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Smallville: Exile

Jor-El: "Are you willing to sacrifice anything to get him back?"
Jonathan: "Yes. For my son, I'll do anything."

What a departure. And what fun.

Three months have passed, and Clark was having the time of his life. Tom Welling played Kal with absolute glee, as if he'd been let out of school. (Which he sort of was.) That row of busted ATMs in particular was a strong reminder that Clark could literally do anything he wanted at any time.

The writers made a point of Clark picking up a new girl every night but not taking her home with him. So we're supposed to believe that completely uninhibited Clark has been on his own for three months, robbing banks and going clubbing every spare minute, but somehow, he's still pure? Tell me another one.

Clark wasn't the only one living an unfamiliar life far from home. Poor scabby Lex, stranded on a desert island and delirious with malaria, had to deal with an imaginary psychopath named Louis. In the meantime, Lionel gave a funeral for Lex, complete with a big, black, obelisky gravestone. I was semi-certain last season that it wasn't Lionel who was trying to kill Lex, since Lionel does love his son. Sort of. So the one who tried to kill Lex had to be Helen.

This episode gave us Rutger Hauer as Morgan Edge, the biggest crime boss in Metropolis. (As I've said elsewhere, I'm very fond of Rutger Hauer, mostly because of his Oscar-worthy performance as Roy Batty in my favorite science fiction movie, Blade Runner.) When Morgan Edge told Kal he wanted him to break into a building, I knew it would be LuthorCorp. What surprised me was that Clark didn't encounter K in the vault. Did it all get stolen in that season two episode with the truck-napping?

For me, the real highlight of the episode was Jonathan going to Metropolis to bring his recalcitrant super son home. Stay tuned for part two.

Bits and pieces:

— The season three credits are the same as season two, with the same cast.

— Clark ripping his shirt off in a phone booth was an obvious homage to the traditional comic book.

— The compass that Jonathan gave Lex as a wedding present came in handy.

— Chloe's Clark report for Lionel was less than satisfactory. I didn't think she'd go through with it. It's not in Chloe's nature to betray a friend, no matter how angry she gets.

— Some of the island scenes looked obviously CGI. No budget to go film in Hawaii, I assume. At least Michael Rosenbaum looked ripped with his shirt off. I was impressed.

— The Kents were losing their farm again. This seems to happen whenever the plot calls for parental angst.

— Clark blew up a police car with his heat vision, tossed a bank robber, and threw the two assassins across the room. At the end when he fought Jonathan, Clark threw Jonathan across the room and then they both went out a sixty-story window. I do believe that's six points.

— The color scheme was noticeably different. Smallville, and Clark, tend to be clothed in red, blue, and yellow. Metropolis was very cold in color, gray and navy blue, and Clark wore black and green.

— In this season's hair report, Chloe's was much shorter and lighter, and Clark's was a good bit longer.

Quotes:

Morgan Edge: "That's a helluva scar. How'd you get it?"
Clark: "My dad's a real bastard."

Louis: "Why are you in such a hurry to get back to a family so twisted?"

Lionel: "Lex was... touched with greatness."
Interesting interpretation of that line.

Lana: "Why'd she call you Kal?"
Clark: "It's my secret identity."

Even though I found the island stuff mildly silly, this was such a four star episode,

Billie
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Billie Doux had a love-hate relationship with Smallville, which is why some of her reviews are briefer than they should be.

2 comments:

  1. Louis, Lex's island "companion", was played by Ryan Robbins, who currently stars on Sanctuary and was also in BSG.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What hot men live in this world! Michael certainly hit the gym over the summer! And, Tom in those shades on that bike? My bad girl heart just flutters wildly!!

    I just love Red-K Kal. I love the attitude; I love the look: I love the lack of any kind of conscience. Our Clark is so angst ridden all the time, it is a joy to see the other side. And I agree, Welling plays him with abandon.

    I also struggle with the fact that Kal isn't getting laid on a regular basis. Takes a certain something for a sixteen year old boy to turn THAT down night after night. A bit of a stretch there, but I'm guessing that the writers want a touching "loses his virginity" scene down the pike.

    You're right the island scenes were a bit over the top, but what an insight into Lex's psyche. As my sister would say, "the boy has issues!"

    ReplyDelete

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