Thursday May 1, 2008
3T6318
When Clark wonders if the world would be better off if he never came to Smallville, Jor-El shows him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)Clark decides to let Brainiac kill him as a baby, hoping the lives of his loved ones will be better. Some are. But all are about to suffer under President Luthor... hide show
Long running TV shows generally are tempted to have an "It's A Wonderful Life" episode. In that classic holiday film, a suicidal man is allowed to see how his town, loved ones, and one enemy would fare had never lived. He finds new joy in life as a result. This isn't 'Smallville' 's first episode of this nature. A few seasons earlier, in 'Lexmus', a critically injured Lex was visited by his mother's ghost, and given a chance to see how life would be if he got off the dark course he had just set out on. One of the best episodes, and one hard to top. 'Apocalypse' doesn't quite do that, but it's just as good. Clark is thrilled to learn Jonathan is still alive, and that Lana is happily married and living in France. Chloe is also about to get married, and her dad is still around. Lois' career in journalism is a lot better than in Clark's world---she's an editor at the Planet. But not all is good. Lana and Chloe were never friends in this reality. Lex is President, and has Lois arrested. Kara is an agent of a harsh security agency. and used her powers to get Lex arrested. And now, Lex--aided by Brainiac, using the Milton Fine name, plans to instigate nuclear war. Lex plans to remake the world for humanity's benefit, unaware that Brainiac plans to release Zod and create new Krypton. Like "It's A Wonderful life", none of this is real. Jor-El just wanted Clark to know how vital his life has been, and will be. This spurs Clark to go in the past, save himself as an infant, and send said infant off to Earth, and save Kara. Kara, for her part, gets to kill Brainiac (not that anyone thinks this will be any more permanent than his last death). Clark and Kara return to Earth. I can't find anything to complain about here. The scene where Clark, pretending to be a reporter, is dressed in a dark suit, has glasses, and pushes them up on the bridge of his nose like Christopher Reeve did in his 'Superman" movies, was priceless. Also fun was Clark's rescue of Lois, and her interested look at him, and the one he returned, foreshadowing the Lois and Clark romance we know is to come in Clark's real world. It's a fun episode, and an important one, as we see, again, that Clark is willing to die to save others, and that he accepts the fact that he has a destiny of heroism ahead of him.
Reminds me of "Labyrinth" hide show
Yet another alternate future episode. Reminds me so much of Labyrinth, I got mixed up with the 2. In an alternate universe, Chloe has a fiance, Lana is in Paris, married: two children. Kara is like Clark in the past, took in by a family. But this time, the wrong family. Lois is editor of the Daily Planet and gets took by the government. Lex is president, through the whole episode Clark tries to stop a nuclear war that Lex is creating, when Clark comes back to reality after almost dying, instead of making it a to be continued, he saves Kara. Kara is seen in pain after Clark goes to sleep. Then the episode ends, I think the showdown with Braniac should of been a bit longer. A good episode though.
A world without Clark Kent. hide show
You can't really say that this episode was about a world without Superman simply because this Clark Kent isn't Superman yet.There were times in the early part of the episode when you wondered how this Clark can become Superman.He was too passive and sorry for himself for my liking.With that said,the episode started really kicking into gear once we were in the alternate reality.Initially,Clark's regrets about the suffering his existance brought to others were justified.However as the dream sequence went on,he realized how much he means to the world.Looking back at this episode 7 months later,i have to say that it was somewhat pivotal.Not only was it that 150th episode but it also put some events into motion that would carry on to season 8 and gove it a fresh look.One of those changes was that Clark's doubt's about his importance were put to rest.Another change was that,even through a dream,he started seeing Lois in a different light.It was another development that needed to happen and which has continued very affectively in season 8.The episode itself had brilliant effects and Tom Welling's best directing job so far.I would also like to give props to the producers for using footage from the Superman movie in the Krypton scenes.Overall it was a great episode worthy of being the 150th one.
Clark decides to allow events to take their course on Krypton, even if that means the end of his life. Jor-El's force shows Clark the outcome of this decision in an apocalyptic fantasy. hide show
The opening clip of the Kent farm at night features another moonset gaffe - this time the waxing crescent moon is in the northern sky, as you'd see it from Brazil, but not Kansas. Still no astronomical advisor on hand. Clark continues his study of Dr. Swann's journal of Kryptonian messages, including a new one from Kara. It warns that Brainiac is getting closer - to being able to destroy the young Kal-El, set to leave that doomed planet before it explodes.
Chloe urges him to travel to Krypton via the Fortress shortcut, but Clark refuses! Meteor freaks, Phantoms, Brainiac - he feels all he has done is bring death and destruction, and Chloe can't talk sense into him. As he holds the octagonal key, he's enveloped in beams of light, and we're off on another trip to where? He awakens in the barn, but is confronted by Clark Kent - the one who would have existed if Kal-El had not. So Clark gets his own version of "It's a Wonderful Life," a familiar story, but the Smallville version might be interesting. But how can he be in this brave new world if he never existed in the first place?
Does he have his powers? Being conscious of his own decision to allow Brainiac to destroy him, he now wants to know that his friends are well, knowledge that would validate his decision. Since Mr. Welling directed this episode, we want to observe closely how well he did - will it be noticeable? First encounter - Chloe, who plays her part well, not recognizing Clark, but she seems happily engaged, and not to Jimmy. But he's next on the reunion tour, and agrees, after a bit of flattery, to help Clark find Lana - she's married and living in Paris. So far so good. Lois is next, she still brassy as ever, even when arrested by a gang of agents led by...Kara! This raises some time-travel paradoxes, but she doesn't know Clark.
Jimmy explains further - Kara, now with a different alias, was hired by the U.S. President, a guy named Lex Luthor. Things are going south in a hurry, but without Kal-El's entry on the Earth scene, what would have set Lex on a path of megalomania? The meteor shower still occurred in this parallel world, but there was no Clark, no mysteries, no intergalactic conspiracies or threat of alien invasions. Maybe Lex will always be a delusional self-starter.
The Ace of Clubs night spot figures in this script, too, but this time Clark is going to intervene in this world, as difficult as that should be for someone who does not exist. Over at the Ace, Clark's runs into Sheriff Nancy (Camille Mitchell from many seasons ago), and it's fun to see her again. She only gets a couple lines of dialog, during which she sounds very much like Reba, but she was raised in Vancouver, so that must be acting. Nancy is now working for DDS, but her night job is being an informant for Lois. Clark is determined to save her from this new government. Pretty good action scene when he swoops in, knocks aside a couple agents, and zooms away with Lois - she's impressed. This is the relationship so many fans have been wanting to see, but hey, it's fantasy in this world - it can't last. She thinks he's a meteor freak - but what is he really? Still a Kryptonian refugee?
Lois clues him into a fraudulent missile threat concocted by President Lex. Then Clark spots Brainiac on-screen, an advisor to Lex, and enlists Lois in a plan to stop the upcoming nuclear doomsday. Lois suits Clark up as a press person, geeky glasses and all. So far this is a lot more fun than last week's screenwriting disaster, and Ms. Durance is spot on in her Lois portrayal.
Meanwhile Kara reveals to Lex that Milton Fine is an enemy of the state, but Lex burns the incriminating memo about Fine. Backstory - Kara escaped from Krypton, was rescued by the Luthors and became a ward of the family, and here, Lex knows she's an alien. Clark meets Kara, tries to explain he's her cousin from Krypton, and that Fine is Brainiac. Kara finally catches on - can this planet be saved? Lex is planning to rebuild civilization after global destruction, and ends the discussion by firing green bullets into Clark. What, no superspeed bullet dodging? That's pretty out of character for Clark. Lex wings Kara too, but then Fine appears and gets medical attention for her - why?
Lex activates doomday - and all the ICBMs launch. Now who does Fine think Clark is? If he did destroy Kal-El back on Krypton, why would he accept Clark as still existing after Fine came to this planet? As Fine administers the coup de grace, Clark suddenly returns to the previous world, completing his experience of life without him. Jor-El now has Clark's attention - he must stop Brainiac, survive, and fulfill his destiny. Clark's interlude is over - he's back with Chloe as if no time elapsed. Now he knows he must travel to Krypton - to save himself! The time warps are now warping logic, but it plays pretty well anyway.
In a short battle on Krypton, Kara and Clark defeat Brainiac and assure the survival of infant Kal-El. Back on Earth, Clark learns that Lana's still catatonic, even after Brainiac was destroyed yet again. The regular ol' Lex shows up again, offering to help Lana, but Clark cannot reveal how she reached this state. Finally, Lois sees him doing medical research at the DP, as she drops the old 50's series line, "mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper," and they stroll out together. In a teaser for next week, Kara is knocked to the floor by some unseen mental force.
Smallville's producers and screenwriters are back on track; "Apocalypse" is good fun and has good dialog - it's just what we needed leading up to the next two episodes, which will surely be a season-ending classic. Re-run rating B.
While in the alternate reality I actually felt like they were having fun with this episode. Shame it didn't last. hide show
The alternate reality episode isn't anything new and nor is this episode. However for about a third of the time I actually was enjoying myself a lot. Why couldn't the show be set in this universe only with Clark there I was thinking. Yeah alright Michael Rosenbaum (Lex) acted bored again even if he was the president this time but my guess is he prefers the psychological stuff as that is when he seems to act to potential like when he burned his imaginary kid self in the fire a few eps back.
Clark was in this alternate reality closer to making something of himself but only because everyone else was. Chloe being engaged and out of the picture was a nice surprise as well even if they didn't play on it enough being Lois's cousin and everything. The major disapointment came in the alternate universe from Braniac who once again was 1 dimensional. If we'd followed this plot in the real world instead of it just being shoved on us in the alternate, then the character might have been far more compelling especially as he was preparing Lex to be the vessel for Zod, something that happened a few seasons ago. You've got to laugh at the intro of Clark in a suit and glasses though, that Jacket and T-shirt he wears must be mingy by now.
It's a shame that when he gets back from his glimpse into the alternate reality that everything collapses and his trip to Krypton to save his baby self is just crap. Why did Braniac need Kara there in the first place I do not know - also the bit at the end when she gets a stomach ulcer kind of hints at the fact he may not be dead once again.
One last thing, get Lex out of the mansion more he's become someone who never interacts with the main characters anymore except when they come see him (minus him killing his dad of course). When he appeared in the barn it just felt right for him to be there and interacting with Clark again like in earlier seasons.
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