Ricky Church reviews the second episode of Superman & Lois season 2…
It looks like Superman & Lois is wasting no time this season as it has already upped the ante with the second episode ‘The Ties That Bind’. The series made several significant steps forward for many of the characters’ stories which served to set up future plotlines as well as character motivations. In other words, it followed up on the premiere’s potential quite well.
On the surface ‘The Ties That Bind’ had a lot going on between Superman enlisting his brother Tal-Rho to help him with his mysterious visions, Lois investigating Amertech while a previous report of hers resurfaces with controversy and Lana’s decision to run for Smallville’s mayor, not to mention the high school stuff with Jordan and Jonathan. Not only was each plot fairly balanced, but they all tied into each other pretty well by the episode’s conclusion, hinting that there is much more going on to connect the stories than the characters realize.
It was an unexpected but pleasant surprise to see Adam Raynor return as Tal-Rho so soon and the chemistry between him and Tyler Hoechlin was great as Tal played off Superman’s uncertainty quite well. It led to several nice scenes as they had a family reunion with the hologram of their mother Lara, introduced this season by Mariana Klaveno. There were moments last season where Raynor was able to delve deeper into Tal-Rho’s mind with the abusive relationship between Tal and his father and that was further explored in his confrontations with Lara, Superman and Jordan. Raynor expressed vulnerability while still maintaining a threatening presence, especially once he revealed he still had his powers and tried to escape. Alex Garfin even stood his own, matching Tal’s menace with Jordan’s bravado while Klaveno nicely shifted from happiness, sadness and regret in the dramatic reunion.
While last week saw Lois focused more on her family (both her actual and alternate universe family) she shifted gears this week into investigative mode as she tried discovering what was going on in Smallville’s mines to cause their earthquakes. It was nice to see Lois and John team up again, even if it was briefly, and Lois displayed more of the qualities that make her such a fantastic journalist. Her and John’s story tied nicely into Superman’s problems and it was pleasant to see their stories do so rather quickly now that they know their is a link between Superman’s strange visions and a certain dooming monster down in the mines. It posed several interesting questions as to what exactly Amertech is after and the role Doomsday will play.
Even the B and C stories were fleshed out in their own rights. Lana’s decision to run for mayor herself wasn’t much of a surprise, especially after her performance at their campaign party last week, and should prove interesting to see. Tayler Buck is already fitting in well with the cast as Natalie adjusts to her new life at Smallville High while Jordan and Sarah face some relationship troubles after she kissed a girl. Jonathan’s story of getting replaced on the football team has all the hallmarks of teen drama, but it changed considerably once he told Jordan his theory players are doping on steroids or the X-Kryptonite making its way on the black market. The connection between that and Superman’s run in with a criminal on X-K, as well as Anderson’s super program and how he views Superman as a liability now, should prove interesting.
‘The Ties That Bind’ did a very good job building off the premiere’s potential. Already the connections between the various stories are being shown in intriguing manners while the cast further explore what makes their characters tick. How the the plotlines come together will definitely be exciting to watch.
Rating: 8/10
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