On Friday’s Smallville, we had one of the oddest but most fitting episodes of the season. In this episode, Clark learns of the Kryptonians on Earth, and also learns that his father, Jor-El, is on Earth as well. How did it work? Well, let’s see.
Mostly, I would say it did. While it would seem like a sweeps stunt to have Kal-El’s dad show up as if out of nowhere, that’s exactly what it is. It is November after all. But it isn’t that Jor-El didn’t die on Krypton after all. He did. The whole concept behind the orb was revealed, and it was in fact Jor-El that sent it to Earth, but these were clones of the Kryptonians. And the clones are powerless because of exposure to blue Kryptonite. So Major Zod has a legitimate beef with Jor-El.
It also turns out that Clark’s Kryptonian father had been to Earth before, and even visited Smallville. He knew a Hiram Kent (I’m assuming Pa Kent’s…Pa) and had many fond memories of the Kent family and the love they give to everyone. It was a nice moment that explained Clark landing in Smallville of all places, and also humanized a character that had been kind of a dick for the better part of the series.
Jor-El, played by the British actor Julian Sands, played the role with a surprising amount of humility. I was not expecting such a characterization of the character. Sure Jor-El is a noble character, but he’s also kind of arrogant and self-important. His relationship with Zod was particularly interesting, explaining why they have such a strained relationship (at best). I think this episode benefited Zod more than anyone, because we have some more insight into his character.
Lois, played by the luminous Erica Durance, was noticeably absent this episode. That really is kind of a shame, but now that Clark and Oliver have patched things up, we have them to rely on for the tension, seeing as how they’re both interested in the same woman. Chloe was more or less in the background, but still played a pivotal role in the episode. She also had the quote of the week, referring to Clark’s feelings for Lois dating back to the 1930’s. While not entirely hilarious, it was a cute little homage to the history of the relationship they shared.
Overall, I think it was a serviceable episode. There were some slight problems I had, mostly nitpicks. I thought the explanation of the symbols on Earth and why Jor-El’s was glass was a little hokey. I felt like I had switched it to Bill Nye the Science Guy, getting an overwrought and ham-fisted explanation to something that was so simple. There was also a lot of good, namely the flashbacks to Krypton, and the burgeoning rivalry between the two Kryptonian leaders. I liked their uniforms on their homeworld as well, as it came off a bit more otherworldly, and reminded me of the uniforms worn by the officers for the Galactic Empire from Star Wars. It was kind of neat. They were certainly better than the definitely human designs on Earth.
It’s really weird that this season has been strangely watchable. I’m not sued to this level of quality. I’m kind of looking forward to next week now, with the introduction of the modernized Wonder Twins. Should be a hoot.
Final Verdict: Tune in.
