I was a little surprised at how fast this moved along until I realized that this season is only 10 episodes long. Turns out every season has been that long and I forgot. Perhaps because these episodes pack so much inside them that they feel longer or meatier than just 10 episodes.
This episode brings in Jon Kent, the future son of Lois and Clark who looks very suspiciously like Conner Kent from the comics. When I saw the previews, I figured it was Conner given the cloning side of this season. But bringing Jon to another medium is just as cool, even if everything about him - clothes and personality - scream The Metropolis Kid.
In fact, Jon is outright fun here, saying everything is "slmmin'" and he is enjoying himself perhaps a bit too much for a kid sent from a world on fire. I suppose meeting your young parents and eating pound cake might make you forget your terrible present makes sense.
I will also say that I appreciate all the Silver Age riffs and comic homages the show is dropping into the show. And I love this sort of brash Kara learning and loving her new world. After saying goodbye to Brainiac early this season, we haven't seen much overwhelming trauma in her.
One of the simmering subplots has been the will they/won't they, dueling dating patterns of Kara and Jimmy.
I forgot that Kara is living with Lois right now.
We start with Clark picking up Lois for a date breakfast and it looks like she needs it. Living with Kara who is swiping through suitors and asking Lois' opinion is driving Lois bananas.
As I have said, the humor that the show injects around the action and the horrifying future storyline
At 'Poundcake Palace', Lois and Clark's date is interrupted by the appearance of their son from the future, Jon.
Remember, last episode Lois sang a song, implying she was worried about how fast her future is closing in on her. So faced with the appearance of a child she had freaks her out, as it should. Like the Jimmy/Kara storyline, Lois fretting about the future is a nice undercurrent for the season. She doesn't want to face this reality. And the reporter in her wonders why Jon has even come to this present.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Jimmy and Kara both show up at this romantic date.
Check out Jimmy. He was messed with by another W.O.R.M.S. scientist (from Coast City with two sisters - should that ring a bell?) He has porcupine quills! Another nod to the Silver Age.
We have to get a turtle boy riff!
We have to get a turtle boy riff!
Anyways, Jimmy and Kara are thrilled to see a son and another Kryptonian so decide to tag along.
There are some funny moments like this one were Lois isn't even sure if Jon is really her son and not some imposter. And they both do the exact same movements when eating pound cake.
I love the humor in this series.
Meanwhile, Hank Henshaw, who went amok last episode, is watching the news and seeing how the public has turned on him. He plays Lois' report on repeat and then lashes out with his heat vision.
Nice symbolism here with his heat vision scratching up a pic of him as the cyborg but randomly scorching out the robot stuff leaving just his humanity visible.
Jon wants to do 'normal things' so Kara brings him back to the Mall, her favorite place.
There is a nice little montage of everyone having fun. It leads us to the classic look for the Conner Superboy, leather jacket over the suit. (He adds roller skates.)
And when an earthquake hits, Jon flies to grab a giant decoration about to crush the mall walkers.
Love the look.
And love that Lois says 'just like Clark' when Jon flies off to rescue people.
Last episode I said how scientists who create extremely powerful beings and think they will remain subservient always lose.
Here Hank says he will behave better when Lex threatens pain. But we see that Henshaw is scanning the device Lex uses to control him as well as seeing the Kryptonian war-droids we saw in the dystopian future from last episode.
It is clear Henshaw has snapped given his current condition and future.
Lois is still panicked from all of her future crashing in on her and was hoping to get away from it all.
But everyone keeps following her and Jon is begging to spend time with her.
So we get these scenes where everyone is hanging over Lois.
I really love Lois in this season as she tried to come to terms with her individual life and her life with Clark and where that could lead.
Having scanned those devices, Hank is able to shut down all the things Lex was using to control him. He activates the Kryptonian robots who lumber around at his command.
And he is going to kill Lex for making him a freak. Until Lex is able to deflect the anger to Superman.
But even then, Henshaw tells Lex that he is at the top of the 'food chain'. The Cyborg is in charge. Lex is not. Lex isn't even a partner in all this.
Henshaw is downright scary in this show.
There is a subplot to bring some action to the game. The earthquake is from dinosaurs living under Metropolis and upset about all the drilling happening. After a skirmish, Jon is able to broker an alliance.
In his future, the humans and dinosaurs are allies. He realizes he has made his own history forging this partnership.
I love how Clark says 'this is what Superman does. Fight for a better tomorrow."
Great lesson. But bittersweet given Jon knows what his future is like.
With this adventure behind them, everyone heads to Smallville.
We get a shot of Kara sitting on a white horse.
<GASP>
Is this a cartoon Comet ?????
Love this show!
And after all this, Lois is able to exhale. She says she is happy this day happened. Great shot of Lois and Jon under a tree with the sunset behind them.
And then another riff. Clark says that the future is bright if Jon is the result. We see Jon holding up a truck so Pa can work on it, so akin to baby Clark lifting the truck in the first Richard Donner Superman movie.
But the peace is broken as we see Henshaw laying waste to Metropolis and calling out Superman.
Jon finally fesses up. In his future, Clark and Lois are dead at the hands of the Cyborg.
Great cliffhanger.
I had to include this shot which happens in the middle of the mall montage.
Clark and Kara put on silly alien heads and yuk it up.
We have seen Kara and Clark not getting along or being prickly around each other recently. So seeing the cousins yukking it up and loving being together just makes me happy and needed to be called out.
And love how comic creators are recognized in the credits. Love how Dan Jurgens gets a nod about the Cyborg. Wonderful!
Anyways, we are nearly halfway done with this season and every episode has been fantastic.
Hope everyone is watching!
No comments:
Post a Comment