Next week is the big season finale, which should come days after the announcement of the CW’s fall schedule.
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 Steven S. DeKnight.
Directed by Mat Beck.
Original Airdate
Prototype originally aired on Thursday, May 10, 2007.
Synopsis
Steve Rogers may be dead, but Lex’ super soldier project is alive and not quite well. Lois
really doesn’t care for the results.
High Point
Placing limitations on the resources available without pulling a quick “Erksine is dead!”
stunt. This allows enough to be a threat, but stays limiting enough to keep the eventual defeat plausible.
Low Point
Can’t the witness be conscious just once? Precendent has been set for Clark to act
fast enough to not be seen. What’s wrong with doing that more often? I can see escalating threats and time
frames leading to “quickly move the battleground out of sight” tactics followed by the eventual “I need a costume
and secret identity” decision. It avoids the repeated brain injury problems while simultaneously setting up the
path Clark eventually needs to be on.
The Review
A secret government super soldier project? We’ve never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever heard a story like that before. I give the originality
3 out of 6.
The earthbound effects were mostly pretty good. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with
the satellite or LuthorCorp images this time, as they looked a little too perfect and glossy. Fortunately, they
were quick images, and the effects involving people all looked good. I give it 4 out of 6.
The story was a little too predictable. We knew Wes was going to show up since he was
first revealed on the operating table, but the rest fell into place as soon as Lois started giving relationship
advice. It wasn’t bad, but it was just too easy to guess. In fact, Martha’s plotline was the only one I couldn’t
predict. I give it 4 out of 6.
The acting was very good, including that by Tahmoh Penikett. Even Erica Durance did
better work than usual. I give it 5 out of 6.
The emotional response was decent, but hampered by the predictability of
the story. The final image would have been far more powerful without the Senator’s allusions to it, but even
cutting those lines wouldn’t have overcome the fact that it was included in the ads for the episode last week.
(There’s a reason TV spots for “Empire Strikes Back” didn’t include the line “Luke, I am your father.” The people
cutting ads for Smallville should learn from that example.) I give it 4 out of 6.
The production was immune to the predictability of the episode, and helped to overcome it. They definitely know how to shoot and edit an episode. I give it 5 out of 6.
Overall, it’s not a bad episode, but the history of this show lead me to expect more from the second last episode of the season. I give it 4 out of 6.
In total, Prototype receives 29
out of 42.
you got Galactica in my Smallville
Sorry, it was just vaguely disconcerting to see Helo trying to kill Lois Lane.
Murphy… it’s you! Murphy… it’s you!
Everytime Lois talked to Wes, all I could hear was the loop from Robocop’s mental breakdown ;)
Fun episode though, Lex is convinced he’s a good guy in a bad world, he’s annoyed that his wife is giving him the cold shoulder… he’s building up his supervillain credibility.
Re: Murphy… it’s you! Murphy… it’s you!
Yea, I think this is the thing they are doing most right with this show, depicting Lex’s spiral to the dark side.