Loved it? Hated it? What did YOU think about "Hidden?" [Archive]

vyperman7

10-13-2005, 11:08 PM

Season five is kicking some serious ass thus far.

Arrival was awesome
Mortal was a good, solid, episode.
Now Hidden keeps the streak alive!!

Hidden was a great episode all around. Great acting, storytelling, effects, suspense, etc.. Everything was working in this episode.

I was a little letdown by the missle scene, because from the way people made it sound on here before the episode, he jump/flew up into space. How people can say he flew is beyond me.The missle was still somewhat close to home, where Clark could jump up and grab ahold of the missle. Still, it did have awesome effects though.

My favorite part of the episode without a doubt was Lionel as Jor-El. That was sweet. The conversation was awesome. However, there is one thing that concerns me. Jor-El told Clark that he was "about to face his darkest hour". Yet, they will most likely have the death be in the season finale. I am hoping this sacrifice is not dragged out throughout the whole season. The obvious choice would be Johnathan because he always dies. Yet, I could totally see it being Chloe because she knows about Clark, and in terms of the overall story she is somewhat expendable. I love Chloe to death, but it is possible.

The end talk between Chloe and Clark was great as well.

Gripes*********

How did Lionel get dressed up in a suit? Did Jor-El stop in Luthor mansion to get dressed up before he made his way to the FOS?

Why does Lana express no curiosity whatsoever about how Clark survived or why he looked the way that he did? At least they had Lex ask the same question. Somewhat dug themselves out of that plot hole.

I do wish they would have made it more clear why Lana would just hand over Clark's file to Lex.

Also, another gripe I had, is why a small town sheriff would be allowed to lead a team of soliders.

*****************

Now would I call this the best episode ever? No. There have been episodes that I liked more. But was this an awesome episode? No doubt. I still liked Arrival just a tad bit more, but this one was almost as good.

Next week's episode looks so awesome. I am not a big fan of Aquaman, but it will be cool to see Lex acting really dark.

Mydhrin

10-13-2005, 11:18 PM

I believe that this is THE episode to beat. It had everything, no FotW, Clark with and without powers, Clark flying, awesome Clana, humor, everything.

I believe we wont have a contender to beat this episode until Solitude or Krypton...

ShakyJake

10-13-2005, 11:20 PM

Originally posted by wallyK
I do have one beef with the writers. Yes, actions have consequences, and you want to show that in stories. But there has to be a clear connection between the action and the consequences for it to be meaningful. If the consequences seem a bit random or biased, then you have fatalism. In Clark's case, he could not reasonably know that chosing to save Lana would mean his resurrection and somebody being exchanged for him. If this is supposed to be a moral lesson, it is a rather bad one because Clark did not ask for his life back. He said his frequent lament of "I had no choice." Clark often gets forced into things. When he decides he is going to be his own man and not play along, things still go bad. Sounds like fatalism to me.

The writers *SUCK*. Yes it's cool to see Clark leap up to the warhead. But the actual story (is there even a story?) totally blows. The writers are all over the place and nothing makes any real sense.

Seriously, if you want to see some excellent writing and story telling, go watch Lost, Firefly, or Battlestar Gallatica. The only thing good about Smallville is seeing Clark do Supermany things.

Sydafex7

10-13-2005, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by Brainiac_13
Man, that was astoundingly good.

Naturally, I have numerous things to say, but I'll save the remarks for a less busy time.

DOOD it was so good though. I think I'll go watch it again, now that I've edited out the commercials.

I haven't gotten "the chills" off an episode since I was a SVNoob. Some of Tom Welling's best work in the entire series, and holy crap was John Glover on the mark or what!?

I must say, the writing was tight as Lois Lane's shirt. It felt like they put that script together just to make people like me shut the heck up. ;)

Lots of loose end material, lots of good detail, lots of GIGANTIC MOMENTS OF REALIZATION FOR CLARK.

And the boy flew. Naturally, it was done in such a way as to be able to claim that he actually jumped, and since it was so well-done, I won't even belabor the point.

Now, I will go and do my happy dance.

Definitely agree. Is it just me, or does the writing this season 10 times better than the previous ones?? Kinda weird considering Jeph Loeb just quit writing for them. When I heard that I thought the writing would suffer, but I was definitely wrong.

I think this is the earliest we have gotten a FOTW-free episode since Season 2. Good sign.

Poetic Chaos

10-13-2005, 11:39 PM

My favorite of the season so far.

Chlark getting the loft scene was a pleasant, new addition. Chloe is just a sweet heart. I love how she told him her being the only one to know makes it more special. Because it does. Secret identies unfortunately get tossed around in DC so I'm glad they're keeping it safeguarded in Smallville.

Lionel and Clark were definitely the main highlight of character interaction though. People are trying to make Jor-el out to be the bad guy, but I think he's going to be the major force in Clark accepting himself, as he should be. It'll be a real moment when Clark finally calls him Father.

The Clana was good. I got a scoach emotional in the hospital scene and I liked the beginning with them getting caught. Clark is just lucky he died before his dad could really chew him out.

As for the impending death...two options. Chloe. Jonathan. I say Jonathan to tie in to the movies and I think he's served his purpose to Clark. Teaching him the human side of himself. Now Clark just needs to develop his Kryptonian side which Jor-el will handle. Once he's merged both, he can be the Superman we all know.

Kadence

10-13-2005, 11:51 PM

Did anyone notice how Jor-El as Lionel held the lapels of his suit with both hands, basically the same mannerism that Marlon Brando as Jor-El had?

That's a really great touch. I didn't notice it until I watched the scene again (I rewatched it on my Tivo just because it was such a good scene), but the writers clearly are very consciously emulating Jor-El from the movies. And taking many things directly from the movies and incorporating them into this season (which I think is great, and very entertaining).

Which makes me wonder if the Phantom Zone/nuclear explosion thing will also be copied outright.

Sydafex7

10-13-2005, 11:58 PM

Originally posted by Poetic Chaos
As for the impending death...two options. Chloe. Jonathan. I say Jonathan to tie in to the movies and I think he's served his purpose to Clark. Teaching him the human side of himself. Now Clark just needs to develop his Kryptonian side which Jor-el will handle. Once he's merged both, he can be the Superman we all know.

I said Jonathan or Chloe also, but, then I heard someone say Jor-el and I have to agree with them. Jor-el Sacrificing himself would definitely show Clark just how much he does love him, een after all he's put him through. I think it would make Clark accept his destiniy a lot faster also.

They also said they are huge Anette and John fans and thats why they dont kill off the parents. Remember, the Kents were still alive in Lois and Clark.

F-Stop Blues

10-14-2005, 12:09 AM

Let me start out by saying that I could watch the last half of this episode everyday for the remainder of time.

I thought the first half was kinda slow. Clark and lana were funny, especially when Lana tried to standup to Bo Kent. And Clark stubbing his toe was classic. I could swear that he said "why does this hurt so much?" The Gabriel stuff was alittle boring I thought but I knew that already from the spoilers. I was just waiting for Clark to get shot. I thought the music during that scene was funny just because it made the situation out to be life threatening when we all know Clark wont die.

I didnt see the yahoo clip with Lionel in the FOS so I was really surprised. There talk was amazing. As much as I hate to say, I'm glad that someone Clark loves will die. It serves him right for being a selfish moron. Also I truly believe that Jor-El doesnt want to do that to Clark, he is just forced by Clark's actions. I also liked how JE knew Clark would mess up so he implemented a contingencie (sp?) plan. No wonder the man knew Krypton would explode, he certainly covers all of his bases.

The Jump totally caught me off guard since we had no spoilers about it. Once Chloe wasnt able to stop the launch I was like "Ok how is this going to get resolved?" And then when Clark got his powers back I thought maybe he was going to catch it and then throw it back into space. But then he just lept off the ground and clawed his way up to the tip. And after he chucked the detonator into space I completely forgave him for being a selfish moron. I'm just glad to have supes back. It also made me think about what Clark said in Crusade, he thinks he's capable of anything, and now he's showing it.

The Chlark scene at the end was great and I was so happy that clark blamed himself and not Jor-El for whats going to happen.

I thought it was a great ep. Better than I thought it would be and I thought it was going to be pretty freakin good. I know I've said this before and I know its early in the season but you can already tell the difference in the show from last season. I mean compare Facade and devoted to Mortal and Hidden. No knock on those seaosn 4 eps but some pretty important and dark things are happening early on this season and I for one cant wait for all the TC that is to come.

Kadence

10-14-2005, 12:12 AM

Originally posted by Sydafex7
I said Jonathan or Chloe also, but, then I heard someone say Jor-el and I have to agree with them.
The whole Clark voluntarily taking action that causes him to lose his powers (with a woman being the catalyst for the action), combined with a sacrifice being needed for him to get his powers back, is basically straight from the original version of Superman II.

Jor-El is the one who had to sacrifice himself there, so he seems like the top candidate here as well.

F-Stop Blues

10-14-2005, 12:14 AM

Originally posted by Kadence

Jor-El is the one who had to sacrifice himself there, so he seems like the top candidate here as well.

When did JE sacrifice himself in Superman 2? I dont think he was in that movie. Im pretty sure it was Lara.

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 12:19 AM

Originally posted by Lexgirl33
agreed!!

Me too. So double that!

Like every S5 ep so far, this one was Grrrrrrrrrate!!! The only question is... Who?

Who will be taken? Who, is the one who must lose their life, to balance the getting back of Clarks? I hate to say this and I know no one want to face it, but if Jor/Lion-eL was correct, the implication is unavoidable, so, however you answer the above question is also the answer to a second, outrageously painful question: WHO, will be leaving the show? OMG! Who?!

Kadence

10-14-2005, 12:41 AM

Originally posted by F-Stop Blues
When did JE sacrifice himself in Superman 2? I dont think he was in that movie. Im pretty sure it was Lara.
Lara sacrificed herself in Superman IV. (it was more of an implied thing, with the green crystal representing her life force and that of Krypton; "if our dying planet can save your life my son, we have not died in vain")

Jor-El's sacrifice was supposed to be explicit in Superman II, but it wasn't in the Lester version. His sacrifice is the storyline explanation for why Jor-El isn't in the sequels.

Crispin Glover

10-14-2005, 12:44 AM

I could watch the parallel cuts from Clark dieing to Jor-El taking over Lionel over and over again. Also, Clark stopping the missle was priceless. This episode is definitely in my top 5 best episodes ever!

F-Stop Blues

10-14-2005, 12:46 AM

Originally posted by Kadence

Jor-El's sacrifice was supposed to be explicit in Superman II, but it wasn't in the Lester version. His sacrifice is the storyline explanation for why Jor-El isn't in the sequels.

Oh I understand now thanx. On a side note I cant believe they havent released Donners cut of the sequel. But thats a discussion for another time.

Kadence

10-14-2005, 12:55 AM

In case anyone's interested, here's a link to the screenplay for the original Jor-El/Clark power loss discussion scene:

http://superman.rossiters.com/s2_432-445.html

And the Jor-El sacrifice scene:

http://superman.rossiters.com/s2_466A-466J.html

Edit:

And I want to point out how much I like Clark's tragic little speech of regret:

Father - if you can hear me - I have failed. I have failed you, myself, and all humanity. I have traded my birthright for a life of submission in a world now ruled by your enemies.

Jor-El is also in fine all-seeing/all-knowing badass form too, actually very similar to how he tends to act on Smallville:

You have made a dreadful mistake, Kal-El. You have abandoned the world for the sake of private ambition. You did this of your own free will, and in spite of all I could say to dissuade you. ... Now you have returned here to me for one last chance to redeem yourself. This too - finally - I have anticipated, my son.

"This too I have anticipated, my son" - that's a great way to deliever an "I told ya' so" ;)

constancelight

10-14-2005, 12:56 AM

Originally posted by Rosey

How about that Chlark touch of where the bullet entry was?

That caught my attention too. :)

It was very refreshing to end the episode with a Clark/Chloe barn scene, since we don't get to see too many of those.

The Jump totally caught me off guard

Me too. I was totally not expecting this. It was pretty awesome too. It reminded me of LnC or the Superman movies, when Supes had to go into Space to dismantle a bomb.

Hidden was a great episode all around. Great acting, storytelling, effects, suspense, etc.. Everything was working in this episode.

Agreed.

Now I thought the scene with Clark/Lana/Kents was a great scene. AOT reactions were totally on the spot funny. It was well acted/written. It's one of those awkard moments every teenager/adult/parent dreads when the time comes to talk about the child's first sexual relationship. And it was even funnier on Clark's part because it happened accidently. Chloe's reaction to it was priceless. It was totally like "Awkaaaarrrdddd...." Classic.

The Jor-El/Lionel talk with Clark was very touching and creepy at the same time. JG is such a wonderful actor. The only thing I'm confused about is is it Lionel in Lionel's body or is Jor-El in Lionel's body when talking to Lex?

The whole barn scene at the end was very moving and touching. Chloe is such a sweet friend. And Tom Welling did a superb job on Clark's emotions. It made me almost cry when Clark realized what his actions have/will cause. The weight of the world is back on Clark.

Sydafex7

10-14-2005, 01:13 AM

Originally posted by constancelight
The Jor-El/Lionel talk with Clark was very touching and creepy at the same time. JG is such a wonderful actor. The only thing I'm confused about is is it Lionel in Lionel's body or is Jor-El in Lionel's body when talking to Lex?

Well, I mean we heard how Jor-el sounded when he was in the FOS talking to Clark, and he was back talking like Lionel and sounding like Lionel when he was in the mansion talking with Lex. This, to me, is the writers way of letting us now that Lionel is back as himself. When Jor-el left Lionel's body, be probably erased his memory completely and put him back somewhere in smallville. He couldve even put him right back at the front door of the mansion. Who knows, but to me, it was Lionel talking to Lex, Not Jor-el pretending to be Lionel.

NotTodayPete

10-14-2005, 01:22 AM

I loved it, the death scene was so heavy and the reunion moment was touching as well. Clark jumping to the missile was freakin awesome!! And the revelation of a loved ones death is a good cliffhanger type ending to bring back viewers, I hope.

Kryptomaniac

10-14-2005, 02:54 AM

Nearly perfect! Such a fast pace, almost no time to savor all the moments. And, all the religious allegories and symbolism did not go unnoticed or unappreciated either.

EVERYBODY did such an excellent job, especially TW.

I say "nearly perfect" because there were some distractions:

Was anybody else bugged by Lana's earrings in Clark's death scene? They were bobbing all over the place. Also, the woman doctor reminded me too much of Kyla the skinwalker and her hair was also flying all over the place. I felt sorry for tall TW that they couldn't find a gurney or hospital bed big enough so he doesn't look like he could fall off at any moment.

Jonathan's shirt was all wrinkled; why? And, that pink top Chloe wore in the loft scene just didn't look right on her and was a distraction.

Still, nothing can keep me from saying I really enjoyed this eppy, especially the rocket scene. Clark just saw what needed to be done and he did it. That's Superman.

Third straight 5 out of 5 rating.:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

valkrys

10-14-2005, 04:55 AM

Originally posted by superhippie2000
johnathan and martha were cool when they were mad at clark for having sex. finally parents that get mad when there kid has sex.

I'm sorry, what?! I'm not American, so maybe I don't understand this, but why the hell should parents of an 18 year old get mad for having sex for the first time?! Isn't that just insane?

That's the only thing I don't like about Smallville, it's far too moralistic in my opinion... or maybe we European's have just another way of thinking...

Anyway, loved the episode, finally it is gripping again and I can't wait for next weeks episode, far better than nearly the whole 4th season... excp. for transference

b-baller

10-14-2005, 05:14 AM

I thought the epsisode was great, and I cannot wait until next week to find out how the Clana will play out. I hate to see them fall apart after all they have built up to this point in the season.

All of the actors get a thumbs up, great job in this episode. I believe the person that will have their life taken away is Jonathan, but you never know, maybe we were setup to think that a few seasons ago.

SWJaggy

10-14-2005, 06:11 AM

This place was so busy yesterday that I couldn't post anything so I had to wait till this morning!

This season just keeps getting better! What an amazing episode. The beginning sequence was hilarious. I was so ready for Mr. and Mrs. Kent to give Clark and Lana the whole "sex talk"- mostly was looking forward to the awekwardness but it was still good nontheless. Loved the awkwardness when Chloe came in and Clark was quick to "cover up" :lol:

Lex is seriously starting to get on my nerves. He can't let the past go and now with the spaceship in his posession he is only going to become more of a... than he already is.

Jor-El using Lionel as a vessel, how cool is that. Looking forward to more of that. Was it just me or during the scene of Lionel (or Jor-El) and Lex in the mansion, was that actually Lionel talking or was it Jor-El? I got the impression that it was Jor-El.

Does anyone have any Clark & Lana quotes from the start of the episode and what Lana said to Clark as she was next to him on the gurney?

EricN68

10-14-2005, 06:20 AM

Great episode.

Only gripes (minor): 1) one or two extra lines of dialogue in the loft scene might have made Clark's situation more understandable. "I don't have a choice" is starting to lose all meaning. I want to hear him go through all of the likely scenarios.
2) The pace is so brisk with so much ground to cover that I feel like the writers are spending less time "establishing" things during episodes. This might have been a good two-parter?

shuyin131

10-14-2005, 06:32 AM

It isn't about Clark being 18, but it's more about the morality.

It could have been that his parents knew that he was rushing into it, without thinking, and he was chastised for it. Johnathan told Lana that this was something between he and his son.

His parents know that he has not told Lana his secret, and they have not been together (in this current relationship as bf/gf) long enough to make that kind of decision. He acted without fully realizing what the reprocussions were going to be, if something bad had happened and that he had to drop the relationship again. Think back to the end of the episode where he says 'I made a terrible mistake'.

Well, now, he has to drop the relationship, lie to her again, thus hurting her, and himself in the process. It could have been avoided, at least most of it, by keeping himself at a distance, and not making any rash moves before he is sure how to proceed.

This is, what I think, the real reason why they acted negatively towards finding out when they came downstairs.

diabla9

10-14-2005, 06:58 AM

i almost didn't watch this episode because my friend invited me over for drinks! i did go over for one but my bf insisted that we get home in time for smallville cause it's always nice watching it in hd. let me tell you, i am so happy we decided on getting home at 8!
i'm surprised with all the militarty stuff going on that lois didn't make an appearance but that's ok, everyone did an awesome job! the missle scene was awesome! especially when chloe see's that there was a malfunction after it blasted off and she was kind of praying that it was clark, and seeing lionel in the fos as jor-el was very intriguing. glover is one hell of an actor, as well as mike rosenbaum who has always played lex to a t. TW and AM have really stepped it up too, they have a great chemistry and i think that is why i am so into chlark scenes now. i really hope chloe doesn't die, she has brought so much to the show and it just wouldn't be the same without her!
the final scene was also very moving, clark telling chloe that he made a big mistake when he didn't return to the fos and asking himself "why didn't i listen to him?" my first guess for the one who dies would be chloe or jonathan, i don't think it will be johnathan because of the whole "rally to keep jk on the show" during the offseason. so now i think either chloe (becuase nobody knows what will happen with her) or lana because she has no real reason to be on the show, her story arcs have been very weak for the last few seasons.

my favorite ep of the season so far, i'm not even sure that auqa is going to top hidden! :p

SmvilleTeacher

10-14-2005, 07:02 AM

Loved the episode. It is probably one of my favorites. It affected me emotionally - I have never felt like crying after a Tv show (a movie maybe not TV). I needed to recover after this episode emotionally. To me the most enduring part was the reunion of Clana after Clark is supposedly dead. I can totally understand why Lana didn't ask how. You would just be overcome that he was alive. That moment was precious and touching. But it saddens you more because you can see the love b/w them and the upcoming angst in their breakup.

The Lionel/Jor-El scene was great. I love this added scenario. It will be interesting to see it played out.

The Chlark at the end was definitely super. TW did awesome from the moment he returned to earth. You can see his tortured soul. Awesome. He played it out well with Chloe. And it seems that he did tell her someone was going to have to die for him, he just didn't go into details yet. I'm glad Clark has her to confide in. I hope she doesn't meet her demise this season. He needs her.

As for Lex...I have always enjoyed the character, and I know that he is going to be somewhat responsible for the breakup of Clana; but I found myself really resenting and disliking him for what he was doing to them. I know that it is inevitable but this show just sucks you into the Clana relationship even if you loved L&C.

Somebody Stop Me

10-14-2005, 07:07 AM

Wow I really loved this ep. It started out slow but what a final 30 minutes. I had tears in my eyes when Clark died. I also had a chill down my spine when he flew, and yes he flew and the ending scenes is definatly Superman in training.

Liriel

10-14-2005, 07:09 AM

I liked this episode. I disliked Clark's "it's my fault" bit because I didn't agree. He didn't get back in time because he was saving lives - I think that puts him in the moral right.

I guess Lana stole Clark's medical records - but when?

The Lex/Lana conversation was interesting. She's definitely trying to protect Clark and I'm glad to see her showing some backbone and not just caving - that would make for boring tv. I do wonder, though, if Lex is right, if Lana is trying to convince herself that Clark is normal. Not necessarily because she couldn't hand a relationship with him otherwise (which she couldn't - I'll elaborate later), but because it means he's still lying.

Chloe, OTOH, embraces all the odd stuff. Possibly a bit too much, as she was not happy about his loving normalcy (though she did try to accept it).

This episode added a truly interesting element to Clana (I can't believe I just said that). What I mean to say is that it's given us an insight into why the relationship would never work. Clark has to be the hero, even without powers. He told Chloe last week that it was a one-time thing, but we see that that's not the case. "Once a hero, always a hero." It's the danger to Clark that Lana can't really seem to deal with. And if she can't deal with that, then even an honest relationship would never work. To be fair, he's usually mostly invulnerable, but I don't think Lana could take the life of worrying.

In that final scene with Clark and Chloe, we see Chloe once again try the "flippant" method - trying to make things appear less serious than they are to make Clark feel better. Doesn't really work. We see that Chloe does embrace the hero in Clark. Like when she saw the malfunction message. Really quite opposite of Lana.

What's really interesting about the final scene to me is that Clark tells Chloe more than he told his parents. I'm not sure he's going to tell her the whole deal, but she was definitely in the confidante role more than anyone else regarding Jor-El's message.

I liked Chloe telling Clark straight out that being with Lana and not telling her wasn't going to work.

Couldn't someone have asked about Chloe? I thought there was going to be a line about her abandoned car, but I didn't notice it. I know that Martha and Jonathan were way too worried about Clark to think straight, but it would have been nice for them to remember Chloe was with him last or something. Likewise, I'd have thought Clark might be worried about her. But I'm not sure exactly how much later it was he came in with his shirt burnt up - the Kents were already back at the farm and had heard about the missile malfunction (I assume that must have come from Chloe to the cops/military and got passed along to the media (guess they couldn't hide the truth once the missile was actually launched) so the Kents knew Chloe was okay by then, but what about Clark?

Loved Chloe touching where the bullet wound should be.

Thought Lana being held up off the ground by Clark just looked really bad. It totally did not work for me as a visual.

superman79

10-14-2005, 07:12 AM

Loved it!!!!!!!

Maxum

10-14-2005, 08:39 AM

I also loved this episode. It had everything, and it also revealed some intriguing things that I was unaware of.

This is going to be a long review. First things first:

The opening scenes with Clark and Lana were wonderful. There was no angst or drama; it was just pure joy and fun. It was hysterical how they both started scrambling for their clothes, and their laughter coming down the steps. I also found it amusing when Clark hit something on the table in the hall, and it crashes to the floor, and both of them just stop because they know their caught. Sure enough, the Kents are in the kitchen.

I enjoyed the whole conversation with Kents after Lana left. Jonathan is still trying to feel his way around the fact that his son is human, but I think, in the back of his mind, he doesn't believe it's over at all. I think Jonathan always suspected that things could change instantaneously where Clark is concerned, and he's right.

The scene where Clark gets shot was very dramatic and graphic. I thought it was fitting for what the scene was all about, which was Clark losing his mortality. The slow motion, Clark's reaction to the bullet, and then the blood pooling out behind him was very well done. The reactions of Lana and the Kents was also spot on after Clark is brought in on a gurney. That was a really emotional scene when they think he is dead.

Ah, now the FOS scene. How can you not love that scene? I noticed immediately when Lionel put his hands on the lapels of his suit coat, just like Marlon Brando did in Superman the Movie. That's how I knew it really was Jor-el. It's those little touches that I love about Smallville. It must have been weird for Clark to see "his father" in Lionel Luther of all people. Not to mention the hug at the end of the scene. I have never felt that Jor-el was the bad guy. I have also been of the mind that Jor-el knows the difficulties of his immortal son, Clark, trying to find his niche in a world of humanity. Clark can't make choices like everyone else; he has to think outside the box, and Jor-el is trying to teach him that and prepare him for a greater destiny. One, of which, Clark is presently unaware.

LOVED the scene between Clark and his parents after his "resurrection." Did you notice that Jonathan immediately suspects that there's more to Clark coming back to them than meets the eye. "You mean Jor-el didn't ask for anything in return?" Jonathan is a very smart man when it comes to Jor-el. I love that about him. But the mother of all scenes was between Clark and Lana. It was phenomenal. I mean it was just perfect - emotional, shocking, ecstatic, loving. All the emotions you could possibly feel all jumbled together in one great cocktail. I also thought the director was brilliant in panning back and showing Clark just holding Lana like two feet off the floor! One of my favorite scenes of all time.

Okay, here's the intriguing scene: Lana and Lex. 1) Lana and Clark obviously had a talk as to what happened to him after their initial hug when he comes back to life. How do I know that? Because Lex said so when he says to Lana: "Whatever lie he told you or however he swept it under the rug," and Lana's reaction to that remark is very telling. She wants to believe Clark, but at the same time, Lex's words make sense. It was obvious to me that Clark had tried to explain away his return because you can see Lana's mind racing when Lex says those words to her. 2) The other thing that I found VERY interesting is that Lana has had doubts about Clark "being normal," just like Chloe and Lex the whole time. Because the writers never showed Lana's doubts the way they devoted dialogue to Lex and Chloe, implies that Lana was curious, but had no clear thoughts on the matter. This episode, however, shines a big spotlight on her true suspicions. When she shoves Clark's medical file in Lex's face and says, basically, "See, Clark is normal." She's also trying to comfort herself because she hasn't been so sure either. In a nutshell - the scene between Lana and Lex clearly shows that Lana is just as suspicious of Clark's unspoken abilities and the fact he may be "very special," but she keeps forcing those ideas to the back of her mind. Lex, on the other hand, wants that can of worms opened pronto, and he's forcing Lana to look at what's really in front of her. He seals her uncertainty with the remark that "normal people don't usually come back to life." Brilliant scene.

Lastly, the moments between Clark and Chloe in the loft were just a perfect ending to a great episode. Clark NEVER told Chloe that someone would be sacrificed. He did not share that information with her at all or anyone else for that matter. Jonathan suspected that there was more to the return of Clark, and even asked Clark point-blank, but Clark clearly kept this to himself. He's not going to burden anyone with these knowledge, but it's certainly taking its toll on him. Tom Welling was excellent. I also liked that Chloe brought up telling Lana the truth, but Clark was afraid that she would not react the same way that Chloe did. Was he being selfish? I think he's just so isolated. I mean he already slept with her, and he did that because he thought he was human and would be for the rest of his life. Is he now going to go back to Lana and say "Well, now I'm an alien again. Do you still want to spend time with me?" I mean, how do you wrap your mind around that along with the knowledge that someone you love will die. Poor Clark. Happiness is always short-lived for him as it is with most heroes. This final part of the episode just seals what a very heroic and deeply pained man he truly is.

Well, that's my review. In sum: Loved it!

cayayofm

10-14-2005, 08:48 AM

I think the episode was good, but not as great as many people is saying, it had it's problems. Now, people are speculating who is going to die, I don't think that anyone is going to die, this show has a record of promising things that never pays off. However, I will like to be proven wrong. Everybody thinks that this big things are going to happen in the season finale, I don't think so, Smallville willl hit it's 100th episode this year and it seems like they are building things to a spectacular 100th episode. I think that the season finale will be around Clark finally embreacing who he is and fighting Brianic.

Jellie

10-14-2005, 08:49 AM

It was a good ep imo.

The fotw wasnt your typcial fotw(no metero effects) so he didnt bother me like the others. Yes i will always remeber Gabriel.

I loved the start with Clana. I just knew Jonatahan would be up and ready waiting . He didnt disppoint. This scene with Martha, chloe and Clark was priceless

I loved the scene in the fos with jorel in Lionels body and Clark. John Glover is just brilliant I cant praise him enough. That was my favorite scene. It showed a side of jorel we havnt seen in smallville before. Yet he still appeared ruthless as ever with ''your about to face your darkest hour '' ''rectification does not come without a price. I loved it I think Jorel is great.

Im glad Clark has his powers back also. I cant help but wonder though. Everybody will wonder how clark suddenly came back from the dead. tptb cant sweep this under the carpet. If they do i will be pissed off like the rest of you.

All in all I liked this ep. It has been a much stronger start than last season. I just hope they keep it up.

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 08:51 AM

Clarks on-the-fly interaction with the Smallville-targetted ICBM was one of the very finest special effects sequences I have ever witnessed on any TV program. This is TELEVISION mind you! Like, damn! There are motion pictures that come out and don't look as good - as seemless - as believable and captivating as Smallville!!! Here they are, setting a whole new standard for the industry. AGAIN! Yay!!!

Ok. I freaking admit it. They got me! I forgot myself for a moment. I wasn't a fan slouching in a chair watching a drama. I was THERE, in the AIR, flying, totally identified with the action. Hell, I WAS Clark Kent for a moment! Yep, they got me for a minute there: From the phasing in of the slow motion viewpoint, just after the launching of the missile when Clark arrived on the scene with super running speed, which is after all how CK sees the world when he goes supersonic --> to the concussive rippling effect at the moment of his own powerful take-off --> to his grabbing the missile while in-flight, then the squeak of his losing grip, slipping down the length of the missile, then punching through the hull so as to get a good hold on the thing, then his looking back to see the falling off of the 1st stage rocket --> forcing you, the audience, to realize "omg! what?! no, it's okay. no worries - thats only the spent 1st stage, it's harmless...yeah - ignore it, good decision - hang on CK! - hang on to the upperstage - thats where the nuke is - good job to disregard the dropping off of the spent fuel stage, just normal, but lucky you didn't slip down that far before punching your grip holes - whew, coulda been worse...but, NOW what..omg!!..." --> to CK's holding on tight, following the the course of the missile into orbital altitude, which is normal and pre-programmed for these things -why they're "intercontinental ballistic missiles" --> to his bashing-in of the payload section, grabbing the cannister housing that contains the guts of the nuke (but how'd he know just where to bash? - oh yeah, of course, x-ray vision and the fact that he can probably "feel" the beta emissions from the Pu = element #94 = plutonium = chain reaction = part that goes "boom") --> to Clark's one armed heave-ho of the nuke out into space --> to the very believable detonation and the momentary effect of the shock wave on the falling trajectory of CK, hstill holding the now harmless payload --> to the look of extreme sadness and alarm on Chloe's face, as she stands there contemplating the loss of every living person, friend, and foe she knows in the city of Smallville --> and how that look transforms to smiles and elation as "Missile Failed" appears on the silo's computer screen and she whispers "Clark!".

CK! Man, that dudes a hero even after he's dead for gods sake! And there it is - his re-realization of his lot in life - to BE a super man among others, and the weight that comes with this unwanted responsibility. More than that, it is a test of his very human character and emotional needs and how they will never be met. Even though he doesn't quite know it yet because he's still thinkin' of staying with Lana. You know he's worried - he's wondering - who's it gonna be? Because this chain of events, his death and resurrection, has set in motion a chain reaction of a different sort. So how you gonna be Mr. Clark? Mr. Super. Man? You saved the entire city from an atomic blast, but how you gonna save yourself from a fallout of another kind? How you gonna be when your own world blows up in your face - when they take someone from you? Be it your dad, Jonathon or your most intimate friend, Chloe, or, GOD FORBID, be it the other half of your soul, your Lana. How you gonna be? Oh yeah, and since you're now graduated from Smallville High, here's the real deal: All the truths in the world add up to one big lie. Yeah, Smallville, welcome to the real world. Welcome to the big bad.

superman79

10-14-2005, 08:53 AM

I think that's the point Lex was making to Lana. Doesn't matter what anyone says, you can't just rise from the dead and people not ask questions

Jellie

10-14-2005, 08:54 AM

Another thing i wonder. Jorel touched clark and there was a flashin light like a lifeforce getting transfered from jorel to clark. Yeah its a long shot but i do wonder

Originally posted by superman79
I think that's the point Lex was making to Lana. Doesn't matter what anyone says, you can't just rise from the dead and people not ask questions

Yeah exactly. Questions have to be asked

superman79

10-14-2005, 08:58 AM

Remember when Cassandra way back in hourglass, I think told Clark someone close to him would die, we assumed it was her but maybe she was alluding to the same thing Jor-El mentioned

Another thing I thought was great was that Gabriel didn't hesitate to shoot Clark, he didn't go into the "monologue" he just did it. Very realistic in my humble opinion

Jellie

10-14-2005, 09:00 AM

I lliked Gabriel. The reason I will remember him is 1, no fotw abilitys and 2, he shot Clark Kent and he didnt hesitate. Very nice imo

superman79

10-14-2005, 09:04 AM

Yeah, if you are a ruthless killer surely you wouldn't hesitate to shoot someone. That's a pitfall in most movies and tv shows. Having the villian stall until help arrives. But this season has amazed me so far. I don't think we even have a real clue as to what is going to really happen at the end of this year.

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 09:05 AM

Yeah. That was uncompromising and final. probly how most violence and murders happen. Very real. Fast. Over and out. When I had a first experience of real violence, it was fascinating to see how fast it happens, how "unreal" it was at one moment, then how all too real the aftermath is after that. Life really is a fragile thing and you don't know it until you're in a situation where you very well may lose it. It's like, whoa f###!!!

Liriel

10-14-2005, 09:06 AM

Clark NEVER told Chloe that someone would be sacrificed. He did not share that information with her at all or anyone else for that matter.

No, he didn't. And I don't think he will. But he did say that someone else would be paying the price. He revealed more to Chloe than to even his own parents. She's his confidante - or as close as he has to one at this point in his life.

When Pete found out I was hoping he could be he confidante (because unlike L&C, his parents don't fill that role on this show, for reasons I completely understand). Unfortunately that didn't happen. But it's nice to see it working that way with Chloe.

Chlark_lover23

10-14-2005, 09:18 AM

I loved this eppy! it was one of the best I've seen in a while. I remeber that the guy who played Gabriel was on the short-lived show "quintuplets" and he made the change from goofy and odd to pyschotic very well. Season 5 has ROCKED so far and I can't wait till the debut of James Marsters as Brainaic next week and I liked that Chloe was the one who stopped the villain of the week.

Chesay

10-14-2005, 10:02 AM

As much as I enjoyed the episode I don't like to have the death card played so casually, nor do I like the threat of death held over my head to contemplate in the weeks to come. That is one issue I'd like to have the writers conveniently forget like they have the 33.1 level. I don't like the sex angle between Lana and Clark either and hope it won't be an impediment to the season which has a lot going for it otherwise. Clark needs to tell Lana regardless of his fears about her response. Maybe that will be the loss of someone near to you that Jor-El has threatened.

My favorite part had to be the Lionel/Jor-El connection. John Glover did such an exceptional job with the material that it made the episode for me. Tying in all the pieces from last season where we saw the download in his eye, as well as, all the Kryptonian references this season was truly good to see. As expendable as Lionel and Chloe might be, since they are not canon, I have to say that much of the heart of the series would be lost if either of these were gone.

Chloe was really spotlighted well in this episode and I enjoyed seeing her have yet another chance to shine. Her supporting role as a true friend to Clark really helps the story along and gives her a stronger role than jealousy and pining did in past seasons.

Am concerned with the disappearance from the hospital and the whole resurrection scenario as I feel this is a hard corner to get out of and a hard storyline to top so early in the season. Quite a challenge to the writers who last season seemed to find continuity so difficult to manage. There is hope for them yet and I'm enjoying what they have provided so far.

I need more Lex. Hopefully next week will give him a chance to shine as he interacts with Clark and Aquaman. Michael Rosenbaum always brings his best to every scene he is in and Lex is becoming more and more interesting to watch. I'd like to see Lex and Lionel get closer and work together more to fine tune Lex's true self. The dynamic between those two characters always makes for an interesting story. It will be interesting to see the next time Clark runs into Lionel given the last encounter they had.

Season Five is going strong and I'm enjoying the ride.

loistickyfingerz

10-14-2005, 10:08 AM

I was glad to see Chloe in the loft. It was the only person that made sense. Also, I loved how it ended. With Clark basically in mid-sentence truly opening up to Chloe. Sadly, he might be nailing her coffin shut by doing that, but it's exciting to see what might happen.

I thought it was very telling and wonderful of Lana to say that she didn't want to get involved with Clark because she knew this moment would come. However, I found the "love at first sight" confession a bit of a stretch because evidently Lana knew of Clark but wasn't actually friends with him until their freshman year. Obviously, as soon as she got to know him she might have felt that way, but I do think that she was pretty wrapped up in Whitney when they first became friends, not to mention that she had "seen" him long before that. I'm no saying the sentiment wasn't right, I just think that the wording could have been rearranged to be not so romance-cliché driven.

Overall though this show exceeded my expectations, and the special FX were out of this world, literally.

sunshine1973

10-14-2005, 10:47 AM

this was a good episode all said and done, I really like when he took to flight. The scene when he came into the house all dirty, the look on his face was pained! Welling did a great job here, the Clark and Lana was so sweet I cried.... He held her for so long it was like time stopped for them both.. Jor el in Lionel whooo that was scary but great work again by JG... Love Chole and her insightfulness with Clark.. The jump/fly whatever I LOVED IT!!!!

Thanks

Elbereth Nienna

10-14-2005, 10:48 AM

I loved this episode. It brought me back to the boards after a long time of disapointment. Once you get beyond the stupid sub plot of boy tires to send nuke at Smallville this was in my opinion one of the best episodes ever. It was very "Superman."

I was glad to see them let go of the old and repetitive cliches we have gotten use to seeing. Chloe in the loft at the end was a nice change. The Kents did yet again end up at a hospital but I'll let that go. The episode was emotional and showed us more of the range that Tom Welling has. He doesn't always smile. Good to know.

I liked it very much.

ImzadiJedi

10-14-2005, 12:25 PM

I liked it.

Many others have pointed out the good (and bad) in the episode.

thmallville

10-14-2005, 01:18 PM

I frickin loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was soooooooooo cool the way he jumped/flew onto the missle and just ripped the thing apart. It was soo suspenseful, action packed, and I was rolling on the floor at the "parental confrontation". BEST EPISODE EVER!!! I wonder who dies? I hope it's Lois.

SnarkMasterJ

10-14-2005, 01:20 PM

Clana aside (and it's been worse), that was one of the best episodes I've seen in a very long time.

I'll give it a "loved it". :)

boonaducious

10-14-2005, 01:38 PM

Before I start the review, I have a quick note. I pretty much copy and pasted the review that I put on TV.com, mostly because I didn't feel like re-typing the whole thing over. So if anybody sees it, I'm not copying from someone else. (I have a different name on that site, which was why I thought people might think I'm stealing.)

This episode was, in a word, AMAZING. I thought that it contained many surprises and twists that will make this season very interesting to watch. I'm really looking forward to see how long that the Clana relationship lasts, if Jor-el is still in Lionel's body, if Clark can really fly, who will die, etc.

I really loved the character dynamic and the way that the whole thing was acted. Although there were very few parts that I didn't like, my two favorites had to be the FOS scene with Jor-el and ending scene with Chloe. Lionel played Jor-el VERY well and I hope that the whole possesion thing continues throughout the season.

The whole thing with Clark dying was very well done. I thought that the shock of their son's death was done very well by the parents and Lana.

Clark in the FOS was awesome. Lionel Luthor as Jor-el, who would of thought? I think that he played it very well and, in a way, reflected that he really does care about his son. That made me very eager to see what the relationship will become this season.

I am so glad that Clark has his powers back, and the way that he stopped the missle was incredible. I definitly thought that he semi-flew to stop it, even though he still has to hone his skill. It made me grin from ear to ear to see that. The following reunion with his parents and Lana was touching to me, and it made me grin as well.

I am loooooooooving Clark and Chloe this season. They are a much better team than Pete and Clark. Chloe is actually talking some sense into the boy, which I hope makes an impact. The talk in the loft was a high point. In relation to that, some people say that Clark is selfish, but I don't think so. He has been through a lot of crap and I think he deserves to be happy. From what I could see, Clark is happy as Superman, but I hope that he learns to deal with his gifts w/o feeling guilty soon. He is now in pain because someone he loves will die, and he should be. I kind of hope that he works the whole thing out w/o anyone having to die, because I can't imagine the show w/o any of it's current characters.

As for his other lament in the loft, I don't blame him. He knows that Chloe took his secret well because she is Miss Wall-of-Weird, but Lana might not be that way. He has no way to know, which makes him reluctant. Plus, she shared her most precious gift with him, and yet he didn't tell her what he really was, which might make her very angry.

That actually brings me to another point; the Clana sex. Although I thought that the opening scene was amusing, the idea of Clark and Lana having sex bothers me. I'm not by any means one of the fans that hates Lana's guts, but I also don't think that they were ready. I for one believe that sex should be saved for marriage, but even if I didn't believe that way, I'd think that it was wrong for it to happen when there is so much that Clark should be taking into consideration, such as the fact that he isn't human and he doesn't know what will happen to Lana if she gets pregnant or something worse.

That one quip aside, I definitly thought that this episode was one of the best. The fact that there has been three amazing episodes in a row makes me believe that this season will be the best ever, which will totally make up for last season. :)

I also want to end with my theories. I have a strong feeling that Jor-el is pretending to be Lionel, considering he has all of the memories stored in Lionel's physical brain. Another thing is that Jonathan will die. I don't want to see that, but I have to be realistic. JS isn't going to be in all of the episodes this season, and I'm curious if they would kill him off. Even though I LOVE Jonathan Kent to death, I would think that would be the only real option.

clark25

10-14-2005, 01:41 PM

Another great episode for the fifth season
it was neat seeing Clark finaly getting to
fly for real.And to there were a few tense
moments in this episode to especaily were
Clark got shot that was the most dramatic
moment in Smallville that I have.ever seen
over the past five years.But I smiled really
big when Clark came back to life.And to
John Glover done a execentlent job
with jor-el.Anywho great episode I
enjoyed it

ClarkCrusader

10-14-2005, 01:56 PM

I went to bed last night thinking "3 Great Eps in a row"!!
This season has started out amazingly incredible and I am enjoying every minute of it. "Hidden" has, by far, topped my list as one of the best Smallville eps ever. All of the actors were so full of raw emotion that I almost forgot they were tv characters. The scene of Clark getting shot and then his reunion with his parents and Lana were very touching. I'm sad that someone Clark loves will have to die, but if you take the Superman story into account, you know that Jonathan Kent died while Clark was young and there is also the possibility of Chloe (I don't think she was represented in Superman). Even though we don't know when the series will be over, I can only imagine how incredible the Series Ending of Smallville will become. (oohhh and Lex is such a bad boy right now!!!)

gebes

10-14-2005, 01:57 PM

So far, the 1st 3 episodes have more than made up for S4 of Smallville, while there were good episodes, I always thought it was lacking something.

Season 5 I think, has shown continuity in referring to past events, there has been character depth, Tom Welling has shown a new side to the character of Clark Kent, in dealing with being mortal, regaining his powers and knowing the price Clark will eventually pay for this.

Allison Mack has taken the role of Chloe to a new level, in dealing with the fact she knows who Clark is.

Michael Rosenbaum, has started to introduce the cracks in the character of Lex beautifully.

I thought John Glover playing Jor-el was a nice touch, and it was handled just right I think.

Got to admit, the episode started off quite well, and for a moment I thought it was going to be a so-so episode.

Get the feeling that during the break between S4 and the start of S5, there has been alot of thought go into Smallville, and as I read in another thread, it's almost like there was a chalk-board that had

CONTINUNITY

In Big Bold Letters on it !!!

Long may this quality continue, I think the episodes have been on a par with the end of S2 and certain episodes in Season 3.

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 02:09 PM

Great reviews, but boonaducious, couldn't you have written an original one instead of ripping off someone's from TV.com? Hmm? ;)

JUST KIDDING! I know you didn't and it was/is your original review ! Actually all I wanted to sya was Great review boonaducious! 'cause it is. But I do hope your theory about losing Jonathan is wrong. I'd hate to see him go although his loss would be the easiest to take if someone HAD to go. I just hope there's a way around it like the ideas put forth elsewhere about the loss of Jor El, but then does that mean Lionel must die? Idk. I really don't want any character to die. Maybe what someone said earlier in this thread would meet "Nature's requirement" i.e. the loss of Lana's love, but not the loss of Lana herself. If the latter happened, thats when I'd stop watching. They might as well end the series if they do that- same difference as far as I'm concerned.

Since we're on the subject of wasting main characters - the only objection I have with the whole series is how they got rid of Whitney for no good reason as far as I was concerned and how, after Pete left, he was never mentioned again 'till recently. I mean, here's a guy that "knows" and it's like neither CK nor his parents were concerned about what Pete's up to lately, or worried if he would ever tell.

Btw, I just got back from seeing "The Fog". It wasn't any kind of blockbuster movie but it was overall very good, had some very exciting moments and the acting and scenery were great and it fits this time of year. I give it a thumbs up.

Drew

10-14-2005, 02:20 PM

Excellent episode (as are most of them). This season seems to really be stepping the story up. Loved when Clark got his powers back and stopped that missle. I also think its great that there is another big thing for Lex to question about the mystery that is Clark Kent.

Anyone else find it funny how Lionel just shrugs off several week catatomic state like it was nothing?

Lex: You were carving these cymbols into the floor with a corkscrew

Lionel: Well aren't I the creative one?

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 02:28 PM

I agree, THAT, was classic! lol

boonaducious

10-14-2005, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by jOEL_EL
Great reviews, but boonaducious, couldn't you have written an original one instead of ripping off someone's from TV.com? Hmm? ;)

JUST KIDDING! I know you didn't and it was/is your original review ! Actually all I wanted to sya was Great review boonaducious! 'cause it is. But I do hope your theory about losing Jonathan is wrong. I'd hate to see him go although his loss would be the easiest to take if someone HAD to go. I just hope there's a way around it like the ideas put forth elsewhere about the loss of Jor El, but then does that mean Lionel must die? Idk. I really don't want any character to die. Maybe what someone said earlier in this thread would meet "Nature's requirement" i.e. the loss of Lana's love, but not the loss of Lana herself. If the latter happened, thats when I'd stop watching. They might as well end the series if they do that- same difference as far as I'm concerned.

Thank you very much!! I hope I'm wrong about Jonathan, too. I'd actually prefer the Jor-el thing, but I doubt that its going to happen.

jOEL_EL

10-14-2005, 03:18 PM

You're a good sport and you're welcome! Yeah, I fear for Jonathan.

Poweranimals

10-14-2005, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by wallyK
I do have one beef with the writers. Yes, actions have consequences, and you want to show that in stories. But there has to be a clear connection between the action and the consequences for it to be meaningful. If the consequences seem a bit random or biased, then you have fatalism. In Clark's case, he could not reasonably know that chosing to save Lana would mean his resurrection and somebody being exchanged for him. If this is supposed to be a moral lesson, it is a rather bad one because Clark did not ask for his life back. He said his frequent lament of "I had no choice." Clark often gets forced into things. When he decides he is going to be his own man and not play along, things still go bad. Sounds like fatalism to me. I don't know if anyone else addressed this, because I don't have time to read all the pages at the moment. There was a clear connection. Clark disobeyed Jor-El. This has been a pretty consistant lesson that Jor-El has been trying to get through to Clark that disobeying him is going to have consequences. We saw this at the end of season 2 when he destroyed the ship rather than listening to his biological father. This is the lesson that Jor-El is trying to teach Clark. So yes there is a connection. This isn't just randomly bad things happening to Clark.

supergurl88

10-14-2005, 03:55 PM

man, it took me forever to get on....whats ur secrets guys.

hidden was the best eps. smallville has ever created so far.

i was on the edge of my seat thru out the whole thing. i thought opening was amazing. i love the sex talk scene..it was so cute.

but, when clark got shot...wow, no words can describe that again. and when lana was in the hospital talking to clark and clark opens hes eyes and smile are her, my heart stop. that was a cute scene.

over all, it was amazing!

Snarky

10-14-2005, 04:35 PM

I felt the episode was choppy and required the viewer to leave a certain amount of logic behind. The funny moments entwined with an interesting Lionel plot twist and the special effects helped it keep a C rating for me. The Chlark loft scene was a nice friendship building moment for them. It was nice to see Chloe be completely honest with Clark and him respond appropriately as a friend.

The heart-shock scene back and forth with Lionel was exceptiopnally well done.
I did not like the fact that Clark lied to Jonathan about the cost of resurrection.
The Lionel plot twist has my attention I'm anxiously awaiting this arc.

On the petty side of things...both Jonathan and Clark's hair looked totally lame this week. :rolleyes:

Overall I'm still psyched about season 5. Hurray writers for better material! Nice work!:D

Sydafex7

10-14-2005, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by boonaducious
As for his other lament in the loft, I don't blame him. He knows that Chloe took his secret well because she is Miss Wall-of-Weird, but Lana might not be that way. He has no way to know, which makes him reluctant. Plus, she shared her most precious gift with him, and yet he didn't tell her what he really was, which might make her very angry.

That actually brings me to another point; the Clana sex. Although I thought that the opening scene was amusing, the idea of Clark and Lana having sex bothers me. I'm not by any means one of the fans that hates Lana's guts, but I also don't think that they were ready. I for one believe that sex should be saved for marriage, but even if I didn't believe that way, I'd think that it was wrong for it to happen when there is so much that Clark should be taking into consideration, such as the fact that he isn't human and he doesn't know what will happen to Lana if she gets pregnant or something worse.

I also want to end with my theories. I have a strong feeling that Jor-el is pretending to be Lionel, considering he has all of the memories stored in Lionel's physical brain. Another thing is that Jonathan will die. I don't want to see that, but I have to be realistic. JS isn't going to be in all of the episodes this season, and I'm curious if they would kill him off. Even though I LOVE Jonathan Kent to death, I would think that would be the only real option.

Remember, when Clark and Lana had sex, the only alien thing about Clark was where he was born. Every other part of him was human. Nothing is going to happen to Lana because of this. She's not going to have some alien baby or anything. I think if Clark still was a triue alien, he wouldn't have even considered it.

JC won't be killed off. TPTB have already said that they are huge Annete and John fans and thats why they havent killed them off. Remember, the Kents were still alive in Lois and Clark, that could very well be the case here. I'll be the first to admit it if I am wrong. My bet is still on Jor-el however. I think him and Clark are really going to bond this season and Clark will even call him Father by season's end. I think that Jor-el is the one who will die and this will bring Clark closer to fulfilling his destiny. He will see the great links his father went to keeping him alive and Clark will want to make him proud and make his time on Earth worthwhile, since his dad sacrificed so much for him to be alive.

superpal1

10-14-2005, 05:48 PM

I agree with the Jor-el is going to be the sacrifice. His whole speech to Clark sets it up to be him. All in all, I liked this episode. I think the writing has gotten better and the shows flow into each other much better. Season five has been great.

Zyyb

10-14-2005, 06:55 PM

Before you rant at me at how awesome it was, just read my points and know that i still thought the effects and most of the acting was good.

1. Gabrielle, he ever metnioned before? Always helping Chloe on the big story? noone ever notice he was a complete freak?

2. Hi there, i'm an inept guard. Please break into my base, whats that? you want to turn the missile on and you've already shot my friend, ah hell why not then? whats that? oh look you've shot me. collapse.

3. I'm basing that seeings as Chloe hasn't moved and the Kent folks haven't figured out Clark is doing Lana that it can't be more then a week after the last episode? Even if it was a month, it doesn't explain how the house looked exactly as it used to, pictures, flowers, cooking stuff even the dust! The woman can't have that many pictures..

4. the whole timing was out, Clark got dressed, they got to Gabrielles house snooped around everywhere within 10 minutes?
Who found clark and got him to the hospital in TEN minutes? (why were the Kents already there?) the time gabrielle turned up and shot him on a country road to the time he was in a hospital bed was about 10 Minutes. (give or take a minute)

5. No CCTV in the hospital (probably not the rooms to be fair) but what about Belle Reeve? Lex: "24 hour surveilance, notify me immediately to any change in his condition" from Mortal,

6. How did Lionel and Clark get back from the FOS? he had to superspeed it all last time, he cant run from the pole back to smallville in 8 seconds. What's with the new clothes?

7. How does he do the 300ft superjump? was that something new we were meant to know about? (like the backflip?)

8. The medfile Lana had/stole? does losing his powers give clark human blood?"the results came back normal" they got the file on how he DIED? and no-one is questioning how he turned up in different ripped up clothes?

There was a few other inconsistencies as well, but that would just be nitpicking!

I think it could have been a Great episode but because of the numerous unanswered questions and plot holes, it just seemed sub par! maybe you guys could clear a few up for me, in case i missed something, don't get me wrong. I love smallville! but this sucked..

Volcana

10-14-2005, 06:57 PM

Demand more from yer television shows........... there are holes in the plotline, there are characters that need off the show, don`t just take this tackliy hung together episode.... I think season 5 is by far the worst season.........

boonaducious

10-14-2005, 07:25 PM

JK won't be killed off. TPTB have already said that they are huge Annete and John fans and thats why they havent killed them off. Remember, the Kents were still alive in Lois and Clark, that could very well be the case here. I'll be the first to admit it if I am wrong. My bet is still on Jor-el however. I think him and Clark are really going to bond this season and Clark will even call him Father by season's end. I think that Jor-el is the one who will die and this will bring Clark closer to fulfilling his destiny. He will see the great links his father went to keeping him alive and Clark will want to make him proud and make his time on Earth worthwhile, since his dad sacrificed so much for him to be alive. [/B]

I didn't know that TPTB said that. That makes me happy. :)

Jor-el dying would be the preferred scenario in my book, even though JK dying would have more impact, which was why I thought that it would be him. However, TPTB have been known to change their minds a little bit. I still think, with all of this heart problem talk, he will die sometime in the series, but, like I said, I love Jonathan and want him to stay as long as possible.

Space_Ninja_3000

10-14-2005, 07:48 PM

I have to say that, after season 4, this episode has given me hope that the series is at least moving back in the right direction. Although there were a few things that annoyed me about this episode, the positives outweighed them.

What I liked about the episode:
1. Seeing Clark's parents react differently to Clark/Lana. There hasn't been anything like that since the Martha working for Lionel story in season two. Although it was minor, they should come up with a similar big issue for them to disagree on.
2. Better dialogue: there were some better moments here than what has passed as dialogue lately. The dialogue back in season 2 & 3 was light years from what happened last season. Hopefully the writers will simply raise the vocabulary/expressions of the characters in general. I remember Lex and Lionel having very cerebral verbal exchanges--they were great, I hope they bring them back.
3. Clark/Jor-El interaction: very interesting, but getting a bit old and weird. Jor-El is dead. Dead is dead. These weird possessions and such should stop. Clark should learn everything from his Fortress. There should be recordings by Jor-El on certain matters but no more communicating beyond the grave.
4. Clark leaping to the missile: hopefully he will start practicing to fly out at the fortress. His need to fly around the city would help explain why he needs a costume to hide his identity. Flying is an important component to becoming Supes b/c it helps explain why he must create a costume/super identity. Of course, if he can fly at super speed so as not to be seen--as when he runs--then this becomes a moot point.

What annoyed me:
1. Clark's guilt: as previous posters have observed, the loved one's life for your life exchange didn't make sense. If anything Clark should be feeling anger and resentment towards Jor-El not guilt.
2. How is it that Jor-El is doing all this stuff from beyond the grave? That is annoying. Enough with this arbitrary plot devicer. Or, at least let's set some ground rules on what's possible and what isn't.
3. Chloe shows up right after Lana and then asks what she was doing there at 6:30am...what are YOU doing there?! They could've fixed this by having a Lex/Missile Silo scene in between to make it like 9am or so when she showed. All she needed to know was they were in a relationship--there was no reason for her to know this specific detail.
4. Missile freak: missiles in Smallville? It's not clear to me that the missiles had to have been launched from Smallville. All in all it was way far fetched. If he helped kill his father why didn't he bury him? Why didn't they do something less bloody and more humane? Why did he need help in the first place? People commit suicide all the time. Not very logical. Plus the idea of a lone actor obsessed with wiping out meteor freaks has been used far too many times now.

Here are my thoughts on what I'd like to see on the show (maybe the writers will read this!):

1. Clark showing his parents the FOS and them talking about it. C'mon man, you're going to tell me an enormous crystalline fortress emerged from the Arctic with a myriad of crystal devices and info. about your home planet and you haven't explored it/told your parents about it? Maybe the whole "I want to be normal" story sidelined this, but I really hope as soon as he gets back into accepting his true nature that he takes them up to the Fortress. What would be really cool is if he and Pa Kent decide to practice his flying ability outside of the fortress. That's the perfect place to explore this power and it would afford a funny scene of them being rushed back to Smallville on an emergency and J. Kent having to explain to somebody why he's wearing arctic clothing in August or something. One problem that will need to be dealt with is why is Clark going to want to spend time up at the Fortress if he constantly rejects his Kryptonian roots and his connection with Jor-El. What makes this show interesting is their take on his reason for being sent to Earth, but that same element is making it hard to explain why he would want to embrace his heritage. The portrayal of Jor-El as the "Dead hand" reaching beyond the grave to force him to do things doesn't help either. There's always this fear that Jor-El is going to reach out from beyond the grave and do some evil stuff to him; in such a situation why would you want to go to the Fortress? I'd stay away from it. Fix this problem; give him a good reason to go there willingly.
2. Lex's motivation? Alright, I think Lex being obsessed with the caves/spaceship/Clark is a fine storyline but give us a good reason why? Right now, it's not clear what his ultimate goals are. We know that he thinks Clark is hiding an important secret and he wants to find out what it is. Why though? Is it curiosity? Envy? Anger? We also know he wants to get into the ship, but again why? In both matters he is portrayed as being very emotional/passionate about these things. That was probably a mistake. It would much easier to explain all this as simply unquenchable curiosity--the need to know everything no matter what. Anyway, figure it out and reveal something--make it simple but good.

SmallvilleRocks7979

10-14-2005, 07:56 PM

Three points: A.) Tom Welling was particularly good in this episode as he transferred from carefree happy guy in love with his girl in the beginning to once again having the weight of the world back on his shoulders when his powers returned, knowing that he'd have to go back to the secrets and lies, B.) I think that this time he will be so in love with Lana and want so badly to salvage their relationship that he may go ahead and tell her his secret, C.) I hope Chloe will be the one to die, but only because I can't stand her! Ha ha! :O)

temleh_krad

10-14-2005, 08:28 PM

Let me apologize for the rant-like tone of this review. It doesn't mean I didn't like this episode; I did. I hope that'll be a little more clear towards the end.

The episode had quite the dramatic opening, with a view down the barrel of a gun. Unfortunately it was obvious that the actor was resting the gun on some kind of support. No one could hold a gun that still without one. I think it would have been more dramatic for the gun to be shaking, illustrative of the fragile mood that Gabriel was in. But that's a relatively minor point.

There were so many tiny little things that were annoyances in this episode (but that's not unusual for Smallville). TPTB take the care to have Lionel as Jor-El hold his hands the way Jor-El did in Superman II, but they don't recognize that the way Chloe packed her car would result in half her stuff being strewn across the highway? I know the show is based on a comic book, but when it's live-action those little details count. To me, at least.

Anyway, then we have the bunker scene. Gabriel manages to threaten Lt. Bledsoe (thank you, name patch) into turning the key to enable the missile. Why the heck did he do that? It didn't save his life, and he had no idea where Gabriel intended to send that sucker. If he allowed it to head towards Vladivostok on the eastern edge of Russia as it was initially targeted, then presumably the Russians would return the favor and end the world. Wouldn't it have been a little smarter to just let the kid kill you, rather than precipitating the end of the world and the death of everyone you ever knew? Not to mention the fact that the path of the missile on the big map would have been much shorter if it travelled over the North Pole (the Earth being a sphere and not flat), or even in the other direction. I don't think it added to the drama to have the flightpath of the missile as long as possbile. But I am a rocket scientist, so I might be in the minority on that one.

We then move to the suddenly rebuilt house. I was initially confused about the change of location, but assume it was meant to imply the passage of time. Obviously it's not immediately after the previous episode.

Clark then displays for the umpteenth time his complete inability to plan ahead. He could have set his alarm to 5:30am before his parents get up. Failing that he could have come up with a plan to distract his parents and allow Lana to escape. But I suppose that having Clark be intelligent would make things less "dramatic." Whatever.

I loved Jonathan's reaction to the... ummm... situation. He should have smacked the boy over the head. Keeping it secret was bad enough, but more importantly Clark has no business being serious with Lana. Not if she doesn't know his secret. It has nothing to do with it being immoral; it has to do with trust. Before being physical intimate, Clark should have the trust in Lana to reveal his true nature to her, even if he no longer has his powers.

Tom Welling did an excellent job portraying the discomfort that Clark felt at getting caught, but if Clark was so sure he was doing the right thing, why was he uncomfortable when the truth was revealed? He knew it was wrong and did it anyway. Never underestimate the power of self-delusion.

"Not without one last 'Why me?' moment." This Chloe line is classic. The obvious meaning is related to the strange phone call. The more subtle meaning is referring to her discovery of Clark's escapades. Poor Chloe.

There was also some very nice Lexana action. Lex seems to be angling for something from Lana. He tries to put himself on her side (by changing his tune a la spaceships) and very subtly drive a wedge between her and Clark (by pointing out his ridiculous equivocation post-death [Note that even though they never say what Clark's cockamamie explanation was, it still qualifies as ridiculous]). In his brief appearances Lex was in true form.

"A Colonel with an aerospace engineering degree from Purdue?" The tone of this line bothered me. Is it so unusual for military officers to have aerospace degrees? Is an aerospace engineering degree really that special? I have an aerospace engineering degree, and it certainly doesn't mean that I'm somehow able to achieve superhuman things. I put my pants on every morning both legs at a time just like everyone else. I thought the awe was out of place.

I know that Clark has a foolish tendency to rush into things, but why wasn't Chloe smart enough to recognize that ambushing an armed man without any weapons was a bad idea? Despite his unassisted heroics in "Mortal" Clark clearly has not adjusted his tactics to his powerlessness. I think he might have been better off waving a big sign that said "Shoot me!".

The death scene raised some questions for me. Was it Clark's dying that activated Jor-El or the other way around? Clark seemed to be doing okay until Lana started talking to him and surely she didn't have anything to do with his inevitable but temporary demise. Right?

I was kind of hoping that Chloe would go into SuperChloe mode and save the day. She came so close. I hope there will be some effect on her character for shooting a long-time (albeit completely unseen until this episode) friend. I can understand why TPTB wouldn't bring it up in this episode but it should be mentioned at some point. But I'm not holding my breath.

"The life for someone close to you will be exchanged for your one." Excellent. Drama, darkness, tidbits of Kryptonian wisdom. The FOS scene was brilliant. Now Lionel's character actually has purpose, for the first time since Season 3. I thought the whole goody-two-shoes thing last season was ridiculous.

The greatest and also the most annoying scene had to be the missile one. The special effects were spectacular for a television show. We also got to see Clark back to pre-Superman form. But why the heck did that nuke go off? He threw it into space, nothing made it blow. It should have just been left spinning into oblivion. Clark just violated the "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies" of 1966. He could go to jail for that. ;) Seriously. I will also refrain from mentioning the deleterious effects the resulting electro-magnetic pulse will have on all the satellites orbiting the earth (oops, I mentioned it).

The scene with Lana was shocking, to say the least. I thought Lana's reaction was insane. She sees Clark die. She goes to his house to talk to the parents. Clark shows up out of nowhere, looking like hell with a wild-eyed expression. She runs to embrace him? WHAT!!?!! I would have been terrified seeing a ghost like that. Lana had no reason to believe he was come back from the dead and every reason to think he was a ghost.

The final scene in the barn was so poignant. Chloe truly is the Voice of Reason on the show. She tells Clark the way it is, even though he doesn't want to hear it. Her character has become more important than Jor-El in making Clark recognize his role. The most amazing thing she does is push for Clark to tell Lana his secret even knowing it will make her role redundant. She does it because she knows it is the only way for that relationship to work and she wants Clark to be happy, even at her expense. Wow.

I want to reiterate my earlier comments on intimacy and trust. Clark doesn't trust Lana enough to tell her his secret. He says it explicitly. What a horrible thing to say about the person you supposedly love. When (not if, sorry Clana-ers) they break-up he will have no one to blame but himself.

Incidentally, he also blames himself for the someone will die situation. Justifiably, but not for the reason he seems to think. His mistake was NOT to disobey Jor-El; it was to promise to return and continue his training and then break that promise. A man's word is his bond (even if he isn't technically man), and by breaking his word Clark deserves punishment. He should recognize by now that actions have consequences and his actions have bigger consequences than anyone else on Earth.

I like the direction the show is heading after this episode. Clark had his Indian Summer and winter is about to begin. He needs to wake up and recognize that fact. I can only hope that the whole dying thing will be enough to shock him out of his self-deluding slumber.

Thank you for suffering through my review, allow me to leave with one last positive note:

Unbelievably esoteric nod of approval: When Gabriel adjusts the missile trajectory to hit Smallville, the path is not straight-up and then back down. It follows an elliptical path back to its point of origin. Why doesn't it just go up and then come back down? Because the Earth is rotating. The missile has to be fired slightly due East rather than purely vertical so that when it returns to the Earth it will hit where Smallville will be at that instant in time. If it was fired straight up it would probably have hit Utah. Kudos to TPTB for getting this detail right.

ingy271

10-14-2005, 09:33 PM

Loved:

Clark/Lana scene and getting sprung by Kent parents.
Hospital scene - thought was touching except for Lana's talk to Clark.
Lex - how could you not like MR and what he does with the Lex character?
Lionel - as a vessel for Jor-el was pretty cool.
Clark coming back after taking care of the missle and seeing the reaction of the Kents and Lana.
Thought the music throughout was good too.
Clark/Chloe talk at the end was great but I thought she could have gone harder at him.
Lana admitting she had doubts about Clark but admitting she was wrong - have we ever heard that before?

Iffy about:
'Gabriel' couldn't get excited about that character to be honest.
The sherrif entering the missile silo with a team of soldiers - I don't know anything about US missile procedures but I wouldn't expect a small town sherrif to enter the silo with the soldiers. Shouldn't that job fall to someone in the military? Sorry I forgot this is Smallville here.
Chloe mentioning about being the only one knowing Clark's secret as 'special'. Clark told her last episode that Pete knew already - got his mention then was forgotten again.

Good episode though.

Volcana

10-14-2005, 09:46 PM

I just thought of something that is buggin the hell outta me, does it seem as tho Lex isn`t playing his part with as much gusto as he used to? I remeber him being a lot more fiery then he is in this season.. Maybe its cause his lines have sucked big time since episode 1 season 5

Sydafex7

10-15-2005, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by Volcana
I just thought of something that is buggin the hell outta me, does it seem as tho Lex isn`t playing his part with as much gusto as he used to? I remeber him being a lot more fiery then he is in this season.. Maybe its cause his lines have sucked big time since episode 1 season 5

I thought his whole speech to Lana was very fiery. He was also pretty demanding to the people working on the ship.

AugenStern

10-15-2005, 03:56 AM

The ep was ok, apart from the plot being horribly forced and contrived. It was like they looked back through bad 70's comic book plot ideas and picked out the most cliched examples they could find.

1. Sloppily dressed and obviously deranged villain easily takes over a critical, high-security military installation. Check.

2. Whenever teenagers have sex, they must get caught and shamed by their parents, be killed, commit suicide, or somehow become scarred for life because sex is bad, even when you're an adult and married. Check.

3. The authorities must be completely and totally incompetent. Check.

4. Dramatically kill the main hero, then shock the audience by bringing him back to life five minutes later....aka the "Wow, even my dead goldfish could see that coming" plot. Check.

5. People who witness traumatizing acts of violence must never express more than a few seconds of emotion, because violence is good. "Golly, Superman, you popped that jaywalker's head like a melon! Can I have your autograph?" Check.

6. When all else fails, launch someone into space on a missile. Check.

7. If the hero does something unusual like dying and showing up again later wearing half-destroyed clothing while appearing totally unhurt, his love interest will immediately assume there is perfectly normal reason for it and won't ask any questions because she doesn't want to appear stupid. Check.

I don’t expect TV to be groundbreaking, but damn, I’ve read better fanfic stories than this.

Then there’s the fatal mistake of not allowing Clark to make the decision between staying normal and getting his powers back. I can buy the idea that Jor-El is putting Clark through a gauntlet of tests and trials to ready him for his destiny, but it’s starting to sound more like he’s laying guilt trips than actually molding him.

CLARK: Wasn’t I dead?

JOR-EL: Ha ha! No such luck, kid. You screwed up and now somebody else is gonna die, not from any direct consequence of your actions, but basically just because I say so. I think I’ll kill off Jonathan so you’ll pretty much have to call me your father. I’ll probably make Chloe go insane by the end of the season too. I’m just a d*ck like that. But remember that I love you, because that’s what all abusive parents say to their kids in order to manipulate them. Isn’t life great?

CLARK: …

No wonder the poor guy was so bummed at the end of the episode. He's basically a puppet and can't win no matter what he does. If I was Clark, I'd feel like sticking my head in a bucket of Kryptonite too.

Black & White

10-15-2005, 08:20 AM

I think the episode was SPECTACULAR!!!I liked it a lot!!:D :D
I liked the scene in the hospital when Lana was crying for Clark, I stayed for some minutes with my mouth opened , the scene of the FOS was awesome, John Glover is one of the best actors!!
Chloe screaming while Clark was bleeding was :eek: :eek:
My favourite was the last conversation between her and Clark.

cayayofm

10-15-2005, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by Zyyb
Before you rant at me at how awesome it was, just read my points and know that i still thought the effects and most of the acting was good.

1. Gabrielle, he ever metnioned before? Always helping Chloe on the big story? noone ever notice he was a complete freak?

2. Hi there, i'm an inept guard. Please break into my base, whats that? you want to turn the missile on and you've already shot my friend, ah hell why not then? whats that? oh look you've shot me. collapse.

3. I'm basing that seeings as Chloe hasn't moved and the Kent folks haven't figured out Clark is doing Lana that it can't be more then a week after the last episode? Even if it was a month, it doesn't explain how the house looked exactly as it used to, pictures, flowers, cooking stuff even the dust! The woman can't have that many pictures..

4. the whole timing was out, Clark got dressed, they got to Gabrielles house snooped around everywhere within 10 minutes?
Who found clark and got him to the hospital in TEN minutes? (why were the Kents already there?) the time gabrielle turned up and shot him on a country road to the time he was in a hospital bed was about 10 Minutes. (give or take a minute)

5. No CCTV in the hospital (probably not the rooms to be fair) but what about Belle Reeve? Lex: "24 hour surveilance, notify me immediately to any change in his condition" from Mortal,

6. How did Lionel and Clark get back from the FOS? he had to superspeed it all last time, he cant run from the pole back to smallville in 8 seconds. What's with the new clothes?

7. How does he do the 300ft superjump? was that something new we were meant to know about? (like the backflip?)

8. The medfile Lana had/stole? does losing his powers give clark human blood?"the results came back normal" they got the file on how he DIED? and no-one is questioning how he turned up in different ripped up clothes?

There was a few other inconsistencies as well, but that would just be nitpicking!

I think it could have been a Great episode but because of the numerous unanswered questions and plot holes, it just seemed sub par! maybe you guys could clear a few up for me, in case i missed something, don't get me wrong. I love smallville! but this sucked..

I agree the episode was a good one, but is not Amazing, spectacular or others adjetives that they are using, like you said it had alot of little things that when you look at them it does not make sence and it bothers. Since when Lex is so sure of Clark abilities? He acted like he knew. The biggest drawback was Gabriel, he was a bad villain, his reasons did not maked sence and was stupid, however I think he has been mentione before.

ryb

10-15-2005, 10:37 AM

If there was any episode that I felt like jumping up and down afterward from any TV show this season, so far "Hidden" would be the hands-down winner.

"Hidden" had it all. A comedically entertaining first 15 minutes. The tension-filled air in the Kent home after Clark and Lana were "caught" was uproarious. Old-fashioned Jonathan coupled with naive/surprised Martha made a great parent pair (Reminds me of my parents, in many ways -- not saying I was ever caught in a similar situation). So Lana leaves; enter Chloe with the brilliant "why me moment" zinger. Chloe definitely gets the best lines on this show, and Allison Mack uses them with gusto.

But then, much like in "Mortal", the drama develops. I thought the scene where Clark is shot was exceptional. Gabriel does it abruptly and impetuously (i.e., realistically). The scene was quick and devastating. Good stuff. The only melodrama in the scene was the final shot of Clark lying on the road, though I don't think the episode was hampered because of that.

And then we approach the best part of the episode. The parallel Clark/Lionel scenes, which were so well done I almost clapped. The flashes in Lionel's eyes were crazy/spooky, and the look on his face was equally haunting. This was a sequence of great power; this was classic television. Actually, as many scenes in "Arrival" had this same tone, I thought this sequence was movie-like. The operatic tone reminds me of the classic sci-fi/fantasy films of the 70s and 80s.

Lionel-as-Jor-El was so terrifically done by John Glover. His voice was unmistakably similar to Terrence Stamp's tone. And his appearance and mannerisms reminded me of a middle-aged Brando (Not bad, considering his role in the Superman movies). This scene was also exceptional.

Clark's return to Smallville followed by the superjump was exciting. I actually stood up when I saw the air swirl in around Clark because I knew what was about to happen. What a terrific effect the visual effects producers have made here, undoubtedly reminiscent of The Matrix.

The final Clark/Chloe and Lana/Lex scenes were also well done. I especially liked Tom Welling's performance here as he effectively showed a changed demeanor with the newly-empowered-Clark. You could almost see 20 pound weights on his shoulders. Rosenbaum's undertoned performance in his scene with Lana was also riveting. While in many episodes, his rapid-fire attitude is what leads to the sense of dread surrounding his character, this episode featured a much more difficult and somewhat more effective portrayal: subtle anger and vindictiveness. Someone "who rises from the dead is not normal."

I am constantly amazed by an audience's nitpickiness of any morsel of any TV episode of any TV series, but some of the comments I've seen on this thread have taken the cake. Why is Jonathan Kent mad at Clark and Lana at the beginning of the episode? Because they went to town under his roof! I don't think many parents would be thrilled by that discovery (I know mine wouldn't have been).

Why did people not notice Gabriel's freakiness before this episode? What freakiness?! He wasn't a freak at all! And the complaints that his motives were stupid and ill-conceived are "strange", to say the least. Gabriel's father, if we recall, turned into a "freak" due to the meteor rocks and asked his son to kill him. I don't know if I would go as mental as Gabriel, but it would sure psychologically damage me in many ways.

My "favorite" complaint has been about the clothes. I was glad to see that someone finally noticed that Clark was wearing different clothes too, as if all the blame should have originally been on Jor-El. Are you guys really kidding me? We're complaining about clothes? As if it would take Jor-El that long to find and put on a new pair clothes and do the same for Clark.

And I have a theory surrounding the clothes, although I'm not sure if it's true. Clark's attire was the same in the FOS scene of "Hidden" as it was in "Commencement" and "Arrival". I wonder if Lionel's attire was the same as in those two episodes as well. I'm not sure if it was...I may be totally wrong...but it's just a theory. I do think it is strange to note that Clark's attire was the same, though.

And what about the superjump? Well, two theories. Clark was given the power when Jor-El returned them, or he was so intent on stopping the missile that he could do just about anything at the time (A human's powers dramatically increase in times of increased adrenaline; why can't an alien's?).

The complaint about Lana's obtainment of Clark's medical forms is a little more legitimate although hardly eye-popping. Maybe the parents obtained it and gave it to Lana? Maybe Lana went all spy-like on the hospital? Or maybe the doctors gave the forms to Lana when he was dead/missing. Who knows? But I'm not going to spend time trying to figure this out. It was a plot device used for an interesting scene between Lex and Lana.

Here are some complaints about the episode that I think are reasonable:

1) 15 missile silos around Smallville, KS? One, two, or three maybe. But 15?
2) Episode was clearly rushed and at times felt choppy, especially in the second 15 minutes. I think this episode, like "Arrival", could have used another half hour. A two-parter, as someone suggested, would probably have been too much, given the fairly simple plotline. Things that could have used some extended action: Clark's conversation with his parents at the end of the episode; a conversation (albeit short) between Clark and Lana at the end of the episode; a little more dabbling between Lex and Lionel (I wonder what will come of this relationship now); more Clark/Chloe interaction in the first part of the show; maybe a flashback between Gabriel and his father.

And now that I've written a pamphlet on "Hidden", here is my final tally on the episdoes so far this season:

Arrival -- A
Mortal -- A
Hidden -- A

Hidden is my favorite so far from this season.

Sydafex7

10-15-2005, 11:46 AM

Originally posted by AugenStern
The ep was ok, apart from the plot being horribly forced and contrived. It was like they looked back through bad 70's comic book plot ideas and picked out the most cliched examples they could find.

1. Sloppily dressed and obviously deranged villain easily takes over a critical, high-security military installation. Check.

2. Whenever teenagers have sex, they must get caught and shamed by their parents, be killed, commit suicide, or somehow become scarred for life because sex is bad, even when you're an adult and married. Check.

3. The authorities must be completely and totally incompetent. Check.

4. Dramatically kill the main hero, then shock the audience by bringing him back to life five minutes later....aka the "Wow, even my dead goldfish could see that coming" plot. Check.

5. People who witness traumatizing acts of violence must never express more than a few seconds of emotion, because violence is good. "Golly, Superman, you popped that jaywalker's head like a melon! Can I have your autograph?" Check.

6. When all else fails, launch someone into space on a missile. Check.

7. If the hero does something unusual like dying and showing up again later wearing half-destroyed clothing while appearing totally unhurt, his love interest will immediately assume there is perfectly normal reason for it and won't ask any questions because she doesn't want to appear stupid. Check.

I don’t expect TV to be groundbreaking, but damn, I’ve read better fanfic stories than this.

Then there’s the fatal mistake of not allowing Clark to make the decision between staying normal and getting his powers back. I can buy the idea that Jor-El is putting Clark through a gauntlet of tests and trials to ready him for his destiny, but it’s starting to sound more like he’s laying guilt trips than actually molding him.

CLARK: Wasn’t I dead?

JOR-EL: Ha ha! No such luck, kid. You screwed up and now somebody else is gonna die, not from any direct consequence of your actions, but basically just because I say so. I think I’ll kill off Jonathan so you’ll pretty much have to call me your father. I’ll probably make Chloe go insane by the end of the season too. I’m just a d*ck like that. But remember that I love you, because that’s what all abusive parents say to their kids in order to manipulate them. Isn’t life great?

CLARK: …

No wonder the poor guy was so bummed at the end of the episode. He's basically a puppet and can't win no matter what he does. If I was Clark, I'd feel like sticking my head in a bucket of Kryptonite too.

Jor-el warned him he had to get the crystals together... Clark ignored him until the Finalie. He also PROMISED he'd be back sundown. HE broke that promise also. HE couldve had the talk with Chloe later. JUst dropped her off. He couldve trusted that his parents were fine and tried to stop the 2 ALIENS bent on taking over the world! Clark feels guilty because he realizes that Jor-el needed him to do something and he failed, and now there's a consequence. JOnathan has told clark before (banck when he blew up his ship) that actions have consequences.

I didnt realize going into Space on a rocket was a cliche... Ive never seen that happen before on any other show in my life..

There are that many Missile silos left around the midwest also. A lot of them are inactive but there are some that are still capable of working.

ShakyJake

10-15-2005, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by temleh_krad
Incidentally, he also blames himself for the someone will die situation. Justifiably, but not for the reason he seems to think. His mistake was NOT to disobey Jor-El; it was to promise to return and continue his training and then break that promise. A man's word is his bond (even if he isn't technically man), and by breaking his word Clark deserves punishment. He should recognize by now that actions have consequences and his actions have bigger consequences than anyone else on Earth.

See, this is stupid. It's not like Clark said "F Jor-El, I ain't going back." Wasn't he a bit busy saving Smallville? I mean, what? Are Jor-El home-made movies THAT freakin important that people should die so Clark can watch them?

That is what bugs me about the whole disobeying Jor-El thing. I'm sorry, but Jor-El is an *******. Everything he's asked for has been unreasonable. If my father was that psycho you're damn right I'd disobey him.

And what about the comment about Kal-El being sent to Earth to "rule" back in what? Season 3? What's up with that? It's been conveniently forgotten about it seems. Again, Jor-El is an ******* and quite possibly evil.

Bottom line: this series has WAY too many plot holes. About the only reason I watch it is for the occasional cool special effect.

Sydafex7

10-15-2005, 12:21 PM

Originally posted by ShakyJake
See, this is stupid. It's not like Clark said "F Jor-El, I ain't going back." Wasn't he a bit busy saving Smallville? I mean, what? Are Jor-El home-made movies THAT freakin important that people should die so Clark can watch them?

That is what bugs me about the whole disobeying Jor-El thing. I'm sorry, but Jor-El is an *******. Everything he's asked for has been unreasonable. If my father was that psycho you're damn right I'd disobey him.

And what about the comment about Kal-El being sent to Earth to "rule" back in what? Season 3? What's up with that? It's been conveniently forgotten about it seems. Again, Jor-El is an ******* and quite possibly evil.

Bottom line: this series has WAY too many plot holes. About the only reason I watch it is for the occasional cool special effect.

Clark took his time in Smallville. He knew he had to be back and he knew by what time. He dicked around in the hospital with Chloe when he shouldve just dropped her off.
Back at the house he shouldve just blown off Lex, gone to the hospital and checked up on his parents (where else would they be?) and then he shouldve hunted down the Aliens. Clark has never had a problem finding people on this show so finding 2 aliens shouldnt be a problem either

Now, with all that being said. NONE of this would have even happened if WAAAAAY back when he wouldve SPENT his time finding these stones and not playing friggin football and saving friggin dogs, and changing friggin diapers and whatever else. Jor-el TOLD HIM CLEAR AS DAY that humans couldnt get those stones and guess what Clark's dumb ass self says "THose stones arent meant for me!!" He did actaully say this also when he went to see Jor-el in "Sacred" What is that?? One of them hs the EXACT SAME symbol on it as the one that Jor-el scrarred in his chest in season 2!! What an idiot! Clark knew what he had to do, and he clearly ignored him. This was the whole point of season 4, to see Clark running from his destiny, not wanting to belive it. Somewhat of a step back for him, but thats the point. Sometimes you gotta go backwards to go forwards. If it takes Clark losing a loved one to get it through his head then that's what it takes. THis will cause him to finally realize he cant run from his destiny. Eveytime he has it has come back to bite him in the ass. I mean, Jor-el tells him he has to leave for Metropolis and what odes Clark do? HE blows up the ship!! THIS is why its right to show him feeling regret. And its about damn time.

warriorrenegade

10-15-2005, 12:33 PM

Also Clark maybe getting it now when talking to Chloe in the loft. "Why didn't I just listen to him" I say its about time Clark finally gets it... If you don't listen bad things happen.

thehenry89

10-15-2005, 02:55 PM

i liked hidden but the clana afterglow (becomes violently ill) in the future tptb should keep the clana sack time to a minumum

Summers

10-15-2005, 03:55 PM

I found this episode quite choppy, and lame. I thought JG/FoS, and the missile the only shining moment in this episode. Thus far I haven't clearly enjoyed any of the episodes of S5. Too many rehashes. Feels like we are at square 1. Making Lana and Clark looking liking two total idiots. IMO They are doing a terrible job at Clark's charaterization and story arc this season.

I'm not feeling this season at all.

1steve

10-15-2005, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by superhippie2000
ya i thought this was a great episode. i like the whole jor el inside lionel thing and the superjump clark did when he blew up the missle. could this be an explosion that could have blown up the phantom zone with nam ek and ayther. i also wished they took a different angle of the jumop rather then a sky view. johnathan and martha were cool when they were mad at clark for having sex. finally parents that get mad when there kid has sex.

I can only agree with you part way here. It's cool to think the Kents are being responsible parents for being angry that Clark had sex. However I'm not so sure they were. What I'm getting at is, were they really mad that Clark had sex or were they mad because he did it in under their roof? I think there would be a difference in reaction in any family between inadvertently finding out your Son had sex on the beach or in his car, VS walking down the stairs with his girlfriend who to your shock spent the night in your Son's bed while you were home! As for the super jump, I'm still wondering whether he jumped or flew. Sure looked like a jump to me, but in some versions of superman a jump was how flight was initiated. Add to that the fact that we see him hearl the nuclear warhead into space. True the rocket propelled him into the atmosphere, but he was obviously higher up at the time than even an airplane would be. So if he meerly jumped that initial bound to latch on to the rocket, how did he get back to earth without flight? I find it ludacris to imagine he just fell back down.

whitegold

10-15-2005, 05:09 PM

I've read a lot of positive comments about this episode - and I'm surprised.

It just seemed so cliched to me on every level.

I couldn't feel any real tension or suspense or mystery in the episode. I couldn't feel any romantic element. I found the plot unsatisfying.

I felt the episode was geared towards a 16 yr old mentality - which may or may not appeal to teens.

A reliance on cliche, or a cool special effect is no substitute for good writing, or a genuine tense/mystery atmosphere, or a romantic 'electricity', or a mind 'expanding' plot, or clever character interaction.

It just seemed so pedestrian to me.

This feeling has been compounded because I've just watched some episodes of a childrens sci fi series from the 70s. It was aimed at 8 yr olds to young teens so is somewhat corny in places but the tense/mystery atmosphere, the deep plot lines, the character interaction and even romantic electricity was superb. After watching these episodes I definitely feel Smallville often lacks quality writing at times.

ma200

10-15-2005, 07:39 PM

I've been pretty much saying WTF so many times during this episode. The only parts I like is the FOS scene and Chloe opening up a can of whoop#$%!!!

Now hopefully, Chloe will one day get tired of Clark's "super whining" and smack him at the back of the head. Or maybe Lois can do that for her. heh heh heh

spideyfan

10-15-2005, 10:06 PM

GREAT ep!

Better than opener even though I thought that wouldnt happen until the finale!
Top 5 all time, top this season, a definite 10/10

Highlights:

JK: "The Hospital LOST our son!"

CK Superjump!

Ck in space CG, he shouldnt have been able to breathe in a vacuum (i know he can hold his breather for 3 hrs but i want SV to make some sort of mention about that)

Chloe being a TRUE friend

Clark hopefully getting over the being normal thing.

Mr. Glovers acting was superb!

Lex is a baddie.

Great continuity. New plot. Great emotion.

dhacker615

10-15-2005, 11:06 PM

... I wouldn't go so far as to call it the best ever. It is more accurate to say that it was the final episode of the best arc ever. The writers have tightened up the continuity a lot. Now, S4 was truly bad, but "Smallville" has never been great from that stand-point. The problem with continuity is that it demands more skill at pacing. "Hidden" was a little over-plotted and "Mortal" had a lot of FOTW stuff. In fact, I think they made a mistake by setting-up three antagonsists in four episodes that had a lot of other stuff going on. Anyway, I'd rate it a 9/10.

The Good:
- The missile sequence was amazing.
- The opening Clana scene. The Kent family dynamic was just perfect. Bo Kent was a bit too harsh, but it was in character.
- John Glover in the Jor-El scene. He "did" Brando just enough to sell it.

The Bad:
- The dialouge in the Fortress of Solitude. I know they needed to be vague, but it verged on incoherent. The depiction of Jor-El changes from one episode to the next for no apparent reason.
- The antagonist having a crush on Chloe and informing her of the secret plot, then draging her into silo after she double crossed him. Huge, huge plot problem.

The Weird:
- Clark looked goofy when he came back semi-burnt. It under-cut his big scene.
- Clark saying "I'm no longer human" and his parents have no genric "you're human in your heart" type come back. It is a small thing, but still ...

Originally posted by F-Stop Blues
Oh I understand now thanx. On a side note I cant believe they havent released Donners cut of the sequel. But thats a discussion for another time.

Superman II is one of those movies that you watch and it is pretty clear that it was vastly superior as an assembly. The footage Donner shot was vastly better than the stuff Lester shot. I'm not sure what happened to the footage from the original Donner cut, nor if Donner could assmeble a coherent cut from the existing footage from his version. I'd love to see it though.

RunNakeDnECU

10-15-2005, 11:13 PM

Loved it, my roommate said he thinks its the best ep yet out of all of them

dhacker615

10-16-2005, 12:03 AM

Originally posted by Zyyb
Before you rant at me at how awesome it was, just read my points and know that i still thought the effects and most of the acting was good.

1. Gabrielle, he ever metnioned before? Always helping Chloe on the big story? noone ever notice he was a complete freak?

The whole close friend that we have never seen before is annoying. During the first couple seasons, it is fine. We are in Season 5. If Chloe had a key friend at The Torch, then we should have seen him by now.

2. Hi there, i'm an inept guard. Please break into my base, whats that? you want to turn the missile on and you've already shot my friend, ah hell why not then? whats that? oh look you've shot me. collapse.

Gabriel was the son of the guy in charge of the installation, so maybe they would be a little lax with him. Or, maybe his Dad gave him keys and he took them by surprise. It is a stretch, but pretty normal by TV standards.

3. I'm basing that seeings as Chloe hasn't moved and the Kent folks haven't figured out Clark is doing Lana that it can't be more then a week after the last episode? Even if it was a month, it doesn't explain how the house looked exactly as it used to, pictures, flowers, cooking stuff even the dust! The woman can't have that many pictures.

I would say it was 2-3 months later. The house is re-built. Chloe is headed for college. I think we just jumped from June to late August.

4. the whole timing was out, Clark got dressed, they got to Gabrielles house snooped around everywhere within 10 minutes?
Who found clark and got him to the hospital in TEN minutes? (why were the Kents already there?) the time gabrielle turned up and shot him on a country road to the time he was in a hospital bed was about 10 Minutes. (give or take a minute)

The one hour time frame was too tight for the action. Clark getting shot, being transported to the hospital and bleeding to death probably would have taken almost an hour by itself.

5. No CCTV in the hospital (probably not the rooms to be fair) but what about Belle Reeve? Lex: "24 hour surveilance, notify me immediately to any change in his condition" from Mortal,

Maybe that will come up in later episodes.

6. How did Lionel and Clark get back from the FOS? he had to superspeed it all last time, he cant run from the pole back to smallville in 8 seconds. What's with the new clothes?

a. Lionel said he went through the portal.
b. Maybe the FOS scene was a dream, or a vision, or something

7. How does he do the 300ft superjump? was that something new we were meant to know about? (like the backflip?)

I don't think it was a jump. It seemed more like a short flight. Kal-El could fly, so maybe Clark can fly now. It would make sense that cannot fully control it.

8. The medfile Lana had/stole? does losing his powers give clark human blood?"the results came back normal" they got the file on how he DIED? and no-one is questioning how he turned up in different ripped up clothes?

They just showed Lana kissing Clark. No dialouge. May be she did ask. I agree they should have shown it, but still.

smallvillerox05

10-16-2005, 01:38 AM

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Definately in the top five episodes of this season! :D

I give it 8.938380925720 out of 5pi/2 stars

AugenStern

10-16-2005, 03:40 AM

Originally posted by Sydafex7
Jor-el warned him he had to get the crystals together... Clark ignored him until the Finalie. He also PROMISED he'd be back sundown. HE broke that promise also. HE couldve had the talk with Chloe later. JUst dropped her off. He couldve trusted that his parents were fine and tried to stop the 2 ALIENS bent on taking over the world! Clark feels guilty because he realizes that Jor-el needed him to do something and he failed, and now there's a consequence. JOnathan has told clark before (banck when he blew up his ship) that actions have consequences.

I didnt realize going into Space on a rocket was a cliche... Ive never seen that happen before on any other show in my life..

There are that many Missile silos left around the midwest also. A lot of them are inactive but there are some that are still capable of working.

When I broke rules as a teenager, my dad didn't punish me by threatening to kill one of my friends. That isn't a consequence, that's intimidation. If while I was out late I got drunk and paralyzed myself in a wreck, that would be a consequence.

Jor-El comes off as a petty bastard, plain and simple. All he gives are warnings and ultimatums, and he's been directly or indirectly responsible for murdering people in the past. His spiel is really no different than the two Zod groupies, so Clark should listen to him...why? He sets arbitrary rules with no explanation and expects them to be obeyed blindly, tending to kill people when his directions aren't followed. Hitler anyone? Stalin? Saddam?

The rocket thing is a comic book gag. Tie the hero to a missile and launch them into space for laughs, or the hero throws a bomb into space, ect. It was also something that seemed to happen in every single Superman movie at least once, sometimes more.

dhacker615

10-16-2005, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by Space_Ninja_3000

1. Seeing Clark's parents react differently to Clark/Lana. There hasn't been anything like that since the Martha working for Lionel story in season two. Although it was minor, they should come up with a similar big issue for them to disagree on.

An excellent point. Johnathan and Martha Kent are two different people. One of my favorite aspects of "Smallville" is how they have shown JK as a huge influence on Superman (not just Clark). Annette O'Toole has played Martha as a person who often has her own take on things, but tends to defer to her very proud husband. It makes for a stronger family dynamic.

However, we are entering new terrain. Their 18-year-old son is jumping on to missles. Aliens are coming to Earth looking for him. Neither JK, nor MK, have any frame of reference. JK is tending to say, "I trust your judgement" to Clark in these big moments while continuing to over-parent in the stuff he understands (like the Clana scene).

It makes sense in the Father-Son dynamic they have built, but it seems like MK would step forward a bit. It is becoming clearer that her son is going to have a massive effect upon human history. Wouldn't she being saying something? Even just from an emotional support perspective, like "Clark, you need to find other people like you to talk to, since Chloe and Lana have no perspective on what you are experiencing".

2. Better dialogue: there were some better moments here than what has passed as dialogue lately. The dialogue back in season 2 & 3 was light years from what happened last season. Hopefully the writers will simply raise the vocabulary/expressions of the characters in general. I remember Lex and Lionel having very cerebral verbal exchanges--they were great, I hope they bring them back.

Every season has had bad episodes, but S4 the lows were so much lower that it colors my memory of the better episodes. "Run" and "Jinx" were good examples of what Smallville does well (i.e. finding a fresh spin on old DC comics concepts). The problem was that there was no clear line from "Crusade" to "Commencement". If you watched those two episodes back-to-back, then you would have thought S4 was amazing. However, none of the characters had consistent arcs.

So far, S5 has been a vast improvement, but much narrower in its focus. We'll see if the writers can sutain this while giving Lex, Lois, etc. stuff to do. The fact that they still have not 'fixed' the character of Jor-El in three episodes that featured a lot of him does not give me a ton of hope.

3. Clark/Jor-El interaction: very interesting, but getting a bit old and weird. Jor-El is dead. Dead is dead. These weird possessions and such should stop. Clark should learn everything from his Fortress. There should be recordings by Jor-El on certain matters but no more communicating beyond the grave.

I am a fan of the idea of Jor-El's Ghost. The idea of making the Fortress of Solitude literally haunted by Superman's birth father was one of the great concepts introduced by the Donner Superman films. It is both creepy and sad. The 'Smallville' writers were much smarter than the comic folks in seizing the concept and using it.

However, they did not seem to put a ton of thought into who Jor-El was and why his ghost is haunting his son. Worse, the have not bothered to provide even the most superfical sci-fi explanation how this high tech haunting works. In the movie, it was the green crystal that built the Fortress. In 'Smallville', Jor-El is all over the place (the ship, the cave, the Fortress, etc.). He is pure evil one episode, then semi-loving the next. He keeps rambling about Clark's destiny, but I have no idea what he thinks that is. He disappears for months, then needs Clark by sun-down.

Since he is DEAD, Jor-El is the one character who cannot change. If the writers have some brilliant explanation for all of this, then it is getting to the point where they should roll it out.

4. Clark leaping to the missile: hopefully he will start practicing to fly out at the fortress. His need to fly around the city would help explain why he needs a costume to hide his identity. Flying is an important component to becoming Supes b/c it helps explain why he must create a costume/super identity. Of course, if he can fly at super speed so as not to be seen--as when he runs--then this becomes a moot point.

'Smallville' has never misfired on a big screen moment. Tom Welling has become great at selling these scenes. They always strike the right balance between truly spectacular displays of power, but not making it seem too easy. It seems simple, but again the comics have missed this balance for almost two generations now.

What annoyed me:
1. Clark's guilt: as previous posters have observed, the loved one's life for your life exchange didn't make sense. If anything Clark should be feeling anger and resentment towards Jor-El not guilt.

Like I said above, the Jor-El stuff has been wildly inconsistent. Sure, in retrospect Clark should have listened to Jor-El, but why would he? Jor-El has never, ever given Clark a single reason to trust him. Clark didn't honor his word to someone who has always been only cruel and manipulative to him and his family. As a result, there were bad consequences he could not possibly have forseen. Moreover, Jor-El has claimed to want to conquer Earth and has murdered one person (the briefly seen semi-Supergirl) as a result.

Not sure how not obeying him is an error in judgement, so what is Clark possibly going to learn from this?

2. How is it that Jor-El is doing all this stuff from beyond the grave? That is annoying. Enough with this arbitrary plot devicer. Or, at least let's set some ground rules on what's possible and what isn't.

The show badly, badly needs Jor-El rules. I would be willing to swallow anything at this point as long as it explains what we have seen so far and is consistent in the future. Maybe Jor-El implanted a Kryptonian device in Lionel in the 1950s, so that he can watch Kal-El on Earth. In that case, Lionel and Jor-El have struggling for control of the same consciousness, so Jor-El has been scrambled. I know ... it is absurd, but it is better than the pure randomness we have been watching.

3. Chloe shows up right after Lana and then asks what she was doing there at 6:30am...what are YOU doing there?! They could've fixed this by having a Lex/Missile Silo scene in between to make it like 9am or so when she showed. All she needed to know was they were in a relationship--there was no reason for her to know this specific detail.

Chloe is handling the whole Clana thing a bit too well. Two years ago, she betrayed Clark to Lionel over some secret picnic. Now, they are a full-fledged, regular-sex-partner couple and she is just fine with it? I'm not buying it.

Look, I am all for the characters growing as a result of their actions and moving forward, but this was too far. There is no way Chloe is not just a little bit jealous, even if she is over the Clark crush. It wouldn't take much, just a joke or a remark. Not sure when it happened, but the writers seemed to have air-brushed out all of Chloe's quirks and flaws sometime after S3. It makes her much, much less interesting as a character.

Chloe is the big area in which Pete is sorely missed. If they were a couple (or trending that way), then I could buy Chloe's attitude a little easier. As it is, Clark is by far the most important person in her life and he just went off the board as a love interest. Reacting maturely is growth, not reacting at all is weak writing.

4. Missile freak: missiles in Smallville? It's not clear to me that the missiles had to have been launched from Smallville. All in all it was way far fetched. If he helped kill his father why didn't he bury him? Why didn't they do something less bloody and more humane? Why did he need help in the first place? People commit suicide all the time. Not very logical. Plus the idea of a lone actor obsessed with wiping out meteor freaks has been used far too many times now.

The rule on 'Smallville' appears to be that every menace needs to be defeated by the end of every episode. That formula is wearing a bit thin. It requires a lot of back-story for every antagonist, which burns up a ton of screen time. In episodes like "Mortal", the B and C stories are critical. However, they are fighting for screen time with exposition for throw-away characters. As a result, either you get an under-motivated antagonist, poor continuity on the main arcs, or (like so many S4 episodes) both.

They spent a lot of time setting up Namek and Aether, then dispossed of them in about 10 minutes. Why not have Clark bring some "super powers away" device from the FOS, use it against Jor-El's wishes, have it cost everyone their powers. That way, Lex could break them out in "Mortal" (with or without the Wonder Twins). They have a reason to go to the Kent Farm, which makes for a better McGuffin anyway. Or they could have introduced Gabriel in the first two episodes. It wouldn't take much.

tonyrino8

10-16-2005, 12:18 PM

Loved this episode to bits man!!!

The 1st three episodes have totally restored my faith in the show.
How can it get any better now I ask myself??

1st episode was just UNBELIEVABLE....2nd was really descent, although don't think fantastic (as some people think), & just when I thought, 'this seasons started pretty well' I get blown away by 'Hidden!!'

Plots I'm hoping for next.......

1: He learns to fly PROPERLY, not Kal-El version (although maybe not for a while yet)
2: Gets super-breath of some kind.
3: Clark tells Lana (even though I can't stand her)
4: Lots & lots of FOS moments.
5: Brainiac fights.............(or at least the 1st one in the season finale - if another season in the pipeline)
6: Lex vs Clark moments

Fantastic TPTB, Pleeeeeaaaase keep it up!!

thehenry89

10-16-2005, 12:25 PM

i loved it my favorite part had to be when clark got shot great actin by am and tw. even my mom who hated smallville until she watched all my seasons on dvd loved that episode.

Liriel

10-16-2005, 12:38 PM

Originally posted by dhacker615

It makes sense in the Father-Son dynamic they have built, but it seems like MK would step forward a bit. It is becoming clearer that her son is going to have a massive effect upon human history. Wouldn't she being saying something? Even just from an emotional support perspective, like "Clark, you need to find other people like you to talk to, since Chloe and Lana have no perspective on what you are experiencing".

But who does have a perspective? Just as Chloe & Lana don't undestand the alien part of Clark's life, Jor-El doesn't understand the human part (and has certainly done little to endear himself to Martha Kent). Even meteor freaks don't udnerstand, because they don't have a "destiny" being thrust upon them. Not to mention that finding someone means that Clark has to trust someone with his secret, which highly dnagerous.

dhacker615

10-16-2005, 12:55 PM

Originally posted by Liriel
But who does have a perspective? Just as Chloe & Lana don't undestand the alien part of Clark's life, Jor-El doesn't understand the human part (and has certainly done little to endear himself to Martha Kent). Even meteor freaks don't udnerstand, because they don't have a "destiny" being thrust upon them. Not to mention that finding someone means that Clark has to trust someone with his secret, which highly dnagerous.

What about Bart Allen? What about Aquaman (who they are introducing next week)? They have never played JK as a big picture guy, but MK has been shown that way. JK believes that his duty is to instill values in Clark, which he has done. MK believes the same thing, but she seems to understand the context a bit more. They have to be thinking about stuff that is debated on these boards (i.e. what is Clark's destiny? Is he maturing, or not?) all the time. Why not show some minor disagreements between them? It does not have to be JK as pro-secret and MK as pro-fellowship, but something.

Liriel

10-16-2005, 01:53 PM

What about Bart Allen? What about Aquaman

They don't cut it for me. They are just like meteor freaks (depending on how Aquaman is done). People with special abilities. Not ghostie daddies telling them to conquer and rule the world.

Besides which, they are only one-shot characters and I don'tt hink something like that could be adequately convered in one ep. And Clark still would have to deal with whether or not these people could be trusted with his secret, and whether or not he trusted them enough (in a totally different fashion) to open up to them and talk to them about emotions.

ryb

10-16-2005, 02:00 PM

Some comments on some of the latest things mentioned in this thread:

1) Is Chloe handling the Clark/Lana relationship well? Indeed. Is she handling it too well? I don't think so, certainly not unrealistically so. I would think after 4 years, somebody as smart as Chloe would begin to realize Clark's feelings for her versus his feelings for Lana. I still think her character is being presented as a tad jealous, maybe even a tad resentful, but I think she's brushed these feelings off to the side and is grateful for the relationship she does have with Clark. The fact that she does not really "talk" to Clark about Lana tells me there are still issues there, but she's going to college now. It's time she "moves on" from her high school feelings.

And come on, Chloe stumbling into the Clark/Lana/Kents scene was just golden. She had a classic moment with her "why me moment" zinger.

2) A Smallville episode formula has always consisted of a one-episode threat (except for the two-parters) with storyline arc undertones. The producers have talked about this countless times. This is to prevent an X-Files- or 24-like mythology so fans can miss an episode or two and not get lost in the storyline. I'm a big fan of this formula since (first off) I've seen about 50% of the episodes so far and (secondly) it is quite easy to understand the plotlines so I can focus on the details of each episode.

Undoubtedly, some of the "one episode threats" have been underused or have been "shortsighted". Best example I can think of is watching Redux (where 4 storylines were battling each other -- too much for 42 minutes). Having said this, even though Gabriel's introduction in Smallville was rather abrupt, his motives were clear, and I thought the storyline surrounding him was well executed. The details are somewhat sketchy, however (I have issues with the number of missile silos surrounding Smallville and the very short "hour" countdown the episode had -- not very realistic given the number of things going on in the episode).

To summarize, Smallville's formula is very new-user-friendly while still entertaining to long-time fans. But it is vulnerable to some inconsistencies or rather choppy/abrupt progressions. Each episode presentation (of any TV show) has a column of benefits and a column of drawbacks. Part of the beauty of watching television.

One thing I personally like about the Smallville episode formula is that it allows the storyline arcs to progress slowly, which adds a small but very important amount of suspense that makes the resolutions seem more dramatic and profound. I'm a big fan of subtle dramatic impact, and Smallville's writers are underrated for this aspect of their storytelling.

3) The character of Jor-El is one of the more controversial issues of Smallville, and I too have my qualms with his characterization. But, in many ways, I really enjoy the mystery surrounding Kal-El's father.

In many ways, he reminds me of the "unseen" villain or the "silent hero" of old Westerns. The glimpses we get of him are ominous, mysterious, suspicious, at times downright sinister. Jor-El's motives are not well known, and I like this. Why? Because it makes each "appearance" a bit more dramatic. And it leads to debates such as the ones raging in this forum this week.

What I've gathered about Jor-El is that he realizes that his son's motives are good, but he wants to have his son think globally rather than locally. He wants his son to realize that his personal desires need to be eliminated because he has been given the gifts of many powers that can be used to save many, many people. But, Jor-El will go to extreme lengths to teach these things to his son, such as the events surrounding the Season 3 finale/Season 4 premiere. Jor-El, I think, has good intentions but at times immoral or underhanded persuasive techniques. Perhaps this is out of desperation, jealousy (toward the Kents or the lack of a relationship with his son), or even greed for power.

I've always compared Jor-El in Smallville to the "secret sources" in the X-Files (like Deep Throat or X). Although their motives are mostly good, they are also often unclear. And their tactics are at times borderline malicious.

I think the writers of Smallville have gone out of their way to make Jor-El an unclear character, and I applaud the idea...but the execution could use a little more work. While The X-Files had a clearly "mysterious" character in Deep Throat, Jor-El's character seems a bit more inconsistent than necessary. But I also think his motives will become clearer as the series goes along. In other words, give the Jor-El issue some time.

4) I think the parental Kents get too little screen time for the "minor conflicts" desired by some of you. I, for one, think they deserve more screentime, and based on some comments from Gough/Millar, I think we can expect this in future episodes. I'm not sure if conflicts are necessary (especially if they are "forced"), but more interactions/discussions between themselves and Clark would not disappoint me.

5) Somewhat combining the thoughts in (3) and (4), I really liked the idea that Jor-El understands the "alien" side of Clark while the parents understand the "human" side of Clark. I think together they may prove to be the best parenting team imaginable, and I think the show will progress to this point. Furthermore, I think this adds to the unclear motives of Jor-El. Perhaps it also involves a lack of understanding of his son. As for Martha and Jonathan, I think this same theory applies, but maybe to a less sinister extent. Also, even though they may seem hopeful for a more normal life for Clark, I think their understanding of his destiny is fairly clear (especially with Martha). It will be interesting to see how this aspect of the show continues to develop in future episodes.

I have more comments, but this post is getting long, so I'll stop for now.

JESSE MORRISON

10-16-2005, 02:05 PM

I thought Hidden was good at first I thought it was going to be another kill meteoroid freaks and someone wanted to destroy Smallvile. But it ended good and Clark getting his powers I think Clark is going to Lana about him soon. I hope that the episodes with Brainaic are good and that he confront Clark soon. Also I hope there'll be some more episodes with Kryptonite and that there is ne type of Kryptonite.:D :eek:

Shadow09

10-16-2005, 06:35 PM

Excellent episode... I love the way the show is moving now.. with Clark now regretting the fact he lost his powers now he fears for someone dying... the show keeps getting better every ep

DarkClone

10-16-2005, 07:09 PM

I thought it was a good episode. Good explanation, story resolution, special effects, acting, drama, action, romance, humor . . . it had it all!

President_Luthor

10-16-2005, 07:15 PM

Hidden was a pretty interesting episode. I'd label this one a 'mythology/story advancing' episode. The action-adventure was merely a sideshow to 'Clark's destiny'.

The missile-launch / disenchanted former Torch tech Gabriel was basically a means to an end: they needed a crisis that required something Clark lacked -- his superpowers.

Lex's scene with the spaceship gave us a glimmer of 'evil genius' Lex. His tirade about getting the ship opened up somehow, someway was priceless. He's well past giving anyone the benefit of the doubt -- without something in return. 'This' is the Lex who will rise to become Superman's greatest enemy. MR was great -- again -- but that's to be expected.

Clark gets shot! Clark dies! The veil of Smallville Medical is torn in two, etc. Speedy Lionel breaking out of Belle Reve was just too cool! Clark is resurrected, only fueling an already existing messiah-complex he's been stoking since Jor-El first anointed him as his son.

Clark now has to pay for his late appointment with Jor-El from "Arrival". Someone he loves will be exchanged for his resurrection. In a rare moment of heroic nobility, Clark offers to refuse the resurrection so that no one else must sacrifice. Lion-El has other ideas :eek: Someone he loves will die, as the price for his resurrection (and for the late appointment!).

This brings us to Lana 'I told you so' confrontation with Lex. He's normal, goshdarnit, and, well, she loves him! Lex again makes a subtle play for her affection with his remark about Clark not having the faith in her that 'he' does (*insert* MR smirk / gleam from eye). But on the case of Clark's miraculous resurrection, he is not prepared - justly - to entertain the notion that Clark was just lucky and it's no big deal that he survived a fatal gunshot. Even Lana should have paused to think about how odd it was that he came back from a fatal gunshot. No one 'normal' comes back to life, and we know Lex doesn't buy whatever crap Clark, Lana or whoever will use to explain away the humanly impossible.

Chloe's loft chat with Clark raises the issue of Clark's selfishness and continuing fear of facing the consequences of his secrets and lies. You may like Clana, you may hate Clana -- but Chloe was absolutely right about Clark's unwillingness to admit anything to Lana. She might not take the truth as well as Chloe, but if he really is the girl he loves, he does 'owe' it to her to be honest. Clark's lame justification -- 'too many sacrifices' -- just seems like he still doesn't grasp the concept of consequences. Chloe seems to be holding up well (and lookin' f-iiiiiiiiiiiiii-ne, btw :P), considering that in self-defense she had to take a life in that missile silo.

Chloe might not be holding as bright a candle for Clark as she used to, but she still took some comfort that she knew more about "all" of Clark than Lana did. I didn't take her remark to mean that he felt she knew more than anyone (remember Pete?), but the whole ep. was about sacrifices. Jor-El's cryptic remarks about exchanging someone he loves does not bode well.

Jonathan would seem to be at the top of that list (he's already cut a previous deal with Jor-El). Chloe, sadly, could be on that list too, since Clark might think that Lana is the one at risk.

Instead of regretting his resurrection and more bouts of 'poor me!', Clark could have taken this new lease on life to correct the many mistakes he's made (Pete anyone?) and 'tell the truth' to Lana, and let the chips fall where they may.

After "Hidden", it looks like someone will need to die for Clark to finally 'get it'.

Space_Ninja_3000

10-16-2005, 08:19 PM

Originally posted by ryb
One thing I personally like about the Smallville episode formula is that it allows the storyline arcs to progress slowly...

I agree. It seemed they always had 2-3 stories running underneath the one-episode plots during season 2-3. Season 4 seemed to have far fewer of these: Lionel turning good, the stones, and Chloe discovering Clark's secret. Those are about the only solid ones I could recall and of them, the Lionel story--although providing some interesting scenes--went no where, the stones were handled very poorly, and Chloe's story was rather mediocre. In contrast, in season 2 they had: Martha working for Lionel, Lex obsessed with understanding his car accident, Pete dealing with Clark's secret, Chloe falling for Clark, Lana dealing with her biological father, Clark learning more and more about his heritage, and probably some others I don't recall. Point is, they had much better stories and they were handled very very well. I would like to see them reclaim this level of writing again in season 5. So far, I'm rather disappointed b/c it seems they've been borrowing heavily from Superman II the movie: the villain kryptonians, General Zod, the Phantom Zone, and even his becoming human! But unlike Supes 2, Clark didn't decide to reclaim his Krypton powers--it happened to him. I think this was a real missed opportunity. Way too often it seems like things are "happening" to the characters and they aren't making choices that lead to situations.

3) The character of Jor-El is one of the more controversial issues of Smallville...The glimpses we get of him are ominous, mysterious, suspicious, at times downright sinister.

Actually, I find the characterizations of Jor-El to be arbitrary, inconsistent, and confusing. I think it would be easier to the writers if Jor-El was nailed down a bit more. What is he now? Is he a ghost, formless energy, the projection of an artificial intelligence, a computer program, a pre-recorded home video? And through what means is he able to act on Earth and what are the parameters of these means? Finally, but most importantly, what are his intentions? When the message indicated Kal-El was to conquer the planet, the terms conquer and conqueror could have many meanings on Krypton. One meaning would be to act as a tyrant with no interest in others. Another might be to rule as a noble philosopher king w/responsibilities to those over whom you rule. Part of the problem here, is the writers need to know in their minds what happened on krypton to lead Jor-El to send his son to Earth on this mission. One explanation might be, Krytpon was conquered and destroyed by an invading race. Jor-El was determined never to let his son experience domination and death by another race. This would allow them to write a way for Kal-El to reconcile with his heritage. The other route would be to make Jor-El and Krypton as rather tyrannical elements, but then Kal-El's character would be making a choice not to identify with his heritage. These are real basic and essential questions they need to figure out. It seemed at first the show was heading in a direction where Krypton and Jor-El were elements that Clark would eventually choose to break away from b/c they represented tyranny. Now, it seems like they are attempting to substitute this originally dark portrayal of Jor-El and Krypton with something else. That's fine, I just think they need to pin these things down. It will make writing the show easier and watching it a lot more fun if we know basically what Jor-El is, how he operates, and what he wants for his son on Earth.

4) I think the parental Kents get too little screen time for the "minor conflicts" desired by some of you...I'm not sure if conflicts are necessary (especially if they are "forced"), but more interactions/discussions between themselves and Clark would not disappoint me.

I agree; conflicts are not necessary, but certainly discussions and arguments or disagreements about certain issues would provide a lot of fodder for stories. But I would emphasize that it should be genuine and arise naturally from the writers' working and thinking about the characters and stories. In my opinion, the stories in seasons 2-3 seemed, on balance, way more natural and genuine. In contrast, most of the stories in season 4 felt very contrived and forced to me. I would prefer the writers sort of let the stories evolve naturally as opposed to forcing stories to arrive at pre-determined outcomes.

ISUZU

10-17-2005, 12:19 PM

Space Ninja

I have to agree with you over the point of Jor-El. None of it makes any sense to me:

1) He is in the caves
2) He is in one of the Stones
3) He is in the FOS
4) Now he is in Lionel

I dont understand any of this writing - its like they dont know what to do with him and how to present him. Further his character is out of line - I mean lets face it we dont know if he is good or bad in certain instances. I think the writers need to sort this out very quickly.

I did think that this episode was very good though and enjoyed it very much.

SuperVillian

10-17-2005, 02:01 PM

Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed... besides the FoS and Clark's super jump the episode didn't really keep me as interested as have been for all the episodes so far this season... Hidden is my 3rd favorite episode of season 5 so far...

dhacker615

10-17-2005, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by ryb
Some comments on some of the latest things mentioned in this thread:

1) Is Chloe handling the Clark/Lana relationship well? Indeed. Is she handling it too well? I don't think so, certainly not unrealistically so. I would think after 4 years, somebody as smart as Chloe would begin to realize Clark's feelings for her versus his feelings for Lana. I still think her character is being presented as a tad jealous, maybe even a tad resentful, but I think she's brushed these feelings off to the side and is grateful for the relationship she does have with Clark. The fact that she does not really "talk" to Clark about Lana tells me there are still issues there, but she's going to college now. It's time she "moves on" from her high school feelings.

And come on, Chloe stumbling into the Clark/Lana/Kents scene was just golden. She had a classic moment with her "why me moment" zinger.

I admit that the point on Chloe is a minor one, but I stand by my position. The freak-out over the Clana came at the end of S2, so it was two years ago. She had a lot of consequences in S3 and it very nearly destroyed her relationship with Clark. So, you would hope that she had grown. But nothing has really changed in her personal life, so you have to assume she is feeling something. It would be nice if they gave a quick nod in that direction from time-to-time. Remind us that Chloe is flawed and human. Not a big deal. But, if it is an hint that she is going to be super-Chloe full-time this season, then it is going to get old fast.

I liked her at the end of the first scene as well.

twelfthnight1

10-18-2005, 03:58 PM

I loved "Hidden". And I'd go into more detail, but it looks like I'm late to the party and everything's been addressed, *g*. It was a great eppy. This season is so on! :)

Supersonic

10-18-2005, 07:00 PM

It was alright, first episode I've seen of season 5. I still think that Rogue, Exile, Exodus, Transferance, Run, and Onyx were better.

cain

10-20-2005, 06:37 AM

I've been without the internet for a while because of some problems with our line so it's been a few days now since I saw the episode, but here's a few of the things I remember thinking.

There is no way that the people entrusted with the nuke keys would be the type of people to just give them up for fear of dying (themselves or a friend). A huge chunk of the plot was based on that one big mistake so I really can't count this episode anywhere near best ever status.

I like Kristen, but I really don't think she's all that good at doing the sad, emontional, crying scenes. Might have something to do with the fact that she seems to be a very happy cheerful person in real life.

Who's going to die? I really can't stand not knowing. First thought for me when watching that scene was that it'd be Lana. Then I thought, possibly Chloe, but almost certainly Lana. I can't really explain why I think that, it's just a gut feeling, but I still think Lana will go.

When I saw the nuke going up and Clark run underneath it I thought "this is it, he's going to fly," but it ended up being more of a very big (leap tall buildings in a single bound * 10) jump. :(

And last but not least, those Clana scenes near the beginning of the episode with Clark's parents - absolutely hilarious. :rotfl:

nexttolastsonofKrypton

10-21-2005, 03:54 PM

A great episode!

I stay away from the spoilers, so Jor-El using Lionel's body as a vessel was a great surprise. Lana had been annoying me throughout most of last season, but now they are bringing her character back to her center. I miss Lana's quiet strength. Good stuff once again all around. I'd offer more, but it looks like you've got it covered.

Sydafex7

10-22-2005, 02:04 AM

who's going to die? I really can't stand not knowing. First thought for me when watching that scene was that it'd be Lana. Then I thought, possibly Chloe, but almost certainly Lana. I can't really explain why I think that, it's just a gut feeling, but I still think Lana will go.

Honestly, you think lana will be the one to go? She's such a main character and yeah I know, this is smallville, a different telling of the mythos, but seriously, she lives in almost eery other version of the story. She dates Lex when Clark is Superman and living in Metropolis (in the cartoon, dunno about the comic world)

I think Lana annoys a lot of people, but I never understood why. It's probably because (for me anyways) that I admire Kristin Kruek as an actress so much. She's so down to earth and I always thought it rubbed off on her character. Sure, last season she got on Clark about a lot of things I dont think she should have, but come on, do you realyl think she would get the fact that Lionel was in Clark's body? I dunno, she gets a lot of slack I dont think she deserves. She was thrown right in the middle of the whole witch/ stones plot line. She definitely won't go though, she's the female lead.

cain

10-22-2005, 03:27 AM

Yeah, well after Aqua I'm not so sure. When I said that I had been thinking about Clark's little "no more secrets, no more lies" speech at the medical centre in Arrival. I figured since he said that and now had his powers back he'd either tell her or break up with her again, and I thought if either of them happened it might somehow lead to her getting herself killed. But it seems he's just going to go back to the secrets and lies despite what he said... what a great guy :).

LuthorRequiem2

11-29-2005, 03:51 PM

"You mean "As many know from the movie", because in the Bible when Moses returned to Egypt everyone who knew him was already dead, which is why he could return at all, and he was 70yrs old. "

Oh, that's right. Thanks for reminding me. But what about Ramasese? Wasn't he still alive when Moses returned? Everyone else may have died, but Ramasese was still living, right? Because Moses and Ramasese had their whole epic battle, and God saved the people.

This also poses a question I've been curious about *(sorry if this is off-topic), but does anyone know if the Bible or any other historical source mentions Ramasese and Moses relationship BEFORE their falling out? Or did the movie just create that part of it?

greenshorts

12-20-2005, 04:51 AM

I thought the start of the episode was hillarious. When Clark and Lana come downstairs after one 'wild' night the look on Martha and johnathans face's was priceless, then when Clark was sat down for the father-son chat I couldnt stop laughing!

krypton_girl1

01-04-2006, 02:17 PM

yea it was a great episode but i dont know if i would say the best defintly top 3 though. i cried when he died like that even knowing that he wouldnt be gone forever. to answer your question Rosey no the kents dont know that chloe knows until splinter because she comes in with silver kryptonite. and they ask how she knows. but yes i didnt like the way how they had only lex wondering why he just resurected like that and lana didnt even care.

TheKents

01-28-2006, 08:30 AM

I loved this episode alot, we got things we had hoped for, we got what I have wanted in many years, a good Chlark friendship..

Fly by guy

02-20-2006, 09:45 AM

This late in the season (15th ep), I can look back and see what a truly great episode Hidden is with the humor, tragedy, reunion, Lana's hopital revelation, and her final Lexana scene. Who knew Hidden would be the beginning of the end for Clana and I have been mad and sad since.

Krypton935

04-18-2006, 04:12 PM

I LOVED IT!!!!!! my favorite ep in the series (probably) But I didn't record it so I have to wait for the DVD in september that frickin sucks!!!! I wish they could repeat it this Thursday I don't care about a new one I would rather see Hidden instead of Mercy. o well ok well that's all folks!! :D

sman29

05-04-2006, 04:47 AM

redraven

05-19-2006, 05:43 PM

I loved it, this was a great episode. Probably one of the best of the season.

Mrs Kent

05-21-2006, 11:20 AM

A definate favourite, but then they all are (for me.)

Mr. Wrong

06-01-2006, 10:52 AM

Once in awhile the writers give us a moment we can cherish, and they did so when Lana jumped into Clark's arms. Scenes like this one seem to wash away all of the problems of the day and leave us feeling warm and fuzzy. The only negative in this show was that the ep didn't end right there.

RPMSDB

06-09-2006, 01:56 PM

I missed this episode the first time around. I finally got to see it last night.

Pretty awesome stuff.

The choice of clothing – Chloe wearing red while Clark was wearing blue. Okay, Clark was not wearing his infamous red jacket at that time (before he got shot). How did he get it? Is there a supply of red jackets in the FOS or something, along with suits and ties for Lionel?

After the disarming the missel, why didn’t Clark check on Chloe. Was it because he thought she was safe since she had been taken out of harm’s way? This always kind of bothers me.
Come to think about it, he really didn’t check in on Lana either. She just kind of stumbled into the Kent’s home where he happened to be.

Who was the FOTW, and why did he get Chloe out of Smallville?
In the hospital scene, why did Lana say something about pushing away because she knew that’s where they would end up? What does that mean and why would she say something like that?

Why was Clark so upset about getting his powers back? Is he really so obsessed with Lana that he could care less that everyone in Smallville (including his mom, dad, and Lana) would die if he hadn’t stopped the missel?

Why is it that he doesn’t think Lana would react the same as Chloe to the revelation of his true identity? I know he keeps using the excuse of trying to protect her and/or I not wanting to loose her.

I’m sorry, but how can that be a good, healthy relationship? He doesn’t completely trust her, and she doesn’t completely trust him. Not good. Not good.

About Clark and Lana in the beginning of Hidden, if I were Jonathan Kent, I would have been ticked off to. I don’t care is Clark is an adult or not, the fact that he totally disrespected his parent’s in that aspect – it was just wrong. If Clark didn’t still live under his parent’s roof, then that would have been different.

As for Clark’s enthusiasm and admiration he’s showing Chloe this season has been so refreshing.

The barn scene, so sweet but sad. I know Clark was upset, but come on. I just don’t understand why he is so upset about his destiny. He comes across so selfish sometimes.
And Chloe, she knows him so well. She’s loved being the one to know his secret. But she encouraged him to tell Lana the truth. That had to be so hard.

Why did Clark tell Chloe the requirement Jor-El put on Clark, but not his parents?

Lionel in the FOS as Jor-El. How cool was that? This whole Lionel/Jor-El thing has to be freaky to Clark. It certainly is to me. I like it though, it gives a good twist to the show.

And Lex, his relationship with his dad will always be a struggle. But I love the tension.

As for Lana handing Lex the file on Clark – was that right on her part? I realize she was trying to ‘prove’ to Lex that Clark is just a normal person. How did she get it in the first place? And, was she trying to prove Clark’s normalcy to herself just as much as she was trying to prove it to Lex?

Sydafex7

06-10-2006, 01:32 AM

Originally posted by RPMSDB
I missed this episode the first time around. I finally got to see it last night.

Pretty awesome stuff.

The choice of clothing – Chloe wearing red while Clark was wearing blue. Okay, Clark was not wearing his infamous red jacket at that time (before he got shot). How did he get it? Is there a supply of red jackets in the FOS or something, along with suits and ties for Lionel?

After the disarming the missel, why didn’t Clark check on Chloe. Was it because he thought she was safe since she had been taken out of harm’s way? This always kind of bothers me.
Come to think about it, he really didn’t check in on Lana either. She just kind of stumbled into the Kent’s home where he happened to be.

Who was the FOTW, and why did he get Chloe out of Smallville?
In the hospital scene, why did Lana say something about pushing away because she knew that’s where they would end up? What does that mean and why would she say something like that?

Why was Clark so upset about getting his powers back? Is he really so obsessed with Lana that he could care less that everyone in Smallville (including his mom, dad, and Lana) would die if he hadn’t stopped the missel?

Why is it that he doesn’t think Lana would react the same as Chloe to the revelation of his true identity? I know he keeps using the excuse of trying to protect her and/or I not wanting to loose her.

I’m sorry, but how can that be a good, healthy relationship? He doesn’t completely trust her, and she doesn’t completely trust him. Not good. Not good.

About Clark and Lana in the beginning of Hidden, if I were Jonathan Kent, I would have been ticked off to. I don’t care is Clark is an adult or not, the fact that he totally disrespected his parent’s in that aspect – it was just wrong. If Clark didn’t still live under his parent’s roof, then that would have been different.

As for Clark’s enthusiasm and admiration he’s showing Chloe this season has been so refreshing.

The barn scene, so sweet but sad. I know Clark was upset, but come on. I just don’t understand why he is so upset about his destiny. He comes across so selfish sometimes.
And Chloe, she knows him so well. She’s loved being the one to know his secret. But she encouraged him to tell Lana the truth. That had to be so hard.

Why did Clark tell Chloe the requirement Jor-El put on Clark, but not his parents?

Lionel in the FOS as Jor-El. How cool was that? This whole Lionel/Jor-El thing has to be freaky to Clark. It certainly is to me. I like it though, it gives a good twist to the show.

And Lex, his relationship with his dad will always be a struggle. But I love the tension.

As for Lana handing Lex the file on Clark – was that right on her part? I realize she was trying to ‘prove’ to Lex that Clark is just a normal person. How did she get it in the first place? And, was she trying to prove Clark’s normalcy to herself just as much as she was trying to prove it to Lex?

Clark isn't selfish. He didn't choose this life. He has to lie to everyone he loves to protect them. They have no idea he is lying to protect them, they just think he is a liar in general. Clark just wants to be normal. I think that if you were clark you'd feel the same way. He was born on another planet. If you were him, wouldnt you just want to fit in also?

honestly, I do get what you're saying. He said "well then just dont bring me back" after Jor-el told him someone would die in his place. But you have to think, at this point, he had no idea that missile had launched. For all he knew, Gabriel was just bluffing, or Chloe had stopped it, or something else had happened. He had no idea it had launched. When he left the fortress, saw the nuke, then he realized and, he reacted accordingly, by stopping it.

You're right, there are some weird holes in this episode, but at the same time, it was such a surreal episode.

I dp think that the whole "taking someones life to replace yours" was a little forced. I mean why? Can't you (jor-el_) give them back? You did take them. Why does someone have to die? It doesnt matter, it's all for dramatic purposes.

Who was the FOTW? there wasn't one. You say that as if Smallville HAS to have a FOTW. Gabriel was the FOTW. He may not have freak abilities caused by meteor rock, but he was a freak nonetheless.

Clark is upset about his destiny because its such a huge task dropped on his shoulders. He knows what he's going to become, you know he does. Does that mean he has to accept it? Yes, he comes to accept later on, but Clark is still growing. He isnt Superman yet. He's very close to accepting his destiny, but at the same time, all he wants is to be able to have an honest relationship with the women he loves. He tries to work around this, but he realizes there's no way to do this. This is why later on, when he is superman, he realizes he can use his "Superman" persona in his favor and get Lois to understand THAT side of him. He can get a girl to understand THAT side of him, then she will definitely understand his other side because his other side isn't so overwhelming.

disciples of zod

08-22-2006, 04:48 PM

we thought the episode was really good. we cried throughout the entire "clark dying" scene, even though we had read the spoilers the night before. overall, it was really good. i didn't find any problems in it really, but that's just us.

Shadowlord367

10-07-2006, 10:19 PM

loves it =]

ceri

11-15-2006, 02:02 AM

I am making my way through season 5 (watched 3 episodes last night) and Hidden is one of my favoriate all timers! It actually made me cry!

I was a bit confused about how Clarke would get his powers back and how he will explain the sudden awaken from death to his friends but I loved the end when he was telling Chloe that he cant be with Lana - he looked so upset! I love it when it feels that real!!!

I am wondering how he breaks up with Lana - I hope they dont skirt over it!! I will have to wait and see!!!!!

SMALLVILLE.<3

01-30-2008, 06:43 PM

this is my favorite episode of smallville, EVER.

the beginning scene when clark and lana run downstairs
and see johnathan and martha in the kitchen was so funny.

i screamed when clark got shot since he didn't have his powers
and all, aah! so scary.

then he stops all of smallville from being destroyed. amazing<3

& the hug clark gives lana after he "rose from the dead,"
was the most amazing scene in all of smallville<3

this episode makes me cry everytime ;)

so much stuff happens!

CLANA all the way<3. haha;)

ah! i loveloveLOVE this episode.:D

Bilza

11-10-2008, 02:35 PM

This is another season 5 classic. From start to finish it was gripping. Clark learns that defying his biological father doesn't come without consequences. Clark by his own admission made a terrible mistake by giving up his powers. He's made matters worse by not telling his parents the truth about the terrible consequences. The punishment may be harsh but for us viewers it's exciting for the plot as the season progresses. Which loved one will Clark lose? I know the answer while writing this comment, but I remember watching this season for the first time how gripped I was, eager to find out who will die this season. I'll save that discussion until later.

Let us pay attention to the plot of this episode. The kid who has been helping Chloe out at the Torch newspaper all these years decides to turn against meteor freaks by trying to wipe out an enitre town. I found this to be an excellent idea to pursue, a high school kid turned maniac who's been affected by the impact the meteors have had on his father and how much pain and suffering it has brought the town. While his argument may be rigthly seen as crazy, it's also at same time understandable...even evil Lex or the Lex of today would be proud of. If you look at it this way, I've never noticed Lex Luthor as someone hell bent on destroying the world. He comes across on this show as someone with devious plans trying to solve the mysteries and at same time protect the world in his own twisted ways. It's ironic how we foresee Clark as a "self appointed hero" to protect the world but when it comes to Lex with the experience he's had with the meteors, alien spacecrafts who have caused nothing but harm, he's judged as a villain. Deep down we know an evil Lex has ulterior motives that he's not really doing it to protect the world and he only has an apetite for "money and power". It just adds to the fascination of how intelligent and unique the story has been on this show and the portrayal of Lex by MR helps the story develop and the character to become unpredictable. We shouldn't feel we have to watch this show by asking the writers to "spoon feed" us with information and try and pick straws and little holes in the plot so that everything is delivered to us. I think the show has always been about getting the audience to judge and speculate for themselves even if there were small plot holes that some like criticise or become negative about. You underestimate how intelligent and grown up the story of smallville is for someone like me who always enjoys a compelling story with twists trying to make us think for ourselves.

Coming on to the fascinating character that is Lex Luthor, he showed more of his dark character in this episode, almost expressing a ruthless side when it came to his employees, threatening to replace them even when he refuses to believe that unlocking the mystery of an alien spacecraft is exactly what it is..an impossible challenge for a human being. His obssession became more apparent when he learns about symbol on the ship that his father has been drawing in belle reve. MR performance showed obssessive character throwing his father side to side desperate to learn what he knows. Lex gave a confused look when he learns "only he can open it". Is he thinking it might be clark or another alien on the loose??

The ending was also chilling. After what happened in Mortal, Lex has the chance to re-evaluate the mystery that is clark kent. Although his obssession with Clark and everything related to Clark remained even after the events of that thrilling scene in Mortal, he can now put Lana to the test by disapproving Clark's honesty. You can tell that Lex is playing Lana when he says: "I think you're forgetting something Lana....whatever new Lie he told you....however he swept it under the rug.....a normal person doesn't rise from the dead". MR delivered that line so chillingly and brilliantly he's almost ridiculing Clark's honesty as well as Lana's trust in him". To a certain extent he is right. Any rational person would know that but we all know this current Lex has more ulterior motives than ever before. A line that gave it away after Lana showed medical records to disapprove Lex's theories about Clark he answers her by saying: "Do you really believe that or is that what you have to tell yourself to stay in a relationship with him? You've had our doubts about him too. You can't deny it". An almost arrogant approach the way he delivered that line, ridiculing her relationship with someone who continuelly lies to her and not just him. I think there is another motive behind it and that he wants to put soo much doubt into Lana's head so she can leave him once again because of his dishonesty and that way Lex can make his move and sweep in. Lana's reaction showed her brain racing as Lex put it rightly that a "normal person doesn't rise from the dead", so her suspicions are about to grow aswell if Clark goes back to the lies and secrets that Lana obssessively and sometimes annoyingly hates about Clark...exactly the kind of relationship she doesn't want to have and Lex will always look to exploit it.

As Lionel enters, Lex looks somewhat shocked. Whilst questioning him about things like "Krypton and Kal El" JG's Lionel expertly deflects it with a sense of humour. For now Lex will believe it. Surprisingly Lex gave me the impression he was very happy to see his father back after everything he said chillingly as Lionel lay down on the floor canatonic in "Commencement". Perhaps that now his father is the only true person in his life no matter how much he distrusts him. I think there could be a motive behind that too. Maybe Lex greeting his father back is a cynical way to learn more from his father as he leans more and more towards his dark side or is it a way of getting closer to the mysteries of the 2nd meteor shower with the knowledge that Lionel might know more than he's letting on.

Overall a great episode!