After a pretty terrific start to the season, Smallville practically ground to a halt this week with Lois in Egypt, Chloe missing and the introduction of a new character that really did nothing to advance the plot. Who is this Cat Grant person? Okay, I don’t follow the comics so I don’t know her origins but how annoying was she? I get that she was supposed to be the opposite of Lois but to me she came of as Elizabeth Hasselbeck on crack. I honestly don’t know how she fits into the Superman universe, but once Lois returns what purpose will she serve?
We got a lot of character study this week with Lois in Egypt meeting Carter Hall/Hawkman, finding out Clark sent him to keep an eye on her and then learning he has his own secret backstory as a continually reincarnating being. I did like the conversation the two of them had regarding Clark and his purpose, but I’m still not sure how I feel about Lois knowing Clark’s secrets. I’m old school Superman, so I’m just waiting for Clark to reverse the rotation of the earth to turn back time or erase Lois’ memory with a kiss.
The most interesting development has to be the mysterious group the Suicide Squad and their idea of what a superhero should be. It will be interesting to see how their “tag and release” program goes now that they can keep track of Clark, Oliver and Carter. Another nice reveal came when we learned Chloe saw the future when she put on Dr. Fate’s helmet last week and prepared for her “death.” The question now is where is she and how long before we see her again. Allison Mack is surprisingly no longer in the opening title sequence, which I thought was strange. Didn’t they keep John Schneider in the titles for the entire season, even after Jonathan Kent died?
While there were some okay character moments this week, the one part of the show that really got me excited for the rest of the season was the final reveal of Clark’s new red leather, “S” emblazoned jacket. Seriously, how cool was that? I really expected Clark to leap off the building and head to Egypt after he dropped the plane ticket, but that final moment was awe-inspiring and elevated the tediousness of the rest of the episode. Next week looks pretty exciting so I’ll forgive a more character-oriented episode … this time. As the folks over at Lost learned last season, you can’t stop the story dead in its tracks in its final season when people want answers!
“And I thought those Sex and the City girls had gaudy tastes.” – Lois examining an ancient Egyptian necklace.
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Oct 01, 2010 @ 23:29 EST5EDT
I think that Schneider’s departure wasn’t necessarily planned, while Mack’s ‘half season’ (or however much it is) was negotiated well in advance. But that’s really just a guess.
I like Grant’s character. I’m a fan of Keri Lynn Pratt, and think she plays the ‘goody-two-shoes’ better than anyone in Hollywood today.
While I don’t think the episode ground completely to a stop, it is hard not to disagree with that perception in the second episode. I mean, if they’ve got so much story to tell, I hope they minimize the filler/setup episode, and not use the guest casting in the way it was done here.
*POST AUTHOR*
I don’t think Schneider planned it, but Pa Kent does have to die at some point if you’re sticking to the story (although I don’t know if Martha ever went to D.C. in the comics). And I’m not sure, but I think John Glover might have remained in the opening after Lionel died too. I could be wrong though.
Maybe Cat will grow on me (IMDB has her for at least one more episode at the moment), but her intro was just too “in your face” for my tastes. For me, the episode was a lot of exposition, that made me drowsy, leading up to that one stunning moment at the end that woke me right up!
Even though he died in episode 5×12, John Schneider still appeared in three more episodes, including the second to last of the season. John Glover stayed too. Allison Mack is currently signed for 5 episodes, and typically you need 13 to make the credits in this show (sad that I know that). I think they’re just paying respect for the episodes she’s in.
As for this episode, it clearly wasn’t a fast-paced one, but I thought the character moments were pretty good. Plus, this really established a growing resentment in the world for heroes in the shadows.
I was hoping Hawkman would be used a little better than a sounding board and an unneeded, incidental kiss. At least he’s got the death thing to look forward to when he comes back
I didn’t mind Cat as much as I thought I would, but a little less wouldn’t be too bad
Oh, I doubt she’ll grow on you … I’m not sure she’s supposed to. I think she’ll be pretty annoying throughout her run on the show, but I am sure she’ll develop quite a crush on Mr. Kent :)
Stan: I’ve never heard of that 13 episode standard. What I’m used to is one is either signed as a regular character, or signed as a recurring character. The best (IMHO) example is Stockard Channing on the West Wing. A regular on the show (and hence in the main credits) since I think season three, she, as an example, only appeared in four to five episodes in the final season.
I was just referring to Smallville specifically. They probably just have 13 episodes as their baseline for regular characters, though
Ok I just finished watching it and here are my immediate reactions:
-Cat Grant made me miss Lana. That is how annoying she is. You are completely right with the Hasselbeck comparison.
-The jacket looks stupid splitting the \S/ in half.
-With the amount of head trauma Lois endures on this show it wouldn’t be surprising if Lois suddenly forgot who the Blur/Superman is
-Maybe they are treating the Allison Mack credit this season like David Duchovney’s X-Files credit during that season the aliens had him. He is only present in the credits when he is making an appearence
On Cat – Thank you! Hasselbeck was the first person that came to mind as soon as she started speaking. Maybe that’s the reason she rubbed me the wrong way.
As for the jacket, can’t really fault them for the zipper and the placement of the S. It was unavoidable, but a lot of logo apparel now is designed the same way. But who made it for him?
And they could have kept Allison in the credits. There was a photo of her in the episode, so that should count for something! :-)
I watched the episode for the first time in 4-5-6 years because I didn’t feel well.
I have one main question….
Why is this show even called Smallville anymore?
LOL Many people have asked that same question. They do split time between Smallville and Metropolis (Clark does still live on the farm and Chloe’s apartment is above the Talon, which was used as Cat’s hideout this week), but Lois still calls Clark “Smallville” when she thinks he’s being kind of a bumpkin, so the title has more than one meaning (one could reason).
I was going to say “For the same reason they still called it ‘Prison Break.’ Or why they didn’t call S5/6 of ‘the West Wing’ ‘The Campaign.’
i like how nobody seemed to notice for days that Chloe was gone. by the time we the audience get wind of it via Oliver, who by the way had the crapola beat out of he last ep but is practically all healed this ep, it seemed like a moot point and nobody really cared. Clark’s reaction was ho hum.
WHERE CAN I GET THAT JACKET
this to AC who said that jacket looks stupid.. how else you put your jackets on? what do you have pull overs duh. that jacket is bad ass i ride a bike and that’s a good biker jacket i’ll buy that SH*! in a min. also while am here who is Chloe anyway is she in any comic books
Chloe is a character created for the TV show. She is not from any Superman lore, however, someone did say that she will be or already has been introduced into the comics now because of the popularity of the character – and I think all the credit for that should go right to Allison Mack.
I was wondering if anyone knew where to get the new red jacket….if possible… i know its only 3 episodes old but even the type of jacket would be nice to know…. thanks!