Voice of Reason: Season Six: Phantom

Phantom

Note: This review is unfinished. When I have time, I'll finish it...meanwhile, check out Otto Berkeley's fantastic review here.

Overall

In the end, "Phantom" could be said to represent everything that characterized Season Six. Some thrilling, some terrible, and overall...anticlimactic.

"Phantom" launches with a beautiful recap that somehow makes us anticipate an excellent episode, much like the first well-written string of episodes this season. And it goes on to give us several emotional scenes and dramatic developments. But when it all ends...there's a frustrating, bewildered sense of - "That's it?"

Where were the cliffhangers?

Clark is fighting a much more tuned-in, if less bright, version of himself
Lionel, Lois, and Chloe are trapped in flooding tunnels, with Chloe unconscious
Lex is handcuffed
Martha is off to Washington, unaware that her son is somehow getting bested by a body built from his own DNA
Lana appears to be hitching a ride on a mail truck
The Martian Manhunter is off in another atmosphere, getting some rest and recovery

Not only are we unable to seriously feel any concern about next season's premiere, but speculation regarding the outcome is pretty easy.

Furthermore, after viewing the lackluster ending, the first thing every viewer did was compare "Phantom" with "Vessel". And it became disturbingly apparent that, over the past year, Clark is still an out-of-touch, even potentially dispensable character.

Last year, Clark was out of the loop. Even the farm animals could see danger coming better than he could. (See "Vessel".) While Clark ran around a step behind everyone else, Lex and Lana were the real mystery-chasers.

This year, Clark is out of the loop. He thinks that Lionel is evil: actually, it turns out that Lionel is fairly good. He thinks that he has time to scream at Lex, while Lex is trying to tell him that a killer phantom is marching down the tunnel toward him. And the episode ends with his being thrashed by his clone. At times, you want to laugh.

Not only is Clark's ineptness his most memorable feature, but his two most memorable actions are trying to murder Lionel and trying to murder Lex, both times under false impressions.

We are all left with a deep sense of pity for Clark.

In the meantime, there are three major revelations. One makes no sense, one feels empty, and one is rather painful.

The first one is the revelation of Lionel's secret. In my review of "Noir," I noted, "So what we know of Lionel's convoluted plan - getting Lana to marry Lex so that she could help take him down - is already turning out worse than Lionel had planned. He's wishing he'd never plotted this whole strange scheme. If his concern for Lana can make him wish he could take it all back...then why didn't his concern for Lana intervene when he sadistically manipulated her into marrying in the first place? The only answer is the yet unknown Clark Connection. A lot of this season's credibility is hinged on the Clark Connection now." (Details C)

We now have the Clark Connection. And the season's credibility is, well, shot.

The first part of the Clark Connection: Lionel has conveniently kept all of Jor-El's knowledge in his head. He has spent a year scribbling kryptonian symbols saying "power," a fact that is, to all appearances, irrelevant. The second part of the Clark Connection: Lionel also figured that he should help Clark catch a particularly nasty wraith from the Phantom Zone, and decided that the only way he could help Clark was to force Lana to marry Lex and steal information about the wraith.

"I'll turn him into a flea...a harmless little flea. And then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box in another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer!"

All Lionel had to do was give Clark a phone call. Even if he thought it was unwise for Clark to get the information by himself, he knows a little about the Justice League. There were much more direct, effective ways than forcing a sick marriage by using the threat of murder.

The second revelation is Clark's secret. We've seen Jor-El tell his love his secret, we've seen Clark tell Lana his secret. Both events were visually and emotionally stunning. Perhaps it is fittingly ironic that the real revelation we've all been waiting for takes place in the usual barn scene, a quiet verbal revelation with only superspeeding as a visual aid. And that the kiss of acceptance takes place with Lana's wedding ring shining in the foreground, shortly after she's declared her intention of leaving her husband. But we've been waiting for this moment for six years, so personally, I'd rather have visually and emotionally stunning than fittingly ironic.

In addition, the scene was very similar to a previous scene in a season finale...

"Commencement"
Lana: Remember all those times that I asked you for an explanation, but you said you couldn't me one? That I had to trust you? Well, this time I need you to trust me.
Clark: Lana, my parents are about to leave right now. Go with them. You'll be safe.
Lana: I can't.
Clark: You have to.
Lana: Clark, I need you to know... that whatever happens, I will never forget you.
Clark: Lana, you're talking like we never gonna see each other again.
Lana: I love you.
Clark: I love you, too.
Lana: Good-bye.

"Phantom"
Lana: Clark, I came here to say good-bye....I have to leave Smallville.

Clark: I can protect you from anything.
Lana: You can't this time.

Lana: Just know that I will always love you.

Both scenes, incidentally, took place in the barn, with similar lighting.

The third revelation is Chloe's power. This deserves a subsection of its own.

Chloe's Power

We discover that Chloe's power is, evidently, the power to give life or trade life force through her tears. The first thing to do is point out the obvious: the dramatic clunkiness of such a power. Is Chloe seriously going to go around saving people by bawling over them? Or, worse, bawling over them and then collapsing? Will someone seriously call her over to a sickbed and request her tears (and collapse)?

The second thing to do is figure out if it makes sense. Often a power has two factors - the medium and the effect. For example, two people have used the medium of kissing, for very different effects - Desiree's kisses allowed her to manipulate her victims, Abby's kisses caused her victims to hallucinate. If the power was acquired in a meteor shower, then the medium is associated with what the person was doing at the time. The effect is always linked to that person's desires or personality (such as the salesmen who gained the power of persuasion).

Chloe presumably gained her power in the first meteor shower with her mother. At the time, she was probably crying - hence the medium of tears. This makes sense. In addition, Chloe has a ministering personality and is constantly sacrificing herself for others. Hence the power of healing, with or without a collapse on her part. This, too, makes sense. So her power is at least, from the Smallville perspective, reasonable.

The third thing to do is look at the revelation itself. James Marshall did a wonderful job making a serious moment out of an undeniably corny concept. The tight shot of the falling tear was beautiful. But the breathtaking special effects couldn't compensate for the fact that we were all trying to help Chloe cry. Now she's hit her stride, she's going to cry...no, now she had a moment of self-awareness there...okay, now she's back on track. (Long pause.) How long is it going to take for that tear to come? There's something unintentionally ludicrous about scenes like this, where we have time to think a thousand thoughts for each shot.

Verdict: Chloe's power, while "logical," is corny and will come across as more corny if it is ever used again. The revelation of Chloe's power was ineffective.

Back to Overall

I suppose you could consider the revelation that the Martian Manhunter was sent to guide and protect Clark a fourth major revelation, except that it made little sense and trivialized all the life-threatening incidents and personal struggles Clark has faced in the past. It also gave Clark yet another heroic mentor, meaning that the purpose of Jonathan's death has actually been to put Clark in a cushy situation as replacement mentors pop up like dandilions. I would prefer to pretend that this revelation never happened.

Finally, there is the revelation that is going to happen. After spending a season trying to persuade us that Lex would fight people with powers by using people with powers, despite being a person with powers himself, all for the purpose of starting a war to deliver humanity...next episode, we will discover that Lex's small army in the tunnels has been destroyed by the flood, meaning that both Lex's and Lionel's vague arcs this season will have been pointless.

Then there were the smaller details, like the very derivative nature of the phantoms (someone high up has been watching "Supernatural"), the tasteless use of gore, and the inconvenient fact that Bizarro Clark was, if a bit brainless, more purposeful and cheer-on-able than Clark himself.

Granted, the episode wasn't entirely as bad as it seems based on the above. Aside from one throwaway scene between Chloe and Lois in the Talon, and another throwaway scene between Clark and Chloe in the Daily Planet, most scenes included some form of tense action. The episode actually had some very good scenes, notably the Lana-Lex scene where Lana announced her intention of leaving, and the scene where Lex closed the door on the doctor, then listened in horror to the death of the man he had essentially killed. The music was...spectacular. And I really do hope that Smallville regains its sense of direction in time for an awesome seventh season. It's never too late.

But for now, "Phantom" is the plothole-riddled, pathetic-heroed capstone to the season's arch. Instead of following "Commencement's" lead and making sense of the season, it revealed the season's arcs for what they were - weak. And I can't help but feel a little strung along.

Verdict: 6

Good/Bad Moments

The episode is launched with a brilliant recap - truly a work of art. The music is breathtaking, the clips aptly tell the story of the season, and a few strategic shots may make new viewers think that these shots are part of some important backstory, even though they're completely irrelevant. To the folks who came up with this recap - I salute you.
A priest attempts an exorcism on the possessed man. I'm pretty sure this is the first time Smallville has featured any type of clergy, a cross, or...anything overtly related to religion, outside of church weddings and the Luthors' long-gone Scripture quotations. Despite the overall weirdness, it was refreshingly realistic to see the religious aspect in someone's life, after several years of religion's conspicuous absence. I hope the writers feel free to explore or at least mention religious concepts like this more. (And if they bring back the Luthor allusions, they'll make my day.)
The gratuitous gore, first as the phantom tugged at the guts of the Martian Manhunter, then as the phantom made its bloody exit, was gimmicky and tasteless. Smallville has more class than that.
The Martian Manhunter's presence this episode was almost entirely pointless. He got injured, he stopped Clark from hurting Lionel and explained the situation, and he left. Unless he is featured in next season's premiere, this seems to be a contrived guest appearance rather than a legitimate plotline.
"Lana would never, ever do something like that unless she was being coerced." Lex's confidence in his wife makes this a poignant moment. Despite catching her spying on him this episode and last episode, he trusts her: his first thought is that she's being bullied by Lionel. When, in fact, she despises him. Lana is the one good thing in Lex's life, and as Lionel makes his cruel reply, we realize that Lex is about to lose his last ray of light. This was, perhaps unintentionally, a tragic moment.
"As hard as it is for you to believe, Lana actually loves me." Poor Lex. The show has turned him into a believable character again - a truly compelling villain. But they're doing it by making everyone he's ever loved turn on him.
"Oh, you know so little about women, Lex. I suppose losing your mother at such an early age didn't help matters," Lionel says, flippantly. This is cruel. He goes on, matter-of-factly, "Lana does not love you. The only reason she agreed to marry you was the fact that I gave her a gentle, yet very firm, nudge."
"Using my wife against me? That's deplorable, even for you." And yes, it is. And it's deplorable of Lana to hate Lex so fiercely when he's just calling out to be saved, and it's deplorable of Clark to egg her on. One starts to think that everyone involved is deplorable except Lex. Until the writers remind us that Lex is deplorable, too.

Details




Phantom Note: This review is unfinished. When I have time, I'll finish it...meanwhile, check out Otto Berkeley's fantastic review here. Overall In the end, "Phantom" could be said to represent everything that characterized Season Six. Some thrilling, some terrible, and overall...anticlimactic. "Phantom" launches with a beautiful recap that somehow makes us anticipate an excellent episode, much like the first well-written string of episodes this season. And it goes on to give us several emotional scenes and dramatic developments. But when it all ends...there's a frustrating, bewildered sense of - "That's it?" Where were the cliffhangers? Clark is fighting a much more tuned-in, if less bright, version of himself Lionel, Lois, and Chloe are trapped in flooding tunnels, with Chloe unconscious Lex is handcuffed Martha is off to Washington, unaware that her son is somehow getting bested by a body built from his own DNA Lana appears to be hitching a ride on a mail truck The Martian Manhunter is off in another atmosphere, getting some rest and recovery Not only are we unable to seriously feel any concern about next season's premiere, but speculation regarding the outcome is pretty easy. Furthermore, after viewing the lackluster ending, the first thing every viewer did was compare "Phantom" with "Vessel". And it became disturbingly apparent that, over the past year, Clark is still an out-of-touch, even potentially dispensable character. Last year, Clark was out of the loop. Even the farm animals could see danger coming better than he could. (See "Vessel".) While Clark ran around a step behind everyone else, Lex and Lana were the real mystery-chasers. This year, Clark is out of the loop. He thinks that Lionel is evil: actually, it turns out that Lionel is fairly good. He thinks that he has time to scream at Lex, while Lex is trying to tell him that a killer phantom is marching down the tunnel toward him. And the episode ends with his being thrashed by his clone. At times, you want to laugh. Not only is Clark's ineptness his most memorable feature, but his two most memorable actions are trying to murder Lionel and trying to murder Lex, both times under false impressions. We are all left with a deep sense of pity for Clark. In the meantime, there are three major revelations. One makes no sense, one feels empty, and one is rather painful. The first one is the revelation of Lionel's secret. In my review of "Noir," I noted, "So what we know of Lionel's convoluted plan - getting Lana to marry Lex so that she could help take him down - is already turning out worse than Lionel had planned. He's wishing he'd never plotted this whole strange scheme. If his concern for Lana can make him wish he could take it all back...then why didn't his concern for Lana intervene when he sadistically manipulated her into marrying in the first place? The only answer is the yet unknown Clark Connection. A lot of this season's credibility is hinged on the Clark Connection now." (Details C) We now have the Clark Connection. And the season's credibility is, well, shot. The first part of the Clark Connection: Lionel has conveniently kept all of Jor-El's knowledge in his head. He has spent a year scribbling kryptonian symbols saying "power," a fact that is, to all appearances, irrelevant. The second part of the Clark Connection: Lionel also figured that he should help Clark catch a particularly nasty wraith from the Phantom Zone, and decided that the only way he could help Clark was to force Lana to marry Lex and steal information about the wraith. "I'll turn him into a flea...a harmless little flea. And then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box in another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives, I'll smash it with a hammer!" All Lionel had to do was give Clark a phone call. Even if he thought it was unwise for Clark to get the information by himself, he knows a little about the Justice League. There were much more direct, effective ways than forcing a sick marriage by using the threat of murder. The second revelation is Clark's secret. We've seen Jor-El tell his love his secret, we've seen Clark tell Lana his secret. Both events were visually and emotionally stunning. Perhaps it is fittingly ironic that the real revelation we've all been waiting for takes place in the usual barn scene, a quiet verbal revelation with only superspeeding as a visual aid. And that the kiss of acceptance takes place with Lana's wedding ring shining in the foreground, shortly after she's declared her intention of leaving her husband. But we've been waiting for this moment for six years, so personally, I'd rather have visually and emotionally stunning than fittingly ironic. In addition, the scene was very similar to a previous scene in a season finale... "Commencement" Lana: Remember all those times that I asked you for an explanation, but you said you couldn't me one? That I had to trust you? Well, this time I need you to trust me. Clark: Lana, my parents are about to leave right now. Go with them. You'll be safe. Lana: I can't. Clark: You have to. Lana: Clark, I need you to know... that whatever happens, I will never forget you. Clark: Lana, you're talking like we never gonna see each other again. Lana: I love you. Clark: I love you, too. Lana: Good-bye. "Phantom" Lana: Clark, I came here to say good-bye....I have to leave Smallville. Clark: I can protect you from anything. Lana: You can't this time. Lana: Just know that I will always love you. Both scenes, incidentally, took place in the barn, with similar lighting. The third revelation is Chloe's power. This deserves a subsection of its own. Chloe's Power We discover that Chloe's power is, evidently, the power to give life or trade life force through her tears. The first thing to do is point out the obvious: the dramatic clunkiness of such a power. Is Chloe seriously going to go around saving people by bawling over them? Or, worse, bawling over them and then collapsing? Will someone seriously call her over to a sickbed and request her tears (and collapse)? The second thing to do is figure out if it makes sense. Often a power has two factors - the medium and the effect. For example, two people have used the medium of kissing, for very different effects - Desiree's kisses allowed her to manipulate her victims, Abby's kisses caused her victims to hallucinate. If the power was acquired in a meteor shower, then the medium is associated with what the person was doing at the time. The effect is always linked to that person's desires or personality (such as the salesmen who gained the power of persuasion). Chloe presumably gained her power in the first meteor shower with her mother. At the time, she was probably crying - hence the medium of tears. This makes sense. In addition, Chloe has a ministering personality and is constantly sacrificing herself for others. Hence the power of healing, with or without a collapse on her part. This, too, makes sense. So her power is at least, from the Smallville perspective, reasonable. The third thing to do is look at the revelation itself. James Marshall did a wonderful job making a serious moment out of an undeniably corny concept. The tight shot of the falling tear was beautiful. But the breathtaking special effects couldn't compensate for the fact that we were all trying to help Chloe cry. Now she's hit her stride, she's going to cry...no, now she had a moment of self-awareness there...okay, now she's back on track. (Long pause.) How long is it going to take for that tear to come? There's something unintentionally ludicrous about scenes like this, where we have time to think a thousand thoughts for each shot. Verdict: Chloe's power, while "logical," is corny and will come across as more corny if it is ever used again. The revelation of Chloe's power was ineffective. Back to Overall I suppose you could consider the revelation that the Martian Manhunter was sent to guide and protect Clark a fourth major revelation, except that it made little sense and trivialized all the life-threatening incidents and personal struggles Clark has faced in the past. It also gave Clark yet another heroic mentor, meaning that the purpose of Jonathan's death has actually been to put Clark in a cushy situation as replacement mentors pop up like dandilions. I would prefer to pretend that this revelation never happened. Finally, there is the revelation that is going to happen. After spending a season trying to persuade us that Lex would fight people with powers by using people with powers, despite being a person with powers himself, all for the purpose of starting a war to deliver humanity...next episode, we will discover that Lex's small army in the tunnels has been destroyed by the flood, meaning that both Lex's and Lionel's vague arcs this season will have been pointless. Then there were the smaller details, like the very derivative nature of the phantoms (someone high up has been watching "Supernatural"), the tasteless use of gore, and the inconvenient fact that Bizarro Clark was, if a bit brainless, more purposeful and cheer-on-able than Clark himself. Granted, the episode wasn't entirely as bad as it seems based on the above. Aside from one throwaway scene between Chloe and Lois in the Talon, and another throwaway scene between Clark and Chloe in the Daily Planet, most scenes included some form of tense action. The episode actually had some very good scenes, notably the Lana-Lex scene where Lana announced her intention of leaving, and the scene where Lex closed the door on the doctor, then listened in horror to the death of the man he had essentially killed. The music was...spectacular. And I really do hope that Smallville regains its sense of direction in time for an awesome seventh season. It's never too late. But for now, "Phantom" is the plothole-riddled, pathetic-heroed capstone to the season's arch. Instead of following "Commencement's" lead and making sense of the season, it revealed the season's arcs for what they were - weak. And I can't help but feel a little strung along. Verdict: 6 Good/Bad Moments The episode is launched with a brilliant recap - truly a work of art. The music is breathtaking, the clips aptly tell the story of the season, and a few strategic shots may make new viewers think that these shots are part of some important backstory, even though they're completely irrelevant. To the folks who came up with this recap - I salute you. A priest attempts an exorcism on the possessed man. I'm pretty sure this is the first time Smallville has featured any type of clergy, a cross, or...anything overtly related to religion, outside of church weddings and the Luthors' long-gone Scripture quotations. Despite the overall weirdness, it was refreshingly realistic to see the religious aspect in someone's life, after several years of religion's conspicuous absence. I hope the writers feel free to explore or at least mention religious concepts like this more. (And if they bring back the Luthor allusions, they'll make my day.) The gratuitous gore, first as the phantom tugged at the guts of the Martian Manhunter, then as the phantom made its bloody exit, was gimmicky and tasteless. Smallville has more class than that. The Martian Manhunter's presence this episode was almost entirely pointless. He got injured, he stopped Clark from hurting Lionel and explained the situation, and he left. Unless he is featured in next season's premiere, this seems to be a contrived guest appearance rather than a legitimate plotline. "Lana would never, ever do something like that unless she was being coerced." Lex's confidence in his wife makes this a poignant moment. Despite catching her spying on him this episode and last episode, he trusts her: his first thought is that she's being bullied by Lionel. When, in fact, she despises him. Lana is the one good thing in Lex's life, and as Lionel makes his cruel reply, we realize that Lex is about to lose his last ray of light. This was, perhaps unintentionally, a tragic moment. "As hard as it is for you to believe, Lana actually loves me." Poor Lex. The show has turned him into a believable character again - a truly compelling villain. But they're doing it by making everyone he's ever loved turn on him. "Oh, you know so little about women, Lex. I suppose losing your mother at such an early age didn't help matters," Lionel says, flippantly. This is cruel. He goes on, matter-of-factly, "Lana does not love you. The only reason she agreed to marry you was the fact that I gave her a gentle, yet very firm, nudge." "Using my wife against me? That's deplorable, even for you." And yes, it is. And it's deplorable of Lana to hate Lex so fiercely when he's just calling out to be saved, and it's deplorable of Clark to egg her on. One starts to think that everyone involved is deplorable except Lex. Until the writers remind us that Lex is deplorable, too. Details © Voice of Reason, 2007