Thursday, September 6, 2018

TV Talk - Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - "The Foundling"


Next up for the month, it’s time to look at the one who sent young Kal-El to Earth: Jor-El. Jor-El was there from the beginning. Action Comics #1 literally starts out with Jor-El sending his son to Earth. He actually didn’t appear in it, though. We had to wait a year to see Jor-El and Lara (I’ll get to her next time) in person. We all know his story in that he was the scientist who predicted that Krypton would be no more. It’s been his main mode in the comics and the media. He’s also been a man of action, a teacher, a ghost (figurative and literal), and a villain. I’m not touching on what he’s currently doing in comics, though. Yeah, he’s somehow back thanks to Naked Blue Boy aka, Dr. Manhattan.

I did think about looking at a Smallville episode that featured Jor-El, but I’ll save Smallville for later. Today, it’s an episode from Season 1 of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Since the show was based off the Post-Crisis era, we didn’t get a lot of Krypton. Heck, the only alien thing we main saw was Superman which was kind of a problem with that show. Clark did get to find out where he came from in episode 17, “The Foundling.”

In the episode, a globe that Clark found with his ship starts to glow. When he touches it, a recording of Jor-El appears. The recording telepathically links with Clark and tells him that he’ll learn of his true origins. Unfortunately, while Clark is at work, his apartment is robbed, and the globe is one of the things taken. Jack, the burglar, finds the globe and accidently activates it. He sees the recording and sells it for money. He ends up unknowingly selling it to Lex Luthor. The globe activates around him and he starts to learn about Krypton as well.
"My son, what bulging muscles you have!"

Through an associate of Lois’s, Clark finds Jack and his stuff. Lois also ends up finding the pictures Jack took and thinks Clark stole the globe from the ship. They end up having words because of that. Later, Lex realizes that Jack may know who owned the globe, so he gets Nigel to kidnap him. Jack’s brother calls the Daily Planet and lets Clark know what happened. Clark changes into Superman and ultimately finds Lex’s hidden bunker. He finds the globe and hears Jor-El’s final message but can’t see where Lex went. In the end, Clark hides the globe in a private place, helps out Jack and his brother, and makes up with Lois.

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I thought this was a pretty good episode. It’s so weird seeing where the show at this stage when it was pretty much at its best. Try comparing this to the later seasons and you’ll see what is better. I thought the plot of Clark learning about his origins was good. Having the globe get stolen was convenient, but it did Clark to think about who else could learn his secret. We also get one of the only appearances of Jor-El (played by David Warner) on the show. Jor-El does return but not as Warner. I thought Warner was good as Jor-El even though we don’t get much of him. He had the voice for it. If only they made his lab look less cheap.
For those who don't know, Tony Jay (Nigel) was the voice of Lara's father, Sul-Van, in the pilot of Superman: The Animated Series.

We don’t get much Super-work in this episode and that’s a good thing. We get enough good stuff with the characters. Lois is her usual inquisitive self and I liked that she and Clark had a bump in their partnership. The Kents are good in the supporting role.  John Shea’s Lex is good as ever and it was nice to see Nigel again. The Daily Planet scenes were nice, though I did think Jimmy’s and Cat’s subplot was kind of dumb. Also, we get a new supporting character in Jack who sticks around for the rest of the season. Even though he had the tough street kid thing going on, I liked Jack and was a little sad that he didn’t return after this season.

There’s little to dislike about the show. Yeah, it can get a little cheesy here and there, but that was the show’s charm. Jimmy’s and Cat’s subplot about being related was dumb but kind of funny. You’d think Jimmy would hope they weren’t related considering what he wanted to do with Cat. Lastly, the effects are kind of bland. There’s this one green screen shot of Superman that looked horrible. Other than those things and the cheapness of Krypton, this is one of the show’s best episodes.

Overall, this was a nice episode. I only wish that the show did get a couple of more Krypton episodes during its four-season run. As for Jor-El, what can you say about a father who risks everything to save his son? He’s good but I am curious about his time in current comics, though. As for my favorite iteration, that’d be tough to say. All the Jor-Els were good… well, there was A.I. Jor-El from Smallville. What crappy program did the living Jor-El give to that A.I. a-hole? No wonder Clark was so stressed on that show! Speaking of which, next time will be a return to Smallville to see the lady of the Els: Lara. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and don’t leave your personal stuff on the shelf to get stolen. I know that from experience.

NEXT TIME: LARA, KARA, AND ZOR-EL???

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