#7.16 “Descent” Review

WARNING: Spoiler-phobes be warned! This review will spoil you so DO NOT read this until after you’ve seen this episode. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

What a completely no grading-on-the-curve-needed episode! I LOVED this episode.

Writers Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson really hit this one out of the park. Although at least some of this episode seems to have originated in the strike plagued series of installments that ended with last month’s “Veritas.”

Although I loved the episode, some of it seemed out of order. For example, Clark saw Lana at the end of Veritas during the day, yet the majority of what happened in “Descent” happened the same night Clark and Chloe last saw Lionel in that episode. Clark had last seen Lana during what had apparently been the next day, so this episode apparently takes a step back in time.

The continuity was a bit confusing because of that, but I’ll forgive them for that since the episode was so wonderful.

It started out very well, Lionel was uncharacteristically rattled at the beginning, apparently dreading seeing Lex. He appeared worried and nervous as he looked up at the Luthorcorp building before heading in. Once in his office, he removed his tie and slumped forward onto his hands as he waited for Lex. Again, completely not the calm, cool Lionel we know.

Then another surprising thing was when Lex confronted Lionel about Veritas, and how being in Smallville the day of the meteor shower had been no accident. Lex actually begged his father to tell him the truth. So, the enormity of the truth for Lex made him act out of character there. And Lex was more vulnerable than I think we’ve seen in many years. He was shaken to his core by what his father had done to him for the sake of the Traveler.

Lionel’s thinly veiled lie about the identity of the Traveler turned out to be a very bad idea. Telling Lex that he had been the Traveler had been probably meant to soothe his hurt feelings and give Lionel time to try and handle the threat to Clark. It didn’t work the way Lionel had intended.

Lex may not see things clearly when it comes to his father, but he’s not stupid either. I think Lionel’s vain attempt to protect Clark had been the last straw for Lex who had been changed so profoundly because of Lionel for the sake of the Traveler. So he snapped and pushed Lionel out of the window. Too bad for Lex that the locket didn’t contain the key to that safe-deposit box anymore, but he managed to get it later from Chloe anyway.

I am glad that Lionel was redeemed a bit in death. He truly did have Clark’s best interest in mind in the end, but I’m sorry that his some of more inexplicable actions (why exactly he captured Clark in “Traveler;” why he kept Kara’s bracelet and then lied about it; why he forced Lana to marry Lex) weren’t fully explained before he shuffled off the mortal coil.

The Veritas story arc seems to be still building, so maybe we’ll find out more at least about why he’d captured Clark before the end of the season… At least, I hope so.

The inclusion of Lex’s inner goodness, as personified by the nine year old red haired Alexander, was an interesting choice. It again externalized Lex’s inner struggle against his good side. It gave Michael someone to play against as Lex dealt with his doubts about killing Lionel. And it was only when Lex had doubts, was conflicted, that Alexander showed up. It was with the disturbing murder of Alexander inside his mind that Lex finally turned away from the last shreds of decency that he had left.

I liked that the previously unidentified minion of Lex’s finally got herself a name. I should have known it was a bad sign, since she’d been identified surely that meant that she would get killed. However, her murder came completely out of the blue. I’m sorry about that. I liked Anna Galvin a lot. Some people in online discussions seemed to think that Lex had her killed, but I don’t think so.

A stand-in for Mercy Graves (Lex’s main minion that had originally appeared in “Superman: The Animation Series”), Gina adored Lex and would have killed to protect him. She’d helped him cover up the murder of Patricia Swann and was going to help him cover up Lionel’s murder as well… I think Lex recognized that adoration and her faithfulness, so I don’t see that he would have had any motive to kill her.

I’m thinking maybe she was taken out by someone else who is probably also looking for the Traveler… Or maybe this person is protecting the Traveler? It probably isn’t a coincidence that Gina got herself killed right after she’d told Lex via his voicemail that she’d figured out who the Traveler was. I would think that the reason for her murder and the murderer’s identity will probably be cleared up in an upcoming episode, so I can’t wait to see what had happened there.

Although I found Lois and Jimmy a bit annoying working together last episode, I thought that they had a better rhythm in this one. It was actually a pleasure to see them work together.

I liked that Clark actually took action and wasn’t as passive in this episode as in the last one. He had next to nothing he could do in “Veritas,” so that was a pleasant change back to the way things should be.

Also, I loved the save in the freezer. (And why would a newspaper have an industrial sized freezer in the first place?) The novel and creative use of heat vision was awesome.

It was a nice touch that they’d brought back Maggie Sawyer (Jill Teed). I love it when they bring back old recurring roles like hers, even though it was basically just a cameo. It shows some good continuity.

Before I’m done talking about the writing, I want to take a little side-trip and talk about Clark’s character.

I know a lot of the readers of my reviews aren’t active in online forums either here at KryptonSite or elsewhere, but Clark’s reaction to Lionel’s death has had some seriously mixed reactions around the web. I usually never read other reviews before I finish mine. Ever.

Normally, I don’t want to taint my view by reading others. I will only sometimes read some of them after I’m done with mine, and I will only read the ones from people I know will provide thoughtful commentary. There are some I never read because they are usually filled with hate of some kind or another. And with my new spoiler-phobic life-style choice, it’s probably not a good idea anyway. Not all webmasters are as strict with not including spoilers for future episodes in reviews as Craig is…. So, I can’t really take the risk. I risk enough just by going onto forums to begin with, so why compound the danger?

However, with this episode I was curious what the reaction was because of some comments I’d seen online, so I read a few and I was amazed at the varied reactions to this episode. So, I wanted to give my thoughts on the matter.

On one side, there are the people that see Clark’s “moping” about Lionel’s death as forgiving him for the unforgivable. I don’t think so, despite the fact that it’s true that Lionel had done some truly despicable things to Clark before he’d been taken over by Jor-El at the end of the fourth season.

Even after his supposed redemption by Jor-El, Lionel had manipulated Clark and his mother into thinking he’d changed, even though he was at least partly responsible for the Jonathan’s death. Lionel had also arranged for Clark to be captured and tortured for reasons he had never really explained to any satisfactory level. He’d also manipulated Lana into a loveless marriage with Lex that hurt Clark a tremendous amount. Some reviewers wondered, how could Clark mourn someone like him? How could what Lionel had done ever be forgiven?

Some even went further to say that because of how he felt conflicted about Lionel’s death that there’s no way that Smallville’s Clark could ever believably become Superman. One reviewer even said that Clark’s “revisionist” view of Lionel and any grief he felt at his passing was “offensive.”

On the other side, there are those that think that Clark’s anger with Lex about Lionel’s murder and trying to get to the bottom of the mystery was very Superman-like.

Superman, if you’ve read any comics or even seen any of the other shows or movies based on the character, is always thinking the best of people. Clark gives people hope because he never loses it himself. He always sees the good in people even when others don’t.

That actually used to be the hallmark of his relationship with Lex. He fought a lot with his parents and friends over his friendship with Lex. The irony is that, ultimately, they were all right and Clark was wrong: Lex cannot be trusted.

As far as Lionel is concerned, it took him inexplicably capturing and torturing him for Clark to finally lose all hope for the Magnificent Bastard’s redemption.

And it took Lionel sacrificing himself to protect Clark’s secret for him to realize that maybe there had still been hope for at least one of the Luthors.

Clark’s regret at Lionel’s sacrifice for the sake of him was what he’d been “moping” about. That’s something Superman would always regret. He would never wish anyone, not even a man with such a dark and sinister past, to die because of him. The fact that Lionel died to protect Clark made the death especially hard on Clark.

In the end, Clark acknowledged the Lionel’s sacrifice the only way he could: he will keep on eye on Lex. He may no longer have the proof that a murder even took place, but Clark’s promise to Lex “I’m not going anywhere” had more truth than Lex might have realized. The glare he showed Lex at Lionel’s grave side is proof of that: Clark will keep an eye on Lex.

Another very Superman-like thing Clark had done was honor Lionel at the end of his funeral. He performed a ritual of goodbye by sprinkling a handful of dirt onto the grave. That’s something usually only close family members do and it’s normally a sign of affection.

The thing is, I think Clark only did that because he realized that no one else would. Who, aside from Clark and other people who have now have no proof, even thinks that Lex is guilty? No one. And who else would really regret that Lionel been murdered? Not Chloe, and certainly not Lex.

Clark grieved Lionel not for what he was, but for what he was trying so hard to be and couldn’t. He mourned the loss of the man that Lionel was trying to become… I think that is very Supermanly and is a perfect reaction to Lionel’s death.

In my opinion, the people that don’t think that Smallville’s Clark is headed toward superhero-hood are watching a different show than I am. This episode actually shows how much like his future self Clark is acting… It’s episodes like this that make this Superman fan happy to be watching Smallville.

I think I only had one big problem with the story itself: Jimmy’s photo.

It’s ridiculous that Jimmy could actually use any computer, much less Lana’s servers at the Isis Foundation, to view visual information that just isn’t there. The photo was supposed to be taken at night and the camera was focused on Lois. How could there possibly be enough image data, whether the photo was digital or silver halide (you know regular 35mm film), to be able to see anything other than vague out of focus shapes of Lionel and Lex? Also, the photo looked like it was taken in daytime, even though Jimmy says it was taken at night and Lionel definitely got killed during night…

That was a stupid plot point and it was very contrived, most times Smallville totally fails when it comes to using computer technology believably, but it didn’t really bother me enough for me to count down for the faux pas. Don and Holly did an excellent job with this script, the pacing was good, the act break cliff-hangers were all terrific, and the story kept up my interest every second. Two thumbs way up for them.

The acting was all top notch.

Tom Welling was terrific. Clark had been intent on finding Brainiac to try and help Lana, but then when he realized that as unhinged as Lionel had been, he was not one to suicide, Clark became determined to get to the bottom of what had happened. This despite Chloe’s doubts the locket really had meant anything. It turned out Clark was right, it had meant something. With some investigation of his own, he learned that locket actually meant everything.

Tom played Clark as sorry that Lionel had died, Clark certainly had a hot- and cold-running relationship with the man, but still he’d played Clark as trying hard to right whatever wrongs had been done. He wasn’t going to let Lex get away with murder.

His greatest moments in this were the scenes with Lex. I just love when the two men have scenes together, so I am really hoping that Michael will come back at least some next year, and this episode was no different. Clark was sure of his position of being right and didn’t back down from confronting Lex about it and Tom got that point across sometimes without saying a single word.

Another good moment for him was the scene in the loft with Chloe. Clark was troubled by Lionel’s death because he sacrificed himself to protect Clark. Tom played it perfectly and that scene was heart breaking.

I loved the last scene especially. Unable to prove what Lex had done since Gina had destroyed the photograph, he went to the funeral as if to remind Lex he wasn’t going anywhere and he would make sure he paid for his crimes. It sets up the kind of relationship they have in the comics, Superman always watching Lex for any missteps. In the comics, of course, Lex always seems to evade arrest or manages to squirm out of any legal entanglements, but Clark always keeps an eye on him. The way that scene was blocked (staged) and shot helped, but I’ll talk more about that later. That was an awesome moment and Tom played that perfectly.

Lex had a very difficult episode right from the start and Michael performed every moment flawlessly.

Lex’s opening scene with Lionel was amazing to watch. I think it’s the most emotionally defenseless I’ve seen Michael have Lex be in a very long time. It was painful watching him try to deal with Lionel’s lies and betrayal for the sake of the mysterious Traveler. We know Lionel was only lying to protect Clark, but Lex needed his dad to be honest with him for once and he wasn’t. Lex had looked to his father with one last hope for their father-son relationship. All he wanted to know was why had it been necessary to sacrifice him for the Traveler? Who was it that he had been more important than Lex?

When Lionel so had blatantly lied and told Lex that he was the Traveler, again putting this mysterious person ahead of Lex, I could almost see something change in Lex. Michael made it clear to me that in that moment Lex had decided that his father needed to do one last thing (give him the key) before he would die. It was almost like a switch had been thrown in his head. It was clearly the last straw. That whole scene was beautifully played by Michael.

In the scenes with his childhood self, Michael played Lex’s conflicted feelings perfectly. Turning Lex’s inner conflict into an external one that we could see was a great idea and Michael made every moment he had with little Alexander count. He played Lex as torn about what he’d done… He felt he’d needed to, as the dialogue stated, but Michael made him haunted by the act nonetheless. I’m not sure Lex completely lacks the ability to love, as Chloe had stated, as Michael played him here it was obvious some part of him still loved his father. He wouldn’t have been so torn up by the murder, and needed to off his conscience in the form of nine year-old self, otherwise…In the scenes with Clark, Michael kicked it up yet another notch. Both of the dialogue-free scenes, the first one at Luthorcorp Plaza and later at Lionel’s grave-side, where neither man spoke a word to each other were completely amazing. I’ve said before how difficult I think it is for actors to face a scene that has no dialogue. Well, it probably is difficult for a novice or unskilled one anyway, but obviously not for an actor as skilled as Michael. He conveyed so much without saying a single word in both scenes.

The acrimonious scene with Clark in the Luthor mansion library was all kinds of awesome. Yeah, there was scenery chewing going on, but it was the good kind. I think it probably would have been easy to go over the top there, and Michael’s actually done that before in this kind of scene (think evil-Lex’s scenes with good-Lex and Clark in the later parts of “Onyx”), but his motivations here were more solid and seemed more natural. There was no camp in sight. Lex was angry with Clark, but he added an undercurrent of hurt and betrayal. Michael played it like Lex had felt bitter because Clark had taken the love from Lionel that Lex had felt belonged to him. It was a remarkable scene for him especially since Michael’s actually eyes welled up with tears.

This was Michael’s episode and he hit it out of the park. What a terrific performance.

John Glover only had about 4 minutes of screen time, but despite that he was unforgettably awesome in his final episode. John made Lionel a truly different man, as evidenced previously in “Veritas.” At the start of the episode, he was uncharacteristically nervous and let Lex have control of their confrontation, which isn’t what he normally does. He circled Lex, instead of the other way around… Lex had the power in the scene. To hit that idea home, John had made Lionel’s voice softer, even a bit tremulous, in parts. Yet, when it came to protecting Clark, something he was dedicated to like Lionel had said in the message he’d left, he was resolved. He accepted the fate Lex had in store for him if he continued to choose the Traveler over Lex. As he fell to his death, John portrayed Lionel as serene, even at peace, with the fate Lex had doomed him to. Lionel died a good death. It was a perfect ending to a perfect scene.

Like Craig said in his touching tribute to John Glover, his character (and his tenure on the show) had an excellent ending. Thanks to John’s always perfect performances; I will miss the grace Lionel added to Smallville.

Erica Durance and Aaron Ashmore both did awesome jobs as Lois and Jimmy. Unfortunately they were again handed the job of handling what? The C plot? Oh, well… They both made good use of the minimal screen time they had and turned in very entertaining performances. I think their chemistry is picking up and I’m enjoying it more.

Allison Mack was, as always, very good as Chloe. Perhaps her most effective scene had been in the loft scene with Clark. Chloe is ever the supportive friend and Allison portrayed that part of her character perfectly.

Anna Galvin, as the ill-fated Gina, did an admirable job playing Lex’s loyal minion, despite the unrequited love Gina felt for her boss. She was smart and feisty. I’m going to miss her and I hope her death is explained later…

I wonder if Connor Stanhope will make another appearance as young Alexander. I hope so, because, to be honest, he did better in his debut in the role back in “Fracture.” It makes me think maybe I’d given him too much credit for that episode and director James Marshall not enough… Or perhaps newb director Ken Horton doesn’t work well with kids… Whatever the reason, he lacked some of the charm of the earlier performance. I hope he can rectify the lack in future work, even if he doesn’t come back to Smallville. I thought he showed genuine promise in “Fracture.”

Executive Producer Ken Horton made his directorial debut with this episode. I can’t think of a better episode to bow with than this one. Aside from a few picayunish things, the script was nearly perfect and the acting (aside from young Connor) was probably some of the best of the series. The blocking of the episode and the nice little visual touches were all wonderful.

Probably the best moment was the final scene between Clark and Lex. I loved the way it was staged, with Clark and Lex facing each other over Lionel’s grave as the Daily Plant globe spun in the background. Usually, funerals in Smallville are held in inclement weather: rain or snow. With the exception of the premature funeral for Lex in the Season 3 premiere episode “Exile,” no others had taken place in bright sunshine.

I think that’s because funerals in film and TV are usually staged with the idea of the climate being expressionistic, and the weather generally reflects the emotional state of characters. In “Reckoning,” the funeral took place in cold, still lifeless winter for Jonathan Kent’s somber send-off. That was perfect, and I’m ashamed I didn’t gush enough about Barry Donlevy’s work in that episode, but that perfectly reflected the state of Clark’s emotions. The funeral in this episode, however, was in bright sunshine. It was like Lionel’s murder might someday come to light. If Clark has his way, one day Lex will pay for his crime. The glare Clark gave Lex was perfect: accusing and promising of the ongoing threat Clark will make to Lex’s future evil-doing plans.

The way the scene was shot by Glen Winter and the music that played, written by show composer, Louis Febre, were terrific. As Clark walked into the long shot, as slow and melodic music played, he was slowly revealed as he came up to the hill. It was, perhaps, symbolic of Clark’s increasing oversight into Lex’s business. His presence grew bigger as he walked into the frame…

I also loved how Glen used the sunshine in the scene. Lex faced away from the sun, away from the light, his face in shadow; while Clark faced the light. They were light and dark; yin and yang; good and evil. The way the scene was shot, like the whole episode, was simply perfect.

I must give two huge thumbs up to Production Designer James Philpott. I loved the little touches in the episode that spoke of Lionel’s recent obsessions. The CD of Richard Wagner’s opera “Götterdämmerung” (meaning literally “twilight of the gods,” but in general meaning an Apocalypse) speaks of his preoccupation with a coming evil and his antique volume of Nietzche’s “Beyond Good and Evil” so prominently displayed spoke of an apparent obsession with morality. Given Lionel’s past and his redemption those details were awesome.

Also, I LOVED the Kryptonian flashlight that Lionel used to leave Clark a message after his death. Not only was it something that only Clark would understand, but it was way cool too.

I wish I could give this a couple of points for being as awesome an episode as it was, but I don’t go over five points. So, I give this episode 5 really cool kryptonian flashlight-message thingies 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.