[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 2 Episode 9 of Superman & Lois, “30 Days and 30 Nights.” If you don’t want to be spoiled, go hit your X-K inhaler and come back when you feel the power.]
There were wins and losses in Smallville tonight, as Lana Lang Cushing (Emmanuelle Chriqui) finally got a break and was elected the town’s new mayor, while Lois (Bitsie Tulloch) had to accept the fact that half-Kryptonian son Jordan (Alex Garfin) was no longer her little boy. Thankfully, she came to that realization in time to let Poppa Lane (Dylan Walsh) activate the hero-in-training to save them both before the goons running an X-K lab exterminated them.
But with Clark MIA, having been sucked into Ally Allston’s portal to the Inverse World, that meant Jordan was the only Kent in town with superpowers and that is a lot for a teenager to take on. Especially since his twin Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) had his hands full coming clean about Candice (Samantha Di Francesco) being his X-K dealer and John Henry (Wolé Parks) was busy trying to figure out why daughter Natalie hated him this week. The upside of it all is that Jordan discovered that he could fly. The downside? Responding to so many rescues meant ditching Sarah (Inde Navarrette) at her most emotional time, leaving the poor kid with no choice but to end things with Jordan.
Here, Garfin explains what his character is going through now that he’s got the coolest powers ever and no girlfriend to keep him grounded.
OK, so good news first…you got to fly this week!
Alex Garfin: Yeah. Oh man. How about that? It was super exciting to take off to the skies.
I can imagine! Now, it seems that Jordan’s powers seem to be triggered by stress.
Yeah. Right. Same with me in real life. [Laughs]
Nino Munoz/The CW
This season has really become Jordan’s origin story.
Yeah. You know, every hero has an origin story and every hero has a bit of darkness in them…and you kinda see that in his argument with Lois.
I did not expect that “not when I’m the one with superpowers” line to come out of his mouth.
No, neither did I! I read that. I was like, “Oooooooh no!” [Laughs]
That is obviously going to set a new dynamic for mom and son, but it also does show that Jordan is growing up and that he has to be a hero right now.
I think that’s a big theme of this episode and the show at large. When Superman’s gone, he has to pick up the slack and all of a sudden there’s his pressure on him. He thrives under that pressure, but he also cracks. His personal relationships start to go all over the place and part of him is also mourning his father, right? He doesn’t know is he’s coming back and kind of goes through the stages of grief. In the beginning, there’s a bit of bargaining. He listens to the portal and it almost feels like prayer. Throughout the episode he kind goes through the works over those 30 days and 30 nights.
I love that, on top of the action stuff, the family stuff remains so important. Also, these brothers cannot do anything and get away with it.
[Laughs] No one can, can they? Anything that you got away with as a teenager, I bet your parents probably knew and just didn’t bring it up. I sure there was a case of that, once or twice.
Bettina Strauss/The CW
Yet Jordan still supports Jon (Jordan Elsass), despite the deceptions. He gets it.
I think he gets it. Actually, I think they both get each other a lot. Them being so different is what makes it so enticing to watch. It’s brilliant writing…that keeps the brothers interesting and loving each other in that way.
With his new abilities, does this mean Jordan will be involved in more rescues?
I think it’s fair to assume that this training will pay off in more ways. What we’ll see is the effects of Clark’s absence and then what happens to make him come back and all that good stuff…it’s going to be cool.
Will you be playing a role in getting Superman out of the Inverse World?
You know, um…to be revealed. [Laughs]
Fair enough! Has anyone spoken to you about a potential supersuit?
If I end up getting a suit, I am requesting the underwear on the outside. I request bright-red tighty-whities and a hardware belt. I want the full “Batman 1966” look. Adam West all the way. [Laughs]
I do, however, appreciate the styling of Jordan’s incognito look. The hoodie and jacket is very “Superman Earth One.”
You know, it’s insane…our costume department is amazing and Katrina McCarthy, who runs it, is in incredibly talented. So when I saw that, I, I thought the same thing, like, “Wow, this looks like teenage Superman.” It it’s really cool. And I love the hoodie look, to be honest. I think it’s so “teenager-superhero.” Like, of course he’s going to be wearing a hoodie, you know? I’m surprised Nine Inch Nails isn’t written on the back of it. [Laughs]
DC Comics
So what is next for Jordan? He’s had his first taste of heartbreak, which is something Lois can actually understand, being in love with somebody with powers.
Well, Sarah’s got a lot going on in her life. They do a really good job of showing that. Ian Samoil, who directed this episode—he’s absolutely brilliant, that guy—and he said something really beautiful. For a lot of us working in film and TV, this is one of these jobs where the hours are really long, but you love it so much that you’re happy to do it. But your spouse doesn’t necessarily understand that and eventually, you may get to a point where they are maybe wondering why you’re not spending any time with them.
So I think, going forward, you will see a lot of the effects of the heartbreak. The show likes to marinate and it does that very well. It shines and really has this glow to it when it [showcases] these dynamics and brings in the human element to these extraordinary circumstances. So we’re gonna see that applied with the Sarah-Jordan stuff with their break-up, we see it applied to Lois dealing with Jordan’s powers. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to both of those.
Was there any induction ceremony of hazing when Jordan Elsass started getting “powers” on the show?
You know what? There should have been! We could have had a ceremony with big hats. There aren’t enough big hats in modern culture. All the cool religions of the world have big hats. Like a tall one, that doesn’t even fit in the door. A hat of honor! [Laughs]
How was it actually having to strap up for the flying sequence?
You know, I came out with a brand new respect for Tyler Hoechlin. [Laughs] So the strap lifts you up by lifting your legs apart. I mean, it lifts you with your back, as well…a little bit. But it’s really by lifting your legs apart. You know that machine at the gym that no one uses, where you have to do you sit there and put your legs on either side of a pad?
The abductor machine?
Yeah, so you know how no one has ever used that machine in the history of the gym? Well, it’s like that but you gotta support your own weight on that for like an hour. Before we start rolling, my legs are very far apart and that is as close as you’re gonna get to “rest.” And then when they call “action,” to look [like] Superman, you have to tighten your butt up, pull your legs together, pump your chest out and then all these muscles that you don’t normally use, that like, I think only astronauts would use, are all engaged. And it’s just strange. I have a lot of respect for Tyler now. [Laughs]
You know what, though? It’s an honor to fly. At the end of the day, it is really cool. But man, is it work.
Superman & Lois, Tuesdays, 8/7c, The CW
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