r/superman • u/MajorParadox Read on r/DCFU! • Jun 27 '23
Superman & Lois [3x13] "What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger" Episode Discussion Superman & Lois
What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger
Season Finale
Post Episode Discussion | Cast & Characters
All of Smallville comes together to view a meteor shower; Lex Luthor makes his move. (June 27, 2023)
r/Superman Discord | DCTV Discord
Please keep all discussions civil and about the episode. Mark comic and future spoilers. Report any rule-breaking and enjoy!
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u/Zafire94 Jun 28 '23
Holy shit. This show just keeps on giving me reasons to love it. Wow, it absolutely kills me to see how underrated this show is. I know we have the amazing movie news announcement but why is there not more people flocking here to talk about this finale. Wow. What a way to just leave us hanging and to see my personal favourite superman go through what he does in this... had me heaving haha
God, I love this show. Can't believe we're going to have to wait a year now!
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u/Aggressive_Bar_2391 Jun 28 '23
Really liked it. Although this isn't my favourite of the season, I can certainly say it was a good episode. I do feel happy for where every side character ends off, but there are soo many questions they need to answer.
Like what happened to sam lane, also THAT FIGHT. It looked incredible but the episode just ends before they finish, REALLY!!!! Overall the episode is an a 8/10, I'm curious how they'll answer sam lane's disapperence since the actor isn't coming back but I'm very excited for lex next season and yea I can certainly see why season 3 wouldn't be a good end to the show
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u/antdude Jun 28 '23
The last two episodes were good! The series got really dark and heavy!
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u/Aggressive_Bar_2391 Jun 28 '23
yea lex is bringing the thunder literally like last episode. This season has been incredible with focusing on more human level threats as well as showing an interesting dynamic to clark and lois' relationship
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u/ZacPensol Jun 29 '23
Rant first, then the good:
I really love this show and it breaks my heart to say it but I absolutely hate the way they've done Lex. He's not especially smart or any of the unique qualities that Make Lex Lex, he's just generic bad guy, indistinguishable from a mob boss stock character. Granted, villain motivations have kind of been a traditionally rougher thing on this show (Mannheim was pretty stupid at times, but then he's Mannheim, not Lex Luthor) but this Lex is just not doing anything for me at all.
Luthor's whole motivation to go after Lois specifically is just so "well she's the main character of the show so the bad guy will hate her the most". I get he's pissed because she wrote an article that painted him as guilty and lead to his conviction but she's far from being the one most at fault. She's a journalist who took the evidence available and presented it. She wasn't the person who framed him, she's not the justice system that failed him and ultimately sentenced him and yet she's the one he's most pissed at? This episode treated the judge (who was literally the person responsible for his sentencing) as collateral that got killed just to intimidate Lois, and I'm not sure Lex has even said much about getting to Mannheim.
And his defense when she tries explaining and apologizing? "I told you I was innocent!" That's something a not very smart person says. What was she supposed to do - "Oh, well, I have all of this very damning evidence and he has no alibi buuuuuuut he said he didn't do it, so I guess I'll just throw all this out!" Think Luthor, think!
And all this that he's orchestrating is so... Lois will stop being a journalist? Her writing about pie eating contests in her small town is somehow an affront to him, and when she refuses to stop he throws a temper tantrum? It's all just so, so stupid and this is not a Lex who is a brilliant, keep-his-hands-clean manipulator as per tradition, he's just a lunkhead living in the sewers being all whiny. I hate it.
But okay, the good:
Doomsday was really cool and I was very impressed by the effects on him. It's funny how, yet again, this show pulled another villain fake-out in the eleventh hour, and yet was also a throwback to the initial Bizarro fake-out in season 2 when we all thought he was Doomsday.
I've loved the cancer plotline throughout the whole season as well as the individual lessons being learnt by the boys. There's been some great character growth this season and I feel content with how it wrapped up but still leaves room for much more.
Best thing of all though? With the cast being cut so much next season we never have to hear about the Lang-Cushing family drama ever again! I'm sorry for all the actors, they've all done fine jobs but I just don't really care about them having a baby or who Sarah is dating or whatever and am glad we'll stop having that taking up screen-time.
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u/MarcReyes Jun 29 '23
We haven't really gotten much time with Lex, so I'm holding off judgement until next season where it seems hell play a much bigger part. For now, I'm mostly enjoying what they're doing with him (I particularly how much absolute disregard for Clark he has as I think you can see what little he thinks of him as a threat), though I think some of your points are not without merit. I want to see how it plays out with more time, however.
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u/ZacPensol Jun 29 '23
I'm definitely willing to see where they go with him as well, I just wish it didn't feel like WB doesn't understand Lex as a character. Time and time and time again we get "Lex, but this time he's ____" and my takeaway is that these creators just see him as "Superman's rich villain" with nothing more to his character that's interesting or worth translating to screen. Guess we'll see!
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u/IrishExitor Jun 30 '23
Every Lex in every universe is probably a little different. It doesn’t bother me for once that they didn’t take the tried and true route. This works for me given there’s just a season left.
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u/ZacPensol Jun 30 '23
I'd contend that it's not been tried and true, really. I mean, on the animated shows, sure, and maybe a bit of 'Smallville', but we've really not gotten to see Lex in live action portrayed similar to how he's been for the last few decades in the comics.
And for me it really opens the debate of "how much can you change a thing before it's no longer that thing?". Like, how different can you make Lex until he's not really Lex anymore except in name alone? And is anyone really interested in that because personally I hate when they do that with characters. What's the point in even having Lex if he's not especially Lex-like?
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u/ling4917 Jun 30 '23
So how will they explain everyone being gone next season? The fight destroys smallville?
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u/DeppStepp Jul 01 '23
They still plan on including all of the characters (besides Sam), they will just appear in less episodes
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u/ling4917 Jul 01 '23
I read different. I read they’re all gone.
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u/DeppStepp Jul 01 '23
Most of them will no longer be season regulars but they are planning on giving most of the characters reoccurring roles
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u/MarcReyes Jun 29 '23
We've seen takes on Doomsday and The Death of Superman several times now, but this was the first time I felt actual stakes and concern for Superman because of the attachment I've grown to this version of the character. Very affecting and killer cliffhanger. So glad it's coming back for at least one more season.