WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 11, "A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events," which aired Tuesday on The CW.
In last week's episode of Superman & Lois, Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) activated his Kryptonian army, with the intent to take over the world. However, Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) used all of his powers to burn out the Eradicator, which severed the connection between the Kryptonian device and Edge's army. As a result, the humans the villain had taken over were free from their alien invaders and Superman was left powerless and vulnerable. To recuperate, he flew to his Fortress of Solitude, where he secured the Eradicator just before collapsing. Now, as the superhero begins to recuperate, Superman & Lois takes a break to flashback to Clark Kent's formative years.
"A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic" opens with a teenage Clark Kent walking in the snow, following the signal from his Kryptonian crystal. When the signal stops, he drops the crystal, and shortly after it hits the ground, it creates Superman's iconic base of operations, the Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Jor-El's hologram appears, and he tells the young Clark exactly who he is, where he came from and what he can really do. Jor-El promises he will teach his son Kal-El to use his special abilities, and his training begins shortly after. Surrounded by nothing but snow and ice, Kal practices his super speed and his power of flight. After a considerable amount of time, he's now all grown up, and Jor-El tells him that it's time for him to find his place in the world and become the savior he was always meant to be.
Clark returns home to Smallville, where he reunites with his mother, Martha, telling her all about what he's learned about himself. Before he heads off to Metropolis to look for a job, though, Martha gives him a suit she made for him, noting that all it's missing is something on the chest. Once he's in Metropolis, Clark's search for a job is quickly interrupted by an out-of-control car. Running in an alley, he rips his shirt open to bring to life an iconic Superman moment, before taking to the skies to stop the car. The green vehicle crashes over a ramp, and Superman catches it just before it hits a child. He lets the car down carefully and walks up to the child -- a scene that fans will recognize from the series' pilot.
Superman then speeds into a phonebooth to change back into Clark Kent and heads off to the Daily Planet, where he basically begs Perry White for a job until the editor-in-chief of the newspaper hires him. Clark is brought into the bullpen, and he meets the staff, including Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), and sparks quickly fly between the two reporters.
While the entire Daily Planet staff is fascinated with Superman, Lois is more concerned with a cruel string of attacks and hate crimes on minorities in Metropolis. Clark quickly starts working with Lois to get to the bottom of it, and as the two work the case, they grow increasingly closer. One day, Lois follows her lead before Clark even gets to work and solves the case. She then goes to face the person responsible: Henry Miller, who fans might know as the comic book villain Atom Man.
In the street, Lois confronts the mask-wearing Miller, and he responds by attacking her. Luckily, Superman swoops in just time to save Lois. Miller then throws two grenades, aiming for the people in the streets, but Superman stops both of them. Thanks to an assist from Lois herself, Miller is taken out, and the people are safe. Metropolis' hero and Lois finally meet face-to-face, and this is the moment Lois coins the name "Superman."
Superman agrees to a one-on-one interview with Lois on a talk show. He answers most of her questions, but the real surprise comes in between takes when Lois reveals to her friend that she is in love with her co-worker, Clark Kent. Superman, of course, overhears because of his super-hearing, and it lets him know that his feelings are reciprocated. After a time-jump, Lois and Clark are now a happy couple, and he takes her home to Smallville to meet his mother -- and to tell her who he really is.
More scenes from the pilot are repeated, including Clark's identity reveal and the couple's wedding. Now that he's married, Clark visits Jor-El at the Fortress, but something strange happens: Jor-El yells at Clark, telling him to leave before time appears to jump. A confused Clark meets with Lois, who tells him that she's pregnant. After the two learn that they will have twins, Clark realizes something is wrong, and it's at this moment that Morgan Edge reveals himself.
Superman wakes up in his Fortress of Solitude, shortly after the events with Edge, his army and the Eradicator. The supervillain is there with him, and it turns out Kryptonian technology has allowed Edge to learn all about Superman, his past and his family. Now, Edge knows about Lois, Jordan and Jonathan, and he threatens their lives. Edge asks Kal-El to join him so that they may rule as brothers, but Superman, of course, turns him down, and a fight ensues. They smash through the walls of the Fortress, but Superman is still weak from his ordeal with the Eradicator, which allows Edge to get the upper hand and beats him unconscious.
Edge then leaves to visit Lois, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin) at the Kent farm. Jordan uses his heat-vision on his uncle, but Edge quickly blasts him back. Intending to make Kal-El suffer, he gets ready to kill his entire family, but the villain is interrupted by Superman, who flies down just in time to protect his wife and sons. Clearly still weak, Superman tells Edge that he will do what he asks if the villain spares his family. Edge asks for his undying loyalty, and Clark, regrettably, submits to his brother.
Edge leads Kal-El to the desert, where his own fortress is located. A brief flashback sequence then shows a teenage Edge as he travels in the desert with his own crystal. In a scene that mirrors the episode's opening with a young Clark, Edge creates his Kryptonian base and comes face-to-face with a hologram of his cruel, authoritarian father. The hologram begins the young Kryptonian's training by unleashing a powerful, torturous beam down on him.
Back in the present, Edge introduces Kal-El to his father, before subjecting him to the same ray of energy. The beam is just as torturous to Clark, and it appears to fundamentally change him. When it stops, it has seemingly turned him evil, and he's ready to follow Edge. At the same time, back at the Kent Farm, Lois calls John Henry Irons, informing him that Superman has turned evil. It appears that, just before he left, Clark discreetly told Lois to call Irons for help. Now that Superman has gone dark, Irons may be the only one who can stop him.
Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Dylan Walsh, Alex Garfin, Jordan Elsass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Inde Navarrette and Wolé Parks. The series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.
