This series may come across as cheesy and lame to those looking for cutting-edge quality or deeper meaning, but if you look at it for what it is, a kids' show about Superman from the 1980s, you'll find it gets the job done rather well. It feels consistent with what Superman generally is and the stories are interesting and fun enough to provide entertainment to its target audience (kids, Superman fans, etc.) This episode is no exception. A cyborg comes from the future in order to conquer the past so he can rule the world...not an incredibly unique premise or anything, but it works. Especially since the way he goes about this conquest is fairly interesting: he actually begins to inject his electronics into everything around him, not only taking over machines and twisting them into bizarre creatures, but even "roboticizing" humans (including Lois and Jimmy - oh no!). I have to say, I just love this concept in general, so this episode was certain to become a winner to me for that reason alone. It doesn't hurt that I like the designs of the cyber-humans - very simple and clean, but effective. If this was a different kind of show, a lot more dramatic stuff could've been done with the concept of people being turned into mind-controlled robot slaves who can regain their free will through reprogramming. For example, I would've loved to see people trying to cope with their new form on an emotional level after regaining their freedom, but that's definitely not something I expect or demand from this particular show, which obviously has very different objectives. The concept is still enjoyable in this less dramatic context.
Aside from that, I also really liked the role Clark Kent played in this one. This show generally stays with the traditional portrayal of Clark as a wimp, which I certainly don't mind, but at the same time, it was kinda nice seeing him in a dangerous situation and not freaking out too much or fainting, and it was nice seeing him helping by using his powers (somewhat) inconspicuously. But best of all was the fun that resulted from Lois learning his secret identity, which is always interesting and resulted in some funny moments. (Of course, more COULD'VE been done with this too, but it was fine the way it was.) In practice, I really hate in principle the fact that Jimmy referred to learning Superman's secret as the "scoop of the century", indicating he would've happily revealed it (!!!), but in practice, I don't take this show too seriously, so I couldn't care that badly. Ditto for the fact that Superman blatantly erased his friend's memories in order to keep his secret safe, which many would consider less than moral; in a weird way, I actually kind of liked it and found it amusing. The concept of Superman being willing to violate his own famously consistent morality without so much as a second thought when his secret identity is involved is, in fact, a concept extremely intriguing to me, even if in this context they likely weren't thinking about it that hard.
A couple of other positive aspects: I really loved the fact that Lois and Jimmy played a part in saving the day and the method of how they did it in the end was somewhat interesting. Though, I have to say it was kinda confusing that Cybron is both a cyborg and a being of pure energy at the same time, but that's the kind of logic you have to expect from something based on a comic book.
On the other hand, Cybron's design wasn't great and of course, the entire thing was fairly cheesy and not "expertly crafted" in any way. I mean, I can't say this episode is AMAZING or anything, because it isn't, but hey, I liked it. If you have similar tastes to me, maybe you will too.
Aside from that, I also really liked the role Clark Kent played in this one. This show generally stays with the traditional portrayal of Clark as a wimp, which I certainly don't mind, but at the same time, it was kinda nice seeing him in a dangerous situation and not freaking out too much or fainting, and it was nice seeing him helping by using his powers (somewhat) inconspicuously. But best of all was the fun that resulted from Lois learning his secret identity, which is always interesting and resulted in some funny moments. (Of course, more COULD'VE been done with this too, but it was fine the way it was.) In practice, I really hate in principle the fact that Jimmy referred to learning Superman's secret as the "scoop of the century", indicating he would've happily revealed it (!!!), but in practice, I don't take this show too seriously, so I couldn't care that badly. Ditto for the fact that Superman blatantly erased his friend's memories in order to keep his secret safe, which many would consider less than moral; in a weird way, I actually kind of liked it and found it amusing. The concept of Superman being willing to violate his own famously consistent morality without so much as a second thought when his secret identity is involved is, in fact, a concept extremely intriguing to me, even if in this context they likely weren't thinking about it that hard.
A couple of other positive aspects: I really loved the fact that Lois and Jimmy played a part in saving the day and the method of how they did it in the end was somewhat interesting. Though, I have to say it was kinda confusing that Cybron is both a cyborg and a being of pure energy at the same time, but that's the kind of logic you have to expect from something based on a comic book.
On the other hand, Cybron's design wasn't great and of course, the entire thing was fairly cheesy and not "expertly crafted" in any way. I mean, I can't say this episode is AMAZING or anything, because it isn't, but hey, I liked it. If you have similar tastes to me, maybe you will too.
