She has not been (re)introduced yet, but Lucy Lane is already causing a headache for her big sister, Lois. In two weeks, the youngest Lane will be joining her family in Smallville, and we know now what is happening with the post-Crisis version of Lucy. This week’s episode, “The Ties That Bind” give a little more context into what has happened between the siblings
We also learn what Sarah Cushing has been hiding since she returned from camp, and Clark reluctantly reunites with his half-brother Tal-Rho in a quest to find out why he’s been having visions. The quest leads to Tal almost killing Jordan, and Lara Lor-Van becomes Kal’s new AI. At least, we think she did.
Before we jump into the post, we need to stress that these events are not in the order they appeared in the episode.
Lane Family Drama Pending
Lois’ relationship with her family has been a mystery outside of her shaky relationship with Sam. We learned in the premiere that her mother left her, Lucy, and their dad when she was young. There was also a mention of her younger sister.
This week shed some light on Lois’ past. It includes Lucy. After Chrissy confronts her about an article she wrote on a cult leader that started to trend, the eldest of the Lane sisters had to come clean.
According to Lois, she reported on a cult leader who had entrapped Lucy and others in her schemes. It became so bad that the cult leader told Lucy to “find her new self” which resulted in her overdosing on pills and almost drowning in the bath. While she was saved, another woman involved in the cult wasn’t so fortunate.
In the present day, the article has resurfaced and has become the subject of a podcast focusing on journalists who abuse their place in the media. Lois stands by her story and explains to Chrissy that her sources willingly spoke to her of their own free will.
Lucy worshipped the cult leader and was willing to do anything for her. Including die, it seems. Lois notes it hit Sam and the DoD pretty hard as well.
Chrissy tells Lois that their source redacted their story. This is when she prods Lane and gets her to open up about Lucy’s ordeal. Turns out, she was the one who pulled the plug on being the source.
Lois also explains that she and Lucy hadn’t spoken since the article was released.
Sarah’s Secret Comes Out
Since Sarah returned to Smallville after a month away at camp, she has been acting strange. Well, we know what happened, and it’s exactly what we thought would happen. Whilst at the camp, she kissed a girl whom she thought was a friend.
She claims the kiss meant nothing, and she wants to forget about it. Jordan is shocked and asks if she wants to dump him and be with the girl she kissed. She says she doesn’t. Ultimately, this leaves the couple’s future uncertain. It also causes Sarah to question her sexuality which is also unclear.
Kal And Tal Meet Their Mother, Jordan Meets His Grandmother
Finally, we reach the last point we wanted to talk about; the awkward El-Rho family reunion. Unable to work out why he’s having visions, Clark realises there’s only one person who can help him; his half-brother, Tal-Rho. Jordan volunteers to go with him to take his mind off Sarah’s odd behaviour. His dad is reluctant, but he agrees.
They travel with Tal-Rho to his Fortress where the Kents learn Tal had a copy of Lara’s AI, which allegedly pre-dates her marriage to Jor-El. Lara recognises Kal instantly but has to ask who Tal is.
Lara not remembering who he is, ticks Tal off. However, his mother explains she didn’t get a chance to raise him as her marriage to Zeta-Rho had broken down by the time he was born. Then, she drops another bombshell on her sons. She informs them that Tal was not born of her body. They share genetics, but he was born artificially, almost like a test tube baby.
For any Krypton and/or Man of Steel fans out there, Lara’s mention of how Tal was born is a nod to those properties. Krypton showed how this worked in its first season when Seg-El, the eventual grandfather of Superman, was intended to Nyssa-Vex. All that was required to conceive a child was a single drop of blood from each parent.
Kal-El’s birth, meanwhile, was like it was in Man of Steel where Lara conceived him with Jor-El, and she psychically gave birth.
