Smallville 6.6: "Fallout"
Written by Holly Harold
Directed by Glen Winter
Despite sidelining the Oliver Queen plot thread for the episode, this is still another solid installment in the ongoing season arc. In this episode, Clark comes to the realization that ignoring his Kryptonian legacy isn’t doing anyone a favor, especially since his father’s enemies keep dropping in on Earth and threatening humanity. To save the world he has grown to love, he must inevitably set himself apart from it. It is an interesting and difficult formative moment for Clark, and one that has been a long time coming.
In a nice touch, Raya (from season premiere “Zod”) returns with a few well-timed criticisms about Clark and his dismissal of his true nature. While Raya is clearly a zealot when it comes to the great Jor-El, Clark has been equally disinclined to give his father any credit. Raya gives Clark a little more perspective, and while doesn’t quite mesh with the motivations of Jor-El in earlier seasons, it does point Clark in the right direction.
Clark is now firmly dedicated to cleaning up his own mess and educating himself on the training that his father wanted him to have all along. It’s interesting to note that Jonathan’s influence is no longer completely positive. Clark needed Jonathan’s moral foundation to care enough about humanity not to rule over the planet (as Jor-El effectively desired), but he also needs Jor-El’s instruction to understand his legacy and how to use his abilities to full potential. The one aspect was covered in extreme detail, but the other is necessary for Superman to emerge in the end.
The scene at the end, depicting Clark’s momentous decision, has some odd elements to it. It was either over-edited or badly written; I’m not entirely sure which applies in this situation. In fact, the entire episode seemed like a solid story written in extreme melodramatic fashion. The style of writing actually took something away from what was trying to be accomplished.
This was even more evident during the Lex/Lana scenes. The writers are trying to give Lana some edge, which has been a long time coming. The effort itself is worth a small measure of respect. The problem is that it’s not convincing, especially when Lex acts out of character to maintain his relationship. The idea, I’m sure, is to play on the whole “Lexmas” idea that Lana is the one person able to change Lex for the better, pushing him to change his ways, but it just hasn’t panned out as intended.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Smallville”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
Directed by Glen Winter
Despite sidelining the Oliver Queen plot thread for the episode, this is still another solid installment in the ongoing season arc. In this episode, Clark comes to the realization that ignoring his Kryptonian legacy isn’t doing anyone a favor, especially since his father’s enemies keep dropping in on Earth and threatening humanity. To save the world he has grown to love, he must inevitably set himself apart from it. It is an interesting and difficult formative moment for Clark, and one that has been a long time coming.
In a nice touch, Raya (from season premiere “Zod”) returns with a few well-timed criticisms about Clark and his dismissal of his true nature. While Raya is clearly a zealot when it comes to the great Jor-El, Clark has been equally disinclined to give his father any credit. Raya gives Clark a little more perspective, and while doesn’t quite mesh with the motivations of Jor-El in earlier seasons, it does point Clark in the right direction.
Clark is now firmly dedicated to cleaning up his own mess and educating himself on the training that his father wanted him to have all along. It’s interesting to note that Jonathan’s influence is no longer completely positive. Clark needed Jonathan’s moral foundation to care enough about humanity not to rule over the planet (as Jor-El effectively desired), but he also needs Jor-El’s instruction to understand his legacy and how to use his abilities to full potential. The one aspect was covered in extreme detail, but the other is necessary for Superman to emerge in the end.
The scene at the end, depicting Clark’s momentous decision, has some odd elements to it. It was either over-edited or badly written; I’m not entirely sure which applies in this situation. In fact, the entire episode seemed like a solid story written in extreme melodramatic fashion. The style of writing actually took something away from what was trying to be accomplished.
This was even more evident during the Lex/Lana scenes. The writers are trying to give Lana some edge, which has been a long time coming. The effort itself is worth a small measure of respect. The problem is that it’s not convincing, especially when Lex acts out of character to maintain his relationship. The idea, I’m sure, is to play on the whole “Lexmas” idea that Lana is the one person able to change Lex for the better, pushing him to change his ways, but it just hasn’t panned out as intended.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Smallville”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4
Final Rating: 7/10
posted by John Keegan | 14:56
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