REVIEW: ‘My Adventures With Superman’ Season 2 Episode 10 — “My Adventures With Supergirl”

With high stakes and tremendous momentum, My Adventures With Superman Season 2 Episode 10 sticks the landing to a terrific season. The sheer amount of plot the series can burn through in just ten episodes is wildly impressive, culminating in a finale that thrillingly and satisfyingly brings every lingering thread together. Clark’s (Jack Quaid) emotional journey is wrapped up in Episode 9, leaving ample time to dedicate to Kara’s (Kiana Madeira) experience as she faces the trauma wrought by Brainiac’s head-on as she, along with Clark, faces down his looming threat.

One of the most impressive aspects of My Adventures With Superman Season 2 Episode 10 is the scope and depth evident in the writing and the visuals. The series often relies on a deliberate softness that defines this version of Superman. The series crafts a whimsical effect from the lines that don’t connect in the background scenery to colors that seem to dissipate the further into the distance you look. So, when the frames get dark, and the evil lurking emerges, the impact is felt. It’s immediately present in the opening sequence as Brainiac’s ship leers over Metropolis, the reds and blacks pointedly out of place.

The visuals are top-tier throughout the finale, especially in conveying action and emotion. The fight between a brainwashed Kara and Clark lands brutally because of both how their combat is captured and the anguish sewn onto Kara’s face. Even though she doesn’t have control, how her face contorts implies a character fighting to take it back. The use of her heat vision further builds on the emotional tension as Brainiac repeatedly tells her to comply as she sinks into past insecurities and reactions stemming from the abuse he inflicted on her.

Even without the emotional tether, the action sings. The swiftness of their plight is beautifully rendered, demonstrating the sheer might and strength the two have. Later, when Clark and Kara work together to throw Brainiac into the heart of the sun, the visuals find new ways to impress as their Kryptonian heritage courses through them, their bodies ignited with the sun and its powerful impact on them. Despite the show’s soft lens, there’s abundant color and vibrancy as it captures how far they travel in this fight, from the rubble beneath their feet on Earth to the sun’s gravitational pull.

The fact that My Adventures With Superman Season 2 Episode 10 pulls off such a climatic and satisfying finale isn’t necessarily shocking. It did the same in Season 1. But it’s a reminder of why it’s one of the best shows on television, with exceptional pacing and momentum. It feels like the DC series of old—in particular, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. The difference is that those series would take two seasons to land its greatest, most triumphant moments where characters were pulled together. Here, it takes only ten episodes.

When all of the Daily Planet, Livewire’s crew, Sam Lane, and even Amanda Waller work together to save their home, it’s earned. We believe they’d all rise to the occasion despite their inherently divisive differences. Enough character work is planted in the series, so we never question it.

Similarly, everything about Clark’s confrontation with Kara as she’s under Brainiac’s control rings true. The writing has spent the entirety of this season highlighting Clark’s kindness. While plenty believe it’s a vulnerability, he and his friends and family see it as an inherent strength. He, in particular, sees it as the core truth of who he is and what type of hero he wants to be.

So, of course, he matches her intensity while fighting by appealing to her humanity. As she goes in for a blow, he embraces her, telling her she’s strong and can beat Brainiac. Lois (Alice Lee) and Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid) join to help, as Clark tells her that he understands what it means to feel alone but that home isn’t a place but the people who surround you in life.

As was the case in Episode 9, Episode 10 reaches for those heartswelling moments that err on the side of cringe-inducing but with enough sincerity to make them work. This is who Clark is, and it works. Later, when Kara and he hear the cheering from Earth for them after they’ve saved the day, she tells him she’s never seen the world before. It’s a poignant moment because the first time meeting the character, we learn that all of the worlds she believed she’d help rescue were all demolished and left in ruin. Here, finally, she has a place to land.

My Adventures With Superman Season 2 Episode 10 overflows with compassion and affection for its characters. Ending on a note of peace, we watch as Kara slowly begins to acclimate to life on Earth. From meeting the Kents to going on double dates, we get a sneak peek of her new life. While we’ll have to wait until Season 3 to see just how well she integrates herself on Earth, it’s off to a good start.

With abundant empathy and an innate understanding of these characters, My Adventures With Superman Episode 10 is a culmination of what makes the series so exemplary. Pulsating with stakes and the gleeful thrill of seeing heroes accomplish tremendous feats, it marries nostalgia with its modernistic take. There’s a lot of love about the series, and this shines due to creators who understand and honor the stories they’re telling.

My Adventures with Superman Season 2 is available now on HBO Max.

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