“… it was all because of love. It’s the thing that makes life worth living. Do everything you can to find love. To give it, to hold onto it.”

Season 4 of Superman & Lois wrapped up last week, and while I haven’t seen any indication yet of its ratings, it was received with very positive buzz online, and rightfully so. I’ll try to keep my thoughts as spoiler free as I can, but to start I’ll just say up front that this show absolutely nailed the landing.

Pros:

Since James Gunn and Peter Safran were handed the keys to the DCU, one goal they have stated very clearly has been to create a consistency of the brand. With few exceptions, there are no longer going to be several versions of Superman, Joker, the Justice League, Harley Quinn, etc across all media. Gunn has stated that he wants to see a consistent look and vision across movies, tv, cartoons and video games in the interest of keeping the characters familiar and recognizable. As such, all of the Arrowverse and peripheral shows that were not connected to the movies were told that they were going to have to wrap things up in the upcoming season before the new DC universe was launched, with slashed episode counts and budgets. Fans and stars were understandably irked, most notably Bitsie Tulloch, but as we know, there’s no use fighting city hall!

Superman & Lois’ creators said that season 4 would be ten episodes, and the supporting cast would be featured minimally (Lana and John Henry would only be in x amount of episodes, same with Kyle and Chrissy, etc). The bulk of the time would be dedicated to the Kent family, who were to be featured prominently.

And it worked well! Despite the circumstances going into the season, one would never guess that there were any limitations put on the series at all. The writing in this season was so good that all of the episodes felt organic and flowed extremely well, and even the supporting cast got their moments in the sun. The Kent family’s stories progressed nicely, and dangling threads for all the characters were picked up from previous seasons. At one point, I honestly had to go back and check if the reports of the cuts were even accurate!

It seems as though Luthor was always going to be the overarching baddie in this season, as was set up at the end of season 3. Yet it was fortuitous that saving Lex for what ended up being the final season worked perfectly, as he is the Man of Steel’s greatest nemesis. His presence added a gravity to the show that was unmatched by any villain prior. I’ve mentioned in the past that this interpretation of Lex was very interesting, with Michael Cudlitz’s quiet, calculating, dangerous demeanor giving off both an aura of mob boss and Bond villain blended together. The oft-used Luthor science experiment plots were secondary to plots directly targeting the Kent family and Superman, which worked perfectly for a grounded, dramatic series. Just great, great stuff.

On that note, I have covered in past reviews how the writing for the Kent family is by far the strongest quality of this show, so the only thing I will add is that for the show’s final season it is consistent here as well, if not better than ever. When the story ends, the viewer is emotionally attached because the payoff is 100 percent earned.

Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch’s performance as the title characters is fantastic, and their chemistry carries so much of the series. One can see in every scene that they enjoy working together, and the writers absolutely know what material clicks with them. My two favorite episodes in this season are “Clark’s Secret Identity,” and “It Went By So Fast,” perhaps the two in which Superman and Lois are featured most prominently and their story as a couple moves along.

This is where I’m going to have to get into spoiler territory, so you’ve been warned!

Superman revealing his secret identity in the comics was the summary of an already underwhelming run by Brian Michael Bendis which simply served to remind everyone that better stories were told with the Kent family just a few years before. It was a cheap, gimmicky plotline (as it often is with stories about superheroes revealing their secret identities) that did little for the character and made Bendis look like a one-trick pony. To say I was unimpressed is an understatement.

Which is why I was shocked at how much I loved it in the show!! There was so much heart in that episode, with flashbacks showing how hard it has been on Clark to maintain his secret his entire life. We meet this world’s Jimmy Olsen and see his disappointment with his friend not showing up to company softball games and other fun events, and an immense toll being taken on the boys in high school. After much, much love and support from his family, Clark makes the decision to put the secret identity behind him, which is lovingly received by the entire world. It was an amazing episode!

I think my second favorite scene in the entire series may have been Clark walking into the diner the following day, and being treated with the usual “Hi, Mr. Kent,” nonchalantly by everyone in the restaurant. Priceless.

I’m pretty sure my favorite scene was the final fifteen minutes of the series, with a subtle nod to “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow,” showing the waning years of Superman’s life, culminating with a trip to “heaven” to meet his wife and family…

… I’m not crying, you’re crying! 😢

Ultimately, the series writers understood fully that Superman is about heart, and stories about his family emphasize this in an incredibly effective way. I loved this season, and would think any fan of comic adaptations would enjoy it as well.

Cons:

Really not that much to gripe about here, as the usual weaknesses of the show are some angsty, silly subplots with a few of the supporting characters, which continue into this season.

Kyle and Chrissy‘s relationship didn’t make all that much sense to me, and frankly Sara’s decision to study abroad felt like a case of the writers not really knowing what else to do with her to wrap things up. The usual dose of teen drama was suppressed a bit given the less screen time for the supporting cast (which was a good thing), but on occasion it was still present enough to be a tad annoying.

Despite my rave review of the season overall, the budget cuts were apparent in how many scenes took place in the same parts of Smallville (Luthor’s hotel, the diner, the Kent barn, etc). It could have gotten a little tedious, but thankfully the inclusion of Lex as the main antagonist later forced the action to move to Metropolis, which was great to see as well.

Finally, the plot point of Sam Lane’s magical injection of Kryptonian serum just to donate his heart to Clark was a bit far fetched, even for a comic book show. Still, it did bring Sam’s story to a nice conclusion in that his motivation was love for his family, so I went with it.

All in all, just a few minor quibbles, and the positives definitely outweighed the negatives.

Conclusion:

Best Superman show ever? I think so.

It certainly was the Superman show with the most satisfying conclusion (maybe the only one!). There were some low valleys but the highest heights were something really special as well. And Superman and Lois’ relationship has never been better written.

One thing is for certain, this show put a stamp on how awesome Superman: Rebirth was. It was a great premise for the comic, and ended up being perhaps an even better premise for a show. As fans we now have this adaptation as a nice love letter to the Kent family and to us.

It remains to be seen where this show will land in the rankings of Superman adaptations in the years to come, and how the fan base will remember it. I very much look forward to finding out when we get there.

Capeage Meter (Season 4): 9.5 out of 10

Capeage Meter (Show): 9 out of 10