What Lies Beneath is a strong table-setting episode for season two of Superman and Lois. Outside of a small change in Lois’s backstory, there’s nothing revelatory about the episode.
The focus of the season premiere mostly centers around Natalie’s sudden reappearance shown at the end of last season. Lois spends the bulk of What Lies Beneath on edge. Clark, Jordan and Jonathan know Lois is about to pop, but simply can’t figure out what the problem is besides Natalie’s emergence. Bitsie Tulloch is great at keeping her cool until she suddenly unleashes all of her emotion.
Tylor Hoechlin does a great job of showing an exasperated Clark Kent. He’s trying to get his wife to open up, but she just keeps pushing back. The Superman sequences look fantastic. However, from a storytelling perspective, there’s no clear-cut direction as of yet, which is fine in a season premiere.
Natalie isn’t adjusting to this new world well at all. She’s angry with her father and can’t connect with people who look like her friends, but aren’t. The only issue with this storyline is we don’t actually see Natalie try to avoid her friend. We just hear her promise to avoid them, but don’t actually see the difficult situation. Essentially it’s an old problem of telling, not showing. However, Taylor Buck is fantastic as Natalie, so it’s not too big of an issue.
The main issue is the teenager subplots for Jordan and Jonathan are pretty mediocre. Jonathan’s has to do with him getting caught in the act with his girlfriend. Jordan has to deal with him trying to move things too fast with Sarah.
With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood out in What Lies Beneath. There may be some minor spoilers. Superman and Lois is available to stream on The CW.
If you like the content on The Intersection and have the means, a donation is much appreciated. The Intersection will never have ads on the website. In order to expand coverage to golden-era tv shows and add new features, we need your help. You can provide a one-time donation via PayPal or Stripe below.
Lois and Natalie struggle with What Lies Beneath
What Lies Beneath begins right where the season one finale left off. Natalie arrives on Earth and looks at the uncanny resemblance of her mother. She runs to Lois for an embrace but is intercepted by her father, John Henry. The episode time jumps for six months.
Lois’s words themselves aren’t hostile, but her icy demeanor and tone have Clark, Jonathan and Jordan walking on eggshells. After multiple attempts by Clark, Lois finally breaks it down for Clark. She looked at Natalie and felt nothing for her Elseworld daughter. In a departure from Lois’s typical backstory, it looks like Lois’s mom bailed on the family.
Natalie is struggling to adapt to this new world. Unlike Lois, she’s unafraid to voice her displeasure to her father. After an earthquake startles the residents of Smallville, Lois calls John Henry to set up a meeting between her and Natalie.
The conversation between Natalie and Lois is the best scene in What Lies Beneath. Natalie softens her tough exterior just enough. Lois makes it clear she’s want to form a friendship with Natalie who by all accounts is amazing and wouldn’t dream of replacing Natalie’s mother. The episode ends with John Henry and Natalie staying with Clark, Lois and the boys on the Kent farm.
Teenage Wasteland
Jonathan and especially Jordan don’t have much going on in this episode.
Jordan is excited to see Sarah after her summer away at camp. Sarah is not quite as jazzed about it. Kyle Cushing gives two pieces of advice in What Lies Beneath. One to Clark another to his daughter Sarah. Kyle advises Clark not to keep digging into what is bothering Lois. For some reason, Clark seems to consider this horrible advice. Luckily, a conversation with Lana sets him straight. Kyle’s advice to Sarah is actually great and the exact opposite of his advice to Clark.
Sarah’s concerned about how fast the relationship with Jordan is moving. Kyle tells her to communicate with Jordan. She has full control of how the relationship progresses, not Jordan. I still feel like a breakup is coming for Jordan and Sarah.
Jonathan spends What Lies Beneath as a hormonal teenager trying to hook up with his girlfriend. Clark tries to warn Jonathan about joining the football team again. Jonathan doesn’t want to hear it. However, when his girlfriend says the same words as Clark, he listens, which exasperates Clark. Near the end of the episode, Clark has a talk with Jonathan and Jordan in a wonderfully dopey scene. Clark reveals that he was older than Jonathan and Jordan when he lost his virginity. He ends the conversation but promises it will continue with Lois when she returns from her Elseworld daughter reunion.
A symbol for the world
General Sam Lane’s retirement in last season’s finale means there needs to be a new military liaison. Lt. Mitch Anderson fills the role. Superman and Lt. Anderson aren’t on the same page.
Early in the episode, Superman rescues a submarine and puts it back on dry land. Turns out Superman rescued a North Korean submarine. Anderson wishes Superman had brought the submarine to United States soil. He wants Superman’s commitment to protecting US interests. Superman refuses, citing he made that same promise to the entire world.
Superman’s heroics are on display during the earthquake. I’ve never seen Superman’s hearing used to predict an earthquake, but it’s an awesome use of that power. As Superman makes saves around Smallville, he comes across some younger heroes in the mines who assist in making the saves. Superman confronts Lt. Anderson on using these young soldiers without his knowledge. Lt. Anderson reminds Superman he gave him the opportunity to pledge his allegiance. When Superman refused, he decided to go with another option.
The other Superman-related matter is these massive migraines he suffers twice in What Lies Beneath. He’s able to recover and make the saves. However, it’s clearly going to be an ongoing problem moving forward.
What Lies Beneath final thoughts
The season premiere of Superman and Lois is a strong start for the series. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the episode aside from the stellar cinematography that continues from last season. The focus on Lois and Natalie was the right storyline to focus on. Here’s hoping the 2nd season can deliver a compelling villain soon.
The Review
What Lies Beneath
PROS
- Bitsie Tulloch and Taylor Buck are phenomenal as Lois and Natalie.
- The cinematography continues to set a high bar for television.
- Clark using his hearing to warn his family about an earthquake is an inspired use of this classic Superman power.
CONS
- Talking about how awkward Natalie seeing her friends is vs showing those scenes is a missed opportunity.
- Never listen to Kyle Cushing's advice.
