#5.22 “Vessel” Recap & Review

NOTE: If you haven’t seen this episode and don’t want to be spoiled, what the heck are you doing reading my review? Go watch Vessel… it’s a terrific episode! If you INSIST on continuing anyway, you’ve been warned: Big Time spoilers are revealed within.

Recap:

Clark works in the barn and the horses and dog get agitated by something in the sky. Lex and Lana sleep together on the couch (fully clothed, mind you) and Lex inexplicably leaves. He drives to the country, Lana chases him in hers, and he runs into a field. Lana follows him. Confused by Lex’s behavior, they both look on in shock as the black ship arrives. Fine shows up and tells Lana that he’s “preparing” Lex, who is then caught in a wash of blue light from the ship and disappears.

Lois’s and Martha’s flight to DC gets canceled because of computer problems. Lionel offers use of his private jet. Martha reluctantly agrees. Lana tells Chloe what happened to Lex and says she’s scared he might be dead. Chloe tells Clark about Lex getting nabbed, but she’s confused why “Zod is coming” if he’s stuck in the Phantom Zone. Clark explains that Fine knows that Clark won’t help him free Zod willingly and is trying to force his hand by changing tactics. He says that Jor-El warned him about Zod but he didn’t listen. Chloe says turning to Jor-El might not be a good idea since bad things happen when he gets involved. Clark says that maybe Jor-El was just trying to protect him. Clark goes to the FOS and Jor-El tells him that Zod’s body was destroyed after he was sent to the Phantom Zone for his crimes, which lead to the destruction of Krypton and the death of their race. Zod will need a body, a vessel, to inhabit in order to return. Jor-El gives Clark a knife and says he must kill the human vessel, no matter who it is. Chloe is skeptical that disobeying Jor-El is the right thing to do. Clark doesn’t want to kill, but she says that maybe he won’t have a choice. Clark figures out that maybe Lex is the vessel and that he might have to kill Lex. Lana overhears only the last part.

Lionel talks to Clark about the knife and Jor-El’s warnings. He’d drawn more symbols and it says “Sacrifice the Vessel.” Clark explains that Jor-El had asked him to kill but he doesn’t want to. Lionel tells Clark sacrificing one life is worth it to save the world. Clark asks, “Even if it’s your son?” Clark explains that Lex is Zod’s vessel since he was abducted that morning. Lionel finds Lex at the field where he was taken. Lionel tells Lex “I told you so” and Lex doesn’t take it well. He hits his father and Lionel ends up flying across the field and into the car. Lex is shocked by his new powers. He speeds off and meets Lana at the mansion. She is surprised he’s back and Lex shows off his new powers by shooting himself in the hand. She’s horrified at first but she accepts him. He says that he would never lie to her, by implication comparing himself to Clark. She tells Lex that she overheard Clark planning on killing him. Lex says he needs to go and asks her to meet him on the top of Luthorcorp tower that night if she wants to stay with him. He speeds off.

Lionel tells Clark that Lex now possesses the same powers as Clark. He’s worried about what Lex might do with those powers and that Zod picked a perfect vessel in Lex. Lois and Martha get onto the Luthorcorp jet and Lois suggests that it won’t be the last time. Martha insists she’s not interested in a relationship with Lionel, Lois doesn’t really believe her. Clark looks for Lex at the mansion but finds Lana instead. She doesn’t believe him when Clark claims he doesn’t want to hurt Lex. She asks him to explain how he knew Lex would come back different. Clark sidesteps the question and Lana gets angry and says that she doesn’t know how she could have ever loved Clark. Fine taunts Clark about Lana’s shifting loyalty. Angry, Clark throws Fine into the wall… Fine says that Clark was supposed to be the vessel, but if he agrees to release Zod humanity will be spared. Clark refuses and Fine says humans will devolve to the animals they are when their technology is taken away. Clark reaffirms that he won’t do what Fine wants. Fine says, “So it begins.” He places his hand onto Lex’s laptop and the screen fills with green flickering kryptonian letters… The lights go out and Fine says, in his silky voice, “Enjoy the show.”

Amid the chaos of a riot, Clark meets up with Chloe at the Daily Planet and she explains that the virus Fine downloaded is destroying the infrastructure. She points out that every major city in the world could soon have similar problems. A car crashes into the building and Clark saves Chloe. She says that he won’t be able to save everyone so he must destroy the vessel. Clark is worried about leaving her alone. She says she’ll be okay but is afraid that she won’t see him again. Chloe plants a kiss on him but the clench is interrupted by a phone ringing. It’s Lex. Back on the plane, Lois realizes its well past the time that they should have landed, she looks out the window and they are flying over snow capped mountains. Unknown to her, Fine is flying the plane. Lex and Clark argue and Clark throws Lex across the barn. In turn, Lex throws Clark into the loft and speeds up only to have Clark pull the knife on him. Clark hesitates and Fine appears, urging him to kill Lex. Clark still hesitates so Fine taunts him. Angry, Clark throws the knife into Fine and it turns red. The console at the fortress also turns red and shoots light into the sky and down into the barn. The light slices into Fine. Clark realizes he’s made a mistake. Fine tells Clark he’s opened the portal for Zod. The light blasts Lex and the impact throws Clark to the floor as Fine disappears in a flash of light. Lex, now Zod, explains that he wants revenge. Clark says it should be just between the two of them but Zod says that seeing people in agony causes Clark pain. The only way to stop it is to join him. Clark says he will never join him. Zod throws a Phantom Zone bracelet into the air and it flashes off in the distance. Clark zooms off into the distance and disappears.

Back on the plane, Lois tries to break into the cockpit but can’t… The oxygen is running out and Martha and Lois both collapse. Chloe runs through the streets Metropolis, surrounded by rioters. Lionel lets her into his limo but they get pulled from the car by rioters. Lana runs through the streets, fighting off some attackers as she goes, and makes it to the top of Luthorcorp towers where “Lex” waits. She announces to Zod she’s not sure what they have but she’s there to find out. Zod doesn’t say a word, but they kiss. The camera moves up over them to show us the burning streets below. It continues up and away into space, where lights go off all over the dark side of the earth. It continues up and finds Clark, stuck in the tumbling diamond crystal that is the Phantom Zone.

Review:

Yikes… What an episode. I’ve seen it several times now just to get the info down straight for the recap section and it doesn’t suffer on each subsequent viewing, unlike some other episodes I could think of. *cough*Ageless *cough* This one gets better with each viewing.

I think the only big problem I could see with the Kelly Souders’ and Brian Peterson’s writing was the barn scene between Clark and Chloe. The dialogue was oddly choppy, but it might not have been their fault. It seemed like there were holes in the scene almost, maybe like something was missing. I mean, one second Chloe’s talking to Clark about Lex and Lana and then all of sudden Clark brought up Jor-El… What the hell?

How did that follow? It felt like something should have been in between the Lana-isn’t-coming-to-you-for-help-anymore part and the I-should-have-listened-to-Jor-El’s-warnings part… Was something cut? I don’t know, but something was up in that scene.

Well, actually I take that back about that scene being the only problem I had with this script. Another thing that was odd was the whole Zod needing a vessel thing. Since when was his body destroyed? Since when did Fine trick Clark to the FOS to not only free Zod but so Clark could become Zod’s vessel?

Maybe this vessel thing was something that evolved after Solitude, the episode where Fine had tricked Clark into almost freeing Zod, but it seemed to come a bit out of left field. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s a fascinating twist that Lex will be hosting Zod (the fact that it gives Michael Rosenbaum a juicy new part to play is probably just icing), but maybe some foreshadowing would have been nice.

Actually, the more I think about that, the more I like Lex hosting the evil Kryptonian. Zod kissing Lana at the end may have seemed weird. Why would Zod kiss a silly earth girl, anyway? Wouldn’t he rather destroy her? Maybe even throw her off the roof? However, that kiss and Zod’s silence in the scene might hint at part of Zod’s purpose…

Zod taking over a super powered “human” with an established history on the planet, whether it had been Clark or now that it’s Lex, might be important to his plan. I don’t know what Zod’s plan really is, but maybe Zod kissing Lana is an indication that he wants to take over Lex’s life. He wants to blend in. There can’t be a good reason for that, whatever it is. I can’t wait to find out what his plan is.

I loved how the sibling-like rivalry between Clark and Lex came to a head in this episode. Lex finally has gotten what Clark has taken for granted: powers and (maybe) even the love of Lana. He certainly has won her loyalty. I thought it was interesting how differently Lex chose to show Lana his powers than Clark had done in Reckoning. Clark was gentle and loving and showed off his powers by making an engagement ring. He swept Lana off her feet. However, Lex was stiff and formal and showed off his powers violently. It was frightening and she was petrified of him at first before she accepted him.

Speaking of Lana, she’s turned against Clark in part because Lex pointed out, if only by comparison, that he won’t lie to her and would never keep secrets from her (never mind that he has probably done both a million times). She doesn’t understand that Lex is manipulating her in the worst kind of way. I can sort of understand her anger at Clark for again lying to her. However, I think once she understands (and I really hope next season that she will learn the truth about Lex), that she will forgive him. I think the pain she will feel when she realizes how deep Lex’s machinations went will be a profound one. I hate knowing how evilly she’s being treated by Lex and that she doesn’t see it. I hope she finds out sooner rather than later next season… No matter how she finds out, or what her reaction is, it should make for some great TV.

The acting was all terrific, but I feel like I’m saying the same thing over and over again lately with my comments on the acting so I won’t go into too many details. Maybe that’s part of the end of season funk that I seem to find myself in.

Anyway, Michael was awesome as Lex changed throughout the episode, and he’s going to rule as Zod next season. I wonder if Zod-in-Lex is going to stick around for more than next season’s premiere episode…I hope so. I especially liked how he confronted Clark in the barn.

John Glover wasn’t in this episode much, but Lionel’s scene in the barn with Clark was amazing for him. He looked shaken to the core by Clark’s revelation that Lex is the vessel.

Tom Welling wasn’t in this as much as I would have hoped, but what screen time he did have he did well with. I especially liked the scene he had with Lex/Zod in the barn. Clark was way out of his league in dealing with Zod and the comment Zod made about Clark having his father’s eyes must have been painful for him to hear. Zod knew his father and yet killed him. I thought Tom played that moment of vulnerability very well.

The photography by Glen Winter was gorgeous, as usual. I especially loved the scene at the end with Zod and Lana on top of the Luthorcorp building. The best moment was when Zod turned to look back at Lana with the orange and red sky in the background. The costuming helped that moment too, as Zod’s heavy black duster billowed in the wind. It was beautiful.

James Marshall directed another terrific episode. He always seems to get a lot out of the actors and this episode was no different. The blocking was terrific between Lex/Zod and Clark in the barn. There was no doubt who had the upper hand when Clark was talking to Zod with the way James blocked the scene with Zod above Clark for most of the scene. It was well done.

Probably one of the best episodes of the series, Vessel was exciting but it suffered from some less than natural sounding dialogue. The excellent cliff-hangers will probably make the long summer hiatus more painful than usual.

I give this episode 4.5 tumbling Phantom Zone diamonds 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.