‘Superman & Lois’ Season 3, Episode 7 Recap & Ending, Explained: Will John Accept Mateo?

Significant new revelations take place in the seventh episode of Superman & Lois, and the midseason finale showcases a heartbreaking, poignant performance from the exceptional leads. In the previous episode, it was revealed that Lois’ new friend Peia, who is suffering from cancer too, is the alias of the murderous enforcer of Bruno named Onomatopoeia, who is the wife of the crime lord as well. We also saw that, acknowledging the worst consequences of her cancer treatment, Lois prepared her last will and other end-of-life term papers, much to Clark’s distress. These two incidents leave a significant impact later on and change the narrative flow, which is explored through “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

Spoilers Ahead


What Made Jon Even More Anxious About Lois’ Condition?

Cancer treatment is an immensely physically and mentally demanding procedure, and both Lois and Clark realize that as Lois goes through the fourth round of chemo. Sleepless nights, suffering alternatively from diarrhea or vomiting, loss of taste, and frequent nausea—all are mere symptoms of a treatment that slowly takes away even the will to live—and Lois is fighting like hell to ensure that doesn’t happen. However, the fact that Clark and Lois do not want their twin sons to go through the mental trauma of realizing how the disease is affecting their mother might seem touching in their role as parents, but it inadvertently ends up creating even more confusion. Jonathan and Jordan both realize that their parents are keeping things from them, and especially Jon, who shares a special bond with his mother, sets out to seek answers on his own.

As Lois and Clark head towards the Hob’s Bay clinic for Lois’ chemo session, Jonathan and Jordan go to the Fortress of Solitude to ask the holographic projection of Lara Jor-El (Kal El, aka Clark’s biological mother) to help Lois with Kryptonian technology. Lara politely refuses, citing complications that might arise by using Kryptonian technology on humans and also because of Clark’s unwillingness. Clark overhears the argument and flies to the fortress to confront the twins. An enraged Jordan almost accuses Clark of not caring enough about Lois’ condition, and an aggrieved Clark asks the boys to return home. At home, Jonathan and Jordan discover Lois’ last will and life term papers.


What Caused A Rift Between Lois And Peia?

Having Peia by her side as a fellow cancer patient, counselor, and friend has helped Lois a lot so far, and she engages in a conversation about their kids. After showing the pictures of her sons, Lois asks Peia, who casually dodges the question, to do the same. Moments later, Lois goes into full investigative journalist mode and questions Peia about whether she personally knows Bruno Mannheim, a suspicion that arose in her mind after Peia previously spoke highly of Bruno and the fact that Bruno was a patron to the restaurant she invited Lois to. This question pisses Peia off, and she distances herself from Lois. Now for the viewers, the reason is obvious: Lois is closer to the truth than ever, and understandably, Peia doesn’t like the fact.

Clark returns to the medical facility and learns from Lois about the situation. He promises to her that he will try to lessen her regret by looking for a possible explanation himself—by interviewing Bruno Mannheim as Clark Kent.


The Lang – Irons Family Situation

Mother-daughter duo Lana and Sarah find it difficult to accept that Kyle is in a relationship with Chrissy, and as a result, Sarah insults Chrissy at the diner the first chance she gets, much to Lana’s displeasure. Later, as Sarah goes to Kyle’s apartment and waits for his return to catch a movie together, Chrissy arrives and states that she is supposed to go with them too. Sarah throws another insulting remark, but this time Chrissy retorts mildly. Sarah begrudgingly agrees to accompany Chrissy when she learns that Kyle won’t be able to make it to the movie theater in time.

On the other hand, Natalie hastily prepares for Mateo’s visit to Smallville; he is supposed to have lunch at their place. John tries to be as supportive as possible and even gets a heads up about playing it cool from Lana during a chance meeting, but at the final stage, he ends up fumbling as his protective paternal instincts take over him. During the lunch, John Henry unwillingly ends up intimidating Mateo, and Natalie furiously leaves with him for the theater.

John meets up with Lana at the mayor’s office and shares his part in messing up. Lana can relate to the strain it takes to be a single mother and shares some parenting advice that can help John make amends. Meanwhile, Mateo shares his sincere feelings for Natalie, and the two kiss and Sarah and Chrissy quickly get on the same track after the former finds out that Chrissy, too, is a stoner. At the end of the movie, John meets Natalie and Mateo in town and softens up to Mateo while conversing with him separately. Lana sees Sarah having a good time with Chrissy and leaves hurriedly, something that Sarah notices.


How Did Lois And Clark Come To Know About Peia’s Relationship With Bruno?

Lois approaches Peia to make up for her mistake of conflating her professional life with her private life and tries to make gestures that can make Peia see how much their friendship means to her. However, Peia is reluctant to resume her friendship with Lois, and the reason isn’t Lois’ past behavior. On the other hand, Clark interviews Mannheim and is able to deduce that Bruno has been doing experiments on terminally ill cancer patients, investing so much in the clinic, and trying to opt out of other alternative procedures through his R&D because he must have a personal stake. At last, the truth is revealed as Bruno goes to meet Peia, and they reveal their relationship to Lois and Clark as husband and wife. Lois is confused, as she now has mixed feelings about the entire ordeal. The person whom she thought to be nothing more than a ruthless crime lord turned out to be a loving husband, doing everything for the sake of his loved one.

Going in parallel progression with the current narrative is the flashback sequence that showcases Bruno and Peia working for mob boss Moxie. Bruno kept pursuing Moxie to reclaim the south of Metropolis from Lex Luthor by striking a deal with him, as he wanted to change things for the better in the impoverished, neglected area while having superior control of ‘his’ part of the city. In the end, Peia and Bruno conspire and kill Moxie, and it’s a reminder that contrary to Lois’ change of heart, the couple is as corrupt and deadly as they come. The series did a great job by adding a humane side to Bruno and keeping characters and even the audience confused with conflicting feelings towards him at times. But things will only get more complex from here on if Peia’s identity as Onomatopoeia is revealed to Lois and Clark.


Did The Twins Make Amends With Their Parents?

As Lois and Clark return to their home, Jonathan and Jordan confront them about the last will and end-of-life term papers that Jonathan found. Clark tries to calm them down, only to hear an off-putting remark about being a Kryptonian. He cannot comprehend the banal tragedies humans like Lois or his non-superpowered son Jonathan suffer from, and even a hurtful statement about the ‘hope’ the Man of Steel stands for didn’t save his adopted parents from dying, nor is it going to beat cancer.

Lois and Clark decide to come clean with their sons and tell them the major reason for their not accepting Kryptonian technology is ethical purposes—it will be unfair for Lois to use the technology just because she can while the rest of the world suffers from the same affliction. Not to mention that if they indeed provide Kryptonian technology to the rest of the world, the possibility of power abuse is immense. They simply have to accept their fate if things go awry in the end, and with this painful recognition, Lois tearfully embraces her two sons.

At the Lang household, Sarah finds Lana looking at their old pictures, reminiscing about the way everything used to be perfect before her separation from Kyle. Lana confesses that while everyone seems to have moved on with their lives, she has been stuck in the past. Sarah asks her mother to live in the present and suggests that she do whatever she likes presently, and Lana states that that would be setting off some fireworks. The mother-daughter duo ends up doing so. Elsewhere, on the porch of the Kent household, Clark and Jonathan talk, and Jon makes amends with his father by apologizing for his past conduct. Clark also states that both he and Jordan are equally human and Kryptonian, and he must never put himself down for the lack of visible signifiers such as superpowers. At the same time, Lana and Sarah burst firecrackers at the field, which Clark sees from afar as he holds his son close. This creates a bittersweet moment in the depressing episode, a brief respite from the oppressive and overarching reality. Jon, unlike his younger brother, Jordan, is powerless, and Lois’ deteriorating condition is a painful reminder of his reality as a human. His lashing out, although hurtful, was in sync with his bond with his mother, and a reconciliation with his father was long overdue as well.


Will John Accept Mateo After Knowing His Parentage?

The seventh episode of Superman & Lois ends with Mateo going to Metropolis to meet his parents to talk about Natalie, and it is revealed they are none other than Bruno and Peia. This changes things big time, and both of them attacked John Henry previously; Bruno even threatened John Henry with his sister’s life, and Mayor Dean’s death is one of the numerous heinous acts the couple has committed. John, who only recently managed to accept Mateo into Natalie’s life, will be thrown into a horrible place if he gets to know about Mateo’s parentage, which he eventually will. In the upcoming episode, the most interesting aspect will be how the entire drama is handled, and the way all the major families have been entangled in the main narrative makes us extremely excited.


Siddhartha Das
Siddhartha Das
An avid fan and voracious reader of comic book literature, Siddhartha thinks the ideals accentuated in the superhero genre should be taken as lessons in real life also. A sucker for everything horror and different art styles, Siddhartha likes to spend his time reading subjects. He's always eager to learn more about world fauna, history, geography, crime fiction, sports, and cultures. He also wishes to abolish human egocentrism, which can make the world a better place.


 

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