#6.1 “Zod” Review

NOTE: Don’t read any further if you want to remain unspoiled because this review contains major spoilers.

REVIEWER’S NOTE:

I know a lot of people loved the episode recaps, but it’s very time consuming to do them. That combined with other people doing it so much better elsewhere online than I ever did, I’ve decided to not write them anymore. It’ll allow me to spend more time on the review itself.

Also, I’ve asked Craig to stop creating a thread on the KryptonSite forums specifically to discuss my reviews. Rather than having a thread solely devoted to providing feedback on my reviews, I will gladly welcome feedback via PM. – triplet

REVIEW:

At the end of last season everyone in Smallville was left in pretty tight spots. So much so, I was wondering just how Smallville’s producers and writers were going to dig themselves out of the very deep holes they’d dug.

Clark was trapped in the Phantom Zone, with little likelihood that there’d be a convenient nuclear blast to help him escape. (Zod and his two minions were only able to escape from the PZ in Christopher Reeve’s Superman II, if you will recall, thanks only to a nuclear blast.)

Lois and Martha had been kidnapped by Brainiac and were unconscious in a plane that had lost air pressure.

Lionel and Chloe had been pulled into a riot.

Lana didn’t even know how much danger she was in but there she was snogging with Zod (thinking he was still Lex) on the roof of the Luthorcorp building as the world plunged into chaos.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to like what the writers and producers would come up with. (Half expecting an all-too-convenient nuclear blast, amongst other types of Deus-Ex-Machina style plot points…) As good as most of Smallville’s season openers have been, there was a danger here that they wouldn’t get it right. There was just so much stuff going on….

So, even though I looked forward to the season starting again, I also dreaded seeing what they did if they messed it up. I shouldn’t have been worried. This was a fantastic episode.

Steven DeKnight, the former Whedon-verse scribe, really hit it out of the park with “Zod.” The Teaser is close to being a masterpiece and it might be the best tease of the series.

In about two minutes and forty-five seconds, not only did DeKnight beautifully introduce us to the Phantom Zone and the creatures that gave the ghostly dimension its name, he also really upped the stakes for poor Clark at the same time. I love how Clark is welcomed by Raya (Pascale Hutton) to his new home with a kick to the face and then she says sarcastically to his unconscious body, “Welcome to the Phantom Zone.” The heroine that saved him maybe not being his friend was a terrific twist.

The rest of the episode was also top notch. The story was tight, kept on moving and the act break cliff-hangers were some of the best ever.

The act break cliffhanger at the end of second act, where Clark is seemingly betrayed by Raya after being ambushed by the two Kryptonians from last season’s premiere, came totally out of nowhere. The stakes were raised an unbelievable amount for Clark and it was another great twist.

The dialogue was awesome. It was especially strong in the scene between Martha and Jor-El in the Fortress. Their interaction was at times confrontational and at other times touching. Jor-El showed himself to be tough and unemotional over the finality of Clark’s fate at the hands of Zod, yet was sincerely grateful at the wonderful job Martha did in raising his son. It was a beautifully written scene.

I also loved the scene at the end with Clark and Martha. He’s been left for the first time with no father figure to guide him. His adoptive father is dead, the essence of his birth father appears to be gone following the death of the Fortress, and even his father-figure-wannabe Lionel can’t be trusted anymore. Clark was understandably confused by what to do next. Martha tried to console him and, in a very touching moment, give him hope that he can rise to the challenge despite his doubts.

The episode had answered a lot of questions but created new ones as well.

Where will Clark go from here?

What was Lionel doing at the end with writing out the Kryptonian symbols? He said his connection to Jor-El was gone. Why would he lie about that to Martha and to Chloe if it isn’t true? Is there something else going on with him altogether?

And how are the escaped Phantom Zone phantoms going to impact Clark, and the planet, for the rest of the season?

DeKnight gave us a terrific start to what’s looking like another fantastic season and I can’t wait to see how they will deal with these things as the season goes along.

The actors did some of their finest work in this episode. It’s probably not surprising since one of their best directors was at the helm. James Marshall always gets really strong performances from the actors of Smallville and this episode was no different.

Tom Welling again has continued to improve as an actor. The moment in the tease when Clark’s looking at the earth below him, unable to free himself from his crystalline prison was outstanding. The pain on his face was heart wrenchingly evident as he came to terms with the fact that he was trapped. Later when Clark was willing to risk his life to try and protect the people he loved, there was no doubt of his sincerity thanks to Tom’s perfect delivery. He was Superman being protective of his adopted planet and his loved ones. The resolve in his voice and in his bearing was wonderful to see. No moping superhero here, thank goodness.

At the end of the episode, Tom showed glimpses of his growing comedic skill as well in Clark’s fifth act scenes with Chloe and Lois. In the scene at the Planet, he showed subtly how Clark’s feelings may have changed toward Chloe and his jealousy rise when it was clear that Chloe has moved on. His reaction to a suddenly-off-the-market- Chloe was skillfully humorous. In the scene in Lois’ hospital room, the uncomfortable pause when Clark unconsciously showed affection for her was extremely well played and added some needed humor to the scene. Also, it was a nice hint at the depth their future relationship.

Kristin Kreuk was terrific in this episode. She’s getting better each year. When Zod pinned Lana’s hand to the wall, it was just… wow. That looked really painful and Kristin really portrayed that amazingly well. Playing pain convincingly like that is probably extremely difficult to do but she did such a good job making it look agonizing. Later, when Lana had to try and get close to Zod to have a chance to use the dagger on him, she portrayed Lana’s intentions in that scene beautifully. She played Lana with the right balance between anger and sensuality, resolve and fear.

Annette O’Toole was fantastic, especially in the Fortress scene confronting Jor-El. She went through a huge range of emotions in that scene and played each moment so powerfully and believably. The moments she played were so specific, from fear for Clark’s welfare to anger at Jor-El’s manipulations. I had no problem understanding what she was thinking… It’s always a treat to watch her work.

Michael Rosenbaum didn’t play Zod as an over the top hothead, as I think would be so easy to do. His Zod was very different from Lex. Zod’s seduction of Lana was harsh and calculating, where Lex in a similar situation would have had shown a far more tender, even if a calculating, passion.

When Zod pinned Lana to the wall, it wasn’t because of hate or that he was intentionally being cruel. It was simply a means to an end. He wanted her to stay put while he went and got what he needed from the Pentagon and Michael played it that coldly practical. It was beautiful how casually evil Zod was, so totally unlike the conflicted nature of Lex’s evil-doing ways.

Allison Mack did a great job. She played Chloe’s wide range of emotions in the episode expertly. From Chloe’s fiery determination to help do something to fix the chaos that Fine’s computer virus started, to flirting with Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) in a very cute, charismatic way.

Too bad Erica Durance had the thankless job of playing Lois as unconscious during most of this episode but I suppose she did well with what little she had to work with. The scene between Lois and Clark in the hospital was very nice and she played the uncomfortable moment well and helped make it more humorous.

One of the reasons I love Smallville so much is that it is such a beautiful show. Its better shot and more attractively designed than many movies…. This episode was no exception.

Director of Photography Glen Winter did a beautiful job turning whatever cold, wet location they filmed at in British Columbia into looking like it was a dry, desert wasteland. I don’t know how he accomplished that, but whatever he did it looked great. The lighting in the dying Fortress of Solitude was also gorgeous and really helped reinforce the thought that it was dying.

I don’t usually mention the costume designs, but the costumes of the people in the Phantom Zone were extremely well designed and executed. The costumes were sort of Bedouin/Arabian looking and they really tied in well with the desert-like environment. I liked the textures in the fabrics they wore and the primitive, distressed look to the costumes. Also, I liked the touch that Raya’s robes were all darker variations of Superman’s primary colors… It showed perhaps that she was truly an ally of Clark’s, despite her seeming betrayal of him at one point. Costume Designer Caroline Cranstoun did an excellent job.

James Philbott’s production designs were great. The Phantom Zone set pieces had a wonderfully organic feel to them. The tents and the gateway looked like they almost grew out of the ground. The designs in the Phantom Zone were beautiful but dark, unlike the more bright and colorful designs usually used in Smallville, which was exactly what a place like the Phantom Zone needed. Also, I loved the updated, yet traditional, Superman Crest used in this episode. The reverse relief of the Superman Crest that Clark used to open the gateway was an especially nice touch.

The Special Effects, which are usually high caliber in Smallville’s season premieres, were more impressive than usual. In the beginning the crystalline prison Clark found himself in was especially creative. I was surprised when it wasn’t hard and gave a little when Clark banged on it with his fists and pushed down on it with his foot. The phantoms were also extremely creepy. And I LOVED it when Zod was hitting Clark in the face over and over and gradually smashed that granite boulder at the same time. That fight scene finally gave Clark an exciting super-powered fight that far exceeded anything we’ve seen thus far in Smallville, especially given the underwhelming fight in last season’s premiere, and the F/X added to that.

Zod was truly a stellar episode and probably one of the best single episodes of the series. From the top down everyone put their best work into this production and it showed.

I give this episode 5 shiny Superman-Crest-shaped crystals 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.