My Adventures With Superman (HBO Max / Adult Swim)

Yeah, the show has lost some of the magic for me.

The stuff where Lois is afraid of Cat learning the secret is ineptly written and shoddy as hell. Worse, the only reason she and Clark are on the verge of breaking up is because leads in romcoms are SUPPOSED to periodically break up. There is no good legitimate story reason for it.

The stuff with Hank Henshaw feels sloppy too, because it feels like the wrong time and place for it. Read the room, dude.

Supergirl being Brainiac's puppet is kind of interesting, but I come to this show for the 'shipping, and it's doing me dirty. Not happy this week. 2 stars.

A gem.

The twist cliffhanger ending was both shocking and super funny. Tons of drama and pathos in the episode too.

I am about to say something crazy: I think Michael Emerson is a better Brainiac than Corey Burton. Crazytalk, I know, but his take is just amazing. As far as the character itself goes, I will STILL give the DCAU version the edge, because he has a face. But Emerson infuses Brainiac with so much emotion and menace, even without one.

The thing I love about this Clark is that he freaks out and flips out like an actual person. I loved his essentially throwing a tantrum at the beginning.

The season was starting to lose focus, but this turned things around. I don't expect the next episode to resolve the cliffhanger, but it will probably show exactly what happened with Lois and Jimmy to lead up to it. Can't wait. *****.

I love this episode. Mallah and Brain continue to be a VERY positive LGBT representation. It's especially refreshing to see the show do this because in the comics their romance was played as a sick joke and as a sign of their deviancy. I'm pretty sure I mention a LOT that I don't like superhero comics. Shit like that is why.

Livewire and Heatwave are also a positive representation, because the argument is that true love transcends heroes and villains. The passions are the things that make the fighting for whatever side you are on worthwhile. That is a great moral.

I think less than nothing about Wilson, because a smarter Deathstroke than him would have been cunning enough to be able to properly read the fucking room. I get no joy in seeing Lex Luthor get on top of him if it's solely because he's an idiot. We demand a better Deathstroke!

The one thing I will criticize the episode for is Lois' whole "Kara's bad, m'kay?" toddler moral. Not matter what age group a given show is aimed at, if it stars superheroes, it will routinely have morals and lessons best learned on preschool shows. I am not sure why this is so. What I will suggest is its prevalence may be a large part of the reason the general public does not take superheroes seriously. Genre fans love to brag about finicky they are, and how high their standards are. Regarding this particular thing, I think the general public reacting to superheroes as baby stuff actually has a point whether you can admit it not. Of course, I DO hate Superhero Comics, so when I watch cartoons, movies and TV shows based on them, I have MUCH more in common with general audiences with a basic ignorance of the material than I do hardcore fans. It's also why I probably judge most superhero stuff much harsher than fans do. It is amazing to me the amount of shoddy writing and characterization superhero comic book fans let slide and it sure as fuck is not something I ever would. I love this show. But why does it HAVE to have toddler morals? Why does every superhero show have to have them? You want the material to be taken seriously, don't add a bunch of blood, swearing, and nudity. Actually deal with complex themes and sophisticated storylines that appeal to adults. That's what the Sandman show is currently doing and I wish all superhero projects were as invested in finding their own voice and identity instead of settling for their "take" on material we've seen a hundred times before. I loved this episode and I love this show. But I love it less than I would have it is didn't always frustratingly engage in worn-out cliched story tropes. And maybe my disappointment about that is because I actually believe the show is otherwise great enough that is doesn't NEED that. It DOES have its own voice and identity. The show's boldness and individuality always take a big hit every time they indulge the dumb cliches. My suggestion is for them to stop doing that. But nobody listens to me, and honestly, that's probably a good thing.

The drama and pathos with the romances, and Lois' guilt and regret over Clark are just dynamite. I just love this episode. 4 1/2 stars.

Too heavy.

I'm not gonna deny it's good drama. I won't even deny it's EARNED drama. But it's wrong for this iteration of the show, and why the second season is failing the promise of a lighter themed Superman show we had fallen in love with.

It's not bad. On the contrary. It's pretty good. But it's not why I wound up loving this show, and I think the creators have totally forgotten that. I mean, the main three have spent the past few episodes split up. Their friendship is the selling point of the show, and it's turned into something else entirely. Good quality or not, that is not a good thing.

Still, props for casting Michael Emerson as Brainiac. I won't deny he's a highlight either. 3 1/2 stars.

That was great! It's a little darker than I prefer, but it was just as empowering as it should be.

Exciting, filled with pathos, and Michael Emerson destroying everything! This show at its best!

Love conquers all! Always! 5 stars.

That was awesome.

If I were Michael Emerson, I'd be putting this on my Emmy reel. Fantastic performance as Brainiac. He has truly outdone Corey Burton.

Power of love for the save! Aww!

I hope the sun proximity doesn't prove fatal for Clark and Kara. I loved All-Star Superman but I don't want Season 3 to be about it.

Lot of junk science in the episode, like people being able to dodge AI guided lasers. Or wind and sound in space. It annoyed me a little.

Lex Luthor showing his true colors. I like that for her part Amanda Waller is now a fugitive from the law. Serves her right, whether she saw the light at the end or not.

I loved it but I think I would appreciate it if Season 3 were smaller scale. Lot of big earned drama and pathos here, but I miss how goofball and fun the show used to be. Let's get back to that next year. 5 stars.