Smallville 6.22: "Phantom"

Written by Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin
Directed by James Marshall

A number of fans get upset when I compare “Smallville” to “Heroes”. However, in this case, there’s an important point to be made, relevant to this season finale and why it doesn’t quite come together as it could have.

Both shows have delved into the promotional aspects of online storytelling aids. “Heroes”, for example, has a massive amount of official online content, most of which is within continuity and adds to the depth of the show. “Smallville” has introduced a contest and advertising partnership that allows tales of the recent Justice League to be told, in pseudo-comic book form, during commercial breaks.

The difference is in how the two shows use and incorporate the online information. “Heroes” may have a massive online component, but it’s not necessary to read or watch any of it to understand or appreciate the show. Someone could watch “Heroes”, never go any further, and get a complete story. The online content simply explores the “Heroes” world in more depth.

“Smallville”, on the other hand, seems to advance its story in fits and starts, sometimes in contradictory fashion, with little or no hint of an overall series arc or mythology, beyond what is already more or less set in stone. The online component, however, has in short order introduced a mythology that ultimately changes and informs the interpretation of the entire series up to this point.

While I admittedly have yet to see the full range of information, here’s the gist: Virgil Swann, Genevieve Teague, Robert Queen, and Lionel Luthor came together, before the original meteor shower, to deal with the discovery of alien technology/artifacts on Earth, heralding an upcoming invasion by General Zod. While the team worked for many years on the issue, setting up programs to develop a human army to repel the threat, Luthor and Teague went “rogue”. The genesis of nearly every aspect of LuthorCorp’s ongoing attempt to study “meteor freaks” and alter humanity, right up to the current Project 33.1/Ares, is a product of that original mandate.

Here’s my point: why would the writers leave something so vast, promising, and mind-blowing out of the main series and relegate it to an optional online promotional game? And why only hint at it in commercials that look more like ads than additional and vital content? Looking back on the season finale and everything leading up to it, how hard would it have been to weave this information into the season arc and justify several seasons of apparent non-advancement?

Suddenly Lex’s justifications about Project 33.1 make more sense; they are his corrupted version of the army the original team came together to create and manage. Lionel’s interest in Clark and his welfare, especially over time, fits into the framework of a man seeking redemption for the result of his own greed. Add the context of his connection to Jor-El, and Lionel’s character arc emerges.

None of that, however, can repair the damage done to Lex over the course of his marriage to Lana. At this point, the writers clearly have no intention of explaining the pregnancy retcon of recent episodes, and so his personal motivations are a mess. It’s gotten to the point where the context of any dialogue between Lex and Clark is so vague and hard to interpret that the conversations seem tossed together at random.

I’ve been saying all along that Lana must die for the season arc to conclude in a logical fashion; this is effectively accomplished in this episode, even if it’s clear that Lana manufactured her own apparent demise. The circumstances of her fake death were blatant; the question is whether or not Lana will return. If she does, her knowledge regarding Clark will become a major issue.

Whatever the case, with few people left to offer solid guidance, Clark is struggling with his moral compass. He was ready to kill Lionel, and that’s a major step into dark territory. If circumstances hadn’t changed, what would he have done to Lex? Clark is letting his temper get the better of his judgment. It would be interesting for the writers to explore this in the final season, but given their track record, it’s hard to imagine that they will.

The most egregious error, however, is the apparent loss of Chloe, who seemed to use her meteor-freak ability to resurrect Lois, at the cost of her own life. A very similar plot twist took place on “Supernatural”, and the difference was startling. This felt like it came out of nowhere, especially since the nature of Chloe’s ability was never explored. Also, Chloe was an important part of what made the series work. Hopefully this too will be a red herring.

The showdown between Clark and Bizarro (for those who missed the complete non-sequitur reference in the episode’s final line) was impressive enough, and the final Zoner was actually quite creepy. As action set pieces go, that was a good one, and it left the episode with a serviceable cliffhanger.

Ironically, taken on its own merits, this is not a bad season finale. It offered up a number of important changes and set the stage for an interesting final season, if the writers manage to capitalize on the potential.

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

Final Rating: 7/10

(Season 6 Final Average: 6.9)