My Adventures with Supergirl
Here we are at the season two finale! How will Superman and Supergirl defeat Brainiac and an army of Metallos? With the power of friendship!
No time for credits
This episode is packed to the gills. We’ve got no time for opening or closing credits. Instead we are given a quick glimpse at the logo and at the end the episode keeps going over the credits. The Max app even minimized the video at the top of my screen to give me related shows to watch next; even though the episode was still going!
Superman wins with a hug not a punch
The episode starts with the good guys near defeat. Superman and Supergirl are grounded and feeling the effects of Kryptonite. Waller and Luthor are surrounded by Metallos. Henshaw flies a group of jets towards Kandor but are shot down. Lois, Jimmy, and Lombard are on the run. Then the tide turns.
First it’s Steel who takes out some Metallos to save Lois, Jimmy, and Lombard. Then it’s basically every villain Superman fought in season one. Livewire, Heatwave, Silver Banshee, Mist, and Rough House all show up to take down Metallos and save Superman and Supergirl. Then finally, General Lane shoots down some Metallos to rescue Waller.
Of course it makes sense that Steel shows up as a hero because he has always been that, but it shows that Superman’s approach of helping paid off. He didn’t want to hurt Livewire. He tried to help save Silver Banshee from Task Force X. He didn’t make them his enemies. So now when he needs their help for the good of the world, they are here. I loved this. Perfect Superman stuff.
Brainiac again takes control of Kara and makes her fight Superman. But Superman doesn’t win by punching her harder. She’s just as strong as he is. No, he wins by embracing her as family. It was such a great shot of his fist going towards her, but ending in a hug. Then Lois and Jimmy join in and Kara is saved. Again, perfect Superman stuff. Lois and Jimmy were just as important to this finale’s victory as they were last season.
The team up of Superman and Supergirl pushes Kandor out of Earth’s atmosphere into the sun while the triumphant theme song plays.
Brainiac destroyed Krypton
When Brainiac is gloating over Superman and Supergirl thinking he has won he reveals that it was him that destroyed Krypton. Because the Kryptonians wanted peace and Brainiac was made for war. I think this is a mistake on the part of the show. You want to make this really personal for Clark and Kara. It makes Brainiac so much more diabolical and evil. But it takes away a critical Superman metaphor. The planet was doomed, their greatest scientist knew about it, and the people didn’t believe him. This bit of the origin is such a perfect reflection of our world and what may happen that it’s a mistake to change it. Every time they try to make some villain responsible for blowing the planet up it misses that crucial element. The only black mark on a fantastic episode.
Couple more easter egg/references
Henshaw’s attack on Kandor was very reminiscent of the military attack on Black Zero in Man of Steel. Speaking of Black Zero, Brainiac uses the “Black Zero Protocol” to infect his ship with Kryptonite as a last ditch effort to kill Kara and Clark. He also calls his take over of Supergirl the “Eradicator Override”. Black Zero and Eradicator seem to get used for all sorts of things across media. They are both great names and vague enough to be used for anything.
Kryptonians in the sun
The Black Zero Protocol isn’t going to do much against Clark and Kara because they are in the sun. Everyone knows that’s where Kryptonians are their strongest. The two of them then fly together to destroy Kandor and Brainiac once and for all. Kara gets the last fight with Brainiac reducing him to his “mainframe”. Basically a fancy external hard drive.
Soup on the roof
Kara wakes up after the battle (with a new mark under her eye) in bed in Smallville. Brainiac sitting defeated on the nightstand. Lois and Jimmy are there (asleep) with a welcome to Earth basket. Clark, Ma, and Pa walk in. She’s overwhelmed with affection for the first time in her life.
Clark brings her to play catch. A Kent family tradition. Calling back to his memory where she saw weakness. Show me your earth catch and then I will master it and then I will win!
While the credits roll Clark, Jimmy, and Lois read their story about the invasion. Lois tells Clark that she isn’t taking the Gotham job. Our new main four have some soup on the roof before flying out to save the day once again!
I can’t wait to see where we go for season three! From the first announcement images I knew I would enjoy this show. Superman is for everyone and this show was a great example of that!
July 27, 2024
MAWS
The Death of Clark Kent and Pierce the Heavens, Superman!
I was traveling last week so I missed posting about the latest episode! Humblest of apologies. This week I’ll cover both new entries as we prepare for the final installment of season two.
Title References
No, we don’t have Conduit discovering Clark’s secret making him give up his secret identity like in the 1995 storyline The Death of Clark Kent. The original was from the height of 90s events trying to recapture that Death of Superman magic. We had Death, Return, Bizarro, Overpowered, Fall of Metropolis, Zero Hour, Dead Again, Death of Clark Kent, and many more.
Pierce the Heavens, Superman! References anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (literally translated as “Heaven-Piercing Gurren Lagann”). I’ve never watched it so I’m uncertain if the references go deeper than just title.
Superbrainiac
Brainiac’s plan is to take control of Clark’s body. He’s been using Kara to conquer worlds, but she’s becoming more and more difficult to control. Clark’s extra power makes him a more enticing host. Especially now that Brainiac says his body and Kandor are falling apart.
We open on Brainiac using Black Mercy to do exactly that. While giving us a killer villain monologue spelling out that evil plan.
Michael Emerson is awesome as Brainiac. When he says “Rejoice son of Jor-El” it sounds so evil. Inspired casting among an already excellent cast.
Black Mercy
This show hasn’t seen a piece of Superman lore it couldn’t turn into technology. This time it’s Kandor and the Black Mercy. Kandor is now a Man of Steel Black Zero style space station and Black Mercy is a headband that allows you to view memories. They hadn’t named it when Kara used it previously. I always love Kryptonians in headbands.
It wasn’t until the end of The Death of Clark Kent that the Black Mercy started acting Black Mercy like. Trapping Clark in a fantasy land with Jor-El and Lara. I loved Clark feeding the baby Sun Eater. Compassion for all is his biggest strength.
Like in the Supergirl episode of the same name we’ve got someone going into the Black Mercy to save our hero. When she first arrives in Clark’s mind, Lois doesn’t remember who she is. When she sees Clark for the first time her memory is restored. The Black Mercy can’t seem to remove her, instead resetting the simulation groundhog day style. This gives Lois the chance to figure out the solution and wake Clark up.
Lois is as strong as Clark from his perspective. So in Clark’s mind they both have Super Powers. The combined strength of Lois & Clark punches out of Brainiac’s prison and allows Clark to control his own body.
“Mortigi Kodon!”
Clip Show
A late in the series clip show episode could feel cheap, but I think it was well handled here. See Superboy season four. Brainiac is exploring Clark’s memories looking for weaknesses, but each of them features some differences. Despite Clark fighting back Brainiac does eventually find Lois and Jimmy. Brainiac surmises his compassion is his weakness. But Brainiac will learn it’s a strength.
I was so sure they would take the one surviving Metallo and put a person in him. But I guess not, it’s still just an army of robots. This time with some Kryptonite. Felt a bit pointless since Waller has robots. Brainiac has some Kryptonite armor anyway so they just end up causing problems with Clark and Kara.
It does seem a bit silly that Brainiac suddenly has this Kryptonite armor. I know it raises the stakes, but why not always use that? I thought his body and ship were falling apart, but now he’s got new armor?
Kara and Jimmy
They are adorable together. It reminds me of Lois & Clark from the first season, but unique and true to these two characters. I almost wish they didn’t have to fight bad guys so they could just be cute. They’ll just need to overcome the fact that Kara destroyed whole civilizations under Brainiac’s control.
New costumes
After Lois & Clark defeat the Black Mercy simulation Superman returns with a new costume in the red and blue. This time he’s got some serious shoulder pads. He doesn’t have Ma Kent around to give him new trunks though which is a bummer. I hope he gets those next week for the finale!
How will our heroes defeat Brainiac? He has control of the Metallos, he can’t be hurt by Kryptonite, Clark and Kara seem defeated. It looks bad! I can’t wait to tune in next week!
July 15, 2024
MAWS
Quick Thoughts on My Adventures with Superman #2
This week saw the release of issue two of the tie-in comic. In part of my endeavor to have something on the blog for every piece of the MAWS story here are some quick thoughts on the issue.
No Superman!
This issue—like this week’s episode—has no Superman in it! It has a similar story too. Our heroes need to break in to a secure facility for a rescue mission. Rather than stealing a spaceship to save Clark they want to save Amazo from this military group. We do get Clark at least, but it’s a funny scheduling coincidence that everything MAWS related this week was missing Superman!
Bloodsport, shot, stroke, death
It’s cool to see the universe expand with Bloodsport (although I always get the names Bloodsport, Deadshot, Bloodshot, and Deathstroke mixed up) and another secretive government group. Looks like Checkmate has these groups competing with each other to accomplish some nefarious goals.
I don’t understand why this robot is Amazo. It feels like we’ve already burned the Amazo name with Ivo and the Amazo-Tech company. Why would this robot be named Amazo after the company? Amazo also feels way more interesting than Ivo’s Parasite armor. Makes me wish they hadn’t used Ivo for Parasite and kept him open to use with Amazo here.
Spin off books like this have a fine needle to thread. Tell a decent story in the world but don’t affect the status quo. They can’t make any major changes to the characters or have major events, because it’ll never be reflected in the show. They need to leave the team on the show free to make the best creative decisions for the show without being beholden to a book most viewers of the show haven’t read. This book uses the introduction of Bloodsport and the Mt. Simonson Base to do that. All while tying it in with the Cadmus tech from season one and an attack by Deathstroke.
The issue ends with Clark Kent in custody! That’s a story beat that typically works for me. I like when Clark needs to rely on his wits and protect his secret identity all while getting out of a jam.
July 5, 2024
MAWS
Olsen’s Eleven
This episode takes place at the same time as last week’s. It was an interesting decision to do these episodes like this instead of cutting back and forth between the two main stories. Last week they wanted Kara’s story to breathe which meant no room for Lois and Jimmy. It means zero Superman this week and like last week there is no A plot and B plot. It’s all A plot.
Waller has declared martial law in Metropolis. Her Human Defense Corps is patrolling the streets with tanks and huge robots. She’s shutting down questions on television and branding Superman as the enemy. Doesn’t look like Clark is coming home to a warm welcome.
Olsen’s Millions
Lois has a plan to find Clark and make things right. Hire Livewire to steal a spaceship from S.T.A.R. Labs! Jimmy’s first offer to Livewire is a check made out to cash for $500K leaving him with $2,001,089. After the date with Kara he had $2,998,784 where did that other $500K go? Livewire is a shrewd negotiator and asks for some more zeros. Olsen’s net worth is now zero. He’s spent $5,497,386 over the course of basically six episodes.
When Lois and Jimmy show up to see Livewire, Heatwave is there too! I like the Rory/Leslie relationship. They are a great couple, but Captain Cold would be jealous.
Olsen doesn’t quite get a crew of eleven, but we do get a heist with the tropes. Rounding out his crew is returning guests Mallah and Brain. They traveled the multiverse, but it turns out every dimension has its own Mallah and Brain. So they are back to do brunch with Jimmy on the weekends. I wish our dimension had a Mallah and Brain.
We get the obligatory explanation of the plan. Back entrance, stolen finger prints, looped cameras, guard change overs. Classic. As happens in all good heist movies, it doesn’t go according to plan and Jimmy is left to do some social engineering to get them in. Let this be a lesson to everyone in security. Don’t trust anyone!
There’s always another way
Livewire’s plan B is to go in guns blazing and Lois’s plan is to start punching Kara with Kryptonite. Jimmy ain’t having it. They aren’t hurting anyone. Love hearing Jimmy drop Clark’s line. What a pal.
They may not have much of a chance though because Waller and Deathstroke are at S.T.A.R. Labs too. Luthor is working on Project M which is working to power the Metallo robots with Kryptonite. It’s strange that Waller is putting so much effort into more robots when they already have their Brainiac/Kryptonian robots patrolling the city streets. Seems like a way to just give the story Metallo instead of something that Waller actually needs.
During their heist Brain and Mallah separate to get components for their portal. Livewire zaps away leaving Lois and Jimmy alone. Livewire of course had an ulterior motive for breaking in, she wanted new weapons.
Being alone gives Lois and Jimmy more time to talk about Kara. Jimmy defends her saying that Clark has the two of them and Kara had no one. She’s not a lost cause. Love this and I look forward to them getting back together.
They find the ship, but it needs some work. Mallah and Brain show up and after some Millenium Falcon style shenanigans they launch the ship. Livewire and Heatwave arrive to clear out the rest of the Metallos. She was inspired by Lois fighting to get to Clark. Love is not for cowards. Does this mean Heatwave and Livewire know Clark’s identity now?
One Metallo survived and is now Lex’s top priority. Will it be getting a human operator?
Lois, Jimmy, Brain, and Mallah take their spaceship through a portal to find Clark and are stopped by Kara. Now we are at where we left off last week. Only three episodes left! Hopefully the wait isn’t too long for season three. It feels like an eternity since Superman & Lois ended.
July 1, 2024
MAWS
The Machine Who Would Be Empire
Okay, we are now in the back half of season two moving towards our finale. Rather than focus on our core trio this episode shifts to a very different trio: Brainiac, Kara, and Superman.
Kal-El No!
We start our episode with Clark waking up in space with Kara. Clearly he isn’t happy with being kidnapped, but he’s not getting back to Earth without some help. I think Kara is pretty funny here. The dynamic is a fun almost sibling back and forth, but of course with a galaxy domination back drop. Every time she says that his brain is bad gave me a chuckle. Especially because she is the one who is being mind controlled!
“Evil” Superpeople doesn’t particularly interest me. It’s been done over and over again, even with Kara. She was a Red Lantern, she was controlled by Darkseid. I know that just because something has been done before doesn’t mean that it can never be done again, it’s just never exciting for me. That said I like the Kara they’ve got here when she isn’t under Brainiac’s control. Especially the little Jimmy Olsen crush she’s got going on. I will say that if they ever bring in the Legion giving her a relationship with Brainiac 5 would be weird. Considering she thinks of Brainiac as her father.
Helmets!
I think the space scenes looks awesome. I’ve really dug the promotional art for this season and now we get to see it in all its glory.
I like how Clark didn’t think for a second he could be in space without a helmet. He’s Kryptonian! Obviously this varies from adaptation to adaptation. For toy reasons the animated series gave him a full space suit! Speaking of when are we getting MAWS toys?
Speaking of headgear, the headband Kara uses to show memories was a nice touch. Anytime we see Kryptonians with headbands I smile.
During their space snowball fight Clark finally acknowledges he gets more powerful when he someone he loves is in danger. This is the most Superman thing ever. Obviously it’s interesting to Brainiac who wants to control him, but I bet Kara will get it too. The snowball fight of it all reminded me of the Morrison take on Superman. He does the same things we do like playing catch with your dog, except with his dog he uses a full tree and throws it out into space.
Conquered Easter Eggs
Euphorix and H’lven are good deep cuts, but Thanagar is one more casual fans might recognize. I especially liked the hieroglyphic style portait on the wall on Thanagar showing Kara devastating the planet.
I’m not sure what Green Lantern Clark was fighting in Brainiac’s training room, but I’m certain that was a parademon. Lends credence to my theory that Apokolips is the one planet Krypton couldn’t conquer.
I am not a weapon!
Iron Giant reference? I’m here for it.
Brainiac may think Clark is weak and will be easy to control, but he’s going to have a big surprise when he’s defeated by Clark and Kara.
After Kara realizes what she’s done she calls him Clark for the first time. Maybe she’s been wrong about Krypton all along. Then Jimmy, Lois, Mallah, and the Brain show up in a spaceship. How much did this cost our Flamebird billionaire?
June 24, 2024
MAWS
