Smallville 6.17: "Combat"

Written by Turi Meyer and Al Septien
Directed by James Marshall

Coming into this episode, I was less than enthused. The previous episode had been, for me, a disappointment, focusing far too much on soap opera and Clark’s never-ending sense of entitlement. Jumping from that to an episode that is a thinly-veiled excuse to cross-promote with the wrestling shows on the CW Network was hardly something to look forward to, and the promos provided little to believe otherwise.

So I was a bit surprised to discover that half the episode was worthy the time. Quite against expectation, the season’s exploration of Clark’s development as a hero became part of the episode. Clark’s beginning to look past the borders of his relatively small world, working with the nascent Justice League. While they take down the resources of Project 33.1, Clark takes out the “zoners”. It still doesn’t quite make sense for Clark to work on his own on that problem, but at least there’s continuity.

There’s also more of Clark’s dark side, which is always a nice touch. Clark has sometimes been too perfect, and that’s not interesting for a protagonist. Like it or not, Lana’s marriage to Lex and her apparent rejection of him is a logical reason for him to shut down his emotions and take solace in the “purity” of dispensing justice. That it threatens to drive Clark towards questionable moral judgments is a bonus.

Less impressive, but still interesting, was the subplot involving Lex, Lana, and the apparent miscarriage. Put me down as skeptical of the miscarriage as a whole. There’s ample evidence to suggest that Lex drugged Lana so that his “personal doctor” could take the baby for whatever nefarious plan Lex has in mind. Most of that subplot is annoying, but watching Michael Rosenbaum play out these odd character beats is always fun.

The main conceit of the episode, the underground fight club for meteor freaks, is the major weak point. Titan was there to smash things and little else, beyond the aforementioned cross-promotion. Clark struggled nicely in the fight, which was an improvement over some of the quick and easy resolutions this season. Even so, the overall concept never felt genuine.

To gloss over that fact, the episode was full of fan service. Athena was a walking male fantasy, between the admittedly hot Catholic schoolgirl outfit, the stripping down, and the interest in Lois. As a character, she contributed very little to the story. Erica Durance is usually the one used when playing to the cheap seats, and this is no exception. While she looks great in tight red vinyl, there was literally no reason for her to infiltrate the fight club while wearing such an outfit. It was clearly a matter of getting the guys to drool, especially at the thought of Athena and Lois locking lips (the tease was especially gratuitous), and even as a red-blooded American male, I found it ridiculous.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 5/10