Lois and Clark have trouble with Jordan and Jonathan in very different ways, but real trouble is waiting as Lex Luthor emerges from prison having been released for the murders he didn’t commit, for which Lois got him locked up years before.

It’s impossible to separate the fact of the recent announcement of Superman & Lois’ renewal (and the paring back of the principal cast) for a fourth season and what we see on the screen in this penultimate episode of the third season. That’s a shame, because everyone here is still bringing their ‘A’ game and there’s the usual selection of excellent emotional beats, but it’s all somewhat undermined by a sense of re-arranging the chairs for the next season.

Biggest casualty of this is Bruno Mannheim, who having been a credible and well-layered threat for most of the season has now disappeared utterly, having apparently immediately rolled over and told the truth about everything he and his wife did now she’s dead (or almost everything) meaning the writers seem to have no further use for him. In his place, we have the appearance of classic Superman baddie Lex Luthor, portrayed here by Michael Cudlitz. This version of Luthor dispenses any of the comedic affectations of Gene Hackman, or the scenery chewing of Kevin Spacey or even the humanity of Michael Rosenbaum. This Luthor is angry, menacing and utterly ruthless. An early flashback scene of him getting exactly what he wants in prison leaves us in no doubt that this Luthor is a force to be reckoned with (though if I’m being honest the loud, discordant and if I’m being honest, tuneless metal music which plays when he’s on screen I could have done without).

Between flashbacks establishing exactly who Luthor is, we get the usual domestic dramas. Jonathan feels like he’s being cut extra slack by Kyle at the firehouse now his boss knows who his dad really is and makes the classic mistake of mentioning as much in earshot of his father. Like any well-meaning parent, Clark goes to have a quiet word on his son’s behalf, which works out about as well as you might imagine.

Meanwhile, Jordan is finding it harder to rein in his own sense of pride at the hero work he’s been doing, and when he pushes this a little far at school, Sarah mentions it to her mother. Like any well-meaning parent, she goes to address this with Jordan’s parents and… you get the picture. Both Kent boys end up pissed at their dad and other people, and unfortunately whereas Jonathan might just sulk a bit, Jordan has the added complication of actual superpowers to add to his wilfulness. Oh dear, indeed.

As the show builds tension by having Luthor walking alone all menacing like while giving us no idea of his destination and the Kents fret about the lack of news around his release, it’s hard not to feel like whatever happened this season has been basically wound up in favour of setting up the next, except for the final shot which indicates that at least one thing will carry over, and in all honesty that makes the sudden and total sidelining of Mannheim even more annoying. I get that real world considerations like studio budgets etc inevitably impact the shows we love, but this one hits hard.

Verdict: A decent enough set of scenes as usual can’t help feeling undermined by the rush to set up another season. 7/10

Greg D. Smith