By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
If the previous episode was about paying off Lana’s character thread since the beginning of the season, then this episode is about paying off the elements introduced by Kara’s character. This episode introduces a huge chunk of Kryptonian mythology and connects very well with the elements previously referenced.
The basic conflicts at play are all relatively simple. Clark learned that a replicated version of his true mother Lara was contained within Kara’s crystal. Despite Jor-El’s warnings to the contrary, Clark activated the crystal and brought Lara back into being. Unfortunately, this also brought Jor-El’s power hungry brother Zor-El back, and Zor-El proceeded to use the Fortress of Solitude to begin taking control of Earth, neutralizing Clark with blue kryptonite along the way.
It might have been more interesting if Zor-El’s true plans were explored over a longer period of time, since it’s clear from the moment of his resurrection that he’s evil (hence the black leather). I’m sure the constraint was Helen Slater’s availability, given her part in the story. Whatever the case, this made the progression of the story rather predictable. Kara was obviously going to side with her father until it was too late, Clark was obviously going to overcome the effects of the blue kryptonite, and Zor-El was obviously going to be defeated.
What happened after that was the intriguing twist. Whether or not Zor-El is gone for good is incidental at this point; he is currently defeated. Jor-El’s “punishment” for disobedience, on the other hand, could have serious consequences. Kara seems to have lost her memory and possibly her powers, and there’s no telling what will happen to Clark in the next episode. It’s probably something that will be resolved quickly and efficiently, but it’s certainly interesting.
While it was anticipated that Grant would be working with Lex, given his constant directives to leave Lex alone, it was a complete shock for Grant to be revealed as Julian Luthor, Lex’s brother. For one thing, the first few seasons made it very clear that Julian was dead, killed by Lilian Luthor in his crib (“Memoria”). Either the writers have something very specific in mind, or they just attempted one of the most blatant and needless retcons in recent memory.
The revelation about Julian is enough of a problem to offset most of the satisfying aspects of the Kryptonian plot thread. Add to that the rushed nature of the Zor-El conflict, and what could have been the best episode of the season becomes something more mediocre. Because this is more or less the first part of at least a two-part mini-arc, the remainder of the story could resolve some of the issues, but for now, this is a step backwards. |
