Ricky Church reviews the first episode of Superman & Lois season 3…
Superman and Lois Lane are back it – in more ways than one! – as they return for the third season of Superman & Lois in a wholesome premiere that served as a great reminder of how Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch embody two of pop culture’s most famous characters while leaving dread-inducing possibilities for the upcoming episodes.
Hoechlin and Tulloch brought their A-game to ‘Closer’ as Clark and Lois picked up the pieces from season two’s ending as they reconnected with their family, friends and especially each other as they are in a new honeymoon-like phase where they’re absconding to a secret villa and can barely keep their hands off each other. Whether it was their romantic scenes, talking about their kids growing up or the possibility of starting over with a new baby in the family, Hoechlin and Tulloch’s chemistry shined through in real and relatable ways. Ever since their introduction in the Arrowverse crossovers, the two have quickly climbed the roster of best onscreen Clark and Lois pairings and ‘Closer’ is just another piece of evidence as to why that is.
The premiere was pretty character driven not just with Clark and Lois but with most of the cast as well, whether it was Jordan training with his powers, Jonathan practicing his drivers test or Nat and Sam Lane getting to know each other more. Alex Garfin was great as Jordan, particularly when it came to scenes with Superman. Jordan’s flight lesson – where Clark playfully smoked Jordan after some taunting – was funny and in line with their characters, but so was Jordan’s poorly thought-out attempt to prevent an accident which led to a tense confrontation with his father. Garfin and Hoechlin played very well against each other with Garfin displaying how Jordan knew he screwed up and his father was right, but was reluctant to admit it.
As for Jonathan, the premiere dealt with Michael Bishop taking over the role as well as it could without drawing too much attention to the recast. Bishop did well and while it’s too soon to compare him and Jordan Elsass, Bishop channeled Jonathan’s confidence and his fun ‘in-it-together’ relationship with Jordan as they both related their experiences with their parents and offered the advice they each needed to move forward. Similarly, this marked one of the first times Natalie shared time with Sam Lane, who was her grandfather on the Earth she came from.
Taylor Buck and Dylan Walsh shared good chemistry with each other as Lane tried a very wrong approach to connect with his pseudo-granddaughter, making him a little more open and vulnerable than he usually is and Walsh performed that very well. The whole idea of Lois’ opening monologue with everyone becoming closer was a really strong theme that delivered with all the characters, except ironically the Lang-Cushings as they go through a divorce but even then Kyle and Chrissy seem to have struck it off.
Superman & Lois — “Closer” — Image Number: SML301b_0090r3 — Pictured (L – R): Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lana Lang Cushing, Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane and Tyler Hoechlin as Clark Kent — Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Superman & Lois premiere without some action and ‘Closer’ delivered on that front as well with a fight against Atom Man, the first villain Superman ever fought against in the series’ mythology. However, now he has somehow acquired enough superpowers to go toe-to-toe with Superman. The blows were hard and the choreography was nicely done, showing the Man of Steel holding back just a smidge and doing his best to get Atom Man away from populated areas.
Unknown to Superman and Lois, who had just re-opened an old investigation of theirs, this tied in with Bruno Mannheim, a Metropolis businessman and alleged arms dealer who we were told is responsible for the death of the original John Henry Irons. Chad L. Coleman made a brief appearance as Mannheim in the closing moments, displaying a cold and calculating aura alongside another surprising villain making his live-action debut in any DC series or film. Mannheim’s introduction and whatever experiments he’s conducting is definitely intriguing and spells a lot of trouble for Superman and Lois, especially with another famous villain of theirs waiting just around the corner.
‘Closer’ was a welcome return for Superman & Lois, one that focused on the characters, the connections they’ve made and how they plan to further change. The teases we got were intriguing, particularly with whatever health scare Lois may be facing, and it’s nice to see Lois’ investigation into Mannheim and Superman’s mysterious enemies are already tied together. There’s plenty in the third season premiere to make Superman fans happy and show Superman & Lois is still going strong.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
