Three words:  Holy.  Monkey.  Spit.

 That’s how I felt after watching “Action” this past Thursday night. 

When I watch a television show, I watch for the story and the characters.  If those elements catch my attention and entertain me, then I enjoy the show. 

When I watch a Superman television show, I go in already loving most of the characters, so if the story’s good, I’m sold.

When I watch Smallville, I watch it because there are episodes like this one. 

The theme of this episode is denial.  From Lana’s denial that she can’t live the double life she’s attempting to live, to Clark’s denial that his destiny is bigger than Smallville, even to psycho-geek boy’s denial that his methods are wrong, the show is chock full of it. 

Biggest of all denials though was Clark’s denial to begin to fulfill his destiny.  He’s been doing this since season 2, and it gets more frustrating, but not to the point that I walk away angered.  It’s weird.  I wanted Clark to look at the cape, embrace what it meant, throw it over his shoulder and walk into the house with it.  But the imagery of the cape flapping in the breeze as Clark walked away was so sad and powerful, that I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement knowing that this season is now all about Clark stepping into his role as hero, symbol of hope, and ultimately legend.

The special effects were great.  I watched Clark’s first save of Rachel Davenport three times upon my first viewing jsut because it looked so dern cool.  (Yes, dern is a technical term.  It is an adverb used to apply a level of intensity to an adjective.  For example, someone may say, “It’s really hot today.”  only to be reprimanded by someone who says “No, it’s DERN hot.”)(But I digress.)  From that moment, I knew it was ON.

Clark’s stopping of a bullet was done incredibly well.  I love the decision to show everything from Clark’s view point and without warning, at the last second, switch to psycho-geek-boy’s point of view.  That whole segment was just fantastic.

Then, in old school Smallville fashion, it’s Clark to Lana’s rescue as she’s pushed off of Ollie’s old penhouse balcony.  Let the debates rage:  flying or falling? You decide.  I vote for a mixture of both.  And while I find it hard to ignore the physics of Lana being able to survive the fall even in Clark’s arms, I loved that whole moment.  I did kind of expect Clark to push off of the building behind him and leap to another building, but I can see where he’d choose property destruction over that choice.  In his defense, that was probably psycho-geek-boy’s getaway vehicle.

Then there’s Lana in this episode.  All this time, it was her keeping Lionel hidden away.  Using a pot-growing-if-not-smoking-Kathy-Bates-in-Misery-wannabe.  Marilyn was just CRAZY!  With a capital LOONY!  Lana even looked a bit psycho when right after taking Lionel out with a shovel, her phone rings and she sees it’s Clark.  The look that crossed face was the expression of a truly disturbed individual and the fact that she’s learned to lie so easily to Clark.  To speak to him as if nothing’s wrong in the midst of a situation like that so casually, shows how truly close she’s come to the precipice that Lionel speaks to her about…if not how far over it she’s fallen.

Then, there’s the cape.  Ah, the cape.  Again, a powerful yet sad image, that looked great.  The question now is, what is it going to take for Clark to seek out his destiny?  He was ready when he thought Lana was dead.  I get the idea that even when he finds Kara’s crystal, his focus is still going to be on being happy on the farm in Smallville.  It’s time Clark.  It’s time.

A couple of questions that I have from the show:

-  Did psycho-geek-boy protect Clark’s secret because he’s seen the error of his ways, or because in his psycho mind he has to protect the secret of the hero?

-  In the Warrior Angel lore that we know of, didn’t Devilicus prove himself to be evil well after issue number 5?  I seem to remember Lex talking about the issue with Ryan in Season 2.  It seemed like it was issue 66.  So the numbering seems off.  Nitpicky yes, but interesting nonetheless.

-  Did Rachel Davenport look a bit like Saved By the Bell’s Lisa Turtle to anyone else?

Overall, I have to give this episode a 5 out of 5 whatever I give five of.  I liked it that much.  It was a fun episode that answered some questions, created some more, moved our character closer to realizing his destiny (whether he likes it and knows it or not), and we got Lionel back.  (That in and of itself merits a 5).

Check out Geek Out Loud later in the week for my favorite quotes of the show.

Check out the links below to get your hands on past seasons of Smallville.

Smallville - The Complete Second Season

Smallville - The Complete Third Season

Smallville - The Complete Fourth Season

Smallville - The Complete Fifth Season

In this episode, BACK TO THE FUTURE gets an honorable mention, The Incredible Hulk is looking good, Justice League gives me a Smallville headache, and Heroes inspires a challenge.  I do get a little negative towards the good folks at Warner Brothers Studios, so I apologize in advance.  This is supposed to be a positive place. 

Here are some links to things we talk about:

For the Incredible Hulk ComiCon stuff click here and here.

For the news about the Justice League, check out Voices From Krypton and Justice League on Film

 

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So, let’s get a few things out of the way here first. 

I wasn’t expecting this season of Smallville to be all that great.  I was actually expecting to be a little frustrated by this season.  I really felt like Season six wasn’t all it could be for several reasons.  I guess some of it had to do with adjusting to new people in the writer’s room, a smaller budget, and some network changes.   So far this season, it seems like things are running pretty smoothly again, so color me pleasantly surprised.

Secondly, when I heard that Dean Cain was going to be on the show I was excited.  When I heard he was going to be a villian, I was saddened a bit.  It meant a one time appearance, with no real impact in Clark’s life.  After last night’s episode, both of those things remain to be seen. Let’s get into it.

The episode was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer.  This is the team that brought us Labyrinth and Combat last season.  Those were two very decent episodes.  These are also the guys that brought us the Spider-Man 3 video game (as far as the writing goes), and I’ve never played that.

The episode was directed by Rick Rosenthal who has been directing Smallville episodes since Pete and Chloe picked up a parasite in the caves way back in season 2.

The show is Chloe-centric from the start as it opens in the Talon with Jimmy and Chloe. Jimmy reveals that he has two tickets.  Apparently, they’re very good tickets.  I never caught what they were for, just that they were tickets.   Chloe seems excited then someone catches her eye.  It’s Sasha Woodman the queen bee girl from season 1.  Chloe calls Belle Reve to alert them to the escaped patient, only to find herself face to face with Sasha.  Sasha explains to Chloe that she’s been cured.  She went and saw Curtis Knox and he did some brain surgery, and POW!  She’s all better.  Except that she doesn’t remember the last six years of her life.  She apologizes to Chloe for hurting her or her friends and leaves.

As she’s getting in her vehicle, she is met by Dr. Knox (Dean Cain) and he knocks her out with a little chloroform soaked hanky and drags her away….

SOMEBODY SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

At the farm, Lana is making blueberry pancakes.  Clark runs out for syrup, the credits show guest star Phil Morris.  (Listen to the podcast for my comments on that, I can’t express in writing my surprise.)  The Martian Manhunter shows up and grabs Kara by the throat.  She goes to punch him and Clark stops what could have been an awesome fight.  Lana takes it all in stride though.  One of the funnier moments of the show happen here when Clark explains that J’onn is from Mars.  Lana’s reaction?  Oh…it’s nice to meet you.

J’onn tells Clark that he can’t trust Kara and that he must find her crystal before she does.  Kara overhears J’onn tell Clark all of this and sets out on her own to find her crystal. 

In Lex’s library, he and Knox have one of those classic veiled threat conversations that Lex is so good at.  Apparently Dr. Knox isn’t too bad himself.

We are then treated to Dr. Knox in his home/lab surrounded by all things antique (record player, bed, surgery tools, you know…the usual.).  Sasha is strapped to a table and struggling.  Knox tells her she’s going to serve a greater good and proceeds to cut.  This scene was edited from the director’s cut that CW offered up on their website.  In the directors cut we got to see a look of joy on Knox’s face as he bagan to be smattered with blood and then it cut to him dropping the organ removed into a kryptonite-juice filled container.

At the Planet, Chloe has Dr. Knox’s prfile on her computer and she bails on her date with Jimmy under the guise of going after a story.  Clark comes in to seek her help in finding Kara’s crystal and Chloe refuses to help fairly abruptly and takes off for her appointment with Dr. Knox.

Back on the farm, Lana is instant messaging with someone online and says that the location is perfect and she is wiring the money.  Clark shows up and shares…to an extent…his concerns about Chloe.  Lana mentions that she knows who Dr. Knox is and now Clark is really onto what is going on with Chloe.

In this scene, Kristin Kreuk shows how far she’s come in her ability to deliver exposition.  Early in the series, Lana was given several monologues in the form of stories about her past that, while helping us get know the young Miss Lang, fell flat in her delivery.  Here, as she is telling Clark about Curtis Knox’s methods for treating the meteor infected, she does a good job of holding the audiences attention and not falling flat at all.

Jimmy scalps the tickets and gets a funny “ring that bell” moment.

Kara shows up to ask Jimmy to help him try to salvage anything he can from Lois’ camera that got fried when she went looking for the ship.

Then one of the best scenes in the whole show takes place.  Clark goes to Chloe to try to talk her out of going through with the surgery.  There is a lot of emotion and very little preaching put into this scene.  When, normally, a situation like this would contain a bunch of preaching and raised voices, the two almost break down to tears when Clark shares his fear that Chloe will forget him.  It’s a great scene handled so well by Tom Welling and Allison Mack.

Knox is disposing of Sasha’s body at a fertilizer plant when Lex confronts him about his killing ways.   During the confrontation, Lex shoots Knox six times and begins to walk away when, with a great explitive, Knox gets up.  He then tells Lex he’s survived Mayan spears, Mongul arrows, and Crusader’s swords.  Then he pistol whips Lex right before Clark tackles him into a power box.  Knox can now add electrocution to the ways he hasn’t died.

Chloe walks in on Jimmy and Kara working at the Planet and leaves without giving Jimmy the note she wrote him in case she lost her memory in the procedure.

At the hospital, Lex tells Clark that Knox is immortal and that he kills his patients.  This sends Clark on the hunt for Knox.  He also reveals that Lana stole 10 million dollars from him.

Chloe shows up at Knox’s for the surgery.  He tells her that the meteor concentration in her heart is impressive.  This comment makes Chloe FINALLY begin to be suspicious.  As Knox breaks out the hanky and the chloroform, Chloe tries to make her escape.  He catches her though and knocks her out.

When Clark comes looking for Chloe, all Jimmy has is the cryptic note she left him.  This lets Clark know that Chloe is in trouble. 

At Knox’s office, Clark finds his watch…which has stopped.  Lex shows Clark pictures of Knox dating all the way back to the 1600’s.  The picture from the 1600’s isn’t a photograph by the way.  An inscription on the watch causes Lex to recall the inscription on a building that Knox called home in the 1920’s.  Clark surmises he’s still there and it’s off to the races.

This is where things heat up. Knox actually monologues to Chloe in a way, revealing that he has been harvesting body parts that have the most concentration of meteor rock to place in his beloved Sofia so that they can be together forever. 

Clark arrives just as the cutting begins and a struggle ensues as Clark is weakened by the kryptonite.

In the end, Clark saves Chloe who saves Clark by getting the Kryptonite out of the way, Knox is thrown on his antique coma-inducing medical equipment which wakes Sofia up just to die, Martian Manhunter tells Clark don’t ask, Kara tells Clark trust her family not a Martian Manhunter, Lana tells Clark that Lex is just trying to come between them, then she goes to Metropolis to a mini-batcave complete with monitors run throughout the Luthor mansion, and Jimmy and Chloe break up.

This episode surprised me yet again.  While I’m not gonna hang best first four episodes in a season on the four we’ve seen, my faith is being restored in the fact that Smallville may have a good year left in the show. 

Allison Mack cranked her acting up in this episode from exposition deliverer extrordinaire to playing a wonderful range of emotions.  My television crush on her caused me to really feel for Chloe when Jimmy ended things.  It hurt, and Allison did a great job of looking hurt, yet understanding that it has to be over. 

Lana’s deception brings back the drama.  The one thing that has been true of Lana since around Season 4 is her obsession with things, be it sacred stones, spaceships, Level 33.1, or now bringing Lex down.   I think it will be nice to see for once that it’s not Clark’s fault the relationship is over.

The angle with Kara and the Martian Manhunter is interesting.  The truth is that Kara probably has no clue just how evil her father was.  So it is only natural that she look at J’onn as the bad guy. 

Kara herself is a character rich with naivete’,  as she is the only person on the show who has taken Jimmy seriously when he introduces himself as James…and the comment about Martians communicating with infra-red signals, teen angst, confusion as to her place on this new world, and sadness over the loss of everything she knew.  Laura Vandervoort has done a great job of playing all of these aspects with innocence, rebelliousness, and not taking any of it too far in her performance.

Then there’s special guest star Dean Cain.  I like him better as a psychopathic immortal that I do as Clark Kent.  And I liked his Clark Kent.  Not his Superman.  But his Clark.  Anywho, he played the role with such an air of I’m above everyone here because I’ll be around when everyone is not mingled with the desparation of not wanting to be alone.  I also like the fact that we can see him again.  He has reason to hate Clark now.  So coming after him for no other reason than vengeance is good enough for me.  However, it would have been nice if they held his cue cards a bit higher when he was filming his spot for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.  Come on Dean, if you’re gonna read, at least look like your thinking or pausing for effect…not like your actually reading.

Overall, I really liked this episode.  I like all the reversals that are being thrown in this season to make old territory feel new again.  I give it a strong 4 out of 5.  I deduct one point because they still have given us no clue as to what’s up with Lionel…but I have a theory…listen to the podcast to see what it is.

 I’m really excited for next week because of all the foreshadowing references we will most likely get thanks to Warrior Angel being in town.  Also, all of the promo pics are Clark getting his cape…or a cape.  You understand my excitement. 

The third episode of this season’s Smallville really surprised me.  From the official pictures and desciption offered up by CW, I expected a teeny bopper/meteor freakish type episode.  What we were treated to, however, was a deepening of the Clark/Lana relationship, a creepier Lex than we’ve seen in a while, and a likeable Kara. 

The show opens with Clark and Kara unloading Corn at a booth at Smallville’s annual Sweet Corn festival.  Kara is complaining about the need to find the crystal from her ship.  Clark, desparately trying to pull the reigns in on her a bit tells Kara that she needs to be more concerned with fitting in.  Kara then sees Jimmy, asks how to fit in with him, and almost lights up the fair with her heat vision.   Clark calms her down.  They then talk about the tie capsule that apparently has the map to a treasure hidden somewhere in Smallville.   Then, we are treated to the arrival of the Weather Girls.    Kara is handed a flyer about the Miss Sweet Corn pageant and makes the statement that fitting in may be more fun than she thought.

SOMEBODY SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE  MEEEEEEEEEE….

Anywho, we are immediately treated to the return of Lana to barn as Clark is working on the tractor.  Let’s talk the tractor on the farm really quick.  It seems to me that they never use the thing, they only work on it.  That’s beside the point.  As Lana shows up, the scene is played out beautifully with no dialogue between Lana and Clark.  There is only the look of surprise, turned to confusion, turned to joy on Clark’s face, and Lana silently helping Clark realize this is all very real. 

As Clark and Lana are talking in the living room, Clark tells Lana that his life has gotten more complicated.   As he tells her this, a bikini-clad Kara comes ’round the corner.  (Say it five times fast.)  Clark quickly explains that Kara is his cousin.  He tells Kara that she needs to be more undercover and this is not…cover.  Lana leaves the two to work out the situation and Clark of course diapproves of Kara entering the pageant.   She throws him being captain of the football team in his face and he says that she has to learn to control her abilities.  This leads to a fun scene in the barn where Clark burns a face onto a Watermelon demonstrating his careful control of his heat vision.  (And the fact that they couldn’t find any pumpkins when the episode was being filmed.)  He challenges Kara to do the same, and she promptly blows the watermelon up covering Clark in melon innards. Funny stuff.

One of the weather girls is on her phone with someone talking about leaving.  As she steps into a back room of the Talon, the place suddenly freezes up.

Here’s where things heat up….or ice down.  The girl was trying to get out of the little three-plastic crime ring she and her buddies had set up.  So they killed her.

Back at the Planet, Jimmy shows Chloe a pciture of the frozen plasti-cicle.  Chloe doesn’t feel like she needs to go hunting down meteor freaks, but the editor of the Planet steps in and convinces her otherwise.   So off she and Jimmy go.  Of course tracking down meteor freaks is old hat to Chloe who quickly discovers the secret to the three weather girls, but not before Jimmy is put on ice by one, and saved by Kara.

Let’s talk Jimmy on ice for a minute….now he knows how his twin in the Marvel Universe feels.  I thought it was a nice touch and just enough of a nod to fans without being too blatant that Aaronn Ashmore’s twin brother is, of course, Iceman over in the X-Men films.

Well, Ice girl sees Kara save Jimmy and she and her friend…uhm…Windy….just kidding….ask her to join them in stealing the treasure that the map in the time capsule leads to.   They show Kara an old picture of a couple of guys sitting in front of a tent full of gold.  Kara sees, hanging from the tent, something that looks like Kryptonian jewelry.

As the weather girls go to break into the tiem capsule, they find it already pried open.  As Kara wins the Miss Sweet Corn Pageant, she is arrested for her vandalism and theft.

Meanwhile, Lana and Lex have a talk in which we find out two things:

1.  Lana has been cleared of all charges in faking her death and

2. She funnelled ten million dollars out from under Lex to help herself disappear.

Also, the agent from the Department of Domestic Security shows up asking Lex why he’s looking for the girl he drew.  Lex lets on that he knows what the Department has been up to, and how they found a ship. He then gives all of his research into the meteor rocks, the ship from season 5, and the phantoms to the agent under the guise that he’s a changed man and is only interested in protecting the Earth from an invasion.

Clark visits Kara in jail and gets her to tell him what she remembers about the map.  He comes upon the weather girls jsut as they unearth the box containing the Kryprtonian thingie.  He talks big and bad but the Weather girl whose power we’ve not seen yet conjures up a little tornado that rustles up some kryptonite and lays Clark out.  Kara arrives on the scene and takes the girls out with a throw and a flying kick to the face. 

In the end we find out that the symbols on the jewelry are some kind of Kryptonian S.O.S., Kara is going to work at the Talon, Jimmy is declaring war on krypto-freaks everywhere which makes Chloe nervous as a meteor freak herself, and Lex talks to Kara.  This is a huge conversation where we find that Lex still thinks Clark’s secret pertains to powers and abilities.  He tells Kara he can protect her, and, asks if shes a protector or a warning. 

Oh, and Lana tells Clark she wants to grow old with him.

The third episode of Season 1 was called Hothead. It had Kevin Arnold’s dad as a coach.

The third episode of Season 2 was called Duplicity.  Pete found out Clark’s secret.

The third episode of Season 3 was called Extinction.  Clark got shot with a Kryptonite bullet.

The third episode of Season 4 was called Facade.  It was about plastic surgery.

The third episode of Season 5 was called Hidden.  It was one of the best Smallville episode’s of all time.

The third episode of Season 6 was called Wither.  Ollie dressed up as Robin Hood and shot the tab off of a soda can.

I expected this episode to be as entertaining (read crappy.) as Season 4’s Scabby Abby episode, but I was pleasantly surprised as it was as good as Season 1’s third episode, “Hothead.”  This episode was entertaining, touching, and intriguing.  While the writer’s could have gone overboard with the plasticness of the weather girls, they hardly focused on them, making them bearable as villians, and a good test for Kara in her first real encounter with meteor freaks.

The idea that there may be another Kryptonian on Earth is interesting because of the stress it causes Clark.  After all, he’s only ever known other Kryptonian’s to be on Earth with less than noble aspirations.

The progression of Lex’s character to spurned lover around Lana to manipulative Lionel-like baddie around Kara and The Department of Domestic Security is wonderfully handled by the writers and by Michael Rosenbaum.

While Kara could be written very static and cardboardy as a whiny teenager who just wants to live her life, the writers have given her a pretty good depth of character that is both interesting and entertaining to watch.   Her journey this season should be fun.

While I’m not a Clana fan, I found myself really enjoying Clark and Lana sitting around sipping Lemonade and talking openly about powers and dealing with Kara.  While I’m not lookivg forward to the drama that these two will inevitably go through again, I am looking forward to hopefully one more episode with these two on the same page.

Overall, I give this episode a 3 out of 5 with the hopes that this season continues to exceed my expectations.

On this, the second episode of Geek Out Loud, Jason from The NCN Blog and podcast joins us for some Heroes discussion.  Well, it was SUPPOSED to be just Heroes discussion.  We end up talking about Thor, the Justice League, the Avengers, and old times collecting comics. 

Then, The Best Little Sister in the world joins me for a little Smallville talk.  This is a long one, so we tried to make the Smallville talk a little abbreviated.   Also, please excuse the “uhms” and “ahs” in the Smallville portion of the show.

For more information about Heroes, check out these sites:

Herosite, and The Tenth Wonder.

For more information about Smallville, go here:

Kryptonsite, andStarkville’s House of El Podcast.For information about upcoming superhero movies, go to Superhero Hype.

 

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