Superman on Television
Superman: The Animated Series - Episode Reviews
Season 1 - Episode 7: "The Way of All Flesh"
Original Air Date: October 19, 1996Reviewed by: Jeffrey Taylor
"Now I'm the real Man of Steel"
First off, I'd like to explain my rating system. I've received a lot of feedback (both positive and negative) about my opinions and how I rate certain episodes. 3 is average, which means there was nothing horrible about the episode, but nothing outstanding either. A 2 means that the show was below average and just not as fun to watch as I would have liked, which is why "Fun and Games" earned that score. A 1 means it was almost unwatchable which will probably be rare with this series, but at least one comes to mind in season three. On the upside, a 4 means the episode was very well done, made sense in the context of the series and was fun to watch. Certain fan-favorite episodes like "Feeding Time" that deserve a 4 will receive one. 5's are reserved for particularly excellent episodes and only specifically great installments will receive them. If you agree or disagree with any of my ratings, please look at how I back up my opinions in the column and feel free to speak to me in the comments section. You'll need to become a Superman Homepage member, but it's free. I always make a point of answering any questions and queries posted. My screen name is "shaxpere" because I'm such a huge fan and follower of Shakespeare and Elizabethan Theater.
To those wondering why I don't recap each episode, it's because they've all been given excellent descriptions by Andrew Gould and Peter T. McDermott in the Episode Guides.
Rating - 4 (out of 5): Metallo first appeared in the comics in Superboy #49 from 1956 and quickly became a staple Superman villain. Besides boasting strength that could rival the Man of Steel, Metallo's heart and source of power was a chunk of Kryptonite that could stop Superman in his tracks. When put together, they create a very powerful villain who could pose a serious threat to our hero. Although originally a robot from Krypton, comic writers soon altered his origin making him a cybernetic organism or cyborg, created by Dr. Vale with the brain of petty criminal John Corben. As with most of this series, the origin story was partly original and partly drawn from John Byrne's Man of Steel reboot. This Metallo more closely resembles the villain from Superman #1 (second series, 1987) than his first appearance back in Superboy #49.
Malcolm McDowell returns as John Corben in this installment, fresh off his first appearance in parts II and III of the 3-part pilot (again, if you don't know who McDowell is, look him up. You've probably seen or heard him in a few things over the years). When we last saw him, he inhabited the Lexo-Suit and fought Superman to a near standstill. The irony is of course that the metal suit was on the outside of his body, but would soon be placed inside of him. The opening scene of this episode briefly established that although Corben is in prison, he would still pay whatever the cost for the finest food and amenities. Those fine foods were of course poisoned with a rare, but deadly viral disease that has no known cure. This later turned out to be Luthor's doing and Corben only agreed to the "elective surgery" and became Metallo in order to survive, but it came with an enormous cost.
This episode offered a first appearance Stryker's Island, which is a prison out to sea away from the city of Metropolis that houses many of the worst criminals Superman or other authorities have put away. Think of it as the Alcatraz of this fictional world. Batman fans can also equate it with Gotham's Blackgate Prison. To allow Corben to escape and keep Superman too busy to notice him, a series of missiles were launched toward Stryker's, allowing many criminals to attempt escape, keeping Big Blue occupied with the swimming escapees while Corben could get away with SCUBA gear.
There was a brief mention of Corben's escapades from the pilot in order to establish continuity from previous episodes. Luthor lead Corben to believe that he would help him destroy the viral disease by replacing his body with a robotic one as a favor for his silence after the Lexo-Suit disaster, as opposed to nothing more than a means of defeating Superman. Once Corben became Metallo he lost all sensation, good and bad. He could no longer physically feel anything, which fortunately included all kinds of pain, but he also lost any capacity for pleasure, including physical expressions of love and his favorite: fine foods. Luthor simply explained that adjustments needed to be made, but excluded that those adjustments would have to be Corben's. Corben believed Luthor meant that the doctor would adjust him so he could feel, smell and taste again, but he would actually have to adjust himself to feeling entirely numb. Luthor explained "The only hunger you should have is for power, my friend. The only thirst, for revenge."
As payment for Luthor's help, Corben was expected to go out and kill Superman, which would have suited Corben's vengeful desires anyway. Metallo attempted to draw Superman out for a fight by derailing a Metropolis el-train, which was a great piece of animation as the back cars jump the tracks. Once again, this Lois Lane shows she's much more than a damsel in distress by rescuing Superman from Metallo's Kryptonite heart. I still find it refreshing that the Lois Lane of this series doesn't get weak in the knees whenever she's around Superman. Corben had been in jail for some time and hadn't been near a woman but when he forcibly kissed Lois, he realized that he could not feel anything at all which was the last straw. Soon after, he removed much of his fake skin revealing the Metallo endoskeleton, symbolizing that Corben has reluctantly embraced his new, numb self.
It was revealed in the pilot that Lois used to date Lex Luthor but since he lost her he seemed to relegate his love life in favor of cheap floozies. It was actually gratifying when Metallo threw Luthor's date into the water while attacking him on his yacht. It's somewhat obvious that Metallo would have had no buoyancy in water, so when Luthor piloted his boat into open sea it was pretty obvious how the villain would be defeated. Still, it was a good way of doing it without destroying the villain forever.
Superman discovered how Luthor had poisoned Corben and revealed that information to him during the fight in the third act. Once the fight was over and Superman had saved Luthor from the shark, Lex attempted to lord over Superman by reminding him about Metallo's Kryptonite heart and that he could still be out there under the water. Superman's response was, "I don't think I'm the one who should be worrying." Luthor rarely faces Superman directly in much of this series, so the writers always seem to use special care when they interact like this. Obviously once Metallo returns, we should expect him to be even more focused on getting revenge on Luthor than Superman.
The final moment of the show is the same as every episode so far. They won't all be this way, but so far they have. The pilot ended showing the Brainiac was still in space and had taken over a ship. The first episode ended with Toyman's broken mask, but no body. The final shot of the Kryptonite episode revealed more Kryptonite stuck in the rocks near the excavators, which paid off in this installment. The last episode ended with Parasite showing the audience that he was still conscious and able to leech off a cockroach. This time, the shot pans deeper and deeper under the water and we can see Metallo walking on the ocean floor with an ominous green glow of Kryptonite emanating from his chest. All of these villains are meant to return, but final shot revealing the ongoing threat is getting to be an old concept.
The look of Metallo's endoskeleton is somewhat similar to a Stan Winston's Terminator design from James Cameron's The Terminator. In all fairness, Metallo had the design first, although he looked more like C-3PO when he first appeared in the comics. How he can focus the Kryptonite radiation into a laser beam from his chest is beyond me, but then again so is a brain transplant into a robot, so I'll buy into it.
The animation holds up fine for this episode, although none of the others seem to have had the same care and precision that the "A Little Piece of Home" episode had. The attention to detail concerning the "S" on Superman's chest is beginning to go downhill. It must be hard to animate, especially on a muscular chest, but I still contend that extra care should always be given to that part of his costume, even over the cape. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes not so great. This time it pretty much goes middle-of-the-road.
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