***This review contains minor spoilers***
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
In its second season, “Superman & Lois” starts off with multiple twists and turns that keep the plot from flourishing, but with the strong family dynamic and a more-focused back half of the season, the show once again thrives.
Like the first season, the show we get at the start of this season is quite different to the one we end up with. And that includes another bait and switch with the big bad as the villain teased at the start is actually a completely different character. (And even then, they’re not the real main bad guy.) It makes for an uneven plot, as every time the story moves forward, it suddenly stops and goes another direction. Eventually, after some flashbacks that seem to retcon earlier parts of the season, the true threat is revealed, and the show truly clicks.
One thing that never falls flat is the characters. Like last season, the acting is incredibly strong, and it helps to make things feel more grounded. The focus on family not only intensifies the danger because there’s a threat to characters we care about (and that care for each other), but it also makes all the personal drama and soap-opera inspired moments almost as interesting as the superhero stuff. That means even the Lang/Cushing family drama is still engaging because of the connection we have to them coming into this season. While Jordan and Lois both have story arcs that give them a lot to do, Jonathan’s is story is still struggling to find relevance and Clark doesn’t get too many big moments outside of his Superman action.
The show once again looks great, but there are some pretty blatant green screen moments and some wonky CG, but it’s still much better than most stuff on the CW network. Anyone hoping to see characters get super-suits this season or see some more comic-accurate upgrades will be disappointed as none of the main characters get new gear. (Most of the creativity went into designing the “Inverse” Earth, which has lots of cool design choices.)
“Superman & Lois” starts off with strong momentum, but zips around in too many directions before finally settling down into an engaging superhero show. Thankfully, strongly acted characters that we continue to root for always keep the audience invested and make sure that all the stakes feel personal.
***1/2 out of *****