Smallville 4/16/02 (1 Viewer)

[Chad R]

I can't believe no one's started a thread yet.

Glad there was no kryptonite villain this week, but thought the violence was a bit much. Really, did we need to see

Ryan's stepfather drop so many people with the shotgun? And why didn't he blink at shooting his wife but just dumped Lex out of the car?

Loved the use of 'It's Not Easy' at the end, I love that song.

And something my costume designer wife pointed out to me, they always dress Clark in blues and reds, and Lex in blacks and greys. Interesting.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

IMO, "Superman (It's not easy)" should be the theme for the show. I'd just assumed it would be too expensive to get the rights for. It was nice seeing it pop up in last night's episode.

 

[Bill Catherall]

Yes, it was a really fun episode. That red and blue thing is all about foreshadowing. I love it when they do that!
I've also been wondering when they were going to get around to using "It's Not Easy" in this show. I'm glad they finally slipped it in. Although, I don't think they really used it in the right spot. It didn't really seem appropriate to the mood of the show in that scene. It would have worked better in a scene where Clark is feeling the weight of his "superheroship" and is feeling a little bit too much pressure to be the hero.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Yeah I was surprised at the violence as well, althoughI'm glad that Smallville has some grit to it I think they could'v elessened up a bit. But it is on at 9pm.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

YeahI thought the same thing about "It's not Easy" I could see it being used on a different ep.

 

[Feng]

I half expected Lex father to say "Join me, Lex. Togather we shall rule the world as father and son."

 

[Kevin Eckhardt]

At least he didn't say "Lex, I am your father"

 

[Ken Chan]

So was Chloe throwing herself at Clark (once her secret was out) or what? And Clark wasn't goin' for it. Doesn't he know that getting Lana jealous might work in his favor?

The Superman song seems a bit too obvious; I prefer Save Me.

//Ken

 

[Jeremiah]

I wish I knew more about Superman to get some of these little things. I have no idea about "It's not easy" or the Lex and his Father angle.

I did notice that there was more violence in the last episode but I liked it.

Oh, Chloe was ALL OVER CLARK once he knew her secret.

Good to see we get a nice string of new episodes.

 

[Bill Catherall]

Five For Fighting
Superman (It's Not Easy)
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me
I'm more than a bird: I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me
Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see
It may sound absurd: but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed: but won't you conceed
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me
Up, up and away: away from me
It's all right: You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy: or anything:
I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees
I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
It's not easy to be me.
Love that song.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

When the show first started I thought it was going to be the song, but then I heard "Save Me"

Both work pretty good.

 

[Jim DiJoseph]

Both songs are great, IMHO.
Spoliers alert!!!
This week's episode was excellent. I liked the way that Ryan could not garner Clark's thoughts like he could with others. I also liked his method of learning things. He'd ask a question, which normally brings the answer to the surface of your mind. Whether you speak the truth or not, Ryan knows the answer. Nice!
I also liked the use of the Kents - once again. The wholesome family things is being hammered into the viewer's mind, but that is key to Superman's persona after all.
Also, I found it interesting that when Clark found Ryan snooping around, and then learned of his real background and situation, he didn't step up to the plate (all the way). Ryan was hugging Clark and pleading for his help. There was a long pause, and definitely concern on Clark's face, but then - cue commercial. Clark never said, "I'll protect you," or, "I'll never let them harm you again." I thought that was significant to his character in that he is willing to help those in need, but he hasn't yet committed himself fully to the cause. It's almost like he's holding something back, ya know. Interesting, even if I'm off base...

 

[Hanson]

Good ep, but it gets annoying that with all the weird stuff going on, it wasn't patently obvious that the kid could read minds.

At least Clark didn't destroy stuff just to punctuate a point (a pet peeve of mine with the show). How much farm equipment has he destroyed for no good reason?

Lana is still doing the licking lips and breathy JLH thing, though. As attractive as Kristen is, her mannerisms are getting annoying.

 

[Jeremiah]

Bill, that is a pretty darn good song for Superman.

Hanson, I was trying to look for Lana "bobble head" Lane to do her thing but I didn't really notice it. I only remembered to look during 1 scene though.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Finally got caught up to watch this episode.
Telepathy is a dual-edged sword. Babylon 5 did a nice take on this power in its early days. Ryan might go looney if he can't keep other people's thoughts out of his head. He will need training to shield other people's thoughts. Where's Charles Xavier when you need him? Ryan was a good kid trying to run away from a bad situation. I can see why Clark and his family would take to him so quickly. How do these humans survive getting hit by cars travelling a good clip? Ryan should have really been hurt by being smacked by Martha's car. What's with Clark's parents and running into people with their vehicles? Didn't Jonathan run into someone with his truck previously as well?
Clark needs better dialog. Couldn't believe he used "You're safe now" twice in the show (once was enough to draw the parallel between him and the comic book character). I was hoping Ed (Stuckeybowl) would show up when they were at the bowling alley. And how did the homicidal stepfather survive getting bonked in the chest by a bowling ball? FYI - The girlfriend (Brandy Ledford) was a former Penthouse pet of the year (Jisel), who was last seen in Baywatch Hawaii and The Invisible Man.
The violence of the stepfather was a bit jarring, but bad people do bad things, and if you don't show that aspect, the contrast of heroism doesn't quite shine as brightly. So I'm glad the writers don't back off from such displays of violence on the show.
Chloe, to me, just gets better and better. I think she's hitting a growth spurt as she goes through her teen years. Using Ryan to fully expose Chloe's major crush on Clark is intentional on the writer's part to set up some romantic conflict for Clark. I will bet that Clark will be crushed when Whitney somehow weasels his way back into Lana's heart for the prom, and Clark might be the odd man out if Pete (Ross) snaps up Chloe (tired of waiting for Clark to get off the Lana-train) for the prom, which leaves Clark yet again alone.
Clark's is so ga-ga over Lana (The comment from both Ryan and Clark - something like "I think I'm in love." "So am I." at the Talon after Lana gives Ryan a kiss on the cheek was a humorous touch).
Why Lex was not killed by the stepfather is a good question. It's basically inconsistent writing, or perhaps the stepfather only kills when he needs to kill, and Lex simply didn't put up a fight, so he was just kicked to the curb. Of course, Lex has to wonder how Clark shows up miles from his farm just after he's tossed out of the limo. Lex's too smart not to guess the truth about Clark. I didn't think Lex was going to Metropolis, but that's because the actor (Micheal Rosenbaum) has a contract to be around as long as "Smallville" is being produced. Ryan does plant the seeds of mistrust within Clark about Lex with his parting shot, but it also shows Clark's "the glass is half full" philosophy and outlook on life.
Oh, definitely enjoyed Lex's "Every hero needs a foil" coment from Lex. Heh. Heavy foreshadowing from the writers, eh?
All in the all, Clark's relating to Ryan was probably the high point of the show. Clark's parents always acquit themselves quite well, setting a consistently good example for Clark, well, except for their driving prowess...

 

[AllenD]

Better late than never...

I thought the episode was a bit violent, too. In the end I half expected to see the stepfather's head get taken off by the bowling ball instead of hitting him on the chest. (My eyes were out of their socket until I saw where the bowling ball landed!) But as said before...bad people do bad things. It was necessary to establish the character, IMO.

 

[Chad R]

It wasn't the killing that bothered me, it was the means. People have died on Smallville before. It was the shotgun business. The first two were off screen, but the last, the bowling alley guy, was right there. That was just nasty.

 

[brentl]

I didn't like this show when it started, but I've caught an increasing amount of minutes and am getting hooked.

Brent