Voice of Reason: Season Five: Fade

Fade

Overall

This episode exemplified everything wrong with this season.

The greatest pitfalls for the writers this season have been inconsistency (situations and behavior varying episode-to-episode) and lack of motivation. Particularly the last. We never did understand why Jonathan felt driven to run for senator, despite the pat answer they put up in "Exposed" – nor why Martha trusted Lionel with her friendship – nor why exactly Clark and Lana were getting together – nor why Lex became the mad torturer – nor why he snapped out of his rages – nor why Clark was supposed to be the hero of this season when he was so languid and passive. We were slow to accept all these decisions that were supposed to be for the best (sorry, Jonathan), this behavior that was supposed to be natural (wake up, Clark). This episode invoked so much randomness that it will take a century for anyone to accept it.

We still don't know why Lana and Lex decided to get together. We still don't know why Martha and Lionel are on "call me" terms...and why Clark is okay with it, after his "stay away from my mother" threat last week. We don't know why Clark was angry with Chloe, why Lois was attracted to Graham, or why Milton Fine being loose is so frightening when he spent the episode being harmless.

This episode failed to give the characters motivation for how they felt and what they did - and ignored some issues that were shrieking for attention. ("Lionel knows Clark's secret! Lionel knows Clark's secret!")

Possibly the worst episode in the history of Smallville...including "Dichotic" and "Skinwalker".

Verdict: 1

Good/Bad Moments

While I thought the idea of Chloe trying to cheer Clark up by getting him involved in journalism was sweet, her dialogue while doing it was some of the worst I've heard. For one thing, she was quite ready to spell out her many ulterior motives. She's trying to cheer someone up – she's not going to tell him that she's going to distract him from his troubles. She's trying to rekindle a vocational flame…she won't announce her intention beforehand. Then she proceeds to baby him. "You couldn't have done that in a barn. Thanks to you, that guy just got a new lease on life. Nice work." Not only is she spelling out the obvious, she's using cliches like "new lease on life" that Chloe the writer would never use.
Humor, at the proper time, can be great. Outright comedy, at the proper time, can be great. Lois was humor and comedy, at an absolutely pointless time. It would have made script-sense if Clark and Martha had just finished a mother-son conversation about how Lois had been growing up, then walked into her "hiya-ing" at the television screen. But as it was, it was pointless. Funny, but random.
"I'll go call and find out." What? Clark is certain that Lionel is trying to weave him into his sinister plot, and Martha decides to call and see? And it doesn't occur to Clark to stop her, even though he finished last episode whispering, "Stay away from my mother..." This part made me and my brother look at each other with raised eyebrows.
"You his girlfriend?" "Not in this lifetime." This lifetime. This was another moment that made me wish you-know-what… ChloeshouldbeLoisLane...
Clark is striding around speaking in a serious voice and lowering his chin, on a mission to find out who sent him video games. It's no wonder he seems so purposeless. Why did the writers choose such a yawn-inducing beginning for him?
When Clark is angry with Chloe for keeping Lana's secret, the acting suddenly drops way under average. It becomes wooden and mechanical. I have to be fair and blame this partially on Tom Welling, partially on the writers. Tom could have done a better job with the script, and the writers could definitely have given him a better part to play.
"You’re hanging out in a barn, alone, in the middle of nowhere." This line would have been great two seasons ago, spoken by Michael Rosenbaum. It pins the truth when Clark wants to deny it, succinctly and with humor. But coming from the guy who played Graham, who embodied Lucy Ricardo's villain stereotype ("Close-set, beady eyes..."), there was nothing subtle or funny about it. Besides, it should have just been, "You're hanging out in a barn." That would be more blunt, and therefore pack more punch.
"I see you've stepped up your security." Nice little in-joke.
"…I was homesick." "What's so special about Smallville?" This was a very badly delivered line, but that's probably because it was a bad line altogether. Lana's not one of those boppy teenage "I long to see the world" figures, which is why she fell flat in Season Four. She treasures her relationships and treasures people. Her skeptical "What's so special about this place?" could have been cut completely, so that Lex said, "I was homesick. I missed the wide-open spaces…the cows…" etc. But probably the best thing would be, "I was homesick." "For Smallville?" "I missed the wide-open spaces…" There would still be a question within her question, and there would even be some surprise since Lex is a big-city guy, without the negative implications.
"I missed you too." *Kiss* Last we heard, Lana left the room in discomfort, telling Lex she'd call him back. Later on she called back and he answered, told her he was in the middle of an emergency (presumably), and hung up. The issue was unresolved. What big change happened, that now they openly acknowledge their feelings, kiss, and confess to Clark that they're dating? That was terribly handled. This season, characters have been acting without any visible motivation, and this was the climax of randomness.
Nice camera shot, as Clark stands behind Lex and Lana kissing, the camera swivels, and Clark is gone.
"Made a killing the other night, and it's all thanks to Clark Kent." Now that was a good line.
So, Clark would have been…won over…if Gina hadn't been sent by Graham? This scene took the manhood built up from last episode and mangled it, leaving Clark looking like a passive reed in the wind. This kid shouldn't be on the streets on his own, much less saving anybody.
"That's not crossing the line, that's just plain wrong." The Graham character was unconvincing for the same reason that the whole episode was unconvincing: no motivation. He's moved by the stolen girlfriend story and feels driven to pay Clark back, but has no compunction about taking Clark's life later. His moral code and his personality are never explained or established – his behavior seems random and convenient.
"I thought you were heading out of town." This camera shot was very awkward. The camera waited too long to start moving, as did the actors, making it look like a shot taken from a primitive sitcom.
"It is. But it can get a little cutthroat." This wasn't as good as (l), but still pretty good.
Clark confronts Graham at his apartment. Graham tries to smash Clark with a statue and instead the statue shatters on Clark's arm. Graham stares at Clark, dumbfounded. Clark tensely waits for him to make his next move. Graham turns invisible. Clark shrugs and leaves. What? Why did the writers have Clark go there in the first place, if he was just going to say, "You turn invisible? Never mind," and leave? He should have tried to listen with his superhearing - at least tried his x-ray vision – should have grabbed for the invisible body where it last stood – and if they had to end at a stalemate, the writers should have ended with Clark realizing Graham had left, hearing his mocking laugh in the distance. Instead Clark stares into space, then goes to Chloe to talk dejectedly about his failure. This scene was possibly the worst Smallville scene of the season.
Another random comedic moment as clueless Lois swings the door open to Clark. Yes, it's funny, but what does it have to do with anything? It didn't, thank God, result in any sparks. It was even more gimmicky than her insisting on sharing the bathroom in "Gone" last season. The thing that it did have to do with the plot (Graham stalking her and Clark sensing his presence) did not lead to anything immediate. This scene would have seemed a lot less contrived if they had immediately followed Clark out of the room in the hearing-chase. Then maybe had him stand in the alley, feeling and hearing Graham circle him, always behind him - never able to pin precisely where he was - before Graham appeared. Instead they used this setup to its least potential, stressing the abrupt comedy instead of the tense situation.
"You're not supposed to talk." "I'm not supposed to do a lot of things." That was a good line. Actually it was a great line.
"I don't owe Clark anything, especially the truth." This was extremely childish reasoning. I don't think the writers should have made Lana react in a way that was deliberately hurtful. If she was going to be reluctant to tell him, she should have had an argument that we could understand and sympathize with – not "I don't owe Clark anything". She knows almost as well as we do that she owes Clark a lot. Lana's reluctance to go to Clark should have been an acknowledgment of her own weakness, not another attack on Clark.
"Lana, don't let him find out from someone else." This was the best line of the episode. This was the real, conflicted Lex.
"You saved my life!" This line was used twice, once by Graham and once by Lana, and it was equally cheesy each time. The first time around, I thought, "There goes this episode," and the second, "There goes this relationship."
Cute moment as Clark holds up the newspaper at the window for Chloe.
"Maybe you have to get through all the wrong men so you can recognize the right one." This made absolutely no sense. Why did they waste such wonderful music on this corny moment?

Details

Everyone seems to be suffering from a case of cluelessness. Clark makes an amazing quicker-than-the-eye save in the middle of Metropolis, surrounded by crowds and security cameras. Remember, he's just found out that a recent save was captured on security camera. In "Rogue" when he saved a lone homeless guy without anyone around, he was scared that someone might have seen him. Now he and Chloe resume their morose walk like nothing happened. In that crowd, chances were that a dozen people saw it, not to mention the security cameras. Maybe this was planted on purpose, to be used in a later episode…but if so, it was planted carelessly, without any thought to Clark's intelligence.
Did they want Graham's atmosphere to be seductively charming or sinister? Because it never became either.
"I'm not that good with heights." Shouldn't Clark be over this by now? He stood in the shattered window of LuthorCorp, with Lionel Luthor's hand on his shoulder, without a problem. He's leapt from bridges, he's leapt off bridges, he's leapt a building in a single bound (implied in "Vengeance") and he's leapt onto a missile and fallen from literally miles high. The "fear of heights" line was cute when he was fourteen, but it's old now. It's a sign of his manhood that he's grown up from that. It's regression to have him shy away from balconies.
Lois acts as if Clark is constantly protesting her boyfriends…but she's only had two.
This invisibility was not the same type as the "Shimmer" invisibility. In "Shimmer" the villain had to coat himself with the juice of a flower to make himself invisible, so his organs and bones were still visible to x-ray vision. This guy makes all of himself, organs and bones included, invisible. Still, it seems like Clark's first reaction would be to use x-ray vision, even if it failed.
Clark wouldn't say skeptically, "How would he know about the meteor rocks?" That term hasn't come up in a long time. He would say, "How would he know about that?" or, at least, "He's a stranger, how would he know anything about kryptonite?" which would invite Chloe to make a reply about its being showered down and making headlines. That would help Graham make the connection between kryptonite and the meteor rocks, and make us invest more in the need to protect Clark's secret: Graham knows the real word for meteor rocks now, and he'll be raising questions.
Why would invisibility keep Graham from leaving fingerprints?
Why would Graham allow himself to be visible in the Daily Planet? The writers didn't have to show that. We knew from the POV (Point of View) shot who it was. Give us credit for some brains, guys.




Fade Overall This episode exemplified everything wrong with this season. The greatest pitfalls for the writers this season have been inconsistency (situations and behavior varying episode-to-episode) and lack of motivation. Particularly the last. We never did understand why Jonathan felt driven to run for senator, despite the pat answer they put up in "Exposed" – nor why Martha trusted Lionel with her friendship – nor why exactly Clark and Lana were getting together – nor why Lex became the mad torturer – nor why he snapped out of his rages – nor why Clark was supposed to be the hero of this season when he was so languid and passive. We were slow to accept all these decisions that were supposed to be for the best (sorry, Jonathan), this behavior that was supposed to be natural (wake up, Clark). This episode invoked so much randomness that it will take a century for anyone to accept it. We still don't know why Lana and Lex decided to get together. We still don't know why Martha and Lionel are on "call me" terms...and why Clark is okay with it, after his "stay away from my mother" threat last week. We don't know why Clark was angry with Chloe, why Lois was attracted to Graham, or why Milton Fine being loose is so frightening when he spent the episode being harmless. This episode failed to give the characters motivation for how they felt and what they did - and ignored some issues that were shrieking for attention. ("Lionel knows Clark's secret! Lionel knows Clark's secret!") Possibly the worst episode in the history of Smallville...including "Dichotic" and "Skinwalker". Verdict: 1 Good/Bad Moments While I thought the idea of Chloe trying to cheer Clark up by getting him involved in journalism was sweet, her dialogue while doing it was some of the worst I've heard. For one thing, she was quite ready to spell out her many ulterior motives. She's trying to cheer someone up – she's not going to tell him that she's going to distract him from his troubles. She's trying to rekindle a vocational flame…she won't announce her intention beforehand. Then she proceeds to baby him. "You couldn't have done that in a barn. Thanks to you, that guy just got a new lease on life. Nice work." Not only is she spelling out the obvious, she's using cliches like "new lease on life" that Chloe the writer would never use. Humor, at the proper time, can be great. Outright comedy, at the proper time, can be great. Lois was humor and comedy, at an absolutely pointless time. It would have made script-sense if Clark and Martha had just finished a mother-son conversation about how Lois had been growing up, then walked into her "hiya-ing" at the television screen. But as it was, it was pointless. Funny, but random. "I'll go call and find out." What? Clark is certain that Lionel is trying to weave him into his sinister plot, and Martha decides to call and see? And it doesn't occur to Clark to stop her, even though he finished last episode whispering, "Stay away from my mother..." This part made me and my brother look at each other with raised eyebrows. "You his girlfriend?" "Not in this lifetime." This lifetime. This was another moment that made me wish you-know-what… ChloeshouldbeLoisLane... Clark is striding around speaking in a serious voice and lowering his chin, on a mission to find out who sent him video games. It's no wonder he seems so purposeless. Why did the writers choose such a yawn-inducing beginning for him? When Clark is angry with Chloe for keeping Lana's secret, the acting suddenly drops way under average. It becomes wooden and mechanical. I have to be fair and blame this partially on Tom Welling, partially on the writers. Tom could have done a better job with the script, and the writers could definitely have given him a better part to play. "You’re hanging out in a barn, alone, in the middle of nowhere." This line would have been great two seasons ago, spoken by Michael Rosenbaum. It pins the truth when Clark wants to deny it, succinctly and with humor. But coming from the guy who played Graham, who embodied Lucy Ricardo's villain stereotype ("Close-set, beady eyes..."), there was nothing subtle or funny about it. Besides, it should have just been, "You're hanging out in a barn." That would be more blunt, and therefore pack more punch. "I see you've stepped up your security." Nice little in-joke. "…I was homesick." "What's so special about Smallville?" This was a very badly delivered line, but that's probably because it was a bad line altogether. Lana's not one of those boppy teenage "I long to see the world" figures, which is why she fell flat in Season Four. She treasures her relationships and treasures people. Her skeptical "What's so special about this place?" could have been cut completely, so that Lex said, "I was homesick. I missed the wide-open spaces…the cows…" etc. But probably the best thing would be, "I was homesick." "For Smallville?" "I missed the wide-open spaces…" There would still be a question within her question, and there would even be some surprise since Lex is a big-city guy, without the negative implications. "I missed you too." Kiss Last we heard, Lana left the room in discomfort, telling Lex she'd call him back. Later on she called back and he answered, told her he was in the middle of an emergency (presumably), and hung up. The issue was unresolved. What big change happened, that now they openly acknowledge their feelings, kiss, and confess to Clark that they're dating? That was terribly handled. This season, characters have been acting without any visible motivation, and this was the climax of randomness. Nice camera shot, as Clark stands behind Lex and Lana kissing, the camera swivels, and Clark is gone. "Made a killing the other night, and it's all thanks to Clark Kent." Now that was a good line. So, Clark would have been…won over…if Gina hadn't been sent by Graham? This scene took the manhood built up from last episode and mangled it, leaving Clark looking like a passive reed in the wind. This kid shouldn't be on the streets on his own, much less saving anybody. "That's not crossing the line, that's just plain wrong." The Graham character was unconvincing for the same reason that the whole episode was unconvincing: no motivation. He's moved by the stolen girlfriend story and feels driven to pay Clark back, but has no compunction about taking Clark's life later. His moral code and his personality are never explained or established – his behavior seems random and convenient. "I thought you were heading out of town." This camera shot was very awkward. The camera waited too long to start moving, as did the actors, making it look like a shot taken from a primitive sitcom. "It is. But it can get a little cutthroat." This wasn't as good as (l), but still pretty good. Clark confronts Graham at his apartment. Graham tries to smash Clark with a statue and instead the statue shatters on Clark's arm. Graham stares at Clark, dumbfounded. Clark tensely waits for him to make his next move. Graham turns invisible. Clark shrugs and leaves. What? Why did the writers have Clark go there in the first place, if he was just going to say, "You turn invisible? Never mind," and leave? He should have tried to listen with his superhearing - at least tried his x-ray vision – should have grabbed for the invisible body where it last stood – and if they had to end at a stalemate, the writers should have ended with Clark realizing Graham had left, hearing his mocking laugh in the distance. Instead Clark stares into space, then goes to Chloe to talk dejectedly about his failure. This scene was possibly the worst Smallville scene of the season. Another random comedic moment as clueless Lois swings the door open to Clark. Yes, it's funny, but what does it have to do with anything? It didn't, thank God, result in any sparks. It was even more gimmicky than her insisting on sharing the bathroom in "Gone" last season. The thing that it did have to do with the plot (Graham stalking her and Clark sensing his presence) did not lead to anything immediate. This scene would have seemed a lot less contrived if they had immediately followed Clark out of the room in the hearing-chase. Then maybe had him stand in the alley, feeling and hearing Graham circle him, always behind him - never able to pin precisely where he was - before Graham appeared. Instead they used this setup to its least potential, stressing the abrupt comedy instead of the tense situation. "You're not supposed to talk." "I'm not supposed to do a lot of things." That was a good line. Actually it was a great line. "I don't owe Clark anything, especially the truth." This was extremely childish reasoning. I don't think the writers should have made Lana react in a way that was deliberately hurtful. If she was going to be reluctant to tell him, she should have had an argument that we could understand and sympathize with – not "I don't owe Clark anything". She knows almost as well as we do that she owes Clark a lot. Lana's reluctance to go to Clark should have been an acknowledgment of her own weakness, not another attack on Clark. "Lana, don't let him find out from someone else." This was the best line of the episode. This was the real, conflicted Lex. "You saved my life!" This line was used twice, once by Graham and once by Lana, and it was equally cheesy each time. The first time around, I thought, "There goes this episode," and the second, "There goes this relationship." Cute moment as Clark holds up the newspaper at the window for Chloe. "Maybe you have to get through all the wrong men so you can recognize the right one." This made absolutely no sense. Why did they waste such wonderful music on this corny moment? Details Everyone seems to be suffering from a case of cluelessness. Clark makes an amazing quicker-than-the-eye save in the middle of Metropolis, surrounded by crowds and security cameras. Remember, he's just found out that a recent save was captured on security camera. In "Rogue" when he saved a lone homeless guy without anyone around, he was scared that someone might have seen him. Now he and Chloe resume their morose walk like nothing happened. In that crowd, chances were that a dozen people saw it, not to mention the security cameras. Maybe this was planted on purpose, to be used in a later episode…but if so, it was planted carelessly, without any thought to Clark's intelligence. Did they want Graham's atmosphere to be seductively charming or sinister? Because it never became either. "I'm not that good with heights." Shouldn't Clark be over this by now? He stood in the shattered window of LuthorCorp, with Lionel Luthor's hand on his shoulder, without a problem. He's leapt from bridges, he's leapt off bridges, he's leapt a building in a single bound (implied in "Vengeance") and he's leapt onto a missile and fallen from literally miles high. The "fear of heights" line was cute when he was fourteen, but it's old now. It's a sign of his manhood that he's grown up from that. It's regression to have him shy away from balconies. Lois acts as if Clark is constantly protesting her boyfriends…but she's only had two. This invisibility was not the same type as the "Shimmer" invisibility. In "Shimmer" the villain had to coat himself with the juice of a flower to make himself invisible, so his organs and bones were still visible to x-ray vision. This guy makes all of himself, organs and bones included, invisible. Still, it seems like Clark's first reaction would be to use x-ray vision, even if it failed. Clark wouldn't say skeptically, "How would he know about the meteor rocks?" That term hasn't come up in a long time. He would say, "How would he know about that?" or, at least, "He's a stranger, how would he know anything about kryptonite?" which would invite Chloe to make a reply about its being showered down and making headlines. That would help Graham make the connection between kryptonite and the meteor rocks, and make us invest more in the need to protect Clark's secret: Graham knows the real word for meteor rocks now, and he'll be raising questions. Why would invisibility keep Graham from leaving fingerprints? Why would Graham allow himself to be visible in the Daily Planet? The writers didn't have to show that. We knew from the POV (Point of View) shot who it was. Give us credit for some brains, guys. © Voice of Reason, 2007