Reviewed by: Steve Younis
Originally Aired: July 21, 2023
Written by Josie Campbell and Brendan Clogher
Directed by Kiki Manrique
VOICE CAST:
Jack Quaid as Clark Kent/Superman
Alice Lee as Lois Lane
Ishmel Sahid as Jimmy Olsen
Darrell Brown as Perry White, Curtis
Jake Green as Dr. Ivo, Old Rich Man
Max Mittelman as Alex
Desperate for any kind of lead on Superman, Lois has Jimmy bring in a pile of tabloid newspapers, because she doesn’t believe Superman was honest with her when she interviewed him.
Perry sends Clark, Lois and Jimmy on an assignment to cover the gala event being held by Dr. Ivo, the tech wizard behind AmazoTech.
As they prepare to leave, Clark stumbles upon an article about his boyhood exploits in Smallville in one of the tabloid newspapers, tears out the page and secrets it in his jacket pocket.
At the gala, Lois throws away the questions Cat Grant prepared for them, wanting instead to ask “real” questions of the high profile people in attendance. Her plan doesn’t go so well, as nobody will speak to her.
Clark overhears that Ivo is financially broke, but the tech mogul is adamant that his new Parasite technology will solve all his problems.
As Lois and Clark investigate, they discover that Ivo’s new tech is similar to the machinery they’ve been following all along. Even though it’s untested, Ivo presents his Parasite tech to his captive audience. To demonstrate what his new tech can do, Ivo grabs one of his board of directors and drops him out of the highrise window… Superman rescues him, as Ivo planned. The wearable tech gives its owner super-human abilities, absorbing energy from any attack.
Superman is unable to defeat Ivo in the Parasite suit, so he stops fighting, and instead the suit starts draining Ivo of his own energy when it is unable to get any from Superman. The Man of Steel saves Ivo by ripping the tech from him, but not before it damages him on a personal level, leaving him with deformaties.
Afterwards, Lois and Clark share a tender moment. Clark puts his jacket around Lois’ shoulders.
Back at the Daily Planet, writing up the story of the night they’ve just experienced, Lois starts putting together a new information board from articles found in the tabloid newspapers and her own new information. She discovers one of the newspapers has a torn out page… a page she discovers in the pocket of Clark’s jacket she’s still wearing.
Is Clark Kent secretly Superman?
Rating – 4 (out of 5): That escalated quickly!
I had my suspicions that Lois might figure out Clark’s secret sooner or later, I just didn’t think it would be this soon. Not that that’s a bad thing. I actually like the new spin on the story being played out here in this animated series. It’s fresh and intriguing.
As are the new versions of familiar characters. This is a very different take on the idea of Parasite, but it fits within the scope of the story being told here. Everything, all the villains so far, are tied to this advanced tech. Whether it’s Silver Banshee, Rough House or Parasite, they’re all created due to the technology that some “mysterious lady” (apparently Livewire) has provided these people.
I also love the relationship being formed between Clark and Lois. It’s nice to see them both acknowledging their mutual feelings for one another. Superman isn’t a part of the love triangle here, like in so many other versions of the story, he’s actually a source of frustration for Lois, who only sees him as a story to be investigated. It’s Clark she’s emotionally invested in. I’m glad that’s the case, for Clark’s sake.
Jimmy has less to do here, but he’s still an integral part of the story. I do worry that being the “third wheel” might create a problem for him. He obviously felt left out by the fact that Lois and Clark were so focused on one another. I hope that gets resolved soon. I’d hate to see this get between the trio.
Ivo felt very much like the Lex Luthor we saw in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”. He’s driven, self-absorbed, reckless, and a little unhinged. I’m sure we’ll see more from him down the track.
“Let’s Go to Ivo Tower, You Say” is another great episode in what’s quickly becoming a fun and intriguing ride.
