Smallville: Blue

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Yet again I'm disappointed in the writers at "Smallville." I don't get how they think, I really don't. Time and again they give us formidable foes for Clark to go up against and every time these guys get beaten in one episode. Why do the writers on this show refuse to keep an enemy going for more than episode, with the obvious exception of the Luthors? It makes no sense to me. Don't get me wrong, I love this show; it's one of my favorites. But it gets me angry when I invest so much time in the show, get excited about the new characters, and then they're gone after 40 minutes.

Anyway, tonight Clark went up against Zor-El, Jor-El's nemesis and brother. As usual, Clark's emotions got the better of him and when he heard his mother's voice from Kara's crystal he put it into the panel at the fortress which released bother his mother and Zor-El. Well, actually I shouldn't say released as much as recreated them from the DNA in the crystal. Clark seems to be letting his emotions get the best of him entirely too much. They control his actions when he should be using his brain instead. Just as it always happens, this didn't turn out quite the way Clark had hoped. In the end, he couldn't control Zor-El and he had to choose between what he wanted and what was right; either his mother stays and so does Zor-El or both of them go. Clearly, he had to choose to destroy the crystal and say goodbye to his mother. I really couldn't feel all that bad for him since it was his brash actions that brought all this about to begin with and it almost culminated in the deaths of every person on the planet. You can't bring back the dead and he needs to get past that or he'll never be able to move on.

The idea of the blue kryptonite was interesting though. I never read the comic books but I really hope this is the end of all the colored kryptonite. Every season there seems to be a new kind that messes with Clark and to be honest, it's getting a little old. The fact that the the blue kryptonite strips him of his powers is a very dangerous weapon however and Clark better hope there aren't any other sample laying around anywhere.

Lara was beautiful, kind, and a great mother. I can see why Clark would want her to stay. What was more interesting however was the insightfulness of Kryptonians. After only a couple minutes with Lana, Lara was able to see the darkness growing inside of her; something that Clark has been blind to for so long. Hopefully she'll head Lara's warnings before it's too late. The fact that she saw it so easily might be the shock that Lana needs to snap out of her funk.

There were a couple HUGE events towards the end of the episode though. First, Kara lost her memory!!! Yet, another side effect of Clark's refusal to put his emotions aside and listen to his brain. When he destroyed the crystal Kara was somehow transported to Cleveland (or was it Detroit?). Not only that but she has no memory of who she is at all. Clark though believes she's dead and has no idea if she's alive, let alone somewhere with no memory. This can't be good and I hope there's more to this than just Kara walking around trying to figure out she's special. That would be terrible and extremely boring. Second, Gabriel is Julius Luthor! I definitely did NOT see this coming. I knew he was in Lex's back pocket but I never would have guessed this. With Gabriel/Julius defying Lex and still seeing Lois, this should become a very interesting family feud.

Before I go, I should mention that Clark seems to have something interesting going on. Whatever Jor-El did to him can't be good, it never is. Maybe he's going to force him to begin the training program he wanted him to do or maybe send him to some sort of prison. Maybe he'll even strip him of his powers for a time. Who knows. But for now enjoy the review and I'll see you next week!

Smallville: Wrath

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

For a change "Smallville" gave us a story line that was more or less NOT creative. With the show it's very easy to develop an outrageous plot and chalk it up to the fact that the show is based on comic books which permits the writers to go in any direction they desire. It's a sort of validation to validate the absurd. There are times you need to make a leap of faith in order to go along with the premise of the show given its fictional nature but then there are times the writers ask use to leap over canyons and this episode was one of them. Anything Clark can do makes sense because we're supposed to believe he can do anything. But splitting his powers through a lightning bolt that also travelled through kryptonite is a bit of a stretch even for this big fan.

So like I said, Lana becomes Clark; or rather she gets all his powers. She just happened to be holding Krpytonite when lightning struck a windmill that both she and Clark were standing next to which caused his powers to split and transfer into her. Predictably, the rage and calculating personality we've seen develop in Lana caused her to go over the edge and do whatever it took to set up Lex and eventually try to murder him. In the mayhem that ensued Clark finally discovered the secrets Lana has been hiding from him ever since she got back. And as he said, "there's a darkness inside her." I wish I could be blind to the bad in people and only see the good like Clark but for most of us we don't get that luxury. At the same time this is a massive weakness in him and I'm sure this won't be the last time it prevents him from seeing the truth. I should point out that the one thing I really enjoyed from this was the "sexquake" Lana and Clark caused. Nice little shot of humor in there.

There were a few things that we should really take note of for the future. I have a feeling these things are going to have a huge role to play as the season progresses. First, Lex clearly has the editor of the Daily Planet in his back pocket. He's there to can any stories that might shine a light on him and make trouble for his projects. This can never be a good thing and Lois needs to start honing those investigative reporter skills a bit more. It's staring her in the face and she has no clue what's actually going on. She's definitely not ready to be the Lois Lane we know she becomes. Second, Braniac is still here! Just when we thought he was gone Lex saved a piece of the ship and now it's escaped. I'm a bit disappointed if only because we've been there and done that. For now though I'll give the writers the benefit of the doubt and say they'll come up with a new twist for Braniac. Third, Lana seemed to like when Lex kissed her. Granted she pushed him off and tried to strangle him but it seemed like she hesitated for a moment before she did. Not only that but I don't think she could harbor this obsession if she didn't still feel some connection to Lex. Lex is probably right about this too and she probably doesn't love him but I think she may be attracted to the dark side now.

It was great to finally see someone confront Lana on what she's been doing. Chloe was always very insightful and I like watching her protect Clark like this. I think she's really starting to embrace her role in his life and what he's destined to do. At the moment Lana will do nothing for Clark other than to bring him down and he can't have that in his life. I was very proud of Chloe when she laid out the whole truth for Lana and told her that she wouldn't let her cause his downfall.

This was a pretty decent episode although not the most creative. With November Sweeps progressing I believe things will get better and more intense at the same time. Let me know what you think might happen and until next week, enjoy the review!

Smallville: Lara

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Best opening scene so far this season. The last hours of Krypton flashed across the screen and Kara spoke with her father Zor-El for the last time before she left for earth. Zor-El wanted Kara to go and protect her cousin except he left out why. I will admit that although visually cool, it could have been a lot better. The fall of Krypton must have been amazing and I felt the visual aspect of it and what we were should could have been much more intense. Sadly, we never had another opportunity to see what occurred but for what it was it was alright. The fact that it was the best opening scene of the season speaks more to the lack of quality previously seen this season than to the greatness of this one.

This episode found Clark butting heads once again with his cousin Kara. He was able to track her down in Washington D.C. after there was a report of a "missile" nearly colliding with a commercial jet. Kara was careless and didn't notice a large airplane heading straight for her and she narrowly missed it. Predictably, she wasn't looking forward to seeing Clark and threw him threw a large metal door when he wouldn't let her leave. Kara was in Washington tracking down the Crystal from her ship except it had already been stolen from the secret laboratory before she got there. A big revelation tonight dealt with the Crystal and with Clark's past.

We got numerous flashes of Kara's past visit to earth when the government agent detained her using Kryptonite handcuffs. His machine that uses meteor rocks through I.V.'s and electrodes, forces the person to relive memories and reveal them. Kara didn't remember anything she relived because Zor-El had blocked all these memories. It turns out Zor-El was in love with Lara, Clark's birth mother. Kara came to earth to escape the wars for a bit and met up with Lara on the Kent farm. Lara was checking it out to see who the future parents of her son would be. While there Zor-El came to visit and was like a jilted lover. He refused to accept that Lara didn't love him and was having a baby with Jor-El. This, it seems, previously resulted in Zor-El attempting to kill Jor-El; hence the lack of trust on Jor-El's part. The secret was that Zor-El enclosed Lara's DNA in the crystal as well as significant Kryptonian knowledge. So now we know why the Crystal is so important and can't fall into the wrong hands. Imagine what Lex could do with something like that.

What I didn't see coming was that Clark secretly stole the Crystal!! He's usually not that sneaky and even if he is he usually tells the people close to him. Instead he kept it a secret from everyone except Lana. This may turn out to be a mistake given Lana's recent personality changes. The Crystal is being hidden in his barn and with Lana the way she is I can't imagine it's going to be safe for very long.

Lara seems to be adjusting very well and very quickly to life on earth. Her vocabulary is extensive and already she's using slang words. More interestingly, she even knows the subtlety's of human ego and personality. She knew exactly how to approach that nerdy lab worker and seduce him. I didn't think she knew about this weakness already but it just goes to show how smart she is and adaptive. She's certainly going to be a force to reckon with as time goes on. Although I think her biggest weakness is her immaturity. She has shown many times before and tonight as well that she has a bad temper and the attitude of a teenager. If she's going to survive and keep those around her safe she needs to grow up and control her emotions.

Meanwhile, Chloe is finally catching on somewhat to Lana's changes. If anyone won't be duped by her new person it's Chloe and she really needs to do some more digging. Lionel was right and Lana is fully crossing that line which is very hard to come back from. Her actions are Luthor-esque and I think Chloe may be the only one who could bring her back. Clark I doubt could do it because she won't trust him; she'll think he's biased because he loves her.

Speaking of Chloe there's still a lot of tension between her and Jimmy. It's very awkward and I thought it was insensitive for him to discuss Lara with her. They were together for a while and had a very deep relationship. This has to be killing Chloe especially with the knowledge that Lara is a supergirl and that she just broke up with Jimmy.

This was a very good all around episode and significantly better than last week. I'm looking forward to this continuing through November Sweeps and hopefully the rest of the season if the strike doesn't last too long. Until next week, enjoy the review!

Smallville: Action

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Corny, cheesy, ridiculous, unoriginal, etc. All words that come to mind after watching the opening of this weeks "Smallville." The idea to have a superhero movie shot on Clark's farm was awful but not totally unexpected. Every once in a while the writers on this show get a little too cute and come up with plots that don't work. This was one of them. On top of the cheesiness of the whole premise, the fact that Rachel (the star of the movie) tried to hit on Clark while reading lines and then gave him a red cape as a gift was just too much and I really did not like it.

Basically, tonight centered around the movie shot on Clark's farm during which there was an attempt to kill the star of the movie Rachel Davenport. Of course Clark saved her and oddly no one asked questions, of course Rachel fell for Clark, and of course this was just boring. There was nothing even mildly entertaining about this whole story. The situations were generic (for instance Rachel using the script reading with Clark to hit on him) and the premise was absurd. Are we really supposed to believe that Superman wore a red cape because Rachel Davenport, the star of a superhero movie, once gave it to him as a gift? We get this from "Smallville" hear and there so I'm really hoping that next week we get an episode with slightly better writing.

The biggest revelation of the night though showed us what may be the true side to Lana. Apparently, her marriage to Lex was more than traumatizing, it changed her core. It appears that Lana has taken on the Luthor traits and as Lionel said, she's about to cross over a dangerous line and walk a path that it's very difficult to get off. I agree and I'm wondering whether her current personality is more a defensive measure or whether she really has changed. Is she still truly the quiet, farm girl? Or is she the ruthless ex-Luthor who will stop at nothing to get what she wants while deceiving all those around her? I'm really not sure at this point. I could see her surveilling Lex to protect herself but kidnapping Lionel? Hitting him in the face with a shovel? Lying to Clark? This is all very strange and I have to believe she really has changed.

In general I need to make the point that Clark has to be more careful. He was easily caught my the killer using his powers and he can't be that sloppy. It's fine if he wants to stop the bullet but you don't stand on the set looking at it. Go far away where you know no one will see you. Clark was lucky that this guy Grant is so infatuated with superheroes or he may have revealed Clark's secret to Lex. This was dangerously close to destroying everything by giving Lex the information about Clark; too close for comfort.

Anyway, I still love the show and I can't wait for next week. Until then, enjoy the review as usual.

Smallville: Cure

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

I'm shocked and at the same time not surprised to see Lana looking more and more like Lex. Obviously she's not taking on his physical appearance but her secrecy and devious behavior are certainly rivaled by none other than Smallville's resident evil geniuses Lex and Lionel Luthor. At the conclusion of tonight's episode we learned that Lana is using the $10 million she stole from Lex to build a center of operations to surveile his activities, both inside and outside the manor, while using a foundation as a front for her operations. Clearly, this is a page straight out of Lex's book. What she's looking for and planning on doing with what she finds is still a mystery however. What definitely isn't, is how fast Clark is going to break things off with her when he finds out the kind of person she's become. No matter what the situation Clark would never stoop to Lex's level and I can't imagine he could stay with Lana after she's changed so much.

In the meantime, Clark has some family problems of his own to deal with. While everyone is telling him not to trust Kara because her father tried to assassinate Jor-El, Kara has been pleading with Clark to believe in her. Unfortunately, Clark hesitated just a few seconds too long and Kara took that as a sign that there was no way he was going to believe her and she flew off. It's understandable that Clark doesn't know who to believe since he has no idea what they're all talking about and has no way to figure out who to trust. But I have to believe that Kara is a good person. She's never shown a hint of ulterior motives, even when no one is looking. If anything, she's shown that she's just a teenage girl still looking to fit in and find a life for herself on earth. Clark needs to give her a chance until she proves she doesn't deserve one.

Sadly the Jimmy and Chloe relationship has come to an end. Chloe learned of a surgical cure for those infected by the meteor rocks. Apparently, her heart has a very high concentration of the meteor rocks. This is probably why she's able to save someone like Lois who she loves. We had an appearance from another former Man of Steel, Dean Cain as Dr. Curtis Knox. As Chloe struggled with her condition and the decision to have the procedure, she was slowly sacrificing her relationship with Jimmy. In the end, she lost not only her chance at the cure but she also lost Jimmy. I feel terrible for Chloe but I have no idea why she couldn't tell him about her problem. It's not like Clark where he risks putting the lives of those he loves in danger. It's just a matter of telling Jimmy something that could risk his feelings for her but that's exactly what she lost by not telling him anyway.

Tonight's episode was very good and I'm starting to see a lot of future story lines starting to take shape. Don't forget about Lionel though. We haven't seen him since he was dragged away in the season premiere and his whereabouts should be a very big deal sometime soon. Until next week, let me know what you think about tonight's episode and what you think is going to happen next week.

Smallville: Fierce

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

After what I thought was a mediocre start to the new season, "Smallville" is starting to find itself again. I hadn't realized it until now, mainly because Lana was starting to get annoying, but the quiet, non-drama filled moments between Clark and Lana have been sorely missed by this reviewer. It's refreshing to get back to one of roots of the show which was always Clark's overwhelming love for Lana. As their relationship progressed it was one of the storylines that kept me coming back each and also kept Clark grounded. Over the past couple years however the two of them have moved apart despite any affections that remained. Now, with the marriage ending and Lana finally in on Clark's secret, the two of them can make a real go at an honest and open relationship. Although they've been together in the past, they never really had an opportunity like this to really give it a shot with all the cards laid out on the table. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.

The addition of Kara, eventually Supergirl, has also been a welcome addition to the show. Her acting is pretty decent and well she looks amazing. This week Kara competed in the Miss Sweet Corn Pageant against former America's Next Top Model, Eva. I thought Laura Vandervoort looked far better than Eva. She was smoking in that red bikini. It was a bit humorous, at least to me, that Kara has jumped onto the red and blue outfit bandwagon that Clark started all those years ago. As I've said before, I don't know all that much about the comics involving Supergirl so I'm curious to see what Jor-El meant when he warned Clark about her last week. I doubt she's evil or up to something but it's very possible that they'll be some confusion, leaving Clark to believe she was involved in something she shouldn't be. I did think last night's episode was a good look at who Kara really is. She wanted to compete in the Miss Sweet Corn Pageant because at heart she's still a teenage girl looking to be accepted. She's still clearly very innocent despite her powers and where she comes from. In the end, I think she just wants to be loved and accepted just like everyone else. She might just need to learn how to be a bit more discrete when using her powers. Breaking through the monument to get the map and escaping from jail is bound to raise more than a few suspicions.

And then we have Lex. He's now trying to convince Kara that he's a good guy and she should trust him. Smartly, she saw through his guise for now and didn't give him any information about her past or where she came from. I wonder if Clark told her anything about Lex. It would probably be a good idea for him or Lana to mention something before she gives him any information. Also, it was obvious that the government agent that stole Kara's crystal would somehow end up being involved with Lex. Nothing ever happens without involving him and this partnership could end up leading to something big in the season finale with the crystal. Lex with all that knowledge could do horrible things if he figures out how to get it from the crystal.

Did you notice the glances between Kara and Jimmy? Well, how could you not, they were more than a little bit subtle. Chloe should step in or she may just lose her man to Supergirl. I don't really see it there (Jimmy and Kara) but I guess anything's possible. By the way, why can't Clark fly? Is it some sort of mental block? If anyone knows I'd love to hear why he can't yet. Until next week, enjoy reading through the reviews.

Smallville: Kara

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Compared to the usual Smallville episode this one was pretty typical. It had the subtle subplots, romance, and comedic interjections. It also had lots of mystery surrounding new characters and the status of old ones. The thing that worked best about this episode was that it slowed down. The usual season premiere for Smallville is jam packed with action and numerous storylines. So what worked is that we finally have a slower pace and a chance to evaluate exactly what's happened and where the lives of our characters are heading.

With this much said, Clark finally meets Kara, his kryptonian cousin later known as "Supergirl." The only catch is that Jor-El tells Clark that she cannot be trusted and he must keep a close eye on her. Except, from everything we've seen she appears to be anything but an honest, caring person. It will be very interesting to see what happens and whether or not we've seen the real Kara. Like I've said before, I never read the comic books so there many be some of you who know what this all means but for myself and some others I think this is a very cool storyline to keep watching. One thing I noticed was that Kara's ship was exactly the same as Braniac's and he was evil. Maybe there's some sort of connection there or maybe all Kryptonian ships look the same. Any know the answer to this?

You knew that Lex was going to find Lana real soon. I was sort of wondering how he knew she didn't die since it didn't seem he had much reason to think she was alive based on what we had seen. But then again, he knew he was cloning her (which is VERY creepy, more so than usual from him) and had a good idea that she could use one of them to fake her death. I do believe that he has no intention of hurting her again, at least for now. If she does anything that pisses him off, like going back to Clark, who could really see him sitting back and not doing anything to hurt her ever again? Not me.

One of the better things about this episode is that we didn't find out the truth about Kara or the whereabouts of Lionel or the end of the Lex/Lana drama in this episode. The writers of this show tend to create questions and provide the answers all in one episode. It's definitely nice to see them draw the suspense out a bit and keep use coming back to get just a little bit at a time. It makes the stories much more effective and really keeps my attention from episode to episode.

So far I really do not like the new editor at the Daily Planet. He's way too over the top for my taste. I understand the point in making him that way but the acting was just too much. It didn't work for me. Subtle power I find to be more effective than in your face exertions.

I like the government involvement in the storylines now with their capture of "the Crystal." Although I'm not entirely sure it's just the government. I could see them working with the Luthors or maybe someone worse. This brings an entirely new dimension to the trickery and treachery which should make for some good storylines. I'm looking forward to how they develop it next week. Until then, leave some love.

Smallville: Bizarro

ORIGINAL EPISODES, THURSDAYS @ 8PM ON THE CW

Very cool opening even if it was a bit unbelievable even for this show. One of things I love about the show is the action and the opening of this seventh season definitely brought some of that. What was unbelievable was Clark's superheating of the water after the dam burst. There are so many implausible things about that scene that it was actually absurd. You sort of have to suspend your believe of the normal to enjoy this show sometimes but even this went too far. It's just not possible to superheat the water that fast, have it all just evaporate away, and yet somehow none of the people in the water (Lionel, Lex) died.

The implausibility aside the episode was pretty even. We got a little bit of everything from the season premiere which was very satisfying considering all the storylines taking place at once. I have a question for everyone though; when Clark came back to the dam in the opening he was yelling for Lana, why? He was told by Lionel that she was killed in the season finale last year.

The most important storyline of this episode was Clark versus Bizarro. Before I jump into it I fully admit that I never read the comic books so most of the backstory I am completely unfamiliar with, so don't hold that against me. Still, I didn't quite understand the Bizarro story. I get that he was a phantom and that he became the opposite of Clark after taking his DNA but other than that what was his purpose? Why did he care about killing Clark? My one beef with the entire story though was that I hate when this show has Clark finish off the bad guy in one episode. To me it seems that someone as powerful as Bizarro would take a put more time to finish off, but hey that's just me. Although I'm sure this probably isn't the last we've seen from him.

Cloe was her usual fast-talking self, well after she came back from the dead. If I woke up on a slab in a morgue I think I'd pretty much go crazy. I have to give her props for holding it together though. I personally think Clark took a peak under the drape she was wearing with his X-Ray vision. Did anyone else sense a moment between the two of them when he got her off the slab? As for love interests, Lana being dead is clearly killing Clark. I'm surprised at how he was able to hold it together though. Granted he wanted to kill Lex but after that he sort of seemed alright, even though at times you could tell it was eating away at him. This is a testament to how good of an actor Tom Welling is and how great he plays such an iconic character. Not that it was any really great surprise but Lana is alive and living in Asia. I have a feeling Clark will find out very soon that she's still alive. My sources have said that with all the secrets (most of them anyway) out on the table, Clark and Lana will get a real shot at a relationship in the near future.

Now for the Lois and Lionel. Not all that much to say here. Although Lois was around her character wasn't involved in any big developments. She did provide some comic relief with her butt-grabbing talk with Clark. Lionel on the other hand provided our first big mystery of the season; who took him from the river? Nothing on this show every works out innocently so I have to assume this will be a significant storyline next week.

This was a very well rounded episode and it seems that Smallville is alive and kicking in the seventh season.

Smallville - Season 7 Trailer

Tonight's the night! Smallville returns for a seventh season and at least for my part I'm totally psyched! Check out this trailer for the new season.