What Lies Beneath
Episode 1 of Superman and Lois Season 2 picks up right where we left off from before. John’s daughter, Nat, has arrived and that can only spell trouble for Clark and Lois. The latter is shell-shocked and walks back inside quietly, unable to face this reality. We then jump forward three months later. Lois is stressed, snapping at Clark and the boys, which escalates throughout the episode. The paper also needs help too, but Lois has been outright rejecting every candidate that’s come in for interviews. Jordan meanwhile, prepares to welcome Sarah back in town. She’s been at camp for the past few months but things have clearly changed for her too. When Jordan heads over to see her, she strains a smile and continues to make excuses over why she can’t see hi. However, Jordan convinces her to follow him out to the lake as she has a big surprise. He lights candles for her and kisses the girl but she claims to have cramps and decides to go home. She’s clearly had time to think about their relationship in her absence and it looks like they may not go the distance. Jordan senses this too, and talks to Jonathan about it that night, who agrees that the whole thing seems suspicious. In the wake of all this drama, Clark does what Clark does best, saving a submarine from certain doom off the coast of Korea. When Clark heads back to base, he learns that the sub was North Korean and Anderson, the new replacement for Sam, is not happy. Clark is quick to remind him that he doesn’t get involved in human politics, struggling to find common ground with him. It’s clear though that’s not going to be easy. Meanwhile, Nat decides to join school but John reminds her that this is a very different Earth. She needs to be careful, imploring her not to break cover and to remember her best friends back on her Earth aren’t the same here. Nat actually leaves school after first period and immediately regrets her decision. She and John hash out their difference that night, with Nat eventually admitting she wished she died rather than coming here. Through all of this drama, a whole series of earthquakes begin to rumble across the globe. In Smallville, the tremors are at their most potent, knocking over a water tower (which Clark freezes before it hits the ground) and capsized trucks at a dig site (which Clark also saves.) Supe can sense something is amiss and tries to make sense of what they’ve all experienced. On the way though, Clark bumps into two “new recruits” that happen to be wearing super suits. This is Anderson’s doing, and he admits a little later on that he’s been training new recruits for times of crisis. It’s clear they have the US Army’s best interests in mind though, rather than entire world. A lot of Lois’s pent-up frustrations and anger this episode have been a direct consequence of Nat arriving on Earth. She finally understands this and heads out to meet her. Sitting on a bench outside, Lois is quick to remind Nat that she doesn’t look at her as a charity case. She genuinely wants to get to know Natalie. She’s come to terms with what’s happened and believes it’s best for them both. With things calming down, Clark talks to Jonathan and Jordan about sex, off the back of an earlier awkward moment involving Lois walking in on a topless Jonathan kissing a girl. Clark finishes things off by encouraging them that things are going to get back to normal… just as Lois shows up with Nat and John, who are going to stay in Smallville for the time being. As the episode closes out, we get our first glimpse of this season’s big bad villain. Those earthquakes have actually been a result of a brand new foe, whom we believe is Doomsday. A metallic glove appears out of the dirt, as we fade to black.
The Episode Review
It appears Doomsday has arrived in the Arrowverse and after the Morgan Edge situation last season, Superman has needed a villain to really go toe to toe with and it appears this is it. The entire chapter essentially tackles the conflicting feelings all of our characters are feeling, including how things have changed over three months we’ve been gone. It’s clear that Sarah doesn’t feel the same way about Jordan now, potentially thanks to a romance while she was in camp. Jordan’s constant messages to her certainly aren’t going to help though! Meanwhile, Clark finds himself struggling to adjust to Anderson taking over. The biggest draw here, above all else, is that of Lois and how she’s been trying to handle the return of Natalie. The entire chapter we see her lash out at the boys and clearly frustrated at what’s happened. The moments near the end, where she finally sits down with Natalie and airs her concerns, is a nice bit of character development and with Nat and John both moving to Smallville, it sets up some interesting dynamics with the family for the future.
