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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 7 Review

So, where were we? Ah yes: Clark is having an existential crisis now that he’s lost his superpowers. Jimmy is in hot water with Kara for how badly he’s treated her all season. And before they can talk things out, they’re all abducted by Mr. Mxyzptlk for another one of his crazy schemes. And the entire gang is in swimsuits this episode.

This is going to be both fun and annoying!

Mr. Mxy is at it again!

So, after getting kidnapped by Mr. Mxy and changed into beach attire, the gang finds themselves in another dimension. The reason why is because he’s getting divorced from his wife, Glitzy! And according to him, their divorce proceedings are settled by a series of platformer-style games. Clark, Lois, Kara, and Jimmy play for Mxy, while alternate versions of Kara, Lois, Jimmy, and LEX play for Glitzy.

Now, the whole reason Mxy chose them, besides simply trolling, is that he thought Clark still had his powers. But for all his power, he didn’t know that Clark lost his, much to his dismay. And my amusement! All that power and he still doesn’t know that!

I don’t why exactly, but I like impish and chaotic characters like Mxy. Maybe it’s because I have a troublemaking streak of my own, or because they don’t care about the rules of reality, but they’re so entertaining to watch. But that doesn’t blind me to the fact that they are also super sus, and given our past experiences with this version of Mxy, I was on my guard. Especially when we saw what his wife looks like. I prefer personality over looks, but I think the best of both worlds can be ideal if necessary. Plus, Glitzy does seem like plenty of fun.

The Alternate Gang was Cool, I guess

In any event, I wouldn’t call this episode filler. There doesn’t seem to be any filler in this series, with every episode moving the plot forward a little bit. More importantly, seeing our heroes interact with their alternate counterparts is eye-opening at what their lives could look like. Given how the whole theme of this season is what the future can bring, it’s a source of great distress for them.

Firstly, we have Lois and her counterpart, General Lois Lane. It seems that in her timeline, things panned out similarly to what we’ve seen so far, with Clark eventually losing his powers. She, Jimmy, and Kara could handle that. But then, Clark died when Earth was invaded by enemies that, while I didn’t recognize them, I think the fandom should be worried about. Losing her lover led Lois to become just like her father: a cold-hearted soldier who hides their grief by throwing themselves into their job. It goes to show us that Lois always had it in her to be like.

Kara seems to be no better. Losing her cousin seems to have made her slide back into who she was serving under Brainiac, making our Kara fear the worst for herself. And alternate Jimmy? He became a tokukatsu-style superhero called Flamebird and is acting like everything is fine, but it’s isn’t. He’s just in denial about losing his best friend and, while he doesn’t say it, he never fully mended things with Kara.

The most interesting interaction, though, was between Clark and Alternate Luthor. Like in Jon Kent’s future, Superman’s death made him realize how pointless his hatred for him was. This is pretty telling, by the way. That makes it two times now that we’ve seen a Lex become capable of being a good person. It shows that it is possible for Lex to change, which only makes seeing our Lex fall down the rabbit hole of villainy all the more disappointing.

There is no One True Path

Ultimately, the contest comes down to the groups being forced to find their “one, true path” to the future. Lois and Clark stumble, and so do Jimmy and Kara. But then Jimmy, bless his heart, has a moment of emotional intelligence and apologizes to Kara for being an ass and promising to change. And then, it all clicks for her. The future is always changing and never set in stone. It is within their power to decide who they want to be! And that helps all of them stop worrying about who they are or what they might become.

For a moment, a part of me thought that this was all part of one big lesson that Mxy had for our heroes, but that would require him actually caring. He doesn’t, and neither does his wife.

In a twist that, I’ll be honest, part of me expected since it’s Mxy, the imps weren’t getting divorced. This was just them role playing for date night. And they were just using everyone to get access to the Cosmic Anvil, said to be capable of rewriting reality. They try to bribe everyone with the promise of changing their universes to whatever they want, but Clark is smart enough to not play their game. Instead, he lets the clock run out, meaning that no one wins.

Also, it led us to get this scene where Lex finally figures out that Clark Kent is Superman. The self-proclaimed smartest man ever, and he couldn’t figure that out. At least he had enough humility to take it with grace.

Keep Moving Forward

I know that this episode is going to feel a little like filler to some people, but in a show this tight-knit, filler isn’t really a thing. The whole point of the episode is having the gang get over their problems. Clark finally realizes that his powers don’t define him; Kara realizes that she can choose not to be what Brainiac wanted her to be; Lois learned to not fear the future as much. And Jimmy realized how much of a bonehead he’d been to Kara. But he’s going to have a lot of work to do if he wants to make things right.

Of course, the episode ends with us getting another curveball, as either Jon or another version of Jon appears before them. And there’s a girl with him that I’m pretty sure is his sister.

The future is still not safe!

I Give “The Ex-Games” a 4/5

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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 8 Review

I try to be an empathetic person every day. I think that the world can be too mean as it is for us to not feel bad for each other. But like many many things in life, Rick and Morty took this to its logical extreme, and therefore, showed us why it can be bad. And the worst part of it? It’s the fact that everything that happened this episode is mostly Morty’s fault.

Morty, this was all on you!

In this episode, we learn that Rick has a secret distillery where he creates his own alcohol as a hobby, and he seems to genuinely enjoy it. He’s happily making beer by himself and having a good time. But then Morty chooses to ignore the ‘Do not disturb’ sign he put on the door to bother him about something that is pretty pointless. I mean, it might not seem pointless to him, but in the grand scheme of things, bothering your grandpa during his personal time to help him get some Pokémon cards is a pretty stupid thing.

Normally, I would be on Morty’s side and say that Rick is being too hard on him. However, considering how the boy ignored the VERY VISIBLE sign asking not to be disturbed, and then destroying his grandpa’s distillery? Rick had every right to be mad at him. So, rather than deal with their usual arguments this time, Rick takes a shortcut by implanting Morty with a parasite that makes him emphathize with everyone, no matter how awful they are.

The effects of this parasite are actually pretty interesting to look at. Throughout the time Morty has it in his side, we are given almost context as to what is actually happening in his life, instead only seeing through his warped perspective of the world. For all we know, the way he tried to “help” everyone at his school was either making them feel worse or was just them yelling at him for acting inappropriately. Part of me wants to know what really happened, but a bigger part thinks it would be funnier not knowing!

Empathy can be a bad thing, I guess

Things come to a head when the pair head out to buy something, and Morty empathizes with an explosion that blows his arm off. By the time Rick pulls the parasite out of him, his empathy has been digested, turning him into the same stone-cold kind of guy Rick is. Karma sucks, though, because the parasite infests Rick’s brain, making him empathize with the guys trying to kill them! It’s a complete reversal of their usual dynamic, and one that is necessary for them to understand each other’s viewpoint…or something. I don’t really know or care.

It doesn’t care about the lotion!

Meanwhile, we have this subplot going on where Summer and Jerry are trying to get the supplies that Rick needs to rebuild, and find out these drums are being hoarded by a serial killer. Jerry is left to distract the guy while Summer gets the drums and frees this girl who was held captive in a pit out of Silence of the Lambs and…oh, who am I kidding? I wasn’t really paying attention to what was happening. I didn’t care about that part of the episode. I didn’t like that part of the episode. And I didn’t care when the serial killer got shot to death by the cops. It wasn’t that interesting for me.

So, in the end, Rick kills the parasite with beer, and Morty is left without any empathy until the next episode. Whoopdy-freaking-doo. This was honestly one of the weaker episodes for me, and I’m probably going to forget about it by next week. I know should have some empathy for Morty, but remember that this was largely because he ignored the dang sign.

I Give “Rickuiem Mort a Dream” a 2.5/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 6 Review

What happens when you place your identity into one aspect of yourself and then lose it? You tend to have a serious identity crisis, that’s what. And right now, Clark Kent is having the biggest identity crisis of his life as he’s forced to contend with not having any superpowers. His powers and identity as Superman have been a part of him for so long that he has no idea who he is without them. And to make matters worse, his support group of his girlfriend, best friend, and cousin is too busy dealing with their own problems to give him the help that he needs. Especially Jimmy and Kara, whose own relationship problems threaten to sink the ship beyond repair. Good going, JIMMY!

Clark Hates Feeling so Useless

A month has passed since the defeat of Cyborg Superman, and Clark’s powers remain gone. Having had those powers since he was a kid, it’s understandable that he would tie a lot of his self-worth to his ability to help people. And without that ability, he is seriously depressed and doesn’t know what to do with himself. To add insult to injury, Lois and Clark are getting nominated for an award at a fancy gala, while Clark isn’t. Well, Superman was co-nominated alongside Kara, but he can’t show up as Superman.

I felt so bad watching Clark in this episode. I understand why he is so upset about losing his powers. All he’s ever wanted to do is help people; it’s his whole thing! And this entire episode, he’s basically trying to do his best to help others just to prove that he still can. And while he does end up helping, it’s not to the extent that he’s used to, so it doesn’t even register to him. And Kara and Jimmy are no help, either.

For the last month or so, Kara has been forced to fly solo as Supergirl to make up for her cousin’s absence. She doesn’t say it, but it’s heavily implied that the stress was starting to get to her. I don’t think she even had time to actually go on any dates as part of her plan to make Jimmy jealous!

It gets worse, though. Jimmy, as part of his contract with W.O.R.M.S., has to go on one last date. The upside is that this one is a princess from another country who’s attending the gala. The downside? She’s attending the gala that is meant to honor Kara.

Apparently, Kara’s previous claims of not being able to get jealous of Jimmy were inaccurate. The second she finds out that Jimmy brought a date, I could hear her mentally declaring nuclear war! I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kara this mad!

There’s a second downside, by the way. Jimmy’s date is a supervillain called Dr. Poison, who’s planning on turning everyone in Metropolis into animals as part of some ecoterrorist plan. I don’t know how that’s supposed to work or save the environment. The bottom line is that everyone gets caught up in it!

The most shocking moment of the episode, though, has to be this.

Clark Got Shot!

When the preview for this episode first dropped, I was genuinely scared that Clark had gotten himself seriously hurt. He could’ve died! Thank heavens I was watching this the morning after on Hulu, because I would have been freaking out during the commercial break!

Now, we as the audience know that what Clark did is truly heroic. Despite not having any powers, his first instinct had been to protect Flip and the other kids from harm. Not many adults would be willing to face down a gunman and do that! But from Clark’s perspective, he barely did anything. It’s sad, really. He’s still a hero with or without his powers, but he doesn’t recognize that.

Ultimately, Jimmy is able to rizz up Dr. Poison and foil her plans while Kara stops the rest (and Bizarro.) But while Lois wins the award over Vicki, no one is really happy. Clark still feels bad about himself and blows up at Lois despite her trying to compliment him. I was more focused on Jimmy and Kara, though.

Jimmy, get down on your knees and beg for Kara’s forgiveness!

We all knew that Jimmy was making a big mistake; there’s no argument about that. And we all knew that it was going to blow up in his face. However, it was still painful to see it play out as Kara confronted him about his jealousy. He may think he was doing this for her sake, but really, this was about his own insecurities. He’s been in love with Kara from day one, and she loves him. Some people just know they’ve found the one without any searching, and if I were Jimmy, I wouldn’t have blown things. But now, it might be too late.

Or it might not. Guess who’s back? Mr. Myx.

Uh-oh.

I Give “Party Animals” a 3/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 5 Review

The Death of Superman has to be one of the most famous comics of all time. And why shouldn’t it be? After all, the idea of Superman, the OG superhero, dying in battle? It sounded unbelievable…which is why it worked so well. So when we have an episode whose title is “The Death of Superman,” that’s going to make me worry. And while the worst-case scenario didn’t end up happening, I think that the title remains appropriate.

Cyborg Superman Must Die

At the end of the last episode, the man formerly known as Hank Henshaw crashed out, broke free of Lex’s leash, and threatened to destroy Metropolis. Superman and Supergirl have flown in to stop him before anyone can get hurt, but they might be flying to their deaths. Because, as Jon belatedly reveals, Cyborg Superman kills his dad in this fight. After that, he turns his wrath on the rest of the world, killing everyone we know and love. Jon was sent back in time to stop this from happening, but he was so caught in seeing the parents he never knew that he put it off. It was reckless, irresponsible…and perfectly understandable.

Don’t get me wrong: Jon almost screwed up big time. But when you consider how he never knew his parents, you understand why he wanted to milk this. Especially since we’re not exactly sure if the multiverse theory is in effect for time travel in this story, since that means he would be going back to a future still ruined. But if the Future Trunks parallels weren’t already blatant, they get even more so when we learn what happened to Kara.

Kara Became Future Gohan?!?

I didn’t address it last episode, but it was apparent that Jon was actively avoiding Kara, despite how badly she wanted to bond with him. I saw the red flags going up and immediately thought, “Oh no, Kara is dead in the future, isn’t she?” Tragically, that was indeed the case. And for bonus points, it’s revealed that after Clark and Lois died, Kara raised Jon as her own. She was like the Future Gohan of this story, complete with the tragic and undignified death! Jon couldn’t bear to look at her because of this.

And that was when I knew that Cyborg Superman had to die. I know that not every hero will kill his villains, but the monster once known as Hank wasn’t going to stop until he destroyed the world that had rejected him. Even when Lois tried to talk her former friend down, he was ready to kill her. Thankfully, the series didn’t disappoint with how absolutely brutal this fight was. But even with three Kryptonian warriors fighting the monster, he was still able to get the upper hand thanks to his Kryptonite reactor!

And this is when we get the moment that can be called the death of Superman.

The Death of Superman

Depsite being on the brink of death thanks to Kryptonite poisoning, Clark manages to see his son being choked out by Cyborg Superman. Thus, his papa bear instincts kick in, and through sheer willpower, he forces himself to fight off the Kryptonite to save Jon. But Hank then threatens to self-destruct and take the entire city with him…until he learns that Jon is Superman’s future son. And for some reason, this makes him regret everything that he did. I think that it was because he realized that if Kryptonians and Humans can have kids, then that means that there’s a future where all of humanity will have superpowers and be safe. I don’t know. I’m just glad that Hank let himself die before he killed everyone else.

So, with the apocalypse prevented, Jon returns to his time with the hope that it will be a far better future than the one he knew. However, that’s the only good thing to come of this episode. In order to save his son, Superman pushed his powers so hard, he’s seemingly burned them out. He’s…powerless now. And without his powers, Clark Kent is just Clark Kent, meaning that Superman is technically dead. And the time couldn’t be worse, as while one bad future was prevented, another might be on the horizon. This time, though, it’s at the hands of Lex Luthor!

Okay, I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, I like how they managed to thread the needle regarding the death of Superman. On the other hand, part of me kind of wishes we could have gotten to see Clark temporarily die and then come back, but I guess we’ll have to wait for Doomsday, if he ever shows up. Plus, I know that Clark is going to get his powers back, eventually. This is just going to be a means for Clark to learn who he is without his powers. In the meantime, Supergirl will have to pick up the slack. The bad news is that the preview for the next episode shows that the drama between her and Jimmy is about to get even worse.

I give “The Death of Superman” a 3/5

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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 7 Review

Have you ever heard of the concept of Saṃsāra? It’s the Hindu/Buddhist belief that all life is part of a cycle of death and either reincarnation or rebirth, and thus is filled with pain and suffering. The only way to break the cycle is by achieving enlightenment and understanding. But what if you did that and found out that whoever’s controlling the cycle is a jerk who uses the suffering to sustain themselves? Replace Saṃsāra with the cycle of life and the food chain, and the one in charge with a sentient tree, that sums up Rick and Morty’s latest adventure. It’s a bizarre look at the circle of life, death, rebirth, and how it ultimately benefits those at the top. It’s bizarre, but also oddly entertaining to watch. Break the circle!

Jerk Tree Enforces Circle of Life

It all starts when Rick and Morty go to this planet orbiting a black hole. Their goal is to get this tree sap that Rick claims gives this crazy high, because why not? Unfortunately, the tree turns out to be sentient and doesn’t take kindly to intruders ruining nature. It traps the two in an ecosystem underneath its roots as single-celled organisms alongside countless other victims in a cycle of death and evolution. They can evolve into more advanced forms of life, but they have to start at the beginning every time they die.

Death is not a new concept to the likes of Rick and Morty. They’ve seen countless beings die and get reborn throughout their adventures, themselves and other versions of themselves included. And considering what the duo have done throughout the show, you could argue that is the perfect punishment for their antics. Well, mostly Rick, but Morty has done some crazy stuff, too. Going back to the concepts of reincarnation and rebirth, it’s like the idea of Saṃsāra masked as the circle of life. You would think that the whole point of this experience would be to teach them, and us, a lesson about respecting life. But this isn’t some eco-friendly program or Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. This is Rick and Morty. They’ll either refuse to learn their lesson, or, as I bet on, it would turn out the Tree was just being a jerk. To my amusement, I ended up being right.

After trying to make it through evolution together for a while, Rick and Morty try their own methods of escaping the cycle of death and reincarnation. Rick, naturally, refuses to bend to the rules and tries to escape using the other prisoners as fodder for experiments. Meanwhile, Morty opts for the nonviolent route by evolving into a tree that eventually makes it to the surface. However, the Tree reveals that there was never a lesson it wanted everyone to learn. It was just capturing them and using the circle of life to feed himself! That’s like making it to Nirvana or Heaven and then finding out that God is gatekeeping everyone for their own amusement!

Screw the Circle of Life!

After the big reveal, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out how things are going to pan out. Rick and Morty rally the other prisoners to break the cycle of pseudo-Saṃsāra by refusing to kill each other. They lay low for the Tree to grow weak, and when it investigates, they jump it. What follows is a pretty satisifying moment where the captives manage to kill their tormentor, ending the cycle. Unfortunately, no one turns back into their orignal forms right away, and Rick and Morty just bail with the sap like they wanted.

This was honestly a good episode, if you ask me. I know that some people care more about the overarching lore, but in my experience, it’s the one-off adventures in a show that I’m most likely to go back and rewatch. If there was any lesson to be learned, it’s that either nature is cruel and comes at someone’s expense, or not to mess with Rick and Morty. Break the circle!

I Give “Mortgully: the Last Rickforest” a 4.5/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 4 Review

So, the last episode established that the prospect of being a mom is something that freaks Lois out to no end. She knows that her and Clark are meant to be and does want a future with him. At the same time, though, she’s at that point in her life where she doesn’t want to give up the chance to have fun and be free! It’s a legitimately scary prospect for someone like her! So imagine when a boy who looks a lot like the two of them comes out of nowhere and starts calling them mom and dad. I could practically hear Lois’ brain go into meltdown, and I was enjoying every minute of it!

Surprise! Your Son’s Here to Visit!

So, Clark and Lois are happy on a little date to get away from the chaos (Kara and Jimmy’s dating attempts). Just when they’re at Lois’ favorite restaurant, this happens!

This is our official introduction to Jon Kent, AKA Superboy, after the brief teaser we got at the end of the last episode. And he is…not what I was expecting at first. I mean, I knew from the teaser for the season that he was going to be energetic, but that was underselling it. He’s a full-blown male keet, constantly flying around everywhere, asking everyone a billion questions at once, and behaving like someone half his age probably would. And it is absolutely precious!! Though, given what we saw of the future, the way he’s acting is perfectly understandable.

It isn’t until the end of the episode where Jon drops the energetic act and gets serious, but we didn’t to wait until the end to know why he’s acting like this. In his time, his parents are dead, most likely before he even got the chance to know them. Now that he’s been sent back to stop the apocalypse, he wants to get to know his mom and dad. It’s understandable that he would want to spend the whole day hanging out with them! And, if I’m being honest, it’s really wholesome to see how he’s the best of both of his parents. He’s got his dad’s desire to do good and help and protect people, and he’s got his mom’s mischievous streak. In other words, he’s perfect! And not even Lois is immune to his charms.

Lois, Jon is your Son!

So, Lois was already freaking out about her future and how it might be set out for her. But she spends most of the episode in complete meltdown. Because the fact that her future son is here means that it might actually be set in stone! For someone as free-spirited as her, it’s a total nightmare! Thus, Lois spends the entire episode trying to come to terms with the likelihood that she’s going to be a mom in the near future. But, as the day goes on, and she sees how much like his parents Jon is, Lois stops worrying so much about the future. She thinks that Jon being from it means that it’s going to be great.

And that’s the real tragedy of the episode. Because Jon spent so much time trying to live the family life he never had, he might be too late to change the future.

Hank Henshaw is Gone. There is only Cyborg Superman

It’s crazy to think that it’s already happening, but Hank Henshaw is now the big bad of the season. After getting rejected by everyone, from the citizens of Metropolis, to his former friend Lois, to even Lex, Cyborg Superman crashes out. He’s no longer trying to be a hero. Instead, he’s embraced his inner Homelander, and after breaking free of Luthor’s control, he wants to make the entire world burn. And having taken control of the Kryptonian Drones Luthor has, he can pull it off! And the fact that the show made Henshaw’s rebellion the B-plot and Jon’s time with his family the A-plot can only mean one thing: something bad is about to happen.

It’s happened in every season of the show. The fourth episode of the season sets us up for some big wham moment. Then the fifth episode upends the status quo and leaves us brokenhearted and worried about what comes next. Also, it should be noted that the title for next week’s episode, “The Death of Superman,” is a dead giveaway. The future that Jon tried to prevent may already be set in motion, and I am genuinely afraid for Superman and Supergirl as they go to fight Henshaw. Even moreso when you consider how this is only the halfway point of the season. If this is the halfway point, then what more could they have to throw at us!

This next week could be agonizing for me since I don’t know what will happen next, and I hate that! Thank heavens I have plenty of other shows to watch!

I Give “Guess Who’s Slammin’ to Dinner?” a 4.5/5

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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 6 Review

I know that some people are at war with themselves, but I think Rick might have just taken that concept to a new level of hilarity. When a portal mishap leads to Rick’s head and body getting separated, we get treated to an entire episode of them first trying to reunite before trying to kill each other. And it is freaking hilarious!

Who let Rick get that Drunk?

It all starts with Rick on a drinking and eating binge with Summer and Morty acting as his chaperones. The show has been putting a lot of emphasis on Rick’s alcoholism this season, and I can’t help but wonder if this is going somewhere. That gets put on the back burner, though, when a portal mishap (that was all Summer’s fault) leads to Rick’s decapitation! The good news is that Rick’s cybernetics let his head and body survive for the time being. The bad news is that Morty and Summer are on opposite sides of the planet, and Rick’s Portal Gun is broken. So now both parties have to fight their way past doctors, bounty hunters, thugs, and police to reunite their Grandpa.

I dont know who came up with this concept, but it’s actually pretty genius. We get to see each Smith sibling deal with their own struggles to try and fix Rick, with each of them running into different problems because of it and resolving them in different ways. Morty and Rick’s Head get chased by the police due to a misunderstanding and are forced to use their wits to get out of trouble. In contrast, Summer has to fight her way through the slums while using the weapons in Rick’s Body to fight off their attackers. It’s just so entertaining to watch, and I remember openly laughing at several points. The show could have simply had this play out for the entire episode and it would have been fine. However, all of this only counts for the first half of the episode. The second half centers around Rick’s Head and his Body trying to kill each other.

Don’t Lose your Head Over this, Rick!

As it turns out, both halves of Rick start to like not having the other to make act in a self-destructive fashion. Rick’s Head is thinking clearer without any beer or lust clouding his judgment, while his Body is able to express himself emotionally without logic getting in the way. It really highlights just how at war with himself Rick is as a person, to the point that we get a literal war of the body and mind, and it’s as destructive as it sounds.

In the end, the status quo demands that Head Rick and Body Rick recombine, and so they do. As for what Head Rick promised his body, I dont think I want to know. Rick doesn’t really learn a lesson about treating himself better, as he just makes Morty and Summer get fit before joining him in a binge eating session at the same place this all started. He even uses what happened as a joke. So, pretty good episode. Great reminder that I need to take care of myself in the future.

I Give “Erickerhead” a 4.5/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 3 Review

Jimmy Olsen, my brother in nerdom, why must you disappoint me like this?

So, if you saw the last episode of MAWS, then you know that Jimmy managed to have a fumble of near-biblical proportions. Kara straight-up asked him to date her, and he turns her down. He says that she needs to expand her horizons and experience more before finding that special someone. And then he gets jealous when every man, woman, and child is lining up to date her! And it only gets worse in this episode as Jimmy shows he’s jealous by trying not to look jealous by going to a matchmaking company. Meanwhile, Lois is having a panic about the future, and it looks like Hank Henshaw is set on his path to becoming the show’s version of Homelander.

Really, Dating Apps?

So, after Jimmy dropped the ball with Kara by convincing her to date everyone that isn’t him (half of Metropolis), he’s not taking it well. He’s determined to make Kara just as jealous as he feels by going to this new, scientifically backed matchmaking service, W.O.R.M.S., that just started. And Lois just spoke for me with how disappointed she was in him! And frustrated!

This is one of the goofier episodes of the series, no doubt about it. Which, knowing what this series is like, can only mean one thing: something bad is coming. I’m not just being paranoid, either. The first season had Lois figure out that Clark was Superman at the end of episode 4. Last season had Kara arrive on Earth in episode 5. I’m telling you, there is going to be some kind of drama or threat that’s going to take place in the next episode or two. And the ending of the episode only seems to make that more obvious, but more on that. We first need to talk about Lois and Kara’s day out.

So, after telling Kara about what Jimmy is doing, Lois learns firsthand that his attempts to make Kara jealous are doomed to failure. Kara openly shows her self-confidence by calling herself “as strong as she is beautiful.” I have to respect that level of self-esteem! But Lois manages to find an opening when Kara sees it as a competition and decides to “win” and make Jimmy her boyfriend. Which also means that Kara was only taking Jimmy’s advice because she still wants him.

I dont know if I should take this seriously or not, but I like seeing this kind of romantic drama unfold for the laughs! This show really knows how to lean into the absurd comedy, and I thank it for wearing its anime influences on its sleeves like it is.

Lois Would be a Great Mom

So, Lois spends the day helping Kara set up a dating profile by going out into the city, and it somehow leads to them having a musical duet about their thoughts on the future. Admittedly, I skipped it, but I got the gist: Kara is excited about the promise of the future now that she can decide it. But Lois? She has spent the last three episodes listening to Clark come up with plans for their future. He even has a model of the farm he wants to buy for the two of them, with a baby crib to boot! And Lois is freaking out about it!

I totally understand why Lois is reacting this way. She’s still a young adult in her twenties, she’s finally feeling successful in her life. She doesn’t want this stage of her life with the adventures to end. And she’s worried that settling down and having a family will change that. That, and while it doesn’t say it, I think she’s worried that she might be a good parent or wife since she didn’t have a stable life growing up.

I wholeheartedly disagree. I’ve seen many variants of Lois, and even after getting married, she is still every bit as badass as ever. If anything, she’d be the super cool mom that every kid would want to have. I just really hope that she sees that for herself by the end of the season, because I don’t want to wait.

Jimmy, Why do you think like this?

Meanwhile, Jimmy’s time at W.O.R.M.S. is a disaster. It turns out that his date is the supervillainess Giganta. And she’s been using this chemical perfume to transform people in a quest to find love, and kidnaps Jimmy. So Superman has to save him with help of the girls who run the company. It’s all incredibly silly and it ends on an equally silly note as Superman doesn’t want anything to do with the dating app. Jimmy, on the other hand, doesn’t learn his lesson.

It looks like it will be a while before Jimmy finally sees sense and accepts that he’s good enough for Kara. The problem is that this might end up interfering with a new threat on the horizon.

Cyborg Superman is Really Channeling Homelander

So, amidst everything that’s happening, Hank Henshaw is trying to show he can be a superhero like Superman. However, I think the showwriters must have asked Jack Quaid about his time on The Boys, because Henshaw was really channeling Homelander this episode. Firstly, when he stops a thief from stealing a purse, he slams them into a metal pole, and from the looks of things, he might have broken their spine. For stealing a purse. It’s enough to make people afraid of him, which is the opposite of what Lex wants.

It gets worse. When Intergang robs Lexcorp, Hank zeroes in on Siobhan and starts brutalizing her trying to get what she stole back. And keep in mind that the Intergang in this series is pretty harmless in terms of being supervillains. Heck, Superman is on a first-name basis with Silver Banshee and gets her to return everything like a parent scolding a kid. But Hank? He tries to kill her because she knocked off part of his outer shell, revealing the cyborg he really is underneath. It takes Deathstroke intervening to get him to stand down.

If Cyborg Superman wasn’t already channeling Homelander at this point, then the next scene cements it when Lex reveals he has the man’s cybernetics under his control. And if The Boys taught me anything, it’s that you can’t keep someone like Hank Henshaw under control forever. He’s going to break free and likely become the monster we see in the comics. Actually, he might even be worse if the final moments of the episode reveal anything.

Superboy is Basically Trunks here!

So, let us make sure that we got this correct: the future is in ruins. Superboy is getting sent back into the past to stop this future from happebing. And we also saw Jimmy and Lex Luthor die as this happens. This is pretty much the story of Future Trunks from Dragon Ball, and I absolutely love it. At the same time, though, my mind is already trying to come up with an idea about how this could happen. My current theory is that Brainiac and Cyborg Superman either team up or one gains control over the other, and it leads to this apocalyptic figure. And now Superboy has to stop that from happening.

On the plus side, this version of Superboy is Lois and Clark’s son. Which means that, like it or not, Lois will be forced to come to terms with her potential motherhood.

I Give “All’s Fair in Love and W.O.R.M.S.” a 3/5

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My Adventures With Superman S3 Ep 2 Review

I’m sorry that I didn’t post my review for last week’s episode of MAWS sooner, but I got distracted by other things. The good news is that this means that I am able to get the new reviews out back-to-back. The bad news? There are a few moments in this episode (and the next) that just feel so cringe! And it’s all thanks to Jimmy Olsen, who might have just fumbled the easiest romantic W I have ever seen! And I am so disappointed in him!!

I love Conventions!

It all starts when the gang heads to a fan convention for the day. Lois is going because Cat got her assigned the gig because she knew something crazy would happen around her, and Clark is supporting her. Jimmy is going as a guest because he turned his adventures into a comic book series that has made him a millionaire once again. And Kara? She’s going as the guest of honor, and wants to be close to Jimmy.

Jimmy, Why you Fumble the Ball?

This episode is really just three plots running concurrently with each other, but the one I was most invested in was the one with Kara and Jimmy. The two have such incredible chemistry together, and it’s obvious that the show wants us to ship them. But it’s insisting that the two go through the same relationship hurdles that Clark and Lois did in the first two seasons! In this case, Jimmy is the one who is insecure at the idea of dating a superpower alien. And it frustrated me to no end throughout this episode.

On the one hand, I wanted to feel proud of Jimmy for having the maturity to turn down Kara when she straight-up asks him to be her boyfriend. He doesn’t want to take advantage of her or ruin things if it goes wrong and that she should expand her horizons first. But as someone who’s never been able to get a girlfriend or have a romantic relationship, I’m super mad at him!!

JIMMY, DUDE! YOU ARE BEING GIVEN THE CHANCE TO DATE A BEAUTIFUL, SUPERPOWERED ALIEN GIRL WHO IS TOTALLY INTO YOU! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO FIND THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE IN THIS DAY AND AGE?!?!? HOW CAN YOU BE FUMBLING THE BALL SO BADLY?!?

I know that the showwriters are only doing this for the sake of drama, but still, it frustrates me to have to see history repeat itself with our beta couple. I was practically foaming at the mouth when I saw Kara use the convention to announce she was looking for a date. Because despite what Jimmy js afraid of, there are plenty of guys and girls out there that could take advantage of Kara. In fact, I’m going to bet that that will end up happening before the season is out and Jimmy is going to regret doing that to her.

Not Interested in the other Stuff

The other main plots of the episode are not as interesting, sadly. Superman spends it fighting this woman with Kryptonite whips that is way too into him. Meanwhile, Lois sees the Toyman selling toys at the convention, and becomes convinced that he’s up to no good. All she manages to do at first is just make her out to be the bad guy that Jimmy initially makes her be in his comics. But it turns out she was right! Toyman managed to turn his entire booth into a mecha from Gundam, complete with the pose as he used it!

I know that should be a bad thing, but my nerdy half has to respect Toyman for doing that. Thank heavens it’s more acceptable for adults to play with toys now. Superman doesn’t even need to stop him, though, because another beats him to the punch. However, it’s who does it that is most concerning.

Hank Henshaw is gone. There is only Cyborg Superman. And if you know what he did in the comics, then you know to be afraid. Very afraid!

This is going to be a crazy season and I’m already enjoying where this will go. Though I have lost a lot of respect for Jimmy for that UNBELIEVABLE FUMBLE, and will only regain it when he steps up and gets the girl of his dreams!

I Give “Mobile Suit Toyman” a 2.5/5

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Rick and Morty S9 Ep 4 Review

I don’t know if I will ever see the appeal behind alcohol and getting wasted, and frankly, I think I’m better off not knowing. Since day one, we’ve seen Rick Sanchez use alcohol as a means of numbing himself to the pain of his existence, but this episode might be among his worst drinking binges ever! Being Rick, though, he’d rather find a convoluted method of avoiding the consequences like forgetting his passwords than address this drinking problem. The result? I walked away from this episode thanking myself for avoiding alcohol whenever possible. And I pray to heaven that Morty is better about it.

Remembering your Passwords Sucks!

The episode starts off with Rick coming home absolutely wasted. He’s so out of it, he wets himself   From being unable to control his bladder. Then he drunkenly tries to unlock his computer, only to get locked out when he forgets his password one too many times, leaving him to cry for Morty. And judging by the look on Morty’s face, this is a regular occurrence. The plot then segues into the arrival of Reese, a folksy man they’ve apparently known for years. Except it turns out that Reese is just some kind of advanced password manager for Rick. He’s programmed to show up whenever he forgets his password and help him remember it.

I’m going to be honest: I don’t see the point behind all of this. I mean, obviously, Rick would want some high-concept idea to serve as a means to remember his passwords. I just don’t understand why he would have to go through all of this trouble when he could save it to his phone or computer. Why build a cyborg to do all of this? Then again, this is Rick Sanchez. He turned himself into a pickle to get out of therapy. Of course he would be this this petty! It just wasn’t a joke that I liked.

What I did like, though, was how it handled Rick’s alcoholism, and how that leads to more problems in this episode. When Morty tries to do the right thing and save Reese’s life by getting him someplace safe, the universe decides to have it backfire on him like it often does. In this case, he takes Reese to the planet where Rick makes everyone supply him with alcohol, thinking he will be safe there. However, that leads to a group of radical youths, fed up with having to serve Rick, to hijack Reese and use him to gain control of all of Rick’s technology to kill him. That includes not only the garage and his actual weapons, but the entire house! The floor turns into actual lava at one point!

That IT guy was pretty funny

The real highlight of the episode, though, has to be who Rick gets to try and help unlock his computer. He calls these IT cloud-people that need to possess a physical form to interact with the world, and the one Rick’s talking to uses Jerry as a host. We get to see him spend the majority of the episode running around being possessed as the IT cloud just abuses his time to enjoy having a body, leading to some very funny moments. It’s one of the better parts of the episode, to be honest.

Ultimately, the episode ends with Rick having to shut off all of his tech to force the hackers out, meaning he can no longer rely on a bottomless flash anymore. The IT cloud takes Reese’s body to use for themselves and goes off to enjoy being physical. And you would think that all of this would teach Rick to cut back on the alcohol, but no. Instead, we get to see him end the episode downing even more beer while telling Morty that he’ll become just like him when he’s older. I wanted to say that this was just Rick being a jerk, but I looked it up, and it turns out that an affinity for alcohol can be genetic. Either way, I’m glad I don’t need booze in my life.

I Give “A Ricker Runs Through it” a 4/5

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