“O Mother, Where Art Thou?” is episode ten of season one of Superman and Lois.
At the end of the previous episode, “Loyal Subjekts”, Superman confronted Morgan Edge. Only for Edge to announce he was Kryptonian and call Kal-El ‘Brother.’
Edge tells Superman his real name is Tal-Rho, son of Zeta-Rho and Lara Lor-Van. The last being Superman’s mother. According to Tal-Rho, Lara married Superman’s father years after she was matched with his own. When Tal-Rho was born, Krypton was dying and he was the first Son of Krypton sent to Earth with the purpose of furthering their Kryptonian heritage. When Tal-Rho arrived, he was a child, not a baby, and a couple accidentally shot him (the number of shotguns seen in British hands in the episode is a tad excessive). He killed them.
Tal-Rho says the world deserves better than humans. This is their chance to be a family again. Krypton will finally be resurrected and the Defence Council will reign. They will have their mother again. Tal-Rho wants Kal-El’s help and, when Superman declines, sends him flying. Tal-Rho needs Superman by his side when their people awaken. Or he will be eradicated.
Kyle is outside his house and Sarah asks her mother if she’s finally kicked him out. Sarah is having a go at Lana, and ends up storming out. Lana wants Kyle to tell her what happened.
Lois is trying to call Lana and tells her father, who will send someone. Clark returns, looking shellshocked. He tells his family what Edge – Tal-Rho – said. As to why Tal-Rho thinks Clark will join him, it’s because he’d get his mother back. Lois says he needs to find out if what Tal-Rho said is true, and says they will be okay with the DoD surrounding them.
At the Fortress, Jor-El says it’s possible. He didn’t tell Clark because there was no need. Clark disagrees. Jor-El says that restoring Krypton was never Lara’s aim, at least not Zeta-Rho’s way. Her invention allowed their people to be saved by transferring their minds; Zeta-Rho wanted to use it to conquer planets and enslave hosts. Jor-El doesn’t know how to fix the people affected.
Johnathan tells Jordan about what he saw in Irons’ RV, their father killing their mother. What if that Edge was also his brother? Is that why that Superman turned on humanity? What if it happened here? Lois reassures the boys; the difference between Edge and their father is their father has a family. Sam enters; they’ve found Kyle.
Lana is asking why Kyle didn’t tell her about seeing Edge. Because she lied to him and he got sick of messing up. There was a process, involving a machine. Lois knocks at that point and, when Lana opens the door, Kyle changes and grabs them both by the throat, calling them weak. Lois, however, has Kryptonite, and Sam’s forces take Kyle prisoner.
Lana speaks to Clark and Lois about the girls and Sarah being missing. It’s been so long since anything strange happened in the town she though they were done with it. Clark looks guilty. They start going through what they have and know, including people in the program. And a Dr Dabney Donovan, who Lana recognises. Edge’s personal physician who did the health exams on everyone in the executive program. Left the tenure track at MIT and has degrees in genetics and molecular neurochemistry. Lana doesn’t know where the exams took place.
Sam is questioning NotKyle on Dabney’s location. NotKyle threatens him. Sam is not impressed and bathes him in Kryptonite light, intensifying it.
Johnathan and Jordan are with Sarah in the diner; Johnathan decides to tell her that her dad might be messed up but it’s not drink. Morgan Edge did something to him. He’s been body snatched. The military guys are their grandpa’s unit and people are looking at Sarah’s father right now. It’s not their fault, not Kyle’s fault, not Lana’s fault.
Lois thinks Edge was giving Superman time because Edge needs the time. The subjects are not yet done. Sam has got the machine’s location from NotKyle and they crash it, finding the machine and Donovan. Who says to reverse the process, they need the person who invented it. Lara Lor-Van. Which means they need a host. Lana promptly volunteers.
Those being changed can currently be saved, but time is running out fast.