A Case of the…. Smallville – Episode 7-8

Shows

One of my regular readers, Javier, reminded me about something very disheartening as it relates to this season of Smallville and the writers strike. I’ve heard actress Kristin Kreuk (who plays Lana) say in interviews that this season would be her last. Well, it’s also been suggested that Michael Rosenbaum, who phenomenally portrays Lex Luthor, may also be leaving at the conclusion of this season. With the writers strike still unresolved, this season can be significantly altered and will thus conclude prematurely. It really would be tragic if this show ended under such circumstances, or if the series misses out on using Lex for his final year. I’m hoping that if the strike continues long enough that it does severely impact the season as a whole, some of the actors and actresses who had previously decided they would leave at the end of the year will consider coming back for one more season.

I have long felt that the show should end at the conclusion of this season, because the creators, as a whole, seem unwilling to take certain steps. When the show was being conceptualized, they came up with a lot of “rules” that they would follow: Clark will never fly, he’ll never don the tights, and the show will focus on the relationship between Clark and Lana. Quite simply, the show would revolve around Clark Kent’s life as a teenager, before he ever imagined that he might become Superman. However, when these guidelines were created, I don’t believe they imagined the show would last seven years, bringing Clark into his 20’s. Since then, Lois has become a central fixture in his life and he has met several Kryptonians (or clones or artificial beings or whatever) who have the ability to fly. The show has outgrown these rules, and if the powers that be are unwilling to recognize this and thus break their self imposed policies, the show is really going to suffer, which means it should probably come to an end. That’s a big reason why I’m going to be really disappointed if this strike continues to the point that we don’t get a proper conclusion.

So a couple of weeks ago I mentioned being a bit skeptical about bringing Clark’s Kryptonian mother back from the dead. Well, they pulled the trigger this past week, and I must say the story arc was handled quite well. It helped solidify Kara’s status as somebody Clark should trust and care for (and as somebody who should not suffer for the sins of her father), Lara’s role as a compassionate, loving mother (not to mention one of the only Kryptonians portrayed as such), and Jor-El as a brave Kryptonian hero. On that subject, while I highly prefer the portrayal of Jor-El as an honorable man, I do wish they’d at least attempt an explanation as to why he was such a prick for the first few seasons. Oh, but I did appreciate the throwback to “Relic,” where we learned that Clark is the spitting image of Jor-El as a teenager (who, incidentally, ends up looking like Marlon Brando and sounding suspiciously like General Zod).

I enjoyed the episode’s theme, which had a child finally reunited with their deceased parent, only to have to sacrifice that reunion in order to save humanity. Both Clark and Kara were presented with this conflict, albeit in different terms, and they both opted to give up their parent for the greater good. This showed tremendous character on Kara’s part, as she truly did love her father, and she had to use much more violent means in order to eliminate her father. While Clark merely had to destroy a crystal (which I recognize was unbelievably difficult on an emotional level), Kara had to attack and attempt to stab her father. Her downfall was that she truly trusted Zor-El, but she quickly tried to redeem herself when she realized he could not be trusted. She proved her loyalty to Clark, and I am hopeful that this memory loss story does not last too long.

Clark’s reunion with his mother reminded me a lot of Chloe’s meeting with her mother last year. It was short lived, but both sides had the opportunity to say things they otherwise couldn’t have, and it ultimately ended under tragic circumstances. I’m glad that their encounter was brief, making the time they shared together, as well as the difficulty in giving it up, that much more poignant.

One thing I really, really liked was Lionel’s display of loyalty to Clark. I was amazed that he was willing to sacrifice his life in order for Clark to fulfill his destiny (and was he saying this as Jor-El, or as Lionel?) The Lionel of old would have given in, or at least asked what was in it for him if he’s to have Clark do what Zor-El wants. I know I criticized the show for refusing to “grow up” in certain aspects, but that’s far, far from the truth in relation to Lionel (and Chloe and Lex, while we’re at it).

Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the huge revelation at the end (and unlike a couple of weeks ago, I truly did not see this twist coming), which told us that the new Daily Planet is actually Lex’s believed-to-be-dead brother Julian. Totally did not see that coming, and I’m really interested in seeing what this leads to.

It’s been a while since I was at the edge of my seat at the end of a Smallville episode, but I really was in the final moments of this particular installment. When Clark pleaded with Jor-El to help him find Kara, only for Jor-El to punish him for once again disobeying him (which we only saw in a flash of light), I was staring at the TV waiting to see what would happen. Then when the episode just ended, I anxiously awaited the preview for the next episode. When that didn’t come, I started worrying a whole lot about the possibility that the show had tapped out of new episodes due to the writers’ strike (for those wondering, that’s not the case. The show still has seven new episodes left). I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.