Ricky Church reviews the fourth episode of Superman & Lois season 2…
The hits just keep coming as Superman & Lois delivered another entertaining and captivating episode. If these first four episodes could be thought of as Act One of the season, ‘The Inverse Method’ kicks off Act Two in a pretty big way as it presents a new set of problems for nearly all the main characters, especially some personal ones for Lois as she tries reconnecting with her estranged sister Lucy.
With the series having introduced Bizarro last week it wouldn’t have been surprising had a rest been taken from the new villain to build up the mystery surrounding his appearance, but the show went the completely other way by having Superman and Bizarro fight not once but twice with severe consequences for many. Anderson’s team of meta-humans is down two people in a very predictable outcome Superman warned him about and John Henry Irons is in a coma due to the injuries he sustained saving Superman from Bizarro. While neither of the fights were presented as intensely as Superman and Bizarro’s first encounter, they still displayed the threat Bizarro poses with his unrestrained power and were well-choreographed. They also raised some interesting questions as to what exactly Bizarro’s goal was or continues to be with his creation of that strange crystal. These questions raise the possibility Bizarro is more than just a mindless brute and also makes one wonder how the people who uncovered him or even Anderson himself make take advantage of his presence.
Superman and Bizarro’s encounter wasn’t the only one to have grave consequences. ‘The Inverse Method’ marked the return of Jenna Dewan as Lucy Lane, a role she hasn’t played since the first season of Supergirl only the Lucy here is very different from her past performance. Likely chalked up to the universe-altering Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Lucy is no longer a member of the DOD, but a conflicted and rather broken young woman whose life got turned around after falling in with a very cult-like group. Dewan and Elizabeth Tulloch shared great chemistry with each other as Lois tried balancing being both her sister and mother figure in the absence of their mom. It presents an interesting dilemma for Lois as she tried reporting on the cult’s danger without coming across as biased, but her actions, however well-meaning, only served to push Lucy further away into their leader’s grasp.
Rya Kihlstedt as Ally Allston showed how despicable a person she is as she goaded Lois and Chrissy. Her manipulative tactics and the way she played Lois set quite a bar for how credible a threat she is. Dewan delivered a raw, emotional performance as she fought with Lois while showing their estrangement is about much more than Lucy’s beliefs in Allston’s Inverse treatments. It harkens back to the premiere’s moment where Lois opened up about her own fears regarding her mother, something that seems to be a repeating pattern with her as Lucy’s feelings on their mother are fairly different than Lois’. It will be interesting to see how those fears are stoked even more, especially as as Ally is just as willing as Lois to do whatever it takes to be rid of her.
‘The Inverse Method’ was yet another episode with a great balance of action and character driven story, diving into the personal fears of Clark, Lois and John. It really raised the threat level as Bizarro dealt a devastating blow to Superman and his allies while the walls seems to be closing on Lois’ professional life. Even the stakes with their sons are getting more serious as Jordan is about to be training with Sam Lane in secret and Jonathan is using the Ex-K for himself. With the show taking a short break until the end of the month, these decisions from all the characters are already heavy.
Rating: 8/10
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