I’d usually put a snide remark here, but the picture is joke enough…Tonight we have a return to the standard one hour format of Smallville, and also the return of everyone’s favorite Magician Zatanna! So Without further ado, follow the cut for my review.
Synopsis: Zatanna is in town fixing her father’s messes, and one of those messes just happens to be a comic book that was put under a very specific curse. If anyone reads the book, the reader will be cursed with the contents of the book coming true. Yeah.
What worked: Serinda Swan is about as perfect of a Zatanna as you can get, and Carlo Marks played the adult Alec/Warrior Angel much like I would expect someone to play Captain Marvel (imagine Tom Hanks in Big). He was like a kid in a candy store, enjoying his powers to the fullest extent he could. It was actually a bit of fun watching him play the superhero Clark seems unwilling to portray. And his chemistry with Allison Mack was awkward, but really pleasing, considering she was a grown woman thinking there was a spark, and he…was a 12 year old playing video games. It was enjoyably awkward.
There was also a blessed lack of Oliver this episode. It’s not that I hate him, but Oliver has been the Wolverine/Deadpool this season, and he had been grating on my nerves because of that. And when he DID show up, there was magic. There’s a very clear romantic subplot going on with Ollie and Chloe, and while it won’t stick forever, it’s enough to where I actually want to root for them in the same way I root for Jack and Kate on LOST (yeah, I went there).
What didn’t work: Sadly, there was a lot that didn’t work this episode. First of all, it all started with the young Alec (and future Warrior Angel) admiring a comic book at a convention; ONE THAT NO ONE HAD EVER READ EVER. The best way to think of it is that if you know Superman history, he was originally designed to be a villain with telepathic powers. This was rejected, but they did accept the Superman we know today. And the rest is history. Well, Warrior angel shares a similar history in the Smallville Universe, but in this instance, the editors never even read this version of the meta-fictional hero. Now, considering this is the meta-fictional Superman, don’t you think that those editors would have read it if it’s still kicking around today? Even as a “What If?” tale? Yeah? OK, at least we’re on the same page.
Also, the curse itself is confusing at best. Piss poor at worst. Now, the whole “twist” is that Warrior Angel eventually becomes his own worst enemy (think Sentry) instead of battling him like Superman battles Lex Luthor. But the curse is…you become Warrior Angel/Devilicus. Now, CALL ME CRAZY, but if I were cursing someone who wronged me, I wouldn’t curse them with the powers of a psychotic would-be world conqueror. It seems counter-productive. But again, that’s just me.
Finally, there was a convenient plot device where Lois was in a Stormtrooper outfit at the con. This would have been well and good, but we are treated to her asking Clark for a costume at her place that would get more attention. Now if she wanted more attention, why didn’t she wear the original Amazon Princess costume in the first place? It strikes me as feminine idiocy, as opposed to intuition.
Also, the doom and gloom that Clark goes on about with regard to his burgeoning responsibilities. Why is he so damned moody? It’s really just…ugh.
Also, there was a comment in passing about how “Lethal Enforcers are way more interesting. They were big in the 90s’!” Really? Talk about terrible dialogue. Ugh.
Things to look forward to: The aforementioned romantic subplot between Oliver and Chloe.
Final Verdict: 4.0 Tune Out
