I took a mental health day on Tuesday, something sorely needed. It flew by a little too fast, but it ended in the right way. I flipped the TV onto Young Rock! Then I remembered that Superman & Lois was premiering and quickly flipped it away from Young Rock. (Young Rock is on Hulu anyway.) And you know what? I'm glad I did.
At this point, we've seen a whole lot of Arrowverse shows. It's hard to imagine a lot of new angles that these shows can take, especially with someone as... settled in their role as Superman. They also have to work to differentiate it from Supergirl, which is already on Season 5. Imagine my surprise when I got a really fun superhero show that's more about a family dynamic than anything else.
I won't lie, I was really curious about this idea of Lois and Clark having twins. I haven't read the comics in years, but I remember one of the coolest ideas that DC came up with in the last decade was Lois and Clark settling down to have a kid named Jonathan. Taking that idea and turning it into "Lois and Clark have twins" wasn't a direction I was expecting or a direction I was expecting to see work, but in their own unique "The CW" way, it's working. Tyler Hoechlin might be the best Superman I've seen in years. I already like him for the role better than Henry Cavill and better than Dean Cain, the last TV Superman. Elizabeth Tulloch is nailing the hardheaded determination of Lois Lane. And the surprise is the twins, who are bringing enough of the Riverdale-style teen drama dynamic to the show to make it interesting.
My biggest takeaway from the episode is that it honestly felt like a TV movie and how they manage to keep this going for a full season remains to be seen. I'm looking forward to seeing it all play out. The world has needed a good Superman TV show, especially with Supergirl about to wrap up. Good on DC for making it all work.
I'll end this by pointing out that I hate that one of the pilot's most emotional moments was ruined for me when I couldn't stop hearing "Save Martha!" in my head. Batman vs. Superman was a truly wretched piece of work. The gift that keeps on giving, it is.
