Smallville“Identity”
Original Air Date: Oct 30, 2008
Charles - TwoCents Reviewer
charles@thetwocentscorp.com
When I first began watching Smallville, my favorite episodes were always those in which Clark took specific steps toward becoming Superman. Then the show hit a bit of a lull, and lost track of the legend for a few seasons. But this season has been delightful, full of “mythology” episodes that have been bringing us closer and closer to the fulfillment of Clark’s destiny. Last night’s episode was the strongest of these yet, and contained several plot points that had me yelling “Woo-hoo!” at the TV. Let’s review:
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[photo: Michael Courtney/The CW]
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Smallville
ReplyDelete“Identity”
Original Air Date: Oct 30, 2008
Charles - TwoCents Reviewer
charles@thetwocentscorp.com
When I first began watching Smallville, my favorite episodes were always those in which Clark took specific steps toward becoming Superman. Then the show hit a bit of a lull, and lost track of the legend for a few seasons. But this season has been delightful, full of “mythology” episodes that have been bringing us closer and closer to the fulfillment of Clark’s destiny. Last night’s episode was the strongest of these yet, and contained several plot points that had me yelling “Woo-hoo!” at the TV. Let’s review:
The teaser sets the tone for the whole episode. Jimmy and Lois are walking the streets of Metropolis, and Jimmy is trying to convince his colleague that the city is harboring a mysterious hero. Lois is skeptical and points to Jimmy’s lack of photographic evidence of such a hero. Coincidentally, a mugger steps out from a dark alley, knocks Jimmy to the ground, and tries to grab Lois’ purse. Lois goes into karate mode and fights back, calling for Jimmy to take a picture of the mugger’s face. As Jimmy reaches for his camera, Lois is knocked into the street, directly in the path of an oncoming SUV! Fortunately, someone (guess who) is there to save her. Jimmy’s camera goes off while Clark is in super-speed mode. Clark has finally been caught in the act!
That is a long summary of what was really a fast-paced opener. After the credits, the first scene opens at the Daily Planet, where Jimmy is showing Clark the picture he took. All the picture shows is a red and blue blur, but Clark instantly begins to debunk the shot, telling Jimmy that the picture proves nothing. Jimmy has received permission from Tess for Clark to write the story that will accompany the photo, but Clark wants no part of it. Meanwhile, a new reporter named Sebastian Kane introduces himself to Lois and is able to flashback into her memory when he shakes her hand. Lois is intrigued by Kane’s reporting experience and accepts his invitation to dinner. We next see Kane conferring with Tess, who knows him from Blackcreek. Turns out that Kane is a “memory thief” whom Tess has employed in order to find out who stole that crystal she found in the Arctic. Kane likes Lois and isn’t comfortable with using her, but Tess blackmails him by threatening to expose his powers. Clark, anxious about Jimmy’s photo, meets up with Chloe, who suggests that Clark should adopt an alter-ego and that the world needs a hero.
After complaining to Tess about Jimmy’s lack of a real story, Clark starts rummaging through Jimmy’s bags in Chloe’s apartment, looking for his camera. Lois interrupts Clark’s search when she arrives to prepare for her date with Kane. After some bantering about Lois’ wardrobe choice (hawt!), she dismisses Clark when Kane shows up. Clark returns to the farm and gets busy hiding his red and blue clothes before Jimmy pays a visit. Jimmy wants to share his research on the mystery hero with Clark. Jimmy’s managed to figure out pretty much everything, but seeing a Kent family photo (with Clark in his red and blues) is the final proof. Jimmy knows that Clark must be the mystery hero!
In desperation, Clark conspires with Chloe to throw Jimmy off the trail. When Jimmy arrives, questioning how Clark got to Chloe before he did, he comes to the further realization that Chloe knows Clark’s secret and has been keeping it from Jimmy all this time. But he still has no solid proof, as Clark points out. Clark next visits Oliver for help. Ollie is on his private jet with a bevy of young women, preparing for a vacation destination. (When is Oliver going to make a guest appearance on Entourage?) Clark scolds Oliver for his excessive partying, while Ollie tells Clark it’s time for him to “step up” to his responsibilities. Clark expresses his concern for Jimmy’s safety, and Oliver agrees to help persuade Jimmy that Clark is not the mystery hero. Meanwhile, Lois is telling Kane about the fortune teller who told her that she is destined to fall in love for a guy who “flies a lot and likes to wear tights”. Kane wants to read Lois’ palm and learns that Lois already knows that he was in Blackcreek (which she learned from accessing the flash drive she stole from Tess). Kane gets a call from Tess, who is parked outside waiting for dirt on Lois. Kane tells her that Lois doesn’t have the crystal, and Tess targets Jimmy as her next suspect. Returning Lois home, Kane tries to get her to invite him in, but Lois is done for the evening. Kane breaks into her apartment anyway and demands that she return the flash drive.
With the cooperation of Chloe and Oliver, Clark has set up a little scenario to prove to Jimmy that he cannot be the mystery hero. Just as the plan is about to go into motion, Clark receives Lois’ phone call for help. Clark dashes off to help, leaving Jimmy at the mercy of the same Metropolis mugger he encountered at the beginning of the episode. Oliver realizes that things are not going according to plan, and goes into action wearing the red cape Clark picked out for him. Ollie saves Jimmy from the mugger, just as Clark returns to the scene. They both look up to see Oliver on top of a building, with his red cape billowing above an American flag. Hero sighting! Jimmy is suitably impressed that he has finally seen his hero, and Clark registers the enthusiastic response of the people in the street. Maybe Metropolis IS ready for a hero!
Jimmy gets his cover story with a headline that reads—get ready—“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet!” Woo-hoo moment #1! Jimmy tells Clark he’s the kind of guy that people can count on, even if he’s not the mystery hero. Lois, who has now been saved twice in two days, claims that she’s been working undercover to expose the mystery hero all along! Her new mission, she tells Clark, is to score the first exclusive interview with the hero. Woo-hoo moment #2! All this commotion has got Clark thinking about his destiny, he tells Oliver. He’s down with giving people hope and something to believe in. Woo-hoo moment #3! Oliver realizes that being Green Arrow is ten times more exciting than flying around with babes on his private jet and is ready to meet up with the members of the League again. Oliver tells Clark how cool it is to wear a cape, but Clark isn’t impressed. He tells Oliver that he’s not going to be wearing a cape “in this lifetime.”
The final scene sets a darker tone as Chloe visits Kane in the hospital, drains his abilities and his memory, and seemingly leaves him for dead. Is this the rise of Dark Chloe?
It’s great to see Smallville become about Superman again. What do you think? Are you ready at last to see flights and/or tights on the show? What were your woo-hoo moments? Are we being set up for Chloe’s exit from the Legend of Clark? State your identity in the comments!