Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 5 Review – Choose Me.

And just like that, we’re halfway through the final season of Superman & Lois. This season is only ten episodes long, and that means the next five will be key to wrapping things up. Today’s episode, ‘Break The Cycle’, was the rebound that the show needed after last week’s incredibly mediocre outing. As my Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 5 Review will note, it did soar at times, but once again, let certain dramas dominate more than they should have.

The crux of this episode all came down to the Luthor family, and all the choices that were made by and for those involved with the main duo of Lex and his daughter Elizabeth (played wonderfully by Elizabeth Henstridge, whom you might remember from Agents of Shield!) This episode was made because of them, as they both had goals and desires, and through the present and the flashbacks, we got the true scope of what made them work before…and why they’re broken now.

The best parts of the episode were the flashbacks that highlighted Lex Luthor’s deeper side. While in the comics he’s often played a certain way, he’s always had a deeper side when used properly. Here, we actually heard and saw the abuse that he took when he was a child. I personally loved the line that, for him, everything was about “survival” outside of Elizabeth. That does speak to who he is as a character, as he refuses to let alone, let alone Superman one up him or have an edge over him at any point in time.

While it was a bit arrogant (as I’ll touch on later), you could see why he would hate Lois, Superman, and General Lane for what they did, because he truly did love Elizabeth, even noting that she was “better than him” and the “one good thing” he put into this world.

Even though you knew it was doomed from the start, as we’re only halfway through the season, you wanted Lex to take the deal go be with his daughter. Yet, his own desires wouldn’t allow that, even when Elizabeth gave him the choice to have what he “truly wanted.” Except, for Lex, hate is stronger than love…even when it concerns his daughter.

Another element I appreciated was that with Lex back in town, Lois & Clark had to figure out how to go and fix things with both Lex and Doomsday being a serious threat. I truly appreciated Clark/Superman going to see Lex and trying to talk him down. They even, briefly, found common ground, and that would absolutely be a Superman move, to try and “break bread” with the enemy if it meant stopping the suffering.

The same goes for Lois, who finds out where Elizabeth is (even if it is comically in the FIRST FILE that her dad has in a box!!!) and tries to convince her to talk with her father if it means saving her family. And while I didn’t fully enjoy the Doomsday twist (it was just…too easy), I appreciate Lois putting herself at risk to try and save Clark from another fight that she knew he likely wouldn’t win, especially in his weakened state.

Sadly, anything not involving the Luthor storyline was a bit…sketchy, including one key scene with Superman.

Going back to the Fortress of Solitude to consult his mother was a nice move, but the “Vision Quest” was all kinds of pointless, and it didn’t make sense that he would do that kind of thing anyway. Not to mention, we only saw certain moments of the fight, when it canonically happened over several hours. Yet from Clark’s POV, it was over near instantly, when he also said that he killed Doomsday multiple times.

Plus, it’s getting really annoying to hear that Superman “isn’t at full strength,” when we know that this version of him is powered by the sun. We saw that in the Doomsday fight! His body adjusting to the new heart is one thing, but if nothing else, he could’ve spent days in the sun collecting solar energy and then be fine. The way the show depicts him as “Superman-ish, but not quite” just feels odd.

Then, there was Jonathan and Candice…yeah… Look, they’re not as bad as Kyle and Chrissy, but seriously, did we really need this story? Also, did we need this story in a way that was “fixed” so quickly without any true explanation about how Jordan told Candice everything? Not to mention Jordan’s “taking a break” apparently also doesn’t include helping his mom find a way to KEEP THEIR FAMILY ALIVE?!?! Just saying.

Finally, while I adore this version of Lex Luthor, it gets really old when he keeps talking about “getting locked up for things he didn’t commit,” when we all KNOW he was a villain before, during, and after his prison sentence. Plus, he intentionally didn’t be with his daughter because “there had to be a price” that Lois paid. Except, she lost her dad, Superman was killed, and he had Doomsday as a way of killing him again if she got “out of line.” Not to mention the damage he did to her sons. PLUS, she was the one who brought Elizabeth to him! That kind of seems like “paid in full,” even for Luthor.

As I wrap up my Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 5 Review, I do want to re-emphasize that I did enjoy the episode overall, and I’m curious how things will go with Lex’s biggest trump card out of the way. Five episodes remain. Make them count!