Superman and Lois Review: The Thing in The Mines is easily the best episode of the season so far

The 2nd season of Superman and Lois has had its good moments. However, the series hasn’t been able to match the soaring heights of last season until The Thing in The Mines.

A stellar episode that combines Superman mythos with strong family scenes and an interesting subplot for Lois to sink her teeth into. The return of Dylan Walsh added a tone of emotion and history to the cult storyline that began in the last episode, The Ties That Bind. I was worried the cult plot was a one-off to drive tension between Chrissy and Lois. I’m happy that’s not the case.

Meanwhile, Superman’s headaches continue to wreak havoc on the Kryptonian. They’re getting worse. No longer do they just incapacitate Clark, they’re also causing him to lose control of his powers. With the help of John Henry Irons, he’s able to put some of the pieces of the puzzle together but is nowhere near a solution. I’ll delve more into the reveal of a surprising Superman villain in the spoiler section. I will say I’m not a fan of the look of the character and I’m a bit concerned with introducing the villain so early in the run of the series. However, the fight scene is fantastic and the cinematography, even in the age of the MCU on Disney Plus, continues to set the standard for superhero television.

Lana’s mayoral campaign isn’t breaking new ground, but is sold enough and is improving Kyle Cushing as a character. The Thing in the Mines continues to delve into the relationship struggles between Jordan and Sarah. On the surface, Jordan thinking his first love is going to be “the one” isn’t particularly revelatory. However, what adds to the normal puppy dog love story is Jordan wanting to reveal his secret to Sarah and Clark’s explanation as to why this is a mistake at this point in time. The Thing in the Mines also fines ways to integrate Natalie into Jordan and Jonathan’s worlds in a way that feels more natural than it would on a lesser series.

The only issue is Jonathan’s decision to try to score performance-enhancing drugs. For a character that’s been impulsive at times, but usually has his heart in the right place, it’s a frustrating story beat that feels wrong for his character. Unfortunately, what makes it worse is we also see Jonathan be a good brother to Jordan in the same episode. It’s a tale of two different character traits rather than a character arc.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood out in The Thing in The Mines. There may be some minor spoilers. Superman and Lois is available to stream on The CW.

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Pick a Lane

The return of Sam Lane is a boon for the Superman storyline and for Lois. Sam is enjoying retirement when he gets a call from Lois about Clark’s headaches. He returns to the Kent farm to help.

Lois is trying to dig deeper into the cult story now that the leader is resurfacing on a podcast. Lois saw how the leader impacted her sister Lucy. Sam is reluctant to get involved.

The cult drove a wedge between Lois and Lucy. Sam chose to stay out of the conflict instead of choosing Lois’s side. After Lois and Lucy’s mom left, he was terrified of losing either Lois or Lucy.

Lois is furious at her father for failing to make the right decision to protect Lois, Lucy and others. Eventually, Sam reads Lois’s article, chooses Lois’s side and reaches out to Lucy as an intermediary.

Walsh, Bitsie Tulloch and the script by Katie Aldrin and Juliana James do an excellent job of adding layers to this father-daughter relationship. You certainly understand Lois’s fury. Likewise, Sam’s approach to the situation is also relatable. These two well-balanced arguments create the right amount of tension and lead to an effective resolution between father and daughter by the end of the episode. The only problem is with Lucy being absent from the series, it’s difficult to understand the younger Lane sister’s point of view.

The Thing in the Mines is Bizarre

The headaches are getting worse for Clark. To make matter worse, Clark doesn’t appear to be himself. He’s easily irritable and these attacks are causing him to lose control of his powers. Jordan’s plea to tell Sarah the truth causes his heart vision to nearly go off. Later, Jonathan gets in a fight with the starting quarterback. Back in the locker room, Clark loses control of his powers and has to blast his heat vision into his hands to prevent hurting his son.

Since Clark can’t enter the mine, John Henry with the help of Sam, investigates the mine. Dr. Faulkner knocks John out. Clark and Lois are able to figure out that the anger he’s feeling is not his own. He’s channeling the anger of The Thing in the Mines. After a wonderful heart-to-heart with Lois, Clark suffers another attack. He immediately flys off toward the mine.

The Thing in the Mines has escaped in a suit that is reminiscent of Steel’s. John Henry offers some help but not much. Eventually, the creature flies off. The end of the episode shows the creature is none other than Bizarro. I wasn’t impressed with the look of Bizarro. I’m also concerned with debuting the character so soon in the series.

True Love is based on merciful lies

There isn’t a more annoying trope on superhero shows than people, usually male characters, lying to protect those they claim to love. However, I like how the show turns the trope on its head. Jonathan and Natalie both point out how his lie is far worse than Sarah’s reveal of kissing another girl. She was at least honest about her mistake.

Jordan badly wants to tell Sarah the truth. A preoccupied Clark dismisses this notion of true love given this is Jordan’s first relationship. Clark nearly burns Jordan to crisp in anger. Later, Clark is able to convince Jordan to give the relationship more time. If after a year, he still wants to tell Sarah the truth, then they can revisit the subject. Jordan agrees. A fantastic ending to what could have been a frustrating storyline.

Lana’s run for mayor isn’t revelatory, but well-executed. She simply has to be herself on the campaign trail. It’s advice Kyle gives her early on, but she doesn’t take it until she turns in a disastrously stilted speech. The storyline is working to make Kyle more likable, which is all you can really ask for at this point.

Final Though on The Thing in the Mines

My concerns have to do with characters that aren’t in this episode or story issues that may be a problem in the future, but not necessarily evident in The Thing in the Mines. Lucy, not being in the episode, takes the superb conflict in the Lane family down a tad. The introduction of Bizarro so early in the series seems odd given we haven’t spent that much time getting to know this version of Superman.

Smallville waited until season 7 to introduce Superman’s doppelganger. Superman and Lois don’t need to wait 7 seasons, but the key to Bizarro working is understanding the small nuances that make a particular Clark Kent tick. Tyler Hoechlin‘s got his work cut out for him, but he’s been great so far.

Everything else about The Thing in the Mines is nearly flawless.