Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 3 Review: In Cold Blood
Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 3, “In Cold Blood,” brings a chilling reality check to the characters that reverberates (mainly) positive impacts throughout their stories.
Most notably, this episode provides insight into how Lois’ loved ones are grappling with the news of her diagnosis after such a devoted and thoughtful exploration of Lois’ perspective on Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 2, “Uncontrollable Forces.”
For instance, beginning “In Cold Blood” with Clark’s nightmare is a poignant and grounded (and expectedly cinematic) approach to visualizing his internal dialogue.
It’s a clever narrative tool because it emphasizes how Clark doesn’t want to put his fears on Lois’ already-heavy shoulders while underscoring how his status as Superman may not always be enough to save her, especially from cancer.
Moreover, Clark’s entire world crumbling as he races to Lois, only getting to her just in time in the first nightmare and not soon enough in the second, is loaded with meaningful symbolism that speaks to the importance of this central relationship.
While Superman & Lois could’ve (and may still) make that nightmare a more pointed, paralleled reality later in the season, “In Cold Blood” effectively twists it into the couple’s present and uses it as the platform for a necessary conversation.
It may sound redundant to repeatedly express how brilliant Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch are together, but Season 3 keeps throwing in evergreen reminders, like Clark and Lois’ conversation in the kitchen.
After dodging chemotherapy appointments and experiencing intense bouts of overstimulation, Tulloch perfectly captures Lois’ vulnerability as she admits to being afraid of losing herself.
Tulloch and Hoechlin continue to infuse this delicate with honest sincerity.
The scene gets even better by reinforcing the show’s consistency when Clark doesn’t listen in on Lois’ phone call with Sam. Lois says that Clark almost lost her by doing that on Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 3, “The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower.”
Those building blocks are impactful in the believability of this iconic, long-term relationship, and it matters that even now — when Lois is battling cancer — that Clark won’t breach her trust again.
As for Sam, “In Cold Blood” teases a storytelling route that Superman & Lois Season 3 could use to its advantage — Sam and Clark teaming up to help Lois be selfless.
This episode starts with gutwrenching scenes of Lois sharing the news with her loved ones. It’s much appreciated that Jenna Dewan is featured as Lucy Lane — even if it is over the phone. However, Sam’s reaction stands out in the montage because of Dylan Walsh’s heartbreaking performance.
The inflection in Walsh’s voice after Lois tells Sam that she’ll make it through this is genius. It’s a subtle way to show Sam trying to hold it together for his little girl until he can’t anymore. It’s so rare that Superman & Lois breaks through Retired General Sam Lane’s armor, and “In Cold Blood” does it perfectly.
This episode also continues to utilize the teenagers far better than past seasons. Lana and Sarah’s arc is only compounding as Lana’s workload does the same, and Superman & Lois suggests this story could lead to a deeper exploration of Lana’s past and her relationship with motherhood because of her mother.
On the other hand, it’s exciting to see Nat, Jonathan, and Jordan have their own mission with incentives relating to them instead of lumping them into the overarching fight. Their stakes are high stakes, too!
Their team-up effectively contributes to the development of Candice and Jonathan’s relationship. This story is necessary after Jonathan’s stint with X-K fell flat in Season 2 because their relationship was underdeveloped.
“In Cold Blood” course-corrects by giving Candice a job at the diner, seeing her interact with them at school, and introducing her father — and last name. Candice is finally starting to emerge as a more well-rounded character on Superman & Lois, which works to her benefit, as well as any stakes in Jonathan’s romantic storylines.
Superman & Lois Season 3 is doing a great job of bringing more periphery characters (Sam, Candice, and Chrissy) into the larger story, and it’s great that it only partially relies on its action-centered laurels to do so.
The final scene of “In Cold Blood” is a sublime example of how organically the characters can unite without the threat of worlds ending or merging. Instead, those quieter, character-driven scenes pull everything that matters on Superman & Lois into focus — the ever-expanding family at its heart.
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Superman & Lois airs Tuesdays at 8/9c on The CW.
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Shelby Elpers
Shelby is a TV enthusiast and pop culture writer. She's an avid podcast listener, green tea drinker, and soccer fan. Her brand can be summarized in rom-coms, superheroes, teen dramas, and workplace comedies.