“What I think is so cool is….when Todd [Hellbing, Superman & Lois showrunner] was creating the show, he always, always was adamant about how this is a show about superheroes, but them living in a very ordinary existence,” Chriqui says. “He wanted to merge the two together. [And] that’s what they do. They have this amazing way of just bringing up these super normal circumstances and how we would deal with them.”
The collapse of the Cushings’ marriage is but one moving piece in a larger hour, but even with limited screen time to work with, the show still presents Lana’s concerns, as well as the difficulty in untangling yourself emotionally from a person you’ve been with for most of your life, with genuine care.
“They end things, but not for a lack of love. It’s very evident that they love each other,” Chriqui says. “And of course, my heart breaks because I love working with Eric Valdez so much. But their relationship is fractured right now, so there needs to be some healing. I was actually really, really glad that was the decision that she came to because I just feel like that’s what’s real.”
Chriqui also applauds Lana’s ability to “take the initiative to do what’s best for her” during what is clearly a horrible situation.
“Whether this is a timeout, whether this is just a separation, whether it’s longer, Lana is finally just saying what she needs. It is so hard to ask for what you need, just in life. But she feels empowered enough to be like, ‘no, I need this.’ I think that provokes growth, obviously, for everybody involved.”
Thankfully, Lana has a hero in her corner—and no, I don’t mean the Man of Steel. Just regular Clark Kent, neighborhood all-around great guy, who is a solid, reassuring presence for his former childhood sweetheart when she most needs a sympathetic ear. But, unlike most CW dramas, which often view love triangles as narrative necessities for survival, Superman & Lois never even hints at the idea that there might be anything other than friendship between them.