Smallville 6.18: "Nemesis"

Written by Caroline Dries
Directed by Mairzee Almas

Some fans lament the repetitive complaints that come after every new episode of “Smallville”. They know that the writing is often mediocre, that the acting can be forced, and that the show has failed to live up to its potential for quite some time. The main complaint now, it seems, is that they don’t want to hear it. They’d rather the flaws never be discussed. This is usually a sign that a show is failing on enough levels that the fans fear that mentioning it will undermine the series’ future.

“Smallville”, of course, is in little danger this season. It’s still one of the highest rated shows on the CW Network, and they can ill afford removal of a recognized franchise. More than that, the producers and cast are ready to bring the series to a close in the next season. Survival is not the issue, so much as the ability of the production staff to make it worth the time to watch it.

This episode, in particular, had a great deal of potential. The idea of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, caught underground and forced to work together to survive, is itself rather promising. One can envision pages and pages of recriminations and revelations. At the very least, one would expect Clark to reveal some of his darker impulses, while Lex might attempt to justify his decisions in a way that blurs the line between good and evil.

Unfortunately, the final product fell somewhat short of that. Lex managed to get a few shots in, particularly in terms of how Clark was the only friend he had, but his constant machinations make most of his comments moot. It’s hard for him to claim that Clark’s decision to end the friendship contributed to his downfall, when that was the result of his choices. Never mind the fact that Lex has yet to provide a clear motivation for his experiments (other than a fleeting justification based on the need to protect the world from super-powered threats).

Clark has the opportunity to confront Lex about those choices and drill down to the motivations, but he continues to focus on Lex and his marriage to Lana. There are good reasons for this, but one of the early plot threads for the season was Clark’s moral development: looking beyond the personal to the global. Clark may not understand what happened with Lana, in terms of still marrying Lex, but why would that be his sole concern? Especially in light of Project 33.1?

Speaking of Lana, her character gets motivated, and it’s a nice change of pace. This could actually lead into some interesting character conflict, if the writers have enough ambition. Lana’s experience with Lex has changed her, and in this episode, she’s willing to take Luthorian measures to achieve her goals. She would have let Lex die, if Clark hadn’t been in the tunnels as well.

This is significant because Clark is still in love with Lana as she was. He may not find the new Lana as attractive. This would be the one reason for the writers to keep Lana beyond this season and into the final year: as a constant reminder, from Clark’s point of view, of something he loved that Lex destroyed. The trick, of course, is getting the writers to remain consistent with Lana’s character, long enough for this dynamic to work.

This is not to say that the episode was a complete waste of time. There were some solid scenes throughout, and despite my reservations about how the character has been handled over the years, this is the second episode in a row where I liked the Lana plot thread more than the main story. In the end, however, the show is still struggling to tell a superior story, largely because of depths that remain untouched.

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

Final Rating: 7/10