*****SUPER-SPOILERS AHEAD!*****

In February of 2021, I wrote my observations on “Superman & Lois” as the show was in its freshman year, and while I haven’t chronicled it since, I’ve enjoyed it, nevertheless.  It’s one of the few series I still watch on Ye Olde TV set, via my DVR cache, and sometimes I forget to catch up with it, as streaming and physical media more or less dominate my personal pop culture landscape these days.  “Superman & Lois” presented a more rural take on the Man of Steel, as Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) and Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) settle down with their twin teenagers Jonathan (Michael Bishop) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin) in Smallville. Whereas the CW’s “Supergirl” was conceived as “Working Girl” with superpowers, “Superman & Lois” is more like “Field of Dreams.”

Now “Superman & Lois” is deep in its fourth and final season, and there have been some intriguing stories told in this solid TV series; we’ve seen a Trump-style tycoon try to take over Smallville, a crystal-based drug mined from local caves that gave people superpowers, a monstrous “Bizarro”-like doppelgänger from an alternate universe, Lois’ poignant battle with breast cancer, and twin sons Jordan and Jonathan dealing with their own emergent superpowers. This year, we’ve also seen a recast Lex Luthor (Michael Cudliz of “The Walking Dead”) in a “Cape Fear”-inspired arc where Lex comes to Smallville to seek revenge against Lois (and her family) after being imprisoned 17 years for a murder he didn’t commit (which doesn’t excuse his many other crimes, of course…).

Note: Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor looks more like someone who might’ve stormed the US Capitol on January 6th instead of the slick, billionaire super-genius of Jon Cryer’s version. Though, admittedly, Cudlitz’s Luthor works better for this less-urbane take on the Superman mythos than it might’ve in “Supergirl.” 

The Kent family, in this fourth and final season, have endured the loss of Clark at the hands of “Doomsday”; the monstrous Superman-mutant resurrected by Lex, who also kills Lois’ father, retired DOD general Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh). Clark was resurrected a few episodes later, using his late father-in-law’s heart and Kryptonian medical technology. While the operation was successful, Clark’s new human heart and reduced powers left him feeling a newfound sense of mortality.

This newfound vulnerability makes Clark take stock of his life, as Lois did during her struggle with cancer. Then came last week’s episode, “A Regular Guy,” which sees Clark finally reevaluating the morality of his long-held double life.

“A Regular Guy”

Written by Katie Aldrin & George Kinston and directed by Gregory Smith, the story opens with the resurrected Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) feeling mortality for the first time, as his now-human heart forcing him to take things easier.  Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) even notices a touch of gray in his hair.  Their twin sons are also testing the limits of their own superpowers, as well. Worse, more of Smallville’s townspeople are beginning to suspect that Kent family are not what they seem after witnessing Superman’s death as well as the super-powered Kent boys in action.

A Kent family meeting is held, as Clark scolds son Jonathan (Michael Bishop) for the reckless overuse of his newfound powers. This is a lesson Jonathan’s guilt-ridden twin Jordan (Alexander Garfin) learned earlier, after arrogantly falling for Lex Luthor’s trap; leading to the loss of his dad’s Kryptonian heart. Clark also insists that Jonathan stop seeing girlfriend Candace (Samantha De Francesco), for fear that others might learn their secret. Clark later orders the boys to help him do some rumor control around town; beginning with Jonathan’s resentful ex-football teammate, Timmy Ryan (Zane Clifford).

Note: Jonathan Kent is now being played by Michael Bishop in this 4th and final season, after actor Jordan Elsass left the series after season 3. Jordan Elsass’s own Instagram account suggested it might’ve been done for the actor’s mental health. Whatever the reasons, I wish him well.

The next day, the Kent boys come across Lois, as she builds a crib as a baby shower gift for her friend/coworker Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik), who’s engaged to Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdez); the ex-husband of Smallville’s mayor Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui). As Lois struggles to assemble the crib, she tries to help her boys understand the depth of their father’s conviction regarding his double-life; a facade Clark has been forced to maintain since he was adopted by the Kents after arriving on Earth at age four. The double-life is the only existence their dad has ever known, despite the toll it’s taken on past friendships.

Note: Recently on the show, Clark has come clean about his double-identity with former flame Lana Lang, as well as her now ex-husband Kyle. This year, Clark’s also confided in Lois’ friend Chrissy. Jordan also confided his own super-secret to now ex-girlfriend Sarah (Inde Navarrette), Lana and Kyle’s daughter; Jordan also confirmed twin Jonathan’s powers to his girlfriend, Candace. You could say the Kent family ‘secret’ has been slowly unraveling on the show for awhile now. 

The next day, Clark and the boys try to dispell the town’s suspicions. Clark meets with the school football coach, Mr. Gaines (Danny Wattley) in front of Vicky May’s diner, after hearing the coach is trying to recruit his boys for the Smallville football team again. Clark insists the coach not ask them again; reminding Coach Gaines that Jonathan got hooked on drugs when he played last season.  To further the illusion he’s not Superman, Clark even feigns injury by “accidentally” slamming his hand in a car door.

Things go from bad to worse when Clark and the boys visit Linda Ryan (Patricia Cullen), the mother of Timmy Ryan. Clark assures her he is not Superman, and that his boys don’t have superpowers.  Making matters worse, Linda then assumes her son is taking drugs again, which lands him in trouble.  This false accusation leaves the Kents feeling rightly responsible for causing the Ryans’ domestic turmoil…

Note: This scene of Mrs. Ryan falsely accusing her son of taking drugs again is a powerful reminder of the harm from Clark’s repeated gaslighting. This is the first episode of the series I can remember to examine the true moral price of Clark’s lies.

Intercut throughout the episode are flashbacks to Lois and Clark’s earlier days working together at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, shortly after he’d revealed his secret to her.  Lois covers for Clark whenever he disappears on a moment’s notice for a ‘save.’ These flashbacks also see Clark’s office pal Jimmy Olsen (Douglas Smith) attempting to recruit Clark for the Daily Planet softball team.  Despite repeatedly declining, Lois urges Clark to join the team, suggesting he could play poorly to maintain his cover. Clark reluctantly agrees, becoming the team’s ‘bunt king,’ but repeated saves around the world force him to miss games, or show up late. A curious and tenacious Jimmy begins putting two-and-two together, as he notices Clark’s absences always coincide with Superman’s spectacular rescues…

Note: I wonder if others around the Daily Planet offices might’ve also been keeping score? Jimmy’s deduction reminded me of the scene in “Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut” (2006) where Lois (Margot Kidder) simply scribbles a hat and coat over a front page photo of Superman (Christopher Reeve) and makes the connection herself. 

To allay Jimmy’s suspicions about his curious timing, Clark deliberately misses a softball championship game without rushing off for a super-save. At the Daily Planet, Jimmy and the team celebrate winning the game without Clark, and Jimmy speaks with Clark alone for a moment. Jimmy now accepts that Clark isn’t Superman, but he also believes Clark simply blew off the games in order to avoid hanging out with him; a realization more hurtful to him than Clark’s repeated excuses. Clark deeply regrets that his friendship with Jimmy has become the latest casualty of his dual identity.

Note: I assume his high school relationship with Lana Lang was probably the first.

There are also a couple of scenes taking place in the local convenience store, Brit & Dunn’s Quik-Mart, where young clerk Denise (Kelcey Mawema) rings up Clark’s order of hair dye to cover that embarrassing patch of gray. The hair dye conflicts with Denise’s own suspicions about Clark’s identity, as we later see a flashback where she and “Mr. Kent” both watched a live newscast on the store’s TV of a crippled jet in danger of crashing. In that instance, Clark feigned forgetting his wallet in the car, as he rushed off at super-speed to save the jet. After he returned to the store in a matter of seconds, Denise became instantly skeptical of his curiously timed absence. Now Denise begins to doubt herself, after ringing up Clark’s hair dye.

Note: I’d imagine it’s still possible for a humanoid alien with hair follicles to eventually go gray, but whatever. As an older man with considerable gray in my own hair, I got a kick of Clark/Superman experiencing the all-too-human condition of vanity. I also wondered how many people Clark has been forced to let die in horrible emergency scenarios simply because he couldn’t get away conveniently enough to risk saving them without blowing his cover. We see in the flashbacks of this episode that Clark’s willing to put friendships and other personal obligations on the line for anonymous strangers, but I wonder if the reverse has ever been true as well. Has Clark ever been forced to let a plane crash because one of his sons skinned a knee?

The episode reaches a head as Lois and Clark meet their friends Chrissy and Kyle at Vicky May’s diner for a rare get-together. Knowing the struggling couple can’t afford their $300,000 dream house, the Kents offer to buy Chrissy’s share in the Smallville Gazette; the local paper where she works as editor, and where Lois is her award-winning ‘celebrity’ reporter.  This would give Kyle and Chrissy the money they need for a down payment, and it’d allow Chrissy to buy back her share whenever she’s able.  Kyle and Clark also reflect on how their relationship went from former high school rivals to good friends. Chrissy jokingly worries if she’s marrying the former school bully…

Note: You’re not too far off, Chrissy. No reflection on actor Erik Valdez (at all), but I can’t stand the character of Kyle Cushing. I still remember when Kyle was prepared to sell out Smallville for a con man’s promises in the show’s first season. And we’ve seen Kyle’s (very) dark half emerge when he drinks, and it’s not a pretty sight. I also have issues with his cheating on Lana and his two daughters (you don’t just cheat on your spouse; you cheat on your whole family). Kyle’s a dirt sandwich, and I think Clark’s first impressions of him in school were spot on. Chrissy? You can do better.

Over this joyous occasion, trouble enters through the front door in the form of Emmitt Pergande (Adrian Glynn McMoran); the no-good father of Jonathan’s girlfriend Candace. Hearing him before he enters, Clark braces himself for trouble, as Emmitt is another of the townsfolk who believes there’s more to Clark than meets the eye.  However, unlike the others, Emmitt is jealous and angry of the “man of steel,” and he levels a gun at Clark, causing other diners to panic. Refusing Clark’s repeated calls for calm amid the terrified spectators, Emmitt fires his gun…

… and what follows is experienced in bullet-time from Clark’s perspective. What would be instantaneous for us is over a minute or more in Superman-time.  The bullet exits the chamber as everyone freezes in place, like statues. Clark has made up his mind.  He takes his glasses off and places them carefully on the nearest table.  He then faces the bullet unwaveringly. As it nears his chest, he opens his shirt, revealing his Superman suit, as the “S” takes the bullet and smashes it, and it falls harmlessly to the floor.  As the scene reverts back to human-time, Clark is in the Superman suit; having transformed instantly but unquestionably in front of everyone at the diner—including some patrons who were already suspecting what’s now been confirmed before their eyes.  Mild-mannered Clark Kent, the local guy some of them grew up with, is Superman.  When the shock settles, Kyle helps to take Emmitt into custody.  Clark has made his decision for himself and for his family. No more pretense.  Superman and his family will live openly.

The next day, Lois has arranged for Clark to do a live interview inside their home for Jimmy Olsen’s reporter sister Janet, who worked with Clark at the Daily Planet. With no grandiosity, and still wearing his glasses, a self-conscious Clark simply says he’s Superman, and that he’s “just a regular guy,” before being corrected by Janet, and conceding to her point. A bit of humor is mined in the moment when Janet asks how he fooled her and everyone else for so long, and he quips, “You’d be surprised at what a pair of glasses can do.” As the interview airs, we see reactions from across the town, including observant clerk Denise, and a contrite Linda Ryan forgiving her son Timmy.

Note: With equal parts humility and natural simplicity, the interview segment is one of the best bits of writing I’ve yet to see in this series. Kudos to writers Katie Aldrin and George Kinston. It’s also one of actor Tyler Hoechlin’s greatest moments as the character. With this bold episode, Hoechlin takes the character into new territory for the 86-year old superhero franchise; at least in live-action.  

The coda sees Clark waking up and preparing to leave the house, instinctively reaching for his glasses, before realizing he doesn’t need them anymore.  He walks out into town a new man, at least as far as he’s concerned.  However, walking into Vicky May’s diner that day, he’s surprised to hear Denise casually say, “Hey, Mr. Kent.” This is who he will always be to these people; good old Clark Kent.  Local guy, husband, dad, farmer.  That’s all.  At the diner, Clark/Superman also gets a visit from his wronged friend Jimmy Olsen, and the two embrace.  Now that Jimmy knows the truth, their friendship can heal and resume.  They chat about old times, and Jimmy jokes that Clark’s self-given title of “the bunt king” during their softball games was “genius.”  The episode ends with the two men rekindling a friendship that should’ve never ended.

Note: I’m not crying, you’re crying…

The End.

Summing It Up

While there are still three episodes of “Superman & Lois” left to go, “A Regular Guy” would have, in my opinion, been a nice-enough place to end this enjoyable series; allowing the audience to only imagine what effects Clark’s decision to out himself to the world will have on the Kent family’s life in Smallville.  On the other hand, given how smartly this episode was done, I’m also looking forward to seeing how the writers wrap it all up.

Up until this episode, Clark was perfectly willing to maintain the facade of his double-life, even after seeing the toll it’s already taken on his boys and their social development.  It takes Lois to explain it to the boys—and the audience—that Clark’s double-life has been part of his existence since he was four years old. While Lois wished her husband could be free, she also respected his choice to live the only way he’s ever known. Despite battling aliens, Doomsday, and countless other super-adversaries in his lifetime, Lois tells Clark that being his true self is the bravest thing he’s ever done.

Clark also begins to notice the toxic effects the family’s double-life is having on his boys as well. He gaslights the mother of Jonathan’s classmate, which gets the boy into trouble, and suggests that Jonathan give up girlfriend Candace just to keep the family secret; which is something even Clark couldn’t do when it came to Lois. Ditching the double-life marks the point where longtime husband and parent Clark truly commits to shedding the last, selfish vestiges of his bachelor existence in Metropolis to finally become one with the Smallville community. This episode is as much about trust as it is about liberation.

“A Regular Guy” also marks the beginning of Clark Kent/Superman’s life as a united being, instead of a walking-talking contradiction; a ‘truthful’ hero who lies to everyone every day. The scene of Clark mending fences with his snubbed, gaslit Metropolis pal Jimmy Olsen (Douglas Smith, who gives a terrific performance) damn near brought a tear to my eye. And this was from a show I’d considered myself merely a casual fan of. Now that Superman’s outing to the world has been successfully done in live-action, I only wish every incarnation of Superman going forward would finally eliminate the character’s double-life trope.

While “Superman & Lois” has always been an enjoyable, likable series, it’s now told one of the boldest live-action Superman stories I’ve yet seen.  Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman are one person. The glasses have come off for good. Tyler Hoechlin has also left his own indelible stamp on this 86-year old definitive superhero franchise with this surprisingly profound and moving episode. 

For fans of the Superman universe, “A Regular Guy” is simply not to be missed. 

Where to Watch

As of this writing, the final three episodes of “Superman & Lois” will be streaming on the CW.  Other episodes of this season are available to stream on the CW’s free streaming platform, while the previous three seasons are also available to stream (with subscriptions) on Hulu and Max.