Topic: Smallville Marathon #2

[DJ Doena]

Disc 6

Accelerate

Synopsis: Lana sees a former friend of hers. But that's impossible, Emily died six years ago. She isn't a ghost, but she isn't totally real either. Clark tries to help Lana and finds a secret lab - and there's more than one Emily. They are copies of a failed experiment and that experiment now endangers Lana's life.

My Opinion: Although I found it interesting that Lionel Luthor is conducting experiments on human beings, I wasn't much into that episode because I am not much into the horror genre.

Calling

Synopsis: Lana and Clark get closer and closer but then Dr. Walden is awaking from his coma and he claims that "the day is coming". He tries to kill Clark because he has read the same text as Clark, that "the last son will rule the third planet". Meanwhile someone has stolen Clark's blood from Dr. Bryce's office and there are supsects: Lex and his father Lionel.

My Opinion: This was the great begin of a season finale. As I said I've never read Superman comics but I don't like the idea that Jor-El really had the intention that his son should rule mankind and I am glad that he is opposed to that thought as well.

Exodus

Synopsis: Clark and Lana have their very first date but then the ship calls out for Clark again. His biological father demands that he leaves everyone behind and that he has to leave Smallville. But he doesn't intend to follow his father's rule but instead he plans to destroy the ship. Meanwhile Lex walks down the aisle and marries Dr. Bryce. But from there everything changes for both Clark and Lex.

My Opinion: Great finale and an evil cliffhanger. I feel so sorry for both Martha who has lost her baby and Clark who feels responsible for that (ok, he actually is). But personally I also think that Clark made a bad choice when he ran away. This guy saves lifes on a nearly daily basis but he doesn't want to face the consequences of his actions. But then again I am forgetting that he is only 17 years old.
I believe that was the last episode I ever watched on television on a regular basis. I missed the beginning of the third season the next fall and then kind of dropped out. I only regained interest in the show after I bought the first seasons on DVD.

The Season - My Opinion: That was a very good season, exploring Clark's origins. We will learn more with every season. This season also had a lot of good stories that came together to several arcs and these will also continue. Of course there were also FotW episodes - and there will always be some in every season - but not so many than in the first season. And more importantly they weren't always bad guys.

[DJ Doena]

Season 3

Disc 1

Exile

Synopsis: Clark hides out in Metropolis under the alias "Kal" and has become a criminal in order to finance his lifestyle. The Kents have to sell the farm, they and Lana are still looking for him. There's one person who knows where he is but she's promised him not to reveal it. Meanwhile Lex "lives" on a tropical island with some other guy and tries to get off it.

My Opinion: Great continuation of the story. Though I haven't understood why Jonathan and Pete didn't try to knock him out with Kryptonite. Ok, they did that last time but that proved to be successful. I understand that using the same plot twice is uncreative, yet if it were for real I doubt that they wouldn't have tried it again.
I also liked Michael's performance on the island, he did a better job than Tom Hanks (What a boring movie!).

Phoenix

Synopsis: Both Clark and Lex return to Smallville and both have to deal with what happened lateley. That means that Lex has to straighten out what really happened on that plane and if his wife had anything to do with it. And Clark has to deal with a Metropolis crime boss who threatens his parents and he has to apologize to a whole lot of people.

My Opinion: It was a good conlusion to this four-parter. Unfortunately it ends with Clark's break-up with Lana against her expressed wish and he is retreating into his shell again.
I liked to see Rutger Hauer in the role of the crime boss, if it were for me, it could have lasted longer than these two episodes but unfortunately he had to share the fate of bad guys who know Clark's secret.

Extinction

Synopsis: A "meteor freak" attacks Lana in the school pool and a secret vigilante shoots him to death. He has killed before and his next target is Lex whom he believes to be a meteor freak, too. Clark can save Lex once again but that makes him also a target. Unfortunately the shooter has found Clark's Achilles' heel and he uses Kryptonite bullets.

My Opinion: I liked the theme of the episode: Are all meteor-infected people murderous freaks? If I were in Clark's position I wouldn't have told her (Lana) my secret either. Her point of view at the begin of the episode was quite firm and although she said that she wouldn't mind if Clark were bullet-proof (i.e. a meteor freak), I wouldn't be sure that she really wouldn't mind. This topic will surface again, especially in one of the key episodes of the fourth season: Pariah.
I also liked the Eastwood-y way he protected himself from the bullets and put Lana's mind at rest (at least for a while).

Slumber

Synopsis: Clark has the weirdest day: He somehow can fly, he skinny-dips with Lana, Lex finds out his secret and a young girl is chased by a mysteriously hooded figure in the woods and disappears into the ground. But then he awakes, after he's been asleep for 36 hours. He learns that new neighbours have moved into Lana's old house and that there's a young girl in a coma.

My Opinion: I wonder what insurance company insures the Kent's truck and what garage does the repairing. It had been in several very heavy crashes and was even blown up. Maybe they just like the brand and the colour.
I liked the episode because it had a different angle than usual.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Perry

Synopsis: A solar flares makes Clark's abilities go kablooey. Unfortunately there's a witness to his accidental uses of his powers: Perry White, a former reporter, whose career has been terminated by none other than Lionel Luthor. Now he works for a TV show that deals with paranormal events and Smallville is the Mecca for this.

My Opinion: I didn't like that Perry White that much, most likely because of the way he's portrayed. And I can't imagine that a man like him would ever forget what he has seen in Smallville. So, when one day he is the editor of a certain "Daily Planet" and a young reporter called Clark Kent gets his job there, I doubt he would have forgotten that young man, especially when soon after a certain "Superman" appears. But then again, who says that this Perry White will ever become editor of the "Daily Planet"?

Relic

Synopsis: Lana visits his great uncle, who is convicted of the murder of his wife. It happened back in 1961 but some things don't add up. He claims that there was a mysterious drifter and that drifter looked a lot like Clark Kent. Clark helps investigate this case and finds a "journal" hidden in the Kawatche cave: Jor-El of Krypton had been visiting Earth 40 years ago.

My Opinion: I liked the episode because it made Jor-El much more "human". Before this we just knew his voice and his orders. Now we've learned that he had the same problems as Clark currently has. I also liked that there's a link between Jor-El and Jonathan's father Hiram. Martha said in the pilot that they didn't find him, but he found them. How right she was.

Magnetic

Synopsis: A young man is attacked and an infection of his blood with kryptonite and an MRI give him the ability to move metal objects as well as control emotions of persons he touches. He uses this to "persuade" Lana to go out with him but Clark sees through the charade and tries to help.

My Opinion: FotW episode with Lana once again as the victim and Clark once again accused of jealousy.

Shattered

Synopsis: Lex is attacked in his mansion but can escape. He hides out at Clark's and Clark tries to help him. But was Lex really attacked or did he have a mental breakdown?

My Opinion: One thing I have to admit: Michael Rosenbaum is a way better actor than Tom Welling. I really like Tom and I don't know if it's due the role or not, but his range of facial expressions is rather limited (smiling, backing off, lying, looking worried and a few others). Michael on the other hand did a great job in this one. I "loved" to see him go nuts and the end was great.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 3

Asylum

Synopsis: Lex has been in the Belle Reve Sanitarium for over a month now but he hasn't swallowed the drugs they've given him. He still remembers Clark's secret but promises him that he won't tell anyone. Lionel decides that it's time for more drastic measures.
But Clark has other "friends" in Belle Reve, too. It's the guy that had his powers for a short time, the guy that could split himself in two and the freak killer. Together they try to break out and for this they need Clark.

My Opinion: "Freak Reunion" with Clark as the guest of honour. I find it sadly ironic that in the end it was Clark that killed Lex's memories (albeit not knowing it). I also liked to see that Lionel realized that he had to pay a price when he erased Lex's memories.

Whisper

Synopsis: A jewelry store is about to be robbed but Clark interfers. But an accident happens and he loses his sight. It is often said that the loss of one sense sharpens the others: Suddenly Clark becomes the perfect eavesdropper. And he will need that ability because Pete is in mortal danger.

My Opinion: This season he got his ability rather late, but better late than never. The "Ray Charles glasses" didn't really fit him but the later glasses made an interesting change to his face - but I wouldn't fall for that disguise.

Delete

Synopsis: It have been hard weeks for Chloe. She got fired from the "Daily Planet". Her father had been fired from LuthorCorp. The "Torch"'s computers were taken away. She had an argument with Clark and now he tries to kill her with is truck but can't even remember it. Can it get any worse? It can.

My Opinion: And once again the Kent's truck is demolished. I loved the fight between Lana and Chloe, it was excellently choreographed. But the writers still haven't learned to use computers and computer terms correctly. It began with the removal of the hard drive while the computer was running and didn't end with the allegation that an IP address is somehow bound to the hard drive of a computer.

Hereafter

Synopsis: A new student has come to Smallville High. He has the "gift" of seeing the death of the person that touches him. This helps Clark to prevent a suicide but that changes the future of three other persons.

My Opinion: I found this episode interesting for several reasons. It implied that Clark may never die. To be perfectly honest I dislike that idea. Just like mind-reading I consider immortality more as a curse than a blessing. At first it sounds like a cool idea. But when you really think about it, it would only be cool if everyone else would be immortal, too. Or would you like to see you friends die all the time while you live on?
At the end of the episode Clark fears that his interferences could make things worse than they are. He's right, they could. What would the world look like if he didn't save Lex? It may be even worse than now. Luckily for us, Clark is like the scorpion from the tale of the frog and the scorpion (in a good way, of course): "I could not help myself. It is my nature.".

[Najemikon]

I found this episode interesting for a lot of reasons. It implied that Clark may never die. To be perfectly honest I dislike that idea. Just like mind-reading I consider immortality more as a curse than a blessing. At first it sounds like a cool idea. But when you really think about it, it would only be cool if everyone else would be immortal, too. Or would you like to see you friends die all the time while you live on?

I haven't been an avid reader of the Superman comics, but I think this has been addressed frequently, and certainly in several graphic novels and collections I have. Kingdom Come for one; Frank Miller's The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Strikes Again for others. In those last two, Batman grows very old and grouchy and is pissed off by the fact that the overgrown Boy Scout is still the same and still a pretentious know-it all. He goes to great lengths to get into a fight with Clark and prove that he can still beat him using technology and sheer will. Miller is brilliant at showing all sides of the characters and Superman is shown to be cursed, but contrary to Bruce Wayne's opinion, he is well aware of all the angles and far more gracious.

To put it in context as well, remember that in the Superman stories and movies, there is always the subject of duality, with some religious tones. Smallville and New Adventures both concentrate on the main figure being Clark, while the movies pursue the idea that Superman is like a God, who disguises himself as a human, but will never truly fit in (hence the fact Clark is a bit of a fool). In other words, is Superman what he does, or who he is?

The comics seem to adopt a balance between the two and I think there is an implication that Clark Kent is a real person with a sense of mortality and ambition. He is cursed to outlive his family, his job and his friends, and when they are all gone, Clark Kent himself WILL die. At that point, he will just be Superman and will attain a different level of consciousness and purpose. The God-like figure of the movies perhaps.

[DJ Doena]

In other words, is Superman what he does, or who he is?

According to Bill/Quentin, it's who he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdWF7kd1tNo

The comics seem to adopt a balance between the two and I think there is an implication that Clark Kent is a real person with a sense of mortality and ambition. He is cursed to outlive his family, his job and his friends, and when they are all gone, Clark Kent himself WILL die. At that point, he will just be Superman and will attain a different level of consciousness and purpose. The God-like figure of the movies perhaps.

The fact remains that I wouldn't want that fate.

[Najemikon]

According to Bill/Quentin, it's who he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdWF7kd1tNo

I was going to mention Bill!

The fact remains that I wouldn't want that fate.

Neither does Clark. And there's the irony. Indestructible in all ways, but cursed and trapped for eternity. They did kill him off at one point. There was a lifeless body, a funeral, the works. But he came back, the explanation was that although he was Superman, in his mind he was Clark and he understood/believed he was mortal. As such, he let himself die until he was persuaded that he wasn't bound by such mortal limits.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 4

Velocity

Synopsis: Jonathan has had an heart attack and Martha and Clark have brought him to the hospital. When they return from there, they nearly get hit by a car that is participating in illegal car races. The driver of this car is Pete who tries to emerge from Clark's shadow. Clark tries to warn him about the danger but when Pete realizes this danger, it's too late.

My Opinion: Episodes with illegal street races don't work for me because these "dangerous speeds" they are driving (100 mph in this episode) is my average cruising speed on the autobahn. Granted, I wouldn't drive that fast on a country road (and that would be forbidden even here) but still I am not really impressed. The other reason may be that I never was much into cars, for me they are a means of transportation from A to B.

Obsession

Synopsis: During a visit of a LuthorCorp plant Clark is in an elevator with Alicia when the cable breaks and the elevator starts to fall down. Clark has to ram his hand through the wall to stop it. But Alicia has a secret of her own: She "beams" them out. Clark has finally found someone with whom he can be perfectly honest.

My Opinion: "To good to be true" would be the phrase here. I don't understand why Clark isn't allowed to be happy for more than one episode. I like Alicia and think they should have given her more time before she made her obsessed with Clark. But we will see her again and she will be an eye-opener.

Resurrection

Synopsis: Jonathan agrees to get a tripple bypass when Clark meets his friend Garrett in the hospital. Garrett's older brother is waiting for a new liver but then he dies. He is brought to Metropolis but suddenly reappears in Smallville - alive (sort of). But then he collapses again and Garrett takes hostages to get a liver for his brother.

My Opinion: Parents can be cruel. Garrett's actor's name is James Nichol Kirk. James Kirk. I don't want to imagine the childhood of that man.
As I said during my Stargate SG-1 marathon, I find it funny how you suddenly stumble over actors once you've come to know them. Back in Obscura Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica) played a deputy and now Tahmoh Penikett ("Helo" in BSG) played Garrett's older brother.
When I watched this episode for the first time (and the others before this) I had no idea that the serum could be connected to Clark's blood. Seems I am good at picking up details but making a line between two points is not my strong side.

Crisis

Synopsis: Clark receives an emergency call from Lana but when he comes to the rescue she isn't in any danger at all. Clark didn't imagine it, there's a tape that proves that call was made. But who called if it wasn't Lana? Or from when did she call if it was (will be?) her?

My Opinion: None of the four episodes on this disc have impressed me very much. In this one I didn't really understood Adam's motivation to kill Lana.

[DJ Doena]

The fact remains that I wouldn't want that fate.

Neither does Clark. And there's the irony. Indestructible in all ways, but cursed and trapped for eternity. They did kill him off at one point. There was a lifeless body, a funeral, the works. But he came back, the explanation was that although he was Superman, in his mind he was Clark and he understood/believed he was mortal. As such, he let himself die until he was persuaded that he wasn't bound by such mortal limits.

He could leave the solar system and leave the yellow sun behind him. I always understood the sun to be his "battery". His folks wasn't immortal after all.

[Najemikon]

I think that was the basis of the conclusion. He "died" on Earth, which isn't possible... I can't remember how he actually got back, but they had a storyline where there were multiple heroes exhibiting Superman powers, but with a different style. Steel was one of them and the only one to carry on after Clark was definitely back.

Damn, American comics are weird!

[DJ Doena]

Yes, it can get confusing.

[Najemikon]

Yes, it can get confusing.

Don't even go there. I attempted to keep up with Zero Hour. That was bad enough! I don't like them for that sort of thing. I have a Batman book where the second (or third?) Robin was killed off. They dropped a house on him at the end of one issue then gave readers a phone number so they could vote to keep him alive! They didn't get enough...

[DJ Doena]

Disc 5

Legacy

Synopsis: Lex works with the FBI to find evidence of his father's crimes. Lionel once again tries to solve the riddle of the Kawatche caves. For this he visits Dr. Swann in New York and sends fake FBI agents to raid the farm - they are looking for the octagonal disc.

My Opinion: I liked this episode because led to doubts about Dr. Swann's motives and it left the question how the disc came into his possessions. I seriously doubt that the writers intended to make the original Superman a bad guy. Unfortunately due to Christopher Reeve's death we will never find out.

Truth

Synopsis: Chloe sneaks into a LuthorCorp plant and gets exposed to a meteor rock gas. From now on everyone in close proximity has to tell her the truth when she asks him/her. While that may be the holy grail to a reporter, it endangers Clark's secret and her own life on more than one occasion. Fortunately for her, Clark is still there to protect her.

My Opinion: Great episode but it confirms my opinion about mind-reading (this was a modification of that theme). But this episode had a ridiculous scene (though other movies and series use this kind of scene, too): Clark finds that scientist in a very battered place but he happens to have a cure in his even more battered refrigerator, even after all these years. If someone would raid my fridge I would be arrested for producing biological weapons.

Memoria

Synopsis: Lex still tries to recover the memories of those seven weeks he's lost (which would include the knowlegde of Clark's secret). Clark and Lionel join forces to prevent exactly this, but Lionel double-crosses Clark. While Lex hasn't remembered those seven weeks, he remembered a part of his past he suppressed for a long time and that memory is about the death of his baby brother Julian.

My Opinion: I wouldn't believe for a second that Clark tried to prevent Lex from getting his memories back just to protect his secret. I still believe that he did it because - as he stated - he feared that Lionel could do something much worse to Lex if he poses a threat again. The flashbacks also explain a lot about the relationship between Lionel and Lex. I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for that 12-year-old boy to take the blame for his brother's death full knowing that if he didn't, his mother would be dead in a second.

Disc 6

Talisman

Synopsis: Lionel has found another artefact in the Kawatche caves. It's an ancient knife and it belongs to Naman. Professor Willowbrook still believes that Clark is Naman and thus the knife belongs to him, but one of his assistants steals it and has now the same powers as Clark. It is foretold that the blade can only be destroyed by Sageeth, the friend of Naman who turned into his enemy. The assistant believes that Lionel is Sageeth and tries to kill him but Clark cannot let that happen.

My Opinion: I liked Lex' interpretation of that tale, that Sageeth may be the true hero of that story. Firstly, because it's Clarks fear, too, that he was send to Earth to rule. Secondly, because it presents us with Lex' POV, that he - a human - fights against a superior enemy and anything he does is for the good cause. The end justifies the means. Especially in the fifth and sixth season this will be his major motive for what he does.

Forsaken

Synopsis: Emily has grown a lot over the last months. She escapes from one of Lionel's labs and returns to Smallville. There she impersonates the daughter of the new owner of the "Talon". Lana has sold it because she is leaving for Paris. But that is exactly what Emily wants to prevent. Clark wants to come clean with Lana - he doesn't want her to leave, too - but first he has to rescue her once again.

My Opinion: Pete has left Smallville. I liked Pete but his character had always the problem that he was "just" the faithful sidekick. Chloe, Lana and Lex have stories of their own, but what do we really know about Pete? Interestingly Pete was the only character Clark ever told his secret. Everyone else had to find out by himself/herself (At least I think that he was the only one and I'm only talking about events that weren't undone).

Covenant

Synopsis: A girl comes to Clark who calls herself Kara and she knows, that he is Kal-El, because she is from Krypton, too. She urges him, to return with her to the cave where his future is waiting for him. It is revealed, that Jonathan made a deal with Jor-El when he got the powers to return Clark from Metropolis. But first, Clark has to testify in court against Lionel and he wants to bring Lana to the airport.

My Opinion: Great cliffhanger. Imagine the show would have been canceled at this point. I liked it how they've used Superman mythology to mislead the audience (the real Kara is indeed from Krypton and she is his cousin, she's more commonly refered to as "Supergirl"). They did that a lot this year. It began with the mentioning of Chloe's cousin Lois Lana (who isn't interested in journalism at all) and when Jonathan had his heart problems who hadn't feared that he might actually die?
As I said the first part of the cliffhangers are always thrilling and now I want to see how it continues.

The Season - My Opinion: Summa summarum the season was ok. It had its share of good episodes but there were also a number of episodes that didn't interest me that much. But we definitively left the era of FotW episodes and moved into the arc era. The experiments with Kryptonite and Clark's blood have begun and will continue and the Kawatche cave will become an even greater mystery in the next season.

[DJ Doena]

Season 4

Disc 1

Crusade

Synopsis: Lois Lane comes to Smallville to find out who killed her cousin but then she finds a guy in a field who doesn't know who he his. Jonathan Kent lies in a hospital bed and is brain-dead. Lana is still in Paris and has a new boyfriend. Lionel is still in jail, waiting for his trial. And Lex - who has survived the attempt to poison him - travels around the world to find objects that are connected to the symbols in the Kawatche cave.

My Opinion: Sorry, but that went a bit too fast. Within half an hour Kal-El was Clark again. I am sure that if the writers really wanted to, this could have been an arc that lasted at least 4 episodes, even more. Just because it was a cliffhanger doesn't mean it has to be resolved in the very first episode of the new season.
But I like the arrival of Lois, she is refreshingly blunt. And I liked the appearance of Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Superman movies), especially her remark regarding Dr. Swann and a "former life". She's now the third person from the movies to appear in the series (Annette O'Toole [Lana Lang in Superman III, now Martha Kent] was obviously the first).

Gone

Synopsis: After they've found out that Chloe's grave is empty, Clark and Lois investigate her disappearance, but there are several obstacles: For one, Lois's father is a three-star General who doesn't want his daughter digging into that mystery. Secondly, he is in league with Lex. And thirdly, there's a T-1000 meteor freak who works for Lionel and wants to kill Chloe for real this time. And Lana has returned to Smallville.

My Opinion: That was a really obvious Terminator 2 rip-off, especially with the end. But I still liked it, the scenes in the Kent house were really funny. Lois's great advantage is, that she has no history whatsoever with Clark. For her, he's simply "Smallville".

Facade

Synopsis: Clark is now in his senior year at high school and he's trying out for the football team against the wishes of his father (again). The new assistant coach is none other than Lana's new boyfriend. It's a relationship they must keep hidden because he could get fired for it. But there's something else that has changed: A student nicknamed "Scabby Abby" is now a real beauty but when she kisses people they get delusional and land in the hospital. While Lois is stuck at Smallville High (she needs a few additional points to get accepted to the university) she helps Chloe and Clark to investigate.

My Opinion: The bitter irony of that episode is in my opinion, that Erica Durance (Lois) has had a "boob job" because someone convinced her that she would have better chances to get a job afterwards.
That aside it was a decent FotW episode.

Devoted

Synopsis: The cheerleaders of Smallville High are using meteor rocks to create a love potion. When the football team drinks of it they all become aboulic slaves with the exception of Clark who gets ill from it. Chloe drinks from it, too, and soonafter a new cheerleading star is born.

My Opinion: This was a very funny episode, especially the parts where Chloe hits on Clark and where Clark had to pretend that we was under the love spell. I had a great time.

[DJ Doena]

Disc 2

Run

Synopsis: There's someone who can run faster than Clark! But unfortunately he is also a thief. Clark tracks him down in Metropolis but he won't listen to him. Then he steals a priceless page from a book from Lex, but Lex isn't someone you steal from and get away with it. Lex also know how to track down people but he does something stupid and Clark has to save both of them.

My Opinion: The Flash! Cool. I've known the Flash since the short-lived TV show The Flash with John Wesley Shipp. Back than I didn't know that he belonged to the DC universe nor that he was a member of the Justice League. He also happens to be one of the few people (but their number will increase) that has sepcial abilities that aren't derived from the meteor rocks. I really liked it that they referenced the different Flashs by giving him these fake driver's licenses.

Transference

Synopsis: Another stone is "calling out" for Clark and he finds it in the hands of Lionel Luthor who is just about to do a body-switch with his son. Due to Clark's interference he lands in Clark's and Clark in Lionel's. Lionel is free and he discovers the abilities of Clark's body. And Clark is dying because Lionel's body is dying unless they switch back.

My Opinion: This was a great episode. I liked the acting of Tom as well as that of John Glover.
But I also have to admit that I get a bit uneasy when it comes to these stones and their abilities. They've been lost for centuries, if not millennia, nobody has ever mentioned them before but suddenly they are reappearing. It wasn't even mentioned before that the symbols of the Kawatche cave have been found on other places on Earth, too.

Jinx

Synopsis: Clark is still playing football and he is the quarterback now. But in one game he stumbles and hurts another player. The real problem is: Clark never stumbles except when he is in close proximity to Kryptonite. As it turns out, there's a strange bookie who can influence the game without leaving a trace.

My Opinion: Mmh, interesting. Yet another guy who can do "things" and wasn't infected by meteor rocks. While I can understand that they get tired of inventing the next meteor freak, not to explain how he got his powers isn't a good choice either. For me a fictional universe needs consistency. I have no problem in believing the weirdest things as long as it is consistent in itself. Up until now he have meteor freaks and Clark and other visitors from Krypton that have been on Earth. That might not explain how the cave walls can foretell the future, but they could invent a reasonable explanation. But now we suddenly have people that have powers for no obvious reasons and we have witches that were burned at the stake (I will continue this in the next episode review).

Spell

Synopsis: Lana has bought Countess Isobel's spellbook but when she opens it, Isobel snatches her body. After that she uses Chloe and Lois to get two of her fellow witches back from the dead. Isobel is also on the search for the three stones and her magic can hurt even Clark. She defeats him and learns from him that one of the stones is hidden in a secret chamber in the cave wall. But even without his powers Clark doesn't give up.

My Opinion: An out-of-character episode. That's always a thumbs up for me. The three looked really cool (especially Chloe if you ask me) and they played really well.
I still have a problem with that entire Isobel arc. I don't know how it fits in into the Superman mythology and I don't care. I don't like it. I consider Superman more fantasy than science fiction. But that doesn't mean that witchcraft and wizardry fit into this world. Everything that we've seen so far was either caused by a mutation (caused by meteor rocks) or vastly superior kryptonian technology. Where do spells and enchantments fit in?
No, I am not really happy with that particular storyline and probably never will be.