Smallville#801 "Odyssey" - Discuss/Grade <Spoilers>

[Hermiod]

benny wrote:

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Hermiod

Yep, Martian Manhunter flies Clark into the sun, regenerating his powers and taking away MM's. The entire process takes, oh, three and a half seconds...

Thanks.

[Trekker4747]

Well as I said re: Clark working at the planet, it's entirely possible he called in his favor with Perry White. When Clark met Perry White way back in Season (3? 4?) at the end Perry was impressed with Clark as a person and said he had read some of Clark's work on The Torch and although Clark tends to bury his lead his work showed promise. White went on to say that he still may of had some friends at The Daily Planet and could call in some favors if Clark wanted a job there.

It's entirely possible Clark cashed in on the favor.

I liked Michael McKean as Perry White (though he isn't an ideal White) but I'd like to see the character White show up now at The Planet as an Editor if not EiC even if it means recasting it.

Like I said earlier, this was an OK episode even though if it was light on "plot" (and it suffered from the usual Smallville Premature Climaxulation in that the climax of the episode was over in seconds and then in the next scene (after the commercial) we're on to wrapping the episode.

In this episode it was after Clark gets shot with the arrow and MM comes and helps him. MM flies off and then after the commercial Clark is in his barn re-powered. Huh?! Ok they explained his repowering but I guess we can just assume Ollie, Aquaman, Canary and Chloe left the prison/compound just... fine? And aren't being pursued?

I'm hoping this episode was just a "cleaning up the mess of the finale" in that it was trying to wrap things up and re-set them for where they want the characters to be for the season. Fingers crossed.

[Mutenroshi]

So I guess the Fortress is not entirely "gone" since Miss Teschmacher, err, I mean Miss Tess Mercier has the crystal now.

[Donald Draper]

It would be nice if they would start treating Martian Manhunter as an actual character. As opposed to a last second "deus ex machina" who cleans up Clark's messes. Or simply a mouth piece for exposition about Krypton. Phil Morris is too good of an actor to be wasted like this.

[Lookingglassman]

I gave it an average. It just seemed like they were cramming old stuff into a new package.

Daddy took away his powers (YAWN!) Been there, done that.

Damsel in distress

Evil guy who disappears at the end

Evil head of a corporation who will try to find out about Clark.

Nothing really new.

[Broccoli]

It was very paint-by-numbers, but I gave it an "above average". It really seemed like they were resetting the playing field and I was personally amused at the jab at the show for the past few years with Clark hanging on to the past.

Brent wrote:

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At least until Stargate: Universe

Speaking of Stargate...did anyone get a Goa'uld vibe when the put that green stuff in Chloe and then later Green Arrow?

CorporalClegg wrote:

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Says you...

I only speak the truth...

[TGTheodore]

It would be nice if they would start treating Martian Manhunter as an actual character. As opposed to a last second "deux ex machina"

Two from the machine?

--Ted

[Donald Draper]

TG Theodore wrote:

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Two from the machine?

--Ted

Can I e-mail my posts to you in advance for to proof read for spelling errors?

[Aragorn]

Where's "Five-minute Smallville"? Those were actually funnier than the episodes.

[DarKush]

Not a bad opener. This show might have a little life left in it after all. I have many of the same criticisms that I read from others:

-How did Clark get a job as a reporter so quickly. We saw Chloe and Lois have to work, or it appeared that way to me, to get on at the Planet. I wish they had started him out at the mailroom or made him an intern.

-Oliver's description of Tess being more devious than Luthor was a stretch. I think they are trying to establish her evilness a bit too strongly. What made Smallville's Lex so great as a villian was that you saw his good side, his vulnerability at war with his darker nature. I think they should've played Tess a little nicer and not as Darth Maul.

But for the most part I liked it:

-The return of the Justice League, though it would've been cool to have Cyborg and Flash back. At least they were mentioned which was almost as cool.

-The Martian Manhunter's return was good. Hopefully he'll be back in a later ep.

-Lois's hair. Love the darker look and the cut.

I was disappointed in both S6 & S7. Hopefully this season will go out with a bang. Or at least with some pride.

[Broccoli]

Aragorn wrote:

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Where's "Five-minute Smallville"? Those were actually funnier than the episodes.

Isn't that generally the point...?

[Aragorn]

But they were funny because they were true!

[DarthPipes]

I'm a fan of those too.

[LaxScrutiny]

OK, on reflection, still disappointed.

Biggest disappointment is Tess Mercer. Smallville has always done great villians, not just Glover and Rosenbaum, but Marster, Joan Collins, even that reporter from season 1.

I like the idea of "Tess Mercer", a cute nod to the movies and comics, but she's got nothing. They are supposed to show, not tell. Don't tell me she is wicked, evil and ruthless and manipulative, show me. Like you showed me with Lionel, with Lex, with Brainiac. So far she is just an asshole.

By comparison, Lex's assistant last season, was at least cuter, we saw how cold blooded and ruthless she could be, and she had motivation, she was obviously all about Lex, she worshiped him. This is the kind of characterization that makes her interesting, we see it, it's not just told to us by some nameless flunky in the dialogue. Too bad Lex shot her, although that was a great scene.

Going through the rest of the show, the whole scene in the Russian smuggler's camp was stupid. What did it have to do with the story? Nothing. How did it tie in with the past? Didn't. Tie in with the future? Apparently not. What was the point? Clark could have been stuck in a cave with a few supplies and it was too far to walk home. The only point should have been, at least, if it was fun and interesting. But really it wasn't, the staged fight with Ollie and Clark was flat, it could maybe have been fun but it wasn't.

And how did Ollie find him? They were scanning computer images all over the globe for Clark's picture. Might have made sense if the Russian took a picture of Clark. If there was any way Ollie could possibly have found him. But there wasn't.

Now, J'onn... Shows up at the last minute when Clark is arrowed. Why didn't he show up in Russia when powerless Clark is getting the shit kicked out of him? Did J'onn, through the power of plot, develope a mystical sense of knowing when Clark is dieing?

J'onn knows enough about Clark's powers to know how to get them back when Clark loses them. How about J'onn tells Clark some of this information?

J'onn flies Clark to the sun and loses his powers. How do they get back? Clark can't fly....

Powerless Clark insists that Ollie and he split up to find Chloe faster. Why? She's been missing for MONTHS, she isn't going to die in the next five minutes. At least Ollie has some sense. The only reason to split them up is so they can get taken out, there is no reason in the plot for them to split up. So they don't even try, they just make Clark an idiot.

Black Canary looks like Ziggy Stardust. I'm going to get bored of looking at her pretty quick.

Oh, yeah, Chloe, "We won't throw you in jail for 20 years if you work for us for a year..." Maybe you should have gotten that in writing? What's to stop them from just keeping you as their sex slave for the rest of your life? I would... How about, "I'll start working for you with full enthusiasm 5 minutes after my lawyer shows up with a binding contract, and my friends are informed of my new job."

Thing is, previous seasons I might have suspended my disbelief for things like this, for the sake of a decent story. But the little nuances that kept my attention, which was Magnificent Bastard, Magnificent Bastard's little Bastard, Magnificent Kryptonian Ooze Monster Bastard, etc, were all gone. Without some decent evil, there is nothing to show off how good everyone else is, to paraphrase the Tao Te Ching.

[Admiral_Young]

I'm here late like I said but watched it Wednesday...and I enjoyed it. One thing Smallville does well is its season premires and this was no exception although I did vote above average since I was already down on the entire season. Loving me some Tess right now...we'll see how her story arc plays out for the rest of the season but she definately is giving me Miss Tessmacher vibes. I was waiting to see Clark in a beard but we didn't get to see that, was that photo from months back just a teaser pic? No mention of Lara being trapped in the Phantom Zone bothered me. I have a feeling that Lex (if Micheal does do a guest appearence before the series wraps) is going to return with his memory wiped or at least partial amesia making him forget everything he's learned over the last few years.

I too didn't like J'onn appearing at the last second to save Clark but what else were they going to do since it appears that Chloe's powers have changed? I think though that I'm going to really like the Lois and Clark stuff at the Daily Planet...remember that Clark does have some schooling and that the Planet is without a Editor or Owner right now. I wonder if the writers are planning on addressing that at some point. Its time to bring back Perry White...overall I thought it was well done, with the exception of not mentioning Kara.