Superman & Lois does more for the superhero genre than many people give it credit for. This week’s episode aptly titled “The Eradicator” is the best way that attribute is showcased. The premise behind this week’s episode is pretty simple Morgan Edge completes his evolution to become The Eradicator. The powers that come with this title enable him to turn people into Kryptonians through implanting Kryptonian consciousness and abilities. Superman is tasked with locating Edge and stopping him before he tries to conquer the world. Lois’ job is to keep Smallville residents calm while the military continues to guard the town. Jonathan and Jordan’s main priority is to build connections with the girls that will eventually become their girlfriends. Beyond that, Kyle and Lana are contemplating moving to a different city to avoid being constantly persecuted about Kyle’s mistakes entrusting Morgan Edge initially.
The big joy of this episode is watching Superman pretty much be powerless to try and stop the evil big bad that is threatening the whole planet. This is entertaining because we’ve never seen that hero not have an idea about how to tackle a big problem. It was nice to see Superman vulnerable instead of Clark Kent. Tyler Hoechlin plays those moments as confusion which is a natural reaction given that he is so used to solving every problem he comes across. The danger with a plot point like this is that Superman may not feel capable of taking on such a strong villain in the future. The audience doesn’t need the. Man of Steel doubting himself.
In this episode, I love that Lois Lane continuously tries to hold her father and the military accountable for their actions. What I find ironic, though, is that she still has to be the general’s daughter at some point. She can’t just be the full-on reporter she wants to be. She also has to manage her relationship with her father, and I love how complicated her life as a reporter is because of the information she already knows.
The one thing I don’t like about this episode involves Jonathan and Jordan. The relationships they have with the females don’t need to be a part of the main story. The whole thing feels like filler to get to the next action beat. The only reason they even involved Sarah in the plot is so that she could be traumatized by Jordan being captured by The Eradicator. I honestly think that if you want to include love interests in the family drama, give the love interest some interesting backstory that makes them compelling to the narrative overall. The only thing compelling about Sarah is that her father used to drink while her mother was self-medicating. If this show is going to have a long-term future, no one can be a surface-level character.
Overall the episode was a solid lead-up to the finale, and I am intrigued to see what happens next. The biggest question that remains is whether Jordan is actually dead or just temporarily taken over by the subconscious of Morgan Edge’s father.
