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Smallville: Hourglass

Clark: "It's not your fault, Lana."
Lana: "Do you know anyone else who's lost an entire old person in a wheelchair?"

Seriously cool episode with Greek tragedy overtones about the future. Especially Lex's future.

That vision of Lex that killed Cassandra deserves a paragraph of its own, because it's just stunning. Lex is wearing a white suit and black gloves. We see the presidential seal. He stands in a field of sunflowers that becomes a field of bones, and blood rains down upon him. He smiles.

Clark's vision of the future included the gravestones of everyone that he loved. (Starting with Jonathan, and not including Lex.) It's very interesting that Clark's arrival in the cornfield so many years ago inadvertently caused so many deaths as well as meteor freaks. In keeping with all the destiny and future talk, we also can consider that when Clark saved Lex's life, he saved a future supervillain who will almost certainly cause innumerable deaths.

Bits and pieces:

— Harry Volk, an elderly serial killer confined to a wheelchair, got a new K-related lease on life. Oh, to be young and killing people again. And he wasn't dead at the end. Will he be back?

— In the Iliad, Cassandra was doubly cursed by the gods. She knew the future, but no one would ever believe her. The elderly blind woman who saw the future here was named Cassandra.

— The title, "Hourglass," implied that time is running out.

— This week's cool effect: Harry's knife breaking into pieces on Clark's chest. In slomo, no less.

Three 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.

3 comments:

  1. It's always great rewatching shows and seeing the guest stars are actors/actresses you love now, like Eric Christien Olsen in this episode as the young Henry, and Amy Adams in the next one as Jody. :D Such an awesome feeling, seeing them and then screaming their names.

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  2. I'd forgotten about this episode, but it is very interesting to watch having seen all ten years of the show. I really enjoyed it.

    Greg -- LOL. I sat through half the episode thinking that I knew young Harry, but unable to place him. I finally gave up and resorted to IMDB, at which point I just shook my head and muttered, but of course. Marty Deeks as a young man...

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  3. Maybe in my top 10 episodes of the whole series.

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