Recap / Superman: The Animated Series S1 E8 "Stolen Memories"

Lex Luthor is contacted by the alien Brainiac who claims to come in peace and willing to share his technology. However, once he arrives he expresses the wish to meet with Superman. Once the two meet, Brainiac reveals he too is from Krypton and now travels the universe trading and preserving knowledge. He invites Superman to join him in exchange for memories of their former homeworld. Superman is tempted to accept but Brainiac has a much more sinister agenda...

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This episode provides examples of:

• Dramatic Irony: Only the audience is initially aware that Brainiac's story to Suprman about how he survived Krypton's destruction is false. The tension lies in whether or not Clark will realize this in time (and before Brainiac can screw over Earth the same he did to his own homeworld).
• The End... Or Is It?: Brainiac was seemingly destroyed but he managed to upload some sort of alien code to Luthor's computers...
• Gone Horribly Right: Brainiac was designed to collect and store knowledge at all costs. Once Krypton's demise was inevitable, Brainiac deliberately lied to the Kryptonian council to distract them while he saved all of Krypton's history at the expense of its people. Later, Brainiac started destroying planets he collected knowledge from in order to make said knowledge more valuable and prevent more from being created.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Brainiac allows Superman to access the Kryptonian Orb as part of his sales pitch. This access backfires, as recorded excerpts from Krypton's final days linger in Clark's subconscious — excerpts which poke holes in Brainiac's story and trigger Clark's suspicions.
• Internal Reveal: Superman learns the full knowledge that the audience has been privy to since the pilot about Krypton's destruction and Brainiac's betrayal.
• Mythology Gag: Braniac attempts to incapacitate Superman by shooting a beam at him. It initially works until he overpowers the beam by simply punching it.
• Reasonable Authority Figures: The Pentagon officials view Superman as a trusted ally and sternly interrogate Luthor for making First Contact with a mysterious alien behind their backs, while seeking to confirm his claims about Brainiac.
• Shout-Out: The basecamp where Luthor awaits first contact with Brainiac quite resembles the one from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
• Sitting Duck: Right before he goes into Braniac's ship for the second time, Superman expresses doubts to Luthor who says he has batteries of missiles aimed at the ship in case Braniac tries something. After Braniac subdues Superman, he hacks into LexCorp's computers, and Luthor gives the order to fire, but Braniac disables the launchers, and used Luthor's systems to take control of the world's defense systems, which prompts Luthor to comment "we're sitting ducks here!"
• Wham Line: Brainiac addressing Superman as Kal-El during their first meeting is one in-universe for Clark. After all, nobody on Earth besides himself or the Kents should know his birth name.
• You're Insane!: Superman says this to Brainiac once he explains he has destroyed every world he has collected knowledge from in order to make said knowledge more valuable.

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