TV Review: ‘Superman & Lois’ Season 4, Episode 5 Offer A Definitive Superman And Lex Story
by Frank Martin
They are very few superhero feuds more iconic than Superman and Lex Luthor. Their battle between brains and brawn is legendary. But it’s also a difficult relationship to get a full accounting of. In film and television adaptations, it’s usually an isolated clash that’s being depicted. In comic books, it’s an ongoing struggle that storylines keep returning to without ever concluded. But Superman & Lois has taken a different and unique approach. Because the show spans seventeen years, portraying Superman and Lex battling it out in the past and present, it gives a much fuller relationship with a definitive beginning and end.
Now that the world knows Superman has returned, Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch) need to prepare for Lex (Michael Cudlitz) to send Doomsday after them again. Superman wants to talk to Lex directly, but his anger regarding his daughter is an obstacle. Lois manages to connect Lex with his daughter, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Henstridge), but Lex’s anger is still far too great to give up his feud with Superman. However, Lois ultimately takes a different approach by appealing directly to Doomsday, who used to be Superman from an alternate reality. The episode ends on a bit of hope that Doomsday may have a change of heart.
This Lex is very different from any other that has been depicted in film or TV. Since the 1990s, Lex is usually portrayed as a genius who can hide his criminal activities from the world. There’s usually some slip up that allows Superman and Lois to bring him down. But that’s not what happens here. Lois fabricated evidence to convict Lex of a crime he didn’t commit. This brings a lot of baggage to the Superman and Lex relationship that other versions have not had. So now that Lex has returned, his determination to bring Superman down stems from a place of injustice, something previous versions of the character have not had access to, and it is a joy to watch unfold seventeen years later.
Superman & Lois airs Mondays on The CW.
