Lara

Overall

This episode was a mixture of tastefully exciting events and moments of self-indulgence.

Good events included the delightful return of Summerholt technology from the most controversial episode of S3, a nemesis worthy of Lex in the form of dry Agent Carter, and the return of a very needy Lex’s jealousy for Lionel’s attention.

Self-indulgent moments included the unabashedly stilted flashbacks, pinning the blame for Krypton’s destruction on a fatal love triangle, and the convenient but disturbing distortion of Chloe’s character.

Further detail in the next two sections, but suffice it to say that this episode pleased and surprised me where I least expected it, and disappointed me where I had high hopes. One of the sweet surprises was the relationship between Kara and Clark, which for the first time felt quite comfortable and believable. Meanwhile, the biggest disappointment was Lara, who did not have half the charisma of blond, motherly, dearly departed Mary Winchester in Supernatural. Overall, the episode wasn’t the triumph that it could have been; but where it succeeded, it gave me hope for Smallville’s future.

Verdict: 7.5

Good/Bad Moments

1. Chloe: “…reported near collision with an object that shot into the sky in a red and blue blur.” Long pause. Clark: “No.” Chloe, as if this line was unexpected: “Yeah.” This moment read awkwardly, as if they hadn’t planned on delivering their lines that way, but kept going despite the strange lack of rhythm. They weren’t playing off each other that well here. (Part of it might have been the fact that for Clark to react by saying, “No,” was a bit odd in the first place.)
2. There is a noticeable lack of subtext to Chloe and Jimmy’s interaction until Moment (c). Jimmy, having just discovered Kara’s absence, eagerly asks about her, undeterred by Chloe’s presence. Chloe is not hurt or suspicious because of Jimmy’s solicitous questions. Without Moment (c), a new viewer would never know that they had broken up fairly recently. This conversation needed more indicators to tell us where Jimmy and Chloe were in terms of their relationship.
3. “And you didn’t tell us this because…” “Because Kara asked me to keep it a secret. She trusted me.” This was nice subtext.
4. Clark strides into LuthorCorp. “Lionel, welcome back. I’m glad you’re okay.” They hug. Every nerve in my body revolted here. Yes, Lionel tried to help him out with Bizarro in the finale. But Lex helped him out last episode and implied that he was a natural-born hero. Clark still regards him with immediate distrust this week. It seems perverse that Clark trusts the character who doesn’t deserve trust and refuses to trust the character who works to deserve his trust.
5. “Which side of the family?” “My father’s side.” “Oh. Which father?” Pause. “My adoptive father.” Hmm hmm. Great moment, as Lionel directly asks Clark the question we thought he wouldn’t ask, and Clark meets his questions with a smiling lie we thought he wouldn’t tell. One felt proud of Clark here. We felt the danger in the air.
6. “The term ‘classified’ has never prevented me from getting what I want.” “That’s right, you’ve got this angelic blond saint watching over you.” There was no connection between these two lines of dialogue.
7. Chloe visits the iSIS foundation and prepares to ask for an appointment. Was she going to ask for support in the way of counseling? That seems unlike her, particularly since she has Clark and, if she chooses, Lana, to unburden on. Even if she were going to ask for more practical advice – the latest news on getting rid of powers, some tests to figure out what exactly her power is – it seems odd that she would be willing to “come out” as a meteor freak to an impersonal foundation, yet hide the truth from Lana. Chloe’s visit implied a rather strange comfort zone.
8. Chloe and Lana have their first scene together since last season. It was interesting to see them together again, particularly since Chloe hadn’t lost her knack for reading Lana. “Lana, I’ve interviewed enough people to know when someone’s bending the truth….I’m sensing a right angle in here somewhere.” “That right angle is your imagination. Please, Chloe. Don’t tell Clark anything.” Interesting, as the scene ends with both of them smiling, both of them having lied to each other.
9. The scene between Clark and Kara had a very natural rhythm to it. The awkwardness of the parental dynamic in “Fierce” was gone, but his role as protector and mentor remained. The relationship wasn’t exactly parent-child, teacher-student, or peer-peer, friend-friend, family member-family member. It was a seamless blend of all three. It worked fabulously: their interaction was very settled and comfortable.
10. “You’d rather talk to anyone else but me.” “Kara, I’m really trying here, but everything I’ve been told – “ “By who?” This moment was very authentic. We saw both of their sides, as Clark honestly struggled to find the balance between trust and caution and Kara felt let down and minimized.
11. “Forget about the crystal. It could be anywhere.” On second viewing, we realize that Clark actually has the crystal safely hidden when he says this. He pulls off this moment quite well.
12. Kara: “It’s always about what you want. You act like such a hero. But really, all you ever think about is yourself.” This was so true. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a representation of Kara’s inaccurate, biased picture of Clark or if it was supposed to hit home for Clark, but it was true. Although the seeds of Clark caring about people in general have been planted, when it comes to his personal life, he really does tend to think about himself first. (Witness his married-Lana-chasing in S6.)
13. “Well, unless you’re hacking into national security networks.” Jimmy sits down with a laugh, then sees that Kara is logging into the Department of Domestic Security. Nice moment.
14. “You are a very mysterious girl.” On paper, this line looks stilted. But Aaron Ashmore brings it to life in such an endearing way that it completely works onscreen.
15. “You’re being recorded.” “I disabled the feed.” “My guards will be here in a second.” “I disabled them too.” Agent Carter’s comebacks were delightful here.
16. “So blinded by devotion, he couldn’t see the danger you pose our planet.” This line should have been removed. It felt out of place; there was no reason to deliver it.
17. As Lex verbally fought to defend Kara – first to Agent Carter, then to the senator in an effort to have Agent Carter fired – we see the ally he could have been to Clark. This is fascinating, especially when we see Clark’s immediate assumption that Lex has harmed Kara. Clark is pushing Lex away, but Kara is Lex’s second chance. The dynamics in this scene make me confident that Kara and Lex will form some kind of alliance.
18. The scene between Lex and Clark (in which Lex does nothing but tell the truth and volunteer helpful information, and Clark does nothing but falsely accuse Lex) ends with Lex asking Clark, “ Clark, why would they arrest her?” The scene then ends, and the next we see of Clark, he has fetched Lionel and run to rescue Kara. We never discover what he answered, nor how he made his exit. It was distressing that, after such an inverted scene, nothing was put to right.
19. “You’re on it. It’s called Earth.” This was exactly the answer Clark would have given. I could almost hear this line in his voice. It was nice to see this family connection.
20. Awkward Lara lines: “Visiting me at home is one thing, Kara, but sneaking through the last remaining portal to follow me here was far too dangerous.” “I can’t let the destiny of my child be dictated by the fate of my planet.” I know that Helen Slater was deliberately speaking in an un-human, Kryptonianized way – formally and with great dignity – but these two lines suffered in the translation. It felt as if she was speaking from a great distance. This might have been appropriate in other circumstances; but the nature of the memories was that they were vivid and lifelike and intensely emotional and personal.
21. Kara, critically: “I don’t know. It’s kinda small and cluttered.” The dialogue here, particularly from Kara, rang true. Lara’s slow, careful delivery made her role seem less natural, but the turns the conversation took felt true to life.
22. As soon as Zor-El entered the memories, the quality of the scenes degenerated. He was rather like a Kryptonian version of the Martian Manhunter, speaking in an urgent and intense voice, wearing the same expression throughout the scene. Watch.
23. “It’s my fault. I thought Kara could learn something about the world by coming here.” Obviously Lara is supposed to be making this up “on the fly,” so to speak, but her fake smiles and her formality actually ended up playing against the scene. Zor-El is an imposing man; if Lara was really a strong woman who was accustomed to keeping the peace between Zor-El and Jor-El and lying when necessary, this would have conveyed far more strongly if she had delivered the same line quietly and convincingly.
24. “We could rule this planet with strength, as a family.” “No.” Lara puts her arms on Zor-El’s shoulders and they stand in an awkward pose. “Jor-El is my husband.” Presently, as Zor-El promises to love her son as his own, they return to the same pose, Lara leaning back as if Zor-El is trying to attack her, except that he isn’t really attacking her. These moments played like a reenactment of some kind. Or like actors playing amateur actors.
25. “Your science? You stole my DNA?” It felt wrong that Lara’s expression didn’t change here.
26. “Father! How could you?” Unfortunate line.
27. “Maybe it’s time I stopped holding on so tightly to my past and started looking ahead to my life on earth…find the kind of friends that you have.” Again, this seems to foreshadow a friendship/alliance with Lex.
28. “I don’t blame you for wanting to find the crystal so badly. Especially now, when I know how important it is.” Again, in retrospect, it’s rather shocking that Clark pulls this off so seamlessly.
29. Lionel visits Lex in the study, where the Luthors exchange hard truths, subtlely challenge each other, reproach one another, and suavely drink. One of them claims he’s changed, the other says it’s not true – he knows the other too well. Visit this page for a recap of the many, many times this scene has played out over the seasons, particularly from “Ageless” to the present. As useful as these scenes are, we know what to expect from them every time. It’s time to mix up the Luthor relationship. That said, the little nuggets in this conversation were more intriguing than usual.
    • “First Lana, now Kara – don’t you think it’s time to give up this fixation with Clark and everyone connected with him?” This is an interesting observation. Is this really the psychological root of Lex’s various interests and obsessions?
    • “Can’t I take an interest in my son’s wellbeing?” “Oh, and which son is that? You spend as much time protecting Clark as you do pushing me away. Exactly whose father are you?” We all prefer the concept of Clark and Lex divided by Lionel over the concept of Clark and Lex divided by Lana. It was a relief to see the return of this angle, although it was unlike Lex to be so straightforward about it. The best Lex-Lionel-Clark moments resemble those in the fantastic “Oracle,” as Lex quietly and painfully listened to Lionel praise Clark on the TV screen, then sadly asked Lionel what he meant by it later. Nevertheless, Lex’s knack for speaking the truth when least expected is a wonderful quality of his. Overall, this is a good moment.
    • “Your treatment of Lana – “ “Come on, Dad. I learned from watching you with Mom.” Again, this catches us all off guard. The fact that Lex recognizes it is the first shock; the fact that he says it is the second.
    • “I realize that your first instinct is to assume the worst, Dad. But believe me, I’m not that person any more.” It’s disturbing that Lex could validly address the exact same comment to Clark and Lionel. I have to admit, I can see Lex’s point. Clark and Lionel as cohorts…it just feels wrong.
30. “Look, I know how this is gonna sound coming from me, but you and Kara are from different worlds. Just be careful, okay?” This was completely inappropriate. First, considering Chloe’s crush or past crush on Clark, Chloe shouldn’t be cautioning anyone about human-Kryptonian relationships. Even if she considers her own experience negative, she supports the Clark-Lana relationship, so she would appear to believe that humans and Kryptonians can be in a successful relationship without anyone getting hurt. This warning is inconsistent. Second, even if Chloe really did believe that Jimmy could get hurt…it was still inappropriate. Say, for example, that instead of Jimmy going out with Kara, Jimmy was going out with some hot human looking for trouble. We would readily acknowledge that it’s none of Chloe’s business. I think the only reason the writers got away with this is because the “different worlds” line had an interesting double meaning. The term ever-so-slightly masked the complete “unseemliness” of the warning.
31. Clark opens the box, revealing the crystal. This was the biggest surprise on Smallville since Lana found her drained kryptonite necklace. Although some viewers resented the fact that he kept it a secret from Kara, the Martian Manhunter did drop some ominous and obnoxiously vague hints that if Kara possessed the crystal, Clark was at risk for losing everything and everyone he loved. This worked. And since Clark showed the crystal to Lana, he didn’t come across as completely duplicitous.

Details

1. In “Kara,” Kara was shocked that Krypton was destroyed, and explained that although she’d heard rumors of a doomsday scenario, she never actually thought that anyone would go through with it. Here, however, she sees Krypton collapsing around her.
2. “Hey, Clark. Did you hear from Kara, and is she okay?” This implies that Jimmy knew that Kara was missing. Yet it is difficult to tell how long she has been missing, since Chloe and Jimmy have been broken up for some time (she was putting on a brave face in “Action,” and by now is so unaffected by post-break-up emotions that newcomers wouldn’t know they’d broken up). Obviously she’s been missing for at least several weeks. It appears, however, that Jimmy only recently discovered that she was missing.
3. Lionel is wearing a black glove on his hand. In the comics, Lex as a villain wears a black glove on his hand. Was this to indicate that Lionel is the villainous Luthor at this point in the mythology?
4. “Which side of the family?” “My father’s side.” “Oh. Which father?” Pause. “My adoptive father.” Presumably the last remnants of Jor-El-ism have been eradicated from Lionel, since he doesn’t appear to know who Kara is.
5. Clark tells Lionel that he “came across” the government lab in Granville. Lionel gathers that Clark was “in” the lab. If Clark actually entered the location, wouldn’t he figure out from his visit that the facility was run by the Department of Domestic Security? Wouldn’t there be computers, paperwork, etc.?
6. Lionel tells Clark that he’s been working to keep the Department of Domestic Security off Clark’s trail. This raised the question of whether or not he still has Jor-El’s instincts and glimpses of knowledge, since he didn’t recognize or have any sense about Kara (Detail C). Was he protecting Clark simply from Lionel instincts?
7. Trivia: The crystal is composed of beryllium, aluminum silicate with fluorine, 7% material unknown.
8. “Mr. Luthor has entered the building.” Lex enters the room, startling everyone. The security for the lab was inept even for Smallville standards: the security guard didn’t bother to give any kind of warning before escorting Lex in. This wasn’t simply a multi-millionaire’s mansion; this was “a restricted facility,” and the crystal just barely hidden was “a matter of national security.” One would think the guard would at least knock…or that Lex would be asked to wait until the scientists came out to him.
9. Kara used to be socially awkward, even uncomfortable in her use of the English language. It seems too soon for her to be smoothly seducing a human and culling information.
10. “Why don’t we get a bit more comfortable?” Geeky Lab Tech walks toward a corner with a table and shelves of toilet paper. Hmm.
11. Kara merely has to swipe Geeky Lab Tech’s card in order to make her way to through all the entrances to the facility. First, that means that they trusted Geeky Lab Tech, who spills all their secrets, with access to the lab at any time. Even with the crystal locked up, that’s a bit much. Second, just card-swiping? Even laptops have fingerprint identification.
12. Clark managed to steal the crystal without breaking the shield. I have no idea how he did it, but I love it that, offscreen, he showed some ingenuity. He found a way to open it and he covered his tracks. Great detail.
13. “He was a good man. I’m going to prove it to you.” It was unclear how she intended to prove it to him. Also, since the conversation ended with her telling Clark to stay out of her life, one wonders if there really was any meaning to this line.
14. As Kara accuses Clark of being selfish, the music is very similar to Star Wars music. It’s slightly comical, as if Kara telling Clark that he’s selfish is a pivotal act of nobleness.
15. Kara has been on Earth for a few weeks and has already figured out how to hack into national security networks and bury her trail so the IP address can’t be traced. One wonders why Clark, with all his years of experience and need for information, hasn’t found the initiative to develop this skill, if it’s so easily acquired by the supposedly sharper Kryptonian mind.
16. At first I thought that Kara was the one to disable the feed before she entered the mansion. However, since we later discover that it was Agent Carter, this means that she raced into the mansion without taking any precautions to keep her secret safe. Since she just rerouted a signal through several servers like a pro, this seemed inconsistent.
17. “You’re being recorded.” “I disabled the feed.” I’m not sure how this works, but if he disabled the feed, how was Lana able to rewind and see Kara standing in the mansion?
18. If Lana was able to watch the video feed of Kara in the mansion, did she ever return and watch the rest of the video – Lex’s attempts to save Kara from Agent Carter?
19. “Maybe you could name him Kal-El. And that way when he looks at the sky, he can think of us.” This seems to imply that “Kal” means “sun” or “sky”. Has this ever been defined in the mythology? The only speculation I have read about the origin of the name is that it sounds like the Hebrew for “vessel of God”.
20. Again, thirty-two minutes in, the A-plot passes the climax and starts to wind down. And again, it works.
21. Kara: “I don’t know what’s worse – finding out the truth, or losing who I thought he was.” This line needed to be rephrased. The only difficulty with finding out the truth was that she lost who she thought Zor-El was, so it didn’t really say anything.
22. “I hope I can see her again someday.” Since he knows that Lara has died, and appears to think of her in the past tense, was this a reference to the afterlife? Or was he already thinking ahead to the DNA in the crystal? Because if he was already thinking about DNA and Kryptonian science, that would be…Luthorish. (Note: Judging by the final line of the episode, “Inside this crystal is my mother’s DNA,” it seems likely that the Luthorish interpretation is the correct one.)
23. “I’m sure you can fool the people around you. You can probably fool yourself. But not me. You can never fool me.” Everyone knows that if you pretend to be happy, you can fool yourself into being happy. If you pretend to be moral, you can fool yourself into being moral. So why would Lionel, as a father, a supposedly reformed and responsible father, work to convince Lex here that Lex has a seed of darkness in him that will never go away? Even if he sees the moral act as a pretense, why doesn’t he support what good he sees?

© Voice of Reason, 2007