Smallville Review – “Forever”

Remember: next week’s season finale is an extra long
90 minute broadcast.

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

Allison Mack as
Chloe Sullivan.

Written by Kelly Sounders and Brian Peterson.

Directed by James Marshall.

Original Airdate


Forever
originally aired on Wednesday,
May 11, 2005.

Synopsis

In the second last episode of the season, a boy with
the power to
freeze people tries to create a world where high
school never ends.

High Point

Collaboration among the Luthors.

Low Point

The wink. The mass release is a close second; the
writers have access
to another effective way to thaw when needed.

The Review

Once again, the original elements come out in
the secondary
plotlines. The interaction between the Luthors and
the Teagues is the
most interesting aspect of the script, and does the
most to drive the
overall plotline forward. In this case, we’ve already
had a super
villain with abilities like these. I give it 3 out of
6.

The effects were substandard for this show.
(Fiberglass,
anyone?) I give it 3 out of 6.

The story had some very good results, with
above average
delivery. It was well written this week, managing to
run two major
suspence plotlines while still tying off some loose
ends that need
dealt with before the end of the season. (In fact,
given that this
episode revealed every major character’s plans for
next year, I’m
betting the season finale will be all about action and
finishing the
plotline with the stones.) I give it 5 out of 6.

The acting is as it usually is. Kreuk’s big
gasps were
inconsistent with the subtlety of Chloe’s
transportation, but I don’t
know if that the acting, writing, or directing at
fault. Guest star
Steven Grayhm did a decent job. It would have been
nice, however, if
we’d seen a little more transition between the
different aspects of
Jason’s character. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response was strong, in spite
of some of the
weaknesses. We were given a fun ride, that clears
enough material
aside to get me very interested in what’s left for the
extra-long
finale next week. I give it 5 out of 6.

The production was generally good. There was
one major
jarring point for me, though. About half way through
(just after Lana
breaks the drawer) the music used was a standard chase
theme used in
The X-Files. It’s not the first time the
score from that
series has been borrowed (as they are both scored by
Mark Snow), but
when something is just recycled like that, it stands
out for me. The
shows have two completely different tones, and two
completely
different attitudes. They need different music. I
give it 4 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a decent episode, but it
doesn’t feel quite as
good as some of the other “second last of the season”
episodes we’ve
had. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total,
Forever
receives
28
out of 42.

4 replies on “Smallville Review – “Forever””

  1. Disappointing
    I really love Smallville, but last nights episode was a major disappointment, at least with the whole “no, you want to stay in school the rest of your life!” story. We don’t need some random freak of the week episode. I don’t mind them, but they usually flesh out the freak a little more. We don’t even know how he got that power (unless I missed it). And the frozen effects looked awful. The frozen characters looked nothing like their unfrozen selves, and when the dead bad guys’ eye closed at the end, I was shocked at how poorly done it was.

    But the Luthor stuff was very well done. I wish they had spent the whole episode on that. I really don’t see any reason for the other storyline. They could have done more with the kids at their last day of school without including some freak kidnapping them.

    • Re: Disappointing

      I really love Smallville, but last nights episode was a major disappointment, at least with the whole “no, you want to stay in school the rest of your life!” story. We don’t need some random freak of the week episode. I don’t mind them, but they usually flesh out the freak a little more. We don’t even know how he got that power (unless I missed it). And the frozen effects looked awful. The frozen characters looked nothing like their unfrozen selves, and when the dead bad guys’ eye closed at the end, I was shocked at how poorly done it was.

      But the Luthor stuff was very well done. I wish they had spent the whole episode on that. I really don’t see any reason for the other storyline. They could have done more with the kids at their last day of school without including some freak kidnapping them.

      Opps, I meant to put a line break, not bold (and hit post instead of preview). Dur… That’s what happens when you’re running on 4 hours of sleep.

  2. Thoughts
    Actually, aside from the thing in the shower, I actually thought it wasn’t that he was freezing them (since the guy in the hall never started melting), but plastifying them. At one point he says that he threatened to turn his brother (or sister, I forget) in to a mannequin. Which would obviously mean that heat vision would be a Bad Idea.

    That aside, though, yeah, I didn’t like the neat mass release on death.

    Also, wink? Maybe I missed it on the small screen I was watching, but I don’t recall a significant wink.

    • Re: Thoughts

      Actually, aside from the thing in the shower, I actually thought it wasn’t that he was freezing them (since the guy in the hall never started melting), but plastifying them. At one point he says that he threatened to turn his brother (or sister, I forget) in to a mannequin. Which would obviously mean that heat vision would be a Bad Idea.

      That aside, though, yeah, I didn’t like the neat mass release on death.

      Also, wink? Maybe I missed it on the small screen I was watching, but I don’t recall a significant wink.

      I don’t think it was a wink either, but more of just his eye closing as he died (after falling off the balcony ‘frozen’). Either way, a crappy effect.

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