I was planning to discuss “Smallville” anyway; just didn’t want to do it the same time as “Buffy.” But a Smallville discussion seems to have broken out over there anyway. Maybe I should just start doing double BLOG entries after Tuesday nights. (Hey, Glenn, any way to move the “Smallville” related posts over here?)
Anyway…one hëll of an episode. Spoilers to follow…
PAD
Mythic. That’s what this episode was. Mythic. And what made it work so well is that we’ve had a season and a half of a young, “earthy” Clark Kent trying to comprehend a series of adolescence-related changes that make zits and voice cracking look sick in comparison. The producers brought Superman down to our level. And now, for the first time, Clark gets a big heaping glimpse of his potential. To truly comprehend where you’re going in life, you have to know where you’ve been. Clark now has an inkling, and the future is beginning to open up. Except teens don’t live or for the future; they tend to dwell in the “now.” The fact that he was staggeringly overwhelmed just from the slightest inkling of the truly stupendous destiny that awaits him rang incredibly true.
People keep comparing best moments. Was it the brilliant concept of having Chris Reeve effectively pass the torch in a role that I personally would love to see recurring? Was it the wholly unexpected and deft use of key Superman signature music–the Krypton fanfare when the Kryptonian lettering is revealed, the echo of the main Man of Steel theme minutes later?
For me, no. For me, the best moment is Clark’s concern that he might succumb to the precept of power tending to corrupt, and absolutely power corrupting absolutely…his father’s subsequently embracing him…and then the look on Jonathan’s face as it becomes clear that he is thinking, “What if this kid really IS supposed to conquer the world? Am I the equivalent of Hitler’s father?”
A daunting prospect indeed.
PAD
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I agree… that was the key moment that nailed it for me. The looks on Clark and his father’s face.
Good actors make moments like that come alive.
I agree. The episode was fantastic. I absolutely loved hearing the old movie themes. And when Clark found out he is supposed to conquer the world I was as shocked as he was. The look on Jonathan’s face.. man, that was good TV.
This season has really kicked things up a notch in my opinion. This episode and the one where Lionel and Martha were held hostage at Lexcorp are probably my two favorite eps.
I thought the moment was well done as well.
Though I speculate that CK is not reading the text right and word will be protect rather than conquer or lead.
I hadn’t watch a lot of previous episodes so I wasn’t sure the old theme hadn’t been used before, but it did have the desired effect with me.
Definitely a great episode. From the Superman insignia visible on the disc to the revelation (at last!) about Clark’s origins. Even though it was pre-empted a bit by the previews, still… to finally hear this version of Clark speak the word “Krypton”… to hear Reeve refer to him as “Kal-El”… it was just sping-tingling.
How are they gonna follow *this* up, I wonder…?
While generally good, as usual I’ve got a few nits. Would’ve been nice for Clark to at least express some curiosity why Swann had disappeared 13 years ago and was paralyzed. Yeah, they mentioned the signal and the meteor storm, but that didn’t feel quite enough for him to abandon everything.
And, since he’s still rich, I’m sorry but there’s a number of better ways than spamming the emailbox of the editor of Clark’s high school paper to contact Clark. If Swann knows that Clark and Chloe are close friends, it’s even more obvious there are better ways of contacting him.
And Chloe’s got a *lot* to learn about basic computer safeguards…and she continues to completely lose her spine. Why the heck was she apologizing to Lana at the end for something that Lana did? I tend to agree with what I’ve read on some boards that at this point Chloe should hook up with Lex to make the character interesting/get her spunk back.
On the plus side, I think Lex has pretty much figured out that Clark’s an alien. And Reeve did a very nice job as Swann (which should’ve been spelled with one n and had a first name of either Murphy, Julie, or Mort)
Tom: Virgil has its own history for guides for literary characters.
Or perhaps Christopher Reeve just didn’t want to be curt.
Ba-DUM-dum.
I generally don’t watch Smallville- it’s far too groan-inducing. But I watched this one for Chris Reeve.
The scenes with Reeve, and Clark learning his heritage were pretty good- although I think the music had alot to do with it.
The rest of the show was still pretty bad. It’s aimed at teens (or younger), and well, I’m not a teen. I mean “He called out ‘Lana’!”? The only person who could not wince at that line is a kid who has never seen/read a “love triangle story” story ever before in their life! What a cliche…
Anyhoo- cool seeing the awesome Mr. Reeve, a true Superman. Now if only common, non-rich folks had access to his level of treatments and physiotherapy, the future wouldn’t be so bleak for people with spinal cord injuries…
I did NOT like the fact that they quoted the music from the “Superman” movies without giving at least a tip of the hat to John Williams in the credits.
And yes, I’d like to see Reeve return occasionally. Maybe to correct the translation of the icon for “strength” to “strength of your heart” (to quote from another series).
They seem to be accelerating the “revelations” right now, perhaps because the “Kryptonite villain of the week” concept has finally worn out. I hate to say it, but as a long time television viewer, I’m afraid that means one thing; the show is starting its slow decline towards cancellation.
First things first; Glenn Hauman, report to room 101 for beatings with a kryptonite noodle.
Lovely to see Christpoher Reeve get screen time – ANYWHERE – and great to see that he is recovered enough to act. I concur; I would be very pleased to see him as a recurring role – after all, surely a Boy of Steel needs advice now and again from someone with a most celestial view than a farmer…?
However, I was stunned to see Schneider’s performance at the end. “That’s not going to happen to you, because _I’M_ your father.” Dear lord, that WAS Jonathan Kent! I like Annette O’Toole because I like Annette O’Toole, but every episode, I keep believing that I’m really seeing Jonathan Kent.
Chloe and Lana are still getting a little sappy, though. I mean, considering that A) Chloe has admitted to Clark that she’s the girl of his dreams, and B) she’s shown no lack of initiative and nerve, I would think that she’d at least have asked him out once already. (And she got upset because of something Clark said while he was in a coma? Good acting, but poor writing – that’s a bit much overreaction.)
As for the “Superman: The Movie” theme; there are some things grown men don’t admit to doing in public. But John Williams absolutely should have been noted; or the music shouldn’t have been used.
I really do not care for the show. It’s even worse then Daytime soaps. The dialoge is corny and the acting is incredibly bad. It only shows that DC Characters do not work on film, they barely work as monthly comics.
I’m generally not a Superman fan, but I still watch Smallville… and this week’s episode was astonishing. You have Christopher Reeve, Superman movie music, revelations about the past, the possible origin of Brainiac, and you can’t tell me the cave doesn’t have something to do with the Eradicator… This episode kept topping itself. I was more wowed by this ep than all of Buffy (and that’s saying something). Bravo.
Loved every minute of this episode. I too got chills when they played the Movie music. I think as to the “conquer” line, that perhaps instead of misreading it that Clark did not finish reading it. Perhaps it said conquer evil.
My wife didn’t understand why I was so geeked at seeing Christopher Reeve on Smallville. This is the man that will be, for me, the image in my head when someone mentions Superman or when I read my weekly Superman story. He is and always will be, the ultimate Superman, for me.
The theme music playing in his scenes was almost too much. I had an emotional overload. Seeing him doing so well makes me believe that he may walk again. I hope that he gets there.
What is wrong with having Clark sent to Earth to conquer? I have no problems with a revision of his history this way. It will add even more to his character that he was sent to conquer, but through the love and support of a “lowly” farmer and his wife (as opposed to being found by the likes of Lionel Luther), he becomes Earth’s greatest hero.
Just my opinion, but if they do not reveal that he mis-read the message, I would be fine with that. (This may be a result of the fact that I like the Elseworlds comics from DC that play with the Big 3)
I could be mistaken, but I thought that the actual wording of the translation was that Kal-El should “rule” them well. It was then his interpretation that ruling equated conquering. Perhaps Jor-el just presumed that someone with his future son’s genetic and intellectual advantages would just inevitably wind up rising to power. Something more along the lines of proud parent than genetic manipulator.
One minor point lost in the sea of mythic ones.
How many episodes/seasons before Clark sorts out his memories and remembers that, at the beginning of the episode, he was flying or at least levitating. And that he should be able to figure out how to do it at will?
As for Lana/Chloe … unless there are more serious re-writes of the Superman legend, we know Clark won’t wind up with either of them. Just as well in Chloe’s case, however, as SOME inquisitiveness is healthy, but she’d really get on my nerves after a while. Ditto Clark’s I suspect.
As for Lana, while we KNOW he probably won’t disclose his secret to her, and we know WHY, it is still frustrating as we empathize with the characters and wish he’d just TELL HER already.
As for Lex suspecting Clark’s an alien, I doubt that, because he would then pretty much have to know who Superman is in the future and that isn’t part of any reality, unless Lex somehow stays a sort-of good guy instead of becoming Supes’ nemesis.
I haven’t been watching that much “Smallville”, but like many I tuned in this week for Mr. Reeve’s appearance…very cool.
However, I don’t think that there’s too much to read into regarding the message in the ship – of course Jor-El would assume that Clark would eventually lead or conquer Earth – that possibility was shown as far back as John Byrne’s “Man of Steel” re-work of the origin and because of the excellent parenting of the Kents, he becomes our protector, instead. Also, iirc, the novelization of the original “Superman: The Motion Picture” had Jor-El contacting Albert Einstein about raising his son…?
Does anyone else think (hope)that the scientist that worked for Lex to help translate the cave and ended up in a coma as a result of being zapped with the Kryptonian knowledge ray will end up being Brainiac?
I loved this episode! After I finished watching it, I went back twice to watch the Christopher Reeve and the barn scenes again. Now I want to see how Martha will react when she hears about the message.
I think that the ship’s message is probably exactly as Clark read it, and that would make perfect sense. The Krypton from Smallville probably isn’t the one from the Superman movies or from the golden and silver age comics, but rather the one from John Byrne’s relaunch after “Crisis on Infinite Earths”. The one where everyone lived isolated from each other and the leaders were the most powerful among them. Where Kryptonians looked at and dealt with those they considered inferior in much the same way that feudal lords used to do here on Earth. Also, I haven’t read those issues in years, so someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that one of the main reasons Jor-El chose to send Clark to Earth (as opposed to some other planet) was that he expected that the powers he knew Clark would develop would make him the obvious choice for ruler of the planet.
On another matter, I’ve been wondering about Martha’s baby, where the show might possibly go with it. Everyone knows that Clark has never had any siblings, and to give him one now would be a major departure from everything that’s ever been said about the character. So I was thinking that Martha would probably end up loosing the baby somehow, until it hit me just now that maybe she’ll have a baby girl instead that they’ll name Kara, and that’s how Supergirl will come about. That’s not as farfetched as it sounds, the ship had a big role in this pregnancy, so who’s to say that the baby wouldn’t be at least part Kryptonian? And maybe also have an accelerated growth rate so that the show doesn’t have to deal with a baby for too long. Maybe this was part of the show’s Jor-El’s plan all along, to give his son someone who’d be a “suitable” bride, with whom he could perpetuate the Krytonian race.
PAD, as the person who’s, in my mind, the premier Supergirl scribe I’m curious as to what you think of this theory.
Raphy
For those concerned about the future, remember we don’t have to be a slave to continuity. Its very possible that this time line has Lex knowing who Superman is from day one. Lex could go on for his life trying to win Clark over to his point of view and Clark holding back defeating Lex because of their past friendship hoping to save him one day.
Originally posted by Tom: It will add even more to his character that he was sent to conquer, but through the love and support of a “lowly” farmer and his wife (as opposed to being found by the likes of Lionel Luther), he becomes Earth’s greatest hero.
So when do you think we’ll see the episode when Clark is shown what his life would have been like had he been found by Lionel. Isn’t an alternate future show required for a show like this?
Rob R.
“As for Lana, while we KNOW he probably won’t disclose his secret to her, and we know WHY, it is still frustrating as we empathize with the characters and wish he’d just TELL HER already.”
I didn’t watch the Superman animated series that much (I was never home when it was on), but I did catch one episode where Superman runs into Lana in Metropolis and she know’s he’s Clark. He asks how she knows and she says (paraphrasing here) “After all the weird stuff that happened when you were around back in Smallville, as soon as I heard about this Superman character showing up, I knew it was you.” And it makes sense. I can easily see Smallville (the TV show) Lana coming to that conclusion after seeing Superman in action. Chloe even more so.
I’ve always felt Smallville is an “Elseworlds” story, and anything could happen. The writers know the basics of the Superman mythos but don’t feel bound to it.
As to the whole thing of “Does Luthor know?” …remember some of the forehsadowing that’s been done, both in what Clark was told some of the cave wall writings meant and in the comics Lex used to read. (What were they called? “Avenging Angel” or something like that?) Two friends (or brothers), and one of them wants the other to use his power to make them both rule the world. He refuses, and it results in a great split which makes them mortal enemies.
Lex is figuring out Clark has the power. Clark is figuring out he’s been sent here to rule the world. The pieces are falling into place.
The forshadowing could be fulfilled in two different ways: Either the obvious way, where Lex will say to Clark “let’s rule the world together” and Clark refuses, or — in a wilder twist — Clark starts to adopt an “I know what’s best for people” attitude and start taking over, and Lex, not wanting someone else telling him how to live, now has to stop him.
And every example people have given here about this episode– Christopher Reeve passing the torch, the use of the original music, John Schneider’s performance at the end, all of it– make this, for me, the best Smallville episode ever.
Lots of great comments already that my feelings echo, so I’ll keep it short.
Superman music = great stuff. Great use of Reeve, whom I dearly hope recurs.
The PSA with Reeve and Welling was just really, really well-done; I liked how the jocularity and crew cracking up kept it from being a sterile “After School Special” moment.
Incidentally, maybe it’s just the lighting and camera work, but Reeve is looking better than he has in some time.
John Schneider is really carving out the role of a lifetime here; as others have said, he IS Pa Kent. He had many great moments, like the look on his face at the end. Another one I liked was when they opened up the ship — “It’s hard to believe you were ever this small.” In the midst of all the galactic revelations and earth-shaking moments, we have this subtle moment of plain old humanity and where-did-the-years-go fatherhood. I loved it.
Like so many others, I watched Smallville some last year and got turned off by the critter-of-the-week moments, but starting with the Psychic Boy episode things started to come together more. Some people mark shows by when they jump the shark and go downhill: I think we can mark “Smallville” by the Jump The Daily Planet episode in January as where it started to really fly.
Paul F. P. Pogue
I can see where the professor got zapped from the disk where has the potential to be a future Brainac. But whatever information he got overloaded on, Clark missed out on. Could that have been the part where he found out about his society on Krypton (not just on his pontential on Earth.) Could that information have changed Clark personality to more that of Kal El of Krypton wiping whatever values he would have already been exposed to? Could that have been the ultimate speeding bullet that was dodged?
It would be funny if the professor woke up from his coma thinking he was this all powerful overlord trying to take over the world because he thinks he’s from Krypton. Then he would seek ways to advance himself, adding all sorts of mechanical gizmos to aid his weak body, and before long he would be mostly all mechanical.
Hmm…..
Been too long since I’ve read it, but I do recall a conversation between Jor-El and Lara about Kal-El being powerful and potentialy ruling the planet. I seem to recall that Jor-El has higher hopes for him though.
I suspect we’ll get a holo-Jor-El showing up in the season finale, to explain the message in the ship.
I personaly really liked Clark’s blue sweater and red jacket in his meeting with Swann.
Thoroughly, thoroughly dug the mythic tropes thrown into this week’s Smallville. That’s one of the show’s real strengths, in my opinion, and they outdid themselves there.
I’m forced to wonder how long it’ll take before Lex confronts Clark with the “obvious truth.” After all, all of the facts are there: wakes up in out-of-the-ordinary places (in one case after an explosion), suddenly knew how to read an alien language, symbol burned on the barn…
Clark’s being abducted by aliens. Makes much more sense than Clark actually being an alien.
It’d be clever for Lex’s effort to protect his would-be surrogate family from alien interference would help spur him to the dark side. Definitely looking forward to whatever direction the writers choose to take from here on out.
How many episodes/seasons before Clark sorts out his memories and remembers that, at the beginning of the episode, he was flying or at least levitating.
Well, that was a dream sequence. But later in the episode, Clark wondered whether he’d been sleepwalking or had ended up up in the middle of road doing something else in his sleep, which suggests to me that he may have an inkling that he can fly, even if he can’t do it consciously.
I think this episode soared for many reasons, from Reeve’s guest shot to the music to the acting by Welling and Schneider to the possible twists to Kal-El’s role on Earth.
But something else occured to me. Smallville spends too much of its time aping other shows, mainly Buffy and X-Files. On the occasions, like this week, when the show remembers it is first and foremost about the youth who becomes Superman, it is so much better. Those involved should remember that. Don’t try to be something else – you can’t top Buffy for being Buffy, etc. Just be what you are. Be the story of Clark Kent, and let us watch as he slowly gropes his way towards his destiny, towards understanding what it means to be the last son of Krypton and also the first son of Jonathan and Martha Kent, to be so powerful and yet learn how to use those powers. This week, we got all that, and it rocked.
How many episodes/seasons before Clark sorts out his memories and remembers that, at the beginning of the episode, he was flying or at least levitating. And that he should be able to figure out how to do it at will?
I’m guessing another two-and-a-half seasons. Maybe longer, if the series continues after Clark leaves high school. I suspect that around about the final episode of Smallville, Clark will learn to fly, and perhaps decide that he looks good in red and blue.
As for Lana/Chloe … unless there are more serious re-writes of the Superman legend, we know Clark won’t wind up with either of them. Just as well in Chloe’s case, however, as SOME inquisitiveness is healthy, but she’d really get on my nerves after a while. Ditto Clark’s I suspect.
What I’ve been wondering is, if Chloe is such a brilliant reporter, how come she’s the only person in town who doesn’t suspect that Clark is an alien?
As for Lana, while we KNOW he probably won’t disclose his secret to her, and we know WHY, it is still frustrating as we empathize with the characters and wish he’d just TELL HER already.
Wasn’t there a scene at the end of Jeph Loeb’s Superman for All Seasons comic book in which Clark told Lana his secret? And doesn’t Jeph Loeb write for Smallville?
Of course, I may be remembering wrong. But even so, a lot of the Smallville folks worked on the extremely non-continuity Birds of Prey TV show, so who knows what they’ll do?
–Daniel
I don’t have it in front of me, but in MOS #1 by Byrne, as Kal-El was being sent to Earth, Jor-El was talking of the abilities he would have there, and Lara asked “What then? Will he shape them to proper Kryptonian ways?” And Jor-El said, “Perhaps, Lara, perhaps…” Not an expectation that he would rule. Just two people wondering what would become of their son in what they considered a vastly inferior civilization.
And personally, I still love the idea of a Lex who never turns into his father, or the Lex from the comics, and stays an ally. There’s no reason to be a slave to what the comics have done, after all, and it seems unwarranted to assume the show will have to follow the beaten path.
Wasn’t there a scene at the end of Jeph Loeb’s Superman for All Seasons comic book in which Clark told Lana his secret?
Actually, I think he did that back in MOS #1 by Byrne as well, though it was shown again in Superman For All Seasons #1.
I know too much about these things. My excuse is I just reread SFAS last week and I’m sticking to it.
I don’t think anyone mentioned the nod to Curt Swann, legendary penciler of the old Superman stories. Giving the scientist the same last name was a very nice touch. Also, I wonder if Clark actually is NOT the fulfillment of the N’man (or however it’s spelled) prophecy in the cave. What if someone else was supposed to come back? What if there’ll be another Kryptonian visitor soon? Maybe the key is generic, like a house key, or computer disk, and must be programmed for specific functions?
Also, someone mentioned the Superman symbol on the key. I assume they ment that diamond with the “8” in it. That’s actually an authentic Kryptonian letter that you can see in the comics, and though it’s close, it’s no more the S-shield than A capital T is a capital I. Looks cool, though, doesn’t it?
As I remember, Clark has levitated once, early in the 1st season: when he woke up from a dream about Lana to find himself floating three feat above his bed. Yes, that kind of dream.
Considering he’s already had another power activate from a puberty-related incident (when his heat vision started up), I think Clark needs to think seriously about a daily infusiuon of saltpeter. 🙂
Lots of stuff here. I could just “me too” all the stuff about Reeve, the music from the movie, etc, but it was a great episode and shows that the show is moving beyond the teen angst mutant of the week format that it had begun with.
Just a few thoughts:
On the messages: I think Clark did read the one in the ship wrong or one of them is a fake. It seems contradictory that Jor-El would ask the people of Earth to protect Kal-El from evil on one hand, yet tell him to be their god. Now one could worship a god who needs their protection. On the other hand, maybe the Red K rocks are designed to bring about some kind of internal programming that Jor-El put in Clark’s head. Maybe “Evil Clark” is the conquering who is repressed only by the the loving guidance of the Kents. Still, I’m glad to see that Clark is finally learning about Krypton and I’m sure they’ll eventually get around to explaining how the cave paintings came about.
On Pete: Pre-crisis, Pete knew Clark’s secret. Although he didn’t tell Clark he knew until they were both adults, he did secretly cover for him for years. When Byrne was hired to revamp Superman, he switched to having Clark reveal his powers to Lana, which was following in the animated series. As someone who didn’t much care for Byrne’s revamp, I am glad they decided to let Pete in on the secret. Otherwise, his character was in danger of getting lost in between the Lex-Clark friendship and the Lana-Clark-Chloe triangle.
On Lex and Lionel: I think in this version, Lex will figure out Clark’s secret before he becomes Superman. They can only show him digging into Clark’s life so long without him actually finding something. Lionel, I’m sure knows the truth already. He had the Key, he had the bullets that “Evil Clark” had snatched, he knows Clark’s adoption is a sham and who knows how long he’d really been faking his blindness. Those files he was keeping had to have to say more than just “Clark keeps showing up when trouble happens.”
On Chloe: Chloe is such a natural snoop, so I was a bit annoyed that she blew up at Lana for snooping, but maybe most snoops are extra protective on their own privacy. Quite frankly, after Clark took all of two seconds to save her from being buried alive, I’m surprised that she doesn’t already think Clark is green K mutant.
I’m thinking about her future as character. She constantly dreams of working for the Daily Planet, where we know Clark will end up. Since she’s the only character who doesn’t exist in the comics, the producers have greater freedom with her. I suspect that as the series comes to an end, she learn about Clark’s powers only to die herself and Clark vows to become the reporter that she was born to be.
I have to agree with Greatbear.
The two messages don’t make sense when put together. “protect him and deliver him from evil” and “rule them”?
***
My question is about the “hope” message burned into the barn. I don’t get it. Why would (whatever took over Clark) want to burn the word “hope”? Why burn anything at all? How did (whatever took over Clark) control him (to get the angle right, to not burn anyone, to not send the beams on to the side of a barn and not out into the air)?
Lex could always think Clark is another krypto-freak that’s evaded detection thus far.
Y’know, Lex’s been my favorite character in this series… #2’s Clark. Michael Rosenbaum’s been playing him brillantly- every scene is played with studied ambiguiousness. He’s charming enough for you to want him to be good, but you can see his dark side, plus the eventual “Lex Luthor” future.
The writers have done a very good job with Lex’s character so far. Bringing in Lionel was a brilliant move- it helped delay Lex’s eventual transformation by having Lionel take over the Kent investigation. This way, the logical progression- a Luthor discovers Clark’s secret- continues but it’s not Lex who does it.
Then you have little road markers along Lex’s dark journey- his growing jealousy of Clark’s home life and family, the constant evasiveness on Clark’s part, his girlfriend knowing and withholding secrets regarding Clark from Lex, and the revelation that Clark is (or will be) a nearly unstoppable alien lifeform… setting up Lex’s antagonist role. There’s no evil on/off switch here… simply a logical progression leading Lex to think negatively of Clark.
Evil’s not really evil… it’s just another way of thinking about things. In John Byrne’s revamp of Superman- he showed Lex’s mindset clearly when Lex gained proof that Clark Kent IS Superman, and he discounted it on the basis that a person with such powers as Superman wouldn’t try to fit in with Humanity. That’s the very idea that SMALLVILLE’s Lionel has taught Lex.
About Lex being aware of Clark’s identity in his Superman guise- I recall the pre-Crisis DC continuity had Superboy and Lex as friends- didn’t Lex pretty much know Superboy was Clark? Just a question for others more versed in pre-Crisis lore than I. In any case, the writers have a deus ex machina to fall back on- (as they’ve done twice this season already)- the ship. It wouldn’t be out of bounds in conventional scifi/fantasy writing to have the ship wipe the memories of the people of Smallville, including Lex. All that would remain would be an subconscious hatred/antagonism/fear of Superman. The writers can always pull out more alien artifacts out of their ášš later on down the road (the cave wall octagon’s probably one such artifact). Pardon my crudeness- but that signifies my disdain of the utterly conventional/predictable twists the writers sometimes serve up. (This is the kind of thinking that gave Superman the dreaded flying S shield power in Superman II, after all!)
Finally- an minor(?) point- Lex said that another foundation has been trying to take control of the caves. He suspected Lionel. Why not Virgil Swann? The good doctor owns several charitable foundations…Just saying since noone else has said it yet.
eddie
About Lex being aware of Clark’s identity in his Superman guise- I recall the pre-Crisis DC continuity had Superboy and Lex as friends- didn’t Lex pretty much know Superboy was Clark? Just a question for others more versed in pre-Crisis lore than I.
No, the pre-crisis Lex never knew who Superboy was, but the post-crisis President Luthor recently learned Superman’s secret ID. Unlike the first time, when Byrne had Luthor see all the pieces but refused to believe them, this time, he was smart enough to accept it, though his memory was erased of it by Manchester Black.
Finally- an minor(?) point- Lex said that another foundation has been trying to take control of the caves. He suspected Lionel. Why not Virgil Swann? The good doctor owns several charitable foundations…Just saying since noone else has said it yet.
Could be. I guess it depends on whether Reeve’s appearance is a one-time thing or if he can be convinced to do it again. Hëll, if airing that PSA spot is all it takes to bring back as a semi-regular, let’s do it!
Lots of people have questions about the show and to me, that’s the mark of good writing. It keeps you guessing and if you’re curious enough, you’ll keep tuning in to find the answers. Personally I hope the season cliff-hanger has Clark going on a bit of a power trip and it’s only Lex who can put on the White hat and save the day. There are so many possibilities and it’s going to be great to watch which ones unravel.
For those who think the show is “bad” and the writing is for kids remember the network that airs it has a primarily teen audience. If the show had no teen angst, it would probably be on one of the big 3. Smallville appeals to many different ages and to people in and out of the comic world. I honestly believe that if you don’t like the show, you probably don’t like Superman to begin with.
In the end, it’s entertainment and for the now, it’s pretty darn entertaining.
Another quick thought: While we already have a tribute to the greatest of all Supermen in bringing back Chris Reeve, and a tribute to the great Curt Swan, do we also have a tribute to Sir Arthur C. Clarke? Something about how Dr. Swann is dressed reminds me of how Sir Arthur would dress now and again in some of his more formal public appearances. And Sir Arthur is the real world visionary who suggested the idea of communications satellites in the first place. So is having the visionary Dr. Swann, master of the communications satellite, meant to salute Sir Arthur as well?
There was talk a while ago that Reeve’s character may return (likely for sweeps/finales)….
There is nothing contradictory between the two messages. The “Protect this child” message was for the public. The “Rule them” was for Kal-El. If you were sending your child to become a ruler over people, you don’t say, “Please raise my son, who will one day enslave you.”
Reportedly, Loeb was brought in after Miller/Gough read Man for All Seasons. They then hired Loeb to put the comic nods in the show.
On Chloe and snooping..it’s one thing if Lana had looked at a report she was doing…it’s another when her known rival for the most important thing in her life see’s her secret file of Clark pics.
Just imagine how she’d freak had she learned Lana read the speech she gave Coma Clark…(of course with this shows piss poor continutity, not like that’d happen).
News flash (not on the topic of Smallville). Fred Rogers (yes, Mr. Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighboorhood”) passed away today. RIP.
Chris
The two messages don’t make sense when put together. “protect him and deliver him from evil” and “rule them”?
I don’t think there’s really a conflict here. The first message was a “public broadcast” by the ship for anyone who might be listening, while the second one was a secret message inside the ship; clearly intended for Kal-El’s eyes only.
Raphy
I know the messages were for two different audiences, but that’s not the point. The point is, they’re supposedly from the same sender: Jor-El. I’m just having trouble figuring out how Jor-El expected the people of earth to follow “the god among men” when he tells them that he needs THEIR protection.
Well, it makes sense in that he can’t be a “god among men” when he’s still a kid and doesn’t have his powers yet. Would you prefer the message had said “Please protect this child until he’s powerful enough to kick your butts and make you obey him.”?:)
A bunch of good comments and observations! I agree with the folks who advise treating this like an “Elseworlds” book – comic book movies have always had their own canon separate from the books anyway. I had no problem, Tyg, with Chloe apologizing even though Lana did the snooping; it’s what friends do. Chloe realize she overreacted, she said she didn’t have a good handle on her emotions where Clark was concerned, and she genuinely cares about Lana. I actually liked the “after-school special” B-plot this time.
One thing nobody mentioned so I guess I can: what happens after Clark activates the cave with the key. The opening is shaped like the Superman shield, of course, and the symbols light up in the familiar-to-fans primary colors (red, blue and yellow). Even the ray that shines through him, infusing him with Kryptonian knowledge (and I think we’ve only seen the tip of that iceberg so far), resembles the primary-colored “flying trail” that’s been depicted in a lot of the comics. Very strong episode all around, everything held together fairly well (with the possible exception of Lex conveniently retrieving Clark’s cast-off scrap paper at the Talon, as Clark threw it and left before Lex arrived) which pleased me because this show does have a tendency at times toward plot holes through which you could pilot a spaceship.
Well here goes:
1) The inclusion of the Movie theme into the score was brilliant.
2) Schneider’s look was great, but the look on Clark’s face that said “Sorry, but a hug is not gonna take care of this,” was priceless.
3) In my opinion, they should just can any Superman film until after this series is over. You’ve watched him for years, and the pay off is a movie… with him in the suit.
4) I’ve watched this continuously, and Reeves did a hëll of a job. Let’s not get carried away and have Dean Cain as Jor-El.
5) The concept that he was brought to rule is brilliant, and Gough and Miller did a hëll of a job with the writing on this one, but it still brings up questions (which is a good thing);
a) Just who taught the Native Americans to write Kryptonese.
b) Or did someone else come and write and put all the pyrotechnics in the cave.
6) Rosenbaum is good, but Glover as Lionel can steal the show if they don’t watch it.
7) A buddy thinks that Chloe Sullivan will change her name to Lois Lane… of course I read somewhere that she’s Lois’s cousin.
8) Who needs to call it Elseworlds? Call it good television.
9) ANyone else thinks this is too Larry King?
10) and finally, we’ve had some great episodes, but every one needs a laugh… sorta like “Heat.” Get a good funny episode just for it… and isn’t Clark being a jerk these days?
Travis
I wouldn’t say he’s being a jerk. He’s being a 17-year old kid who has a tremendous responsibility and is not sure where he fits in the world. Sure, he’s going to get impatient and screw up. That’s normal.
Travis brings up a point I was also about to do; namely, how did all that Krypton stuff get in the cave, and how could Jor-El know 1) that it was there 2) that the key from the spaceship would active stuff in the cave/be activated by stuff in the cave (gotta teach Kal-El to read) 3) that Clark would ever find the cave in the first place (oops, ship lands 40 miles away in the next town over, Clark never has any reason to go to that particular cave…and even with landing in Smallville, it was long odds he’d go into it).
Other thing Clark et al should be concerned about is the ship/key’s ability to control him physically re the heat vision symbol writing. No reason to think that isn’t going to happen again.
On the other hand, when Clark was first hearing the ultrasonic noise, my first thought was that Dr. Swann was trying to summon him with a varient of Jimmy Olsen’s signal watch. 🙂
Travis wrote:
7) A buddy thinks that Chloe Sullivan will change her name to Lois Lane… of course I read somewhere that she’s Lois’s cousin.
PAD also suggested that in a recent BID column.
Since I read PAD’s suggestion I’ve been much more interested in the Chloe/Lana/Clark love triangle. Before I was bored of it – I thought, he’s not going to end up with either, so get over it already. With this possibility in now my head, the teen angst is refreshed and more enjoyable. (Yes, I’m 26, but I still enjoy teen-ansty stuff. :D)
Yolande
I just watched the tape of this week’s episode. WOW! I’m glad I was alone because I don’t think the sight of a 47 yr. old screaming out and then tearing up when they started to play the Theme would have been pretty!
I agree with one of the comments above; I also got a chill when Swann called Clark “Kal-El”.