REVIEW: Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 8 Shows The Two Sides Clash

Natalie meets Matteo’s parents in episode eight of Superman & Lois, Peia puts herself in danger, and Lois, Clark, and Chrissy make a significant finding on the Bruno Mannheim probe. Read this review to find out if Superman & Lois episode “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” is worth watching

About Superman & Lois

• Season 3, Episode 8: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
• Directed by Gregory Smith
• Written by Aaron Helbing
• Synopsis: In the wake of learning that Bruno (Chad Coleman) and Peia (guest star Daya Vaida) are married, Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) works to reignite Lois’ (Elizabeth Tulloch) interest in taking Bruno down; elsewhere, Natalie (Tayler Buck) meets Matteo’s (guest star Spence Moore II) parents for the first time, with disastrous consequences. Meanwhile, the Kent boys clash when Jordan (Alex Garfin) interferes with Jonathan’s (Michael Bishop) training at the Firehouse, Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui) bonds with General Lane (Dylan Walsh) over their shared fear of dating again, and Sarah (Inde Navarrette) realizes her mom needs a friend.
• Airdate: May 09, 2023
• Starring: Tyler Hoechlin (Clark Kent/Superman), Bitsie Tulloch (Lois Lane), Michael Bishop (Jonathan Kent), Alex Garfin (Jordan Kent), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lana Lang Cushing), Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cushing), Wolee Parks (John Henry Irons), Tayler Buck (Natalie Irons), Erik Valdez (Kyle Cushing), Inde Navarrette (Sarah Cortez), Sofia Hasmik (Chrissy Beppo)
• Guest Starring: Chad L Coleman (Bruno Mannheim), Daya Vaidya (Peia), Spence Moore II (Matteo), Dylan Walsh (General Sam Lane), Allegra Fulton (Older Chemo Patient), Angel Parker (Dr. Charlene Irons)

If you want to avoid spoilers for this episode then skip to the overall section at the end.

Warning: Spoilers for Superman & Lois Season 3 Episode 8 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Recap Superman & Lois (2023): S3E08 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik) wants to run a story about Bruno Mannheim’s (Chad L. Coleman) secret wife but Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch) isn’t having it. She wants to move away from stories about Bruno. This angers Chrissy a bit because of how much time they’ve spent on the case, and Lois acting so nonchalant isn’t making it better. Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin) tries to diffuse the situation and says he’ll talk to Lois. When he does, she stands firm on not wanting to attach her name to the byline so Clark offers to investigate it with Chrissy instead. Soon after, Lois’ father General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) arrives at the Kent residence with a bunch of files about Bruno and Lex Luthor.

Meanwhile Natalie Irons (Tayler Buck) is set to go out to dinner with Matteo Mannheim’s (Spence Moore II) parents, Peia and Bruno. She fusses over his outfit and they all go to the restaurant. Bruno asks if Natalie made the trek from Smallville. He can’t say that he hasn’t been to Smallville much, but it’s been on his radar lately. Peia has a coughing fit and Bruno tries to end the dinner and take her home but she wants to stay and be there with all of them, she wants to get to know Natalie better. After that, the dinner is seemingly going well as Matteo’s mother tells stories about his upbringing and brings laughs to the table, but when John Henry shows up, it’s a different story.

While this is happening their son Jonathan Kent (Michael Bishop) is on the job getting some experience at a local fire when Superboy shows up to help put out the fire. Jon sees him fly in and heads to the side of the building where he finds his brother Jordan (Alex Garfin) and a victim of the fire who suffered from extreme smoke inhalation. Jon is obviously upset he might lose his job so he confronts his brother about it. Although Jordan wanted to help, they didn’t need it. Jordan spits out a fiery statement, telling his brother while he has heat vision Jon’s training includes delivering coffees.

Across town Lana Lang Cushing (Emmanuelle Chriqui) gets a notification about a concert. She and her ex-husband Kyle were supposed to go to together to see The Cure. Lana is clearly a bit upset that her daughter Sarah (Inde Navarrette) would turn down spending time with her mom but she persists and asks around to a few people. Feeling defeated, Lana runs into Sam at the diner and she tells him about her troubles. Jordan talks to Sarah and tells her it’s not just about the music — she should spend time with her mom. At the end of the episode, Sarah and Lana are dancing in their living room listening to The Cure.

When Bruno finds out that John Henry is Natalie’s father and they come face to face, the whole restaurant’s atmosphere changes. Peia pleads with Bruno, telling him not to do this but he ominously wraps a napkin around his fist. Bruno punches him multiple times in the face anyway. Matteo and Natalie find the aftermath of the fight in the alley. Just then Peia has another coughing fit and collapses. Superman arrives and agrees to take Brno’s wife to get help. Before anything else can happen, John Henry bolts off with Natalie. When they get home, he tells Natalie she can’t see Matteo anymore, despite him also not knowing what was going on. He confiscates her phone and leaves her completely distraught. She pushes her dad off of her in a heated exchange before storming off and out of the room.

The episode ends with Peia strapped to a chair in a lab. Irons and Superman are watching her be treated and they wonder what’s going to happen in the future. The revelation that Lex may be innocent will no doubt play a big role in the final part of the season.

Overall Superman & Lois (2023): S3E08 – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

As this season has been going on Mannheim and Peia have become very sympathetic characters. It got to the point where you could forget that the two are mass murderers. This episode changed that.

The two are still layered characters, but their actions don’t change who they are at their core. Clark, Chrissy, and Lois dig deeper into Bruno’s background and continue to chase the story, adding drama. Superman is compassionate and not in the game to beat up the bad guys, and the sub-plot with Jordan and Jonathan was great. Kyle investigates the Kent family, Matteo and Nat have Romeo and Juliet vibes, Lana and Sam bond over The Cure, and “Lovesong” has different meanings for different characters.

Overall: This episode moves several plots forward but very slowly. We get a little of Superman in his suit doing superhero stuff but it’s almost an afterthought. The moral dilemmas set up in this episode are compelling but it’s still slow. All the actors are putting in good performances. Actor-turned-director Gregory Smith does a decent job. The action isn’t spectacular, but the sense of danger is palpable as Manheim orders the other patrons, all of whom are his henchmen to jump and beat John Henry. Superman makes a cameo on his own show. It’s a good episode but not great.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

What did you think of Superman & Lois: Season 3 Episode 8 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”?