year and who knows what will happen there at this point.

Still, despite those flaws, “Through The Valley Of Death” was a great episode and here’s hoping it continues all the way to the end of the first season.