Smallville 5.21: "Oracle"

Written by Caroline Dries, Daniel Sulzberg, and Neil Sadhu
Directed by Whitney Ransick


Much like “Supernatural”, this season of “Smallville” ends with a two-part season finale. The writers certainly look to be shaking things up, and there are actually a few references to episodes from earlier in the season. Lionel’s status since the premiere is now a little more clear, and Lex’s alliance with Fine is a nice bit of double- and triple-crossing.

Even so, it highlights one of the biggest problems with the series, and one that I’ve harped on forever. The season arc itself has been anything but consistent, and the writers drop some payoffs into the episode that don’t fell as profound because of that inconsistent structure. Every writer seems to have a different take on the status of the Clark/Lana/Lex love triangle this season, and it has severely weakened the season arc as a result.

One thing that has worked is the arc for Clark and Lex, which took them from uneasy footing towards outright opposition in a fairly progressive fashion. It was obvious from the beginning that Lana would factor into that conflict between former friends, but there’s a touch of nuance in that Clark has allowed his distrust to blind him to moments of possible redemption for Lex. This episode is a good example: Lex is doing the right thing, but Clark is letting his own worst impulses rule his assumptions.

And that’s what I really liked about this episode. Clark struggles with his morality. He’s confused enough that he doesn’t see the obvious. He knows, on one level, that his father would never condone murder, but he’s dealing with his own rage and anger. As I’ve said all along: it’s the exceptions that prove the rule, and without moments like this, Clark is just an aloof, perfect icon without any understanding of what he’s protecting. Through the resistance of temptation, Clark demonstrates that he does, in fact, have the answers within him.

The virus/vaccine thing came a little out of nowhere. Apparently it was introduced and fleshed out through the whole “Hunt for Fine” game on AOL, which is a bit of a cheat. The writers should have spent less time on endless iterations of the Clark/Lana breakup and included vital plot information in the actual episodes. Whatever the case, it wasn’t hard to figure out that the goal of the “vaccine” was to create something else entirely.

To speculate on the season finale: Brainiac seems to have prepared Lex as the perfect vessel for the arrival of a certain Kryptonian general. That’s definitely an interesting move, since Fine has spent a lot of time using LuthorCorp to develop a means of crushing human resistance. Why not have his master rule over the organization that owns that system? It also works metaphorically. Jor-El and Zod battled to the end, and now Clark and Lex (the sons, one way or another) will carry that battle on Earth. Granted, this will probably spill over into the sixth season, assuming that the CW network picks it up, but it should make for a more satisfying ending than we might have expected.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10