Smallville 5.15: "Cyborg"
Written by Caroline Dries
Directed by Glen Winter
In which a young man brought back to life using cybernetic reconstruction becomes the center of a conflict between Clark and Lex, while Lionel helps Martha deal with blackmail…
Like with the Aquaman episode, I’m assuming that long-term Superman/DC fans will get more out of this than the casual fans. I don’t know a damn thing about Cyborg, and frankly, this episode doesn’t make me eager to find out more. Much of this episode is another excuse to dredge up the whole “Clark struggles with the question of telling Lana the truth” thing, which has been done to death. And there’s yet another scene with Lana demanding the truth, railing at Clark for not telling her what she should already know. (Is every staff writer going to get to write their own breakup scene?)
Speaking of which, whatever happened to the fact that she knew someone or something had come down in a UFO during the original meteor shower? Why hasn’t she considered that, especially in light of an episode like this? Clark’s not exactly careful around people in this episode, and if Lana looked foolish before, it’s even worse now that her suspicions are supposedly heightened.
With the Cyborg plot elements being connected to what feels like an endless breakup, I was looking for anything else that might salvage the episode. A few things came to mind as the hour progressed. For one, I love Chloe’s sense of style, especially the conservative yet sexy use of low-cut camisoles under a smart jacket. She may be used for little more than exposition, but it’s highly attractive and distracting exposition!
I also liked the fact that Lex was more overtly sinister in this episode. He has been before, but considering what he’s been like around Lana of late, this is a nice change of pace. The escalated tension between Lex and Clark is also worth the time, since neither of them holds back anymore. I’ve always liked the idea that Lex and Clark started as friends and then slowly became enemies on a personal level, so it’s fun to see this evolving, even in a haphazard fashion.
I’m not sure what to make of the whole Lionel/Martha subplot. It’s becoming clear that Lionel knows the truth about Clark and that it was that information that led to the end of “Reckoning”. Lionel seems to be using the information as leverage to get closer to Martha, which is disturbing, given their previous history. But is it more of a bid to get closer to Clark? And is that confirmation that the connection between Lionel and Jor-El is in some way intact?
Anyway, this wasn’t the worst episode in the world, but since a great deal of the subtext was related to Cyborg and what some members of the audience already knew about the comics character, it wasn’t the most accessible episode of the series. There were some good moments, but aside from the very final scene, nothing special.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
Directed by Glen Winter
In which a young man brought back to life using cybernetic reconstruction becomes the center of a conflict between Clark and Lex, while Lionel helps Martha deal with blackmail…
Like with the Aquaman episode, I’m assuming that long-term Superman/DC fans will get more out of this than the casual fans. I don’t know a damn thing about Cyborg, and frankly, this episode doesn’t make me eager to find out more. Much of this episode is another excuse to dredge up the whole “Clark struggles with the question of telling Lana the truth” thing, which has been done to death. And there’s yet another scene with Lana demanding the truth, railing at Clark for not telling her what she should already know. (Is every staff writer going to get to write their own breakup scene?)
Speaking of which, whatever happened to the fact that she knew someone or something had come down in a UFO during the original meteor shower? Why hasn’t she considered that, especially in light of an episode like this? Clark’s not exactly careful around people in this episode, and if Lana looked foolish before, it’s even worse now that her suspicions are supposedly heightened.
With the Cyborg plot elements being connected to what feels like an endless breakup, I was looking for anything else that might salvage the episode. A few things came to mind as the hour progressed. For one, I love Chloe’s sense of style, especially the conservative yet sexy use of low-cut camisoles under a smart jacket. She may be used for little more than exposition, but it’s highly attractive and distracting exposition!
I also liked the fact that Lex was more overtly sinister in this episode. He has been before, but considering what he’s been like around Lana of late, this is a nice change of pace. The escalated tension between Lex and Clark is also worth the time, since neither of them holds back anymore. I’ve always liked the idea that Lex and Clark started as friends and then slowly became enemies on a personal level, so it’s fun to see this evolving, even in a haphazard fashion.
I’m not sure what to make of the whole Lionel/Martha subplot. It’s becoming clear that Lionel knows the truth about Clark and that it was that information that led to the end of “Reckoning”. Lionel seems to be using the information as leverage to get closer to Martha, which is disturbing, given their previous history. But is it more of a bid to get closer to Clark? And is that confirmation that the connection between Lionel and Jor-El is in some way intact?
Anyway, this wasn’t the worst episode in the world, but since a great deal of the subtext was related to Cyborg and what some members of the audience already knew about the comics character, it wasn’t the most accessible episode of the series. There were some good moments, but aside from the very final scene, nothing special.
Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 6/10
posted by John Keegan | 17:04
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