WorkShed's Smallville Episode Reviews

[WorkShed]

Hey, all. WorkShed here.

Finally, a new episode on tonight! I'm starting to think that I may as well just give reviews for these episodes. I'm such a fan of Superman and the show, I may as well. It'll save my girlfriend from my rants.



So, tonight... "Hypnotic."

Later tonight... WorkShed's first Smallville review.

[WorkShed]

The last time that we've seen Brainiac, he was impaled in the Fortress of Solitude in quite the amazing battle with Clark over the release of General Zod from the Phantom Zone. Now, he's back and in Honduras looking for deadly viruses. For what purpose? Why to reproduce, of course!

The A-story, with Clark being hypnotized by a mysterious woman named Simone, wasn’t the most interesting. However, it serviced for some major growth in the season and series as a whole. Where Season Four faltered (staying idle all season), Season Five has worked hard to put the show in overdrive. This almost feels like two seasons.

It was a touching moment to see Clark stand up for his actions and release Lana from this emotionally abusive relationship. It may not be the move that Clark truly wanted, but he knows that it’s the only one that he could’ve made. The repercussions for his treatment of Lana are sure to be felt for the final episodes of the season as her relationship with Lex will continue to grow.

However, the A-story was not the interesting flavor of the episode. In fact, it was rather standard. The interesting story was with Milton Fine’s shaky alliance with Lex. Sure, we all know that Fine is Brainiac and quite the threat to Clark, but Lex is quite the opportunist and will likely stop at nothing to get to the Kryptonian ship and Clark’s secret.

A great moment was when Fine stated that the alien from the spaceship could end up destroying the world. I hope that Fine will continue to lead Lex to believe that Clark is aligned with the spaceship, and therefore, a threat to the world. This would help give Lex even further motivation to destroy Superman.

Unfortunately, the episode was far from perfect. In a standard Smallville fashion, a lot of the subplots with the side characters were left completely open. For instance, the conclusion of Martha’s attack on Lois was ignored. Also unfortunate was the writers desire to kill off the Simone character. Having her return later on in the season/series would have been welcome, seeing as she was one of the few true threats to Clark without the use or knowledge of Kryptonite.

The final scenes were by far the best. Clark and Lana’s break-up scene was heartfelt without becoming sappy and melodramatic. They just ended their relationship like adults. It was also nice to see Martha beginning to take more of the role that Jonathan had with her scene where she realized the menace that Lana’s hatred could pose to Clark. Like prophecy, Lana quickly aligns with Lex.

While the episode wasn’t the best of the season, it definitely left enough open threads to fulfill a strong third act for the strongest season of the series. I, for one, am very interested to follow the four Brainiacs. I just hope that they don’t travel into Agent Smith territory.

Episode Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Memorable Quotes:

Chloe: “Oh, my God. I just knocked out Martha Kent.”

Lana: “I don’t want another Clark Kent apology.”

Martha: “You didn’t just break her heart. You gave her reason to hate you. I just hope her anger doesn’t drive her to do something we’ll all regret.”

Lex: “You’re not stupid. You just put your faith in the wrong person.”

[WorkShed]

What are your thoughts? I know there has to be a Smallville watcher or two around here...

[Jean-Pierre Bazinet]

I've been watching the dvd's and I'm halfway through Season 3.... so it'll be a while before I can comment

[wirm]

I don't know what kind of powers Brainiac has (so far it doesn't seem to have anything to do with his brain), but he appears to have Clark outmatched. I don't know why he would take a huge risk like an alliance with Luthor.

Also, about the Clark/Lana thing. I thought they'd already broken up in that episode with traveling back in time. Weird.

[j7wild]

I was disappointed by this episode. After it's been on hiatus for at least a month or longer now, this is the best they could come up with?

Furthermore, Lois Lane annoys me; this has probably been said before but Erica Durance was not the best choice for such a pivotal role and why does she get credit before Allison Mack, who has been on the show longer?

Is Simone really dead? The bullet hit the talisman and destroyed it; maybe she was just knocked unconscious from the impact?

I am also under the impression that Brainac died after being impaled on the pointy icy thingy in the fortress of Solitude... that part shoulda been explained more in that prior episode.

Finally, do you get the impression that Lana Lang looks tired in her role (maybe Kristin wants out?)

[WorkShed]

Also, about the Clark/Lana thing. I thought they'd already broken up in that episode with traveling back in time. Weird.

I'm glad you brought that up. That was quite a question in my mind (which I seemed to have forgotten when I wrote the review). I had come to the conclusion that they had become unshaky friends and weren't back in their relationship status.

However, I found the sex question between Clark and Lana to be handled quite well in this instance. It must have been devestating for her to see Clark with another woman when Clark had been very stand-offish of Lana (physically) for quite a long time. I surprised she hung around as long as she did without really asking some major questions.

I also thought it was interesting that Clark said that Lana will find who she's truly meant for (which is in fact Pete, if they follow comic chronology) and Lana interpreted that as "time to go for Lex."

After it's been on hiatus for at least a month or longer now, this is the best they could come up with?

Again, I think this is an episode that will be the stepping stone for the final act of the season. It isn't that great as a stand-alone, but I think it will work well within the bigger picture of the entire season.

This is an idea that I am very happy to see the writers of Smallville heading with. The other seasons usually had season-long arcs (which worked horribly for Season 4), but this episode is offering three mini-arcs/acts for the whole season.

The first act ended with Brainiac's "death" by impaling.
The second act ended with Clark maturing into a man by not using vengeance upon his father's death and the revelation that Lionel(/Jor-El?) knows Clark's secret.
This third act should be quite a killer.

Lois Lane annoys me

Couldn't agree with you more, bro. Lois (more importantly Durance herself) bogs down the show. She just doesn't fit and her inclusion in this episode stole time away from one of the great actresses in the series, Allison Mack. Even in a throw-away episode like Season 4's "Spell," Mack brought different personas between her performance as Chloe and the possessed Chloe. Durance was the exact same one-note performance (she even made a joke about her obviously-implanted breasts).

A great Allison Mack episode was Season 5's "Tomb." She was amazing.

Is Simone really dead? The bullet hit the talisman and destroyed it; maybe she was just knocked unconscious from the impact?

I doubt that a crystal would have stopped a direct hit from a bullet from entering her chest. I'm pretty sure that she bit the dust. And if she did, why was it not brought up any more in the episode? I'm tired of the villains dying and then there's no wrap-up on their death.

I am also under the impression that Brainac died after being impaled on the pointy icy thingy in the fortress of Solitude... that part shoulda been explained more in that prior episode.

If I remember correctly, Brainiac was impaled, but then he turned into liquid. Then the ship disappeared. I don't really know how it all returned to Honduras, but I'm sure it'll get explained.

Side note: I liked the moment when Lex said he know the truth about Milton Fine and Brainiac created the spear, ready to kill Lex.

Finally, do you get the impression that Lana Lang looks tired in her role

I'm going to give that to acting. I think her character would be really tired after all the BS that has been done to her over the past two seasons. She's had a rough couple of years.

[j7wild]

Oh and can we trust Lionel with keeping Clark's Secret or will he use it to blackmail Clark or Martha in the future?

[WorkShed]

Here was a good April Fool's Day joke that KryptonSite had:

Has Chloe Sullivan Already Appeared In DC Comics?

An advance copy of issue #651 of DC's Superman comic book series has a very curious line that may imply that we've been reading about Chloe Sullivan in DC Universe comics for a very long time.

In the issue, it is said that there's a sequence where Lois makes a mention of a COUSIN named Lois Lane. Even more interesting, Lois says "When she passed away from alcohol poisoning at 23, I took her name as my pen name, as a tribute."

However, at this time we cannot get a hold of a copy of the issue, which officially hits stores next month. If anyone can confirm this news, please e-mail us if you find a scan. If it is true, this could reveal the Smallville producers' secret final plans for TV's Chloe character.









I only wish...

[aS!Dz]

LOL! that wuda been a bit hard to digest if that were true..... but wud please alot of people.. das for sure!

and o yea... gr8 review WorkShed. totaly agree wid it!

[WorkShed]

A few great moments marred by some of the worst writing of the series. Lana, racked with guilt over her break-up with Clark (more on that later), decides that it'd be best to talk with her dead parents about it rather than anyone still alive. For some reason, she becomes a junkie and proceeds to cause a lot of trouble with Lex and Clark. Good going, Lana!

Starting off, the teaser gave way too much away in the beginning. It should have been a longer conversation between Lana and her parents (with no indication that anything is going wrong) and she gets sucked out. It ends with Lana saying to Lance, "I've got to go back." Bam. Opening credits. But, no. We get a really long and boring intro that proceeds to not tease the plot, but lay it out in an obnoxious manner. This teaser gets the award for most exposition laid out in a ridiculous manner in a Smallville teaser.

The small bit where Clark zoomed off to Honduras was great (amazing effect, by the way), but was ultimately too short and not really big in the scheme of things. I figured Clark would be looking around a little bit more if he saw the kid with the wood carving of the spaceship and the imprint of the spaceship in the ground. Fine was obviously there, so why didn't Clark continue to poke around a little bit?

Hey, Martha has something to do! She's actually showing up in the series as senator. That was nice, but a little brief. Hopefully, it's set-up for a bigger part for Martha in the series arc.

I'm trying to ignore the A-story because like last week, the A-story was rather dull and unbelievable. I know it's hard to say that in a show like Smallville, but there are unbelievable moments. Okay, I'll just attack it right now. Why the hell did Lana go to this guy for the serum? It wasn't like she felt that her and Clark had true love. Why was she so broken about it? I know she says later that it wasn't about her and Clark, but the first thing she says to her dead parents is about how broken up she is over Clark. Dumb. Plus, her sudden need to be with her parents was completely unfounded. It would have been good if at least one episode prior to this one foreshadowed her desire to see her family again. It just came out of nowhere. Her motivations felt more like Lana in Season 3, not Season 5.

Plus, why was Lana a junkie? That Ally girl was acting rather normal and she had gone under more than Lana did. And why did she go for the serum in the first place? Lana knows better than screwing around with meteor rocks. The writing of her character was way off. Lana isn't an idiot. It didn't help that Kristin Kruek provided one of the worst performances of the series in this episode. It's called subtlety, girl! Allison Mack can still have subtlety even when she's playing crazy. Also, why did Lana just snap out of her junkie phase in the end? Her motivations were completely wrong. Another question: was it that hard to fine a hypodermic needle that she had to walk into a trap? Just go to a medical supply store. There has to be at least one in Metropolis!

At least Lois wasn't in this one. And Allison Mack was the only one of the college girls to get through the dialogue without sounding like Padme and Anakin.

As far as acting goes, there weren't many high points. However, Lex had some great moments and his death scene with Lillian was amazing. It was nice to see further foreshadowing of Lex's dark future. Yet, he's so far gone now, that he sees it as an opportunity. There's some great motivations for great performances by Michael Rosenbaum. He definitely didn't phone it in.

The same is to be said of John Glover. Yes, I have a man-crush on the dude. I know that already and I'm going to GA (Glover Anonymous). His last scene was great. His transitioned change from charming to threatening was masterfully played. "Good night... Clark." Cue dramatic music!

Lance's death was so ridiculous! He could've at least gone out with a little more panache. Not fall on a surgical circular saw. Also, why didn't Lana do anything when Clark was being stabbed? She had the beaker right behind her but she decides not to do anything until her life is threatened? Also, why did she care if she died if she wanted to take a serum that would kill her? Just my two cents...

It was a little too soon to see Jonathan again. I wish they would have kept it for Season 6. I think Clark could've found out about Lionel another way. But, oh well. It's great to see Bo Duke again. John Schneider should direct more Smallville episodes. I miss his presence in and around Smallville.

I only wish that Jonathan could've returned in a better episode. This script needed a rewrite and its horrific dialogue shows that the script was rushed. Hopefully, next week's episode is better. And a week after that is Tom Welling's directorial debut!

Episode Rating: 2.0 out of 5


Memorable Quotes:

Chloe: "Fast. But oddly formal. Usually when I say it's urgent, you whip in here without the least regard for my privacy."

Lance: "Say goodbye, jackass. I'm gone."

Lillian: "Stay with me, Alexander. Don't let the blood wash away what's left of your soul."

Jonathan: "I am so very proud that I died protecting you."

Jonathan: "You're a symbol of peace. You're a symbol of justice."

[Kal-el]

I used to watch this show, but after they revealed that Jor-el said that Clark's destiny was to take over the world, I quit watching. It just seems to me that now that they have revealed all of Clark's powers, the stories don't really seem to go anywhere. I could be wrong, but that's my opinion and I hope I don't offend anyone with it.

[WorkShed]

They didn't reveal all of his powers. He still needs to fly on his own (he did it in Season 4, but it wasn't really Clark, but a pseudo-persona called Kal-El) and he doesn't have freezing breath.

[j7wild]

Honduras is a pretty good sized country full of jungle and how does Clark knows which part of it to land in just by looking at a photograph?



I don't trust Lionel at all; what is he playing at?

Finally how does Martha becomes Senator? Her husband was the one elected not her!

[WorkShed]

Finally how does Martha becomes Senator? Her husband was the one elected not her!

She was given a choice to take the spot through the governor or something. She decided to go for it.