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Smallville: Abandoned

Lois: "Aw, Shelby, come on. I am Watson to his Holmes, Cher to his Sonny. Just like you're Scooby to his Shaggy."

There were several intertwining stories in this episode: Lois's encounter with her long-dead mother, Clark seeing his biological parents for the first time as they really were, and Tess discovering the identity of her biological father. Guess which two stories I liked, and which one I didn't?

One thing I've always liked about Smallville is the way they acknowledge the Superman movies and series that came before them. It was lovely and appropriate that they cast Teri Hatcher from Lois & Clark as Lois's long dead mother. And I really loved Julian Sands and Helen Slater returning as Jor-El and Lara. Clark finally saw them as they truly were and in their final moments – not as automated Fortress occupants or clones or whatever. It was a terrific ending to the conflict between Clark and "Jor-El." I also liked the parallel that Lois also saw her mother at the end of her life, and as she truly was.

It appeared for awhile that they were setting up a situation where Lois and Clark would be forced to forget that they loved each other, and I really appreciate that they didn't subject us to that. Instead, Clark had a ring. A ring? Yes, they've known each other for years and Clark saw the future, but isn't that a bit quick?

Moving right along... to Tess, who just found out that she is a Luthor. Tess is a character I've never liked or cared about, and I have zero emotional investment in her, so I really don't want her to be a Luthor. However, I will acknowledge that this new development did not come out of left field; there have been hints for quite awhile. And I will also acknowledge that I am happy with anything that will bring John Glover back to the series in any way whatsoever.

But come on. Tess is a Luthor?

Tess's real name is Lutessa Lena Luthor, and her mother was listed as "Pamela Jenkins." I knew I'd heard that name before, and I have; she was Lex's nanny in "Crush." I don't remember – who was Paul Wesley's mother? I've spaced it out, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Pamela Jenkins. Lionel certainly got around, didn't he?

Granny Goodness was creepy, I'll give them that. Although it seemed like a weird contrast that she was raising ninja girl assassins in a Victorian orphanage. The rest of the Darkseid-related stuff just went right over my head. If I had a comic book background I'd probably be tracking it better. Sorry about that.

Bits and pieces: (I actually have bits and pieces for this episode)

— The blue bird that Lois's mother left her was this week's Most Obvious Symbolism. A flying blue object of hope? Really?

— Did Lois's mother do tapes for Lucy, too?

— When little Tess ran toward the old Victorian cupboard, I expected her to exit into Narnia. Really.

— Someone scratched "Somebody save me" on the wall at the orphanage. Nice touch; it made me smile.

— Please tell me that Tess never slept with Lex? I honestly don't remember.

— In this week's hair report, Teri Hatcher was wearing something close to her original Lois hairdo from Lois & Clark. Yes, I watched Lois & Clark. I liked it, too.

— "Hello... Mister El?"

Let's see. Four out of four blue birds for the Lois and Clark parental unit plot. Two out of four Victorian orphanages for the Tess plot. That makes three. What did you guys think?

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. I don't think Tess even overlapped with Lex in terms of appearances? Wasn't she his replacement?

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  2. I think it did what it had to do. I've never been a Tess fan myself but this season I've been glad that finally, FINALLY they've decided on her as a good guy, so her not trying to pull off the Lex-wannabe schtick is better. I'm not too emotionally invested in Tess as well but I think that they'll at least give her a nice conclusion in the series. But a Luthor? I think that's a little tacked-on and not ultimately important to the story.

    I've also always been confused about Jor-El. The Jor-El we hear in the Fortress has NEVER been portrayed as such whenever Jor-El has appeared in person. In person he's been nothing but nice to Clark but Fortress Jor-El seems to be much too harsh all the time - surely Kryptonian tech is good enough to more accurately record a person's personality?

    Still I thought it was a pretty solid episode, and I like that they're no longer all stand-alones like Smallville's typical format, because connection's what they need to push him into becoming Superman.

    By the way, can anyone please please tell me if Shelby still has powers? For the life of me I can't remember anymore.

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  3. Haha thanks. I looked it up - forgot that Shelby only had powers because of some serum so it just wore off after a while.

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  4. You know what's the best thing to do when being chased by someone? Stop by a telephone to call for help while the person chasing you is right behind. In a day and age where everyone has mobiles.

    That sums up my feeling about smallville in general. :)

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  5. I totally thought "Narnia" in the teaser too! Didn't connect the "somebody save me" on the wall to theme tune at all til your review!

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  6. Please tell me that Tess never slept with Lex? I honestly don't remember.

    During the re-watch, this was one of the details I was watching for. Although it is never specifically stated that Lex and Tess slept together, it is certainly implied when she first turns up. And, we all know how often Lex denies himself company in bed.

    It is also implied in the last episode when young Lex has a go at her about aligning herself with powerful men. As two of the others listed, (Oliver and Zod) we have seen her in bed with, I think the implication is clear. However, Clark is included in that list as well, and we know that he's only slept with two women in his entire life.

    I know -- raises the ick factor considerably, but as we were never told specifically, let's just let this ret-con go by and move on...

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