My Adventures with Superman: Quick to Judge

My Adventures with Superman episode 6 picks up with the mysterious disappearance of Jimmy Olsen, following Lois and Clark as they hunt down his kidnappers. This episode is where the show finally goes full DC, introducing concepts and characters like Cadmus, Monsieur Mallah, The Brain, and The Suicide Squad. In typical My Adventures with Superman fashion, these introduced characters are given new backgrounds and flair to match the fun new way that this show explores the origins of Superman. At the same time, the show continues to set things up that all tie back to the overall story in a way that makes the show work so well conceptually.

The main theme of this episode is learning to not hide your feelings, as it can often hurt your relationships with others. This is conveyed via the plot with Lois and Clark as well as the main narrative with Monsieur Mallah, The Brain, and Jimmy. My Adventures with Superman has had an excellent balance of action, humor, drama, and story, with this episode being no exception. All of these elements organically tie back into this theme, pushing it in a great way feels organic and not forced. 

The main subject everyone is going to be talking about is the revelation that Jimmy has always known that Clark is Superman. Jimmy is a character that routinely has been given the bottom end of the stick, with My Adventures with Superman even relegating him to the background thus far. The idea that Jimmy has always known Clark is Superman adds another fun dynamic to the show, and further develops the main cast, rounding them out in a fully developed manner. 

Monsieur Mallah and The Brain get a fun redesign here from their comic roots, with these new iterations coming off as what are destined to be, fan favorites. This less-than-villainous take on these characters creates a fun dynamic between all of the characters, with the highlight on the growing of the My Adventures with Superman mythos. The most exciting aspect of this is the idea that as this universe grows, there is more potential to see other DC properties like Batman or Wonder Woman have the opportunity to possibly show up. The success of this show means that Warner Brothers will want to expand this and milk it as much as they can, so it’s only time until the appearances of this show transition past just the rogues gallery of Superman.

The relationship between Lois and Clark builds in this episode, with Jack Quaid delivering an excellent performance as a confused, upset, and determined Clark Kent. Here, Clark has to wrestle with his desire to save his friend in the midst of his ongoing feud with Lois. Clark reveals that his reason for not announcing he is Superman is because he is afraid of how people will view him. It is through this revelation that Clark is able to arrive on the path of redemption for Lois and Jimmy. The entire essence of this show relies on the relationship between these three, so it’s great to see the show spend so much time developing this in a natural and well paced way.

Another subject introduced here is the idea that Clark’s main goals at this time are not, “Truth, Justice, and The American Way,” but instead, he strives to create a world where people will respect him and not just judge him on his alien heritage. This not only excellently ties into Clark’s personal relationships with Jimmy and Lois, but it also gives this show and its lead a remarkable theme for the entirety of the first season. Most shows don’t wait 6 episodes to get to this point, but here it works very well now that we can greatly understand and appreciate the character work in the first 5. It will be interesting to see how this theme or world view grows and changes for Clark, but thankfully, this show seems to already be renewed for a second season.