This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
My Adventures With Superman has been on a roll with four great episodes surrounding the dynamics between Clark (Jack Quaid), Lois (Alice Lee), and Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid). In these few episodes, the show has delved deeper into Superman’s mythology by tying an overarching conspiracy with something bigger than the trio could have imagined. In addition, the personal bond between Clark and Lois continues to reel me in with their delightful personalities.
Now, in episode 5, the show takes a turn not seen in a show since Smallville. With Lois discovering Clark’s true identity with Superman, the episode’s story splits the trio as they embark on their own paths. It certainly invites an interesting dilemma for these characters to overcome as Clark’s secrecy has inevitably held his relationships with Lois and Jimmy back. Overall, My Adventures With Superman episode 5 continues to expand the cohesive and intriguing story without missing a beat and I’m all in for it.
Spoiler Warning ahead for My Adventures With Superman episode 5.
Jimmy Olsen: The Odd One Out in My Adventures With Superman Episode 5
As Clark goes about his day saving Metropolis and Lois goes hunting for Clark, the episode leaves Jimmy all by himself. Though he hypes up the nature bonding trip he planned for his friends, he’s left to do things by himself after they hang him up. And so, the episode surprisingly places him with the one person who’s his complete opposite: Steve Lombard (Vincent Tong).
Jimmy, though he’s the most out-spoken, has mostly been a third wheel to Clark and Lois in My Adventures With Superman. That isn’t to say he’s annoying; he’s certainly got his own nerdy whims that make him a charming character. However, making him stand on his own provides a unique perspective on Jimmy Olsen through these different formats (recently, Joshua Williamson’s Superman run put him in an interesting relationship with Silver Banshee.)
Pairing him up with Steve nails in an important detail for the story: he doesn’t really have a place within his friend group. Jimmy initially has strong beliefs that he can rely on Clark and Lois, but Steve slowly breaks these thoughts down. While it’s mostly played for comical effect in the beginning, it builds up to a moment of self-realization at the end that felt sad to watch as Jimmy believes Steve’s word.
Jimmy and Steve are one in the same: they’re the odd ones out and they don’t fit in the group, a surprising message that Steve’s insightfulness allows given his jock-y frontman personality. This detail certainly has a lot to be explored and it definitely sets the foundation given the episode’s ending.
Greater Forces at Play in My Adventures With Superman
Besides exploring Jimmy’s trip of self-discovery, My Adventures With Superman episode 5 further investigates the show’s overarching conspiracy. Clark continues encountering several criminals and villains who hold this tech, but this time, a rival in the form of agent Slade Wilson (Chris Parnell).
After coming across Heat Wave (Laila Berzins), Clark gets another flashback/premonition about an impending extraterrestrial danger. Throughout the show, there have been several drops of a threat heading to Earth with technology that’s similarly designed to both the ship at the Kent household and the weapons that most villains in this show have.
From the flashbacks in this episode, it seems like the General (Joel De La Fuente), with the assistance of Waller (Debra Wilson), has had their hands on this technology for a while. It could explain how Task Force X has kept an arsenal of weapons, like the mechs from episode 1, and why they’re trying to reclaim the stolen weaponry from these criminal gangs. In addition, Waller mentions something called “Net Zero Day,”
Another thing to note is that Clark is the only one that the technology has an actual response to. Any time he interacts with them, he gains these prophetic visions. Perhaps Clark’s Kryptonian lineage, which he hasn’t fully understood yet, may bring the lost world of Krypton and his Earthly home together in a catastrophic way. We’ll have to wait and see as Clark’s journey continues on.
My Adventures With Superman Episode 5 Breaks Clark’s Hard-Hitting Truth
The hardest part of a relationship is secrecy and the eventual consequences behind it. However, for a personal story that My Adventures With Superman handles, this inevitable climax definitely feels a lot more impactful than it really should be.
After Lois managed to uncover Clark’s identity in the previous episode, she’s been on her own hunt throughout Metropolis to get some answers. However, Clark’s avoidance only adds onto her own suspicions, but after an incidental meet-up to take down Heat Wave (with some accidental dancing in between), the two are left even more divided. All of this builds up to an unfortunate, yet deeply satisfying conclusion between Lois and Clark.
Throughout the show, the sweet closeness that Lois and Clark was fun to watch, with moments of comical awkwardness that made these two feel realistic. These ending moments bring so much more emotional depth as Lois’ warranted anger and Clark’s innate worry shows out, highlighted by Jack Quaid and Alice Lee’s performance. This scene also drives the nail in for the shared bond between Clark, Lois, and Jimmy. For the first time, they’re all physically and emotionally divided as their trust for one another breaks by each individual’s external and internal influences.
My Adventures With Superman knows how to rebuild the format of Superman in a way that doesn’t deter from the comics’ foundations. Its character-driven focus on Clark, Lois, and Jimmy provides the show with a lot of substance to explore and the show slowly and surely pieces it together. And if this episode tore them apart, who knows where they’ll go in the next episode.
★★★★
Check out our overarching review for My Adventures with Superman here!
