Feeding Time
Episode #07 - Feeding Time
Original Airdate - September 21st, 1996.
After toxic chemicals transform unremarkable janitor Rudy Jones into
the energy -draining Parasite, he imprisons Superman, intent on
keeping the Man of Steel as his own personal power source.
Media by Amazing Spidey, Borg4of3
Review by Brainiac |
Credits:
Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Dan Riba
Music by Kristopher Carter
Animation Services by Koko Enterprise Co., LTD., Dong Yang
Animation Co., LTD.
Voices:
Tim Daly as Superman/Clark Kent
Dana Delany as Lois Lane
Brion James as Parasite/Rudy Jones
David Kaufman as Jimmy Olsen
Lauren Tom as Angela Chen
George Dzundza as Perry White
Victor Brandt as Professor Hamilton
Robert Patrick as Lebeau
Tasia Valenza as Policewoman
Mel Winkler as Comissioner Henderson
Phil Hayes as Guard
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“You messed me up for the last time you stupid little parasite!”
-Lebeau
To put it quite simply, I really liked this episode. It gave us a great
introduction to another member of Superman’s rogues gallery: the
Parasite. In this case, I think the animated version surpasses the
original Parasite found in the comics, adding a more interesting look
and personality. Rudy Jones is not an inherently evil person, looking to
start a career in supervillainy —he’s merely a plain, and rather
unexceptional janitor, who gets into a bad situation. This is evidenced
in the episode when he pushes Lebeau’s gun away once he starts shooting
at the cops. Yet once Rudy’s given the power to absorb other’s
energies—along with their thoughts, and even memories, he hungers for
more power, namely: Superman. I thought the transformation from ‘lowly
janitor’ to a powerful villain was nicely done, and believable. In other
words, it didn’t feel rushed, despite the fact that it was a one-part
episode.
The plot was excellent, and seemed to blend many different elements
skillfully into the storyline, from a creepy horror movie-type feel to a
bit of comedy. The scene in which Rudy is turned into the Parasite was
especially disturbing, mostly due to the terrified look on Rudy’s face
(or what was left of it) as he screamed to the driving Lebeau to stop
the truck. On the other hand, there were some comedic moments, such as
Jimmy’s remarks to the commissioner after finding the policewoman
drained of her energy:
“She must’ve been delirious when I found her. She said something
about being attacked by a purple monster.”
“Was its name Barney?”
“Are you here to make ‘haha’ or to take pictures?”
“I guess that’s a ‘no’…”
One minor problem I had with the plot was that once Clark was drained of
his powers by the Parasite, he for some reason caught a cold. Maybe it
was because the loss of powers made him more susceptible to getting
sick? If so, how did he miraculously recover? Yet, other than that, I
found the story to be near-perfect.
The animation was fluid and very nicely done, from the glowing liquid
that transformed Rudy Jones to the energy surging through his body as he
drains his victims. This was complemented by the often-haunting musical
score used for the Parasite’s own ‘theme,’ which showed up from time to
time.
It was great to see a new addition to Superman’s villain line-up in the
show, as well as introducing Superman’s ‘Anti-Kryptonite Suit.’ It was a
well-done and engaging episode to watch. The ending was a nice touch,
letting the audience know that the Parasite would be back, as he absorbs
the energy from a bug in his cell and bears an evil smile.
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