Superman & Lois (TV Series)

Fail Safe (2021)

Tyler Hoechlin: Clark Kent, Superman

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Quotes 

• Clark Kent : The people of this world deserve the means to defend themselves from the one thing I can't save them from: me.

  Lois Lane : If weapons like that exist, then the wrong people will get their hands on them, and then what do we do?

• Superman : What happened to the Eradicator? You had it right before the blast. What did you do with it? Where is it? Tal! Where is Leslie Larr?

  Tal-Rho : How could I know? I can't see beyond these lead-lined walls... and all I hear is what's in my mind.

  Superman : There may still be time for her.

  Tal-Rho : It's too late. Leslie Larr replaced Irma Sayres a long time ago.

  Superman : And you feel nothing for what you've done?

  Tal-Rho : I feel more than you could possibly imagine. But my concern isn't for the souls of this planet. It's for those that need to be resurrected, my own, even your soul, Kal. How wrong I was.

  Superman : You were, and so was your father. We found this at your fortress.

  Tal-Rho : Go ahead. Rid me of my father's influence as I rid you of yours.

  Superman : [choosing not to]  This crystal will never be used again. You don't wanna tell me where Larr is, fine. I'll find her and bring her here. After that, you and I will never see each other again.

• Jonathan Kent : So, you really built this thing from scratch, huh? Pretty amazing.

  John Henry Irons : You're a gear head?

  Jonathan Kent : I don't know what I am. Always been an athlete, you know, so...

  John Henry Irons : Me, too. You know, you can be more than one thing.

  A.I. Device : Perhaps you could tell Jonathan a tale from your own upbringing.

  John Henry Irons : Would you please just shut down?

  Clark Kent : [coming in]  Jonathan? Why aren't you in school?

• Superman : One last time, where's the Eradicator?

  Tal-Rho : I told you it's of no use to you.

  Superman : If you don't wanna tell me, fine. We have everything else, including Leslie. She's locked up now, same as you. Stopped her before she could break you out. I don't know what the plan was, but it wasn't a good one.

  Tal-Rho : It's called loyalty, something you know nothing about.

  Superman : I am loyal to the people of this world who accepted me.

  Tal-Rho : [laughing in amusement]  Accepted you? They fear you. They always will, and they should.

  Superman : You're wrong.

  Tal-Rho : You should be a god, but you became a slave to them. Don't you ever wonder who you might've been if you hadn't landed here, been raised by simple farmers?

  Superman : I'd be nothing like you.

  Tal-Rho : We both know that's not true. You fight against your real nature every day.

  Superman : You don't know me.

  Tal-Rho : I know the power surging through you. I know how every moment you make a choice to hold yourself back, because that's the only way we can walk amongst humans without killing them, isn't it? It's all about control. But didn't it feel good to lose it just once?

  Superman : Goodbye, Tal.

  Tal-Rho : [he turns to leave]  I can see it in your eyes, brother. You felt it. YOU ARE JUST LIKE ME!

• Lois Lane : Do you know what it was like when my dad gave John Henry Irons the go-ahead to fire the missile?

  Clark Kent : I'm sorry.

  Lois Lane : Then why risk it happening again?

  Clark Kent : I told you because it's...

  Lois Lane : Because it's the right thing to do. What does that even mean anymore, Clark? I lied to Chrissy today to protect our family. I broke my sacred role as a journalist.

  Clark Kent : We both play fast and loose with journalistic integrity from time to time.

  Lois Lane : When it comes to keeping your secret, not the stories we investigate.

  Clark Kent : Yeah, but Edge is my brother. He's Kryptonian. This story is different.

  Lois Lane : Why should I be okay with the military having the secret code to kill my husband, given the countless psychos who want you dead? It just feels like a really bad idea.

  Clark Kent : Lois, will you please...

  Lois Lane : No!

  Clark Kent : ...just listen?

  Lois Lane : There's nothing you can say that I wanna hear, and now I'm angry, and I feel sorry for yelling at you, but I also have to stay angry so that I can scare the hell out of Jordan. So why don't you just stay here, and let's just both take a moment to think, and then we can talk about this later after I bail our son out of jail.

• Lois Lane : Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You can't just skip school. I don't care if you're mooning over Sarah Cushing or coming home to build robots with John Henry.

  Jordan Kent : Mooning?

  Jonathan Kent : It's a war suit.

  Clark Kent : Look, guys, you've been through a lot. You wanna blow off some steam, I get it. But there are rules, and you do not disrespect your teachers by ignoring the work they put into your classes.

  Jonathan Kent : We're sorry.

  Jordan Kent : Really sorry.

  Clark Kent : You want to try saying that a little more convincingly, please?

  Jonathan Kent : I'm sorry.

  Jordan Kent : I'm sorry.

  Clark Kent : Thank you.

• Lois Lane : Clark, you are wrong.

  Clark Kent : Lois, we have to have a plan.

  Lois Lane : Why? Because your mind is corruptible? We have proof now. Your heart is stronger than your mind.

  Clark Kent : No, you don't understand.

  Lois Lane : Clark, I'm all about backup plans, but this one comes with major risks, and for a reason you've proven isn't a threat.

  Clark Kent : That's not entirely true.

  Lois Lane : What are you talking about?

  Clark Kent : My dad taught me control. I have been controlling my powers every second of every day for almost 40 years, but when Zod took over, for the first time, I felt what it was like to let go. To really let go.

  Lois Lane : Clark, those were Zod's emotions, not yours.

  Clark Kent : I know, but I felt it. It was me. And I'm not saying I want this to be true. I wish it wasn't... but it felt good. It felt really, really good, and that feeling worries me. If there is even the slightest chance that I could be manipulated again with that desire to let go... the world needs a way to stop me.

  Lois Lane : I don't think that will ever happen.

  Clark Kent : Lois...

  Lois Lane : But... on the off chance I'm wrong, and if this will make you feel better, then fine. Let's have a fail-safe, but there is no way in hell I'm trusting the DOD with this.

  Clark Kent : Then we just have to find someone we can.

• Clark Kent : Jon, it's not like you to break the rules.

  Jonathan Kent : I know, I know, but there's this girl, and she's a junior And, I don't know. I thought... I thought she was out of my league, you know?

  Clark Kent : You skipped class to impress a girl?

  Jonathan Kent : Well, that's the thing. She just wanted to talk about what happened, like, Edge, powers, Grampa...

  Clark Kent : And?

  Jonathan Kent : I mean, I didn't say anything.

  Lois Lane : [coming in]  We need to talk.

  Clark Kent : Yeah, we do. Jon skipped class.

  Lois Lane : What? Go upstairs. I will deal with you later.

  [Jon leaves] 

  Lois Lane : We can talk about him after we talk about what I wanna talk about. You told my dad to keep 7734?

  Clark Kent : I did, I did. I should have talked to you first.

  Lois Lane : [sensing that he's eavesdropping]  Jonathan, upstairs.

• Clark Kent : I spoke with your grandfather. The DOD's gonna stick around town a little longer than they planned.

  Jonathan Kent : Until you guys find Leslie Larr or...

  Clark Kent : That, and they're shutting down the mines.

  Jordan Kent : Why?

  Lois Lane : Gonna get all the X-Kryptonite out so no one else gets hurt.

  Jordan Kent : So no one else gets powers, you mean.

  Lois Lane : Also true.

  Jonathan Kent : And then-then what? And then we're just supposed to go back to school and pretend like none of this ever happened?

  Lois Lane : Principal Balcomb's holding an all-school assembly today. She'll talk to everyone about it, answer any questions she can.

  Jordan Kent : Maybe we should just stay home.

  Clark Kent : Yeah, nice try.

  Lois Lane : As far as everyone is concerned, Edge was experimenting with people, giving them powers, mind control. I discovered what he was up to with the help of your grandfather, who had help from Superman, we stopped him. Copy?

  Jonathan Kent : Yeah, don't worry, Mom. We're getting pretty good at cover stories, so...

• Clark Kent : Home-cooked meal?

  John Henry Irons : Oh, uh... room and board, huh?

  Clark Kent : Hey, you saved my life. You saved the world. As far as we're concerned, you eat free here the rest of your life.

• Lois Lane : Chrissy keeps texting, wondering when I'm coming in. I gotta go.

  Clark Kent : You want a to-go plate?

  Lois Lane : Our guest is probably hungry.

• Clark Kent : What's this?

  John Henry Irons : My, uh, Kryptonian tracking system. I enhanced the range to help with our search for Larr. Might get lucky.

  Clark Kent : Is that how you found me?

  John Henry Irons : More or less.

  Clark Kent : You know, with your skills, Sam could really use someone like you at the DOD. I could talk to him if you want.

  John Henry Irons : I don't think so. Look, Clark, I appreciate you opening your home to me, but once we find Leslie, I think I'm just gonna move on. Figure out now that I'm on this planet, I oughta make it my home.

  Clark Kent : It may not seem like it, but, uh, I know what you mean. Enjoy the food.

  A.I. Device : [at the same time Clark hears something]  Detecting a Kryptonian air mobile.

  John Henry Irons : Where?

  Clark Kent : She's headed for the DOD.

  John Henry Irons : [as Clark whooshes away]  Prepare the suit.

  A.I. Device : Synching with all functions now.

• General Sam Lane : It's over, but we have loose ends to tie up.

  John Henry Irons : We got Edge and Larr.

  Superman : I think it's safe to say we can finally move on.

  John Henry Irons : [Sam tosses his dog tag to him]  7734.

  General Sam Lane : I had those weapons built for the wrong reasons.

  Superman : What are you saying?

  General Sam Lane : I was wrong to think you could be a threat to the world. I'm gonna take that kryptonite and those weapons, bury them in concrete, and sink 'em to the bottom of the ocean.

  Superman : What about Edge? Larr?

  General Sam Lane : We'll keep enough to guard them appropriately, but there will no longer be enough to supply an army.

  Superman : I don't know what to say, Sam.

  General Sam Lane : Eh, you don't have to say anything. Just know you, Lois, the boys, you don't have to worry anymore.

• General Sam Lane : We've got about two dozen rifles and handguns, a few thousand kryptonite bullets, give or take, in addition to a substantial collection: knives, swords, spears.

  Superman : What about the prototypes in the R&D lab, the biochemical weapons?

  General Sam Lane : Maybe five or so in varying stages of development.

  Superman : And how much raw kryptonite do you have in your stockpile?

  General Sam Lane : A couple warehouses' worth. Why all the questions? It's all gonna be gone anyway.

  Superman : I think it's a mistake.

  General Sam Lane : What?

  Superman : We need 7734. That's why you authorized it in the first place.

  General Sam Lane : And then I saw how it hurt my family. These weapons can kill you.

  Superman : Yeah, that's why we need 'em.

  General Sam Lane : Clark, you're not the enemy.

  Superman : Yeah, but I could have been. Look, Sam, people like me, without these weapons, we're indestructible, and if something like this should happen again without a plan in place, without a fail-safe... that would be the end.

• Leslie Larr : You haven't won, Kal.

  Superman : [Irons blasts her backward]  Nice shot.

  John Henry Irons : [fist bumping]  Thanks.

• Superman : [after Edge escapes from the DOD]  He's gone.

  General Sam Lane : Then where the hell did he go?

• Clark Kent : Now, things are finally calming down, so when you're done being grounded, you guys can go back to being normal teenagers, and believe me, small towns are actually a lot of fun.

  Lois Lane : All right, go to bed. Now.

  Clark Kent : [the boys leave]  What?

  Lois Lane : "Small towns are a lot of fun."

  Clark Kent : I was just trying to give them something to look forward to.

  Lois Lane : Sounds vaguely provocative.

  Clark Kent : Oh, does it? And you're still not sold on the small towns?

  Lois Lane : I'm sold on my small-town guy.

  Clark Kent : Hmm. I can live with that.

• John Henry Irons : You wanna run that by me again?

  Clark Kent : I know it's a lot to ask.

  John Henry Irons : You want me and only me to have the capability to kill you?

  Clark Kent : Should it become necessary, yes.

  John Henry Irons : But I know who you are now.

  Clark Kent : I know, but this is about situations we can't predict, and you've seen firsthand the devastation I can cause this world.

  John Henry Irons : I'm trying to move on. Remember, now that killing you isn't my singular purpose in life...

  Clark Kent : And it shouldn't be. John, I have no doubt you'll find your way in this world, but I believe you can do that and be 7734's gatekeeper. You came here to protect this world from me, that's what I'm asking you to do.

  John Henry Irons : I'll call Sam.

• Lois Lane : After everything we've been through...

  Clark Kent : I know. I know.

  Lois Lane : Why?

  Clark Kent : Because it's the right thing to do.

  Lois Lane : This isn't about Edge, is it? This is about you.

  Clark Kent : Lois, I almost killed John Irons.

  Lois Lane : But you didn't.

  Clark Kent : Yeah, but what if I had? I mean, who would have been next? Look, I swore to protect the people of this planet. So far, I've done a decent job, but what if I was to be tricked or corrupted?

  Lois Lane : That will never happen.

  Clark Kent : Except that it just did.

• Lois Lane : [learning Jordan got arrested]  Not enough to skip school. This one has to go get arrested.

  Clark Kent : If they're both acting out, we'll give them a punishment.

  Lois Lane : I'll drive.

  Clark Kent : Lois, about the other thing?

  Lois Lane : What? I'm right. You're wrong.