Voice of Reason: Season Five: Reckoning

Reckoning

Overall

The writers, directors, producers, and musical composers just put to use the best creative energy of the season to totally kill my week.

And, in a way, I guess that's a good thing.

"Shattered" and "Asylum" became Smallville milestones because they haunted us. This episode renewed the power of a story so haunting that I find myself thinking about it throughout the day, wondering "what if" about every decision made. I wouldn't have "Asylum" taken out of the third season, even though it drained me emotionally; and, in two months, if the quality continues, I'll think the same thing about this episode. Right now, though, I regard the writers with a mixture of trust and distrust.

Trust comes when you're certain that the writers have the season under control, that they'll channel your emotions expertly, that they'll bond you to the characters irrevocably, and that they'll make sure you want to come back to the show again and again. Distrust comes when you've watched Season Four. Right now I am somewhere in between. Yes, the writers just proved that they could write, and could channel our emotions mercilessly; but they also just wasted a perfectly awesome milestone in Clark's life. They can't use it again. Once again, the writers have shown us what could be, and then taken it all back. And I can't help but feeling…cheated.

On the other hand – I've never heard such great music; the camera shot of Lionel's hand reaching for the crumpled paper chilled me; the sequence of re-lived and changed events was brilliant; the emotional extremes of utter joy in the Fortress of Solitude and in Smallville celebrating, to what I thought was despair when Lana died, to real despair when Clark met her again and lied to her, were stronger than "Exodus"; Clark fastening Martha's necklace was heartwrenchingly good; and, for the first time since the third season finale, the writers have made me care strongly enough about Smallville to be haunted by it. That's definitely a good thing. In fact, considering Season Four, it's little short of miraculous.

Still…Lex seeing Clark's powers in slow motion, Clark launching to the top of the Fortress of Solitude in a powerful wordless revelation, Clark and Lana's standing at the stone table and traveling to the Fortress, Clark compressing the coal into a diamond – it's a shame, and I can't help thinking perhaps a mistake, that the best moments in the episode were the ones that never happened.

The question we're all asking - was it worth it? We can't know that yet. So far, the writers have conserved the best they had to depress us. We can only wait and see what kind of skill they use in the future...and where it takes us.

Verdict: 9.98

Good/Bad Moments

Everything in the first act, from the loft scene with Clark's heart racing, to the proposal, was magic. Words fail. However, that can't stop me from trying.

First, it was good to see the characters live. "Solitude" and "Fanatic" were both like a series of chess moves, rather than characters feeling emotion and reasoning things out and acting on the results. It was good to see Clark's excitement as Lana came up the loft, stuttering, unable to stop grinning, his heart racing. And it was good to see that Lana had prepared to suggest that a surprise date might not be what their relationship needed, yet couldn't contain her own excitement, recognizing that something special was going to happen. If we had seen this scene without dialogue, there was such vivid character and emotion that we would have understood what was going on. That's the mark of a great scene.
The scene in the cave was equally well thought out. Things had turned serious and Clark was experiencing a different kind of excitement - a solemn excitement, running deeper than the surface. They covered the fact that Lana hadn't seen the table by connecting it with Clark's first revelation. I was glad that there was no dramatic pause of "will he tell her?" before he started his revelations, but it flowed smoothly, something that he had dreamed until he was ready. "It was left here for me." Then he took out the key. I was impressed with the way Greg Beeman let Lana be herself - she wasn't focused on the externals but was focused on Clark. No obsessive Splinter-ish staring and/or panting. I also liked the fact that, despite all the soap-ish "trust" issues Lana's had, when Clark asked her to trust him she did.
The travel from the cave to the Fortress has been handled in many ways. In "Solitude" it was essentially skipped over. This episode finally addressed the question of what happens when they travel, and did it stunningly. We felt Lana's wonder, looking around them in awe.
Once they had landed in the fortress, both Clark and Lana's reactions moved you to sympathize more with them. Lana's reaction to the other-planetary is often estranging and unsympathetic, but this time - just as in the cave - every step of her reaction was sympathetic and made me like her more than I did before.
Meanwhile the way Clark bowed his head and waited, preparing himself for what was to come, letting Lana react without his feedback, was just as vital as Lana's reaction.

I have to applaud the writing, directing, acting, music, lighting - everything about this scene. Even the makeup - Lana was human again. And it came together perfectly.
Probably we've all imagined Clark's big revelation in the same way, particularly after "Relic" - taking Lana in his arms and flying, rising slowly and floating, or leaping. (At least that's the way I've always envisioned it.) This setup was ideal. This was the best call they've made for Clark's revelations. More intense than Pete's revelation, and in a completely different league from Chloe's. I know it's too soon to make this call, but right now it seems unfortunate that they didn't actually use it.
And finally, after the revelation - we finally see Lana delight in him. (Not in the secret - in him.)

They gave us everything we wanted, then took it all back. I hope in the future the writers will incorporate the qualities that endeared both Clark and Lana to us in this episode. For the first time, the two of them weren't looking at their issues - they were looking at each other.
I liked it that Clark used two more powers in creating the ring (despite the mistake in Details), and that they showed both of their reactions as it was made. A wordless way of explaining his powers and her acceptance, and very genuine - without that staged feeling from his "Pariah" demonstration or cocky feeling from his red-k "Rush" demonstration. It was also a nice allusion to the movies (in Superman III, Superman compresses coal and gives Lana Lang a ring with the diamond in it) and brought up the question - was this the writers' way of fulfilling the mythology? (In other words, are we to assume that now they've done everything they need to do with her? Or this is still somewhere in their future? A foreshadowing?)
Martha and Jonathan have prepared themselves for Clark to tell Lana ever since the first false start years ago. At the end of Season Three he was literally on the brink of telling her, once when she failed to show up for the dinner he planned, once when he failed to drive her to the airport. With so many false alarms, when the real thing came I thought they should have been a bit more prepared. Martha shouldn't have looked quite so horrified - surprised, naturally, but not horrified. And I thought Jonathan could have reacted more encouragingly at first. It's not the reaction I would want after announcing my engagement...
When was the last time we saw virtually unmitigated celebration on Smallville? (Answer: "Calling", right before "Exodus" blew their lives apart.) Since they only let us feel totally happy once in a while, it was good to splurge. The deepest plunge comes from the greatest height.
It was good to have Lex drunk after losing the election. That was the only way his over-the-edge behavior could happen, and the only situation in which he would allow himself to get drunk. It was also telling (whether intentionally or not) that while Jonathan was surrounded by his supporters at the campaign party, Lex was alone in his study.
It was so interesting to see the different ways Lana reacted to Clark – how that one encounter determined whether she agreed to marry him or ditched him. And the writers handled it believably, in a way that didn't make either of them look changeable or immature. A girl is dating a guy who clearly has some weird issues and who lies to her – often. He tells her that he's going to show her the best day of her life, and when she shows up, tells her more lies and suggests that they stay in today. It's the last straw and she breaks up with him. I believe that.

Or the lying boyfriend opens up and tells her the truth – and all of the mysteries are made clear, all the strength of his character shows, every inexplicable thing he's ever done suddenly makes sense…and points to his being a hero. She realizes her high school sweetheart's a hero in disguise and agrees to marry him. I believe that too.
The Daily Planet sequence of small events was wonderfully written. It was enjoyable the first time around because it made sense in the context of what you knew. Clark has proposed to Lana, and notices the secretary squealing excitedly over the flowers. Clark felt pressure to do something to keep Lana from breaking up with him, and notices the employee getting fired and storming away claiming he's quitting. And Clark is waiting for Lana to call, and is anxious when Chloe's phone rings. It was funny and real the first time around. Then the second time around, we realize that those little jokes were actually seeds planted, and sprouting in the second half when Clark uses those incidents to convince Chloe that he's reliving the day. The amazing thing is that the writers who wrote "Exposed" were able to create in "Reckoning" a story where every heartbeat had meaning.
The Lois setup was also a good one - illustrating the changes Clark's choice had the power to make, and setting up a brief false alarm when we considered that Lois might be the death. However, I found it a bit strange that Lana went straight to Lois. It seemed more natural for her to go straight home and mull over it alone, considering that she was still in a daze; or to go see (or call) Chloe, either figuring out that she knew the secret and seeking her help, or intending to find out if she knew. Even if she didn't do either of these things but kept wandering spontaneously - with such a deep issue to think through, I'd personally avoid a loudmouth like Lois like the plague.
The writers came up with a fantastic way for Lex to learn Clark's secret. In the middle of the rush of emotion, Lex's grieving for Lana mingled with wonder at Clark, as Clark ran past in slow motion, established that unearthly atmosphere well. (Another great revelation that they can't use again. I admit it - I'm bitter.)
Much-needed humorous touch when Chloe was on her game the first time around, and told the person on the phone that they had the wrong number...then the second time, startled and confused, told the person that they were out of egg rolls.
I love it when actors/actresses have to play someone who is pretending. Kristin Kreuk did a wonderful job as she hid Clark's secret from Lex. The writers also get credit for understanding unspoken clues. Lana didn't answer Lex's questions because she knew the answers – that would be the first clue for him to pick up. Before, she either agreed, mystified, or defended Clark blindly and stubbornly – but she was always thinking about what he was saying. Now she listened, with the air of someone who knows the answer to the question he is being asked: she considered defenses to be unnecessary. The way Kristin Kreuk still looked happy when he pointed out Clark's secrets, and the innocent look that crept into her eyes when he talked of the "mysteries", spoke volumes.
Lana was surprisingly characteristic in this episode. Her behavior with Lex was sweet in the way that she is always (pre-S4) sweet, with that graciousness and innocent trust that we saw in Season One as the characters were being cemented – without any dark ulterior motives. Simply being herself. When Lex kissed her, her reaction was appropriate – her undisguisable shock was not outrage, because she knew he was drunk and didn't know what he was doing; her graciousness was not so composed as to hide her disconcertion; and she didn't confront him or pursue it but walked away. She handled it in a way that let him know that he was being inappropriate (cutting it short) but that she wouldn't hold it against him because he was drunk (forgiving, but still cutting it short). In other words, she demonstrated good common sense. It may not seem like much to those viewers who didn't witness her catty confrontation in "Splinter" or her drama queen accusations during Season Four, but to someone who has seen both the real and the fake, the real was a welcome relief.
Beautiful as Lana's and Jonathan's eyes meet.
Hauntingly good camera shot as Lionel's hand reached for the paper. This reminded me of something from Season Three. (This is a good thing - S3 had fantastic haunting moments and cinematography.)
The music as Jonathan died was beautiful. It really was the perfect death.
The necklace - a wordless explanation of the change taking place in Clark. This was another case of images and situations over dialogue - you could watch the whole episode on mute and still understand his every emotion.
I love it that Lex came to Jonathan's funeral. Wipe out the fourth season, and you realize that in the past Jonathan has been a father figure to him (think "Prodigal" when he took him in ["My father may try and rule the world, but yours will inherit the earth."] and "Calling," "Exodus," and "Phoenix" when Lex asked Jonathan and Martha to sit in the parents' place of honor, and Jonathan gave Lex a compass for his marriage as part of a Kent family tradition. Death brings out emotions in people that mere words do not. Remember that in "Exile" when Clark was on red k and rejecting his parents and his friends, he still attended Lex's funeral. This was a nice touch, showing the human in the icon.
Extremely strange that Lionel's appearance at the funeral was taken so calmly, nobody appearing to notice the oddness of his being there. I find Martha's calm reaction to his creepy hovering to be very uncharacteristic, especially since he did, after all, have her son strapped down and experimented on. And investigated. And murdered his own parents. And brainwashed his own son... Martha's the type who knows how to put up invisible boundaries, and it's hard to believe that with the man who persecuted Clark those boundaries aren't going up.
I wish that the final image had been more deliberate, instead of more of the same funeral shots (which we had been seeing for weeks). They could have ended it with Clark raising his eyes up resolutely, or looking at someone sorrowfully – Martha, Lex – or simply with an aerial shot starting with Clark and zooming out to show the people drifting away and him standing there, alone, broken and yet stronger. It would have taken little trouble - the scene started with an aerial shot already. Instead it seemed a little like more of the same.
vs.

Details

Some people believe that "it's terrible that Clark chose Lana over Jonathan". To those people I suggest re-watching and taking note of the timeline. Note Martha's precise words (paraphrase: "If you had had to choose between them, could you really have chosen?") and Jor-El's vague words. Jor-El's only warning was something unclear and unhelpful about the universe and its balance, not unlike his equally unhelpful line about the course of events being set into motion. All Clark knew was that he had a choice between Lana's life and Lana's death, and he chose life. There's nothing unnatural about that: what would have been unbelievable would be him standing there scrutinizing the situation. "What are the risks if I let Lana live? Maybe I'd better not risk it." If he had stepped back and let her die, we would have hated him and thought, "Some superhero." Also, from the writer's perspective, how would Clark react if Lana died instead of Jonathan? Jonathan's death forces him to step up whether he feels up to it or not. Lana's death would make him fall back and become passive. Even the act of letting Lana die when he had the option to take action would have been passive. And a passive superhero, as we saw in Season Four, is useless.
Now that the results of the election AND Clark's step closer to superhero-dom were imminent, an America (and Superman-ish red-blue) theme reigned in the loft. Nice touch.
Lana's makeup was back to normal in this episode – a relief after the weird attempts at "bad girl" images (Isobel, all of the fourth season, "Splinter"). This episode all the characters stopped trying to be what they weren't. Or maybe the writers stopped trying to make the characters what they weren't.
Clark's makeup, however, was a little overdone, particularly the pink lipstick. Also the eyebrows. It needed to be a little more subtle.
I can understand why the writers didn't take this option, but practically speaking, Clark could still have told Lana and simply told her to stay close to him. He could have told everyone his story, just as he told Chloe, and everyone would have exercised the proper caution except Lois and Lex, who could not be told. It would have been much simpler this way - but, of course, not a milestone hundredth episode.
When Clark compressed the coal to create the diamond, the diamond should have come out rough - not ready-cut!
When Lois made her announcement, Annette O' Toole and Kristin Kreuk (the two Lana Langs) had almost the exact same reaction - but looked in slightly different directions.
Jonathan's name was misspelled on television.
When Lana died, how could Jonathan hold Clark back? Clark is "like a freight train" and just then he was out of control.
I may be mistaken, as I only watched this once, but I think that Clark's hand was clean in the Fortress of Solitude instead of bloody. It would be odd if Lana died, he went home and washed his hands, then went to the Fortress.
Why did Jor-El send Clark back to when Lana was entering the loft? He should have sent Clark back to when Clark asked Lana to come to the loft and to dress warmly. Of course, I completely understand the writers' point of view – that would give Clark too much breathing room in an episode where he was under stifling pressure, and that wouldn't force a confrontation with the two of them with Lana at a turning point – but, viewed technically, he was already halfway into the scrape by the time Lana arrived at the loft. If he was going to "take it back" he should have been able to take it back, not flounder to get out of the middle of it.
Did Lana see Clark on the highway after he saved her? It looked as if she was looking at something beyond Lex, but everything after that went on as normal – was it just the camera angle?

Clark stands in the street briefly...

Lana looks at something...

Lana is in shock...

Just after she exchanges glances with Jonathan...

But by now Jonathan is gone, and she still hasn't turned back to Lex but is still in shock...

The wonderful thing about this was that, if this was the case, it certainly wasn't obvious and can be sprung later instead of packing so much into one emotional roller-coaster episode. Also, if it's true, there can be some great retrospective irony about the fact that, the day she was supposed to find out, she actually did end up finding out by herself. The downside, if this is the case, is that this means everyone who's found out Clark's secret has found out by accident, seeing something they shouldn't have seen. I'm ready for Clark to step up and tell someone for once. I think the show needs it, even if it will be deeply toned down from his revelation this episode. However, this is all speculation on my part - she may simply be in shock from the close call.
How did Lionel get out of the barn after Jonathan had the heart attack? Did he sneak out the back way while Jonathan was dying?! And where was his car/limo? In the establishing shot and the shot with Jonathan dying, there was no sign of his transportation.
I liked the idea of the pictures on Martha's dresser.
This isn't entirely relevant, but my brother accurately guessed before the episode that when the writers carefully talked about "you may see two deaths," that one of them would be taken back and the other one would be irrevocable. He also guessed that the one taken back would be Lana and the irrevocable one would be Jonathan. Eerie, isn't it?

The Future

What was in the paper that Lionel showed Jonathan? My guess is that it was something about Clark – possibly the same something that he obtained from Griff. Jonathan didn't look at it as if he were surprised, but as if something he knew had been uncovered. I saw a screencap in which the light shone through the paper, making it clear that it was a photograph; and it looked a little as if it showed Clark's bare stomach, perhaps from when his shirt was burnt off in "Tempest" - however, a) it was very faint, and b) it could have just been a makeshift prop that didn't mean anything anyway. During filming the writers might not have decided yet what it was.
This is the past, not the future, but were the red pills from "Fanatic" for Jonathan's heart condition?
This is also from the past, but it's interesting that in "Lexmas" if Lex had conceded the election, everyone would have been alive in the future, as in his dream with Lana and Jonathan.
When Lex wakes up the next morning, sober, what will he think about his kissing Lana, and how will their relationship be affected? (In some ways I want to think that there should be friction, as it seems unjust that Lex receive "all the latitude in the world" while Clark is unforgiven for much smaller offenses...but there is a reason why Lana is so free and comfortable with Lex, and it's the same reason Clark is so comfortable with Chloe: they don't love them. Viewed in that light, it makes more sense for her to be forgiving and not make an issue out of it, since he was hardly himself at the time: her friction with Clark comes because she cares more deeply about him.)
Clark has always been tortured with doubts on how Lana will react to his secret. Now he knows. She will have no problem with it, will love him for it, will be willing to marry him despite it all. And she will protect his secret. The writers have just removed a huge impediment and introduced a whole new dynamic to the relationship. They've shown that their relationship can stand the test. They'll need to consider that factor in the future as the relationships progress. Having shown us and Clark that she will accept his identity, the only valid reason he can be kept from telling her is the vague, dubious "I'm dangerous, I don't want you to get hurt because of me" argument, which has little foundation, considering that Chloe has sailed through without any problems. (I say the only "valid" reason because there are a few invalid reasons they could use, like the inevitably annoying love triangles and the clamp-lipped storming-outs, all uncharacteristic and more damaging than otherwise. But since those moments composed Season Four, it seems reasonable to anticipate that the writers will try to take relationships into a different, more characteristic and logical direction.) Also, remember that Lana wanted to break up with Whitney long before Whitney's father died, but once the father died she felt like he needed her, and she went back to him. The funeral scene was faintly familiar.

Finally - a note to those who are certain that Jonathan's death is killing the show and that ratings will immediately drop: 1) Jonathan was present in the fourth season. The problem was that he could have been removed from the fourth season entirely and we would barely have noticed. It's not about his presence - it's about the way the show is written. (A psychic moment: You probably also said that if Pete left the show it would never make it to 100 episodes.) 2) Most people watch for Clark, not for Jonathan; and with the things in store for Clark because of Jonathan's death, I personally look forward to the developments ahead. People who want Superman instead of Superboy probably agree with me on this one. 3) It is because of the proclamations of people like you that shows do lose ratings. If you're going to be objective and make reasonable suggestions, that's one thing. But keep it up and the writers won't be the ones who killed the show. Do you want to pull the weeds from the garden so things can grow, or toss a bomb into the middle of it?