TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Superman & Lois Season 2 Episode 14: Worlds War Bizarre

As I have often said in my reviews, Superman & Lois shines the brightest when it focuses on the characters and family dynamics in ways that are both real and meaningful, and “Worlds War Bizarre” did that in a variety of good ways.

First and foremost, the Kent family had to deal with the fact that Clark didn’t have powers, and that led to many problems. Clark not having confidence in himself given that his powers were gone, Jordan being hesitant on using his powers with his father nearby in case he screwed up, Jonathan not being “useful” at all, and Lois doing her best to keep everyone’s spirits up. This could’ve easily gone into tacky territory, but they kept it both fair and real throughout. Even the “You’re Superman, be Superman” line felt real because it was Lois saying it to Clark in a way that you knew was loving and kind. Their bond transcends, and that’s what matters here.

Just as important though was Lana trying to figure out what to do when she learned the truth about the worlds’ merging. I loved how the people were divided (early on) by what the DOD was saying. Some had common sense, while others didn’t have a reason to distrust the DOD. Then when Lana knew the truth, she had the ball in her court and had to choose between the truth and a convenient lie.

I found it very poetic that Kyle was the one who brought her out of her funk by…telling the truth. Again, this was a conversation that could’ve EASILY been tacky because they were talking about the affair he had on her. And they did get close to that line, but they never crossed it. Instead, you could feel the shame of Kyle as he talked about how “a lie can feel true” with enough time, and that he knew that Lana was better than him and thus would know when to tell the truth to everyone.

Even John Henry and Natalie had a much better father/daughter moment here compared to the past ones where it was just too over the top. John Henry admitting that it would be different this time because she wasn’t alone on this Earth was a nice touch, and because of her getting close to Jordan and Jonathan, that felt true, and was punctuated by that final scene of them all together and supporting her.

And yes, Superman coming to Lana’s aid without any powers was a classic Superman moment (and one that they did in Supergirl, albeit in a different way) from the lore. Sometimes the man and the simple are enough, no superpowers needed.

Not that there wasn’t any superpowered fights here. In fact, we had two, and they were really well handled. The Evil Lana making quick work of Jordan at first until Steel and Nat could come into play was great, and then the rematch with Evil Jonathan joining in was fun too. It was great that they didn’t make it an immediate “Jordan has this” moment, and instead had him use trickery, timing, and getting some help from an ally (and her hammer) to get to the finale.

Oh, and the “worlds merging” graphics? That was a really cool thing to show just how screwed everyone will be if things don’t work out.

So, with all of this praise, is this getting a perfect score? Well…no.

There were a few small things (and I do emphasize that they are small) that rubbed me the wrong way in this episode. The first was John Henry’s attack on Ally. He saw her take on Superman, and she beat him (Steel) without her extra powers, and yet Steel was CERTAIN that his missiles would work on her…and yet we never got told what those missiles would do. And because this was the penultimate episode this season, we all knew it would fail. Second, the former mayor trying to turn everyone against Lana was too much. A natural disbelief is understandable, but they dialed it up too much there. Finally, Lana retrieving Evil Jonathan with no clear indication how she knew where he was did stand out. Especially since he apparently already had his powers back despite being held captive for some time.

In the end tough, “Worlds War Bizarre” very much delivered on selling the threat that was coming, and focusing on how the characters would deal with such issues. Next week is the season finale, let’s see if they stick the landing.

4.5/5