Smallville's Back, and Everything Has Changed
Action! Adventure! Drama! Romance! Mystery! The season premiere of Smallville had it all, and we're thrilled it's back. They did a great job of using the episode to set up the next phase of Clark Kent's life. Superman, here we come!
Everyone was searching for something this episode -- the Justice League folks were looking for Clark, Lois was trying to track down Chloe, and the mysterious Tess Mercer and her minions were searching for Lex. Unfortunately, no one had an easy time of it.
Let's take Clark first. He's been stripped of his powers and left for dead. Fortunately, he was picked up by a ship somewhere in the Arctic Circle. Unfortunately, that somehow meant he was enslaved by brutal Russian caviar poachers. We're willing to go with it, if only because Clark looks really, really good when he's soaking wet and working in the rain. Rowr.
Fortunately, Ollie finally tracks him down and rescues him (after beating him up a bit. That was either savvy strategy or some unresolved issues coming out.) Unfortunately, two of Ollie's Justice League cohorts, Black Canary and Aquaman, have been nabbed by LuthorCorp thugs. That's because...
LuthorCorp has Chloe! That wasn't the Department of Domestic Security that arrested her at the end of last season, it was Lex! Somehow, Chloe has developed a super-duper-supercomputer brain (due to her encounter with Brainiac, perhaps?), and they want her to decipher encoded messages from "terrorists" -- you know, the Justice League. Chloe resists, but LuthorCorp made a solution of Chloe's mom's mind-mojo spinal fluid, so she can't fight them. She locates Ollie, who is in the building with Clark!
Ollie gets nabbed, but Clark meets up with Lois, who has infiltrated the building to look for Chloe (apparently she got the location from the thumb drive she stole from Luthor Manor when she was disguised as a French maid.) Lois gets bad-ass with a gun, and Clark has to hang out in the background, what with him being a regular guy. That regular-guy thing is a problem when Ollie gets the mind-whammy put on him and is ordered to do everything he can think of to find Lex. Apparently, that prompts Ollie to shoot Clark though the heart -- which doesn't strike us as a terribly effective interrogation technique, but what do we know. Chloe tries to heal him, but for some reason her powers don't work. Hmmm. Martian Manhunter shows up and whisks Clark into space, where he can soak up the healing power of the sun. Clark is restored and his powers return, but Manhunter is not stripped of his abilities. Bummer.
Then there's Lex -- or the absence of Lex. There's no trace of him. We meet Tess Mercer, an executive who came out of nowhere claiming to be Lex's choice to succeed him. She's really, really intent on getting Lex back. We have no idea what she's up to, but she seems formidable. Plus, at the end of the episode, she gets the Kal El mind control thingy that Lex used. THAT can't be good.
But it's not all bad news. Jimmy and Chloe reunite, and Chloe says yes to his proposal. And Clark decides it's time to move on -- he even gets a new job, writing for The Daily Planet. He and Lois will be working together!
Comments
I guess I'm still disappointed about last season's ending. I really think MR deserved a better send off--he is/was, after all, Lex Luthor -- one of Superman's arch nemeses.
That said, I have to admit being excited about SV's S8 premiere epi. However, I was left wanting and not feeling fulfilled. Durance and Ashmore are irritating actors--at least their interpretation of their characters verge on incompetence. Is it the acting or the directing? Not sure but i'm more inclined to think it's the acting. You can only have so many takes, ya know? I am just over the moon that Kara is stuck in the Phantom zone. LV was just badly cast for this role. Note to casting: can't you guys find buxom beauties (fake or natural) WHO CAN ACT?
I am not sure I'll be with it for the entire S8 run. I guess I'll have to wait and see how the writing goes--afterall, it was the writing that got me interested in SV to begin with. Short of that, I hate supporting a show out of loyalty that is based on boredom. If it sucks, it sucks. I want to support a show based on genuine excitement and interest.
The positive? I like that JH is now credited as a regular. Seeing more of GA is far better than more of Lois Lane. (I love the character of Lois Lane but just can't stand the actress playing her.) My interest has been piqued by Davis's character. As for Tess Mercer, I'm still reserving judgment. It's really nice to see new blood on the show. I just hope the writers "write them well."
Posted by: Just Tina | September 29, 2008 1:00 AM
Everyone needs to stop hatin' on the cast of Smallville!! The lesser roles are what makes it all so great. There have to be other characters to keep everything going. If they hadn't included those other roles, Smallville wouldn't have come this far. Smallville is da bomb diggity!!! My husband and I own seasons 1 thru 6 and are looking forward to 7 and 8. The whole series is awesome and I hope the writers and directors decide to take it farther than just season 8. Maybe even a movie with the real Clark Kent. Now THAT would be something to brag about.
Posted by: Melody White | September 25, 2008 1:56 AM
Most fans have always hated Lana so she isn't the reason this show is tanking. The only thing we want from the self-centered Lana is for her to show up so Clark can toss her out the door for good because she kidnaps, tortures and murders people and has never been the decent supportive kind of girl we want the hero to be with.
Nobody wanted to see Clark cheat his way into the DP just as Nois did and real Superman fans can't stand Nois, the uneducated bimbo who slept with her boss for favors, can't do her job at the DP and treats Clark badly. She is nothing like the real Lois Lane and I'm sick of having her pimped when she, and the awful actress who portrays her, are one main reason Smallville is a crash and burn this season. Dump Nois; kill her off pronto so Chloe can take her place and it would be a mercy for us all.
Of course, fans have always hated the Chimmy relationship as well and are sick of having that shoved down our throats, too. It has always been an insult to treat Chloe, the one smart girl who does exemplfy what Lois Lane should be, as they have by giving her Jimmy Olsen with the roving eye instead of giving her the hero, the one guy she supports as no one else does. It is very much ALL BAD to have Chimmy reunite because it's not what anyone wants; it's simply disgusting.
What we do want is not crumby Tess but Lex back since he and Clark should be together at the ending as they were at the beginning. The network was insane not to get MR back. They are also insane to keep pimping Nois when past ratings and ratings for this ep show she isn't what people want to see. We want to see Clark earn his way into the DP and his entrance there with no recent experience as a reporter after Chloe had to earn her way was a huge mistake. We want to see Chloe back at the DP and the Luthors taken down by Chloe and CLark, the only real investigative team on deck, PERIOD.
People have had enough of fake Nois and Clark playing house with Lana instead of acceopting his destiny. That stupid, fake stalling so TOTB could pander to Clana fans has screwed this show up royally and only some very fancy footwork right now can save it. Dump the fake, lightswitched Clark and Nois right now and bring back MR and out Chloe bakc at the DP immediately and maybe they can make some sense of this horrible season eight. But they better hurry.
Posted by: margroks | September 23, 2008 8:22 AM
This show just can`t can`t survive without kristin kreuk.she always brings big rating such as in wrath,fierce,etc.and did i mention the highest rated episodes in smallville history is nicodemous?
Posted by: D | September 20, 2008 10:08 PM
Yeah...it wasnt the device to control Clark...it was the crystal that formed the fortress.
Posted by: Matt W | September 20, 2008 8:22 PM
It was the 3 stones that formed the crystal to make the fortress that she has...I guess thats how he gets his fortress back.
Posted by: SJ | September 20, 2008 8:00 PM
I liked it but I want to see Chloe as a reporter, she is my Lois. I want to see Chlark soon as well.
I loved Tess, good actress, great choice. Kill Lois soon Tess!
The JL was great and I love that we'll see Justin Hartley in more episodes, yay!
Posted by: Mary | September 20, 2008 6:46 PM
Oawwww!! My Boo is back wit his Gang...mad excited dat smallville is back but when is him and lois gonna get together?
Posted by: latty | September 20, 2008 7:56 AM
the rating for season 8 premiere a lot LOWER(4,3) than any previous premieres.even the Lanacentric episodes Wrath(5,2) beats it!and without a doubt,it will get lower and lower!That`s what happen when the most popular actor leave the series!
Posted by: LanaRox! | September 19, 2008 10:50 PM
I don't believe the item Tess was given at the end of the show was the mind control thingy. Wasn't it the object created by the three stones from season 4? Which Clark than threw in the snow to raise up the Fortress of Solitude.
Posted by: SG | September 19, 2008 4:19 PM
I love the new season of Smallville!!! They are the best, everyone, now I only wanna see next episode to see the other new face from smallville: Doomsday!!!! I gotta say he's hot!!!!!
Posted by: Melissa | September 19, 2008 2:44 PM
Poll should have asked how hot Lois looked in the maid outfit. Erica always looks extremely hot, but the maid outfit was over the top!! She can clean my house any day.
Posted by: Bill Adams | September 19, 2008 2:31 PM