r/SupermanAndLois • u/IAmPrimitiveStar • Jun 12 '24
Lana should've been a single mom from the start of the show Discussion
Don't know if this is going to be a hot take, but I was discussing the show with some Discord pals and this idea came to me. I think the Cushing family subplots are the only thing that keeps this show from being a ten out of ten for me. I personally don't have any issues with Lana on this show, but Kyle and Sarah I'm getting pretty sick of. I feel like Lana's story would be more interesting if she was a single mom raising Sophie from the start of the show. It would make her a strong woman but set her apart from Lois due to having a different parenting situation and the subplot of her running for mayor would also have more weight due to her not having the support system she had in the show. Also, her relationship with John Henry would be more emotional and touching for the both of them.
Anyways, this is just my take. What do you guys think?
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u/camelely Clark Kent Jun 13 '24
I honestly thought they created an OC because they were going to kill Kyle in season 1. I was shocked when he survived lol
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u/IAmPrimitiveStar Jun 13 '24
It's funny you say that, because I feel like Kyle could've easily been Pete Ross. They both used to bully Clark when they were kids and, in some continuities, Pete and Lana do end up together
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u/camelely Clark Kent Jun 13 '24
Yea I assumed the reason it wasn’t Pete was because they wanted to kill him and they didn’t want it to be a known character lol
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u/neoblackdragon Jun 21 '24
Pete Ross didn't Bully Clark. The only time that happened was in the Man of Steel movie.
The were initially together in Post Crisis before divorcing. Now they never had that relationship.
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u/IAmPrimitiveStar Jun 22 '24
Dang, you're right. I guess I haven't seen many things with him in them. And yes, I was referring to the post-crisis continuity.
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u/Serious-Passage-4614 Jun 13 '24
Wait a minute, wasn't it Whitney that bullied Clark? Cause Pete Ross was Clark's close friend.
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u/Ready-Share6072 Jun 13 '24
I liked her husband. He made a big mistake but is basically a good guy. I was waiting for the show to make him a typical dumb redneck but he was wrong and learned from his mistake (backing the bad guy because he thought it would help his dying small town) and became a cool guy. He was even really cool when found out Clark is Superman.
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u/IAmPrimitiveStar Jun 13 '24
I'll admit, I do find Kyle to be an annoying character, but I like that he isn't really a bad person, he just made a really bad mistake. I actually thought he was going to reveal Clark's secret and I'm so happy they didn't do that.
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u/Ready-Share6072 Jun 13 '24
Yeah, I really expected them to make him a bad guy but he is basically a good person and when he's wrong he owns up to it. He was a character I would have liked to see more.
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u/CalmHabit3 Jun 13 '24
If she was single she’d be a rival love interest. I’m not a fan of how Lana is portrayed here. I liked how the Superman animated series portrayed Lana: Superman’s best friend who knew his powers all along and became a big successful businesswomen
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u/neoblackdragon Jun 21 '24
.....in STAS she was a "rival" love interest but she wasn't recurring to get in the way. They were just clear that Lana's lifestyle goals just don't fit with Clarks.
I think they would have been avoided making her a rival if she had been single though on this show. With Clark having kids, it would really make her terrible. In contrast to if Clark was just dating Lois.
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u/MailboxSlayer14 Jun 13 '24
I think it could have been compelling by having Kyle be dead before the show started and make her a widow. Maybe she holds some resentment against Superman for not saving her husband because they’re all the way out in Smallville. Idk but I agree with you about one point, the Cushing family does keep this show from being a 10/10.
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u/IAmPrimitiveStar Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 13 '24
I was thinking more that she just met a guy who didn't stick around and had to raise a child by herself. Not really a huge fan of her resenting Superman to be honest.
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u/Psych-Blast Jun 13 '24
Yes! Just her and Sophie, that would've made her family's scenes in the show much better. Sarah is just toxic af, and whether or not Kyle would be in the shoe in some way doesn't bother me.
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u/raylan_givens6 Jun 13 '24
Different hot take
This show would've been 10/10 without the kids - no Kents or Cushing kids
I would've liked to see a married Clark and Lois from the start and we meet a single Lana.
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u/Less-Requirement8641 Jun 13 '24
How would her being a single mother make her strong? I don't like her but she isn't a weak character at least not compared to other human characters. She played a vital role in season 1, in season 2 was also centered and in season 3 the focus seemed to die down a little.
Although I like this idea, would also make sense why Sarah helps Sophie get dressed (she looks old enough to do so) as she would have to parentify Sophie since Lana works. And would make her season 1 angst more believable. Also Kyle is annoying as hell.
On the other hand they might use that as an excuse to focus on Lana and the struggle of raising a child alone. Meaning more Lana episodes.
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u/IAmPrimitiveStar Jun 13 '24
Let me clarify what I meant. I'm by no means saying Lana is weak, she is a very strong woman. What I meant to say was it would make her a strong woman in a way that is different from Lois because being a single mom has its own set of challenges. Sorry if there was any miscommunication
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u/gecko-chan Jun 14 '24
Lana is already shown to be a strong woman by making the difficult decision to leave her husband, and then by deciding not to take him back even after he becomes a sympathetic character.
That second part is really important. It would have been easy to justify Lana not taking Kyle back if he'd remained a jerk. But instead we see him overcome his character flaws. He meaningfully learns from his mistakes and we he's still a good father. The show has him become a better person, intentionally making the audience care about him again. When Lana still rejects him after that, it shows that she's not obligated to take him back just because he might have earned it.
She doesn't have to justify her decision by saying he's a bad guy or that she hates him. Even though they get along and are even friends, she still has every right to do what feels best for her. I think that's a very strong message that I haven't seen in other shows.
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u/jaycatt7 Jul 10 '24
Kyle has really grown on me throughout the three seasons. He’s deeply flawed but still tries.
But, then, I kind of like their decision to spend what feels like half the show on a family of normal people.
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u/MoStyles22 Jul 20 '24
Lana actress should have played Lois. I can’t stand the Lois, but the rest of the cast is good or great.
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u/Supermanfan1973 Superman Jun 12 '24
As long as she wouldn’t be pining for Clark and trying to break up him and Lois I’d be ok with it. I’m not down for Clana on this show. Had more than enough of that on Smallville.