Episodes 19 Review
"Jimmy and Kara race back to Metropolis to stop Brainiac's invasion of Earth; Lois tries to free Clark from Brainiac's control, only to lose herself in an alternate reality where Superman never left Krypton. " The ninth episode of season two "Superman!" is an edge-of-your-seat race against time with many, many shockers, sighs of relief, and gasps throughout as a final reckoning transpires above Metropolis that will decide the fate of the planet!
Lois Lane finds herself in a limited simulation of Krypton with no memory but the amnesia is thankfully resolved very quickly once she runs into Kal-El but then finds herself in a Groundhog Day situation as the Jor-El and Lara sims can only reset it to when Lois arrives and they can't actually erase her. What unfolds is a somewhat humorous montage of Lois trying to outsmart Jor-El and Lara while making Kal-El remember who he is. Once Superman's back with Lois making an admission of making mistakes and professing her love, the shocker is Lois clocking Jor-El several feet anime battle style. Of course in Superman's head, Lois is the strongest person he knows. Kudos for getting through the rescue in the simulation in less than an episode but not making it feel too rushed but just enough to keep up with the pacing of the battles in Metropolis. Two nice bonuses were a cameo of a baby Sun Eater and the speaking debut of Lara, voiced by Rhea Seehorn.
Similarly to the big battle at the end of season one, a Flamebird livestream works in favor of our stars. Two innocent journalists being arrested by the military live is enough to inspire Perry, Vicki, and Steve to concoct a jail break. And a lot like Livewire's words of wisdom when it comes to love, Kara hears what she needs to about choosing to be a hero from... Steve Lombard. And also like last season's end, Task Force X is bamboozled. Brainiac utterly defeats them in seconds. Flicks Slade, Damage, and Atomic Skull aside without much effort. Destroys a ton of Metallo robots with ease. Then hacks the rest of the Metallos into being his drones. Waller's faith in Luthor is yesterday's news and got a feeling Checkmate's confidence in Waller being a capable leader are equally plummeting. Brainiac, alone, proves a Task Force X needs to exist but not so narrowly focused on living Kryptonians so it doesn't look like they will be dissolved but probably reformed. Combining Task Force X and Human Defense Corps into A.R.G.U.S. maybe. Perhaps Sam Lane will be reinstalled. Or someone new will be brought in like Sarge Steel. Maybe Team Seven from the canon tie-in comic will get another shot. It'll be interesting to see what happens when the smoke clears.
Thankfully, Superbrainiac is a short-lived horrorfest. Not enough to make Superman's reputation flatline and for people to be scared of him. The fight between him and Kara was nothing to write to home about and really is more about building up to the moment of Superman's grand return than being an awe inspiring slugfest. The important take away is Kara making the choice to be a hero for herself, not for anyone else. But despite the return of Superman, in a new costume, and Kara's stand, Brainiac refuses to give up and prepares to destroy the planet. The hacked Metallos take out Superman and Kara. Task Force X is left looking like pushovers. The big honkin' cannon is powered up. Which wild card is going to ruin the next blast? The Brain and Mallah who had to portal away early on this week? They made a pair of arms for the ship, might they have other upgrades? Sam Lane, who fled to lay low earlier this season and has a cache of tech? All the people who got powers from being exposed to Kryptonian tech by Task Force X? John Henry Irons? It feels like an all hands on deck of "the city" coming to Superman's aid is on the horizon yet again.
Naturally, it made sense for there to be callbacks from this current season like the heist in "Olsen's Eleven" or the memory of Lois and Clark in the Stryker's secret elevator shaft in "Adventures with My Girlfriend" but the nice deep cuts were Kal-El still on some level remembering Lois loved cake which came up last season during the gala at Ivo Tower in "Let's Go to Ivo Tower, You Say" or Lois pointing out she came up with the name "Superman" which was back in the series premiere "Adventures of a Normal Man Part One" or the memory of the big kiss and Jimmy alluding to the events of "Zero Day Part Two" telling Kara they beat the impossible before. Couldn't go wrong with Steve invoking "wolf pack" either. One blink-or-miss easter egg was in Steve's van, one of the papers posted up for a Jump City Community College – Jump City, of course, being the setting for the early 2000s era Teen Titans animated series.
"Superman!" is a fast paced roller coaster ride that might seem to be too rushed by some (Superbrainiac is hardly utilized to wreck havoc on Earth, Lois' plight in the Krypton sim is resolved too quickly) or others will feel it's just the right speed to get fans hyped for the big finish in the season finale. Either way, not a bad cliffhanger. Task Force X has nothing left. The two aliens with powers are down for the count. Brainiac is ready to make sure third time's the charm. The final moments of the episode seem like all is lost but hey remember, the show's been renewed for another season so something's about to happen that's keeps Earth around. The thrill ride concludes in one week.
DCAU Resource's rating: 9.7/10