Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 9 Review: To Live and Die Again

Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 9, “To Live and Die Again,” raises the stakes for the series finale and beyond with every literal and proverbial punch.

Written and directed by Jai Jamison, the penultimate episode seamlessly bookends Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 1, “The End and the Beginning.”

Even with its title, “To Live and Die Again” engages in a near-constant dialogue with the season premiere, answering questions and asking new ones. 

That decision could leave Superman and Lois in a repetitive state with only one episode (Where has the time gone?) left. Instead, “To Live and Die Again” strengthens the season’s themes by breaking cycles and stopping patterns.

The results are undeniably gripping yet surprisingly disappointing.

From a story perspective, Superman & Lois has been (mostly) firing on all cylinders all season long. Consequently, it’s all the more upsetting that the show must truncate a story that requires much more time and space.

Clark Kent/Superman died eight episodes ago. “To Live and Die Again” posits that his fate may be replicated with a few critically different variables. 

Superman & Lois needs more time if “To Live and Die Again” is to succeed in convincing the audience that such a reality is possible — again.

The characters realistically move through the story and grapple with the increasingly alarming stakes. The core four — Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Alexander Garfin, and Michael Bishop — bring authentic weight to the episode’s cliffhanger despite and because of its familiarity. 

Unfortunately, the final season’s clock slightly undercuts that work.

The show’s narrative balance emphasizes how much more impactful this parallel would be with a larger episode count. This season is the final one, which often has fewer episodes. However, ten isn’t enough for Superman & Lois‘s respectable ambition. From ensemble to set pieces, it all would work better with more time.

Superman & Lois is some of the strongest DC storytelling TV has ever seen.

It’s a letdown that it’s going out on such a truncated season. The caliber of storytelling and the depth of character prove that Superman & Lois had more to give in its arsenal, whether it be a longer season or multiple additional seasons. 

For instance, “To Live and Die Again” has so much going for it. Revealing Lex in his Lexosuit and a comics-accurate Doomsday (What budgetary restrictions?) isn’t even the best or most surprising aspect of this penultimate outing. 

This episode builds on the context introduced on Superman & Lois Season 4 Episode 6, “When the Lights Come on,” and identifies Amanda McCoy as a major key to Lex Luthor’s downfall. Additionally, “To Live and Die Again” sees Chad L. Coleman reprise his role as Bruno Mannheim when Lois turns to him for advice.

Coleman remains one of the greatest talents to appear on Superman & Lois. 

His scenes with Elizabeth Tulloch don’t miss a beat from when they last acted opposite one another on Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 11, “Complications.”

Their characters’ history looms large — Bruno and Lois’s exchange about Peia being incredibly effective. Nevertheless, the topic of Lois’s privilege sharpens the script, as well as Coleman and Tulloch’s talents.

Lois Lane is an intrepid journalist and a beacon of truth, but she has blind spots. It’s refreshing to see a show — in its penultimate episode — hold one of its two titular characters accountable to such a degree. It’s important to see Lois admit her mistakes in not hearing the people of South Metropolis sooner.

It’s one of the broken patterns that may be less noticed because it is less significant to the plot than others. Still, its significance to Lois and those around her should not be understated. As Superman & Lois turns towards an off-screen future, it’s reassuring to know Lois will try to do better than before.

Though a different context, “To Live and Die Again” gives Amanda the chance to change her ways. It works that the show waits until the penultimate episode to have Amanda see the real Lex. Every episode brings them closer together as Amanda pulls strings and Laex makes hollow promises.

It’s perfect for those one-sided ties to be what breaks them in the end.

It’s unfortunate that Cheryl Kimble becomes an off-screen cautionary tale (Perhaps more episodes would change that), but her role in Lex’s self-serving pattern is critical. Lex Luthor’s empire is built by women in his life’s connections, and his actions often serve as reactions to women by which he feels betrayed.

Amanda’s confrontation with that truth isolates Lex, with only his Lexosuit to comfort him. Meanwhile, Clark, Lois, Jonathan, and Jordan may not have answers, but they have each other. For instance, Lois can cope with ads dropping her out of fear or Lex’s retaliation (This sounds eerily familiar) because she has Clark.

This penultimate episode makes Jonathan and Jordan more of a team — the Fraternals! — than they have been in a while. They realize their strengths don’t lie in replicating Superman but in amplifying what makes them good, kind people like Jordan using his tools to help Vicky May through a panic attack.

But “To Live and Die Again” leaves Clark in a position to admit that he can’t be or do everything all the time for everyone anymore. Superman is no use to anyone if he’s dead, and Clark Kent is no use to anyone if he’s dead.

While this episode ends in a similar space as “The End & the Beginning,” there’s still one distinct difference — Clark’s heart is still in his chest. So, Superman & Lois Season 4 can’t end how it starts because the pattern is already broken. There’s already more hope. Superman is alive, and Clark Kent is not alone.

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The Superman & Lois series finale airs on Monday, December 2, at 8/7c on The CW.

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