As the people of Smallville come together to watch a meteor shower, Lex Luthor’s plans are set in motion.

Last week’s episode of Superman & Lois really felt like it was not much capping off the end of this season as ushering in the next. Can the season finale avoid the same fate?

No.

I don’t think it helps that this will be the third live action incarnation of a certain antagonist in the last seven years. It helps even less that one of those incarnations was in the (in my opinion) criminally underrated and cancelled far too soon Krypton. It further works against it that this seems to be another retelling of a storyline which worked great the first time, back in the comics, when it was an innovation, but these days feels like a cheap trick the writers reach for when they can’t think of anything interesting to do with the character. That this is being done on what has been consistently one of the best, most interesting and imaginative takes on the IP to date just makes me sad.

Let’s be clear – I still love these characters, it still has every actor bringing their best to the material, but that material feels rushed, almost as if the writers knew in advance which way the wind was blowing re: renewal for season 4 and got ahead of it. So we have a rushed conclusion to a relationship that’s been brewing for a while. We have Lois suddenly ready to take a step that felt millions of miles away only a short time ago. Clark softening his stance on Jordan. Kyle and Chrissie taking some very big steps for a relationship that’s really only weeks old. Jordan remembering where he left his maturity and common sense, all of a sudden. On and on, things feel like they’re being hustled towards conclusions which leave characters open to being quietly retired to the background or even altogether.

And perhaps the main issue with that is how much it jars with the central plot thread involving Luthor and his plan. Necessarily, the show ends on a cliffhanger, at least having the sense to not rush one of its plot points. But given that plot point is in the far more traditional live action Supes vein, as compared to all the other stuff the show usually focuses on and does so well, it just feels all the more incongruous.

Perhaps I’m being grumpy. Maybe even a little unfair. As I said nothing here is bad per se, but it does feel an awful lot like the show I’ve grown to love, which took such pains to do right by the material, and absolutely nailed not only the aesthetic but also the feel of what Superman can and should be, is in danger of reverting to a lot of Snyder-style smashy-bashy-crashy for its fourth (and presumably final) season. And I can’t help but feel that we’ll be losing something important in the process.

Verdict: Leaves a cliffhanger I don’t feel like anyone asked for while rushing to wrap up stuff I did care about in a neat ‘maybe we won’t need this next season’ bow. Disappointing. 6/10

Greg D. Smith