Recap / Superman And Lois S 1 E 6 Broken Trust

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Recap of Superman & Lois
Season 1, Episode 6

Broken Trust

Clark accompanies Jonathan and Jordan to the football teams' annual rivalry game against Metropolis, keeping an eye out for Tag Harris. Determined to show off his new athletic prowess to the jocks who used to bully him, Jordan decides against telling his dad about the disturbing and debilitating symptoms he's been experiencing. Lois teams up with The Stranger, going by the alias Marcus Bridgwater, to investigate what exactly Morgan Edge is excavating in the mines.

Tropes:

• Bait-and-Switch: In the split second before Jordan's fist connects to Cutter's face, a hand comes in from the side to intercept the punch, as if Superman arrived to save the day. Then, the camera switches to another view and it's definitely non-powered Jonathan's hand. The results are a sickening crunch.
• Bavarian Fire Drill: When the guard questions why two inspectors are arriving later than the rest, Luthor spins a tale about his superior being an idiot when it comes to paperwork and earns the guard's sympathy.
• Beneath Notice: Invoked by Luthor in recruiting Lois to help him infiltrate the mine posing as inspectors. As he says, a lone black man might get noticed, but together, they'll just be two more of the dozens of inspectors on the scene.
• Beware the Nice Ones: This episode shows that just because Superman is incredibly patient it doesn't mean that his patience can't be tested. When the soldiers unintentionally shoot him with kryptonite bullets meant to hit Tag, he destroys the kryptonite and angrily tells the soldiers to stand down while his eyes are still glowing, indicating that he's not just telling them to stand down, he's warning them. The fact that he's barely restraining himself from attacking these soldiers shows just how incorruptible he is.
• Beware the Superman: Clark tells Jordan how, when he first started out as Superman, the world was afraid of his powers, and he needed to work hard to earn the public's trust by convincing them that he wouldn't use his powers to hurt people.
• Buffy Speak: Luthor's advice to Lois for blending in as a mine inspector is to "look inspector-y".
• Cliffhanger: Jordan has a seizure and Clark flies him to the Fortress of Solitude.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength: While trying to escape Superman, Tag nearly derails a train simply by running over the tracks and warping the rails. Thankfully, Superman is able to catch the train and reheat the rails so they set into place as he puts the train back.
• Foreshadowing: Jon encourages Jordan to focus his strength by imagining the log he's going to punch is Cutter's face. When the opportunity actually presents itself, Jordan takes it.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Jon catches Jordan's punch in slow-motion, there's a brief Super-Speed effect as he intercepts the blow in his palm, which stands out against Jordan's punch moving at regular speed.
• Heroic Willpower: Clark covers up Jordan's out of control heat vision with his hand, without showing much pain.
• Idiot Ball: Jordan deciding not to tell his father about his powers acting up, despite the great danger in doing so.
• Immediate Sequel: To "The Best of Smallville".
• Internal Reveal:
  • Lois learns that Leslie Larr has powers and of the existence of X-Kryptonite in the mines, though not the connection between the two.
  • Sarah learns that Tag has powers. He also shares his suspicions about Jordan being responsible and having powers of his own, though Jordan doesn't admit it to her.
• "It" Is Dehumanizing: Clark objects to Sam not treating Tag as a person, Sam outright calling him a monster at one point.
• It's Personal:
  • Jordan wants to use his powers to get back at Cutter and the other Metropolis bullies.
  • General Lane isn't shy to use deadly force on Tag Harris after the latter assaulted his grandson.
• Let Me Get This Straight...: Kyle asks this when Lois asks him and Lana for help in investigating Edge, when he has just put a lot of people to work and given Lana a promotion.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Jordan is in anguish that he accidentally broke his brother's arm.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Clark tells Jordan that he too struggles with his personal feelings in regards to his powers. This is shown when he can barely hold himself together from hurting the soldiers who just tried to kill Tag and shot him with kryptonite bullets.
• Papa Wolf: After the Metropolis players gang-rush Jordan, it triggers a heat-vision episode. Clark gets to him in time, but realizes that Jordan is past "calm-down" point. He tells Jordan to let the heat vision go into his hand, clearly sacrificing the pain it causes to keep his son's secret.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Yes Lois Lane complains about getting one of a helmet and jumpsuit to pose as a mine inspector.
• Power Incontinence:
  • Tag has better control over his powers, but they're still evolving and he occasionally loses control.
  • Jordan likewise has trouble controlling his powers as they're getting stronger. At the end of the episode, he has a seizure that causes his skull to heat up.
• Punch Catch: Jon tries this with Jordan when he's about to punch Cutter. With Jordan's enhanced strength, it breaks Jon's arm and he says he may never play football again.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: When the DOD hits Superman with Kryptonite rounds, Superman gets pissed as his eyes glow with heat vision. He vaporizes the bullets and uses the glowing eyes to cow the military into submission.
• Revealing Skill: Luthor gives away the fact that he isn't a tech journalist when he shows off a high-end cutting laser and turns it into a blaster that stuns Leslie. A quick investigation by Lois reveals that his cover is bogus.
• Sore Loser: Cutter and his teammates confront the Crows, looking for a fight, after having lost the game.
• Twisted Echo Cut: This transition from breakfast at the Kent Farm to Morgan Edge reopening a mine:
  Clark (to Jordan): You promise you're 100% healthy? Totally good to go? Then after school, you're gonna prove it.
  Edge: This is proof my suspicions were correct. Smallville is the community that's going to help me change the world.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Morgan further improves his reputation by putting more people to work at the Shuster Mines and giving Lana a promotion, to lead the Community Center. Needless to say, Kyle is not very happy when Lois comes to them with more accusations against Edge.
• We Used to Be Friends: Cutter tells Jon this.
• You Have to Believe Me!: Tag kidnaps Sarah because he needs someone he knows to confide in about his suspicions about Jordan, showing her the video of him using heat vision at the party in the first episode.

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