#10.13 “Beacon” Review

NOTE: I’ve said this before and I especially mean it this time; read no further if you don’t want to be spoiled.  Important plot details, including one or two huge twists, will be revealed in this review.  Read further at your own risk….

This episode started out fantastically. Penned by the writing team of Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson, the reveal to Tess of the alternate universe Lionel Luthor in her office was terrific. And Lionel paraphrasing Mark Twain’s famous line, ‘Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,’ was a terrific way to end the tease.

Things just got worse from there. Lionel taking Luthorcorp back was a huge development and complicates things with Tess, Oliver and even Alexander. It’s as bold as it was unexpected.

However, at first I didn’t realize how that tied into Clark’s story with his mom and fighting for the Vigilante Registration Act to be repealed. Initially it was perplexing the two stories shared an episode since they seemed to have little in common. However, Don and Holly made the two seemingly disparate stories pull together quite nicely about half-way through the show and they did it a huge way. I was shocked when it had been revealed that Alexander was responsible for the attempt on Martha’s life, but it makes so much sense.
It had been made clear even way back in ‘Harvest,’ when he was essentially a 12 year old, that Alexander had some major issues with Clark that he couldn’t let go. As shocking as the attempt on Martha’s life was, it still fit. That his hatred of Clark would move to this level of animosity I suppose was a natural progression, at least it seems that way to me. It’s a good twist because it’s one that stands up even after multiple views of the episode.

And I adore that Lionel had encouraged his son’s vitriol, even though at first it seemed shocking even to him to have his son (or rather his son’s clone) be so without remorse when it comes to hurting an innocent like he did. The staged assassination attempt to flush out and murder Clark was cold and calculated which is surprising for a person who looks to be about 18 years old. However, Alexander has all of Lex’s memories and, as proven by the events in this episode and in ‘Harvest’, all of his hate.

As shocking and as unexpected as it was, that sort of move was probably the only way Alexander was going to get Clark into his gun’s sights. Even though he risked innocent Martha’s death, it was a smart move and an awesome twist. I just didn’t see that one coming. Twists work best when they come out of the blue, like this one did, but in retrospect still makes sense.

Later, Alexander showed Lionel that he really is the true clone of his son after he caught him completely off-guard when he pistol-whipped him. It seemed for once in his life that Lionel had underestimated Lex. (Well, except for maybe the time when the show’s original Lionel was pushed out that window by Lex in ‘Descent.’) The coldness of Alexander’s actions seemed fundamentally deep, yet he displayed some empathy when he said he didn’t want Martha to witness her son’s death… It showed he has some hope of being redeemed, eventually, I suppose. Redemption will be made easier if he loses more memories, since it is mostly Lex’s memories that had made him hate Clark so much.

It’s a good thing, I guess, because the twist at the end of the episode where Tess tried to kill Alexander (and couldn’t) will have some huge repercussions. Why couldn’t she? I have some theories, but I won’t speculate in this review. No matter where THAT is going the story will certainly be a great ride.

And I adored how this episode really ramped up that whole storyline, even though the reveal at the end of Alexander’s super-human ability was unexpected, but that just adds more fuel to the fire. We have so few episodes left, so it’s great that these storylines are pulling together like this.

Now to talk about what is probably the biggest news in recent “Smallville” history: the announced return of Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor for the series end. The Lex-clone/alternate-universe-Lionel storylines seem to be building up to that very well.
I don’t know what they have planned, and frankly I don’t want to know. I actually like not being spoiled on big plot details, but I have a feeling that now is the right time to bring Michael back to the show.

I’m not sure I’ve missed him as much as a lot of fans have, I think they’ve done fine without him all things considered, but bringing him back is the right thing to do here at the end of the series. Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor is probably the best live action version of character. Only Clancy Brown’s voice-over work as Lex in several versions of the story, including “Superman: The Animated Series” and the animated feature based on Jeph Loeb’s “Superman/Batman: Public Enemies” comes close. He made Lex a very complicated villain, at times even sympathetic, yet believably a nascent sociopath.
Lex is the perfect foil for Clark and the show building up this storyline, like Don and Holly did so well in this episode, is fantastic. It makes me feel even more torn about the series’ end. I want to see what Tom Welling and the other actors will do next once the show is over, but I don’t really want to give up my (well, nearly) weekly dose of awesomeness either. Yet, as they bring in Michael and ramp up the major storylines of this final season, I can’t wait to see what the series finale will bring. All indications seem to point to the culmination of the longest running superhero themed show will be truly epic.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that everyone brings their A games to this final run of episodes leading up the finale. The writers, actors, directors and the creative teams all had done so well in this portion of the season and it’s especially evident in this episode.
Tom Welling has never looked better, nor has he acted more heroic and resolved as Clark. The scenes he played with Annette O’Toole were fantastic. She must bring out the best in other people. Her scenes with all the cast, both regular and recurring, were so strong. Her scenes with Tom were especially touching, particularly the one at the end between them in the kitchen. Tom and Annette were both perfection, Annette played Martha flawlessly as a mother who has an undying love, and an enduring faith, in her son. And Tom perfectly played Clark as a man who looks to his mother for loving advice and affirmation.

Lucas Grabeel was simply fantastic as the Lex clone who has more going on with him than meets the eye. He was complex and close to sociopathic, yet empathetic. I want him to be redeemed, even though Tess had given up hope. He believably showed us some signs that it will be possible, despite the viciousness he portrayed Lex having thanks to his hate toward Clark. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he resembles Michael Rosenbaum and has only grown as an actor since his last appearance as a younger Lex on the show in season 6’s ‘Reunion.’

And Cassidy Freeman had played Tess as completely overwhelmed by Lionel’s return and his coopting of Alexander, yet she made it believable that Tess would do the unthinkable (kill Alexander) since she thought that was the right thing to do. And what a freakin’ awesome reversal for her to learn that Alexander won’t be easy to get rid of moments after she decided that is what needed to be done. That was FANTASTIC. I LOVE twists like that.

Erica Durance was terrific as Lois, trying her best to protect her man and do what is right. Allison Mack and Justin Hartley were both terrific. I’m not sure I am that a huge fan of Oliver and Chloe being together, I’m not a ‘shipper,’ but mostly because I’m not sure I ever really understood the appeal for them both. Yet, thanks to this episode I think I see it more clearly now. They were fantastic together, they are a cute couple. It’s sad to think that it probably won’t last (Oliver Queen/Green Arrow is very happily married to Black Canary/Dinah Lance in the comics.)

And an episode with John Glover in it gets a couple of extra points just because his Lionel is just such an awesome character. He was especially terrific in his scenes with Lucas Grabeel. I think the writers did a wonderful job writing the Lionel and Lex dynamic, it’s like old-school Smallville. It felt familiar, even though the situation is completely different than what had ever happened before John and Michael had left the show.

I never cry when I watch TV, but this episode made me tear up at several points, it was sad and heartwarming. I adored how the show brought in the Blur testimonials from real fans. It was fantastic and fit so well. Social networking is huge right now and I completely buy if the Blur were real and was similarly publically vilified like he is in the show, I would bet his fans would come together online to voice their support.

It wasn’t just inspired. It was also inspiring.

A show that has such a loyal fanbase, it’s fitting. Fans like me, and fans like you, and the fans whose videos were selected to be part of this episode, are all part of the mix that got the show its ten seasons. I adore that the “Smallville” producers gave kudos to us all in their own way. Previous oblique references to the show’s fans were more biting, intending to be humorous in a tongue-in-cheek way. So I’m glad this one (so close to the series end) was more serious. It also showed a sense of gratitude and appreciation. Those videos were probably one of my favorite moments of the season, if not the series, because of that.

This was a terrific outing for Don and Holly. I adored almost every minute of it, although I do have one or two picky comments to make.

Regarding Perry printing leaflets out of a storage unit Lois said: ‘A storage unit? That is so low rent and so rebel…’
Really? Although printing pamphlets out of a storage unit is cheap, is it really that indicative of a rebel? I hated that line because it completely pulled me out of an otherwise terrific scene, it was so hyperbolic. It’s a good idea and I liked how Lois thought to modernize the thought (having Chloe use her hacking skills to spread the pro-Blur message), but the line ‘so rebel’ just came off as hokey.

And would a revolver be the weapon of choice for a roof-top assassin wannabe? I don’t think so. Alexander should have used a rifle, like Van McNulty had back in season 3’s ‘Extinction.’ It’s a far more effective weapon over long-distances, although I guess there aren’t really revolver style rifles. The green glow of the kryptonite from the visible bullets was a nice touch when Alexander finally met up with Clark.

Otherwise this episode gets almost nothing but love from me. Don and Holly ramped up several of the season long storylines and still managed to get in some comic relief. The act breaks were all strong, the complications that happened were terrific and the dialogue was tight. This was a remarkably well-conceived and executed episode.

I haven’t always been a fan of director Michael Rohl, some of my least favorite episodes have been ones that he had directed. So, it’s safe to say that this is my favorite episode that he’s directed. I don’t think I had a single problem with directing aspects of the episode, in fact the acting was very strong and the pacing was fantastic, so Michael did a terrific job.

Gord Verheul was the Cinematographer on this episode and, like all of his previous work for the show, it was very cinematic in its look. Everyone, and everything, looked so good. I loved that the camera was very mobile. The colder light in the Luthor mansion and in Oliver’s old office was the perfect choice and very well done.

For me, this episode was one of the strongest of the season, if not the series. I give this episode 5 Blur-support viral videos out of a possible 5.

Note: The views of Triplet don’t necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite. Send her feedback.