Superman & Lois Review: The Arrowverse Solves Superman Problem

In the opening minutes of the new CW series Superman & Lois, Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) tells the story of his life so far. As a baby, he was sent to Earth from the dying planet Krypton by his father Jor-El. He was raised in Smallville, Kansas, by kind farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who helped him understand how to best use his superpowers. He becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper in Metropolis, where he falls in love with superstar journalist Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch). They were married and had twin sons: the athletic Jonathan (Jordan Alsace) and the socially awkward Jordan (Alexander Garfin).

This summary is quick, filled with moments meant to remind longtime Superman fans why they love the Man of Steel, from a visual reference to the first Action Comics cover for a callback to Christopher Reeves’ bumpy Clark Kent in the first Superman Movie. It is a mini salute to all the artists, writers, editors, actors, directors and producers who helped shape the mythology of one of the most famous superheroes.

But after the backstory and a brief scene in which Superman rescues a nuclear power plant, the tone changes under the leadership of Lois’ high-ranking military officer, General Samuel Lane (Dylan Walsh). The hero comes home to find that one of his sons is too busy talking to him, while the other plays a violent video game where he plays a supervillain and superman. When asked why, the teenager shrugs his shoulders and says, “Superman is boring.”

Is Superman boring? There was a time when demand would have been offensive. In the mid-20th century, Superman comics were so popular that publishers pumped out hundreds of new superheroes in an attempt to compete. In the 70s, the first Superman a movie has proven that the superhero genre can work on the big screen without being too campy. The character is still splashed over children’s pillowcases and pajamas.

But in recent DC Universe movies, Superman feels like a second player to Batman and Wonder Woman – and even Aquaman. On the CW’s DC Comics-derived superhero programming blocks (also known as the “Arrowverse”), Superman gets the star treatment long after Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Batwoman, Stargirl and the team up smaller heroes GS’s Legends of Tomorrow.

And even this Superman show does not necessarily feel like a ‘Superman show’, inspired by comic book action and madness. Based on the two episodes that the CW sent to critics before Tuesday night’s long series Superman & Lois during premiere, the Arrowverse writing team of Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing seem reluctant to tell full-blown Superman stories, with the big whip, big ideas and sense of gameplay as the classic comics. Their Superman was printed and compressed in the general mission of the Arrowverse: to tell stories that are relevant to what is going on in the real world.

In Superman & Lois, it means you have to adjust the narrative focus. There are still supervillains on this show and dynamic battle scenes with special effects. But through the first two episodes, the overall atmosphere is less Action Comics and more It’s us.

The story begins with problems in the Kent / Lois household. The twins quarrel because they are so different: Clever, robust Jonathan is the soccer player of the soccer team; bushy hair Jordan struggles with depression. Lois, meanwhile, has become increasingly dissatisfied with the culture on the Daily Planet, where veteran reporters have been fired while Morgan Edge, the newspaper’s new billionaire owner, is campaigning for softer news and clickbait.

The family faces one of its biggest crises – and possibly one of its biggest opportunities – when a tragedy Clark returns to Smallville, where he wants to consider returning to a simple small town. In 2021, however, there is nothing simple about small towns. The farming community is dying and sees a potential savior in Edge, who bought land for unknown reasons – although Lois suspects he has foul play.

All of these problems are complicated by Clark’s larger mission, which causes him to be summoned by General Lane to deal with a mysterious masked super-creature, determined to lure Superman into a battle to the death. These fights keep him away from home at the worst possible time in the lives of the boys, of which one or both superpowers can develop … something incredibly difficult to keep quiet in Smallville, where everyone is exploring the new arrivals.

Hoechlin and Tulloch have played Superman and Lois in the Arrowverse before, and both have their characters strong. Hoechlin plays Clark and Superman as conscientious and a little nerdy. He is a stranger with many interests, ultimately bound by a sense of obligation to his loved ones. Tulloch’s version of Lane appears to be the smartest person in any room, but she still tries (and sometimes fails) to be sensitive to anyone who does not share her values.

Berlanti and Hebling’s creative team also have a clear understanding of Superman relationships. The twins’ names are important, with Jonathan named after Clark Kent’s Earth father (reflecting Superman’s wholesome side) while Jordan is named after Jor-el (reflecting a stranger’s sense of … well alienation ). The show is peppered with jokes, except for Superman’s alien powers (like super scent); and it features characters like Morgan Edge and Lana Lang, who are known for comics.

But the overall look and feel of Superman & Lois can also fans of Dawson’s Creek and The OC The Kent boys adapt to Smallville by hanging out at a quarry with the local teenagers or by gazing moodyly over the seemingly endless Kansas countryside. It’s long been part of the Superman sign that Lois Clark flirtatiously (or sometimes ridiculously) calls ‘Smallville’. Superman & Lois explore more of his connection to where he grew up by showing what it’s like to grow up in a place so wide open that everyone can see you.

Superman & Lois is not the first TV series to attempt to humanize Superman. Smallville broadcast from 2001-11 on the CW (and its predecessor, the World Cup), which produced ten seasons and more than 200 episodes of stories that minimized superheroism in general in favor of dramatizing the emotions and relationships of a small town. youngster who has a big secret. Before That is the late ’80s / early’ 90s syndicated action adventure Superboy offered several approaches to Clark Kent’s early life, including portraying him as a college journalism student, and later calling him a X-Filessuch as paranormal investigative agency. In the mid-90s, Lois & Clark aimed at being a drama drama in the workplace, littered with fantastic interludes and weaker romances.

All these shows – and now Superman & Lois – tried to call the ‘Superman problem’. When a hero is essentially omnipotent, only vulnerable to a rare radioactive rock (and sometimes to magic), then how do you imagine the kind of narrative obstacles needed for a good story? The answer: Focus on what he can not control, such as the well-being of his friends and family.

The CW has also been on this path before, first with Smallville (of which the producers promised ‘no tights, no flights’) and then with Arrow, who in the earliest installments avoided the usual superhero outfits of costumes and superpowers. The network’s vigilance towards “the comics” began to wane when The flash become a hit, at what point even Arrow begin to become more comfortable with the extraordinary. The performances that followed – including the most pertinent Super girl – got bigger and bigger with plot lines and cartoons inspired by comics.

Yet the balance of storytelling in any given Arrowverse series focuses as much, if not more, on relationships and personal problems as on saving the world from scary monsters and super-creeps. Many of these programs tend to start out bright and entertaining, and become increasingly sad as the heroes and their friends wallow in their misery.

Superman & Lois actually start in a fairly dark place, with subplots about economic anxiety and clinical depression. The first two episodes show a lot of promise – if only because Hoechlin and Tulloch are so good and the surroundings of Smallville are so picturesque. But the parts of the story about Superman who has so far dealt with a dangerous global threat are not as artfully produced as the parts about his sons’ growing pains. The superhero scenes feel like an afterthought – and yes, in these series, Superman is quite boring.

There is a rich array of imaginative and exciting Superman and Lois comics Superman & Lois could type – and maybe still. There’s no reason why a Superman show can not be fun and cool while still working in the social relevance and teen-friendly melodrama that anchors the Arrowverse.

One of the big dilemmas in the first episode is whether Clark should open up to the boys about his secret life as a superhero. I hope the writers of the show had a similar conversation during the first season. In the upcoming episodes it will be great to see people make it Superman & Lois know that Superman is one of their main characters.

Superman & Lois premieres on The CW with a two-hour pilot on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. The premiere is available online for free on February 24 the CWTV website.