TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 6: Of Sound Mind

I think one of the most ironic things about this season of Superman & Lois so far is that the best part of the season…is a storyline about cancer. That’s definitely not something I expected, and “Of Sound Mind” enforced that in ways both good…and bad.

Let’s start with the positive. I LOVED how they handled the “other side of cancer” in this episode. The previous 3-4 were about Lois dealing with the cancer, accepting getting treatments, calling out Bruno Manheim, and more. But in this episode, it was more about Clark and how he was dealing with it. His going to the “spouse therapy session” was surprisingly powerful both at the beginning and end of the episode (a recurring theme for the season.) I loved how he did it for Lois solely at first, but then “it wasn’t for me”, and then he refused to accept that Lois could die.

This reflects something I mentioned in a previous review about why this is something unique to Superman. He can save just about everyone…but not from this, and that thought terrifies him enough that he isn’t there for Lois in a key way…helping her accept that this might not end well. Yes, we KNOW it WILL end well…but for these characters, they rightfully can’t guarantee that, and I loved how Lois called him out on that. By the end, with Clark’s talk about how “I need to be the best version of myself I can be” showed that he was ready for all possibilities, even the ones that he doesn’t like. A very mature step forward.

Sadly, most of the other storylines didn’t hold up to that level of maturity and honesty.

Let’s start with the Sophie storyline. Her being in a “I feel alone” state would’ve worked…if we had seen her more often this season. If you think about it, I believe we’ve only seen her in the opening episode. She wasn’t there during “the slap” or the makeup, and I don’t think she was there last episode either. So for her to keep “popping in and out” only for her to say “no one’s paying attention to me” kind of came off as hollow.

Adding to this woe was Kyle, who I’m beginning to hate all over again because this relationship with Chrissy is just cringe on numerous levels. He literally had a chat with his daughter about them not doing anything fun, and then he decides to bolt later on for a “hook up” with his “not side piece” instead of making sure she was ok with him leaving! And then his lying to Lana in the face of things going wrong…only to not really be mad about Chrissy getting exposed, proves that he really doesn’t grow up when he needs to. His “growth” during “the slap” is long gone, and that’s really pathetic.

Then there was Jordan, who had a very familiar feeling about his powers and being able to use them. Superman was 100% right for him to train until he was ready, but Jordan didn’t want to hear it, again, and then said the equally familiar, “you’re just mad about someone else being super.” How in the world did he get to that conclusion? Just as confusing was when Jordan DID save Superman, they had a moment where he’s basically frozen in place and literally watching a guy pull out a gun to shoot him. He has super speed and reaction time and he couldn’t get out of that? Yes, that served a “greater purpose” with Clark trying to come to terms with his feelings about death, but they could’ve done it where Jordan was shot in the back and it would’ve been equally as powerful without making Jordan look scared and weak.

And it didn’t help that Jonathan gave a big speech about “being forgotten” in a family to Sophie and then not taking his own advice once he got shown up.

Finally, the reveal that Peia was Onomonopia was interesting…but it raises a LOT of questions. I’ll hold off judgment until we get them all because I have a feeling we’ll need them to get the full picture. But I will say that the pace of this storyline is progressing at a crawl, and I hope it picks up soon.

In the end, “Of Sound Mind” had some strong moments and storylines, but some not-so-good ones also held the episode back.

3.5/5