Smallville Review – “Redux”

fiziko couldn’t get online today so I’m posting his review.

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 Russel
Friend
and Garrett
Lerner
.
Directed by Chris Long.

Original Airdate

Redux originally aired on Tuesday, October 29, 2002.

Synopsis

The past comes back to haunt Clark, Lana, Lex, and a new classmate.

High Point

The first hints of Clark’s tendency toward journalism started coming
through today.

Low Point

It seemed really out of place. I know that it was filmed after last
year’s season finale, so they hadn’t quite sorted out where everyone
would be. I think this shows very clearly in the ways Clark related
to Lana and Pete.

The Review

This wasn’t that original. I suppose sucking out the
pituitary is a little different from eating a person’s liver, but the
idea of feeding off of a given number of others periodically was used
far more effectivly in the first season of The X-Files. It
felt like they were hobbling recycled elements together in a manner
that combined to form a given theme (about exploring the skeletons in
the closets of the past) rather than to deliver something completely
new. I give it 3 out of 6.

The effects were sparse, but well executed. This is likely
due to the fact that it was done as a cheap episode that could be
plugged into this season somewhere without knowing exactly where. (It
was filmed the week after the season finale last year. That gave them
extra time for post-production on Tempest without rushing
into writing Vortex.) I give the effects 5 out of 6.

The story was hurt by when this episode was made. Although
it was good to see evidence of some forethought into the next season
(in Martha’s comment about her job with Lionel) it still seemed
obvious that some things (such as the changes in Clark and Lana’s
relationship) were not yet planned, but were obviously lacking. It
hurt them to write this episode without planning everything out,
especially given how much Lana shared with Clark despite their recent
trust issues. The writers look bad because they aren’t incorporating
the most recent developments, but they didn’t know what those
developments would be. This is the fault of the showrunners, but it
looks like a writing issue to most viewers, so that’s where these
problems will be reflected in this review. I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting was just as it was last season; Tom Welling is
wooden, Kristen Kreuk exaggerates her body language (including her
head motion in particular,) and the rest of the cast is excellent. I
give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was primarily confusion
at first. Once I realized that this was the episode filmed right
after Vortex, the confusion passed and just left me with a
mild distaste. This really should have taken place at the start of
the new school year. (Why else would the new principal be showing up
now?) In my opinion, it should have been the third episode of the
season, with the second episode taking place in the summer after
Vortex, revealing such things as the creation of LexCorp,
etc. This episode was too obviously out of place to really allow me
to get pulled in. I give it 2 out of 6.

The production was still top of the line. This is really the
only aspect of the show that never seems to falter. I give it 5 out
of 6.

Overall, this would have been a decent episode during last
season, but it didn’t fit in the slot it was broadcast in. I give it
4 out of 6.

In total, Redux receives 26 out of 42.

Review written by fiziko.

2 replies on “Smallville Review – “Redux””

  1. I Get Your Point, But…

    This really should have taken place at the start of the new school year. (Why else would the new principal be showing up now?)

    In The Episode With The Red Kryptonite, They Had The Principle From Last Season Still Working, So They Couldn’t have Shown This Any Earlier.

    Also, Is It Just Me, Or Does Everyone Keep Forgetting Pete Is Supposed To Know Clark’s Secret? Everytime Something Significant Happens, And Clark Doesn’t Try To Tell Pete To Go Away, I Keep Getting Surprised.

    • Lana and Clark
      I agree that it was really out of place. No where in the episode did Lana show the same kind of disgust for Clark that she did the last two weeks. Girls don’t just forget all of a sudden that they don’t trust you or want to share with you. That was what really ruined it for me.

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