Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 4The CW’s Superman & Lois follows Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) decades into their iconic relationship. Clark is well-established as Superman, while Lois is the respected reporter we all know and love, only now she’s left the Daily Planet to run the Smallville Gazette with Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik). Clark and Lois have twin teenage sons Jordan (Alex Garfin) and Jon (recast with Michael Bishop), proving on many occasions that being a parent is much harder than being a superhero. Now, in the third season of the series, Clark and Lois find themselves facing off against their most terrifying villain yet: Cancer. After stopping Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt) and preventing the merge with Bizarro World, the Kent-Lane family had a few short weeks of peace and quiet before the events of the season kicked off and Lois thought she was pregnant. This gave the titular couple a chance to reflect on their lives and what they want their future to look like. Unfortunately, they couldn’t prepare themselves for the horrible truth, as the symptoms Lois was feeling were instead those of Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer. Since her diagnosis, the entire world has shifted for Lois and her family. It’s rough to watch, but the episodes to immediately follow her diagnosis (so far) have created quite a bit of beauty under these tragic circumstances.
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Everyone Is (Finally) Loving on Lois in ‘Superman & Lois’ Season 3
It’s horrible that it took something of this magnitude to finally bring the Kent-Lane family back together after the rocky second season that tore them apart. Since Lois received her results and subsequently divulged the information to her family, there have been realistic changes to their everyday lives in Smallville to account for her illness — most notably, how Lois’ family is stepping up for her. It’s most noticeable with Clark, who is on bended knee trying to do absolutely everything for Lois that he can. Given he’s having dreams of Lois dying and being unable to save her, Clark is feeling powerless as this is one foe he can’t use his Kryptonian abilities on — at least, not yet, but it doesn’t seem coincidental that the story this season is building around the Department of Defense taking his blood. Thus, Clark is doing everything he possibly can to make the experience as easy on Lois as possible, but it’s understandably difficult as Lois is struggling to accept her new reality and missing chemotherapy appointments. Still, the series is finally highlighting the unbelievable love that Clark and Lois have for one another.
Likewise, it’s nice to see Jon and Jordan attempting to step up for their mom and make her life as easy as possible. Sure, they have moments where they definitely do not make things easy, like Clark bursting into the room as they fought over something negligible while Lois was recovering from her first chemo treatment. But, their hearts are in the right place. While we know they obviously love their mother, it’s nice to see it on-screen and get a real glimpse at their special bond. And, in addition to her family, it’s heartwarming to see others so affected by Lois’ tragedy and how much they mean to her. This has been a major story for Natalie (Tayler Buck), who is at risk of watching another version of her mother die and is hit hard by it, allowing John Henry (Wolé Parks) to let in those upsetting feelings, too. It’s also refreshing to see Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) work on putting Lois first and show how much he loves his daughter. In addition, Chrissy, who is with Lois when she skips out on her chemotherapy appointments as they investigate a story, then urges Lois to accept the truth, accept her fear, and take care of herself. This shift is especially needed after Superman & Lois Season 2 where Lois was brutally mistreated and neglected by just about everyone in her life. Though, we’re still waiting for Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) to apologize after the way she treated Lois following Clark revealing himself as Superman.
The Importance of Being Lois Lane
However, the beauty to come from Lois Lane’s tragedy is not all about her family and friends in Superman & Lois Season 3. It’s about the character herself and how this new reality is affecting her. Despite her diagnosis and the odds being stacked against her, the series has dived into Lois’ professional life, showing just how devoted she is to her job. She’s determined to deliver the truth to the world — this time about Bruno Mannheim (Chad Coleman). While everyone treats Lois as though she’s fragile, we see the spark inside of her light up, and she demands better. She doesn’t want this to rule her life or prevent her from doing her job or taking care of her family, just as we see in the fourth episode when she confronts Emmitt Pergande (Adrian Glynn). After learning how he assaulted Jon and stole his truck, Lois defends her family just as she always will. It takes a toll, as we see when they return home and Lois nearly faints, but it’s a respectable tribute to Lois’ love for her family and her ability to stand on her own in dangerous situations.
It’s awful that this is coming under such tragic circumstances, but it finally feels like the Superman & Lois writers understand the character of Lois Lane, both on her own and in her relationship with Clark. This manages to showcase Lois’ strongest traits and qualities, while still offering up a way in which she can grow, which is to accept help on occasion. Given what her life has looked like after being abandoned by her mother and having an absent father, it makes perfect sense why Lois is always so set on doing things herself. This story will hopefully lead to a number of changes, even temporary changes, which will only strengthen her relationships in the future. For right now, though, it’s nice to see Lois Lane in all of her glory and getting the love and support she needs — even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
Superman & Lois continues Tuesdays on The CW.
