‘Superman and Lois’ Royal Subjekts Review: A Spoonful of Kryptonite Makes the Medicine go Down

Royal Subjekts doesn’t reach the emotional heights of the last episode. However, the expansion of storylines started in last week’s episode allows Royal Subjekts to soar in a different part of the sky.

Royal Subjekts delves deep into the struggles and fears of being a parent. Lois, Clark and even General Sam Lane are shown dealing with the guilt that has been building up over the last couple of episodes. While parenting struggles aren’t a new theme for Superman and Lois, this episode is far more effective. Dylan Walsh is incredible in this episode. Watching Sam Lane wrestle with how his decisions have harmed Lois in the past and present is the best part of the episode.

One of the best decisions in Superman and Lois since the hiatus is the decision to complete and move away from the football storyline. I love sports and tv shows revolving around high school football (Friday Night Lights is one of the best network dramas of all time). However, the football scenes split Lois and Clark into different storyline branches. Clark dealing with the boys and Lois trying to solve the Morgan Edge mystery. Ending the football arc allows Lois and Clark to work together as a dynamic duo in the journalism sphere once again.

In Royal Subjekts, we get a glimpse of Lois and Clark working together on the Morgan Edge story and to no one’s surprise, they work great together. Adding Lana to the mix as a source is a great way to bring the Cushings and Kents together.

Superman and Lois continue to perfectly use Superman. There are technically three Superman scenes in Royal Subjekts. All of them have a major impact on the episode in a rather small amount of screen time. The first Superman scene is used to show how the events in the last episode will continue to be a major impact on this episode. Not only does the situation affect Superman, but it also pays dividends in the Kent family storyline. There’s a blur of a takedown in the Kent the farm that makes you wonder how the Kryptonian Quantum Leaper isn’t dead. The scene at the end of the episode is more of a tease for the next episode.

My only issue with the episode is the Morgan Edge twist at the end. I’ll dive a little more into this development in the spoiler section. Also, Superman hits the Kryptonian harder than Superman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice hit that terrorist who was threatening Lois at gunpoint, yet is somehow alive.

With the non-spoiler details out of the way, let’s dive into superhero theatrics, family drama and more in Royal Subjekts. Please note there will be minor spoilers Superman and Lois is airing on The CW and streaming on the CWTV app.

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Morgan Edge and his Royal Subjekts vs Superman and Lois

Throughout Royal Subjekts, director Eric Dean Seaton uses three different shots with Morgan Edge. In each scene, Edge is introducing a new person from Lana’s leadership committee to his program. In a clever misdirect, Seaton makes you think that the person he’s talking to in the opening scene is Emily Phan, but it’s actually revealed to be someone else at the end of the episode.

Since Clark is no longer coaching, he signs up to help Lois and Chrissy with their Morgan Edge investigation. They discover in order for X-Kryptonite to work the person had to live in Smallville long enough to grow accustomed to the Kryptonite’s effects. When the process is completed, Lana helps Lois and Clark piece together what happens to each participant’s personality.

Before Clark can really dig in, he overhears a bank heist in Mexico and flies off to stop them. He’s able to take out most of the gunmen without too much effort. However, after exerting a little effort, he seems short of breath. The synthetic kryptonite used in the last episode is still having an effect. Later in the sequence, one of the robbers unleashes an automatic round of bullets at Superman. The bullets don’t penetrate his skin, but the force of the barrage briefly knocks him out. He’s able to regain consciousness and apprehend the criminals. Back at the Kent farm, Clark has welts all over his body from the bullets. Lois walks in and helps ice them down a bit.

Edge ticks off Lois by placing an ad in The Smallville Gazette. She makes a scene at Edge’s company during a meeting with the leadership committee. She tries to persuade the members not to accept Edge’s offer. Lois’s plea falls on deaf ears. Edge criticizes Lois’s approach. Lois’s tact here is just bad. I know she’s wound up, but she’s had similar outbursts before and they’ve also failed. Lois is too intelligent of a character to make this type of mistake again.

Later in the episode, Edge dispatches a few of his loyal subjects to the Kent Farm. They get the upper hand on Lois, Jonathan and General Lane. Jonathan and Lois are able to escape to the barn. They are able to get a signal out to Clark in the Fortress of Solitude. Superman flies in and tackles Kyles Cushing all the way across Kansas. Yes, Kyle was the mysterious subject at the beginning of the episode.

The final scene of the episode is a face-to-face between Superman and Edge. Superman rushes in to attack and Edge brushes him aside with ease. Edge calls Superman brother to end the episode on a cliffhanger. My problem is Edge’s mission has been the same since the series began. Since his mission hasn’t changed, then Edge has been Superman’s “brother” the entire time. If he wanted to confront Superman and persuade him to join the Kryptonians cause, he could have talked to Superman at any time. The Edge reveal seems like a massive change to a character that just wasn’t working rather than a designated plan.

Clark and Jordan are Feeling Blue

The synthetic Kryptonite weakens Clark and is contagious. While Jordan is helping Sarah prepare for the singing competition, he sneezes a giant snot ice ball into his hand. He rushes out of the auditorium and signals his dad. Clark recognizes that whatever the Kryptonite did to him is also affecting Jordan.

Back at the Kent farm Jordan’s lungs continue to freeze. General Lane stops by the farm to reveal that this wasn’t supposed to happen. He also says the synthetic Kryptonite hadn’t been tested. Recognizing the situation is getting dire by the minute, Clark flies Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude. In order to heal, the ice has to be burned out of him.

Once healed, Clark breaks down in tears. Clark feeling guilty about Jordan having abilities and problems that he didn’t ask for isn’t a new emotion. However, there’s a true feeling of remorse for the consequences that Jordan has to deal with is a great acting moment for Tyler Hoechlin. Clark apologizes for giving Jordan problems he didn’t ask for. Then for the first time in the series, Jordan doesn’t blame his father for what’s happening to him or anybody else for that matter. Jordan points out that Clark didn’t ask for these abilities and powers either. Just a great father-son scene with the right amount of warmth. These last two episodes have had some great character development for Jordan.

Lois’s Guilt and Family Loyalty

After Jonathan’s near-death experience in Holding the Wrench and Jordan’s illness in this episode, Lois is struggling to grasp how to protect her family and places the blame on herself. Jonathan points out that most of the problems were actions Jonathan took and none of them are Lois’s fault.

Lois doesn’t just blame herself. She takes out her justified anger on her father. Sam tries to explain hurting Clark and Jordan wasn’t supposed to happen. Lois points out that developing weapons to weaken Superman could have this effect.

Throughout her life, Sam has always put his job above being a father. Lois was able to rationalize by telling herself that once she had a family, her father would do the right thing for his family. Unfortunately, he decided to design weapons that could directly harm his family. His decision to once again put the needs of the country over his family causes Lois to cut ties with her father.

Later, Jonathan has a chat with his grandfather on the porch. Sam points out that ever since Jordan began developing powers, the gap between the twin has widened. Jonathan doesn’t disagree with that point, but does say ultimately those differences wouldn’t matter, he will always trust his family. Jonathan ends the conversation by calling his grandfather a coward and walking away. Jordan Elsass continues to do a great job as Jonathan Kent.

When two of Edge’s enhanced goons attack Lois and Jonathan, Sam redeems himself. He uses a synthetic kryptonite weapon to weaken the attackers long enough for Lois and Jonathan to escape outside. Sam’s attack doesn’t keep them down for long. They are able to knock out the general long enough to catch up to Lois and Jonathan.

Turns out, Jonathan took some of or all of John Henry Irons’s weapons. Jonathan uses one of the guns to blast the enhanced duo back. Kyle Cushing shows up and uses his heat vision to disarm Jonathan. Superman flies in just in the knick of time to make the save.

Back inside, Sam delivers one heck of an apology to Lois for not being a better father. Dylan Walsh was fantastic throughout this episode and this final father-daughter scene was a terrific cap on the episode.

To his credit, Kyle does come clean to Lana about going through with Edge’s process. I’m interested to see where the story goes from here.

Royal Subjekts Final Thoughts

Lois’s outburst and Edge’s identity reveal at the end of the Royal Subjekts are the only issues in an otherwise stellar episode of Superman and Lois.

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