Smallville Review – “Red”

Another staple of the Superman comics rears its head on Smallville.

Cast

Tom Welling as
Clark Kent
Kristen Kreuk as
Lana Lang
Michael
Rosenbaum
as Lex Luthor
John Glover
as Lionel Luthor
Sam Jones III as
Pete Ross
Allison Mack as
Chloe Sullivan
Annette
O’Toole
as Martha Kent
John
Schneider
as Jonathan Kent

Written by Jeph
Loeb
. Yes, this is the same Jeph Loeb that wrote the comics,
including Superman for all Seasons, which has just been
reprinted and will be available again on Wednesday, October 23.
Directed by Jeff
Woolnough
.

Original Airdate

Red originally aired on Tuesday, October 15, 2002.

Synopsis

Clark’s behaviour changes dramatically after buying a class ring.

High Point

The final scene in Lex’s office, for so many reasons. The writing,
the acting, and the long-term implications of that scene were all
excellent.

Low Point

The set-up for the most important visual effect in the episode was
predictable, and the execution felt very forced. The visual effect
itself was positively awful.

The Review

This was a somewhat original episode. We’ve seen the
krypto-freak-of-the-week much too often, but at least it was Clark
this time. The crooked cop angle has also been done before on this
show and others. I give it 3 out of 6.

Most of the effects were good. The most important effect in
the episode was terrible. Since that was the only effect they haven’t
done several times before, it was the only one that was really
challenging, and the only one that required any real work in the
design stages. I give the effects 3 out of 6.

The story was tightly-paced and nicely written. The “bad
boy” came across well, but some key events had just enough indication
of internal conflict to help the audience believe that certain lines
wouldn’t be crossed. It’s also nice to see Pete’s increased role from
last week is still around this week. I give it 5 out of 6, for the
nice work to keep it interesting, and the ramifications it’ll have in
future episodes.

The acting was good or great from everyone but Tom Welling.
He’s even worse at playing the bad boy than he is at playing the good
boy. Kristen Kreuk didn’t even seem as bad as she usually does here,
although that may just be because she was playing off of a sub-par Tom
Welling the entire time. Fortunately, the rest of the cast (including
John Schneider, Sam Jones III, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, and
John Glover) turned in some great work. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response produced here included very little
suspense. There were some moments that drew me into the ongoing saga,
including every scene with at least one Luthor. The equestrian scene
was also intruiging due to the implications for future stories. The
crack about the way the wardrobe department dresses people was also a
source of great amusement. I give it 5 out of 6.

The production was up to its usual high. The camera work did
a great job of setting up Clark’s new attitude by filming him from a
steeper angle than usual. The lighting contributed to this as well.
The directing, editing, score, etc. were competant, but not
spectacular. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this was an entertaining episode that merits
rewatching when it’s rerun. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Red receives 29 out of 42.

7 replies on “Smallville Review – “Red””

    • Re: Requesting A Spoiler

      Which Effect Are You Referring Too?

      The one in the corn field involving the sledge hammer.

      • Re: Requesting A Spoiler

        Which Effect Are You Referring Too?

        The one in the corn field involving the sledge
        hammer.

        That was pretty much the same effect they used when Clark got
        stabbed. It was a bit more complex, but the effect looked very
        similar.
        Its not perfect, but it does the job.

        • Re: Requesting A Spoiler

          Which Effect Are You Referring Too?

          The one in the corn field involving the sledge
          hammer.

          That was pretty much the same effect they used when Clark got
          stabbed. It was a bit more complex, but the effect looked very
          similar.
          Its not perfect, but it does the job.

          I could live with the effect itself, but the action that led to it was completely unbelievable. The character in question was trying to protect the item, and would not have deliberately made it vulnerable.

  1. Tom’s Acting
    I Thought The Acting Was Pretty Decent From Tom, As A Bad Boy. It Seemed Prefectly Convincing To Me. If Anything, It’s… Uh… Lex’s Dad… Lionel… Forgot his Name. Anyways, Lionel’s Acting Always Seems Halfassed To Me.

  2. My Thoughts
    I Guess my thoughts are I liked it.

    I guess I’m not picky, because I find most the characters believeable.

    The effects aren’t that bad, I looked at the sledge hammer as clark thinking that he was going to be smashed, and went to punch the hammer to mash it, and they hit his ring and got lucky.

    Not that Jonathon Kent aimed for the ring hoping he’d hit it.

    Hard to say, but I enjoyed it. But then I went from a smallville fest of watching the last three episodes back to back on the TiVo, so i was really into it by the time I watched ‘Red’.

    Though I must admit, I always hate these ‘unrequited love’ shit where you’ve got one character pining for another, and then something happens and it flips, then it flips again. It’s so Friends to do something like that.

  3. Best episode EVER
    OK, I don’t care what you guys say, but this has been the BEST Smallville ep. to date. Granted, Nicodemus had about 10 min of EXCEPTIONALLLY great um….footage, but in overall acting and esp. story, this was the best.

    I was so happy that they are finally introducing the RED Kryptonite, as well as adding a little more than just the flirtations between Clark and Lana. Now we actually have some depth to all this.

    Despite the depth and the damaged relationship between the 2 that can now make things go in many directions, come on, Clark has saved Lana so many times and she is so unforgiving when he goes a little spastic. Forgive the guy, if nothing else, attribute it to Blue Balls.

    Finally, I have to say that the Blond Chick (the guest star, not Chole) was especially hot. LOVE the bag girl attitude (e.g. Nicodemus)

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