[8.1/10] This is a really fun episode. Mxy is already a hilarious character in and of himself, especially bolstered by Gilbert Gottfried’s over-the-top comic performance. Combining him with Bizarro, who is basically a giant, superpowered toddler, really pays comic dividends. Mxy trying to work his way around the wager he made with Superman, while using Bizarro as a stalking horse for it, is a recipe for mayhem and good humor.
It provides good material for both “villains” (who are each closer to being pests than truly malevolent influences). There’s something downright adorable about the way that Bizarro has turned his sequester planet into his own personal Metropolis, replete with rock and stump versions of all of Superman’s pals. The cute way in which he “plays house” as Mxy puts it, is very endearing.
Mxy’s plan to stir him up is pretty darn good too. The art shift from Mxy’s “surveillance” of Superman laughing at Bizarro is a good way to convince the simpleton that his supposed friend looks down on him. That’s a nice way to give a not bright character some solid psychological motivation that pays off. There’s not much to Bizarro causing mayhem downtown yet again, but Superman diving in front of a sonic beam to save him is a nice way of reaffirming that Superman really is Bizarro’s friend and that Mxy is a trickster and a liar. It dramatizes their relationship through choices, which is always a deft move.
I also like Mxy’s part of the episode. Again, there’s something fun about him technically not bothering Superman himself, only coaxing somebody else to do it for him, that feels appropriate for a weasley trickster god. It’s also neat to learn more about his fifth dimensional realm and the rules and regulations of it. There’s something especially 1960s Star Trek about him being called before a tribunal of bearded imps and told that he’s in trouble for toying with less advanced life forms. The fact that he’s sentenced to three months community service, and made to be Bizarro’s playmate, is a nicely arch and ironic punishment for him.
Overall, this one combines two foils who’ve starred in some great S:TAS episodes and finds a nice and above all funny way to bring them together. Definitely worth watching.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-04-24T01:59:19Z
[8.1/10] This is a really fun episode. Mxy is already a hilarious character in and of himself, especially bolstered by Gilbert Gottfried’s over-the-top comic performance. Combining him with Bizarro, who is basically a giant, superpowered toddler, really pays comic dividends. Mxy trying to work his way around the wager he made with Superman, while using Bizarro as a stalking horse for it, is a recipe for mayhem and good humor.
It provides good material for both “villains” (who are each closer to being pests than truly malevolent influences). There’s something downright adorable about the way that Bizarro has turned his sequester planet into his own personal Metropolis, replete with rock and stump versions of all of Superman’s pals. The cute way in which he “plays house” as Mxy puts it, is very endearing.
Mxy’s plan to stir him up is pretty darn good too. The art shift from Mxy’s “surveillance” of Superman laughing at Bizarro is a good way to convince the simpleton that his supposed friend looks down on him. That’s a nice way to give a not bright character some solid psychological motivation that pays off. There’s not much to Bizarro causing mayhem downtown yet again, but Superman diving in front of a sonic beam to save him is a nice way of reaffirming that Superman really is Bizarro’s friend and that Mxy is a trickster and a liar. It dramatizes their relationship through choices, which is always a deft move.
I also like Mxy’s part of the episode. Again, there’s something fun about him technically not bothering Superman himself, only coaxing somebody else to do it for him, that feels appropriate for a weasley trickster god. It’s also neat to learn more about his fifth dimensional realm and the rules and regulations of it. There’s something especially 1960s Star Trek about him being called before a tribunal of bearded imps and told that he’s in trouble for toying with less advanced life forms. The fact that he’s sentenced to three months community service, and made to be Bizarro’s playmate, is a nicely arch and ironic punishment for him.
Overall, this one combines two foils who’ve starred in some great S:TAS episodes and finds a nice and above all funny way to bring them together. Definitely worth watching.