It’s been quite an emotional season of Superman & Lois, but “Complications” served up all the feels as it closed the chapter on Peia and Bruno Mannheim’s storyline while subsequently arriving at the end of Lois’ cancer journey. 

There were plenty of tears and heartfelt moments, and though things seemed bleak for a moment, everything turned out the way it was supposed to. 

I’ve said this since the beginning of the season, Lois’ cancer storyline has been the biggest surprise of the season as it’s proven that the show—and these characters—can withstand the test of time even without all the superpowers. There was nothing super about the diagnosis, the chemo, the effect it had on both Lois and the family, her coming to terms with being sick and then having to get a double mastectomy, and finally, going through the surgery on a day when everything was up in the air and unstable. And yet, Lois was the real superhero throughout all of it. 

Her journey was raw and candid and shined a light on what so many cancer patients and survivors go through on a daily basis. And they found a way to tie it in with the overall big bad of the season, which was just a huge plus. Lois’ experience never felt disconnected from the main event. 

Peia’s cancer journey was slightly different than Lois’, but essentially, she and her family were after the same thing—getting a cure. In her case, it ended up becoming nuclear and impacting all of Hob’s Bay and possibly Metropolis. 

Bruno’s decision to give her multiple doses of the cure stemmed from a loving place, but unfortunately, he was running on borrowed time so he never got around to testing what the cure would do to a human, let alone a human with powers already in place and someone that had so much radiation already coursing through their veins. 

He may have bought a little more time for Peia at the onset, but her suffering became much greater. By the end, there was nothing he could do to help her, nor could he and his son even get close enough to her to say goodbye without getting injured. 

So Superman stepped up to the plate to let her know that it was okay to let go and make sure that she wasn’t alone in her final moments. He did it for the city, and his wife, whose operation was put in jeopardy due to all the tremors, but he also did it for Peia because he understood the pain that she and her family were going through, and he understood their desire to save her at any cost. 

When push comes to shove, villains and enemies quickly become allies. Bruno prayed that Superman could help his wife, and despite his disdain for the Intergang leader, Superman went above and beyond to help her find peace, even delivering the body after her death. 

Bruno seemingly realized the error of his way, striking up a deal with the DOD to get his son Matteo’s freedom back in exchange for information. Peia made it clear that her priority has always been to give Matteo a normal life, so Bruno’s decision honors her wishes. It’s also the noble thing to do; Matteo didn’t have any skin in the game, he was only involved because of his love for his mother. Bruno was the mastermind that needed to pay for his crimes. 

In a touching moment, Bruno turned Matteo’s care over to his sworn enemy, Henry John Irons, who gave him his word that he would protect the boy at all costs. And as we all know, Mr. Irons keeps his promises and is an incredible caregiver. Plus, he knows how much Matteo means to Natalie. She was a complete mess upon realizing that she might never get to see the boy she loves again—but where there’s a will there’s a way, and it seems like Matteo will likely be joining them on the farm in Smallville. 

You would think that this action would have culminated in the season finale, but the series has much more up its sleeve. While there will be a bit of a hiatus leading up to the next episode, which arrives on June 20, it will also bring Lex Luthor into the fold. We knew this day was coming considering how much he’s been talked about in relation to Bruno, but seeing “the devil” pop up on the screen in a teaser trailer made it much more real. 

We’ve seen plenty of iterations of this famed villain, but Michael Cudlitz’s version may be the most surprising because he has a full set of hair and even facial hair! Where is the bald Lex Luthor we’ve come to know? It seems promising, especially since they’ve pretty much saved the best for last. Superman & Lois hasn’t been renewed just yet, and his arrival coincides with the penultimate episode, so either it will be a short-lived arc, or the forces behind the series are hoping that the storyline will continue into the next season.

In addition to Lois’ mastectomy, the series balanced out the super storylines with a deeper dive into Sarah’s downward spiral, which alerted both of her parents, who were concerned that she would once again go into a depressive state and try to harm herself. What I love so much about the scene between Kyle, Lana and Sarah talking at the diner is that they are a family that values communication; they don’t shy away from it, they talk through the important things and underscore when something is getting a little too concerning. Unlike most teens who would brush their parents off, Sarah acknowledged that she was also getting worried about herself, which allows them to have an honest chat about “the sadness” creeping in and the feelings of hitting rock bottom.

It was refreshing to see this as a priority scene, especially when other things are happening that could be considered bigger and more important in the grand scheme of things. It’s a necessary reminder to talk to your loved ones about what’s going on and let them in. Kyle and Lana were undoubtedly very mad at their daughter for the DUI, but that didn’t mean they were going to turn their back on her. They were there to support her and help her work through it. We all make mistakes, but it’s how we pick ourselves up that truly matters. 

And for Sarah, step one was channeling all of her energy into something that gave her purpose—a job at the diner. It’s not ideal, but it’s reality. 

Sarah has been going through a lot, but part of that was the guilt she felt for what she said to Jordan. And the fact that Jordan didn’t just forgive her and welcome her back with open arms threw her for a loop. While I genuinely like Sarah as a character, it’s evident that she kind of takes advantage of Jordan’s kindness, so it was also pretty great to see him stand up for himself and set up a boundary. He loves Sarah so much that he cannot just be friends with her, especially with how she treats him sometimes. I’m sure they’ll patcht things up sooner than later—though with the Lex Luthor of it all looming over the next two episodes, their little squabble might not even matter. 

As for Kyle, his pep talk to Sarah also gave him some perspective on his fight with Chrissy. He was 1000% being a jackass when he held it against her for lying to him about Superman. He didn’t even acknowledge that she was protecting this major secret. While I want to believe that Kyle is a changed man who can be trusted with this information, I just don’t think that’s the case. His reaction was proof that he is not equipped to handle something this important. He may have come around in the end, but it only takes one moment of weakness to destroy everything. 

We also cannot overlook Jordan’s big moment—his X-Ray vision coming in! It’s true that he always gets his powers at the worst possible time, but on the bright side, at least he’s getting them! The scene between Jon and Jordan was also very sincere. They may have their moments of tension, but there’s a brotherly love there that’s undeniable, and despite Jon being jealous of Jordan, he still made it a priority to help his brother work through his moment of panic. It seems like being a firefighter that helps people during dire times is a career that will suit him.

What did you think of the episode? Are you glad the Mannheim storyline is over?

What will happen with Inverse Superman now that he’s seemingly recharged and booted up?

Cruel Summer 2 kicked off a new mystery on June 5th with two back-to-back episodes as part of the premiere. 

Those who watched the first season will be familiar with the back-and-forth timelines, though this time, it’s taking place in the summer and winter of 1999 and the summer of 2000—so yes, there’s plenty of nostalgia to go around. The episodes do their best to transport you back to the late ’90s/early ’00s with music countdowns (Spice Girls!), dances to classics like Livin’ La Vida Loca captured on VHS (the original TikTok), plenty of “retro” outfits, and even the imminent threat of Y2K bringing forth the end of times. Those of us who lived through it remember just how real—and blown out of proportion—that fear truly was. Ah, the good days. 

With Jessica Biel serving as the executive producer, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard any NSYNC music yet!

It’s also a brand new cast, leaning into the anthology aspect of the series, which I didn’t think I’d be a fan of initially, but after the premiere, I’m actually digging. Instead of prolonging a mystery for several seasons until it’s exhausted, they wrap it up in several neatly-packaged episodes and move onto a new, yet equally as chilling and thrilling, plot. In this case, the storyline takes place in the small and idyllic waterfront town of Chatham. 

While Hallmark, Lifetime, and the lot love to glorify the beauty and intimacy of small towns, Cruel Summer is determined to underscore the dangers of a small town that uses gossip as fuel.

Season 1 focused on the mystery of Kate Wallis’ disappearance, while the second season is a full-blown murder mystery aiming to figure out who killed Luke (Griffin Gluck best known from Locke & Key). 

As Parker Tanaka (Lisa Yamada) explains in one scene—none of this would have happened if she never came to town. The “she” she’s referring to is Isabella LaRue (Lexi Underwood), the daughter of diplomats who traveled around the world(or so she says) before arriving in town to live with Megan Landry (Sadie Stanley). Megan’s mom, Debbie, thinks it’s going to be great to have Isabella around, however, Megan is convinced otherwise. And from what we’ve gathered in the flashforward to the ’00s, she may have been right to be skeptical and keep her guard up. 

Isabella turns out to be charming and intoxicating; she makes friends easily and everyone is naturally drawn to her and her nomadic lifestyle… everyone except for Megan, who keeps her distance initially. However, the flash-forward from summer to winter reveals that she eventually came around, considering Isabella her best friend in the entire world. 

But there’s so much more than meets the eye, particularly when it comes to Isabella, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of who this girl really is. That very charm begins to wear off instantly and she can’t fool anyone anymore; she begins to show a different side, one that’s almost manipulative, and while she remains a good friend, it’s evident that she’s lying about a lot of things, including who she really is. In the final scene of the second episode, she dumps a ton of pills down the drain and calls her mom for help. It’s unclear if the pills belong to her or if they were Megan’s or Debbie’s, but there’s definitely something off with the moment. 

The phone call to her mom also makes me think that she’s not telling the truth about who her parents are or her past experiences, even if her passport proved that she’s been all over. Is she on the run? Does she need money? Is it all a front? I was first expecting to get a prison message before getting connected to her mom, but I guess that’s out of the question. 

There’s some evidence pointing to the possibility that she’s a troubled teen. She’s spoken vaguely about boarding school and her friend Lisa, but we never actually get more information about that friendship, nor does she communicate with the girl, which leads me to believe that maybe something bad happened to Lisa as well. The Sheriff also mentions that she’s been in three schools in three years and left midsemester, which isn’t peculiar on its own but paired with everything else we’ve picked up on, it could be a major red flag. 

As for Luke, they find his body in a flash-forward scene in the year 2000, when Isabella and Megan are no longer on good terms. Again, it’s not entirely clear what happened between the two of them that led to this estrangement, but whatever it is, it had a profound impact on Megan as her whole appearance shifted from preppy to punk goth. Luke’s disappearance/murder seems to have also crumbled her college plans as she’s still living in Chatham. 

Upon pulling Luke’s body out of the water, Isabella declares that they have to get their stories straight about what happened before getting questioned by the police, which means that they know more than they’re letting on about what led to their friend’s demise. 

The police indicate that while Luke died of drowning, he had a graze wound that would indicate someone shot at him, and he had a lot of benzos in his system, which leads them to believe that someone wanted to make sure he didn’t have the strength to save himself. 

And that, of course, is concerning, Anyone could be a suspect at this point, including Megan and Isabella, though I don’t think that either of them is capable of murder, even if there was a scene of Isabella looking rather jealous of Megan’s sweet moment with Luke during which she called him her “ride or die”—the term that the besties used for each other. It’s possible that Isabella has a personality disorder or struggles with an obsessive nature, which would explain why she needed Megan to like her, but would she go as far as murdering Luke?

The catalyst for everything seems to be the sex tape that was played at Luke’s father’s Christmas party, which launches another mystery as to who filmed it and who played it. Following the tape, everything took a much darker turn, from Isabella, Luke, and Megan’s threesome to Steve Chambers’ (Paul Adelstein) thriving developer business. 

The sex tape was a pivotal moment that shifted the tone of the series as it also bound the trio in a deep secret—everyone assumed they were watching Luke cheat on Megan with her best friend Isabella, but the twist was that it was actually Megan in the video, and Isabella took the fall to protect her friend and help her chances of getting into college. It seemed like a pretty selfless thing to do, but now that we’ve seen a slightly more sinister side to Isabella, it’s made me question her motives. 

What was her intention with Megan and Luke? Why did she come to stay with the Landry’s in the first place? Did she have an agenda? Why did she pursue Luke despite wanting to befriend Megan and knowing that she had a crush on him?

And if they kept that a secret, what other secrets does Megan and Isabella’s seemingly co-dependent friendship entail?

The list of suspects is long and wide as its possible Luke’s brother Brent was involved (he had a knack for filming his love interests), his father Steve (who Luke says wasn’t proud of his son since he didn’t show interest in the family businesses), and we can’t forget about that creepy neighbor who was shooting off his gun—and who shot Megan a very strange and telling look once they found Luke’s body. 

For now, we know that Megan had access to pills, the man in the woods has access to the guns, and Isabella is loyal to a fault and will keep a secret if it means protecting her friend. 

What do you think happened to Luke?

Did you enjoy the first two episodes of Cruel Summer Season 2?

One thing becomes evident at the conclusion of Manifest Season 4 Part 2— thank god, thank the divine, thanks fans, and thank Netflix for reviving this show, believing in it, and giving it another shot at a proper ending, the one that was always planned since Flight 828 went missing. 

Because it was… absolutely incredible. 

***Warning: Spoilers Ahead for the final 10 episodes of Manifest Season 4***

The series hasn’t always been smooth sailing, or, I should say, it hasn’t been without its turbulence—frustrating fans with vague twists and turns about what happened to the passengers, death dates, callings, and more for four years—but the second half of the season proved that Jeff Rake always knew how it was going to end. He had the blueprint, and he delivered it flawlessly to those fans who stuck around for the journey.

If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that I hate series finales because they never stick the landing, but Manifest came quite close, and I’d go as far as to say that for such a complex series, it got as close to perfect as it possibly could.

It gave not only viewers the closure they needed but it also gave the characters what their hearts desired—and they’ve been fighting for. 

Flight 828 disappeared and landed five years later, completely upending the lives of passengers and stripping them of any chance at returning to what once was. During that time, they chose to power through and live as best as they could—through all of the hate crimes, lab tests, and government lockups—all in hopes that they could find some answers about what happened to them. And that included solving the Callings in hopes of balancing the scales and saving the Lifeboat when the Death Day finally came knocking on their door.

While it would’ve been much easier to leave the series as an open-ended finale, allowing viewers to come to their own conclusion about what happened, Rake decided not to do a disservice to loyal fans who campaigned for the truth and begged for clarity, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle along with the passengers week after week.

Instead, we got a full conclusion that went into depth and provided so much insight into all of those questions that have been floating around for years, including the “why.” Why these passengers? And the beauty of this is that there wasn’t a good reason for this one. Rarely do we get a reason in life for why things happen to certain people—so this felt fitting. The simplicity of it was that it was just because. They were a group of random people connected by a situation—a mix of good and bad, who, given the choice, could decide if they wanted to be better or continue on their same path. There wasn’t anything special about them, nor were they chosen for any specific qualities—it just was what it was. 

And they all mostly rose to the occasion. As the Death Date closed in on them, Cal figured out that the Peacock calling was a hint that he needed to merge two sapphires together. And when Angelina, who considered herself an angel and the chosen one, decided not to stop the end of the world but rather encourage it so that only her “flock” would survive, Saanvi discovered that the driftwood she threw into Storm King Mountain also contained sapphire and would suffice. 

Cal, hailed as the Holy Grail throughout the first half of the season, made the ultimate sacrifice for his family, connecting with the sapphire, which resulted in a huge beam that lured all of 828 to the same point in time. They always said that it was connected, and the moment of all the passengers uniting and waiting for their judgment day was simply proof of that. They were always in this together, from beginning to end, helping each other figure out how to navigate the complexities of what was being asked of them.

Cal’s sacrifice then miraculously unearthed the actual missing plane, in perfect condition, waiting for them to board. 

It was all surreal, but that was kind of the point. There were biblical references, sometimes to the point of annoyance, but the one that kept bubbling up to the surface was Noah’s Ark, and Flight 828 was Noah’s Ark. 

The passengers were tested many times throughout the course of the five years for a reason. When judgment came, their actions and flaws were weighed against each other, with those who didn’t take their second chance and make the best of it, quite literally disintegrating into a pile of ash. The divine assumed that those passengers didn’t learn the right lesson from their second chance, harnessing the power for the wrong reasons.

 The visuals on this were stunning—particularly for Angelina’s death (which was much deserved and necessary)—though actually seeing the effects of the death date shouldn’t have been all that surprising as we’ve seen it before with the methheads.

Those who survived their judgment day—including Eagan, Adrian, and Saanvi—all made it into the glow, and this time, the doors opened for them as they exited the plane, walking right back into 2013 as they should have all those years ago. And it’s as if they stepped through a time machine, with only a few hours passing since their takeoff.

Seeing the passengers arriving in their old clothes, the ones we first met them in, was enough o give me goosebumps, but it was also oddly comforting. Everything they went for wasn’t for nothing—it put so much into perspective for them, showing them what was possible and what their hearts truly yearned for; the leaps they were too afraid to make, the things they took for granted, and the road that lay ahead. 

It was their actual second second chance. And it was both a blessing and a curse because while the passengers all kept their memories of the last 11 or so years (including what transpired in the 5 that they were “missing”), their loved ones who weren’t on the plane with them had absolutely no idea that anything was amiss. 

Ben was thrilled to see Grace alive in this timeline as the only thing missing in his life was his wife, however, he couldn’t share that he knew anything about their daughter, Eden, who didn’t exist at this time just yet. The only consolation is that Ben has always believed that’s what meant to be will be, so he had no qualms that eventually, they would add Eden to the family down the line. 

MANIFEST SEASON 04. Ty Doran as Cal Stone in Manifest Season 04. Cr. Netflix © 2022

Mick and Ben’s mother was also alive, while her father never had a stroke. They were all reunited again, getting the chance to spend more time with the people that have been gone for so long. 

Olive and Cal were also kids again (and Cal’s CGI effects were a little hard to accept but I get it, the kid has aged and no amount of makeup could undo that), but neither of them remembered anything that happened. And so while they may have gotten their childhood back—and the possibility of growing up together—it’s a bummer that they won’t remember all that they went through together to truly cherish this moment. The clean slate allows them to live without the burden and heaviness of what they went through, but I feel as though Cal proved he was strong enough to carry it even since childhood. 

The Stone family, despite all the hits and losses, truly grew together while working toward stopping the Death Date, and it would have been nice for the kids to carry that with them. Cal didn’t even remember Saanvi, and Olive had no recollection of her romance with TJ since he was an adult while she was a child. TJ did, however, connect with Violet, who was alive in this timeline, and he got his mom back, so I would say he’s probably thrilled with the outcome either way.  

It was also heartbreaking to see how Vance didn’t remember any of them, despite being such a crucial part of their lives for so many years. Vance and Ben’s bromance was one of the best things to have happened to the series, but it’s just a reminder that there are tradeoffs in life that are necessary. 

The passengers will forever be bonded and connected through this shared experience—it’s one that no one understands aside from them. Saanvi may not be a part of the family in the same way she once was, but with Ben informing Grace that she’s going to cure Cal’s cancer, she would still be part of it in a new way. 

As for Mick’s endgame, it was always Zeke. And as someone who shipped her and Jared, it makes sense when you look at it through the scope of that final episode. There’s a reason Mick hesitated all those years ago, and it’s because she knew deep down that she and Jared wanted different things. She had the pleasure of seeing that in real life thanks to Flight 828, so when she landed back in 2013—and Jared had no recollection of all that they’d been through as exes, friends, partners, and a couple—she chose to set him free and no longer take a place in his heart. She knew that his destiny was to be with Drea, who Jared met while leaving the airport shortly after. And it felt right. When Mick said “you gotta have Hope,” it gutted me because it showcased just how massive her decision was and how much consideration went into it. She wasn’t just thinking of herself, she was thinking of everyone. 

Mick, however, recalled Zeke telling her that he was at the airport the night her plane landed—one of the many near-misses of their fated meeting—so she ran to fetch his cab, calling him her “husband” and promising to explain everything afterward. Zeke was definitely confused, but he was also in awe of Mick because he felt their connection. And even if you didn’t ship Zeke and Mick in the post-828 timeline, their reunion here, even with his lapse in memory, just made sense. It all fit into place in the way that it should have, but might not have without all those experiences granted by the missing plane. 

Some things, like Vance investigating the mystifying and “impossible” disappearance of 11 passengers on 828, still needed to happen, but in different ways.

And I’m sure the passengers that survived will tell you that nothing is impossible, including a fitting finale that covered all of its basis and gave fans exactly what they wanted and then some. 

Turning it over to you because I totally understand if this finale wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and you expected something way different. What did you think? What parts did you love? What did you hate? What would you change?