Smallville Review – “Crusade”

I’m watching a grand total of one series this season.
If it stays this good, one will be enough.

Cast

Tom
Welling
as Clark Kent
Kristen Kreuk as
Lana Lang
Michael
Rosenbaum
as Lex Luthor
John
Glover
as Lionel
Luthor
Annette O’Toole
as Martha Kent
John Schneider
as Jonathan Kent
Jensen
Ackles
as
Jason Teague

Guest starring Margot
Kidder
as
Bridgette Crosby, and Erica
Durance
as Lois
Lane.

Written by Alfred
Gough
and Miles
Millar


Directed by Greg
Beeman
.

Original Airdate


Crusade
originally aired on Wednesday,
September 22, 2004.

Synopsis

Lois Lane, coming to Smallville to look into her
cousin’s death, finds
Clark naked in a cornfield suffering from amnesia.
From there, we see
that Jonathan is still in a coma, Lex has survived
but requires
frequent medical care, Lionel will probably walk when
he comes to
trial, Dr. Swann has been talking to his staff, and
Jor-El has managed
to get a pretty good hold on Clark.

High Point

Is there anyone John Glover can’t generate perfect
chemistry with?
Erica Durance had some weak moments in this episode,
but her scene
with Glover just worked perfectly, as do Rosenbaum’s
scenes with
Glover. Has John Glover ever been in a scene in this
show that didn’t
work?

Low Point

That last line of dialogue isn’t necessarily the
conclusion I’d jump
to. (My first instinct, given what we knew of the
situation, would
have been “there mustn’t have been enough left.”)

I should mention that I’m giving the show some
breathing room. The
black kryptonite seems to be pretty convenient, and I
wonder how they
knew it would work. They may be able to neatly
explain this when we
learn more about Dr. Swann, so I didn’t choose that
moment.

The Review

The introduction of Lois has really generated a new
and
original feel for the series. Homage is
paid to some major
events in the history of the character, but it
doesn’t feel like
outright duplication. I give it 5 out of 6.

The effects were well done, and there were a
lot of them to
fit into this hour. I give it 6 out of 6.

The story was very well done. My only
complaint was the
sappy scene. Yes, it’s appropriate to the
characters, but it’s a
completely different tone than the rest of the
episode, and it just
doesn’t fit. Personally, I’d have gone without
dialogue, and just had
Clark and Martha walk in together, and move directly
to the group hug
in seconds. The questioning about Clark’s abilities
could have been
wrapped up later, possibly in next week’s episode. I
give it 5 out of
6.

The acting has improved. Tom Welling’s
Clark is still stiff,
but that was appropriate for Kal-El. Long time
readers will know that
I have been underwhelming by Kristen Kreuk in the
past, but this week,
she did a really good job. Her interaction with
Jensen Ackles was
extremely natural. Erica Durance had a couple of
stiff moments, but
several good ones as well. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response was very good. These
people know how
to tell a story, and how to build momentum going into
a new season.
Very well done. I give it 6 out of 6.

The production was another aspect that was
well done. I was
extremely pleased to see the letterbox broadcast.
(That was almost my
high point.) There have been times in the past when
the truncation of
the picture was very obvious, and now, that’s not an
issue. (Now if
only my cable company would add the WB to the HD
stations they offer.)
Mark Snow’s score was fantastic, really nailing every
scene.
I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this was a fantastic season
premier. Let’s just
hope that they can keep this up. I give it 5 out of
6.

In total,
Crusade
receives
37
out of 42.

11 replies on “Smallville Review – “Crusade””

  1. Not even a mention for Kidder?
    My Low Point for this episode would have been the spoilers, both in the opening credits and the first comercial break. I think it’s great that they’re using old Superman cast members in the new series. I don’t like how they remove the fun of it by placing the Guest credit at the beginning (which I think they may not a have a choice on, considering the information in the Star Wars documentary that’s been airing lately), or the “Watch for the surprise appearance of former Superman cast” just before the comercial break.

    • Re: Not even a mention for Kidder?

      or the “Watch for the surprise appearance of former
      Superman cast” just before the comercial break.

      That commercial in particular was very amusing. The
      announcer is talking about a surprise appearance, while
      the image on screen is Margot Kidder with “MARGOT KIDDER”
      in giant red letters across the bottom.

      • Re: Not even a mention for Kidder?
        I thought that commercial was really stupid; it would be easy to miss the credit at the beginning, so that’s not as annoying, but “surprise appearance!” as you give away the surprise? Completely lame…

    • Re: Not even a mention for Kidder?

      I don’t like how they remove the fun of it by placing the Guest credit at the beginning (which I think they may not a have a choice on, considering the information in the Star Wars documentary that’s been airing lately)

      Placement of actor credits are negotiated when contracts are signed. On Buffy and Angel there were a couple of Guest Stars whose credits appeared at the end of the episode. I imagine the contracts allowed for that. (Director credits are required by the DGA at the front of a film, but can be at the end of a TV show.)

  2. Get that out of the way
    The questioning about Clark’s abilities could have been wrapped up later,
    possibly in next week’s episode.

    When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
    You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

    • Re: Get that out of the way

      The questioning about Clark’s abilities could have been wrapped up later,
      possibly in next week’s episode.

      When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
      You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

      I suppose that’s true. I think you might get away with it if the entire teaser to next week’s episode is a completely and utterly failed attempt for Clark to fly, but ideally, we’d have just seen him try and fail this week instead of extending that mood-inappropriate scene.

      • Re: Get that out of the way

        The questioning about Clark’s abilities could have been wrapped up later,
        possibly in next week’s episode.

        When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
        You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

        I suppose that’s true. I think you might get away with it if the entire teaser to
        next week’s episode is a completely and utterly failed attempt for Clark to fly,
        but ideally, we’d have just seen him try and fail this week instead of
        extending that mood-inappropriate scene.

        Ideally he’ll devellop flight the same way it developped historically in the
        comics: Step 1: Jumping real high and far.

    • Re: Get that out of the way

      When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
      You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

      I agree with your statement but have to ask: since Clark’s going to fly eventually, why press the reset button? Why not have it happen now?

      -cb

      • Re: Get that out of the way

        When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
        You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

        I agree with your statement but have to ask: since Clark’s going to fly
        eventually, why press the reset button? Why not have it happen now?

        -cb

        Because if he can fly, it messes up a lot of their plots, I guess.

        Also, they said that Clark wouldn’t fly until the last episode, they’re stiking to
        that it seems.

        • Re: Get that out of the way

          When you pull a stunt like that, you have to press the reset button right away.
          You can’t leave a series-changing morcel like that linger past the end credit.

          I agree with your statement but have to ask: since Clark’s going to fly
          eventually, why press the reset button? Why not have it happen now?

          -cb

          Because if he can fly, it messes up a lot of their plots, I guess.

          Also, they said that Clark wouldn’t fly until the last episode, they’re stiking to
          that it seems.

          Yeah, they said “no flights, no tights” for Clark. So technically, we didn’t see Clark fly, but Kal El. And since Clark is afraid of heights, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see him in the blue and red suit flying around.

  3. Music from Crusade
    Hi, I’m new to this board. I’ve seen cruisade quite late and the one particular song has stuck in my head still. What song is played when clark takes off flying in crusade. All I know is that the composer is Mark Snow. Does he have a cd which includes this song?

    Thanks

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