TV Review: ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Season 1, Episode 9 — A New, Yet Familiar Superman
by Frank Martin
There’s so much going on in My Adventures with Superman that it’s hard to encapsulate it all. In the beginning, it seemed as if the show was going to use a monster-of-the-week type format. And it did, for the most part. But each story subsequently built on the next until this two-parter blew it wide open. It’s become very clear that this origin story for Superman (Jack Quaid) is much different than what fans are used to. There’s still a lot that needs to be explained, but the plot behind the show is something new and original. At the same time, the series still deals with why Superman is such an inspirational hero at his core, which is a key to its success.
After Superman was abducted by Task Force X in the previous episode, Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid) and Lois (Alice Lee) continue searching for him. Meanwhile, he is shown why Task Force X was created in the first place. There was a brief alien invasion by Kryptonian forces on the day that he arrived. But Superman’s ignorance of his past has led the leader of the group to question Superman’s guilt. Meanwhile, Parasite breaks out of holding and goes insane, transforming into a giant monster that threatens Metropolis. Superman is freed in the process and takes Parasite on, but he’s only able to win after the people of Metropolis turn off their power, starving Parasite of energy.
A lot of stories that have the people of a city uniting around the hero can come off as cheesy and awkward; the climax of the first Spider-Man movie, when New Yorkers begin throwing things at Green Goblin, immediately comes to mind. However, it works surprisingly well here. Lois and Jimmy give an inspirational speech that shows why Superman is such a wholesome character. It really gives the people of Metropolis an opportunity to help him that doesn’t come off as corny. The whole episode works well to propel future story lines while also telling a powerful character arc in its own right.
My Adventures with Superman streams Fridays on Max.
