They Made Superman Cry! Not Cool!

My Adventures With Superman Ep 9 Review

Superman is, without a doubt, one of the strongest characters in fictional history. He’s capable of bench-pressing planets, traveling across the universe, fighting gods. When people create corrupted copies of him like Homelander, Omniman, or the Plutonian, they tend to be terrifying. Despite all of his power, though, Superman remains as human as anyone else. And like any human, he’s capable of being hurt emotionally. As Superman’s held captive by Task Force X, he almost gets emotionally broken.

It’s painful to watch in every sense.

Why the General Sucks at His Job

Last week, Task Force X managed to capture Superman thanks to him being exhausted from saving people non-stop, and the place they took him isn’t good. The first we see of him, he’s restrained in stocks and fitted with a shock collar that hurts him whenever he tries to move. So he’s forced to sit and listen as the General interrogates him about “the invasion” and what’s coming. Naturally, Superman doesn’t know what he’s talking about, so the General decides to reveal the truth in the worst possible way.

Twenty-two years ago, the General and Amanda Waller were the only survivors of an attempted invasion by what appeared to be Kryptonians, only for them to mysteriously stop, most likely with Krypton’s destruction. They’ve spent all that time studying their tech preparing for what they think will be a second invasion. In other words, they’re convinced Superman is the vanguard for something that may never happen.

The General (all but confirmed to be Lois’ father)…really sucks at his job, and this episode makes it apparent. If he stopped and considered the fact that Clark’s only twenty-three, he’d realize it’s impossible for him to be involved. He’s just a refugee trying to do the right thing, and they’re blaming him for everything. Worst of all, learning everything leaves poor Clark in tears. All he wanted to do was help, and now he thinks he’s a weapon meant to destroy. 

Good going, General. You made Superman cry. Not. Cool.

Lois and Jimmy are True Friends

During all of this, Lois and Jimmy are frantically trying to look for Clark, with Lois being especially heartbroken. The last time they spoke, she wasn’t there for him; she even doubted him thanks to the manipulations of Mr. Myx. So she, Jimmy, and the Newskid Legion are running around the city trying to find him, which they do. However, when they see him again, he’s absolutely broken. 

I applaud the show for handling Superman’s emotional issues in a mature manner like they do in this episode. The look on Superman’s face as he admits that he was sent to destroy everything is haunting. It’s looking into the face of someone who wants to die. And the last time I saw a fictional character look like that, it was just as heartbreaking. 

Thankfully, like with Luz, Superman has friends that make him see that all his haters are wrong. He’s not a weapon, and he’s not a monster. He’s a good person, and the world’s better with him in it. And together, they manage to convince Metropolis of this, as well.

I found this scene where Jimmy and Lois rally Metropolis to help Superman fight Parasite inspiring. Besides getting to help out a godlike character like Superman, Lois also makes good points in her speech. Humans are quick to judge things they don’t understand; it’s a part of us that helped us survive. However, it often comes at our detriment and leads to fear and hatred. Thankfully, not everyone’s like Waller or the General or Alex, and when given the chance, most people will do the right thing. 

Truly inspiring.

Waller Is Still too Stubborn to Listen

By the end of the episode, Superman does it again. He takes down Ivo and his Parasite armor (which grows to the size of a Kaiju), and saves Metropolis. Now all but his most stubborn haters will distrust him. And, this is just a nitpick, but I’m hoping that Vicki Vale gets fired since her report’s been proven incorrect. 

The problem is, the prisoner’s that Task Force X captured escaped during Ivo’s rampage. Worse, Amanda Waller, who’s too bullheaded to even see sense, is not only still out for Superman, but she’s now in charge of Task Force X. And she wants the General to take him out. If the General is Lois’ dad like everyone thinks, then he better get his head on straight soon.

This was such a good episode and it shows why Superman remains such a great hero. For all his power, he’s not a god; he’s human, and he can be hurt like one. That’s the thing most people forget these days about him, and Jack Quaid’s done a brilliant job of conveying that. With only one episode left, I’m eager to see how they’ll end things. Especially since Jimmy’s discovered the sphere that Lois had.

I Give “Zero Day, Pt. 2” a 4.5/5

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