Smallville Review – “Bulletproof”

A few days late, but better late than never.

Cast

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Erica Durance as Lois Lane
Aaron Ashmore as Jimmy Olson
Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer
Sam Witwer as Davis Bloome
Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow

Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Directed by Morgan Beggs

Original Airdate

Bulletproof originally aired on Thursday, January 22, 2009.

Synopsis

John Jones is shot in the line of duty, and Clark goes undercover in the Metropolis Police Department to find the shooter.

High Point

The barbeque. I’m related to a few police officers, and that scene rings far too true.

Low Point

Going down that road AGAIN?!? That road needs to be closed, torn out, and replaced with the road Chloe mentioned at the soonest opportunity.

The Review

This was an original take on the characters, filling in the reasons Lex entrusted Tess with his empire, and presenting a scenario with more grey areas than usual. If only they’d left that overused road alone… I give it 4 out of 6.

The effects were well done. There weren’t very many, but that works well with the story at hand, what with Clark being undercover and all. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story is well done, getting into Superman as the symbol of hope without actually using the Superman identity. The internal logic holds, the plotlines move forward, and we can see Clark deal with a problem he can’t just hit. If only they’d rewritten the last few minutes… I give it 4 out of 6.

The acting was well done all around, including the guest cast. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response was strong. I’m not sure how accurately they adapted the Dan Turpin character from the comics, as I mainly know him from his role in “Final Crisis,” but it was nice to hear that name and Coast City get dropped. The schematic was also pretty nifty. It also sums up the life of a patrol officer pretty well, until the first warehouse scene hits. I give it 5 out of 6.

The production was solid. The colour filters were used appropriately, giving a bland, bleak and washed out look to the barbeque, but leaving other scenes vibrant. It’s an effective mix. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a worthwhile episode, and nicely contained and personal after the Doomsday episodes. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Bulletproof receives 33 out of 42.

2 replies on “Smallville Review – “Bulletproof””

  1. 2005 called, they want their plot back
    My wife has written off most of her Thursday night staples, so I get my Tivo back for things like Burn Notice and Smallville. And, this being the first new smallville I’ve seen in a while, I’ll be damned if I didn’t think this was a re-run from three years ago, after watching the last few minutes. Really? Really?

    Was hoping to get back into the series, but I’m not so sure now.

    • Re: 2005 called, they want their plot back
      I’m a lot less annoyed about that having seen this week’s episode (and the preview for next’s). Looks like it might not be the same old road, after all.

Comments are closed.