Smallville – Episode 9-8 Review

Shows

While I initially thought that I’d be skipping over this latest Internet trend, I finally succumbed to temptation and trend (pun!) by joining the Twitter-verse. So, be sure to follow me (@caseofthetwit). In addition to my latest blog entries and television reviews, I’ll also be posting some random thoughts and observations. I’d really appreciate the support, so give my page a visit!

Moving on. Every now and again Smallville reminds me that they are indeed on the CW. Example: Attempting to threaten somebody by telling them you’ll shut down their Twitter and Facebook accounts. I mean, really….

I have to admit, when I read that Smallville was going to introduce us to the Wonder Twins, I was skeptical. Really skeptical. But at the end of the day, it was handled pretty well. Actually, it went a long way in showing us how much Clark has grown over the past couple of seasons. In fact, portraying Clark as a mentor or idol to them was the absolute right decision. In many instances, classic DC heroes are brought onto the show, but they appear to be more powerful (or, at the very least, more powerfully mature) than Clark. And in a lot of ways, it actually emasculates the future Superman. I couldn’t help but shake my head when Clark met the Legion, and they’re flying around all over the place, almost mocking the Man of Steel because he’s still grounded. I was legitimately worried that Zan and Jayna would be presented as misguided, but ultimately more in-tune with their superhero selves than Clark. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

One thing that did disappoint me about the episode, though, was that I would have liked to have known more about the Wonder Twins. Are they aliens? Do their powers come exclusively from their rings? If so, where did they get their rings? How long have they had them? Admittedly, I was a bit distracted while watching the episode, so I may have missed a crucial part of their backstory, but this felt like borderline stunt casting. They just assumed we all knew the Wonder Twins, and thus tossed them into the episode as a “wink, wink” to the audience. I’m not saying we needed an hour’s worth of history, but a little information about the origins of their powers would have gone a long way.

I’m glad they resisted having Lois find out Clark’s secret, although they do need to be careful not to resort to the old “Lois finds out, then gets tricked into believing she’s wrong” formula, as they run the risk of making one of their sharpest characters look like a real idiot. I also enjoyed the revelation that Lois is seeing a therapist. After putting some thought into last week’s episode, I was a little off put by the fact that she up and ran after kissing Clark. It seemed like such an uncharacteristic thing for the normally strong and independent Lois to do. It made me a bit worried that we’d see a redux of last year, when Lois strangely left town for a million weeks to sit at Jimmy’s bedside, when Jimmy’s own wife was still hanging around Clark. This particular discovery, though, made it clear that Lois is just THAT thrown off and confused by what is going on here. It was a nice way of reminding us that while Lois is strong, she’s not indestructible.

I love how, slowly but surely, we’re beginning to realize that Chloe is using all of her technological resources in questionable ways – and that she has a quick justification for all of her actions. I’m not suggesting that the character is heading in this direction, but in a lot of ways she’s beginning to sound like a certain bald billionaire. She seemingly has constant surveillance on Clark – unbeknownst to him – and she seems to have an excuse handy whenever he uncomfortably questions her about it. And when his discomfort intensifies, she manages to divert the attention away from what she had done, instead focusing on the good that came from her actions.

Anyway, this was definitely a “lay low” episode in between what will likely be two of the more significant ones of the season. As such, there’s not a whole lot else to say. Well, except that you should be following me on Twitter!

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.

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.