Voice of Reason: Season Six: Zod

Zod

Overall

This episode was a balance of strengths and weaknesses, all of them relatively new. I'll start with the weaknesses.

Last season ended with several cliffhangers. This episode resolved all of them with anticlimaxes. Here is a brief overview:

Martha and Lois crashed…but they both survived, they landed right next to the Fortress of Solitude, and Martha was capable of carrying/dragging Lois to the Fortress.
Martha spoke to Jor-El for the first time…and he talked over her (see Moments bl).
Martha was assigned to kill Lex…then she realized this was impractical, and handed the dagger off to Lana. What was the point of everything she just went through?
Lana took the dagger…and tried and failed. This whole section of plot was a series of dead ends.
Chloe and Lionel fought for their lives…but that plot ended when a bodyguard showed up and saved the day.
Chloe and the murderer she put in jail were trapped in the same room together: the scene ended with, "You take care, Miss Sullivan." "You too, Mr. Luthor."
Lana showed up to support Lex, ended up kissing Zod, thought Clark was a killer…then Zod quickly straightened out the situation for her and she went looking for Clark's help.
The world was overrun by a Kryptonian virus and chaos was reigning…but Zod himself decided to take the virus out so he could use the computer. What was the point of the virus, except for some dramatic camera shots for the finale?

It seemed that the writers, in their efforts to facilitate some unknown future goal, settled with third-best this episode. Perhaps they were running out of time - perhaps they really didn't have much of a choice - but it was clear that this episode wasn't thought through well enough. The subplots and plots were incomplete, the dialogue was obvious.

The episode was so hurriedly done that even the cinematography and editing was like patchwork, with an abundance of closeups of peoples' faces, few shots establishing where they were on the set, and some bewildering one-minute-he's-looking-left, next-minute-he's-looking-right moments.

This really should have been a two-parter. There wasn't enough time to follow up on all the cliffhangers satisfactorily, deal with each character's role, and allow insight into the situations and relationships. I think the writers settled for a lot of half-plots so they could follow up on everyone in 42 minutes. I would have greatly preferred whole complete plots in 84 minutes.

But on to the strengths. The writers demonstrated strength in the one area that lacked most in Season Five: character. Clark was strong, willing to suffer for the ones he loved, burdened but submitted to his destiny. For the first time in a long time, he was a real hero. He also bonded with his biological father in a dramatic way, which brought back his human need for roots. Lois in her brief quiet scene was intense and passionate, and still inoffensive. She was human again. Martha was a stressed, brave single mother. Lex, when he woke up, was caring and anxious to repair the damage he had accidentally wrought, just as he used to worry about the damage his family name was inflicting for profit. The writers set themselves up with good characters to work with.

Despite that, this story fell far short of expectations. Our new love for the characters only made watching the incompleteness of their stories more frustrating. Suggestion: Bring back the two-part premiere, and think the stories through.

Verdict: 6.8

Good/Bad Moments

The recap music was beautiful. I always watch the recap from the point of view of a new viewer; and though I'm not sure a new viewer could have followed everything, this recap was still much more coherent than last year's. Last year was a montage: this was a story.
It was an interesting concept to have Clark standing at the edge of the Phantom Zone watching Earth fade away. It was a compelling camera shot. However, it was unclear why his face was sad and resigned, rather than alarmed and pained, as he was last seen in "Vessel". Even his pounding on the glass was half-hearted, rather than a desperate attempt to escape. On further thought, however, I think I liked this resignation better. The problem with Clark last year was that he didn't take proper action until he was caught in a corner, at which time he became angry and desperate. By cutting out the angst, the writers gave us a more Christ-like, Superman-like figure. He was choosing his path, walking the road of suffering in order to free the world.
Clark's step into the jelly-like link to the inner Phantom Zone. I liked his slightly hesitant but ultimately firm demeanor. He made it a conscious decision, knowing what he had to do. I was reminded of "Commencement," when he grasped the stone and threw it into the distance. That's something Smallville could really use again – Clark's intuition. He sensed things about the caves in Season Two…it's good to have that Kryptonian instinct.
The flute music was very Superman-ish, reminiscent of the movies' Fortress of Solitude music. I think they used some of this music, or similar music, in "Rosetta" when Clark dream-floated through the caves. Good choice.
Raya's rescue of Clark seemed somewhat abrupt. We did not have time to understand what was at stake or worry too much about Clark before she blasted the phantoms away. This miniature story thread could have built up to a better climax, mostly just by using the right music to indicate the desperation of the moment.
I found it interesting, watching the camera shots they chose to use in the opening credits. Chloe's role seemed to be minimized, while Lois seemed to be more human and more mature. Lionel seemed to be a sort of bad boy, and Martha was the troubled mother. It looks like some roles are going to be transformed this season.
Chloe and Lionel, two characters who have battled it out for seasons, find themselves fighting side-by-side for their lives in a mob. And then the bodyguard comes up and rescues them, and they go inside. What? That was an interesting cliffhanger, with several potential twists – after waiting for several months, we needed better payoff than that. This was one of many reasons this episode should have been a two-parter. The writers had to fit so much into the episode that they resolved interesting storylines like these as quickly and painlessly and anticlimactically as possible.
"All those people…we have to help them. With the powers Fine gave you, you could end the riots – you could save everyone, Lex!" Not only was this a very strange line, it was a very strange delivery. Her first sentence was superfluous. Her second was absurd. Lex-Zod knew he had powers that enabled him to save people. She wasn't telling him anything new. What she should have been delivering was not an explanation of his potential role, but a call to action. She should have been saying in concern, "Oh my gosh. Lex, you have to do something. These people are dying." Her delivery shouldn't have been wide-eyed dramatics – it should have been genuine concern for people. This is Lana the tender-hearted, who in high school was nice to the unlovable. This is Lana the tormented, who has witnessed two events of massive destruction and death already, and is being confronted with a third. She shouldn't be giving a pep talk – she should be worried for people.
"Lex Luthor is dead." I am divided about this revelation. On one hand, I had feared that the writers would allow Lana to miraculously wade through all the events and never suspect that Clark was trying to kill Lex for a reason. I'm glad that didn't happen. On the other hand, her ignorance and Zod's willingness to kiss her made for a shocking finale last season, and to have that issue resolved in the first thirty seconds of their plot was anticlimactic. It would have been ideal to have something between the two extremes – letting her confusion and unawareness continue for a while into the episode, then exposing Zod's true colors and Clark's true colors with a more dramatic climax. This is another reason why this episode should have been a two-parter. Again, the writers pared their plots down to stumps in order to fit everything in 42 minutes.
It is a painfully corny moment when Zod and Lana shoot into the air and the camera shows Chloe and Lionel standing on the roof, arms stiffly at their sides, staring up.
The scene between Lionel and Chloe was strangely ineffective. Perhaps it's because we've seen them stand face to face, toe to toe (figuratively), and battle for their futures in the third season. We know the kind of chemistry they can have with each other, two stubborn, clever, game-playing people with a knack for wordplay. And instead, the conversation pattered on as usual. "That was him, wasn't it? That was Zod." Strange…this doesn't seem like the kind of dialogue Steven S. DeKnight would write. Usually his dialogue is full of undercurrent.
"Clark must not have been able to…'get to' Lex in time." With what feeling is Lionel saying this? Not with fatherly affection, since a moment later he brightens and says, "The dagger!" This whole conversation lacked a clear emotional flow…you weren't sure what they were thinking and why they were saying things. It seemed to be more of a token scene to scoot the plot along than a scene of substance.
"Zod has taken over Lex." Lionel's speaking in a mouthing way, which in this case merely makes him sound unconvincing. There have been a few cases in the past when the mouthing delivery was appropriate (for example, when he was putting Lex down and speaking very precisely), but this was not one of them.
"You mean kill him. Kill Lex." Why did they rush this episode? It had so much potential, but this moment, with Chloe's stilted dialogue, without any reason for her to be saying this, talking this way, no background music…there was no flow of emotion at all in this scene.
"But you're Jor-El's oracle!" It's strange that Steven S. DeKnight would write such obvious lines. This sounded like Lana's "With the powers Fine gave you…" line.
"I mean, don't you have access to some Kryptonian-English dictionary?" I'm not sure, but I think that could be Chloe's worst line ever. The concept of a Kryptonian-English dictionary, simply because someone was used as a vessel, was highly implausible. Perhaps she didn't want an actual dictionary, and this was just her way of saying, "You write the stuff but you don't understand it?" But in that case, she should have said, "You write the stuff but you don't understand it?"
"But if we can get Jor-El's dagger, we can stop Zod, we can stop all of this!" Two observations. One, this type of line was sprinkled all through the script. It was almost like the opening act of a play, and all the actors were monologuing the exposition. (Except that, in TV shows, exposition is supposed to come through the plot, not through the "table-dusting" technique.) Two, sometimes it was almost as if the actors were speaking their lines in different rooms or on different days. There was no flow and rhythm to the dialogue: this line, like all the lines in this conversation, seemed out of place.
"I can't make it back to Smallville with my leg like this." What happened to her leg? Until that line, I didn't know that she was wounded. It would have been better if the wound had been visible and more dramatic, especially since she didn't end up moving from the building the whole episode. It would not have impeded the plot, and would have intensified the danger she was in, since she would have been clearly helpless – no running and hiding.
"You take care, Miss Sullivan." "You too, Mr. Luthor." The dialogue between former mortal enemies ended with best wishes, delivered in all earnestness. There should have been an undercurrent of tension and wariness – I think it's too soon for Chloe to be so trusting. The reason Clark and Lionel had chemistry was because of Clark's mixed wariness and necessary trust. There was inner conflict even when there was external harmony. Chloe, however, seemed to be going along with everything.
" Clark…wherever you are, I could really use your help right now." This was an inexplicable way to end the scene, for several reasons. Although it contributed to some semblance of emotion to carry into the next scene, it was unsupported. Why exactly did she need his help? I know that the world needed his help – but what help in particular did she need? Also, the cinematographer continued his somewhat odd choices of camera shots by placing the camera a few inches in front of her face, so that she had nowhere to look. It would have been more natural to give her space, showing her alone and vulnerable in an empty basement. And if she absolutely had to deliver that line, it would have been natural for her to turn toward a window, where chaos continued. Instead she raised her eyes, and I almost thought her breath was going to mist the camera lens.
"Where are you from? Where?" I was unsure what to think of Raya's acting. Often, when writers don't want viewers to fully trust someone, the director has the actor deliver lines half-heartedly, so that we viewers aren't sure whether or not to trust the character. However, Raya could not have been hiding anything in this line, even if she had decided to pretend later on; so her lack of fury, unfortunately, resulted in my detaching from the episode's events to evaluate her acting.
"I was born on Krypton. I was raised on Earth." Good answer. The simplicity had a sort of mythic mystery…a sense of tradition, of lore. It made him, for a fleeting moment, take on the image of Superman as we imagine him.
"Earth? Kal-El?" Again, the halting acting here bewildered me. Perhaps my difficulty in believing her acting came from the quality of her voice. Her voice had no dimension or texture to it…it was rather wooden.
"How do you know my Kryptonian name?" I wish he had answered, simply, "How do you know my name?" The qualifier word "Kryptonian" was unnecessary, since he was in the Phantom Zone talking to someone familiar with Kryptonians. It would have been perfectly natural for him to drop "Kryptonian"…and it would have been nice to know that he was taking his heritage on as a part of him, instead of separating his Kryptonian name from his real name.
The scene between Raya and Clark, with Raya's hand opening to reveal the stone, and Clark staring up at her, cut off very suddenly in the switch to Lana and Lex. The music had to abruptly change, and my train of thought halted for a moment in confusion.
"What is Zod?" Somehow this line induces tremors of laughter whenever I think of it. I think part of the reason is that she sounded so outraged. If the kind Lana of Season One or Season Two or even Season Three had said this line, bewildered, hurt, angry, but honest, I would have been putting myself in her place. But the new Lana is such a drama queen that her outrage lent a comical air to her ignorance.
"Oh God…you're one of those things from that ship." Looks like that's the end of her ship obsession. But seriously, though, the writers started to build up a very interesting concept here. I'm divided about it. Last season, and in previous seasons, Lana was fascinated by Clark's heritage, though she didn't know it was Clark's heritage. Dangerous curiosity is a theme in Smallville: it used to be Chloe's and it was what made her interesting; it used to be Lex's, and it was what made him interesting. Though the writers did not allow Lana's dangerous curiosity to live up to anywhere near its full potential, and several times fell into the gothic obsession pitfall, it was still a valuable element. Now the writers are instilling in Lana a distaste for all things Kryptonian. From fascination to revulsion. While Clark and Lana definitely need more dimension to their interaction (last season was like Lana and Jason relived), is this the best way to add it? What close friend is going to develop an insatiable curiosity for some good reason, if not Lana?
Zod-Lex takes Lana's chin in his hand, and despite the violent sound effect, it looks like he's barely touching her. This was an unintentionally comical moment.
"If Lex is really dead, then why waste your time with a primitive like me?" This was actually a pretty clever reply. At first I disliked the delivery, but considering the fear that she was experiencing, it's natural that she wouldn't shoot back a one-liner the way Chloe would.
The music builds up to a creepy climax…then Zod-Lex turns Lana around. We're waiting for something to happen. Wait – that was it? This small anticlimax could have been so easily remedied – why couldn't he have tossed her to the floor, letting her land on her palms and knees facing the spaceship? That wouldn't be dangerously violent, but would allow for some physical action instead of mere talk.
"Bear witness to the end of the human era and the rebirth of Krypton." "Krypton?" Again, this seemed to be building up to a future moment when Lana finds out Clark's secret, and must wrestle with the truth. They are filling her with unpleasant associations with Krypton – why would they do that unless she were going to find out about Clark? That's potentially interesting inner conflict, which I wouldn't mind as long as she ends up making the right decision.
It was difficult to pay attention to everything Martha did, since the mind was still mulling over the fact that she barely had a scratch on her.
It was a really beautiful concept, showing Martha approach the window and revealing the Fortress of Solitude in the reflection. But somehow I couldn't "get into it". The music was all wrong. And I was distracted from the reflection by the expression on Martha's face. She didn't have the expression of wonder that I expected, but almost a look of fear, enhanced by the mismatched music. Personally, I think they should have shown her step out of the plane and stand there looking at the fortress, and had a shot from behind her as she looked at the fortress looming above her. Then we could have imagined her feelings.
"Martha Kent." "Jor-El." Somehow this was still a momentous occasion, even though Jonathan rushing to face Jor-El was more powerful in the third season.
"This is the fortress Clark told me about." Why was she telling Jor-El this? Was this more expositional dialogue, intended to assure the viewer that she understood where she was? Whatever the reason, it marred the moment, and sounded very contrived. Dialogue like that is a bit like putting in parentheses: (it's just a TV show). It keeps you from taking the moment seriously.
"Why did you bring us here? Why did you crash our plane?" This was a good expositional question, because it was a natural assumption for her to make, and let him explain what had happened. Unfortunately, Jor-El's explanation was not particularly helpful…(see Details G)
This episode, the cinematographer didn't make effective use of the sets. Almost the whole scene, the camera only showed Martha's face. Compare that to Clark's first arrival at the Fortress, showing his expression and where he was in the Fortress and what he was discovering. We saw what caused his awe and pleasure. We've seen Martha before. We've never seen Martha in the fortress before. That's the angle that needed to be played up.
Here is a classic example of this episode's bad expositional dialogue: " Clark?" "I gave him a dagger to use against the vessel of Zod. Instead, he chose to use it against Fine." "Where is he, where is Clark?" "The dagger is part of this fortress. Plunging it into Fine destroyed all copies of him, but also damaged this structure, and released Zod." "What happened to my son, Jor-El?" Jor-El is determined to narrate this story. The truth is that we knew Jor-El's first statement, and had figured out the first half of his second statement. The only thing this told us was that the Fortress was damaged by the stabbing of Fine. The writers were so determined to make sure Martha knew everything that they made the viewers suffer through Jor-El's updates. It was like listening to Chloe update Clark, or Clark update Chloe. Save the self-conscious exposition, and skip to the good stuff, Jor-El.
"Banished forever by Zod." Martha's face here, with the music, was perfect. "Bring him back. You have to bring him home." This was the one moment in this scene that I believed completely.
"Not within my power. His destiny is not his own." First, since when does Jor-El answer with informal fragments? Second, in what way is the destiny of Clark not the destiny of Clark? This moment, with the unexpected fragment and the nonsensical wording, broke up the mood and made me smile.
"I've lost my husband and now my son because of your games!" In many ways, the writers seemed to be trying to give Martha the role she played in "Crusade". This was a good line for that purpose – the problem was that the plot did not support it, since all she did was go home and pick up the dagger before handing it off.
"We have both lost much, Martha Kent." This was his only reaction to Clark's torment in the Phantom Zone. It seemed strange, throughout this conversation, that he would speak so stiffly (and yet be so talkative) under the circumstances. It would have been interesting to see more of a reaction from Jor-El. Perhaps he knew that Raya would assist Clark, so he could have offered a word of reassurance. (A Kryptonian version of "My people are on it." :) )
"You want me to murder Lex?" "Zod has taken over his body and given him all the powers of a true Kryptonian." "How am I supposed to do that?" Good despair. Her helplessness and her willingness combined made an enduring image of Martha Kent.
"All right. Send me back." She said that so bravely but so sufferingly…good delivery.
"For everything you've done for Kal-El, you have my deepest gratitude. I could not have wished for a brighter light to guide my son. Farewell, Martha Kent." It was strange Jor-El identified with Martha so much, considering that in "Crusade" she incurred his ire by separating Kal-El from Clark. In that episode, he also seemed to have fed Clark an antipathy for Jonathan. Interesting that now Jor-El would return to his original stance.
Nice transition, from the Fortress of Solitude, all its columns and stones, to a black version of the columns and stones in the Phantom Zone.
"How did you know Jor-El?" "I was one of his assistants." "When you were 5?" That was a good line. It makes me laugh even now.
"Because he wouldn't stop trying to save Krypton, and your mother wouldn't leave his side." I liked the bond this episode built up between Clark and Jor-El.
The evolution of Jor-El has been interesting, and sometimes disappointing to watch. I think this episode played two angles, one very good angle (your father the hero) and one very bad angle (Jor-El the crystal ball). And both angles seemed to lack the tension and vibrancy of Season Three's Jor-El. I think it's just the writing, though, not the character developments. While Season Three's tension between Jor-El and the Kents was wonderful because of their opposing goals, the writers can let Clark and Jor-El relate to each other, restore Clark's brain, and still keep an undercurrent of tension in communication with Jor-El. I just hope they don't let Jor-El become too simplistic, either reproaching Clark for not listening to him or giving him mysterious, never-fully-explained instructions. After a point he becomes a resentful fortune-telling machine. The beauty of the S3 Jor-El was his personhood. And his ambiguity. He was a very complex, hard-to-read person. As long as the writers stick with that persona, they'll have both tension and bonding potential.
"Every day, he still saves my life." This was the perfect way to finally win Clark over to Jor-El's side. He finally saw Jor-El as a hero, a person whom he might actually want to heed at times. Even to be proud that Jor-El was his father. Jor-El made some poor choices in the past, but they were out of love for his son. What's interesting is that Jonathan, who in S5 was suddenly the fierce opposer of all things Kryptonian, is now out of the equation. Clark is in a place where a new father figure really does have a chance. What role with the absence of Jonathan play in changing the dynamics of this new father-son relationship?
"Zod is a soldier. He will kill you." "If there was a way for you to save everyone you loved, wouldn't you risk dying?" Wonderful moment. After S4 and S5, I honestly didn't know he had it in him. It was reassuring to see his unhesitating answer.
"You truly are your father's son." Not only was this a good promotion of the idea that Clark and Jor-El have a lot in common, but this completed the Biblical symbolism of the exchange. ( Clark is willing to risk death to save those he loves, and he is his father's son. "For God so loved the world…")
Good camera shot of Chloe sitting under the desk. It gave the feeling that she needed protection. (See Details L and M).
"Who-who-who-who-whoa! Don't shoot! Okay, look, I work here…" This jumpy, quirky reaction was a good moment for establishing Jimmy's otherwise unknown character.
Cute chemistry between Chloe and Jimmy, and perfect music, but it seemed like this belonged in another episode. Very sweet, well done scene…and very out of place.
"How did you know to come here? This is Lex's home. If there wasn't some part of him still alive inside you, how did you remember this place?" This answer was actually very clever. "You had feelings for this human." "Yes." "His feelings for you were also strong. They left an unpleasant taste when I consumed his essence." The writers planted that line very nicely. The answer was unusual (they break the trend of predictable dialogue), and cruel (Zod stays in character) and told us that Lex's feelings for Lana were strong. Zod's purpose of eliminating any hope in Lana for the return of Lex was also being carried out, and it advanced the plot because she became willing to kill him, even though he was in Lex's body. Perfect.
"This virus crippling your technology can only be stopped at the point of infection. It's the only reason I'm here." Naturally the terrorist would explain all this, so we understood. This immediately brought back the contrived expositional dialogue. (Zod and Jor-El have more in common than they thought…)
Then, neatly solving the world's big problem, Zod sets the new key onto the laptop. Bingo! Again, this was a very anticlimactic solution to a big problem.
"You got rid of the virus." "I needed to acquire information." Was that really a good explanation? No, if that's the end of that plot. Yes, if it's part of the arc and the information he extracted will be coming up again. Though even then, the idea of a Kryptonian depending on a laptop does seem a bit comical.
"I needed to acquire information." "Power." Great double meaning. That was probably the best dialogue of the episode, along with Moment by.
"The black ship would have sent the pulse around the world, reshaping its crust." "Into what?" Disgust. More of the effort to instill fear and distaste…it almost seems inevitable that Lana discover Clark's secret this season and experience some radical inner conflict.
"The planet you were talking about – Krypton." More distaste. It's so strange to hear Lana saying the word "Krypton".
The conversation that followed was a split between logical detail and bad moment. I decided to put it under Details O and P.
"We'll discuss this further when I return from your pentagon." Somehow this line doesn't seem right…it seems like they remembered that he was an extraterrestrial and tossed that "your" in to make it sound strange that a Kryptonian would be going to the Pentagon. It sounded strange, but not in that way.
Lana's hatred as she lay on the floor was unrealistic. I really think that would be fear, maybe anger, but mostly worry for her fate and the fate of her loved ones. Even determination to kill him to save herself and save the world. But not hate. Apart from her first scene, the writers didn't show her glance outside a window and grieve for the chaos, or hear sirens and worry. After being traumatized by two major disasters, both of which drove her to investigate her past, one would think that the third major disaster would have more effect on her than it did. Her character became less sympathetic when all her motivation seemed to be hatred and revenge.
"It won't open for anyone except the house of El." Raya's voice here was very strange and unconvincing. Maybe she was deliberately being unconvincing, so that when she proclaimed, "He can free us all!" you weren't sure whether or not to trust her. But the truth is, she bathed Clark's face and she had his family crest. We already trusted her…we just thought she was using her voice strangely.
Somehow it became comical when three people rushed to the barn to find the dagger/Clark so they could kill Lex.
"Where's Clark?" "I heard him talking to Chloe about killing Lex. I didn't understand what was happening…" The fact that Lana sought out Clark was interesting…I wasn't sure what to make of it. Did this moment indicate that Clark was vindicated in her eyes – that he knew things, was trying to protect them? Or was it another exasperating "I'll-work-with-you-but-I-don't-trust-you"-between-former-friends moment?
Strange sort of ceremony as Martha slowly hands the dagger to Lana, who takes it and looks into space dramatically. This moment, like Moment j, was very stiff and unnatural, and immediately reminded you, "This is a TV show."
"…when everything went screwy." That was funnily put…the writers gave Jimmy good characteristic lines. You sensed his quirky jumpiness in very few lines. The question is where they'll take his character. We don't know his motivations, his goals, his personality – all we know is that he's jumpy and he likes Chloe. It will be interesting to see where his character goes when it's allowed more depth.
"Trust is for the weak." "You're right." Stab. Somehow that wasn't dramatic…it was funny. There's a delicate balance in comeback lines, between drama and comedy, and this line didn't maintain it. Instead of admiring Raya's comeback, thinking, "Yes! Get him!" I was busy smiling because her line made Nam-Ek look like such an idiot, handing his enemy a knife and then announcing, "Trust is for the weak."
Interesting Spiderman 2 parallel moment, as Clark rescues Martha and Lionel from the falling wood. Except, of course, that he wasn't revealing his powers to anyone, since Lana was conveniently unconscious.
Great visual effects for the fight scene – Neat effects as Clark and Lex are driven into the mulchy ground, Clark knocks down a tree, Clark is driven into a rock, and Clark is sent flying between two trees.
"I won't let you destroy this planet like you did Krypton." This would have been a good line, except it was used last episode.
"Then I'll die trying." "But you won't be the only one." That was a good line. It showed everything that was at stake. And without spelling it out, "I have the power to do such-and-such. If you do this, you can be sure that I'll do this." The shorter these lines are, the better.
After Lex commanded him to kneel and Clark did so, warily, there was some very good music. Very good acting, too, except for Clark's wagging head for a moment.
Clark looks up firmly as the phantom suffers. This was the essential Clark moment. He has purpose, he has ingenuity, he has foresight…he's everything he was in the first season and more. Writers, please, please keep him this way!
"My father sends his regards." So quiet, so understated…so perfect. Clark is identifying himself with Jor-El – for the first time, calling him "my father". There was so much dimension to this line that I can't even take it all in. It's everything I've been waiting for in Clark.
Great music as Clark picks up the token. Very Superman-ish…you're almost expecting him to fly off.
And then the music is chopped short by a sudden commercial break! Yet another reason why this episode should have been 84 minutes instead of 42.
"And then I was in this palace of ice. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was bathed in this warm light, and I knew everything was going to be okay." Is this similar to Clark's "Hidden" experience? This was a thought-provoking moment. Maybe another contributing factor to Clark softening toward Jor-El could be that Jor-El saved Lois and Martha's lives.
"You were hurt pretty badly. Maybe you were hallucinating." There were two problems with this answer. One was that it's always his answer: you could see the words floating in the air before he even said them. The other was that I don't think that's what he would have said. When you feel put on the spot, you ask questions. He should have said something like, "What was it like?" or at least, "Sounds wonderful." Questioning someone's hallucinations, especially if you know they're not hallucinations but are real, is going to bring up negative responses – No, it was real!
"No. It was real. I think I died and went to heaven." I liked Lois's positivity here – she knows for sure what she saw. This was good, a blend of the soulful (which we've never gotten to see in Lois) with the strength and "I know what I saw" of the later Lois Lane.
"Well, I'm glad you're back." He puts his hand on hers, she stiffens, he quickly releases her. I think this moment had just the right balance. It's the first human connection they've been allowed to have, and it was good. Clark was just being a friend, and Lois wasn't used to the soft side of friendship. But considering his affection for Chloe, confirmed later in the episode, it would be gimmicky (and rather ludicrous) for the writers to force a romantic angle into the Clark-Lois relationship. Chemistry, yes…romance, no.
Lex finds Lana and intercepts her. "Lana! Are you all right?" Lana, trembling, resentful: "You don't remember?" "I was in the field with you…then everything went white." I love the way Michael Rosenbaum delivered his lines here. With his delivery, Lex reads Lana so well (reading people is his specialty) and shows his concern for her and his personal bewilderment, without any random callousness or discomfort. It's okay for Lex to be human…in fact, it's preferable. It's his humanity that makes him such a promising friend and such a promising enemy.
"Lana. Hey. I would have done the same thing." In real life, this was the perfect thing to say. Reassuring, bolstering, supportive. Except somehow, given enough thought, it started to mean, "Don't worry, honey, I'd have killed you too." After the show, my brother crooned, "I'd kill you too…you'll never know how much." Which still makes me laugh. Odd expression of love.
"It might not be easy." "Nothing worth it ever is." I loved the parallel between Clark and Lex I don't know if it was intentional, but the idea of going through trials for something that's worth it was definitely present. The only problem was that I was wondering what Lana and Lex were talking about.
" Clark. Oh my God, I thought you were dead." Chloe delivered that line very awkwardly, like she wasn't sure if she should basking in Jimmy's company or worried sick about Clark.
"Where did you go?" "A place I never want to go again. Are you okay?" "Yeah, everything's great now that you're here." Holding each other, drawing comfort from each other. This scene was glowing with reality and genuine potential. This wasn't forced, this was real. It was good to see that dynamic in their relationship again.
"Um, Chloe…Before I left, there was this moment when we…" Chloe, reassuringly: "Y'mean when I laid one on you?" Clark searches her face, confused, looking for a sign. Chloe joshes him, trying to reassure him with her casualness that she wasn't serious: "Don't worry, Clark, it was the end of the world. It's not like I'm expecting us to hook up." This part she played very well. She was in a world of happiness, and now that Clark was safe she wanted their relationship to go back to normal and thought he wanted the same. She was reassuring, smiling. I found this to be perfectly believable.
Clark halts, taken aback. Chloe's smile fades and she looks at him searchingly. He has to say something. "Um, me neither." But the fact that he denied it too means that he did. I really wish that there had been more time to establish what his expectations were. His acting carried it well, but with so many relationships to resolve in 42 minutes, this one felt incomplete.
Good facial expressions from Clark. "Really? Since when?" Clark looks at Jimmy, eyes narrowed. What's the point of the changed name? "Since…now-ish." Jimmy laughs and Chloe laughs, and Clark turns and looks at her expectantly. Do you see how foolish this is? Chloe feels his gaze and realizes she needs to break up the triangle. "You want to grab something at the vending machine?" Clark watches Jimmy, with a slight incredulous smile. Are you seriously...? "Love to, 'James'." It was easy and believable to follow his train of thought in his expressions.
Good expressions from Jimmy too, as he sizes Clark up, uneasily.
"Maybe we're all better off without Jor-El in our lives." What prompted this moment in Martha? Was it the idea that Jor-El was taking her family, and she didn't like it? It makes sense when I say it, but somehow on screen it seemed empty, one of those "The Rule" moments. I found myself thinking, "You just went to the Fortress, you spoke to your son's biological father and he thanked you for being a light guiding Clark, and he saved your life, and you're reacting by being glad he's is gone?" It would have been ideal to really dig further into what Martha was feeling, because even though I cognitively understood her position, I couldn't sympathize with her.
"I took Raya's crystal to the Fortress for safekeeping." This was an interesting concept. When he was exploring the caves, he discovered Jor-El's journal but placed it in the caves for safekeeping. It would have made more sense for him to put this crystal with Jor-El's journal…unless, of course, what he really wanted was to speak to Jor-El. I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the writers, but his choice of storage space subtlely demonstrated a lot about where Clark was in his relationship to Jor-El.
"I tried to talk to Jor-El, but he wouldn't…didn't answer." This was a wonderful moment. It was the final step in the building of the relationship. He wanted to talk to his father, actually sought him out. He needed to talk about some things. And it's painful to him that Jor-El didn't answer. This said so much about Clark's state of mind, as well as his relationship with Jor-El…he needs someone to talk to.
The fact that the previous moment was loaded with implications made the following dialogue trite and a bit corny: "The Fortress is dead. Everything's changing. Dad's gone. Can't talk to Lex. Lana's…I don't know where to go from here." The dialogue spelled things out too much, and didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. The only two good things were a) his classifying the Fortress's death with negative changes leaving him bereft, and b) the good music.
"I didn't either when I was your age. Just follow your heart, and you'll always do the right thing." Martha, that isn't the soundest advice you could give. I guess if you boiled it down, she could be saying that Clark has a good heart and even in the struggles, he'll know what's right and want to do what's right. But it would have been less trite if she'd just said that straight out, instead of resorting to platitudes.
"Maybe some Kryptonians believe the same thing. Jor-El sacrificed himself to save Krypton. Raya died saving me." Clark's softening toward the Kryptonian race shows again. Although the episode could have done without most of this conversation, this line did show a new open-mindedness regarding his heritage that he lacked in S4 and S5.
"Every world needs its heroes, Clark. They inspire us to be better than we are. And they protect us from the darkness that's just around the corner." Zoom in on Clark. While the dialogue was too obviously trying to be dramatic (any time you can see the trying, it's not dramatic), perhaps the last line was supposed to forecast the tone of the season, the way the ending of "Hidden" was supposed to forecast the tone of the season (but didn't). The zoom-in on Clark would seem to indicate that this was a key description of the coming season.
Lionel, with the symbols spelling "truth seeker bald power" etc. on the page (see Details L), draws a symbol and writes "POWER" underneath it. This moment went back to Lana's line in Moments hhh – "Power." Interesting tie.
There's a neat connection between Lionel and Lex, as the story glides from Lionel's possession to Lex examining the broken, burnt fragment of key. That father-son connection, the obsession with mysteries…it was a good way to emphasize the father-son similarity, which was a theme in this episode.

Details

While former victims of the Phantom Zone screamed in what seemed to be intense pain, Clark seemed calm. It would have been interesting if the Phantom Zone had physical and psychological effects that immediately appeared. Then a) he could have seen in Raya the perpetual suffering that the Phantom Zone brought, making her a more sympathetic figure, and b) he could have returned to Earth changed, as in "Hidden". (Although, typically, the wonderful "Hidden" changes, the return as a man who had experienced death and seen the other side of the shadow, only lasted until (tada!) the end of the episode.)
The landscape of the Phantom Zone was very Star Warsian. Was this intentional?
One camera shot ends with a closeup of Clark's foot stepping in the chalky gravel. Was this supposed to be significant, or was it merely another puzzling element in an episode full of somewhat bizarre cinematographic choices?
The phantoms weren't the best CGI characters I've ever seen. On one hand, perhaps that's to be expected; on the other, the raindrops in "Accelerate" were picture-perfect. The "stripy" look of fine dark lines next to fine light lines made the phantoms look like ink drawings at times. I think they needed to be more corporeal, or better-clothed, like the Ringwraiths in the Lord of the Rings – eerie and dead, but with a definitive presence instead of shapes and lines.
Martha barely has a scratch on her body, while Lois is covered in blood and unconscious. Interesting concept.
It was interesting that there was a reddish glow in the Fortress. Was this intentional, indicating Jor-El's apparent departure, or just some experimentation with the lighting? Personally, I preferred it when it was cold and pure, but naturally an exception can be made if it was indicating the Fortress's imminent death.
"You were taken as pawns by the brain interactive construct. The being you know as Milton Fine." So they were taken as pawns – probably, we assume, to bargain with Clark. But this leaves many gaps. For one thing, why couldn't Zod simply tuck one under each arm and fly off with them? Or Milton Fine dash away with them? The idea of spending a few hours flying with them in a plane seems rather…normal.
Lois lies on the floor of the Fortress with a red blanket beneath her. Nice symbolism. (Incidentally, where did the blanket come from? I don't remember seeing one in the plane.)
"Raya, not that names matter here." At first I thought she said, "Mariah."
"I have to go. I have to stop Zod." Clark hastily starts limping off. But after that we never see him limp. He seems to be walking along with Raya without difficulty.
Interesting that, even before the power is restored, the camera shots of chaos stop and things seem relatively normal. Although, since they carefully avoided any shots of the streets but instead had the cameras staring up at the sky, you can't really tell.
Chloe looks through the pages of symbols. The large symbols on the left page, reading downward, said "STARS" and the smaller symbols, reading from top down, left to right, said, said "great truth seeker dpower look is bald amount a" plus a few made-up symbols. The second page, the one soaked in blood, began "GQFRURNEKMNPBORTLA" with some of the letters on different levels from one another.
Interesting that the second page was soaked in blood. Whose blood would it be? The natural conclusion is "Lionel's"…but why?
"I thought you needed the black ship." Why do they call it "the black ship" as if to distinguish it from the white ship?
"Its hard drive can still initiate the pulse, but I need access to your military satellites to broadcast it." A) What sense does this make? B) Why would Zod explain it for our benefit?
Is Lana really so idiotic that, after watching Lex shoot himself in the hand without harm, she would a) try to stab him with a sword, and b) announce her intention beforehand?
Will Lana ever wonder why Martha had a Kryptonian dagger and explained that she had been commissioned to kill Lex?
"That's all it takes to end the world?" Once again, when he's clearly unaware of her presence, she announces herself! Why didn't she just throw the dagger? Yes, she knows that he has quick reflexes and that might doom her chances, but then…
"Maybe you just underestimated me." For the third time, she has to have a dramatic line instead of doing what she needs to do.
Zod snaps the dagger. What? How can he exert his powers over something Kryptonian? And, as the dagger snapped, the question floated through our minds…"What was the point of this whole plot? Why even write it if everything leads to dead ends?"
"Sometimes to survive you have to give up the things you care about and just give into your fate." I would have thought that this line was supposed to be an opposite of Clark's lines about saving the ones you love, except for the word "fate," which takes on so many different meanings in Smallville. (Something you can't escape, something you choose, something you create, the embodiment of what you are meant to do and be but you can turn away from it…and of course, "your destiny is not yours". Which I'm still trying to figure out.) So was this line just a clever lie? Or are we supposed to read into it?
When Zod punches Clark, it seems that blood comes from Clark's mouth. But a) Clark doesn't bleed, and b) a moment later, his face is clean. Even if it was just flying dirt, his face wouldn't be clean a moment later.
When Clark slid through the grain, it was so obvious that a path had been cleared and slicked for him. It would have been interesting to see the grain parting as he shot through it (like the corn in the Pilot) and lower the camera so that the ending shot (with Clark's face right in the camera) could be the same. Expensive, but interesting.
The escaping Zod looked like a pencil drawing.
The cinematographer must have just gotten a piece of new equipment or something. He was using the red light all over the place, first in the Fortress and then in the hospital. I thought it was out-of-place in the hospital.
"Next thing I know I woke up here." Will he find out that Clark brought him there? It only seems just. Especially since, with his curiosity, he's bound to probe a little.
Strange camerawork as Clark and Chloe and Jimmy stood in a triangle. The camerawork in this episode shoved us right into the actors' faces, so there was no sense of who was standing where. When Jimmy said, "You want to grab something at the vending machine?" it looked like he was addressing Clark.
"Lionel told me his connection with Jor-El is gone." "Along with any influence he had over him." Very strange camera jump here. One minute Martha is to the left looking right, Clark is to the right looking left…then between these lines, it jumped to Clark on the left looking right.
Lionel is possessed by someone…but who? Given the word "power" and Lana's earlier use of the word, it would appear to be Zod. On the other hand, it could also be a phantom. The symbol he drew above the word "POWER" could be the name of a phantom, or it could be the Kryptonian symbol for power.
Since we saw the phantoms and Raya sucked through the doorway, it wasn't particularly surprising to see the phantom fluttering around.




Zod Overall This episode was a balance of strengths and weaknesses, all of them relatively new. I'll start with the weaknesses. Last season ended with several cliffhangers. This episode resolved all of them with anticlimaxes. Here is a brief overview: Martha and Lois crashed…but they both survived, they landed right next to the Fortress of Solitude, and Martha was capable of carrying/dragging Lois to the Fortress. Martha spoke to Jor-El for the first time…and he talked over her (see Moments bl). Martha was assigned to kill Lex…then she realized this was impractical, and handed the dagger off to Lana. What was the point of everything she just went through? Lana took the dagger…and tried and failed. This whole section of plot was a series of dead ends. Chloe and Lionel fought for their lives…but that plot ended when a bodyguard showed up and saved the day. Chloe and the murderer she put in jail were trapped in the same room together: the scene ended with, "You take care, Miss Sullivan." "You too, Mr. Luthor." Lana showed up to support Lex, ended up kissing Zod, thought Clark was a killer…then Zod quickly straightened out the situation for her and she went looking for Clark's help. The world was overrun by a Kryptonian virus and chaos was reigning…but Zod himself decided to take the virus out so he could use the computer. What was the point of the virus, except for some dramatic camera shots for the finale? It seemed that the writers, in their efforts to facilitate some unknown future goal, settled with third-best this episode. Perhaps they were running out of time - perhaps they really didn't have much of a choice - but it was clear that this episode wasn't thought through well enough. The subplots and plots were incomplete, the dialogue was obvious. The episode was so hurriedly done that even the cinematography and editing was like patchwork, with an abundance of closeups of peoples' faces, few shots establishing where they were on the set, and some bewildering one-minute-he's-looking-left, next-minute-he's-looking-right moments. This really should have been a two-parter. There wasn't enough time to follow up on all the cliffhangers satisfactorily, deal with each character's role, and allow insight into the situations and relationships. I think the writers settled for a lot of half-plots so they could follow up on everyone in 42 minutes. I would have greatly preferred whole complete plots in 84 minutes. But on to the strengths. The writers demonstrated strength in the one area that lacked most in Season Five: character. Clark was strong, willing to suffer for the ones he loved, burdened but submitted to his destiny. For the first time in a long time, he was a real hero. He also bonded with his biological father in a dramatic way, which brought back his human need for roots. Lois in her brief quiet scene was intense and passionate, and still inoffensive. She was human again. Martha was a stressed, brave single mother. Lex, when he woke up, was caring and anxious to repair the damage he had accidentally wrought, just as he used to worry about the damage his family name was inflicting for profit. The writers set themselves up with good characters to work with. Despite that, this story fell far short of expectations. Our new love for the characters only made watching the incompleteness of their stories more frustrating. Suggestion: Bring back the two-part premiere, and think the stories through. Verdict: 6.8 Good/Bad Moments The recap music was beautiful. I always watch the recap from the point of view of a new viewer; and though I'm not sure a new viewer could have followed everything, this recap was still much more coherent than last year's. Last year was a montage: this was a story. It was an interesting concept to have Clark standing at the edge of the Phantom Zone watching Earth fade away. It was a compelling camera shot. However, it was unclear why his face was sad and resigned, rather than alarmed and pained, as he was last seen in "Vessel". Even his pounding on the glass was half-hearted, rather than a desperate attempt to escape. On further thought, however, I think I liked this resignation better. The problem with Clark last year was that he didn't take proper action until he was caught in a corner, at which time he became angry and desperate. By cutting out the angst, the writers gave us a more Christ-like, Superman-like figure. He was choosing his path, walking the road of suffering in order to free the world. Clark's step into the jelly-like link to the inner Phantom Zone. I liked his slightly hesitant but ultimately firm demeanor. He made it a conscious decision, knowing what he had to do. I was reminded of "Commencement," when he grasped the stone and threw it into the distance. That's something Smallville could really use again – Clark's intuition. He sensed things about the caves in Season Two…it's good to have that Kryptonian instinct. The flute music was very Superman-ish, reminiscent of the movies' Fortress of Solitude music. I think they used some of this music, or similar music, in "Rosetta" when Clark dream-floated through the caves. Good choice. Raya's rescue of Clark seemed somewhat abrupt. We did not have time to understand what was at stake or worry too much about Clark before she blasted the phantoms away. This miniature story thread could have built up to a better climax, mostly just by using the right music to indicate the desperation of the moment. I found it interesting, watching the camera shots they chose to use in the opening credits. Chloe's role seemed to be minimized, while Lois seemed to be more human and more mature. Lionel seemed to be a sort of bad boy, and Martha was the troubled mother. It looks like some roles are going to be transformed this season. Chloe and Lionel, two characters who have battled it out for seasons, find themselves fighting side-by-side for their lives in a mob. And then the bodyguard comes up and rescues them, and they go inside. What? That was an interesting cliffhanger, with several potential twists – after waiting for several months, we needed better payoff than that. This was one of many reasons this episode should have been a two-parter. The writers had to fit so much into the episode that they resolved interesting storylines like these as quickly and painlessly and anticlimactically as possible. "All those people…we have to help them. With the powers Fine gave you, you could end the riots – you could save everyone, Lex!" Not only was this a very strange line, it was a very strange delivery. Her first sentence was superfluous. Her second was absurd. Lex-Zod knew he had powers that enabled him to save people. She wasn't telling him anything new. What she should have been delivering was not an explanation of his potential role, but a call to action. She should have been saying in concern, "Oh my gosh. Lex, you have to do something. These people are dying." Her delivery shouldn't have been wide-eyed dramatics – it should have been genuine concern for people. This is Lana the tender-hearted, who in high school was nice to the unlovable. This is Lana the tormented, who has witnessed two events of massive destruction and death already, and is being confronted with a third. She shouldn't be giving a pep talk – she should be worried for people. "Lex Luthor is dead." I am divided about this revelation. On one hand, I had feared that the writers would allow Lana to miraculously wade through all the events and never suspect that Clark was trying to kill Lex for a reason. I'm glad that didn't happen. On the other hand, her ignorance and Zod's willingness to kiss her made for a shocking finale last season, and to have that issue resolved in the first thirty seconds of their plot was anticlimactic. It would have been ideal to have something between the two extremes – letting her confusion and unawareness continue for a while into the episode, then exposing Zod's true colors and Clark's true colors with a more dramatic climax. This is another reason why this episode should have been a two-parter. Again, the writers pared their plots down to stumps in order to fit everything in 42 minutes. It is a painfully corny moment when Zod and Lana shoot into the air and the camera shows Chloe and Lionel standing on the roof, arms stiffly at their sides, staring up. The scene between Lionel and Chloe was strangely ineffective. Perhaps it's because we've seen them stand face to face, toe to toe (figuratively), and battle for their futures in the third season. We know the kind of chemistry they can have with each other, two stubborn, clever, game-playing people with a knack for wordplay. And instead, the conversation pattered on as usual. "That was him, wasn't it? That was Zod." Strange…this doesn't seem like the kind of dialogue Steven S. DeKnight would write. Usually his dialogue is full of undercurrent. "Clark must not have been able to…'get to' Lex in time." With what feeling is Lionel saying this? Not with fatherly affection, since a moment later he brightens and says, "The dagger!" This whole conversation lacked a clear emotional flow…you weren't sure what they were thinking and why they were saying things. It seemed to be more of a token scene to scoot the plot along than a scene of substance. "Zod has taken over Lex." Lionel's speaking in a mouthing way, which in this case merely makes him sound unconvincing. There have been a few cases in the past when the mouthing delivery was appropriate (for example, when he was putting Lex down and speaking very precisely), but this was not one of them. "You mean kill him. Kill Lex." Why did they rush this episode? It had so much potential, but this moment, with Chloe's stilted dialogue, without any reason for her to be saying this, talking this way, no background music…there was no flow of emotion at all in this scene. "But you're Jor-El's oracle!" It's strange that Steven S. DeKnight would write such obvious lines. This sounded like Lana's "With the powers Fine gave you…" line. "I mean, don't you have access to some Kryptonian-English dictionary?" I'm not sure, but I think that could be Chloe's worst line ever. The concept of a Kryptonian-English dictionary, simply because someone was used as a vessel, was highly implausible. Perhaps she didn't want an actual dictionary, and this was just her way of saying, "You write the stuff but you don't understand it?" But in that case, she should have said, "You write the stuff but you don't understand it?" "But if we can get Jor-El's dagger, we can stop Zod, we can stop all of this!" Two observations. One, this type of line was sprinkled all through the script. It was almost like the opening act of a play, and all the actors were monologuing the exposition. (Except that, in TV shows, exposition is supposed to come through the plot, not through the "table-dusting" technique.) Two, sometimes it was almost as if the actors were speaking their lines in different rooms or on different days. There was no flow and rhythm to the dialogue: this line, like all the lines in this conversation, seemed out of place. "I can't make it back to Smallville with my leg like this." What happened to her leg? Until that line, I didn't know that she was wounded. It would have been better if the wound had been visible and more dramatic, especially since she didn't end up moving from the building the whole episode. It would not have impeded the plot, and would have intensified the danger she was in, since she would have been clearly helpless – no running and hiding. "You take care, Miss Sullivan." "You too, Mr. Luthor." The dialogue between former mortal enemies ended with best wishes, delivered in all earnestness. There should have been an undercurrent of tension and wariness – I think it's too soon for Chloe to be so trusting. The reason Clark and Lionel had chemistry was because of Clark's mixed wariness and necessary trust. There was inner conflict even when there was external harmony. Chloe, however, seemed to be going along with everything. " Clark…wherever you are, I could really use your help right now." This was an inexplicable way to end the scene, for several reasons. Although it contributed to some semblance of emotion to carry into the next scene, it was unsupported. Why exactly did she need his help? I know that the world needed his help – but what help in particular did she need? Also, the cinematographer continued his somewhat odd choices of camera shots by placing the camera a few inches in front of her face, so that she had nowhere to look. It would have been more natural to give her space, showing her alone and vulnerable in an empty basement. And if she absolutely had to deliver that line, it would have been natural for her to turn toward a window, where chaos continued. Instead she raised her eyes, and I almost thought her breath was going to mist the camera lens. "Where are you from? Where?" I was unsure what to think of Raya's acting. Often, when writers don't want viewers to fully trust someone, the director has the actor deliver lines half-heartedly, so that we viewers aren't sure whether or not to trust the character. However, Raya could not have been hiding anything in this line, even if she had decided to pretend later on; so her lack of fury, unfortunately, resulted in my detaching from the episode's events to evaluate her acting. "I was born on Krypton. I was raised on Earth." Good answer. The simplicity had a sort of mythic mystery…a sense of tradition, of lore. It made him, for a fleeting moment, take on the image of Superman as we imagine him. "Earth? Kal-El?" Again, the halting acting here bewildered me. Perhaps my difficulty in believing her acting came from the quality of her voice. Her voice had no dimension or texture to it…it was rather wooden. "How do you know my Kryptonian name?" I wish he had answered, simply, "How do you know my name?" The qualifier word "Kryptonian" was unnecessary, since he was in the Phantom Zone talking to someone familiar with Kryptonians. It would have been perfectly natural for him to drop "Kryptonian"…and it would have been nice to know that he was taking his heritage on as a part of him, instead of separating his Kryptonian name from his real name. The scene between Raya and Clark, with Raya's hand opening to reveal the stone, and Clark staring up at her, cut off very suddenly in the switch to Lana and Lex. The music had to abruptly change, and my train of thought halted for a moment in confusion. "What is Zod?" Somehow this line induces tremors of laughter whenever I think of it. I think part of the reason is that she sounded so outraged. If the kind Lana of Season One or Season Two or even Season Three had said this line, bewildered, hurt, angry, but honest, I would have been putting myself in her place. But the new Lana is such a drama queen that her outrage lent a comical air to her ignorance. "Oh God…you're one of those things from that ship." Looks like that's the end of her ship obsession. But seriously, though, the writers started to build up a very interesting concept here. I'm divided about it. Last season, and in previous seasons, Lana was fascinated by Clark's heritage, though she didn't know it was Clark's heritage. Dangerous curiosity is a theme in Smallville: it used to be Chloe's and it was what made her interesting; it used to be Lex's, and it was what made him interesting. Though the writers did not allow Lana's dangerous curiosity to live up to anywhere near its full potential, and several times fell into the gothic obsession pitfall, it was still a valuable element. Now the writers are instilling in Lana a distaste for all things Kryptonian. From fascination to revulsion. While Clark and Lana definitely need more dimension to their interaction (last season was like Lana and Jason relived), is this the best way to add it? What close friend is going to develop an insatiable curiosity for some good reason, if not Lana? Zod-Lex takes Lana's chin in his hand, and despite the violent sound effect, it looks like he's barely touching her. This was an unintentionally comical moment. "If Lex is really dead, then why waste your time with a primitive like me?" This was actually a pretty clever reply. At first I disliked the delivery, but considering the fear that she was experiencing, it's natural that she wouldn't shoot back a one-liner the way Chloe would. The music builds up to a creepy climax…then Zod-Lex turns Lana around. We're waiting for something to happen. Wait – that was it? This small anticlimax could have been so easily remedied – why couldn't he have tossed her to the floor, letting her land on her palms and knees facing the spaceship? That wouldn't be dangerously violent, but would allow for some physical action instead of mere talk. "Bear witness to the end of the human era and the rebirth of Krypton." "Krypton?" Again, this seemed to be building up to a future moment when Lana finds out Clark's secret, and must wrestle with the truth. They are filling her with unpleasant associations with Krypton – why would they do that unless she were going to find out about Clark? That's potentially interesting inner conflict, which I wouldn't mind as long as she ends up making the right decision. It was difficult to pay attention to everything Martha did, since the mind was still mulling over the fact that she barely had a scratch on her. It was a really beautiful concept, showing Martha approach the window and revealing the Fortress of Solitude in the reflection. But somehow I couldn't "get into it". The music was all wrong. And I was distracted from the reflection by the expression on Martha's face. She didn't have the expression of wonder that I expected, but almost a look of fear, enhanced by the mismatched music. Personally, I think they should have shown her step out of the plane and stand there looking at the fortress, and had a shot from behind her as she looked at the fortress looming above her. Then we could have imagined her feelings. "Martha Kent." "Jor-El." Somehow this was still a momentous occasion, even though Jonathan rushing to face Jor-El was more powerful in the third season. "This is the fortress Clark told me about." Why was she telling Jor-El this? Was this more expositional dialogue, intended to assure the viewer that she understood where she was? Whatever the reason, it marred the moment, and sounded very contrived. Dialogue like that is a bit like putting in parentheses: (it's just a TV show). It keeps you from taking the moment seriously. "Why did you bring us here? Why did you crash our plane?" This was a good expositional question, because it was a natural assumption for her to make, and let him explain what had happened. Unfortunately, Jor-El's explanation was not particularly helpful…(see Details G) This episode, the cinematographer didn't make effective use of the sets. Almost the whole scene, the camera only showed Martha's face. Compare that to Clark's first arrival at the Fortress, showing his expression and where he was in the Fortress and what he was discovering. We saw what caused his awe and pleasure. We've seen Martha before. We've never seen Martha in the fortress before. That's the angle that needed to be played up. Here is a classic example of this episode's bad expositional dialogue: " Clark?" "I gave him a dagger to use against the vessel of Zod. Instead, he chose to use it against Fine." "Where is he, where is Clark?" "The dagger is part of this fortress. Plunging it into Fine destroyed all copies of him, but also damaged this structure, and released Zod." "What happened to my son, Jor-El?" Jor-El is determined to narrate this story. The truth is that we knew Jor-El's first statement, and had figured out the first half of his second statement. The only thing this told us was that the Fortress was damaged by the stabbing of Fine. The writers were so determined to make sure Martha knew everything that they made the viewers suffer through Jor-El's updates. It was like listening to Chloe update Clark, or Clark update Chloe. Save the self-conscious exposition, and skip to the good stuff, Jor-El. "Banished forever by Zod." Martha's face here, with the music, was perfect. "Bring him back. You have to bring him home." This was the one moment in this scene that I believed completely. "Not within my power. His destiny is not his own." First, since when does Jor-El answer with informal fragments? Second, in what way is the destiny of Clark not the destiny of Clark? This moment, with the unexpected fragment and the nonsensical wording, broke up the mood and made me smile. "I've lost my husband and now my son because of your games!" In many ways, the writers seemed to be trying to give Martha the role she played in "Crusade". This was a good line for that purpose – the problem was that the plot did not support it, since all she did was go home and pick up the dagger before handing it off. "We have both lost much, Martha Kent." This was his only reaction to Clark's torment in the Phantom Zone. It seemed strange, throughout this conversation, that he would speak so stiffly (and yet be so talkative) under the circumstances. It would have been interesting to see more of a reaction from Jor-El. Perhaps he knew that Raya would assist Clark, so he could have offered a word of reassurance. (A Kryptonian version of "My people are on it." :) ) "You want me to murder Lex?" "Zod has taken over his body and given him all the powers of a true Kryptonian." "How am I supposed to do that?" Good despair. Her helplessness and her willingness combined made an enduring image of Martha Kent. "All right. Send me back." She said that so bravely but so sufferingly…good delivery. "For everything you've done for Kal-El, you have my deepest gratitude. I could not have wished for a brighter light to guide my son. Farewell, Martha Kent." It was strange Jor-El identified with Martha so much, considering that in "Crusade" she incurred his ire by separating Kal-El from Clark. In that episode, he also seemed to have fed Clark an antipathy for Jonathan. Interesting that now Jor-El would return to his original stance. Nice transition, from the Fortress of Solitude, all its columns and stones, to a black version of the columns and stones in the Phantom Zone. "How did you know Jor-El?" "I was one of his assistants." "When you were 5?" That was a good line. It makes me laugh even now. "Because he wouldn't stop trying to save Krypton, and your mother wouldn't leave his side." I liked the bond this episode built up between Clark and Jor-El. The evolution of Jor-El has been interesting, and sometimes disappointing to watch. I think this episode played two angles, one very good angle (your father the hero) and one very bad angle (Jor-El the crystal ball). And both angles seemed to lack the tension and vibrancy of Season Three's Jor-El. I think it's just the writing, though, not the character developments. While Season Three's tension between Jor-El and the Kents was wonderful because of their opposing goals, the writers can let Clark and Jor-El relate to each other, restore Clark's brain, and still keep an undercurrent of tension in communication with Jor-El. I just hope they don't let Jor-El become too simplistic, either reproaching Clark for not listening to him or giving him mysterious, never-fully-explained instructions. After a point he becomes a resentful fortune-telling machine. The beauty of the S3 Jor-El was his personhood. And his ambiguity. He was a very complex, hard-to-read person. As long as the writers stick with that persona, they'll have both tension and bonding potential. "Every day, he still saves my life." This was the perfect way to finally win Clark over to Jor-El's side. He finally saw Jor-El as a hero, a person whom he might actually want to heed at times. Even to be proud that Jor-El was his father. Jor-El made some poor choices in the past, but they were out of love for his son. What's interesting is that Jonathan, who in S5 was suddenly the fierce opposer of all things Kryptonian, is now out of the equation. Clark is in a place where a new father figure really does have a chance. What role with the absence of Jonathan play in changing the dynamics of this new father-son relationship? "Zod is a soldier. He will kill you." "If there was a way for you to save everyone you loved, wouldn't you risk dying?" Wonderful moment. After S4 and S5, I honestly didn't know he had it in him. It was reassuring to see his unhesitating answer. "You truly are your father's son." Not only was this a good promotion of the idea that Clark and Jor-El have a lot in common, but this completed the Biblical symbolism of the exchange. ( Clark is willing to risk death to save those he loves, and he is his father's son. "For God so loved the world…") Good camera shot of Chloe sitting under the desk. It gave the feeling that she needed protection. (See Details L and M). "Who-who-who-who-whoa! Don't shoot! Okay, look, I work here…" This jumpy, quirky reaction was a good moment for establishing Jimmy's otherwise unknown character. Cute chemistry between Chloe and Jimmy, and perfect music, but it seemed like this belonged in another episode. Very sweet, well done scene…and very out of place. "How did you know to come here? This is Lex's home. If there wasn't some part of him still alive inside you, how did you remember this place?" This answer was actually very clever. "You had feelings for this human." "Yes." "His feelings for you were also strong. They left an unpleasant taste when I consumed his essence." The writers planted that line very nicely. The answer was unusual (they break the trend of predictable dialogue), and cruel (Zod stays in character) and told us that Lex's feelings for Lana were strong. Zod's purpose of eliminating any hope in Lana for the return of Lex was also being carried out, and it advanced the plot because she became willing to kill him, even though he was in Lex's body. Perfect. "This virus crippling your technology can only be stopped at the point of infection. It's the only reason I'm here." Naturally the terrorist would explain all this, so we understood. This immediately brought back the contrived expositional dialogue. (Zod and Jor-El have more in common than they thought…) Then, neatly solving the world's big problem, Zod sets the new key onto the laptop. Bingo! Again, this was a very anticlimactic solution to a big problem. "You got rid of the virus." "I needed to acquire information." Was that really a good explanation? No, if that's the end of that plot. Yes, if it's part of the arc and the information he extracted will be coming up again. Though even then, the idea of a Kryptonian depending on a laptop does seem a bit comical. "I needed to acquire information." "Power." Great double meaning. That was probably the best dialogue of the episode, along with Moment by. "The black ship would have sent the pulse around the world, reshaping its crust." "Into what?" Disgust. More of the effort to instill fear and distaste…it almost seems inevitable that Lana discover Clark's secret this season and experience some radical inner conflict. "The planet you were talking about – Krypton." More distaste. It's so strange to hear Lana saying the word "Krypton". The conversation that followed was a split between logical detail and bad moment. I decided to put it under Details O and P. "We'll discuss this further when I return from your pentagon." Somehow this line doesn't seem right…it seems like they remembered that he was an extraterrestrial and tossed that "your" in to make it sound strange that a Kryptonian would be going to the Pentagon. It sounded strange, but not in that way. Lana's hatred as she lay on the floor was unrealistic. I really think that would be fear, maybe anger, but mostly worry for her fate and the fate of her loved ones. Even determination to kill him to save herself and save the world. But not hate. Apart from her first scene, the writers didn't show her glance outside a window and grieve for the chaos, or hear sirens and worry. After being traumatized by two major disasters, both of which drove her to investigate her past, one would think that the third major disaster would have more effect on her than it did. Her character became less sympathetic when all her motivation seemed to be hatred and revenge. "It won't open for anyone except the house of El." Raya's voice here was very strange and unconvincing. Maybe she was deliberately being unconvincing, so that when she proclaimed, "He can free us all!" you weren't sure whether or not to trust her. But the truth is, she bathed Clark's face and she had his family crest. We already trusted her…we just thought she was using her voice strangely. Somehow it became comical when three people rushed to the barn to find the dagger/Clark so they could kill Lex. "Where's Clark?" "I heard him talking to Chloe about killing Lex. I didn't understand what was happening…" The fact that Lana sought out Clark was interesting…I wasn't sure what to make of it. Did this moment indicate that Clark was vindicated in her eyes – that he knew things, was trying to protect them? Or was it another exasperating "I'll-work-with-you-but-I-don't-trust-you"-between-former-friends moment? Strange sort of ceremony as Martha slowly hands the dagger to Lana, who takes it and looks into space dramatically. This moment, like Moment j, was very stiff and unnatural, and immediately reminded you, "This is a TV show." "…when everything went screwy." That was funnily put…the writers gave Jimmy good characteristic lines. You sensed his quirky jumpiness in very few lines. The question is where they'll take his character. We don't know his motivations, his goals, his personality – all we know is that he's jumpy and he likes Chloe. It will be interesting to see where his character goes when it's allowed more depth. "Trust is for the weak." "You're right." Stab. Somehow that wasn't dramatic…it was funny. There's a delicate balance in comeback lines, between drama and comedy, and this line didn't maintain it. Instead of admiring Raya's comeback, thinking, "Yes! Get him!" I was busy smiling because her line made Nam-Ek look like such an idiot, handing his enemy a knife and then announcing, "Trust is for the weak." Interesting Spiderman 2 parallel moment, as Clark rescues Martha and Lionel from the falling wood. Except, of course, that he wasn't revealing his powers to anyone, since Lana was conveniently unconscious. Great visual effects for the fight scene – Neat effects as Clark and Lex are driven into the mulchy ground, Clark knocks down a tree, Clark is driven into a rock, and Clark is sent flying between two trees. "I won't let you destroy this planet like you did Krypton." This would have been a good line, except it was used last episode. "Then I'll die trying." "But you won't be the only one." That was a good line. It showed everything that was at stake. And without spelling it out, "I have the power to do such-and-such. If you do this, you can be sure that I'll do this." The shorter these lines are, the better. After Lex commanded him to kneel and Clark did so, warily, there was some very good music. Very good acting, too, except for Clark's wagging head for a moment. Clark looks up firmly as the phantom suffers. This was the essential Clark moment. He has purpose, he has ingenuity, he has foresight…he's everything he was in the first season and more. Writers, please, please keep him this way! "My father sends his regards." So quiet, so understated…so perfect. Clark is identifying himself with Jor-El – for the first time, calling him "my father". There was so much dimension to this line that I can't even take it all in. It's everything I've been waiting for in Clark. Great music as Clark picks up the token. Very Superman-ish…you're almost expecting him to fly off. And then the music is chopped short by a sudden commercial break! Yet another reason why this episode should have been 84 minutes instead of 42. "And then I was in this palace of ice. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I was bathed in this warm light, and I knew everything was going to be okay." Is this similar to Clark's "Hidden" experience? This was a thought-provoking moment. Maybe another contributing factor to Clark softening toward Jor-El could be that Jor-El saved Lois and Martha's lives. "You were hurt pretty badly. Maybe you were hallucinating." There were two problems with this answer. One was that it's always his answer: you could see the words floating in the air before he even said them. The other was that I don't think that's what he would have said. When you feel put on the spot, you ask questions. He should have said something like, "What was it like?" or at least, "Sounds wonderful." Questioning someone's hallucinations, especially if you know they're not hallucinations but are real, is going to bring up negative responses – No, it was real! "No. It was real. I think I died and went to heaven." I liked Lois's positivity here – she knows for sure what she saw. This was good, a blend of the soulful (which we've never gotten to see in Lois) with the strength and "I know what I saw" of the later Lois Lane. "Well, I'm glad you're back." He puts his hand on hers, she stiffens, he quickly releases her. I think this moment had just the right balance. It's the first human connection they've been allowed to have, and it was good. Clark was just being a friend, and Lois wasn't used to the soft side of friendship. But considering his affection for Chloe, confirmed later in the episode, it would be gimmicky (and rather ludicrous) for the writers to force a romantic angle into the Clark-Lois relationship. Chemistry, yes…romance, no. Lex finds Lana and intercepts her. "Lana! Are you all right?" Lana, trembling, resentful: "You don't remember?" "I was in the field with you…then everything went white." I love the way Michael Rosenbaum delivered his lines here. With his delivery, Lex reads Lana so well (reading people is his specialty) and shows his concern for her and his personal bewilderment, without any random callousness or discomfort. It's okay for Lex to be human…in fact, it's preferable. It's his humanity that makes him such a promising friend and such a promising enemy. "Lana. Hey. I would have done the same thing." In real life, this was the perfect thing to say. Reassuring, bolstering, supportive. Except somehow, given enough thought, it started to mean, "Don't worry, honey, I'd have killed you too." After the show, my brother crooned, "I'd kill you too…you'll never know how much." Which still makes me laugh. Odd expression of love. "It might not be easy." "Nothing worth it ever is." I loved the parallel between Clark and Lex I don't know if it was intentional, but the idea of going through trials for something that's worth it was definitely present. The only problem was that I was wondering what Lana and Lex were talking about. " Clark. Oh my God, I thought you were dead." Chloe delivered that line very awkwardly, like she wasn't sure if she should basking in Jimmy's company or worried sick about Clark. "Where did you go?" "A place I never want to go again. Are you okay?" "Yeah, everything's great now that you're here." Holding each other, drawing comfort from each other. This scene was glowing with reality and genuine potential. This wasn't forced, this was real. It was good to see that dynamic in their relationship again. "Um, Chloe…Before I left, there was this moment when we…" Chloe, reassuringly: "Y'mean when I laid one on you?" Clark searches her face, confused, looking for a sign. Chloe joshes him, trying to reassure him with her casualness that she wasn't serious: "Don't worry, Clark, it was the end of the world. It's not like I'm expecting us to hook up." This part she played very well. She was in a world of happiness, and now that Clark was safe she wanted their relationship to go back to normal and thought he wanted the same. She was reassuring, smiling. I found this to be perfectly believable. Clark halts, taken aback. Chloe's smile fades and she looks at him searchingly. He has to say something. "Um, me neither." But the fact that he denied it too means that he did. I really wish that there had been more time to establish what his expectations were. His acting carried it well, but with so many relationships to resolve in 42 minutes, this one felt incomplete. Good facial expressions from Clark. "Really? Since when?" Clark looks at Jimmy, eyes narrowed. What's the point of the changed name? "Since…now-ish." Jimmy laughs and Chloe laughs, and Clark turns and looks at her expectantly. Do you see how foolish this is? Chloe feels his gaze and realizes she needs to break up the triangle. "You want to grab something at the vending machine?" Clark watches Jimmy, with a slight incredulous smile. Are you seriously...? "Love to, 'James'." It was easy and believable to follow his train of thought in his expressions. Good expressions from Jimmy too, as he sizes Clark up, uneasily. "Maybe we're all better off without Jor-El in our lives." What prompted this moment in Martha? Was it the idea that Jor-El was taking her family, and she didn't like it? It makes sense when I say it, but somehow on screen it seemed empty, one of those "The Rule" moments. I found myself thinking, "You just went to the Fortress, you spoke to your son's biological father and he thanked you for being a light guiding Clark, and he saved your life, and you're reacting by being glad he's is gone?" It would have been ideal to really dig further into what Martha was feeling, because even though I cognitively understood her position, I couldn't sympathize with her. "I took Raya's crystal to the Fortress for safekeeping." This was an interesting concept. When he was exploring the caves, he discovered Jor-El's journal but placed it in the caves for safekeeping. It would have made more sense for him to put this crystal with Jor-El's journal…unless, of course, what he really wanted was to speak to Jor-El. I don't know if it was intentional on the part of the writers, but his choice of storage space subtlely demonstrated a lot about where Clark was in his relationship to Jor-El. "I tried to talk to Jor-El, but he wouldn't…didn't answer." This was a wonderful moment. It was the final step in the building of the relationship. He wanted to talk to his father, actually sought him out. He needed to talk about some things. And it's painful to him that Jor-El didn't answer. This said so much about Clark's state of mind, as well as his relationship with Jor-El…he needs someone to talk to. The fact that the previous moment was loaded with implications made the following dialogue trite and a bit corny: "The Fortress is dead. Everything's changing. Dad's gone. Can't talk to Lex. Lana's…I don't know where to go from here." The dialogue spelled things out too much, and didn't tell us anything we didn't already know. The only two good things were a) his classifying the Fortress's death with negative changes leaving him bereft, and b) the good music. "I didn't either when I was your age. Just follow your heart, and you'll always do the right thing." Martha, that isn't the soundest advice you could give. I guess if you boiled it down, she could be saying that Clark has a good heart and even in the struggles, he'll know what's right and want to do what's right. But it would have been less trite if she'd just said that straight out, instead of resorting to platitudes. "Maybe some Kryptonians believe the same thing. Jor-El sacrificed himself to save Krypton. Raya died saving me." Clark's softening toward the Kryptonian race shows again. Although the episode could have done without most of this conversation, this line did show a new open-mindedness regarding his heritage that he lacked in S4 and S5. "Every world needs its heroes, Clark. They inspire us to be better than we are. And they protect us from the darkness that's just around the corner." Zoom in on Clark. While the dialogue was too obviously trying to be dramatic (any time you can see the trying, it's not dramatic), perhaps the last line was supposed to forecast the tone of the season, the way the ending of "Hidden" was supposed to forecast the tone of the season (but didn't). The zoom-in on Clark would seem to indicate that this was a key description of the coming season. Lionel, with the symbols spelling "truth seeker bald power" etc. on the page (see Details L), draws a symbol and writes "POWER" underneath it. This moment went back to Lana's line in Moments hhh – "Power." Interesting tie. There's a neat connection between Lionel and Lex, as the story glides from Lionel's possession to Lex examining the broken, burnt fragment of key. That father-son connection, the obsession with mysteries…it was a good way to emphasize the father-son similarity, which was a theme in this episode. Details While former victims of the Phantom Zone screamed in what seemed to be intense pain, Clark seemed calm. It would have been interesting if the Phantom Zone had physical and psychological effects that immediately appeared. Then a) he could have seen in Raya the perpetual suffering that the Phantom Zone brought, making her a more sympathetic figure, and b) he could have returned to Earth changed, as in "Hidden". (Although, typically, the wonderful "Hidden" changes, the return as a man who had experienced death and seen the other side of the shadow, only lasted until (tada!) the end of the episode.) The landscape of the Phantom Zone was very Star Warsian. Was this intentional? One camera shot ends with a closeup of Clark's foot stepping in the chalky gravel. Was this supposed to be significant, or was it merely another puzzling element in an episode full of somewhat bizarre cinematographic choices? The phantoms weren't the best CGI characters I've ever seen. On one hand, perhaps that's to be expected; on the other, the raindrops in "Accelerate" were picture-perfect. The "stripy" look of fine dark lines next to fine light lines made the phantoms look like ink drawings at times. I think they needed to be more corporeal, or better-clothed, like the Ringwraiths in the Lord of the Rings – eerie and dead, but with a definitive presence instead of shapes and lines. Martha barely has a scratch on her body, while Lois is covered in blood and unconscious. Interesting concept. It was interesting that there was a reddish glow in the Fortress. Was this intentional, indicating Jor-El's apparent departure, or just some experimentation with the lighting? Personally, I preferred it when it was cold and pure, but naturally an exception can be made if it was indicating the Fortress's imminent death. "You were taken as pawns by the brain interactive construct. The being you know as Milton Fine." So they were taken as pawns – probably, we assume, to bargain with Clark. But this leaves many gaps. For one thing, why couldn't Zod simply tuck one under each arm and fly off with them? Or Milton Fine dash away with them? The idea of spending a few hours flying with them in a plane seems rather…normal. Lois lies on the floor of the Fortress with a red blanket beneath her. Nice symbolism. (Incidentally, where did the blanket come from? I don't remember seeing one in the plane.) "Raya, not that names matter here." At first I thought she said, "Mariah." "I have to go. I have to stop Zod." Clark hastily starts limping off. But after that we never see him limp. He seems to be walking along with Raya without difficulty. Interesting that, even before the power is restored, the camera shots of chaos stop and things seem relatively normal. Although, since they carefully avoided any shots of the streets but instead had the cameras staring up at the sky, you can't really tell. Chloe looks through the pages of symbols. The large symbols on the left page, reading downward, said "STARS" and the smaller symbols, reading from top down, left to right, said, said "great truth seeker dpower look is bald amount a" plus a few made-up symbols. The second page, the one soaked in blood, began "GQFRURNEKMNPBORTLA" with some of the letters on different levels from one another. Interesting that the second page was soaked in blood. Whose blood would it be? The natural conclusion is "Lionel's"…but why? "I thought you needed the black ship." Why do they call it "the black ship" as if to distinguish it from the white ship? "Its hard drive can still initiate the pulse, but I need access to your military satellites to broadcast it." A) What sense does this make? B) Why would Zod explain it for our benefit? Is Lana really so idiotic that, after watching Lex shoot himself in the hand without harm, she would a) try to stab him with a sword, and b) announce her intention beforehand? Will Lana ever wonder why Martha had a Kryptonian dagger and explained that she had been commissioned to kill Lex? "That's all it takes to end the world?" Once again, when he's clearly unaware of her presence, she announces herself! Why didn't she just throw the dagger? Yes, she knows that he has quick reflexes and that might doom her chances, but then… "Maybe you just underestimated me." For the third time, she has to have a dramatic line instead of doing what she needs to do. Zod snaps the dagger. What? How can he exert his powers over something Kryptonian? And, as the dagger snapped, the question floated through our minds…"What was the point of this whole plot? Why even write it if everything leads to dead ends?" "Sometimes to survive you have to give up the things you care about and just give into your fate." I would have thought that this line was supposed to be an opposite of Clark's lines about saving the ones you love, except for the word "fate," which takes on so many different meanings in Smallville. (Something you can't escape, something you choose, something you create, the embodiment of what you are meant to do and be but you can turn away from it…and of course, "your destiny is not yours". Which I'm still trying to figure out.) So was this line just a clever lie? Or are we supposed to read into it? When Zod punches Clark, it seems that blood comes from Clark's mouth. But a) Clark doesn't bleed, and b) a moment later, his face is clean. Even if it was just flying dirt, his face wouldn't be clean a moment later. When Clark slid through the grain, it was so obvious that a path had been cleared and slicked for him. It would have been interesting to see the grain parting as he shot through it (like the corn in the Pilot) and lower the camera so that the ending shot (with Clark's face right in the camera) could be the same. Expensive, but interesting. The escaping Zod looked like a pencil drawing. The cinematographer must have just gotten a piece of new equipment or something. He was using the red light all over the place, first in the Fortress and then in the hospital. I thought it was out-of-place in the hospital. "Next thing I know I woke up here." Will he find out that Clark brought him there? It only seems just. Especially since, with his curiosity, he's bound to probe a little. Strange camerawork as Clark and Chloe and Jimmy stood in a triangle. The camerawork in this episode shoved us right into the actors' faces, so there was no sense of who was standing where. When Jimmy said, "You want to grab something at the vending machine?" it looked like he was addressing Clark. "Lionel told me his connection with Jor-El is gone." "Along with any influence he had over him." Very strange camera jump here. One minute Martha is to the left looking right, Clark is to the right looking left…then between these lines, it jumped to Clark on the left looking right. Lionel is possessed by someone…but who? Given the word "power" and Lana's earlier use of the word, it would appear to be Zod. On the other hand, it could also be a phantom. The symbol he drew above the word "POWER" could be the name of a phantom, or it could be the Kryptonian symbol for power. Since we saw the phantoms and Raya sucked through the doorway, it wasn't particularly surprising to see the phantom fluttering around. © Voice of Reason, 2007