Superman and Lois season 4 has almost reached its halfway point. The CW TV series recently returned for its fourth and final season, after over a year off screens and it very quickly made up for that with some stunning episodes.
Yes, the fourth season has been an emotional rollercoaster, dealing with the death of Superman, the arrival of Lex Luthor in Smallville, the reign of Doomsday, and the death of another beloved character. It's been a lot for the Kent-Lane family, and their best friends - all of whom are indeed continuing to pop up in guest and recurring roles despite the cast changes this season.
The emotions continued to run high in the fifth episode of the season. "Break The Cycle" is a reflection on Lex Luthor's life and what brought him to the point of wanting such extreme revenge on the Kent family. There's also an incredible sense of urgency because, now that Luthor knows Superman is alive, Lois Lane and her family need to figure out a way to stop him from bringing Doomsday back again.
Be warned that this article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from Superman and Lois season 4 episode 5.
Old Wounds
"Break The Cycle" opens with a flashback to the breakdown of Lex's marriage. His wife told him she was getting a divorce because he won't connect with her or their daughter Elizabeth. Though Lex initially denies it, he blames his parents for that (later revealing that his mother abused him after his father left them). But he's willing to give up all the property as part of their divorce settlement as long as Elizabeth stays in Metropolis. Mrs. Luthor refuses, until Elizabeth tells her that she wants to stay too.
In the present, however, Lex is still searching for his daughter (who clearly wants nothing to do with him), but he's open to being distracted. By "open to being distracted", I mean that he has discovered that Superman is still alive and thus ventured back to Smallville to confront him. The Man of Steel decides it would be better to cut him off at the pass and appeal to his heart with an apology.
That goes about as well as you probably expected it to, with Lex telling Clark to enjoy the time he has left because Doomsday will come for him once again. Lois, on the other hand, has a better idea and manages to find out where Elizabeth is, visiting her in France to ask for her help. Elizabeth (played by Agents of SHIELD's Elizabeth Henstridge) is pregnant and doesn't want to put her child at risk by being anywhere near Lex, but she reluctantly agrees.
Lex's goons discover that Lois visited her in France and when Lex himself goes to confront her at the Smallville Gazette, Lois surprises him with Elizabeth herself. The father and daughter have coffee in a bid to reconnect and even though it's not particularly a warm reunion, there are glimmers of hope there. That is, until Lex refuses to take any responsibility for the fact that he's a murderer and continues to blame Lois for locking him up on the technicality that he didn't commit that crime.
Though Elizabeth initially walks away, a signature Clark Kent pep-talk reminds her that she doesn't want to lose a father, even if he isn't worth her time. So she tries again, and it looks like she and Lex may have found some common ground. However, the moment she tells him that he has to choose between being a father to her or getting revenge on Lois Lane, he reverts to form, telling her that there must be vengeance (I don't know Lex, don't you think killing her husband, father, and turning her children against each other might have been overkill already?!).
Lois knows that she can't rely on Lex's heart to change, so she tries appealing to a different monster instead: Doomsday. Knowing that the Inverse Superman is still in there, she appeals to his better judgement after summoning him with her father's ELT device. She reminds him of his family and begs him not to destroy hers. And surprisingly, it works.
When Luthor returns to Bruno Mannheim's subway/dungeon/train station, he discovers that Doomsday is nowhere to be found.
The price of being a Superboy
The subplot of "Break The Cycle" focused on Jonathan and Jordan Kent as they attempted to party with their friends for a July 4 celebration. Jordan, having relinquished the responsibility of being a superhero for now, was having a great time. Jonathan, on the other hand, was not as he had now become the primary Superboy in the family, meaning that his days of being a normal teenager were over.
His girlfriend Candace had come to visit but Lois needed him to take her back and forth to France to visit Elizabeth Luthor. Jordan was tasked with telling Candace "the truth" multiple times, so he concocted elaborate stories about Jonathan doing interviews for the paper with his mother - stories that Candace knew weren't real.
When she threatened to break up with Jonathan over the lies, Jordan decided to tell her the whole truth (but off-screen), completely changing her mind and giving her boyfriend a kiss. Jonathan acknowledged how great his brother is, while getting to party with Candace and be a teenager for one night.
The episode also featured one of their friends, Denise, confiding in them that she knew their dad was Superman as she was one of the residents that saw the whole battle with Doomsday unfold. The boys weren't sure how to respond to that, even though Denise assured them she wouldn't tell anyone. However, it did allow Jordan to do the brave thing and tell Candace the truth in a bid to save her relationship with Jonathan. We love a good brother!
Doomsday is off the board... for now
The ending of the episode is pretty straightforward on the surface. Lois Lane was able to appeal to Doomsday's better judgement and stop him from coming after Superman (there's a sentence I never thought I would type). She used Sam's ELT to summon the beast and reminded him who he was; Bizarro Superman. The same Bizarro Superman who had a wife, kids, and a family on the Inverse World. She then pleaded with him not to come after her family. Shockingly, Doomsday nodded and flew off, seemingly leaving Lex behind.
At last, Lois and Clark and their family have finally achieved a victory over Lex Luthor. The evil mastermind has been relentless in his war on Lois' family since arriving in Smallville, killing Superman, killing Sam Lane, and attempting to sew doubt between her sons over who the "favorite" was. But Doomsday remained the biggest threat, so there is no understating this victory.
Taking Doomsday off the board (at least for now) gives the heroes a reprieve. No doubt Lex will return with a vengeance, coming up with another nefarious scheme to exact even more revenge, but the Kents finally have a breather from all the hell that Luthor has brought into their lives over the past couple of months. And this episode was worth it alone for the look of absolute rage on his face in the closing moments.
What evil plans will he come up with next? Who knows, but Superman and Lois Lane are more than ready for him.
Superman and Lois season 4 airs on The CW on Monday nights at 8/7c.