Superman & Lois Review: Heritage (Season 1 Episode 2)

Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 2, “Heritage,” is a much more balanced look at the Kents new lives in Smallville.

“Heritage” gives each family member the attention they deserve, and the show is stronger because of it.

Clark Kent’s inner turmoil on whether he’s doing the right thing or not for his family is palpable thanks to Tyler Hoechlin’s incredible performance. Superman is a figure people look to for truth, justice, and hope. Superman & Lois is intriguing because it looks at the way Clark grapples with those sentiments in his own life.

Superman & Lois‘ ability to make such an idolized figure more grounded is essential for the longevity of the show. It’s only beneficial to have a hero audiences can relate to. 

“Heritage” does bring some much needed clarity to the Captain Luthor of it all, but it still feels too underdeveloped to fall back on at the moment. Obviously it’s only Episode 2 and the series is laying the groundwork for a story with this Earth’s Superman and another Earth’s Captain Luthor, but the more immediate concern remains with Clark and his family.

This resistance to the Captain Luthor storyline comes from the fact that we always see Superman versus a Luthor. We’ve even see Hoechlin’s Superman versus a Luthor before. The brief context that Captain Luthor was attacked by a Superman toting a black suit, which is never a good sign, offers hope that the series is headed in a different direction.

We have yet to learn if this Luthor goes by the name of Lex. We do know from Supergirl that Lex Luthor is evil for no one but himself. He’s a jealous monster that spirals into havoc to get what he wants. This Captain Luthor is already different and thankfully so.

The scenes at the end of “Heritage” are so short, but they show us so much. We can see that Captain Luthor has lost people – his Earth’s Sam Lane to be more specific. He’s seen what Superman can become, what that leads to, and he’s willing to do what he can to stop it. That reframes this Captain Luthor as less of a villain and more of a hero.

This could mean that instead of being foes for the entirety of the season (or series) Superman and Captain Luthor can come together to protect the Earth from the tragedy that took place on Luthor’s Earth. That would be a refreshing twist on a very familiar story in the Arrowverse.

Elsewhere, “Heritage” introduces who could be the season’s true villain – Morgan Edge. He is more reminiscent of the Arrowverse’s Lex Luthor than Captain Luthor, because Edge is so obviously self-serving. That’s why it’s so satisfying to see Lois go all Lois Lane on him.

It’s so great because everyone knew it was coming. Clark knows from the second that Lois mentions Edge and the city council meeting. The twins know as soon as Lois stands up and starts asking important questions. “Heritage” lets us see that even if aspects of this family are strained, they still know each other so well.

All of the potential that awaits Lois Lane at the Smallville Gazette with Chrissy Beppo makes us eager to see how the season will unfold. We’ve never known this Lois without the Daily Planet, but that’s the joy of a character like Lois Lane. Superman & Lois even points it out — the news will find her no matter where she is and she’ll find the truth in it.

As for the twins, “Heritage” deepens their dynamic in a way that adds richness to their individual characters. This is a step in the right direction because Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” barely even scratched the surface with these two.

It’s not entirely shocking that Clark and Jordan don’t get all the answers about Jordan’s powers during this episode, because that would be too easy. It’s more shocking that Jordan and Jonathan have an argument this early into the season, because the show could have easily dragged that out for much longer.

Instead, they say what was on their chests and come together in the end.

That’s refreshing and reiterates how this family is strained but they’re still going to show up for each other at the end of the day. Hopefully Superman & Lois continues with character-driven episodes like “Heritage” and doesn’t caught up in the action sequences.

After all, the stakes of those sequences are a lot lower if we aren’t invested in the characters involved. For the record: this episode has us invested.

Stray Observations

• This is Stacey Farber’s first episode!
• Is Kyle always going to be so grumpy? 
• Chrissy Beppo is the most relatable character yet. We’re Lois Lane’s biggest fans, too. 
• Jonathan’s face lit up when he saw Clark at his practice.

What did you think of this episode of Superman & Lois? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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