#Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 13 Review: Fail Safe

Is Clark a liability?

Superman & Lois Season 1 Episode 13 found our leading man questioning whether he could become the dark individual that destroyed John’s planet.

If you watch Superman & Lois online, you know Clark flirted with darkness when Morgan set out to enact a deadly mission that involved his half-brother.

You would think getting rid of a weapon that could kill Clark would be music to his ears, but this is Clark we’re talking about.

He strives to be the best person of himself, and now that he knows John is not a villain, he’s clearly been pondering whether he could become evil again.

Granted, Morgan was to blame for this thought process, but it made sense. If Samuel is prepared to do everything to salvage his relationship with Lois, of course, the weapon will come up.

Clark asking John Henry to take control of the one thing that could kill him was a big development because it highlighted just far these two men have come.

At the beginning of Superman & Lois Season 1, John Henry was anti-Superman, but the two men have built up a rapport somewhere along the way.

John Henry obviously resents Clark in many ways, even if he wasn’t the person to destroy his planet. It makes sense for John to be doing some soul searching.

His purpose was to wipe Superman out, and now he has to find a way to continue his life without it being filled with hate.

I suspected that these two characters would come together since the beginning, but somehow, they’ve been bonded even more by Clark’s big ask.

Lois being mad about keeping the weapon around was warranted. Having to hear her father give the kill order to end her husband’s life profoundly affected her.

Clark: They’re shutting down the mines.

Jordan: Why?

Lois: Gonna get all the X-Kryptonite out so no one else gets hurt.

Jordan: So no one else gets powers, you mean.

Lois: Also true.

No, she does not want to lose him, and if she did, she knows she would have to be the person to tell the boys about what happened to their father.

While “Fail Safe” didn’t have the excitement of previous episodes, it did successfully move the storylines in several different directions.

Lois has always wanted to be a genuine person, but she had to recognize that trying to save her family would become a conflict of interest in her job at the Smallville Gazette.

Lois could have cut her losses and moved elsewhere, but she stayed true to her heart and got Chrissy the story she needed to give the town the details they’ve been missing about the X-Kryptonite.

Watching Chrissy wrestle with the possibility that her idol was not as much of a hero as she believed made for some exciting scenes.

With Morgan Edge back on the loose and harnessing the power of the Sun, it remains to be seen how this will jumpstart the next phase of his plan.

Morgan gave his brother multiple chances to join his cause, and unfortunately, he’s going to want to cause problems now. There’s no way out without a big fight, and after witnessing just how strong Tal Rho is now, it’s hard not to wonder about who might not make it out of the season alive.

With the Cushing family being deemed the pariahs of the town, something tells me Kyle is on his way out. What better way to get back in the good graces of the town than with a big death.

Lana thought the Mayor was fighting on her team, but it was about time she realized that everyone in Smallville is hiding behind a mask.

Her blowup at the Mayor was perfect because there were plenty of witnesses. It was a perfect way to show that she is not scared of him.

The Cushing family is currently in jeopardy because everyone wants them out of town because of the part they played in increasing Morgan’s influence on the town.

Kyle is slowly self-destructing without a job. People have mortgages and other commitments, and with the whole family out of work, it must be a huge worry.

I wasn’t as fond of the kids skipping school as I should have been. There was obviously an ulterior motive with Tegan. I even entertained the possibility she was going to be revealed as a villain.

Teenagers are curious, and they like to be in control of the narrative. With Jonathan having a blood relative in the DOD, it made sense to turn to him.

“Fail Safe” lacked the thrills of the previous episodes, but it did start the process of wrapping up Superman & Lois Season 1.

I respect the need to peel back the layers on the characters, but this is a superhero show at its core. You expect a certain level of action in every episode, and it failed to deliver.

We only have two episodes left, and there’s no telling how it will conclude, but hopefully, we get introduced to some new characters, breathtaking fight scenes, and cliffhangers that set up the second season.

What are your thoughts, Superman & Lois fans?

Are you tired of the slower pace?

Hit the comments below.

The series is on another hiatus and will return on August 10.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.