Another- I ALWAYS hate Kryptonite gas as a plot device. Superman is a guy who can hold his breath for a freakishly long time. Why would he ever even breathe it in????
...
In fact that whole scene seemed to be one giant BvS homage, which...
In the future, Show, don't homage some of the worst live-action Superman content ever, please.
First, I respectfully disagree with your last comment.
Second...
Kryptonite, especially when it’s in its usual rock/ore formation, is a short-range weapon. And the same is true for certain other manifestations — like edged weapons or gas. Consequently, the villain has to lure and ambush an unaware Superman. But, needless to say, this has gotten to be a familiar (if not tired) trope. You’d think that an experienced Supes would know about the (apparent) ubiquity of kryptonite and, therefore, anticipate the possibility (or even likelihood) of the classic ambush.
At this point, however, I’m almost inclined to treat the ambush scenario as an accepted convention of the Superman mythos. So just as we “wink” about eyeglasses being a good disguise, perhaps we should (likewise) ignore Supes’ tendency to repeatedly fall for the same trap…?
All that said, the kryptonite ambush is far more plausible in the case of a new iteration or reboot. In
BvS (for example — since
you brought it up
), kryptonite had its own origin story. Indeed, it did not exist until Luthor excavated the raw materials from the remnants of the Black Zero ship and then refined it into a purer form. Subsequently, Batman developed the gaseous and spear tip variations. Thus, it’s hard to blame Superman for failing to anticipate a weakness he didn’t even know he had.
With
S&L, on the other hand, we’re dealing with a Superman whose career spans decades. So it’s less excusable that he didn’t “hold his breath” to thwart the kryptonite gas attack — especially since General Lane
explicitly warned him that such a weapon was stored in the very place that the villains had infiltrated.
And finally, the DoD just agreed to let Irons go after the havoc he wreaked in earlier episodes??? I would've LOVED to see that conversation, but we didn't, because it would've been an awfully hard sell. That whole quick turn around with Irons I just didn't really buy. I even feel like Lois talking him down was also too easy.
Yeah. An additional, explanatory scene was needed to rationalize the sudden shift in attitude towards Irons. (Perhaps one was written/shot but then deleted for time…?) Methinks this is the sort of narrative omission that we often just accept in the other CW/DC shows. But since
S&L has raised the bar in so many respects, the flaw here is more conspicuous.
Still, overall, I quite liked the episode. And I didn't notice that it was tonally different or "off" compared to the previous one. Thumbs up from me.
