REVIEW: ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Episode 8 — “Zero Day: Part One”

Watching the downfall of any superhero will always be an endurance test for the viewers. But watching Clark’s mental and public decline in “Zero Day: Part One” is devastating, even if we know it won’t be long-lived. Still, My Adventures with Superman Episode 8 is a beautiful culmination of all we’ve learned of the hero and this world, as it comes to a head, as Superman must face down all of the enemies he’s made while running on fumes.  

In the opening scene, we watch as Clark learns of one of his powers, his super hearing. What might be a benefit to another, more seasoned version of this character turns out to be more of a hindrance. Able to hear the cries of someone trapped in a burning building to a cat caught in a tree, he hasn’t slept in days by the time Jimmy returns home after visiting his parents, having spent every moment of his time off saving anyone he can hear who is in trouble. And, as Clark tells Jimmy, “They have problems.” 

Jack Quaid’s performance in My Adventures with Superman Episode 8 is a particular standout, as he captures the frenzied fatigue of the character, his delivery aiding the visualization of his exhaustion, from the gag of him pounding coffee to the literal shadows in his eyes.

Fears are brought to life in “Zero Day: Part One.”

My Adventures with Superman has done a consistent, excellent job of humanizing this character, whose alien lineage and super strength have elsewhere been used to create a godlike figure. “Zero Day: Part One” further expands on this and the results are as poignant as they are because they’ve put in the work to make sure that know that, despite his powers, Clark as Superman is vulnerable, even bullets ricochet off of him. 

On top of using his super hearing to help those in trouble, he’s also using it to try to find the General, which leads him down the troublesome path he finds himself on. His intent is pure, but there’s no denying that the state he’s in is interfering with his ambitions.

From falling from the sky to causing physical damage, to causing a car wreck while trying to capture an invisible member of Intergang, without knowing his motives or being able to see the person he’s pursuing, the citizens around him grow fearful. It’s becoming his worst nightmare to be seen as someone to be feared, rather than someone who can offer hope and a sense of safety. 

Superman faces down an onslaught of emotional and physical damage.

This is doubled down on later, when he meets Lois and Jimmy, who have seen videos of him around the city. They’re also coming off a day having trailed reporter Vicky Vale, who has arrived to write a guest column for The Daily Planet about Superman. She doesn’t believe that Superman can be trusted, unable to wrap her head around why someone would do good for no personal gain. Her thoughts are doubled down when they speak to Alex, Ivo’s former assistant, who states that “he’s not normal like you or me.” 

All of this builds to Lois and Jimmy speaking with Clark, with Lois suggesting that he lie low, rest a little, and “just be normal” for a while. It’s less than she’s having a crisis of faith in him, but she’s seen the footage of what happens when Superman isn’t “good,” and understands Alex’s words about how someone with this type of power is just “one bad day” away from becoming a god of destruction. Her skepticism is inherent to her nature, but here it’s wounding, as Clark flies off, his worries further affirm that he can’t blend in, can’t be normal, even in the eyes of those he holds closest. 

It’s bad timing for him to go up against the General and the rest of the villains he’s enlisted to help him in his fight against Superman. Everyone from Intergang, Livewire, Ivo, and Slade Wilson is in on the fight, which initially takes to the sky before crashing to earth, as his Superman is physically and emotionally pummeled. 

My Adventures with Superman Episode 8 delivers visceral, bruising action. 

The animation throughout the episode is top-notch, among the best of the series. My Adventures with Superman Episode 8 understands the necessity of giving weight to battle, no matter how overpowered the main character is. The punches are visceral, and the landings brutal, as his power and the force of the blows leave him causing craterous damage. But it’s not just the scenes of combat that demonstrate the animation’s artistry; subtle thematic shifts, such as the blue skies darkening throughout the episode and grays coming in overhead as Clark’s mental state deteriorates. 

Ending on a cliffhanger and a dour note for the series (there are no photos that clutter the ending montage this week), “Zero Day Part 1” is the series’s best episode yet. It’s not just that Superman has, for the time being, lost, as he’s been taken away by the General. It’s that Clark, too, has had all his fears confirmed. Both parts of the hero, and how they intersect, have blurred. 

My Adventures with Superman Episode 8 is an emotional, action-packed installment that understands the toll of being a hero and how physical strength is just one factor in saving the day. Exhausted, defeated, and thinking less of himself by the moment, Clark’s journey to being the Superman we know best is still in its early stages, as he continues to reckon what he knows of himself with all that he doesn’t, his fear of being seen as different almost as poisonous as actual kryptonite. 

My Adventures With Superman Season 1 is available to stream on Max. 

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