‘Superman & Lois’ Season 3, Episode 11 Review
by Frank Martin
This week’s Superman & Lois took a decidedly unexpected turn. This season has been building towards Bruno Manheim (Chad L Coleman) and his wife, Peia (Daya Vaidya), as the ultimate villains. It seemed that this would definitely be the case as she broke out of custody last week and even got a power up — but the resolution of that storyline in this episode gave fans a curveball. It was announced some time ago that Lex Luthor would make an appearance, which he hasn’t. So perhaps he will be the main villain. Then again, the character featured in this episode’s closing moments shows that another villain may take the spotlight. Either way, it’s left the season lingering in limbo a bit.
Things are a bit chaotic now that Peia is free and powered up. Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) can’t worry about that, though, as it is the day of Lois’s (Elizabeth Tulloch) surgery. She also tries to put that worry behind her and stay strong for the operation. The situation is further complicated when Jordan’s (Alex Garfin) X-ray vision starts to come in. John Henry (Wolé Parks) and Nat (Tayler Buck) are torn about what to do about Pia. Ultimately, they try to help, but it’s too late. Superman manages to lift her up into the sky just before her powers give out in an explosion. She ends up dying as a result, but in the destruction, Bizzaro wakes up and goes free.
Although this was a climax of sorts and filled with tons of action and suspense, this episode also had a number of confusing choices and character decisions. John Henry has positioned himself opposite Superman as someone who will take a life when needed. But he softens up considerably in this episode because of Peia’s situation. It could come off as character growth, but it feels like a missed opportunity given the tension that could have arisen between them. Plus, having Peia go out by accident robs the show of a definitive final battle and moment of triumph. The entire story arc and season thus far feels more like a tragedy than any sort of battle between good and evil. Still, even given these minor hiccups, the show remains the best superhero series on television.
Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays on The CW.