This was an interesting episode of Smallville. Enough interesting stuff happened, but I’m not necessarily sure it maintained my interest. For the first portion of this season, I found Clark, Lois, and Jimmy the most interesting characters by a rather large margin. Then the atrocity known as Lana returned, and those two were completely written out of the arc in a very nonsensical manner (why exactly was the sharp and ruthless Lois sitting at his bedside, while his WIFE was out aiding a superhero?) Now they’re back, but only sporadically so. And they decided to make lovable, cheeky Jimmy Olsen into an asshole drug addict. I’ll repeat what I said when this first happened: Who exactly wants to se this?
I also have difficulty accepting that Chloe could so easily give up on her marriage. Yes, I know she mentioned that she’s repeatedly e-mailed him (how personal), but since we didn’t actually see it, that sentiment doesn’t really resonate with me. I appreciate their attempt at making Chloe look like a caring wife, but I just don’t see it.
I will say this, though: I absolutely loved the way they edited the series premiere footage to tell the story of how Davis came to Earth. It was also great seeing Jonathan, Martha, Lionel, and Lex again. It has been entirely too long. Besides, the only other time I see Jonathan is on Nip/Tuck. And he’s, um, very non-Jonathan-esque.
The relationship between Tess and Clark has grown on me, actually. Unlike Lex and to a lesser extent Lionel, Tess is very open and explicit about her confident belief that Clark is the red/blue blur from another planet. She tells him straight to his face. Hell, she even tells his adversaries. I also like her complex intentions: She wants bad things to happen to Clark, but only because she believes that will allow him to rise to his true, full potential.
It was also somewhat interesting seeing the two “villains” of this season sharing so many scenes together. These two have mirrored each other quite a bit, as well. Davis entered as a good guy and is transforming into a monster. Tess was introduced as a woman blindly in love with Lex, essentially putting her at odds with all of the heroic characters. She’s now grown beyond that, though, and works rather closely with Oliver and Clark. When she first debuted I criticized her for being so one dimensional. She’s developed a fair amount since then.
Anyway, I think it’s due time Davis embrace his inner villain and just go full baddie on us already. We understand his initial struggle, but it’s time to deliver.
Oh, and bring back Lois already.
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, Heroes, Prison Break, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at A Case of the Blog.
