TV Review: ‘Superman & Lois’ Season 3, Episode 12
by Frank Martin
Superman & Lois is in a very weird spot right now. It had an entire season of plot and character development that ultimately resolved before the season finale. Its villain went out on an emotional but fairly low point as far as climaxes are concerned. There wasn’t any real fight to be had. Instead, the entire season seem to be a buildup towards an entirely different story arc. With just two episodes left, classic Superman villain Lex Luthor (Michael Cudlitz) was introduced. It’s a bit strange to introduce such a big time villain in a season’s 11th hour, and it will be fairly interesting to see how this all plays out when the finale airs next week.
As Lex is released from prison, his plans and location are kept fairly hidden. No one knows where he is or what he’s going to do. Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) are concerned, but they have a lot of other matters to deal with as Jordan (Alex Garfin) is getting a little too comfortable with his powers. He no longer feels the need to remain hidden and instead has revealed himself as another super-powered individual to the world. Meanwhile, Lex arrives at the Kent residence in Smallville and declares that he will get revenge on Lois for sending him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The episode’s closing moments focuses on Lex finding the inverse Superman, who has been trapped underground.
The season is also in a strange place as a lot of information about the upcoming fourth season has already been released. That will be the show’s final season and a lot of its main cast members have been relegated to supporting roles. Plus, Lex has been promoted to a regular character, meaning he will most likely be the main villain for the final season. Having this information changes the perspective of this episode and the finale to come. Still, this is one of the most frightening versions of Lex Luthor yet, and it will be very interesting to see how he will utilize the inverse Superman to carry out his plans.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays on The CW.