I caught the broadcast on YTV, and got the review
done. Better late than never, I suppose.

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

Erica Durance as
Lois Lane

Allison Mack as
Chloe Sullivan.

Written by Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer.

Directed by Tom Welling. (To the best of my
knowledge, this is his
directorial debut.)

Original Airdate

Fragile
originally aired on Thursday,
April 13, 2006.

Synopsis

Martha and Clark take care of a foster child with
unusual abilities
inherited from her father.

High Point

The elevator scene. It’s not over the top, but it’s
not the bloodless
approach that occurs so often in this relatively
violent show.

Low Point

Maddy’s father’s intelligence is inconsistent. He’s
smart enough to
track down specific girl in a foster home in no time,
but dim witted
enough that he either didn’t notice what Clark could
do at the Talon,
or dim witted enough to fail to realize the power of
that information.
Either way, he flip flops between genius and idiot.

The Review

This is hardly an original main plotline for
the series. Just go
back to “Ryan” from way, way back to see that play
out. The only
interesting bit was the end of the episode, which was
unfortunately
spoiled by the previews last week. I give it 3 out of
6.

The effects were very nicely done. The
elevator sequence in
particular stands out in my mind as some very nice
work. It’s a
subtle touch that must have been hard to do. I give
it 6 out of 6.

The story, though reminiscent of past
episodes, was
enjoyable. The pieces of the mystery were there, and
the side plots
worked. There’s also a nice distinction in the way
Clark treated the
child. In “Ryan,” a then unpropogated Welling played
Clark as a big
brother to Ryan, while this time around, Welling used
the paternal
approach that was probably borne of his relationship
with his own
child. (Possibly children; I don’t know that much
about his personal
life.) The actor and character have both matured over
the past few
seasons, and we’re seeing the evidence that Clark is
growing up.
That’s more interesting than any specific events in
the main plot, or
the secondary plot. I give it 5 out of 6.

The acting is well done all around. Callum
Keith Rennie is
always a welcome cast member, even if it’s only for a
single guest
shot. Welling also did a nice job this week, probably
drawing heavily
on his personal experiences. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response wasn’t as strong as it
would have been
if they hadn’t made “Ryan.” It was interesting, but
felt too familiar
and predictable to generate any real interest or
concern. I give it 3
out of 6.

The production was well done. Welling seemed
to stick to
established camera work and camera angles everywhere
but the final
view from the porch. (Of course, if my directorial
debut was on a
show I was starring in, I would take the safe path,
too.) There was
only the one new angle, and it wasn’t all that
interesting. Of
course, there were no major gaffes, either. All in
all, it’s a nice
first outing, but I don’t think we’ll see a distinct
style emerge
until he’s comfortable enough to take some risks.
Pedestrian, but not
poor. I give it 4 out of 6. It’s a good first
showing.

Overall, this is a good episode that would be
best enjoyed if
you don’t remember “Ryan” all that clearly. I give it
4 out of 6.

In total,
Fragile
receives
36
out of 42.