Superman on Television

Legion of Super Heroes: Episode Reviews

Season 1 - Episode 7: "Brain Drain"

Wow, 2 1/2 months between new episodes. I wonder how many kids forgot about the show in that time?

This was a good episode, as it was fairly Superman-centric and included some good moments for Superman... his determination to help a friend even without his powers and his learning that his powers are the result of being under a yellow sun. Although apparently his powers work a little differently in "Legion of Super-heroes" than they do in the comics in that when not in the presence of a yellow sun Superman's powers seem to disappear instantly rather than wear off over time.

The bit with Superman in the exo-suit was contrived enough that it felt like little more than an excuse for a new action figure, but it was a relatively minor part of the episode and didn't detract from the overall story. It was good to see Timberwolf again, although still far too many of the Legion members seem to get little to no screen time. With such an expansive roster they could easily go the "Justice League Unlimited" route and showcase more of the other characters easily enough.

The Lightning Lad/Saturn Girl/Brainy's missing body subplot seemed tacked on and without much point. Brainy's body could easily have just stayed behind on the other side of the portal if they wanted just his head to arrive on the other side for comedic effect. It didn't really have much point, but at least it gave Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl something to do for a few minutes.

I think the Superman moments were what saved this episode for me, though, as without them it would have seemed like just another throwaway episode. But the Superman moments were there, and some of Brainy's dementia actually made me chuckle and so I've got no real complaints... so long as we don't have to wait ten weeks for the next new episode.

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