WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 1, Episode 3, "The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower," which aired Tuesday.
The latest episode of Superman & Lois, "The Perks of Not Being a Wallflower," sees both Kent boys back at school. And while Jordan's powers do come close to manifesting, as Clark and Lois worried they would, what ends up being the main cause for concern for both Jonathan and Clark is Jordan deciding to try out for sports.
This makes for some interesting conflict in the family. Jordan states that his plan is to teach the school bullies a lesson, but Jonathan points out that he could seriously hurt somebody by accident thanks to his powers. The fact that Clark has to find out from a third party makes the situation worse, and he agrees with Jonathan -- that it's too dangerous and a little unfair to the other kids.
What's interesting is that this isn't the first time a superhero family has had this conversation. Pixar's The Incredibles had a similar conversation back in 2004 when Dash wanted to try out for sports, a desire his mother Helen frequently shot down despite his father Bob supporting him. Helen's reason for not allowing him is very similar to Clark's reasoning: it's too easy to risk exposure as a superpowered being with sports.
In the case of The Incredibles, Helen cites Dash's competitiveness as a reason for him not to play, which is actually what Jonathan uses when he finally comes around and argues for his brother to continue sports. Clark points out that having powers makes the playing field uneven, but Jonathan argues against this because football doesn't favor those of a smaller size unless they can hold their own. Football is very much a team sport, which means Jordan has to come out of his shell and interact with other people to thrive, making it a positive in his life.
Clark then reveals that he too wanted to try out for sports when he was younger, but his dad said no. However, after discussing their experiences, Clark okays Jordan's continuing to play, once he ascertains that this is really what his son wants. This isn't without stipulations, though, as Clark signs up as assistant coach so he can keep an eye on the boys.
In the end, what's important for the Kents is that the boys being on the team means they get to become comfortable interacting with people outside the house, compared to the still very insular Parrs in The Incredibles. Now, this isn't entirely comparable, since the Parrs had been on the move for years to avoid anti-superhero legislation, but it brings the opportunity for drama. As Clark and Lois said, it's the little things that tip people off, and in this case, every extra person who interacts with the boys increases the chance of them being exposed.
Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Dylan Walsh, Alex Garfin, Jordan Elsass, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Inde Navarrette and Wolé Parks. The series airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
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