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Published On: Dec 19, 2004 11:59 AM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Dec 19, 2004 11:59 AM
Episode Review--Smallville Season 3, Episode 2, Phoenix
What can I say about this episode. I told you I
was going to reserve complete judgment on the premiere until after this week's
second half of the two parter, and I have to say that I'm glad I did. Where
last week's episode was only one of the best episodes of the show, I have to say
that this episode was by far the best one so far. The tensions were strong, and
the plot twists were well timed. There were a few rough edges, but there
usually are, at least to me, but then, again, I'm hypercritical. If you want to
hear more of my thoughts on the particulars of this episode, then read
on.
First off, I have to say that the battle between
suped up Jonathan and Red-K Clark was one of the best battle scenes ever on
television. I'm really glad that it was the end of Red-K Clark for the time
being; I was afraid they'd try to drag it out for too long. Having him home
within the first fifteen minutes allowed the show to focus on tying up the loose
ends from last season. But, before we get into that, I have to say something
about one new character in
particular.
This season marks the introduction of one of the more intriguing characters from the Superman mythos, and of the villains in particular. Morgan Edge, the infamous head of Intergang. I have to say that they couldn't have chosen a better actor to play him than Rutger Hauer. It's just unfortunate that it looks like he won't be able to reprise the role later in the season. Oh well, we enjoyed it while it lasted. It will be interesting to see what happens with his character, given what he knows about Clark, and he's probably the first character to survive after learning Clark's weakness to Kryptonite.
Speaking of Kryptonite, this seems like as good a time as any to dispense with my gripes about the show. First, I can't believe that Clark would be stupid enough to demonstrate to Edge what his weakness is. Come on, I mean, how dense do you have to be? My second gripe is that there was no Pete in this episode at all. Clark apologized and reconnected with everyone else, but left Pete hanging. Where's the love? And, last but not least, is Lana's state of mind during the last fifteen minutes of the show. She shows up at the Kent's, gets taken hostage, and then kills the person who was holding her. She seems shocked at that moment, but we don't even get a hint of it later. I was nice to see Power Ranger Lana again, but I think that killing someone, even if they were willing to kill you, would have a more profound impact on her than what it did. Well, that pretty much wraps up my gripes, on to the positives.
First on my list was Lex's reappearance at the LuthorCorp Tower, while Lionel stood looking out the broken window of his office. The exchange between them during that scene was very intense, but Lionel never really broke character. He played everything cool despite having a gun pointed at his head. I have to say that at first, I didn't think Lex was going to believe Lionel, but then it appeared that he did. That led Lex back to Smallville, and Helen. When Helen told her story, I didn't know who to believe, and I really liked that feeling. I knew it would be resolved at some point, but I couldn't see how. The scene between Lex and Clark, when they saw each other for the first time, was very touching and sad. It's terrible to watch their closeness, while in the back of your mind knowing that it can't last, that one day they will be bitter enemies. My final great thing about Lex's return was when he and Helen left for a "second chance" at their honeymoon. First of all, I was screaming, "Lex, what are you thinking...?" Then, he gets all serious on her and begins to tell what he thinks really happened. Then she pulls a gun on him. At that moment, I think we got a very ominous glimpse of the man Lex will become, the overconfident, arrogant villain of the Superman comics, the one who has "cheated death" so many times. It will be interesting to see how things play out from here with him. I still think he wants to be good, but the evil side has gained a clear advantage.
Finally, the back story between Lionel and Edge, was very interesting, and I think it is something that will return in later episodes. Edge knows Clark's secret, and Lionel wants to know it. The real kicker is, that we know Edge lives, but Lionel doesn't, in the comics. What Lionel is trying to do with the blood is anyone's guess, but my money's on cloning. It's common theme in the comics, with Cadmus trying to clone Superman after his death at the hands of Doomsday, and has already been demonstrated in Accelerate last season.
This season is definitely shaping up to be the best one so far, with the new dynamic in the Clark/Lana relationship--she's the one doing the chasing now--and the introduction of Morgan Edge. It seems like the major adolescent emotional hurdles have been tackled, and the show can now move on to developing the characters into their future selves: Clark into Superman, Lex into Evil Lex, Pete into VP Pete, Lana into the lost love of Clark Kent who ends up married to Pete, and Chloe into...well...Chloe into whatever place they've found for her. I'd look for major movement along these story paths as the season progresses, with a very good possibility of Clark and Lana actually getting together for more than two episodes. In fact, I'm going to be bold and predict their romantic reunion as the next to last episode of the season, with Clark finally spilling the beans to her, only to have Chloe overhear the entire thing in the season finale. That will give us a good fourth season of Clark/Lana, with the added intrigue of Chloe also knowing the secret and her internal conflict over whether or not to tell anyone about it. Well, that's it for now. See you all back her next week.
--
Brooks Travis
This season marks the introduction of one of the more intriguing characters from the Superman mythos, and of the villains in particular. Morgan Edge, the infamous head of Intergang. I have to say that they couldn't have chosen a better actor to play him than Rutger Hauer. It's just unfortunate that it looks like he won't be able to reprise the role later in the season. Oh well, we enjoyed it while it lasted. It will be interesting to see what happens with his character, given what he knows about Clark, and he's probably the first character to survive after learning Clark's weakness to Kryptonite.
Speaking of Kryptonite, this seems like as good a time as any to dispense with my gripes about the show. First, I can't believe that Clark would be stupid enough to demonstrate to Edge what his weakness is. Come on, I mean, how dense do you have to be? My second gripe is that there was no Pete in this episode at all. Clark apologized and reconnected with everyone else, but left Pete hanging. Where's the love? And, last but not least, is Lana's state of mind during the last fifteen minutes of the show. She shows up at the Kent's, gets taken hostage, and then kills the person who was holding her. She seems shocked at that moment, but we don't even get a hint of it later. I was nice to see Power Ranger Lana again, but I think that killing someone, even if they were willing to kill you, would have a more profound impact on her than what it did. Well, that pretty much wraps up my gripes, on to the positives.
First on my list was Lex's reappearance at the LuthorCorp Tower, while Lionel stood looking out the broken window of his office. The exchange between them during that scene was very intense, but Lionel never really broke character. He played everything cool despite having a gun pointed at his head. I have to say that at first, I didn't think Lex was going to believe Lionel, but then it appeared that he did. That led Lex back to Smallville, and Helen. When Helen told her story, I didn't know who to believe, and I really liked that feeling. I knew it would be resolved at some point, but I couldn't see how. The scene between Lex and Clark, when they saw each other for the first time, was very touching and sad. It's terrible to watch their closeness, while in the back of your mind knowing that it can't last, that one day they will be bitter enemies. My final great thing about Lex's return was when he and Helen left for a "second chance" at their honeymoon. First of all, I was screaming, "Lex, what are you thinking...?" Then, he gets all serious on her and begins to tell what he thinks really happened. Then she pulls a gun on him. At that moment, I think we got a very ominous glimpse of the man Lex will become, the overconfident, arrogant villain of the Superman comics, the one who has "cheated death" so many times. It will be interesting to see how things play out from here with him. I still think he wants to be good, but the evil side has gained a clear advantage.
Finally, the back story between Lionel and Edge, was very interesting, and I think it is something that will return in later episodes. Edge knows Clark's secret, and Lionel wants to know it. The real kicker is, that we know Edge lives, but Lionel doesn't, in the comics. What Lionel is trying to do with the blood is anyone's guess, but my money's on cloning. It's common theme in the comics, with Cadmus trying to clone Superman after his death at the hands of Doomsday, and has already been demonstrated in Accelerate last season.
This season is definitely shaping up to be the best one so far, with the new dynamic in the Clark/Lana relationship--she's the one doing the chasing now--and the introduction of Morgan Edge. It seems like the major adolescent emotional hurdles have been tackled, and the show can now move on to developing the characters into their future selves: Clark into Superman, Lex into Evil Lex, Pete into VP Pete, Lana into the lost love of Clark Kent who ends up married to Pete, and Chloe into...well...Chloe into whatever place they've found for her. I'd look for major movement along these story paths as the season progresses, with a very good possibility of Clark and Lana actually getting together for more than two episodes. In fact, I'm going to be bold and predict their romantic reunion as the next to last episode of the season, with Clark finally spilling the beans to her, only to have Chloe overhear the entire thing in the season finale. That will give us a good fourth season of Clark/Lana, with the added intrigue of Chloe also knowing the secret and her internal conflict over whether or not to tell anyone about it. Well, that's it for now. See you all back her next week.
--
Brooks Travis
Posted: Thu - October 9, 2003 at 12:58 AM