"Pilot"
Keep in mind that I’m not trying to put down the other Arrowverse shows just because I feel this new series has so far went beyond certain expectations filling me up with promise as opposed to the some of the more recent seasons of the other shows. Instead, I'm doing a lot of comparisons here in order to shine a light on the other shows as a teaching example on progression. Now yes, this is a pilot after all, and like any other show in existence, things can easily fly south really fast from this point forward. However, nearly everything that this premiere needed to do to win me over has already successfully done so. Setting up the backdrop of Superman’s origins in just the first couple of mins. was perfectly handled appealing to the hardcore comic book fans, the diehard Arrowverse fans, and the casual viewers who may only know the basics of the iconic superhero’s backstory. The way in which the episode transitions in time to show Clark’s upbringing with the Kents, early moments of heroism as a superhero, meeting and falling in love with Lois Lane, then eventually becoming a father with new challenges was excellently paced out.
Honestly, all of the basic ingredients that needed to work for this series to begin strongly worked...for the most part (will get to that later). Most of my biggest concerns with the series going in were put to bed in this one episode alone as it answered the hard hitting questions for me. Starting off the checklist of geeky worries was whether or not the CW would treat one of fiction's most iconic heroes of all time with the same constant hit or miss special FX work and occasionally lacking visual direction shown with the other Arrowverse properties. The pilot answered that concern immediately with a giant “NO” through various beautifully displayed establishing shots of the multiple settings and cinematically well directed character centric scenes.
My other concern was how the series would handle the characterizations of Clark/Superman and Lois Lane even though we’ve seen them in previous Arrowverse related episodes and events. Again, this concern was put to bed right away as both the actors and writing did an amazing job at conveying these characters with a thoughtful sense of progression in the place and time that they’re in with their lives. It truly felt as though I was experiencing a story revolving around Superman and Lois dealing with parenthood while juggling their other world affecting roles that was right out of the comics. If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind regarding Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch’s performances in the titular roles, hopefully this episode shut down all of the naysayers.
Another big concern that I had going in involved the dramatic angle of the story. Due to issues that I’ve had with other shows such as Arrow, The Flash, and…well really all of the CW DC programing, my impression of what the network considers to be “good drama” has always been pretty shaky. Sometimes a particular episode of one of the given shows would deliver something powerful and heartstring pulling with an intense character centric scene. Sadly, a later episode of the same show would include some cringe inducing, nonsensical, and forced-in argument bit where characters would just lash out at each other for the sake of excitement for the viewers or to drag along a particular subplot. So having that baggage going in, I was afraid of what the whole “Superman fatherhood trouble with teenage boys” story would offer up. Would it be like the stronger episodes of Black Lightning Season 1 where the writing and performances did a great job at conveying the challenges behind the titular hero being both a father and a retired crimefighter or would it lean towards Season 3 of Black Lightning where every character in the family was constantly at each other's throats making the show difficult to digest at times.
To my pleasant surprise, not only did I feel that the parental drama angle worked well as a piece of refreshing storytelling for a live action Superman, but even more importantly, it never really came across as distracting. Not only is the issue of Clark being a father and Superman at the same time well handled regarding his sons’ emotional reaction to his secret, but the idea of Lois Lane trying to maintain having a husband that's constantly at the world's beck and call being away from his children was thoughtfully written and performed. This is a series that seems to understand (so far anyway) that the situation and performances can speak for itself with no need for unnecessary attention seeking character outbursts and arguments. Let a great script with great actors and great direction play out the core drama without desperately trying to have people in constant conflict with one another just for the sake of keeping the audience hopefully engaged.
With this pilot episode, we see the couple's sons lashing out at their father's superhero secret which could've easily been annoying to watch but instead felt logical from a contextual perspective while the actors did a well enough job at conveying the emotions behind it. The way that the episode immediately transitions from those types of heated scenes to Clark then having a self reflecting moment questioning his decision making without dragging out the arguing bit itself was again, well handled. This is the type of sensibility that I've been begging for the other shows to implement, and although they've made some improvements over the years in this particular department, I still feel like this show has gotten a major head start in the right direction above the rest. Let the stakes of the situation genuinely draw the audience in through natural feeling character interactions and you have something that feels more authentic and engaging as opposed to some soap opera clamoring for viewership from the "tween" demographic.
Now, just to make sure that I don't skip anything entirely, there are some other story points that I could talk about such as the teenagers dealing with….teenager stuff while going through major transitions in their lives. Yes, there are some hokey, slightly cheesy its in there, but nothing that left me with an upset stomach watching. There's also an interesting story point with Martha Kent passing away leading to Clark deciding to move everyone and everything to Smaville which involves some conspiracy regarding Morgan Edge in the background. It's all interesting stuff, but I'll wait for the next few episodes to expand on that more. As for now, I’d like to focus on of my other big concerns which was the action element. Considering this iteration of Superman stems from Supergirl’s show which had a mixed bag of sparingly good CGI and action coupled with frequently terrible green screen and fight choreography sensibilities, I was nervous thinking about what Superman’s action scenes would be.
Here enters our first major villain and the moment of the episode where I said “Ah Ha! There it is! There is the CW’s imprint revealing itself to me!”. From the moment our main villain shows up to fight Superman, we get our first hint of Arrowverse (primarily Supergirl) quality hopping track record taking place. It's only a hint, but it's noticeable enough for me to position my expectations in a slightly more safer place now. Not only is the costume design on the villain here pretty lame clearly looking like a Doomguy cosplayer (non-gamers should look up who Doomguy is for reference), but the green screen and visual FX work during some of the battle confrontation was all over the place. In one bit, we have an epic cinematic shot of Superman falling down to Earth or being grabbed by whatever iteration of Luthor this is supposed to be, but in another instance, it looked as if CW’s Supergirl production team came in just for a few days to handle certain shots for budgetary reasons. It was beautiful to look at for a few shots and then terribly low grade in another. I immediately started shaking my head thinking “You were so close Superman & Lois…..so….very…close”.
Either way, at the end of the day, questionable fight scene aside, I personally thought this was a great opener for a series. The family drama angle was surprisingly natural feeling as were the characters all well established. The production values were higher than what we normally would see with the Arrowverse properties and the directional sensibilities both visually and storytelling-wise were excellent. I’d say Superman & Lois is a series that everyone should definitely keep an eye out for if the quality only gets better from here going forward. If the show succeeds with high ratings and a widely positive fan reaction, then my greatest hope is that other CW DC shows would look at its standard setting (as well as Stargirl’s) as a benchmark to reach.
Bonus Thoughts
1. Who Is Captain Luthor?
I remembered my disappointment upon hearing that Superman & Lois would have a new Lex Luthor with presumably no return of Jon Cryer, but after weeks following said announcement, my feelings on the matter had all but fizzled away. With this new iteration of Luthor coming in, I've become more curious than anything. Why is there a Luthor showing up with Kryptonian knowledge, a battle suit that looks like it came right out of an old FPS video game, and a base in a snowy mountain echoing the Fortress of Solitude? So many questions are presented here, but if I'm being completely honest, I do wish we could've gotten Cryer back since we never got to fully witness the Arrowverse's confrontation of Superman and its established Lex Luthor before. However, I'll remain as open minded as possible with whatever version this is as it could open the doors to some interesting multiverse elements perhaps.
2. Awesome Visual Easter Egg For Action Comics
During the beginning of the pilot, we get a fantastic montage of Clark's life prior to becoming a father. In one instance, we see him in assuringly his earliest years as Superman saving a child from a falling car then safely bringing said green car down to the street. This shot of Superman holding up the car is a direct homage to the character's iconic appearance in the front of Action Comics #1's cover art.
3. Morgan Edge?
My memory on this character is a bit tricky admittedly, but I do vaguely remember Morgan Edge playing a huge role during Seasons 2 or 3 of Supergirl being primarily a Lena Luthor antagonist. Considering that Superman & Lois takes place on Earth-Prime post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, will we be seeing the same actor return in the role? Will his character have the same continuity of going after Lena Luthor and getting arrested at the end of the day?
Episode Rating: 9/10
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