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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
The stakes have never been higher than they are in My Adventures with Superman‘s latest episode, titled “The Death of Clark Kent”. Written by Angela Entzminger and directed by Kiki Manrique, “The Death of Clark Kent” takes us deep into Clark Kent’s (voiced by Jack Quaid) mind as Lois Lane (voiced by Alice Lee), Jimmy Olsen (voiced by Ishmel Sahid), and Kara Zor-El (voiced by Kiana Madeira) mount a rescue mission. The episode is a great balance of character arcs and plot developments.
The Inner Machinations of the Mind
Following Clark’s capture by Brainiac (voiced by Michael Emerson) two episodes back, Brainiac uses the Black Mercy to explore Clark’s mind. The episode is a loose adaptation of the classic Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Superman story, “For the Man Who Has Everything”. However, instead of giving Clark his wildest dreams, Brainiac uses it to understand what makes Clark tick. And then the supervillain uses this information to break him down.
It is here that we see a culmination of Clark’s competing emotional journeys this season. He is torn between his desire to do good fueled by love and his insecurities that Earth, more specifically Jimmy and Lois, will never fully accept him. Brainiac expertly manipulates Clark, giving him a challenge he cannot fight his way out of… or even talk his way out of. All of this is sold by Jack Quaid’s brilliant voice performance through the desperation that Clark feels. Emerson also is great as the voice of Brainiac. He comes across as very maniacal and cold but also caring in his own twisted way.
Throughout this journey, there are some great fights between Clark and his memories of old supervillains like Livewire and Parasite. It gives the emotional journey some weight and helps break up the dialogue-heavy sequences.
Prison Break
While Clark undergoes torture, his friends organize a rescue mission to save him from Braniac’s clutches. These sequences are still very intense but do provide some much-needed comedic relief. Jimmy and Kara are awkward but incredibly cute. Lois making fun of Jimmy over his crush on Kara is a great bit. While they are not in it as much, Monsieur Mallah (voiced by André Sogliuzzo) and The Brain (voiced by Jesse Inocalla) also give some great comedic moments.
Speaking of Kara, once again she is one of the best parts of the show. Kiana Madeira delivers a spellbinding voice performance as her character comes to terms with her upbringing. The heartbreak and anguish in her voice are captivating. On the other side, her lighter moments with Jimmy are adorable. Yet, the highlight of her episode is her fight with Brainiac. It is extremely satisfying to watch in terms of just action as well as the emotional weight behind it.
Clark and Kara’s parallel journeys of questioning their Kryptonian origins truly come to a head in this episode. Clark is seemingly more open to embracing it thanks to Braniac’s manipulations and Kara rejecting it for those same reasons. While this episode only gives a brief taste of where they will ultimately end up, it promises to be a thrilling experience over the remainder of the season.
Final Thoughts on My Adventures with Superman Season 2 Episode 8
This weekend’s episode of My Adventures with Superman gives some great insight into Clark’s mindset, develops some key relationships, and sets up the season to move into the third act. Overall, it is one of the better episodes of the show!
Score 4.5/5
My Adventures with Superman Season 2 airs on Sundays at midnight via Adult Swim and the next day on Max!
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.