Superman & Lois Recap: [Spoiler] Goes Dark Ahead of First Season Finale

Tuesday’s penultimate episode of Superman & Lois‘ first season may have started out like the calm before the storm — but things didn’t stay calm for long.

The ominous hour picked up three weeks after Tal-Roh assumed his position as the new eradicator, and things are not going well. For anyone. Chrissy is facing the very real possibility of having to sell the Smallville Gazette, Kyle received an offer to head up a fire station in a town two hours away, and the locals are growing increasingly restless over the continued presence of the D.O.D. in their town.

And things went from bad to worse when Tal-Rho decided he was ready to launch his formal assault on Earth, with Leslie Larr explaining that it’s “poetic” for Kal-El’s beloved Metropolis to be the first city to fall. She also clarified that “there is no Tal-Rho anymore,” further illustrating the personal sacrifice he made when he agreed to become the eradicator.

One particularly harrowing moment found Lois taking the reins on a live TV broadcast of the chaos, with Leslie preparing to blast her from behind. It was a direct mirror of Lois’ murder on John Henry’s Earth, so it’s only fitting that he was the one who prevented Leslie from burning her to a crisp this time around. Justice, at last! (Spoiler alert: Stacey Farber tells TVLine that Lois and Leslie have a “long-overdue” confrontation in next week’s finale. Buckle up!)

The episode ended with Tal-Rho crashing into Sam’s truck and snatching Jordan from the backseat. Superman arrived on the scene just in time for a panicked Jonathan to fill him in, but neither of them know just how bad the situation is yet. The final shot found a red-eyed “Jordan” telling Tal-Rho, “Well done, my son. Let’s begin.”

Also worth discussing…

* Jonathan agreed to give Tegan Wickham a second chance after their disastrous first date — if you can even call it that. And while I’m very happy for these two teenagers, I think we need to focus on Tegan’s reveal that she and her mom moved to Smallville from Central City after her father went to prison. A cursory Google search alerted me to the existence of a young ne’er do well named named Seth Wickham who was sent to Arkham Asylum after abusing his mother. Could Superman & Lois be pulling from his Bat, er, backstory for inspiration?

* Sam held himself together long enough to help Jonathan (unsuccessfully) fire a Kryptonite bullet at Tal-Rho, but does anyone else suspect that the injuries he sustained from his car accident are worse than he’s making them out to be?

* Sure, Tal-Rho, Leslie Larr and Zeta-Rho are all bad people, but none of them hold a candle to Sophie Cushing, the show’s true villain. Can she just let Jordan and Sarah make out in peace?

OK, let’s hear your thoughts on Superman & Lois‘ long-awaited return: Any theories about Tegan’s father? And what are your hopes for next week’s finale? Whatever’s on your mind, drop it in a comment below.