The women are the best aspect of Superman and Lois

As an avid fan of Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent, the most surprising part of Superman and Lois season 1 is how the women have really shaped the story and stood out amidst the heightened focus on the men.

Anyone could tell you how far my love for Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman goes. It’s a bit out of hand at this point, honestly. Despite his revelation of a performance (that has changed the minds of even the most adamant and proven he’s an excellent contender for the best live-action performance of Superman ever) over the course of Superman and Lois season 1, the women of the show have been quite surprising… in the best way.

The show hasn’t done much to really develop some of the women, like Stacey Farber’s Leslie Larr, but is still managing to create compelling and captivating characters that should be on the frontlines and getting more attention.

Lois Lane

Obviously, the prime example of the women shining in the spotlight on Superman and Lois is none other than Elizabeth “Bitsie” Tulloch’s Lois Lane.  The biggest concern many had going into the show was that, even though her name is in the title, Lois would be playing second fiddle next to Superman, as we see on the other Arrowverse shows.

By episode 2, that fear was quashed. Instead, the largest arc of the season with Morgan Edge’s hostile takeover of Smallville started as Lois’ primary story, as she dug into his motive and why he took such an interest in this little town and its residents. Instead, Clark (kind of) played second fiddle to her, stepping in to help when needed (as any good husband should, let’s be real).

We’ve only just started to see what Lois is capable of as the world’s greatest journalist, which is very exciting for what could be in store in the future. She took on a man and his right-hand woman, Larr, both of whom could’ve easily killed her without a second glance… but Lois isn’t afraid. She doesn’t need Clark to protect her at every moment. She can often find her own way out of a situation, as she’s very capable and intelligent.

Plus, the relationship between Lois and Clark has been just outstanding. She’s a fleshed out, nuanced character with real emotion driving her every decision. Clark is, on occasion, genuinely scared of his wife, even though he’s literally superhuman, which is such a beautiful quality to see on-screen because it’s 100% true. He is scared of his wife when she’s angry.

Lana and Sarah

Lana Lang-Cushing has been an unexpected favorite throughout Superman and Lois season 1. So much could have gone wrong when introducing Clark’s high school girlfriend as a main character to be reintroduced into his life, but so much just fell into place perfectly.

Lana is a smart, empowered women that genuinely wants the best for those around her. Everything she does is about improving the lives of the other Smallville residents. Her family follows closely, and she usually tries to make the best decision for everyone. For instance, Lana stepping up to help Lois and Chrissy investigate and expose Morgan Edge from inside his company was utterly unexpected and such a perfect way to show what she’s truly capable of.

Even her relationship with Kyle, who has become more bearable over time, has a fair amount of intrigue. They really are depicting a real-world relationship with those two, as that’s basically any couple you could find in a small town around the United States. Lana makes him better on-screen, and it’s such a relief to see that she never fails to stand her ground and stand up to him. Their relationship seemed so unbelievably toxic at the beginning with Kyle’s drinking problem, but it’s clear the direction changed and that has helped Lana come across as – and become – a much stronger character.

Though they haven’t had much time together this season, the interaction between Clark and Lana on Superman and Lois episode 14 is reason enough to love her. She’s the heart of Smallville, just like Martha Kent was before her passing, and she is Clark’s best friend. (Speaking of which, we’re really need some followthrough with that into the next season.) She’s the connection to what Smallville used to be and could be again, and her role in making this town one of the greatest again has to be instrumental.

As for Sarah, changing the direction of her parents’ relationship has really changed her as well. Of all of the teenagers on the show, she is by far the most interesting. She has had a very hard life, as Kyle’s drinking and Lana’s inability to properly protect her from that have hurt her substantially. Her struggle with mental health, aside from being used to connect her with Jordan, is incredibly raw and real. It’s exactly what you’d expect from someone who grew up in a small, rural town.

Like Lana, Sarah has great potential to play a big role in Smallville’s rise from the ashes. If someone could make her love the town she grew up wishing she could escape, she could make anyone feel the love for Smallville.

Plus, dealing with her issues would give Inde Navarrette quite a bit of material to work with. Even the small scenes with Sarah calling out Kyle on his crap have been so satisfying to watch. A child rightfully calling out their parent(s) is not something we really get to see on TV. Usually it’s forgive and forget, move on, pretend it never happened, while not rebuilding the relationship is a believable way. Not this time, which has been quite fun to witness and made the entire family a little more likable.

If anything, Sarah’s relationship with Jordan holds her back. Her friendship with Jon has become more enticing, as recently Sarah is becoming Jordan’s love interest instead of a character in her own right.

The Other Women of Superman and Lois

Personally, Chrissy Beppo has been quite a highlight on Superman and Lois season 1. She’s only a recurring character right now, but her role at the Smallville Gazette with Lois has made the show what it is. Their partnership has been so incredibly important, and she’s working hard to keep Lois on her toes as a journalist with ties to both Superman and the Department of Defense. Chrissy is nothing but a reporter, through and through, making her dynamic with Lois very interesting, particularly over the last few episodes.

As a person, Chrissy is very charming and endearing. She’s a little goofy, fun, and lighthearted in the right situation, but it’s nice to see her harden up and get a little more serious in the face of crisis and betrayal.

There’s so much potential there, firstly through her friendship with Lois. It’s nice to see a friendship between two women on this show when that has been so rare on other male-dominated Arrowverse shows. Regardless, given the current story, how close can Lois and Chrissy become with the secrets Lois is keeping about her family? How far will Chrissy go to find out the truth if she still suspects Lois is hiding something from her? So many fun possibilities for tension and fun/suspenseful interactions between these two.

Now that Sofia Hamik has been promoted to series regular for season 2, we can surely expect to see much more of Chrissy Beppo and learn more about her very mysterious life. That is thrilling.

About Leslie Larr, she truly could’ve been a better villain for the focus to fall on as the season ended. Morgan Edge has been stopped and escaped so many times, it’s become quite tiresome. Pair that with the Stranger actually being John Henry Irons, who is no longer a villain, and the show kind of only had one option left… that they clearly didn’t take.

Leslie is just a powerful as Edge was before becoming the Eradicator, but comes across as far more threatening. She has no hesitation about anything she does, which is exciting for a villain. Edge’s backstory kind of diminished his character after we discovered that he only did all of this because of what his Kryptonian father did to him, while Larr could have had a much better motive if given the proper development.

Live Feed

Hidden Remote

Even without being developed, every scene she’s in is enthralling. The bitterness she has toward Lois and the rivalry that exists there is delicious, and it’s brutal that we’re not going to see more of that after this Edge storyline is over. And her prowess as a villain is undeniable, considering how difficult everyone is finding it to actually stop her. It took a trick with Irons’ weapon to finally take her down unlike Edge, who is the most stoppable villain in the entire universe.

(Bring back Stacey Farber and Leslie Larr next season!)

Overall, the women of Superman and Lois have made the show so much better. Seeing them, in most cases, actually written as characters in their own right is refreshing. If that hadn’t been the case, so much of this season would have been unenjoyable. The men of the show are great, too, but the women are the saving grace.

Have you been enjoying Superman and Lois? Who is your favorite character? Let us know in the comments below!