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Recap / Superman: The Animated Series S2 E13 "Monkey Fun"

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In her childhood, Lois Lane had a pet chimpanzee named Titano. Being intended as a test subject, Titano was shot out into space and lost when the mission went awry. Then, years later, Superman finds him, alive and well. But all does not stay well for long. Titano has been exposed to a strange gas, which, combined with Earth's atmosphere is sending him through remarkable growth spurts. Can Superman keep Metropolis safe? Can Lois keep Titano safe?

This episode contains examples of:

  • Adaptational Heroism: Sam Lane is way nicer than his comics counterpart.
  • Adaptational Job Change: Sam Lane works for the U.S. Army in the comics, here he works for the U.S. Air Force and was involved in the space program.
  • Adaptational Wimp: The original version of Titano from the comics was a super-intelligent giant ape who could fire kryptonite beams from his eyes; this one is pretty much "only" a confused giant ape.
  • Answer Cut: After Superman saves Hamilton and his scientists from the mega microbes, Hamilton theorizes that they grew in response to the space gas and exposure to Earth's atmosphere. He and Superman quickly have an alarming realization as to what that means for Titano...whereupon the camera cuts to Lois' apartment, where Jimmy is dodging objects Titano is throwing around and desperately trying to get Lois to come back.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Dr. Hamilton and his scientists get attacked by super sized bacteria. Then Metropolis gets "attacked" by an over-sized chimpanzee.
  • Badly Battered Babysitter: Lois and Jimmy both have an unfortunate experience babysitting, with the twist that they're watching a monkey, Titano. After keeping him for a week, an exhausted Lois presses Jimmy into service while she takes a break. Titano throws things (including the refrigerator) at his unfortunate watcher. And then he starts growing...
  • Banana Peel: Jimmy slips on one as he tries to get out of Lois' apartment.
  • Bridal Carry: Superman catches Jimmy in midair after he slips and falls from the roof trying to get away from Titano. The next shot shows him carrying his younger coworker in his arms as he goes to survey the damage.
  • Cassandra Truth: Lampshaded. Jimmy says Superman won't believe him when he says Titano grew so much, but Superman (who's already aware of the situation) cuts him off with "Let me guess. Titano's a growing boy."
  • Catch a Falling Star: Jimmy falls several stories, but Superman shows up Just in Time to save him from hitting the ground.
  • Chekhov's Gun: In the flashback during which he was with Lois, Titano owned a stuffed toy monkey called Beppo. It ends up being used to help calm Titano down in the episode's climax.
  • Continuity Nod: Lois' sister Lucy, who she mentioned in "Mxypixilated", appears in the prologue.
  • Cuteness Proximity: A mild version when Lois reunites with Titano. She speaks in a voice slightly more sing-songy than usual and calls him "[her] pretty baby."
  • Distant Prologue: The episode begins twenty years ago, with Titano launched on his mission and lost, much to the eight-year-old Lois's dismay.
  • Dogpile Of Doom: The mega-microbes crawl over Superman after he saves Dr. Hamilton and the other scientists from them, but Supes slings them all off with a burst of super-strength.
  • Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Dr. Hamilton theorizes that the now-supersized bacteria from which Superman just saved them must have been in the capsule and grew because of exposure to Earth's atmosphere. Cue this reaction when the two remember that a chimpanzee has had a similar exposure.
  • Fearless Fool: When Titano wanders down to the docks and starts making a mess, Bibbo climbs onto a stack of crates to confront the giant chimp, swat him with a newspaper, and call him "bad monkey!". He gets tossed into a garbage barge.
  • Gilligan Cut: Dr. Hamilton voices his opinion that it would be good for Titano to go back to living with Lois. Lois protests, the camera pans to Clark and Dr. Hamilton's faces and then we cut to Titano wrecking Lois' apartment.
  • I'm Not Hungry: Despite being in space for years, Titano doesn't feel like eating when first offered food. He perks up however and takes the banana upon seeing Lois.
  • In-Universe Nickname: Lois was called "Lo-Lo" when Titano was staying with the Lanes.
  • Ironic Name: Titano was originally named after the rocket he was a passenger in, Titan-0. When he grows to titanic size, something the Air Force likely never intended, his name becomes very fitting.
  • Lab Pet: Titano lives with Lois as a pet until it's time for him to be launched into space.
  • Mega-Microbes: The episode featured a brief appearance by amoeba enlarged to human size.
  • Mighty Glacier: Unlike how gigantic animals and monsters are typically depicted in popular media, giant Titano can only move about in a slow and lumbering manner.
  • Miracle-Gro Monster: The gas, combined with Earth's atmosphere, turns Titano into a giant.
  • Mischief-Making Monkey: During Titano's rampage at the zoo, some monkeys escape and cause mischief.
  • Military Brat: Lois and Lucy were daughters of an army man as kids, which is how Lois knew Titano.
  • Modesty Towel: Lois wears one while she gets a massage.
  • Music Soothes the Savage Beast: Lois uses an old music-playing monkey toy to calm Titano.
  • Mythology Gag:
    • The episode was apparently a remake/homage to a similar episode of The New Adventures of Superman.
    • The toy monkey is named Beppo, which is the name of the Super Monkey.
  • Needle in a Stack of Needles: While Lois is trying to get Beppo to Titano in hopes it will calm him down, Titano smashes a carnival game, sending nearly identical plush monkeys spilling everywhere, and Beppo winds up lost in the pile.
  • Never Give the Captain a Straight Answer: When Titano begins growing to unnatural size, Jimmy calls Lois and begs her to come back to the apartment, but he doesn't explain what precisely has gone wrong. Lois still returns, but presumably she would have hurried more if she had known of the crisis in progress.
  • Non-Malicious Monster: Titano.
  • Scream Discretion Shot: Played for Laughs. After finding out Titano has completely wrecked her apartment in her absence, the scene cuts to a far shot of the building right before Lois screams.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After an uncertain amount of time trying to watch the monkey, Jimmy finally has enough and runs for it when Titano grows so big that he can barely fit in the apartment.
  • Shout-Out: When Bibbo smacks Titano for messing up his dock, he calls him "Cheetah", the name of one of Tarzan's ape friends who debuted in the Weissmuller films and has been retired since the 90's, much to the joy of Burroughs purists.
  • Tempting Fate: The head of the space program assures young Lois that Titano will be okay, until something went wrong.
  • "Test Your Strength" Game: A "strength" tester appears during Superman and Titano's battle. The ape pitches Supes into it so hard that he rings the bell.
  • Time-Shifted Actor: A then unknown Mae Whitman plays the 8-year old Lois.

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