In Tried and True, Superman and Lois succeeds by moving the cult storyline to the background. Reducing the focus on Ally allows the relationship between Lois, Lucy and Sam to get a more proper focus than in episode 4 (The Inverse Method). In a nice continuation from the last episode, the fallout following Kyle’s cheating becomes the main focus of the episode.
The best thing about Lana and Kyle’s marriage issues over the last couple of episodes is Emmanuelle Chriqui‘s performance as Lana. Her profound pain is evident, yet she maintains her composure when she needs to and lets her guard down when she doesn’t. Lana also maintains selflessness throughout that’s a nice counter to Kyle’s. When Clark offers support, she accepts it but doesn’t forget that Clark has other priorities and urges him to head to the football game to coach.
Seeing Lucy as the fun aunt to Jonathan and Jordan was a nice change to the character. Lois does eventually prod Lucy again, which predictably leads to Lucy bailing. A wonderful father-daughter talk between Sam and Lois was a nice capper to the story. Bitsie Tulloch and Dylan Walsh have done a great job of providing layers in their relationship.
There’s not too much on the Superman front. The distrust between Lt. Anderson and Superman finally reaches a turning point.
On the downward side, there’s nothing particularly interesting about the Jonathan and Jordan storyline. There’s nothing bad about it either. By the end of Tried and True, Jordan knows the truth about Jonathan and is pissed. At least there’s momentum.
The other problem is Kyle, as usual. His explanation as to why he cheated lacks the nuance shown in Lana. There’s no way to see Kyle’s point of view. Luckily, Chriqui’s great performance near the end of the episode overcomes my issues with Kyle.
With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood out in Tried and True. There may be some minor spoilers. Superman and Lois is available to stream on The CW.
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The Lane family are Tried and True
Sam starts Tried and True by orchestrating an ambush. He shows up unannounced to the Kent farm with Lucy in tow. Sam attempts a reverse parent trap. Neither daughter knew what their father was planning.
Lois and Lucy decide to make the best of it. Lucy takes on the role of the cool aunt. She talks football with Jonathan and trades jokes with Jordan. Lois even remarks to Clark how nice it’s having Lucy around.
Lucy joins Sam and Lois in the stands during Jonathan’s high school football game. Lois and Lucy both get under each other’s skin about Ally. Lucy bails on the game.
After the game, Sam and Lois have a lovely conversation. Sam apologizes for the ambush. Lois takes the blame for pushing Lucy away. Walsh digs deep here in his performance. Sam maintains his daughters are his entire world and he should have handled the Ally situation in a different manner.
The Aftermath
Lana is trying to figure out what’s next after Kyle’s betrayal. She’s clearly struggling but puts on a strong initial face. When Sarah takes Sophie away to get ready for school, Lana breaks down with her back turned from where Sarah and Sophie were. Sarah slowly comes from behind and embraces her sobbing mother.
The best scene of the episode features Lana and Clark. Lana is at the diner pondering her next move. Clark stops into the diner on the way to the football game. He stops and provides support for Lana. She wants to know how Clark would react if Lois cheated. Clark responds with the expected, it depends on her reason for cheating. The best part about this scene is Clark never judges Kyle or Lana for their marriage or compares it to what he has with Lois. He listens more than he speaks, which shows what a great friendship these two characters have.
Later, Lana visits the bar where she talks to the woman who had the affair with her husband. Tonya claims that she was in love with Kyle, apologizes for what she did and gives a timetable of when their affair started. The timing is key. Kyle broke things off after Sarah’s suicide attempt. If the suicide attempt never happened, would Kyle have ended the marriage?
Lana stops by Kyle’s firehouse for an answer to the question. Kyle responds with the same lame platitudes he’s used after every mistake. He maintains his love for Lana and his family. He asks for forgiveness, which Lana doesn’t give. Lana says she doesn’t know if she loves Kyle anymore and tells him to move out of the house.
Chriqui has been fantastic throughout these last two episodes. It’s refreshing to see the series thrust more dramatic heft on Lana.
Lies and Betrayal
Cheating is a betrayal in many ways. However, Lana isn’t the only character feeling betrayed.
Lt. Anderson and Clark haven’t been honest with each other. The death of two of Anderson’s supersoldiers has a cost. Anderson’s superior orders him to attend a funeral for one of the soldiers and to make an immediate change to his approach.
Superman and Anderson run into each other at the funeral. The mother of the fallen soldier treats Superman with grace and tears into Anderson for how he handled the mission. Superman opens up a bit and provides more details into what he’s looking for. From Anderson’s perspective, it appears as if Superman’s quest has completely changed. Tried and True ends with Superman’s arrest. He’s thrown into the same cell as his half-brother, Tal-Rho.
Meanwhile, Jordan finds out from another student that Jonathan is taking drugs to induce his powers. Jordan confronts Jonathan in the locker room and later back at the house. Jordan’s more pissed that Jonathan lied than the drug use. Jonathan says it was a stupid mistake and he won’t do it again.
Tried and True Final Thoughts
Tried and True is a strong episode of Superman and Lois. The episode does a great job of keeping the focus on the Lane family and Lana. There is nothing outstanding in the episode. Just good storytelling, great performances and confident directing by Amy Jo Johnson.
The Review
Tried and True
PROS
- Emmanuelle Chriqui continues to shine in this difficult storyline.
- The relationship between Lois and Lucy takes another turn.
- The father-daughter talk between Lois and Sam is pretty heartwarming.
- Clark being a great friend to Lana.
CONS
- Kyle's side of things isn't fleshed out like Lana. He's unredeemable at this point.
- Clark as Tal-Rho's cellmate means we are returning to a character pairing I don't care about. Maybe that will change.
