What's the worst episode of S:TAS?

[GothamKnight1992]

It's hard to pick one bad episode because I think Superman: The Animated Series only had a hand full of great episodes and I think the rest were bad.

[Donomark]

Double Dose

For the rest of the topic people are gonna say Superman's Pal, but that wasn't nearly as bland as Double Dose. Honestly, after her first appearance there was really only so much you could do with both Livewire and the Parasite. Livewire's first episode was actually really cool but I cannot stand her voice past the first 15 minutes. As for the episode itself, its basically the sums of it parts. Two villains who zap and blast Superman do it for 20 minutes. Superman yells in pain, wash-rinse-repeat. There's nothing real memorable about the episode except for Superman's "body condom" that he uses which wasn't a bad design. But this was an episode that really isn't worth seeing a second time. It's not as cringe-worthy as I've got Batman in my Basement, but after seeing what the show was capable of, this one's just a weak effort.

[Silly McGooses]

I totally disagree, Gothamknight, that most S:TAS eps were bad--I thought it was the most consistent of any DCAU show. Not the best over-all, but the mot consistently watchable.

But yeah, Double Dose was pretty terrible.

And if anyone mentions Unity or Monkey Fun, I'm gonna have to come back and defend :p

[RavenFan17]

Monkey Fun is... well... fun, but I spaced out during Unity.

[Wonderwall]

Superman's pal. Not a redeeming quality whatsoever. And yea gonna have to disagree with STAS being mostly bad, it was really consistent I could list many good to great episodes that were done in its 56 episode run.

[Blackstar]

I'm going to reiterate what's already been said here: Superman: TAS was hardly "mostly bad". Most of the episodes ranged from the good to the merely tolerable, but few were truly awful or unwatchable.

Offhand, if I had to pick one, I would probably say "Monkey Fun". Seeing the Man of Steel reduced to taking on a low rent version of King Kong was a pretty strange viewing experience.

[GothamKnight1992]

I think S:TAS was mostly bad because it was boring and most Superman fans will attest to that if you go to the DC Superman message board. Also Livewire is probably the most undeveloped villian ever she hates Superman and tries to kill him because she's evil? Oh wait a minute she blamed Superman for the accident even though it was completely her fault.

I didn't like Superman's rogues gallery very much the only villain I wanted to see more of was Darkseid but they were saving him until Volume Three for some reason.

[Silverstar]

I think S:TAS was mostly bad because it was boring and most Superman fans will attest to that if you go to the DC Superman message board. Also Livewire is probably the most undeveloped villian ever she hates Superman and tries to kill him because she's evil? Oh wait a minute she blamed Superman for the accident even though it was completely her fault.

I didn't like Superman's rogues gallery very much the only villain I wanted to see more of was Darkseid but they were saving him until Volume Three for some reason.

I disagree; I thought Superman:TAS was a pretty solid series with very few clunkers; the only episodes that really bored me were "My Girl" and "Unity".

As for lame villains with no decent motivation for being evil, what about The Penguin? Did anyone ever establish a real motivation for his becoming a criminal? OK, Oswald Cobblepot is a semi-deformed little society man, so in response he becomes an arch-villain who steals bird-themed stuff? What? And what about Baby-Doll? Her fist appearance made some sense; she had a grudge against her old cast, whom she (wrongly) blamed for ruining her life, but then she turns up again in "Love is a Croc" and out of the blue turns back to crime alongside Killer Croc when she was just trying to get her life back together? Huh??

I really don't care what anybody on the message boards say (!), I know what I like, and I was entertained by Superman: TAS.

[GothamKnight1992]

Superman fighting a giant robot in the pilot episode? :yawn:

[Silverstar]

Superman fighting a giant robot in the pilot episode? :yawn:


What about it?

[Blackstar]

So, did you create this thread just so you could rip on the show? Maybe you didn't like Superman: TAS, but that doesn't mean that everyone else on the planet shares your opinion. In fact, everyone who has responded here (so far) seems to think that S:TAS had at least some good qualities.

This is starting to smell to me like another pointless "Batman >>> Superman" rhetoric, and quite frankly, I wish that the fanboys would stop with the pointless debates about which cape is better and just appreciate the merits of both heroes. It is possible to Like. Them. Both.

[GothamKnight1992]

What about it?

I'm saying it was boring that's what "yawn" means. Subtlety is not your strong suit is it?

[Silverstar]

Your opinion, and it's one which I don't share. But going back and forth on differing opinions would be pointless and would go nowhere, so I'm not about to do that.

I'm starting to think that Blackstar's right; your latest remarks have the distinct odor of flamebait. If you don't like the show, why'd you even bother creating this thread? Just so you know, bash threads aren't allowed here, nor are personal attacks on other members.

So if that's where this is headed, I'm out.

[konway87]

I used to love Superman TAS. I still think it is a good show. But not as good as Batman TAS. But that's just my opinion.

I didn't like Superman TAS episodes animated by Jade.

[ROBOTRON]

Double Dose ruled.
____________

1. UNITY - pure suckage.
2 Monkey Fun - A worthless episode [filler].
3. The Promethean - Another worthless [filler] episode.

[Hanshotfirst113]

I'm saying it was boring that's what "yawn" means. Subtlety is not your strong suit is it?

Easy there man.

[M.O.D.O.K.]

Probably the worst episode is "Superman's Pal". It was just SO BAD. Boring story with silly moments, and Metallo's henchwoman annoyed me to no end.

[Anthonynotes]

Guess I'd be inclined to go with Livewire's debut, never liking her as a character (and finding her origin as stupid even by comic book standards :-p ). I also recall that Prometheus episode was kind of on the dull side, as well...

Overall, though, I think S:TAS was quite a well done series, just as B:TAS was...

[theRedDeath]

Okay, first off: Double Dose is a sweet episode. The banter/teasing between Livewire and Parasite was funny and entertaining. Superman doesn't accomplish much, but this is an example of the spotlight being more on the villain's interactions with each other as apposed to Superman's interactions with the villains.

As for the worst episode of S:TAS?
I always thought "Father's Day" was pretty weak. The torture ball thing was dumb and the fight and motivation behind Supe's fight with Kalibak was all really lame IMO. The only reason this episode has any ground to stand on at all is just because it's the first time Superman actually meets Darkseid.

Generally though I really liked all of S:TAS. I think B:TAS was the longer show and naturally has a lot more gems in it, but I think the "standard" S:TAS episode was better than the 'standard" B:TAS episode.

---

[BigFatHairyDeal]

It might be worth noting that a lot of hardcore, Superman-comic-reading fans had little love for this show, whereas I've come across very few hardcore, Batman-comic-reading fans who disliked BTAS. Even if the stories and the writing were generally good, a lot of fans just don't care for Superman as interpreted on the show. Yes, a lot of it has to do with making Superman really weak, but there are a lot of other details here and there about the show that doesn't make it resound with Superman fans the way Timm and co. made BTAS appeal to Batman fans.

Anyway, which episode did I dislike the most? Well, I've only seen about 2/3rds of the show, so I'll just chime in about the ones I did see. I never cared for Titano under any medium, so I'm a bit biased against "Monkey Fun." As far as being disappointed by an episode, I'd go with "Demon Reborn." As the episode started, I quickly realized it would feature Ra's and Batman, so I got pretty pumped, but instead of being wowed, I had a "meh" feeling come the closing credits. I've not seen that episode in years, so I might be underrating it, but as of now it's just underwhelming. However, my winner (or loser) is also "Livewire" because I can't remember one good aspect of the episode, and several times I wanted to change the channel upon watching it for the first time on TV.

I actually never saw "Superman's Pal," so I am curious to see it because everyone, including the staff in the DVD commentaries, talked about how bad it is. Maybe it'll be like Bizarro Demon Reborn: my expectations of it are so low, I might be pleasantly surprised by it.

Quick comment about "The Prometheon": it was boring, but I always chuckle when I think about a device powered by heat. I'm no expert on thermodynamics, but I'm just curious what does its wasted energy get released as. Man, I wish we had one of those. It could solve our energy crisis and global warming!

[Hanshotfirst113]

Making Superman really weak? I recall bullet bouncing off of him :p. Exactly what do you think makes it appeal less to Superman fans as opposed to BTAS?

[AlgeaX]

Making Superman really weak? I recall bullet bouncing off of him :p. Exactly what do you think makes it appeal less to Superman fans as opposed to BTAS?

Keep in mind, there are those Superman fans who consider portraying Kal-El as anything less then an omnipotent deity capable of bench pressing galaxies with his pinkie, as practically heresy.

[BigFatHairyDeal]

Making Superman really weak? I recall bullet bouncing off of him :p. Exactly what do you think makes it appeal less to Superman fans as opposed to BTAS?


Keep in mind, there are those Superman fans who consider portraying Kal-El as anything less then an omnipotent deity capable of bench pressing galaxies with his pinkie, as practically heresy.

I kind of regret bringing up "weak," but I think if you read through a stack of Superman comics, watch the 5 movies, watch the Ruby-Spears cartoon from 1988, and then watch STAS, yes, you will notice that the STAS version is a lot weaker. It's something I seem to recall the writers doing intentionally.

As for what would've made STAS appeal more to Superman fans? Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but for me I think the lack of inner dialogue prevalent in comic books but absent in DCAU cartoons hurt STAS a bit. Kevin Smith, IIRC, once talked about it, how TV and movies will always be at a disadvantage when trying to do comic stories, because the internal dialogue/monologue is practically essential for writing good comics. So on STAS, Supes does come across as less intelligent; since they really couldn't explain how he outthinks his opponents several steps ahead, he has to fall into traps and claw his way out. I don't know, this seemed more problematic in STAS than BTAS, though I wouldn't be surprised if I went back and saw similar flaws in BTAS.

I also believe that Superman should be an inspirational character, the type of guy who commands everyone's attention, if not their respect. I felt they kind of fell short on this, too. One example is "Knight Time." Traditionally, Robin is a huge Superman fan, but in the cartoon he didn't really seem to care that he met the Man of Steel. That's the only example that comes to mind at the moment.

Whether or not you think STAS is a good cartoon (I do) is a matter of opinion, but to me it seems it's pretty much fact that hardcore Superman fans don't embrace STAS the way Batman fans did BTAS.

[ROBOTRON]

"Knight Time" is probably in my top 5 episodes of S:TAS...I'm not sure, are you saying you didn't like it?:sweat:

[BigFatHairyDeal]

"Knight Time" is probably in my top 5 episodes of S:TAS...I'm not sure, are you saying you didn't like it?:sweat:

"Knight Time" is also among my favorite episodes. What I didn't like about it was Robin's attitude toward Superman, treating him as though he's just another cape. I know it's Tim and not Dick (or Jason) but traditionally Robin is a huge Superman fan. I think that sort of tone is pretty prevalent in the series. Villains fear Batman, but to regular citizens Superman is somewhere in between rock star and the pope.

[Monterey Jack]

Superman's pal. Not a redeeming quality whatsoever.

I'd say Lois' skirt doing a Marilyn Monroe when Supes flies by counts as a "redeeming quality". ;)

[Joe]

Oddly enough, I just finished watching all the episodes recently, so I'll make a quick stab at this.

I didn't really run across any that I would call "very bad", but Monkey Fun was one that I alternated between laughing and shaking my head. It was a decent diversion, but definitely something I didn't want to see repeated.

As for Superman's Pal, It was pretty decent up until the Metallo reveal, who proved to be a completely stock villain there, even more than Heavy Metal. Still, I think Jimmy saves the episode for me along with the very memorable nightstick scene.

As for Superman being "weaker" in this series, I personally don't mind it and I thought it worked well in teh series.

[ABrown]

Honestly the only episode I can think of that I didn't like was the one with Mr. Mxyzpdskljfszxcklcjz whatever his name is. What an annoying character he was.




http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/img/Mxyzptlk.gif

[Silverstar]

Honestly the only episode I can think of that I didn't like was the one with Mr. Mxyzpdskljfszxcklcjz whatever his name is. What an annoying character he was.


http://www.batman-superman.com/superman/img/Mxyzptlk.gif

Which one? Myx appeared in 2 episodes: "Myxzptlkated" and "Little Big Head Man".

[ABrown]

Which one? Myx appeared in 2 episodes: "Myxzptlkated" and "Little Big Head Man".

Did he? I forgot that he did. Well, let's go ahead and throw both of them down. Man, maybe it was just having to listen to what's his name's voice for a half hour that I hated so much.

[Silverstar]

Did he? I forgot that he did. Well, let's go ahead and throw both of them down. Man, maybe it was just having to listen to what's his name's voice for a half hour that I hated so much.

Gilbert Gottfried.

I thought Mr. Myxzptlk was funny, myself, but admittedly, there was only so much they could do with him, given that he wasn't really a criminal or a supervillain, just an all-powerful, annoying imp out to best Superman.

[Hanshotfirst113]

If my fragmented memory serves, "The Promethean" did have have some good animation from TMS.


I kind of regret bringing up "weak," but I think if you read through a stack of Superman comics, watch the 5 movies, watch the Ruby-Spears cartoon from 1988, and then watch STAS, yes, you will notice that the STAS version is a lot weaker. It's something I seem to recall the writers doing intentionally.

As for what would've made STAS appeal more to Superman fans? Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but for me I think the lack of inner dialogue prevalent in comic books but absent in DCAU cartoons hurt STAS a bit. Kevin Smith, IIRC, once talked about it, how TV and movies will always be at a disadvantage when trying to do comic stories, because the internal dialogue/monologue is practically essential for writing good comics. So on STAS, Supes does come across as less intelligent; since they really couldn't explain how he outthinks his opponents several steps ahead, he has to fall into traps and claw his way out. I don't know, this seemed more problematic in STAS than BTAS, though I wouldn't be surprised if I went back and saw similar flaws in BTAS.

But then would that explain why Batman, which also had not internal monologue, was more embraced? I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just wondering.

[BigFatHairyDeal]

But then would that explain why Batman, which also had not internal monologue, was more embraced? I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just wondering.

My memory of BTAS isn't half as good as a lot of other posters' here, so I could very well be wrong. However, I seem to recall Batman doing a lot more explaining in those episodes than Superman ever did in STAS. If it wasn't internal monologue in BTAS, there were occasions when Alfred played Watson to Batman's Sherlock Holmes, and Batman would explain his thought processes to Alfred's curiosity, as well as the viewers' benefit.

[FireWarrior]

It's a toss up between Monkey Fun and the Prometheon for me. Both were weak episodes in my opinion.

[ShadowDemon]

For the record I like TAS' Superman the best of all the "modern" incarnations of the character.

That said, I could live without Titano, Myxlplyx (sp? whatever) and Bizarro.

[Noose]

I have always seen "Fish Story" as a thrown together episode. Not that it's bad, as in I hate it, but bad as in poorly made. It just came off as rushed to me, and a lot of the scenes were cheesy. The ending was weird too, in that Aquaman summons all of Atlantis in a 5 minute package, and they just leave after a few seconds.

To me, the episode seemed like "We just want to use Aquaman, but have no real story."

[ROBOTRON]

Gilbert Gottfried nailed Myzpxlated.:D

[murmur]

Myxpixilated was a terrific episode. Gottfried is let's say a taste that only some acquire, but it was a very creative and very amusing ep. Little Big Head Man was a big disappointment though. Between that ep., Double Dose, and Love is a Croc I have a sense that pairing two non-"arch" villains just didn't work for the DCAU staff. The three Superman archvillains (Luthor, Darkseid, Brainiac) all seemed to mix well together, not to mention Luthor mixing well with another hero's archvillain (Joker).

(And yeah, it's been forever since I posted. Sue me.:p )