REVIEW: ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Episode 9 — “Zero Day: Part Two”

Wrapping up the story that “Zero Day: Part One” started, My Adventures with Superman Episode 9, “Zero Day: Part Two,” is an extraordinary crescendo that basks in the artistry and talent the series holds. Clark is still struggling with his identity and his role as Superman, but it’s only one part of the greater story that looks to shine a light on his effect and, in a greater sense, the immense effect a single act of kindness, no matter how grand, can have on a person.

His star doesn’t shine that bright at the start of the episode, however. He’s being held hostage, and tortured. He can’t comprehend why he’s being contained, even as he’s shown the truth of his past or, rather, the past of his people. The series maintains its PG rating while showing the attack but even still it conveys the fear that the General and Amanda Waller experienced at the compound. It was quick, destructive, and began with no understanding as to why, deepening their paranoia of when they’d strike next. It ended with a similar lack of coherency — a burst of violence before they disappeared.

The design of the robots, the mechs that the Kyrptonians launch against the humans, are wonderfully designed, lithe, and perfectly alien in their movements. Arriving through a portal — as if the sky had been zipped open to allow passage — the carnage isn’t shown but hinted towards, the darkened skies and red hues adding layers of destruction heard and not seen.

The General’s anger and his distrust of Superman, of any unknown being, is palpable as he talks of having taken the weapons left behind and repurposing them for their own use. That said, even he begins to suffer doubts as he realizes that if Superman’s kind of age the same way humans do, then Superman wouldn’t be old enough to have been involved in the original Zero Day. Despite his doubts though, the damage has been done for Clark who is horrified by the footage.

“Passing yourself as a hero when we both know what you are — a weapon.” It’s another great line that further wounds Clark. He’s beginning to believe it. In the past two episodes, as he’s spent more and more time donned in his suit and cape, he’s begun to feel less and less human, more detached from the idea of being “normal” despite desperately wanting to be so. The entire core voice cast is tremendous, with Jack Quaid once again delivering the emotional turmoil Clark is going through.

But Alice Lee and Ishmael Sahid are just as good as Lois and Jimmy, demonstrating how much personality they can weave into the structure of their characters. We see this in moments of levity but especially in the heightened emotional stakes of “Zero Day: Part Two”. It comes to a head when Clark manages to escape from the General, Lois, and Jimmy finding him in an abandoned warehouse after being found by Flip.

My Adventures with Superman Episode 9 continues to dig into his insecurities and the conflicting nature of who he is versus what his powers are. He didn’t want to fight anymore, had been about to just lie down and take the beating from Ivo while still being held captive. He only ever started this, started to be Superman, to help people and save lives. He didn’t don the cape for the sake of combat. But how can he reconcile his want to help people, to be a source of hope, with the belief that he was made with the goal of destruction?

It’s a question that’s inherent to the character, especially a version of one preoccupied with hope. Even if he can go against his making, he can’t deny that the weapons that have become the source of so much destruction were delivered to Earth by his people. His sense of responsibility has never faltered, even while weakened, exhausted, and operating with so little of the energy needed to take on a monstrous, Godzilla-esque version of Ivo who has been taken over by his tech and his hatred of Superman. People are getting hurt, so he has to try.

The battle itself is captured in bursts and starts but is anchored by the final move of Lois and Jimmy to reach out and pull on the hearts of civilians. Ivo is operating on a plane of existence where he’s able to gain power from the electricity keeping the city lit. So, when people dim their lights and cut the power, Ivo loses his. The fight isn’t so much the point of the episode, especially now that Clark has put such an emphasis on his disinterest in fighting and the violence it creates. That said, the final freezeframe of Superman bursting through the chest of the Parasyte, Ivo’s creation, is beautifully animated. He doesn’t kill the man but the monster that’s warped his mind. Part of the beauty of the series has been how so many of his enemies can’t comprehend why he’d be so selfless. He likely didn’t change Ivo for good, but he demonstrates that once again, it’s simply what he needs to do — to help where others can’t.

For all of the drama and tension of the past two episodes, it ends on a note of levity, with the same amount of attention and vibrancy being put into the animation of Lois and Clark’s kiss as it was Ivo’s rampage through Metropolis. My Adventures with Superman is as much about humanity as it is about the god-like powers Clark/Superman wields. It makes sense that a similar amount of importance would be put on the moments of human connection as it would be on the heroics. This is made especially true in “Zero Day: Part Two” where so much of the heroics are aided by the general goodness of those in Metropolis who hear Lois’s message and recognize how much they’re been helped by Superman with him asking for nothing in return.

It’s why, at the start of the episode, Lois reacts so strongly to Flip asking if she can help find Superman. He helped her and saved her life, and because of that, she wants to help too.

Beyond the main storyline, there are plenty of developments and Easter eggs that will thrill viewers. From Superman being called the “Man of Steel” for the first time in the series to Slade Wilson finally losing an eye, a step closer to the version of him most recognizable. These moments aren’t played as big moments, simply steps in the evolution of the characters and how they’re perceived.

My Adventures with Superman Episode 9 rallies its emotions with a flare for the dramatic. The writers understand that the events of “Zero Day: Part Two” are pivotal to the characterization of their main trio and the growth that will launch them into the next phase — next season — of the series. With astonishing, eye-catching animation that understands how to marry bold character and creature design with simplistic, and softly lit backdrops, the episode further proves that the series doesn’t just possess a strong understanding of its central character, but a roster of technicians and artists who are able to see those main characters and breather greater life and light into their world.

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