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Smallville: Extinction

Chloe: "You are so low, you're subterranean."

It at first appeared that we were back to Smallville business as usual: a meteor freak obsessed with Lana Lang. But this one had a new and exciting twist.

The exceptionally cute Van McNulty (good actor) was one of the scariest student we've seen so far in this series. And he wasn't a meteor freak at all; he was assassinating meteor freaks. That sequence where Van shot Clark with a Kryptonite bullet, and Jonathan and Martha had to do surgery on Clark right on their kitchen floor, was outright unnerving.

I also liked how this episode went a bit deeper. (Smallville can be fluffy. Nothing wrong with fluffy, of course.) There were lots of comparisons of Van and Clark characterizing them both as vigilantes targeting meteor freaks. Persecution of meteor freaks as a hate crime? Meteor freaks as an unprotected minority? I never even once considered that Lex himself might be a meteor freak, and there he is, with his bald head from the meteor shower and everything. Talk about right in front of my nose.

Clark and Chloe mended their friendship, and now Clark is working at the Torch again. And Chloe tried her best to detach herself from Lionel Luthor, and discovered it was easier said than done. Lionel is deeply interested in the Wall of Weird, and was actually threatening Chloe. This just keeps getting heavier.

And the whole Lionel/Lex thing was surreal. I mean, it's weird enough seeing them all back-slappy and happy with each other, but what the hell was going on with the $50 million insurance policy? Now that Lex is uninsurable, does this mean no more job fun with Daddy?

Bits and pieces:

— Lana went swimming in a huge pool alone. Hasn't she ever seen a horror movie?

— Lex is never sick and has a super high white blood count. Now, that's interesting. Must be setting up a future plot twist.

— Clark being bulletproof made sense to Lana.

— Sheriff Adams is back with a new do and the same old attitude.

— I really loved the kids all talking casually about their near fatal encounters with meteor freaks. Smallville is not real life, folks.

— Lana kicked Van down the stairs, and later kicked him into a trophy case. Two points. And Van shot in the window of Lex's car. I'm never clear on whether glass in a car is one point or two. Well, they're my rules. Four points.

Quotes:

Chloe: "He was underwater for six minutes. Now, unless you're David Blaine or a Himalayan yoga master, that's impossible."

Pete: (in the ratty-looking cabin) "This place needs some serious Lemon Pledge."

Lex: "Clark, the only abilities I have are playing the market and falling for the wrong women."

The dialogue has noticeably improved, and the plots are moving beyond the obvious. Smallville has finally grown up. Four out of four stars,

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.

7 comments:

  1. Van was played by Jesse Metcalfe who, among other things, was in Passions (which, yes, I watched.... until the actor who played Timmy died. That was... so sad. :( ) and Desperate Housewives.

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  2. Think you'll be adding any of these names to your Finale review list, Billie?

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  3. Thanks for the thought, Greg, but I don't usually revise old reviews.

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  4. Ah, well.... you could always just make a new list, put it into the Smallville section, once I'm done. :)

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  5. Smallville has finally grown up.

    I was thinking exactly the same thing watching this episode. It certainly tackles deeper issues and allows the kids to come face to face with some hard truths about their lives.

    Excellent!

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  6. I'm waiting for the Smallville episode where Lana is revealed as a meteor freak. I mean, seriously, what other explanation is there for everybody in the town being obsessed with her? But you're right that it was a good episode. It was interesting to see Smallville channel the X-men on mutant-discrimination and examine the consequences of Chloe's Wall of Weird exposes.

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  7. Oh, also, I am totally with you on the swimming pool scene. It's so very Cat People. And I can't imagine that any high school would leave the pool open to students without any supervision.

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