Superman and Lois season two has taken us on a wild ride. We’ve seen Clark Kent/Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) face the threat of Bizarro, who is apparently from another world. We’ve seen the growing threat of Ally Alston (Rya Kihlstedt) and the Inverse Society cult, and we’ve seen Jon Kent (Jordan Elsass) take an unwise turn through the use of X-Kryptonite in attempts to cheat in football and one-up his brother Jordan (Alex Garfin). We saw all those stories develop intensely this week, and we also saw a significant new obstacle that Superman himself will have to overcome. Here is our review of Superman and Lois season two, episode six, “Tried and True.”
Superman and Lois Season Two “Tried and True”- Synopsis and Recap
Last week, Sarah Cushing’s (Inde Navarrette) quinceanera was wrecked when she overheard a shocking discussion between her father Kyle (Erik Valdez) and a bartender he was cheating with. Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) learned the news from Sarah. This week’s episode features Lana trying to hold herself together for her daughters as she deals with a sense of heartbreak and betrayal. After a brief moment of comfort from her best friend and high school flame, Clark Kent, she finally confronts the bartender (Cynthia Mendez), who tries to tell her that Kyle did the right thing choosing his family over his lust. Lana then meets Kyle at the fire station, where she tells him that while he may have chosen his family, she’s not convinced he would choose their marriage. Despite Kyle’s pleas, she tells him to temporarily move out and pack his stuff when he sees her car is out of the driveway.
Meanwhile, Jordan meets Jon in his room, where he asks for updates on the development of his “powers,” specifically if he has ice breath. He also suggests that they at least tell their grandfather Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) so they can train together. At this point, an inhaler falls out of Jon’s bag, which Jon tries to brush off by saying his girlfriend has asthma. Later on, Jon performs exceedingly well in a football game, and Jordan discovers through word-of-mouth that a former team member was using X-Kryptonite through an inhaler. He confronts Jon, who initially tells him off, saying he is getting the powers he deserves. It’s clear, however, that Jon knows he didn’t deserve his victory on the field, and he later apologizes to Jordan, only to get the cold shoulder.
We also see Grandpa Sam initiate a reunion between Lois (Bitsy Tulloch) and Lucy (Jenna Dewan). To get you all up to speed, Superman and Lois season two has seen Lucy under the sinister influence of the Inverse Society cult led by Ally Allston, which has put her at odds with Lois. This reunion starts off beautifully, with Lucy bonding with the two boys and attending the football game later that night. However, the situation quickly goes downhill with the discussion of the cult. Lucy storms away, refusing to see reason, and Lois is left disappointed.
The final storyline sees Clark/Superman at the fortress with his Bizarro counterpart, who recounts leaving his world and stealing Ally Allston’s pendant to travel to this universe where he had been trapped in the mines weakened by X-Kryptonite. He warns Clark that Ally can use the pendant to merge with her other self, which would give her enough power to destroy her opposers. After this encounter, we see Clark attend the funeral of super-powered soldiers who were killed by Bizarro. Lieutenant General Mitch Anderson (Ian Bohen) is blamed by superiors and the deceaseds’ families for failure to capture Bizarro, which drives greater hatred towards Superman, who has refused to fall in with the “America First” agenda, which has been a major conflict in Superman and Lois season two. Once Superman rescues Russians from an avalanche, Anderson takes this opportunity to arrest Superman for treason, locking him in a red solar radiation cell with his brother Morgan Edge/Tal-Rho (Adam Rayner) until he falls in line with Anderson’s demands.
Superman and Lois Season Two “Tried and True” Review
The first season of Superman and Lois was so focused on the boys that the show could have been called The Sons of Superman. In Superman and Lois season two, we are seeing all the adult characters really delve into some dark territory. Cultic influence is known to cause destruction to a family unit. It’s heartbreaking to see Lois unable to help her sister escape the clutches of Ally Allston (who you may want to read up on). If I had to point out one flaw with this episode, though, it’s that the fallout at the football game is very predictable, as we’ve seen many TV and movie storylines of this nature play out in the same way.
Emmanuelle Chriqui does an excellent job portraying Lana’s devastation at her husband’s cheating. She also shows a sense of fierceness in confronting Kyle’s mistress and her refusal to just take him back because of words that, for all she knows, are empty. The only hard part about this story is that it brings Kyle back down to a level of unlikability he already rose above in season one. His apology screams that he’s more sorry he got caught, and it’s not 100% certain what the audience should do with this guy.
On the topic of lies and betrayal, it’s tough to watch Jordan realize that his brother has been lying to him. While some viewers seem to take issue with Jordan’s emotional issues, one can’t deny that he was excited to see his brother had powers, and he was eager to train with and perhaps one day work alongside Jon if the need ever came. This makes Jon’s lies and pettiness towards his brother, which we’ve seen all throughout Superman and Lois season two, all the harder to watch. Recently, we suggested that Jordan was not going to be happy about or cover for his brother’s X-Kryptonite use. The sneak peek for episode seven shows a tearful Jon being scolded by his mother, who warns him not to lie to her. It appears we may have been right, and Jon has a serious reality-check coming his way.
But the most compelling storyline in this episode is Clark/Superman’s arrest for treason. In many ways, Anderson’s actions communicate the dangers of unchecked nationalism. For the sake of his “America First” agenda, he is willing to imprison Superman to make him fall in line unjustly. As previously mentioned, Clark is about to share a cell with his wicked brother and given their complicated relationship (and that’s putting it mildly), this is bound to make for an exciting exchange in next week’s episode.
The Verdict
The only major issue with “Tried and True,” as has already been mentioned, is the predictable falling out in the storyline with Lois and Lucy, although it is still believable. One could make the case that this new “rivalry” between Jon and Jordan is a bit out of nowhere, but this writer will argue that Jon’s drug use initially had nothing to do with Jordan, and the X-Kryptonite is poisoning his mind and judgment. It looks very much like Jon is about to get caught, but this storyline is far from over.
Other than that, episode director Amy Jo Johnson (formerly known as Kimberly the Pink Ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) has given us a great entry to Superman and Lois season two with “Tried and True.” We are getting greater doses of real-life issues mixed into a superhero universe in this show. From infidelity to teen drug use to cultic brainwashing, Superman and Lois are proving in some ways less about superheroes and more about life in general. The show is a standout from the Arrowverse, and as is the case with all episodes, “Tried and True” leaves you eager for more.
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