Superman on Television

Smallville: Episode Reviews

Season 2 - Episode 11: "Visage"

Well, well, well, readers. Welcome back, and welcome to new episodes. For those of you keeping track at home, we're on a ten weeks on, some seven weeks off, then seven weeks on schedule for new reviews, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little rusty. But, continuity geezer that I am, fear not, I have done my research for tonight's review.

And quickly, an update on the knockout count!

We have Lana, knocked into a pole and knocked out! I thought for sure it would be Chloe, because Chloe got close to Lana, but nay, it was Lana, making the score:

Lex: 1

Chloe: 1

Lana: 1

And there's always the whammy... people close to the main characters who suddenly die and are never mourned or noticed again. Does Whitney count? I'm gonna give that a yes. My money's on him never being spoken of again, save in passing.

Dead people no one notices: 3.

The dead people no one notices are in the lead, but the brain damage is 'a mountin', people! Let's hope getting knocked out a bunch of times doesn't lead to Kryptonite induced powers and sudden homicidal urges...

Tina returns! There are some problems with this... namely, who the heck is Tina? Like the average TV viewer, or even the consummate one (oh, arrogant I am!) like me, who catalogues, reviews, and cares deeply for a particular show, even remembers who she is. My buddy and I looked at each other and went, "There was a morphing chick?"

But look, folks! Check out Peter T. McDermott's synopsis of X-Ray, first season, and it will all start coming back. With this in mind, the story is actually pretty well written, surprisingly executed, and catapults us straight from my aforementioned mid-season lull and straight into the second best part of the year, SWEEPS!

Now, I have fears. Fears that this show is preparing to jump the shark. For explanations of jumping the shark, see previous reviews. My evidence?

We have fancy, flashy guest stars coming up...Christopher Reeve, Bruce Wayne, Lois Lane...

We have the introduction of flight, next episode. No, wait. It's a tall leap. My rear. It's flight.

We have Lex going bad. This is a very, very bad sign. His turn is supposed to be a pivotal point in the series.

We have the death of a main character. Whitney.

All pivotal, dangerous signs that the show might be preparing to jump. I'm an optimist. I think it's going to come out okay, but cross your fingers. Many a show has fallen in its second season, and maybe the writers are getting too cocky...

But it's better than being repetitive.

At least, unless that repetition is a recurring villain instead of a freak of the week. Although I have to admit, the jump from Single White Female to bi-curious has me a bit confused. Didn't Tina want to take over Lana's life before? Now she wants to, well, let's say, uh, well, uh, let's say, do other things over Lana? Is that tactfully put? I know you all saw the eye drop thing when she was pretending to be Chloe.

I said that little inconsistencies like this girl going to jail and never coming back would hurt the credibility of the show. I strike that from the record.

Off subject for a moment. Lex was off character this episode. That bothers me. First off, some strange chick he hardly knows gets 100,000 dollars from his father, then doesn't tell Lex, then passive-aggressive-like turns it all around to be his fault (did anyone see how obnoxious that was), and what does Lex do? He apologizes? No. Lex would pull a Dr. Evil, because he's the original Dr. Evil:

"Hey, Lex. What happened to the girlfriend?" Clark asks.

"I had the girl liquidated, you little s$#t! She was insolent!"

I tell you what, I would have told the girl if she wants some danged trust, she has to earn it, first. Like when my dad comes and offers you a bribe to break up with me, lady, I should be able to trust you enough to know that you'll come tell me. No, not, oh, I'm sorry I was suspicious. I'm such a nice guy usually, but I just got mad at you because my dad's a putz. No. Maybe Clark would wuss out like that, but this is Lex. He's vicious. He would see this liability, though he may have emotions for her, and he would hold her to task for her deception. I would.

Also, what the heck is the American military doing running from mortars in the rice fields of Indonesia? Someone better ask George Bush how the war on terror got so far out of his hands that Grade A Marines are getting lost from Afghanistan all the way to Indonesia...

The violence with killing the military guy was blunt, a bit blunt for this show. I liked it. I'm a bit of a gritty, no holds barred, I want to be disturbed kind of guy. It was fun.

What about the Kryptonite turning clear? My theory? The eradicator, in the form of the ship, pulled a trick much like the human form of the Eradicator did in the comics, way back in Superman 82, nine years ago. It seems Kryptonian technology can purify Kryptonite and use its poison to bring powers back to full. Plausible. I respect this direction.

Also, Whitney is dead. Goodbye, putz, you've been a Klingon on this show long enough, it's time to move on.

All in all, a memorable show, well written, using things we've seen before, and I loved watching it.

But Lex was off, the military is in Indonesia for some reason, and Ma Kent never once sees Lex's dad this show.

For these I offer a 4 of 5. Good show, with a few inconsistencies.

Back to the main TELEVISION page.