Where to watch Superboy (19
2 1/2 Stars
A rock star, Judd Faust, wants the amusement park and puts everyone in danger when the owner refuses to sell it to him. Lana falls in love with Judd but learns of his true nature when he takes her away one night and puts her in a torture device.
Original Air Date: 11/12/1988 – “Bringing Down the House”
In the sixth episode of ‘The Adventures of Superboy’, there is a noticeable shift in tone. While the earlier episodes primarily target a pre-teen audience, this episode seems to aim for a teenage demographic, particularly young women. I appreciate this creative direction, even though it didn’t return until the second season.
The episode features 1970s heartthrob Leif Garrett, who was cast for nostalgic reasons and to promote his new music. He plays the antagonist, and his motivation for planting bombs and murdering girls is disturbingly dark: he wants to capture their screams to use as backup tracks for his records. This theme is quite heavy for a show that aired on Saturday afternoons, primarily for children.
Titled “Bringing Down the House,” this episode is slightly above average and carries a distinct tone. Writers Howard Dimsdale and Michael Morris are credited with this redirection of the series. The plot includes a subplot where Clark becomes jealous of the attention Lana is receiving from the singer. Previously, Lana had been upset about Clark’s romance with an heiress, but the roles are reversed in this episode.
On the downside, Superboy does not appear until three-quarters of the way through the episode, and instead, we first see Clark hitting a home run on a college team he isn’t a part of. This absurdity is something only a show with such a ‘loose’ production could manage.
Directed by: Colin Chilvers
Written by: Howard Dimsdale, Michael Morris
Starring: Stacy Haiduk, John Newton, Leif Garrett