Loved it? Hated It? What did YOU think of Vengeance?

[shy175223]

well state your comments, but no flaming, please.

[charmedchick]

It hasnt aired yet. but i like it so far. lol

[greatercalling]

the anticapation is good

[Lexgirl33]

I thought this episode was great. I loved how we got to see Clark finally deal with the fact that his father is gone.

[flcn6]

This episode was great. The chemistry in all the scenes was great, esp. the ones with MB and MR. Those 2 work so well together IMO. and of course, MB and Martha. Wow. This was a great episode because it had the people in it dealing with the emotional issues from the last episode. Chalk one up for continuity.

[ChaaBreh]

It was emotional. The ending - watching Jonathan and a young Clark on the VCR - made me cry almost as much as Tom Welling's Clark, who finally cried his eyes out.

Lana was really selfless for once - really trying to comfort Clark. And you saw the depth of feeling that Lionel has for Martha when he gave up his buyout bid for fear of Martha finding out about his meeting with Jonathan...

How the heck did Lex know about that, I wonder? He was in a drunken stupor at the accident scene at that time...

I was really impressed with Tom Welling's acting - he showed all the colors - anger, hatred, remorse, grief...all very believable!

[Metropolis Hero]

I loved this episode. I was worried they would have everyone grieving over Johnathan for only 5 minutes then get back to business as usual, like they have done in the past with other character's deaths but this time it was very well done. Very touching ending to the episode also. Well done.

[superman79]

It was great! Tom did an amazing job with his acting, and I saw him as Superman yet again.

[F-Stop Blues]

Much better episode than I thought it would be. I thought it was a great post script to Jonathan Kent. Also loved the Lex Lionel interactions. Really solid and good ep imo.

[Summers]

I liked it more than "Reckoning" even if Clark was lightswitched. I thought the emotional place the characters were in was very well acted. The effects were decent, and the last scene I even cried. The ending scene of this was far better than "Reckoning".

Jonathan: Look at him the Man of Steel.

[Vatusia]

It just goes to show that I can never tell from previews whether I will like an episode or not.

I LOVED Vengeance!!! I loved BatSpida! :D I loved Mionel and Clionel! I loved the Chlark! Loved the Batman music and all the Batman/Spiderman anvils! Thought Batspida's actress was GREAT! Action was GREAT! FOTW-plot not bad! I liked that Clark put his upbringing to good use in his decision not to kill the bad guy. Batspida's stabbing him came as a shock, sorta like (Summers are you listening? :D ) when Willow flays the guy who killed Tara in that ep of Buffy so long ago. ;) And most of all, I loved the ending, with its mother-son shared emotion and the moving tribute to Jonathan Kent and, by extension, to John Schneider - who is already missed very much.

Adored the Lex-Lionel sparring - that gun will surely be used by one of them on the other, probably by Lex on Lionel, don'tcha think? I loved the brilliant badness of our Lexywexy. I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Soooo... Lionel was ocmpletely nonchalant about knowing Clark's secret, and Clark made absolutely no effort at covering the fact that he had supersped in front of Lionel. And I don't think it was because Lionel is still Lion-El. I want to see a discussion of The Secret between Clark and Lionel soon soon soon....

"Son" Wow! Yay!!! (I note that this was in my season 5 predictions. Check em out in the Spec forum. :lol: )

I thought I was going to hate the fact that the ep implied that Clark's secret identity was an idea stolen from someone else. But I sorta get the idea that Andrea was really like that -bumbling girl in glasses - before her krypto-transformation, and the implication is that Clark's secret identity is something he takes on reluctantly and doesn't overthink. I can accept that. Sorta.

I love all these kryptonite necklaces - what a fashion statement! :lol: Um, what else? Oh I guess I have to complain a bit.

Still no visible interest in journalism from Clark. HATED the warm fuzzy Clana, especially after last week, and hated that Lana found the watch. I really didn't want to see much of Lana this week - I would much rather have seen her giving Lex a backrub after his fight with Lionel, for example. ;)

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be seeing Batspida again, and she'll be welcome - she's the best FOTW since Alicia!

[FallenStar]

This was an excellent episode; one of the best of the season. . .

I will admit,i came into this episode expecting the worst. I thought it was gonna be a lame batman ripoff, but it was very good, and the Avenging Angel character was extremely moving.

John Glover as Lionel was superb. . .i bought him 100%. He was deliciously evil! I wanted to slap him during the Mionel scene, but that means that he got the job done!!

And this episode almost made me like Lana (ok somebody e-slap me) but I thought she played her part very well.

Clark was hot...enough said. Dark colors suit him very well. . .And I wanted to cry during the last scene. .

And Chloe? On-spot. The interaction between her and Martha was just so touching!

I am FAR from a crybaby, but I wanted to cry several times during this episode!!!

[Cookie 28]

I thought the scene with Martha and Chloe was amazing.

[Summers]

Originally posted by Tyrrath
Batspida's stabbing him came as a shock, sorta like (Summers are you listening? :D ) when Willow flays the guy who killed Tara in that ep of Buffy so long ago. ;)


I got referenced :D. I feel loved :) lol. Yea, reminded me too in "Villians", or when Dru killed Kendra in "Becoming Pt.1" since she was just waiting.

[superpyscho]

First Chloe was hillarious in that scene when she was pretending to get mugged. LOL, especially when she got tired and was just like NO NO blah blah,hehe.

I got some wood looking at Chloe's heaving cleavage.

I didn't like the Aveng Angel (AA) character. She was a bad actress and her character was so cheesy. The specially effects were crappy too.

At the end, the scene with Lana and Clark was good. I thought that's Clark would break down.

It was VERY important to be that there was some lingering closure that had to be done inthe last scene. Saying goodbye to JK will never be complete but it's important that Clark cried and let it out with him Mom. Also the fact that Clark still 'hears' his dad's voice as a moral compass.

I almost cried too , well I did a bit,heh, at the end. It's still sad that JK is dead and JS is not with the show.

[shinedown]

some of the moments were to cheesy and the scenes seemed to disjointed but the very end with Martha and Clark was so powerful. it was superb acting and very touching. i loved that scene the best. that and the part when chloe and clark were playing steal-the-purse. chloe was hilarious in that scene...

[wyrm11]

I thought it was decent. I thought it was a little cheesy how they had to make "batwoman" and couldn't have Bruce Wayne (I know why, no need to explain). I mean, they even went as far as having her music be a rendition of the Batman theme song...and then of course there was the whole "I'm blind as a bat".

Tom's acting was great though. The first scene, when he tells his mom that he dropped out of school, Tom says "Mom, it's done" in a way that reflects the man he's become.

And the last scene...holy crap..tear jerker.

Overall, I was entertained! Woulda liked to have seen Lois though.

[Clex1115]

Incredible episode incredible!

Incredible episode incredible!

Incredible episode incredible!

[tw190]

I loved this episode. It was wonderful. It made me laugh and cry. Well, I mostly cried. But I laughed during the mugging scene. Chlaaaark! :D

Great episode. Wonderful.

[Saber]

I thought it was really bogus.
There was nothing there to enjoy.
I didn’t like it at all.

[Vatusia]

Can you tell us why, Saber?

[ZeoVGM]

Originally posted by Saber
I thought it was really bogus.
There was nothing there to enjoy.
I didn’t like it at all.

We both know you're overreacting.

If you didn't enjoy the last scene, you have no heart.

[sheltiemom]

I think I cried more tonight than last week(if that's possible). Clark needed to grieve, he was in denial. The home movies OMG- Jonathan saying bye, I sobbed so loud the dogs jumped off the couch and ran into the bedroom. When Jonathan said he was showing Clark the back 40 (which he sold to pay Lion-El back), all I could think was oh no,shes not going to give Lion-El back the money,she's going to buy back the land..

Lion-El putting his hand on Clark's shoulder and calling him son- I cringed. I was hoping Clark would turn to him and say you're not my father, or don't call me that, something,anything... Then he shows up in the barn, I hope Lex tells Martha about his father and Jonathan. A Martha/ Lion-El relationship is too revolting to even consider hear that PTB.

Lana finding the watch in a pawn shop nice touch, are they trying to get her back into our good graces. At least she didn't whine.

Tom did a fantastic job tonight. I don't know what he used as motivation, but his emotions were right on target. Annette as always a solid performance.

[shinedown]

i sort of agree with saber, the only really good thing was the last scene, other than that it was pretty bad. everything else lacked the classic mystery atmosphere-intense-interesting-funny and realistically NON CORNY aspect of smallville that i like so much. the last scene was the only thing that redemed the show imo

[bkzcici]

I hated to see how upset Clark is! It was touching. I'm glad Clark got through it.. but this episode bored me a little.

[loistickyfingerz]

Eh, it wasn't as bad as Thirst. I thought it was pretty interesting when Lionel said "Thanks, son." I guess they are just letting the speculation hang in the air as to whether Lionel can still channel Jor-El at will. (or vise-versa)

Though a bit phony, I did like how the anger stage of Clark's grief was drawn out, and then he finally let go an cried at the end. That was realistic and well done.

I wish Clark would turn to his real father (sorry, we must used the word Biological to be PC) to cope. Even though he is just a memory, Jor-El could help him through all this, and plus it would push Clark closer to who he will become.

I like how the meteor-freak thing was used differently in this episode. But I must say, they fell flat on the F/X, which are usually stunning. The climbing the wall scene was just pitiful. I guess they used too much budget on last week's wreck.

[ZeoVGM]

Thirst was still a fun episode. People hate on that too much. :P

[8SMALLFAN8]

I thought it was definitely great and on another pleasing note, memorable. Everything came together in that show (especially in the end) not to mention they left it open to some degree with the 'Angel of Vengence.' Lana came through wonderfully for Clark which is always nice given their state as of now. (personally I would cry if someone went to such lengths for me too!) Chloe continues to shine as the best friend role (and he wasn't super angry with her which was good). The Lex/Lionel relationship continued on its path down destruction lane, but was brilliantly done throughout the hour. (These are all IMO of course! :D )

These are just some of the thoughts I had going through my mind during the show. :D Just needed to get them out I guess!

[BadToad]

I loved this episode. I thought it really continued on with the general feelings left over from Reckoning. And it felt like it covered a lot of ground. Astounding performances from TW and AOT, again. I look forward to lots more scenes from them. And Lionel was incredibly creepy, Lex was smarmy, and Lana did something truly loving. And I liked Andrea. I wouldn't mind her showing up again.

Overall, really pleased with this episode.

And that last scene was as sad a scene as Smallville has ever done, IMO

[HisManOfTomorrow]

I loved the episode. I cried in the last one, and held back tears in this one. Tom Welling did such a great job, and the ending was so well done. Just thinking about it gets me choked up again. Clark is beginning to look more and more like the Man of Tomorrow. These two past episodes have been some of the best episodes in the entire series in my opinion.

[ZeoVGM]

Originally posted by HisManOfTomorrow
I loved the episode. I cried in the last one, and held back tears in this one. Tom Welling did such a great job, and the ending was so well done. Just thinking about it gets me choked up again. Clark is beginning to look more and more like the Man of Tomorrow. These two past episodes have been some of the best episodes in the entire series in my opinion.

Word, although I think the product placement really hurt this episode, even if the writers couldn't help it. It just left a VERY bad taste in my mouth.

The ending made up for it though.

[R_Kellikron]

All week I kept saying to my friends, this week is going to be such a disappointment after last week. WAS I WRONG! I loved it and I am so happy they continued with the death. I was so hoping that it was not going to be forgotten. I really loved it.
Chloe rocked, thank God for Chloe! I even liked the angle they took with Lana. I like her again.

[spideyfan]

This exceeded my expectations:

A little much on the references but Ill live :)

Chloe is the best character on the show. I shouldnt like her more than CK but I do :(

Great Tom acting. Great Glover as always too. Annette was flawless!

I cried at the end of this episode. I cried a lot. Im glad CK dealt with his Pa's death. He needs to realize his destiny now!

Im glad Lana was surpressed. Im glad Lana didnt bich. Im glad Lana didnt throw kryptonite in CK's face...

I didnt like the whole Andrea thing tho...Pretty much useless! CK knew not to kill w/o her.

8.5/10

[jdg]

Oh goodie ... Lana saves the day and finds the watch ... why does Lanaville always have to be about LANA ??!?

[enamored]

Loved this episode. Just goes to show you not to trust the WB trailers.

Now for all the naysayers from last week about how Clark will never start heading down the path toward his destiny because he's too selfish, etc., etc.--this episode was for you.

We are seeing how Jonathan being gone is going to make Clark grow up. He can't rely on Jonathan to make things right for him anymore but he can still seek his guidance by remembering what Jonathan taught him. And, he is taking on the responsibilities of the farm by withdrawing from college.

I'll admit it, I cried a few times during this episode but the ending really got to me.

[Zooks]

Originally posted by jdg
Oh goodie ... Lana saves the day and finds the watch ... why does Lanaville always have to be about LANA ??!?

You looking a little hard to find reasons to hate Lana.

[Vatusia]

Well the point is that there was no real reason for her to be in this episode (for more than a few minutes at least), they just came up with a contrived reason to give her screentime. That is what creates the impression of Lanaville - that she pops up in places and episodes where she doesn't belong. It would have made much more sense for her to stop by at the beginning of the ep to check on Clark, then quietly, with no talk of the 'break' she is taking from 'us', she disappears for the remainder of the ep (or maybe walks in on Lex just as he's finished the fight with his father - THAT could have been fun. ;) )

A friend of mine I was talking with online while watching the ep thought that Chloe would open her desk and find the watch there - recovered by Maya. Having Lana recover the watch was just so out there and unnecessary that it was almost a gag me moment, especially when she presented the watch to Clark as part of a moony eyed loft scene. :rolleyes: And I did like the rest of the ep, but.... c'mon, PTB, if Clark could have recovered the watch simply by going to pawn shops, don't you think HE would have done it after he had taken care of the bad guys? :p

And what is with this insta-shuttling back and forth between Metropolis and Smallville for Lana? I thought it was a LONG commute, at least for normal humans without helicopters. Chloe stays in Metropolis. Lois stays mostly in Smallville. So how are we to think that Lana commuted ALL that distance - hours each way - in her SUV, then had time to go to every pawn shop in Metropolis then get back before dark and in time for a nice Clana loft scene?! *grumbles*

[KRAM-el]

I came into this ep, along w/ a lot of us, w/ many doubts after last week's disappointment, & actually came out of it rather pleased... Shocking! Not perfect, but ABSOLUTELY one of the best episodes of this season at least! Decently written (for a change, but it wasn't Souders & Peterson, so go figure LOL) & well directed. Tom's Clark hit his marks brilliantly, Allison's Chloe as always was flawless, and Michael's & John's Luthors knocked my sox off! I LOVE their conflicts! BRA-VO!!!! AOT showed a sad, held-back emotion in Martha that was really believable. The only downside, albeit not a huge one, was I felt Kristin was flat (any insult to her fans unintended)... I thought her scenes felt "inserted" (for TPTB's sake), & that she really didn't need to be there (a "clean break" would have worked better IMO). The "watch" scene was probably the low point (it seemed as if Lana was looking for validation) and IMHO I think it would have been better if he just found the watch & put it on alone, wondering how it got there. And WOW! Clark MAD! As CLARK & not Kal-El! And inner turmoil! Great! Finally!!! And although I didn't outright cry, my eyes did well up a bit in that final scene. All-in-all, 4+ out-of 5 (trade Lois for "Pinkie" & it would have been about a 4.8)... Now I'm REALLY looking forward to "Tomb". NOW THIS WAS MORE LIKE IT! I'll just forget about last week & go on from here... :) :) :)

[Dannyblue1]

Much more solid ep than last week's. I got bruises from all the anvils raining down on me, but I was okay with that. And there was some definite cheese here and there, but cheese can sometimes be good.

And the Angel of Death (or AOD) worked out much better than I thought. She was a nice parallel to Clark, and showed what can happen if you try to use anger to avoid really grieving. I especially liked the moment when she really seemed to realize that she killed someone.

In my opinion, she was a good FOTW. Not the best ever, but better than most.

[soupaman25]

honestly i didn't like this ep much except for the emotional scenes in the first n last scene. the acting was spectacular but not an ep i would watch more than once. wish JK was still there. can't wait to see where they're going with the rest of the season!!!!

[vyperman7]

Now that was an episode!!

It KICKED THE CRAP OUT OF RECKONING!!

I would have to say that Vengenance was honestly the second best episode of S5 after Arrival.

It felt like an old episode of Smallville.

Lex vs Lionel
Great Supes forshadowing
Outstanding character development
An extremely powerful and moving ending

This episode was just outstanding.

I think my only gripe would have to be the rapid mood swings for Clark. One minute he is flying off the handle, the next he is acting like the future Supes. I realize that they only have an hour for the episode, but it just felt like his moods swung too fast.

I also really liked the AOV character. They did a good job using her to show what type of person Clark is supposed to be like. That is he is supposed to rise above things like revenge to do the right thing.

The best thing about this episode besides the old Lex vs Lionel dynamic was the outstanding Supes forshadowing. Now in the past this show has had a tendency to lay it on a little thick. But the hints they dropped didn't feel like big anvils landing, but nice comedic subtleties.

"Do you think you could ever play mild reporter by day, and crime fighter by night?"AM delivered that line perfectly. I also loved Clark's response about not wanting to hide who he is.

Now is it just me or was AM just sexy as hell in this episode? MY GOD!!

I also have no problem admitting that the ending made me tear up, and it takes a lot to get me to even come close to crying. What got me was JK calling young Clark the MOS, and Welling dropping the single tear.

TW rocked this episode IMO.

Just a totally awesome episode. I don't know if I can put it on my top ten list. But one of the best episodes I have seen in awhile. They totally made up for the mess up that was Reckoning.

[SamBanksJLA]

The episode totally sucked up until the last two scenes. The plot was ignorant, and didn nothing for the advancement of the story. It was a terrible followup to Reckoning.
The only part that I liked was the last scene where Clark got the watch back from lana, and when Calrk and Martha were watching JK on television and he said Goodbye. I loved the 'back 40' reference too.

[Flight_Without_Wings]

I thought it was a pretty good episode. Once again the plot line had some very large holes and they really need to at least try to use a reallistic timeline. " Martha gets a call in the evening to go to Metropolis" According to Chloe in the Truth episode, Metropolis is 6 hours away. She gets mugged and back to Smallvillein one night, but it doesn't stop there. Now Clark and Chloe run around the streets as well. One never ending night. And what would anyone be doing in the bad part of town late at night? Oh well looking past that as nitpicking, main complain and question is "WHY DOES EVERYONE CLARK FACE HAVE A KRYPTONITE NECKLACE, STONE, LIQUID, etc.?" Sorry about the caps. but when the Avenging Angel pulled out that necklace, I just wanted to reach out and grab TPTB and strangle them.

After last week's debacle, I had hoped to see something, instaed I just turned it off and started watching Babylon 5.

Please someone notify me if TPTB find something original and reasonable.

[shadowcat20x]

I loved it! :)

Clark and Chloe were hilarious. I cried at the end. I loved that Lana found Clark's watch, that was so cute. I loved the special effects.

I didn't like: Product Placement - why did they have to focus in on the contacts? Lexana and Mionel *shudders*

That's terrible that soon after Jonathan's death - Martha gets mugged, and Clark leaves her alone for most of the episode.

[enamored]

Originally posted by Flight_Without_Wings
I thought it was a pretty good episode.

After last week's debacle, I had hoped to see something, instaed I just turned it off and started watching Babylon 5.



FWW--You say you turned it off. I hope you taped it then because the ending was not to be missed. It was really powerful and touching.

[TARDIS Team]

Possible spoilers for last season:

I must admit, I was gutted over how quickly Clark seemed to get over Alicia’s murder last season, so I was happy to see him forced to cope with the death of a loved one this time around. Granted, Alicia wasn’t exactly the most popular character and she was slightly off in the head, but I think her two episodes were two of the better last season, and I just couldn’t get over Clark getting over her so fast.

Then again, that’s a curse in Smallville, it seems. People die and everyone is over it by next week.

Anyway, I liked the episode well enough, but I agree the special effects seemed to suffer slightly and little bits off it came off as cheesy. Clark’s anger was very real (I went through something similar when my Grandmother died) so I could relate. The scene at the end with Jonathan and Clark on the tractor was gut wrenching. I’ll admit that I got misty eyed.

I wonder how much longer Jonathan will be in the credits? Pete was in them until the end of season 3, so who knows, but leaving Jonathan in seems somehow insulting. I assume he was in this week because he was in the show at the end.

If some of the rumors I’ve been reading online are true, I guess the scene between Martha and Lionel is just a preface, and that’s just a little bit creepy.

[Crazy4Smallville]

Wow... let me wipe these tears from eyes before I get started. I was very touched in the last scene. Not only I, but the whole room was deathly muted for a whole two minutes. That was, until my sob broke the silence.

But, I don't want to start at the end.

Clark/Martha - That darn old tractor. Just about everytime we saw Jonathan, he was always repairing that tractor and now Clark has resumed his role, but he's not as good at it (or is he?) I mean, come on - can't they figure out how to fix it right the first time? Besides, Clark is Superman - why don't he just do the work that the tractor was meant to do.

This brings up another question. Clearly Martha can see that her son was not destined to be a farmer. Clearly Clark knows there's more in-store for him or else he wouldn't be off in college. So, why don't the Kent's sell the farm, now that Jonathan is gone? It takes a lot of work to run a farm and niether Martha (who runs a coffee shop) nor Clark seems inclined to do so. Perhaps this will be the next emotional struggle that Clark will face - to take his father's place on the farm or his biological father's place as a leader.

Martha getting rid of Jonathan's clothes was a sad moment in the beginning. When she offered them to Clark, in his grief and denial he refused them. Then he refused the watch. But, why would Martha take the watch with her to the community center? Anyway, I think her getting mugged was what brought Clark's anger to the surface, not just the watch. Once again one of his parents were in danger, yet he wasn't there to save them. With all these powers and gifts that he has and has used to save so many, he seems to fail with saving those closest to him.

Clark/Chloe - I love their interaction. We get to see more of the real Clark when he's with Chloe. He get's to be himself and I think the more he's free to be himself around someone he trusts, the more he'll develope into who he's supposed to be. She keeps him 'grounded'. Their fake mugging scene was hilarious and when Clark snatched that hood off of his head, I've never seen him look more sexy. Even my eleven-year old went, "Oooo".

Even though Clark didn't give heed to all of Chloe's advice, it still calmed him. Imagine the level of his anger had she not been there?

Martha/Chloe - It's about time! Chloe has known Clark's secret for how long now and without hardly any acknowledgement from the Kent's? Even though Martha went to Chloe for that support, and Chloe delivered magnificiantly, I felt there was still a wall up on Martha's end. Martha has, with open arms, accepted Lana, who has caused Clark more emotional pain than anyone,and made her feel as part of the family. She has also opened up her heart to Lois. Yet, neither of them know about Clark, nor can offer Clark the support he needs. Yet, here is Chloe, who has been Clark's best friend for years, she knows his secret and has been giving him support all this time, but she's only acknowledged when they need something. Like when Jonathan needed Kara's fingerprints and now Martha when she can't find Clark. The fact that she knew that Clark would be with Chloe should be reason enough to be accepted as much, if not more, than Lana or Lois in their life.

Clark/Lana - Okay, now I'm really confused as to the state of their relationship. The beginning of the episode was believable, given the state of Clark's anger and the separation at the funeral. When he pushed her away - it was plausible. However, her going out to find the watch (I won't talk about the plausibility of her getting to Metropolis and back to Smallville)seemed somewhat out of place. Yet, from a different angle it could make sense. In the sense that now the tables have turned. Lana was the one who walked away from Clark, because he won't be honest with her and open up to her, after all these years of him chasing after her. Now, she's the one chasing him, and he's the one walking away. Isn't that the way it was supposed to be in the first place?

Lionel/Lex - Who the heck is Lionel? I'm so confused by this character. I think he knows all about Clark's secret. Not just that he has super powers, but the whole Kryptonian history. Remember, Lionel studied the caves, he was downloaded with information concerning General Zod, he was possessed by Jor-El, etc. I think he knows everything. The reason he's against Lex, is because the son he wants right now isn't the one he's created, but the one he's discovered. I think in his deranged mind, he thinks that he can win over Clark and mold him into the son that he's always wanted. Lex has always been too weak for him (in his mind), but Clark is super. Besides the fact that he also has a thing for Martha Kent. However, Lionel doesn't realize how powerful of a son he has created.

How the heck did Lex know about Lionel and Jonathan's meeting, unless he's got camera's set up in the Kent barn. Wouldn't be a stretch, since Lex knows a lot happens in that barn. Someone Lex knows every move that Lionel takes - it makes me wonder exactly how much he truly knows about Clark. If he knows about Clark, he must also know what his father truly desires - and that is why he's able to foil his plans. It could also be the driving wedge in his heart, knowing his own father prefers Clark - much like everyone else - including Lana.

The FOTW - Angel of Vengence - She had a purpose - to show Clark that he can't let his anger rule over him. She also was a catalyst to drop some great ideas and direction for Clark in the future. But, other than that - I didn't really see a purpose for her, other than for product placement. I thought she was okay, but nothing spectacular. I think it would have been a better touch had she been the one to return the watch - as a sign of repentence and a possible future alliance with Clark.

So, overall - I liked this episode. It had a lot of elements crammed into it, but most of them were not plain and obvious to see. They were more on the subconscience level.

Till next time!

[Flight_Without_Wings]

Originally posted by enamored
FWW--You say you turned it off. I hope you taped it then because the ending was not to be missed. It was really powerful and touching.

Having read some of the posts, it sounds like the ending might have been pretty good, but I really didn't like JK anyway(I did like John Schieder), so it doesn't matter.

The only thing I see him teaching CK is that no matter what you do, don't get caught. No wonder Jor-El wanted him out of the picture. After bank robberies, grand theft auto, assault, burglary, destruction of private and govt property, gambling, altering medical reports, fasifying govt documents, breaking and entering, envasion of privacy and the list goes on and on, not once does JK tell Clark that he has to take responsibility for these unlawful actions. The only time he tells him to take responsibility is when he disaggreed with him. And let's not forget how JK treated Lex from the start. So much for fair play.

Oh well, it was my understanding from the Superman Mythos, that you had to abid by the law and pay for your mistake, not so for CK in Smallville.

Just my constant ravings over plot holes and TPTB.

[superpal1]

I thought the episode was terrific. The only complaint was that some of the effects for Angel looked cheesy, but overall the story and emotion in the episode was top-notch. The end got me to get a tear in my eye as well.

[Saber]

Originally posted by ZeoVGM
We both know you're overreacting.

If you didn't enjoy the last scene, you have no heart.


First of all you don’t know me so don’t judge me. Before you look at my heart, take a look at yours because I was giving my opinion not asking you for yours. So now you judge yourself on whose heart was in the right place.

[carlralph]

The episode was filled with improbabilities...Martha being asked to meet with the governer, and taking Jonathan's clothes to Suicide Slum--at night? Lana finding the watch in a pawn shop in about a day? People travelling back and forth between Smallville and Metropolis, several times, in the same night (excluding Clark)? Lionel once again a power player? Lex knowing about Lionel's meeting with Jonathan?

But you know what--so what? The last scene was an emotional killer. This is one dad of two teenage daughters who cried his eyes out. Clark finally lets it all out. Jonathan says bye bye. Martha holds on tight to her only son. That scene may have been the best moment in ANY Superman/Smallville screen incarnation, EVER.

I meant, of course, "governor," not governer.

[8SMALLFAN8]

Originally posted by carlralph
That scene may have been the best moment in ANY Superman/Smallville screen incarnation, EVER.

I couldn't agree with you more ...definitely a tear-jerker.

[enamored]

We have seen a few tears from Clark in several episodes but this is the only time we've seen him completely lose it and sob uncontrollably. It totally "humanized" him.

[margroks]

It was great! It was everything Reckoning should have been but wasn't. Tom was magnificent! I can't say that enough! And the ep hung together and Chloe and Clark were superb as always when they're together onscreen. Except for the seeming shoehorning of Lana all caring and finding his watch when last week she was yelling and nasty and dumped him, abandoning Clark at the graveyard after his father's burial, the ep was topnotch.

[Fly by guy]

I thought this ep. was pizza style cheezy. The last 5 minutes was the only saving grace. Goodbye again, John.

[sdcheesehead]

This was a great episode, basically made so Clark & Martha could grieve the loss of Jonathon, and how to deal with those feelings. I think it was also a time for Clark to realize that his father will always be there for him, even though not in person, but in spirit. The Angel of Vengence (Andrea), was introduce to help Clark with these feelings, but also to give him an idea of a possible disguise, so he doesn't have to always hide his secret. The relationship between Lana, Clark & Lex is still that, a triangle. I think there is still strong feelings between Clark & Lana, but Lex is biding his time to take her away from him, which I think will eventually happen. The Lionel & Clark scene, where Lionel called Clark "son", I just wanted Clark to turn around and throw Lionel out that window!!!! He's the reason Jonathon died, granted Jonathon had a bad heart, but the guy is trying to home in on the Kents. The Lex & Lionel scenes...It looks like Lex is becoming more evil each episode (and Michael is so sexy when he is evil!!). The scene with Martha & Lionel, all I can think of is "Back Off Lionel"!!!! Martha is way out of your league!!! I absolutely loved the last scene, with Clark & Martha watching the video, and Jonathon says "Bye, Bye". I don't normally cry, but there were tears in my eyes!!! How emotional was that.

[margroks]

Actually, Clark had the idea previously when he was bad in Metropolis that summer. It was hilarious to see him pretending to mug Chloe! THis ep was great all the way through except for the OOC LAna but still. The entire ep was as close to perfect as it could be.

[Crazy4Smallville]

Those poor writers - they can't win for losing, can they?

T.L. Gray
Author of The Necromancer Series
http://www.thenecromancers.com
http://www.tlgray.blogspot.com

[Snarky]

I was expecting a pouty, self-absorbed Clark and an endless display of Lana attempting to help Clark grieve because we all know she's the queen of grief. What I got was a well-acted, interesting spin to the freak-of-the-week episode.

The Good
new take on the FoTW
lots of Superman shout outs (Sure they were corny, but this is a comic book hero we're talking about.)
very touching displays of grief
Led & Lionel at war over LuthorCorp control again
Clark making the right choices on his own
Clark admitting his failings and *learning* from them
Chloe and Martha bonding
the tie back to Lionel for Andrea's mothers death
the creepily intriguing barn scene with Lionel and Martha
a beautiful smile and wave from Jonathan at the close of the episode...NICE!!!!

The Bad
No Lois. She probably should have been the one closing the Talon instead of Lana since she lives in Smallville in the apartment above and ya know works there.

Lex and Lionel's verbal sparring. Normally this is my favorite part, but it seemed a little off tonight. Lex should be past tipping Lionel off by now. His empty threat to tell Martha about Lionel's secret meeting just didn't come off as well as it could have. I really need to see Lex keeping Lionel on his toes now--not still 3 steps behind in his manuevering.

The Clana scene in the house seemed forced. *yawn*

***
All in all I thought it was a good episode, full of action and a bit of character development. Clark's learning to trust Chloe and be a better friend to her. Martha walks a thin line of wary admiration and outright contempt for Lionel. I hope the writer's sustain this tension. Martha is a worthy adversary and I'd like to see her knock Lionel down a few notches.

I'm a little disappointed with Lex's development. I need more cunning genius from him at this point in the story. He needs to be outsmarting Lionel once in a while. We need to see Lionel squirming at bit to hold onto his edge.

I especially liked the tear-jerking ending with the Kent family. I hope we continue to see more bonding and healing occur with Clark and Martha. Thank you writers for allowing Jonathan to say good-bye not only to his family, but his fans as well.

[clois1938]

The only good part was the last scene between Martha and Clark watching the PaKent video. The rest of the episode was boring.

[ARealClarkKent]

These episodes are getting pretty good. It was good. Not great, but good. 4/5 stars for me. The Chloe/Clark/Martha chemistry made the show last night. And next week, holy crap it looks good.

[Son of Kal-El20]

After the horrid disappointment which was Reckoning, this was a welcome treat. This episode was not also better than Reckoning but far more emotional. To sum it up, Vengeance was excellent. The acting by the cast especially TW was wonderful. And I love this new character, Andrea. For a while, I was thinking that maybe she was a young Batgirl, but after watching her abilities, I realized that she was most definitely an original character. I really hope she as well as the Flash return in more episodes.
The best scene in the episode, however, was when Clark and Martha were watching the home video of JK. That whole scene was just totally heart-breaking especially when you saw JK say 'goodbye'.
All in all, I give Vengeance a 9 out of a 10.

[Daphne]

I liked it a lot! Thought they did a great job acting and it was turning point for Clark. He's making a few good decisions.

[jdot]

I thought Reckoning was pretty good, and this episode was much better.

[Jack's_Son]

I thought it was an overall excellent episode. It really addressed a lot of the questions we had concerning the previous couple of episodes. I was surprised Lana made a concilatory gesture towards Clark, but I applauded Martha and Chloe's bonding. It reminded me a bit of Lois & Clark when Lois offered up her life to save Martha and Jonathan Kent. This was a touching episode. The irony was a bit overplayed and it could do with a little more subtlety. I loathe the overall creepiness of the Luthors, although both are fine actors. The both suffer from a serious case of Kent-Envy. I ALSO was hoping that the Angel of Vengeance stuck around a bit, as she and Clark could have both learned from each other. They never DID explain how a Kryptonite-tinged heart transplant can change someone into a near match for Clark in power for power.

O yeah, the whole scene with Lionel, Clark, and TAoV, could have been handled a little bit better. Clark superspeeds right in front of Lionel and no questions are asked? Lana's stupidity must be rubbing off on the Luthors.

[margroks]

How anyone could see the fake mugging scene with AM and TW as boring is beyond me. Clark was hilarious trying to tell Chloe how to be more convincing and she was equally hilarious as she got more and more frustrated and started just mouthing out the words, saying woodenly, don't, stop while Clark tugged at her bag. They were both great. The Lionel/Martha scene was very creepy, yes. THe only boring part was Lana as usual.

[Xcalibur]

Originally posted by Saber
I thought it was really bogus.
There was nothing there to enjoy.
I didn’t like it at all.

Yea .
I want my 60 minutes back

[Redkclark841]

I thought the episode was pretty good. I'm wondering if vengance is ever going to show up again? I'm sure we'll see her sooner or later. Just wondering how many people entered the contest. I know i did!!! =P

[dfm82]

Very good episode IMO, the acting was terrific, the scenes between TW and AOT(in the beggining and the end) were very touching... i almost cried in the final scene, it was a great ending... i also enjoyed the whole Luthors scene and i liked the references to the Superman mythos, very well done...

to sum it up i think the TPTB did a great job with the way the characters deal with JK's death in this episode and at the same time they put Clark closer to what he's meant to be...

[Kryptomaniac]

Originally posted by margroks
It was great! It was everything Reckoning should have been but wasn't. Tom was magnificent! I can't say that enough! And the ep hung together and Chloe and Clark were superb as always when they're together onscreen. Except for the seeming shoehorning of Lana all caring and finding his watch when last week she was yelling and nasty and dumped him, abandoning Clark at the graveyard after his father's burial, the ep was topnotch.

Yep, even THIS director (NOT my fav) could not ruin this ep.

AOV had potential. Too bad she turned out to be NOT "one of the goodguys" because she murdered that dude (chances are Lionel would have had him wacked in jail anyway). She reminded me of the FLASH character in RUN in some ways.

AOT was excellent and it's certain she will do okay filling in for Bo-El. Can't wait till she starts spouting platitudes ala JS.

I rate this ep 4 out of 5. Minus 1 because Shelby let Lionel in the barn AGAIN this week...BAD BAD dog!:rotfl: :\

[Deana]

I only like the ending scene between Clark and Martha.

[christiandave]

Originally posted by carlralph
The episode was filled with improbabilities...Martha being asked to meet with the governer, and taking Jonathan's clothes to Suicide Slum--at night? Lana finding the watch in a pawn shop in about a day? People travelling back and forth between Smallville and Metropolis, several times, in the same night (excluding Clark)? Lionel once again a power player? Lex knowing about Lionel's meeting with Jonathan?

But you know what--so what? The last scene was an emotional killer. This is one dad of two teenage daughters who cried his eyes out. Clark finally lets it all out. Jonathan says bye bye. Martha holds on tight to her only son. That scene may have been the best moment in ANY Superman/Smallville screen incarnation, EVER.

I meant, of course, "governor," not governer.

I agree 100% with your critique carlralph. In addition to the improbabilities you mentioned, I would also add another negative: the acuvue product placement. I don't look forward to a future where the ads are placed within the plots of our favorite shows. We already have to deal with those annoying banner ads(or whatever you call them) that advertise up-coming shows.

SPOILER: Yes, the end of the episode where Jonathan says, "Goodbye" and Clark breaks down crying, was one of the best moments EVER in a Superman incarnation. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried.

[rundstedt2001]

Vengeance was just utter crap!...A female dressed up as some clown with weird powers!....U kidding me??? The whole story just cried to the heavens! Just stupid

Very disappointing!

[Jigga]

Uh...yea...so the episode. They had a huge chance here to make a big difference in the series....and they flopped, kinda. This episode was suppose to be a huge turning point. I mean come on it's the episode after JK dies. So, how can I be disappointed?

The Batman music kicked in and I was pumped ready to see how awesome episode this episode was going to be, and as soon as the feeling came, it went away. :confused: Don't get me wrong, I liked the whole Pa Kent's watch thing (probably the saving grace of the episode), but seriously they could have done without the girl.

I know she's suppose to be some shout out to Batman/Wonder Woman, but if you're not going to show the actual DC characters don't bother coming up with some cheesy new character. Ugh...her acting and the lines, jeez.....come on....BAD ASS!? Maybe, not necessarily her fault, but who wrote that? What was that....kinda just came out of nowhere, honestly (there are a bunch of other lines, too).

They could have done the whole "I'm gonna kill the bad guy, but Pa told me no" arc and left the whole entire mystery girl out.

So, mystery girl = lame acting+lame lines = not needed at all.

If she becomes a recurring character, this is gonna be the 4th season witch thing all over again. This will be the thing the writer's all look back on and say holy crud...we didn't even need her to make a good story.

Also, on top of the whole Andrea mess, they overused references. Ugh...it's not enough that they used a Batman type theme music everytime the chick pops up, almost every scene with Chloe, Clark, and Andrea had some lame throwback to the comics/movies. I have digged all the references before because they were subtle, but in this episode they were totally trying to say "Hey, fans look it's almost Batman, but not quite...and she's a girl, too like Wonder Woman."

Also, what's kind of odd is that Lionel doesn't make a comment of Clark superspeeding to save his butt. Clark doesn't even question whether or not Lionel saw anything. :eek: How can he be so careless at this point?....His father has been warning him throughout all the seasons to keep his powers in check especially from the likes of Lionel and there he goes superspeeding to save the bad guy. There should have been red flags all over this scene on Clark's part, but...nothing! Now, we all know what JK would have said if he was still alive at this point. The first thing that would have came out of his mouth would be, "Did he see you use your powers?" I understand that Clark/Superman is the most naive superhero out of any... DC/Marvel/any other comic franchises, but now, they are making Clark just plain dumb. This part could have been a huge stepping stone for Clark in terms of keeping his powers in check and tying everything to JK.

So, I'm gonna just walk away from this episode. It never happened, at least the Andrea part! It's like a bad dream. If she turns up in future episodes, she's not there....I'll pretend.:rotfl:

I did like the ending with JK and young Clark on the tractor and "Man of Steel" reference there. It was a reference to the "super" in a "not so super" environment.

Did anyone catch that Metal Gear shoutout? "Snake...SNAKE!!!" = Awesome

[JerryKing]

Ridiculous cribbing of "Batman", complete with a faux Elfman/Walker score... that's this week's episode.

And... while Smallville has never been a place for true thespians - apart, of course, from Glover, Rosenbaum, O'Toole and Schneider - the woman cast as the Batman replacement was so painfully atrocious that, compared to her antitalent, that wooden stump used as Aquaman almost seemed to be an actor... Heavens almighty, a store mannequin can radiate emotions and act infinitely better than this whoever-it-was did... Truly an abomination. She even stumbled on the lines, as she ploughed through them in her unchanging, nasal monotone.

[Kryptonian Snake]

The Good
Clark's anger in the opening scenes came off very well and the final scene with him sobbing in Martha's arms was touching.
The fake mugging scene was funny, especially the look on Chloe's face when she's screaming "Nooooooo!" at the end.
We got two Lex-Lionel scenes and a little insight into Lionel's reasons for backing Jonathan Kent.


The Bad
The main plot didn't really interest me. I didn't care about the watch or the "Angel of Vengeance". Maybe it's because I'm not really sentimental, but it seemed silly to spend a whole night trying to recover a watch. Coming into the episode, I just expected Clark to team up with Andrea and simply lash out at random thugs simply because of his grief.
The special effects for the AoV were cheesy, especially the scene in which she scales the wall.
The Lex-Lana scene was pointless. Earlier in the episode they'd already established that Lana wanted to be there for Clark, and the last few episodes have shown us that Lex is trying to move in on Lana. There was no need to reiterate those points.
Too many anvils. Did we really need Chloe to specifically ask Clark if he could be "a bumbling reporter by day and a cime fighter by night" or mention that Andrea works at the Daily Planet to keep tabs on the crimes going on in the city?

[Ketchup]

I thought this episode was amazing. One of the best in the whole series.

[Watching Smallville]

I thought this was a good episode. It was especially good to enjoy an episode after being disappointed by Reckoning. I've only seen Vengeance once, so I haven't really solidifed my take on it, but other than some minor contrivances, I thought it accomplished a lot, and accomplished it well.

We see the aftermath of Jonathan's death and its effects on everyone. Martha goes forward with a lot of strength in contrast to Clark who refuses to say goodbye until the end. Both Lionel (more enigmatic than ever) and Lex find ways to use Jonathan's death for their own purposes. Lana finds a way back into Clark's good graces by retrieving the watch. And Chloe becomes closer to Martha because she remains the one person with whom Martha can share Clark's secret. And I thought the ending gave John Schneider a heartfelt send off.

The Angel of Vengeance story line didn't really appeal to me, but I have to admit, it delivered in terms of presenting a role model to Clark of someone who used her powers to fight evil -- even though Andrea's motives turned out to be personal in the end. She also gave him a contrast to the way he was raised -- never to do anyone harm. She cemented this philosophy for him, I think.

AM and TW have such good chemistry, any scene with them together is a joy. But when they do comedy, they're wonderful. I think it's tricky to insert a comic scene into such a serious context, but the writers and the actors pulled it off.

Overall I agree with what another poster said -- it was like watching vintage Smallville. (I even said that to myself during the episode.) For that reason, and all the other good points, I give Vengeance 4 out 5 stars.

[greggbray]

Agreed, also 4/5 for the reasons you list.

My problem with 'Reckoning' is that it didn't really move Clark's journey forward. Yes, the story was moved forward by the death, but his story seemed like it was about to do some good old fashioned wheel-spinning.

This episode helped him progress--he wants to help people, fight crime, etc. But he doesn't want to be masked. He wants to be himself.

I think that's a real move forward from where he was a few weeks ago.

[aoa4life]

I thought this episode was great...it was acted very well and i even teared up at the end. i thought it was very touching
how you get to see the emotions that go on when someone loses somebody close. I am very impressed with the acting that everyone is doing.

[Watching Smallville]

Originally posted by greggbray
This episode helped him progress--he wants to help people, fight crime, etc. But he doesn't want to be masked. He wants to be himself.

I think that's a real move forward from where he was a few weeks ago.
I liked that development, too. Coming from Clark, the line about not hiding who he was surprised me, but at the same time made complete sense.

[Fernandaflima]

I thought that every scene with Chloe is so amazing I'm sorry Clanas but I think that Chloe is more important to smallville than Lana caracter

[Ketchup]

Originally posted by Fernandaflima
I thought that every scene with Chloe is so amazing I'm sorry Clanas but I think that Chloe is more important to smallville than Lana caracter

Thank you for your opinion. Now, before this turns into a debate, let's get back to the discussion of the actual episode.

[tjpw fanatic]

i LOVED vengeance..i thought i was awesome..i cried at the last seen..i thought it was more emotional then reckoning..tom welling did an excellent job..also at the beginning of the show i was ready for clana to be over..and i thought that it was time for clois..but then at the end when lana got him the watch it was the sweetest thing ever!! lois would have never done that..she would have made some kind of smart remark..so GO CLANA!! tom welling looked really hot in the jean jacket and hoody!! lol well yeah i just loved the episode it was soo awesome..the end was like the saddest thing ever..it was like john schnieder was saying good-bye to us!! im going to miss him!! he was clark's balance between good and evil..like what clark said "he was always the one that kept me from going over the edge when i was too close"..he helped clark make so many descions..its going to be hard without him..alright i wont write anymore lol

[UltrarodimusP]

That was AWESOME! I just saw it. I think it was the best follow up an episode like "Reckoning" could have.

Absolutely Spectacular! The acting was great, although I wasn't too impressed with the Angel of Vengeance acting. She was a great character, but the actress needs some coaching.

But that was fantastic! I hope we see her again and I hope she eventually becomes a member of the JLA.

[jmf1]

The last scene was the only good part of this episode. Hated the Acuvue product promotion and the FOTW storyline. SV writers really have an opportunity to blaze new ground. Seriously hope they do it soon.

[dhacker615]

This episode really highlights a lot of what "Smallville" does well, but was not that great overall.

First the good news, the scenes with Clark and Martha reacting to JKs death were uniformly excellent. Everyone loved the scene at the end, but I thought the scene in the at the start barn was nearly as good. The fact that Clark was trying (and failing) to fix the tractor like his Dad was touching. His breaking the wrench with his bare hands was a nice little reminder that he is not some ordinary farm kid.

They even did an 'ok' job finding a way to work Lana into the story. After 'Reckoning', they wanted to leave the state of the Clana ambigous. Fair enough, but they couldn't leave her off camera either. Her listening to Clark's pain, then going and finding the watch was pretty true to her character. The Chloe stuff was cute and lightened the tone a bit. The gather around the computer scene made my miss the old Clark-Chloe-Pete days at the Talon.

The Lionel Luthor/Lex Luthor battle round 105 was a bit out of left field, but welcome. Bad Lionel is more fun than prisoner Lionel, good Lionel, Lion-El and *shudder* romantic Lionel. The resolution was absurd, but the show has had a lot going on. Properly setting up a minor Lex-Lionel subplot a couple episodes in advance is pretty far beyond the abilities of the "Smallville" writing staff. They went straight for the pay-off, which fine. The acting and the look of the show cover up a lot of sins on the plot side.

However, the FOTW was pretty terrible. You could tell from the previews that Zorro Lass was going to be groan inducing and she certainly was. I miss the early seasons that went for more of an X-Files feel to the FOTWs. Horror plays a lot better on TV than straight superhero stuff. The costumes and the effects are pretty hard to pull off without a feature film budget. I've liked the "Smallville" versions of the Flash and Aquaman, but they avoided the tights. Zorro Lass didn't and was laughable at times.

Overall, I'd say it was a 3 out of 5.

[ryb]

This review brought to you by Acuvue. To the rescue!

Ok, so let's start off with the bad. First off on the bad list was Denise Quinones, who played Andrea. With a reminiscent air of Alan Ritchson (The AC), Quinones had the numbers but not the heart in this episode. She came across as stale, all spark and no substance. I do not think this was writers' error -- it is the actor's job to make the written work come alive -- and Quinones did not sell it.

The effects regarding our vigilante of the week were lackluster at best, but I have a feeling this is funding induced and not a hint of the lack of talent behind the effects crew (No matter -- don't show what you can't display). The effects surrounding her flight/fanfare had the smell of cheese to them throughout the episode.

Another bad -- Acuvue. Unfortunately, this is not the show's fault. This is the production company's. I'm afraid we're headed into an era of advertisement while watching the program. My theory is that this is signaling another reason why TV will become the radio in about 50 years. What with DVDs and TiVos and the grand ol' internet taking over the entertainment genre, TV itself may be jumping the shark. And advertisers may be sensing it. Thus, product placement is harder to do -- so why not place it in the show? Though some subtlety might have been warranted on the writers' part, I imagine prodding on the advertisers' part was more than encouraging. Alas, it made for a regrettable and awkward moment on the program -- one that stifled an otherwise fairly good scene.

The good -- there was plenty of it in this one.

1) The acting -- absolutely fantastic job by everyone in the main cast. Annette O'Toole stole the show in this one, playing a defeated, aging woman who is lost without her man. O'Toole nailed the distant/aloof look that is too often seen when tragedy strikes. Honorable mentions in this episode were numerous: The Rosenbaum/Glover scenes were fantastic, Mack and Welling continue to shine together, and even Kreuk had an above average performance. The acting has really stepped up recently, and I am pleased.

2) The atmosphere -- Not a bad move on the writers part to bring a little darkness, visually and emotionally, to the episode after the events of Reckoning. Most of the episode featured dark and dirty sets. Even the barn/house scenes were noticeably darker (visually) than usual. The overall tone of the episode was just right.

The parallel storyline between Clark and Andrea was appreciated, if a little predictable. The murder scene was especially well done. The Andrea/Lionel LutherCorp scene was also noteworthy in this respect.

Now for the really good stuff...Clark and Martha. No review would be complete without a mention for the first and last scene between Clark and Martha. I can't emphasize enough the great touches added to these scenes -- how Clark could not fix the farm equipment, how Welling emphasized the emotions of shock versus grief versus anger versus denial in Clark (easy to tell the "5" stages), how O'Toole played just the right mixture of hesitance and parental oversight regarding Clark's reaction...

And, of course, the final scene. Folks, this is the best sequence Smallville has ever produced, hands down. I've seen a great number of movies and TV shows, and I don't know if I've seen a more touching and emotionally powerful sequence ever committed to screens. The power of the scene is in its simplicity. There is no greater impact emotion can have than by using genuine sadness to convey it. When it comes to deaths in families, family photo albums or home videos are usually ways to remember and to grieve. This was the perfect swan song for Jonathan Kent (and for John Schneider, who was terrific in the video). Undoubtedly a goodbye to Marth and to Clark as well as a goodbye to the show and to the fans, Jonathan Kent (and John Schneider) went out in the best way possible. You will be greatly missed.

Welling and O'Toole are perfect here. No talking -- just pure emotion. I wonder how much acting went into this scene -- I doubt it took much effort to portray the emotions they conveyed. And the last angle -- with John Schneider's face frozen on screen -- perfect. Big kudos to the writing/directing team for this scene. Outstanding work.

Other noteworthy marks: Hilarious sequence with Clark and Chloe in the cul-de-sac of doom (undoubtedly some ribbing at the Clark character, who is notoriously indifferent when portrayed by an actor -- "Give it some PASSION!" says Welling. Perfect.). Great Martha and Chloe scene, and the scenes between Clark and Lana were also quite well done.

Going into the future -- what's up with Lionel? Just when I think I have him pegged (which, I guess I did), another layer of character complexity shows up. The scene with Clark was undoubtedly purposefully leading. I'm thinking now that Lionel is most certainly aware of Clark, and I also think that Clark is aware that he knows (Refer to his comment to Chloe in Solitude -- "We may have a bigger problem"). Strange stuff going on in Lionel Land.

I think there is no doubt now that the Lex-Lana-Clark triangle will explode with ferocity in future episodes. A seemingly telling conversation between Lex and Lana is undoubtedly a foreshadow of the road to come.

I think some great stuff is headed our way before the season closes.

Although I think the episode Vengeance at times got away from itself, although there was shameless advertising, although there were some cheesy effects, and although there were some not-so-subtle references/foreshadows (laying it on a little thick at times) -- this episode was visually and emotionally dead-on. With acting at the top of its game (sans Quinones) and with excellent writing/directing touches (Some accolades to first-time Smallville writers Al Septien and Turi Meyer), this episode is a cut above many of the rest.

Vengeance: A-

Just a comment on one of the complaints about the episode. Did anyone ever consider that Lex may be monitoring Lionel (Cell phone records are not difficult to obtain, e.g.)? This may be how Lex found out about Lionel's meeting with Jonathan. Or, maybe he was monitoring his political adversary? I didn't find this as an "impossiblity" at all.

[Clair de Lune]

I liked the simplicity of using the watch to carry the story. It's just a plain watch, but it carries so much emotional weight. In the end, we see a close-up of the watch, and I think we're not supposed to just look at the watch but also at Clark's hand because now it's the hand of a man, a grown-up, not of JK, but of Clark who's now his own man (and now pretty much the "man of the house"). I thought that was a powerful scene.

[drufan]

This show grew up in this episode. Clark is now an adult and its time to act like one. This episode made up for all of last year's schlock. MR's and JG's chemistry is fantastic. TW, kudos buddy, you carried the show's emotional baggage. And finally a well done for the FWOTW. Can't have Batman, so she handled the vigilante cowl well. TPTB letting Chloe and Lana step away from the whining for one episode-- well all I can say is: about time. This episode ranks up there with Memoria. When I cry at the end...it's got to be good.

[umbra1]

I liked the episode a lot.

I especially liked Clark's scenes with Chloe, the Lex-Lionel up-the-ante scenes, and Martha. Annette O'Toole gave one heck of a performance in this one.

And how about that ending, huh? We'll miss you, Bo!


Originally posted by Clair de Lune
I liked the simplicity of using the watch to carry the story. It's just a plain watch, but it carries so much emotional weight. In the end, we see a close-up of the watch, and I think we're not supposed to just look at the watch but also at Clark's hand because now it's the hand of a man, a grown-up, not of JK, but of Clark who's now his own man (and now pretty much the "man of the house"). I thought that was a powerful scene.

Great point, Clair de Lune. That was a pretty good use of symoblism.

[Sweetie]

Great episode.All different emotions:sorrow,anger,vengeance mixted with alot of action.

A very touching moment between Martha & Chloé also the tape of Johnathan & little Clark was so moving.

[edwinisdenim]

I think.. Angel of Vengence is hot. She has the hot chick look and with her Acuvue on, my goodness.. I think i am all over her. Hehe.. Anyway, this is a good episode. The ending.. great one. The watch.. couldnt believe it. The mugging part, chloe/clark.. hillarious. Lex/Lionel... cool as ever. Overall.. 8/10

[TW1977]

I cried at the end. I just wanted to hold Clark!

[MyOwnSuperhero]

This was an episode that, under normal circumstances, would have just been a lousy throw-away peice of filler. Think about it - Ms. Angel of Vengance (the lame-o Batman stand in with her cheesy pirate belt buckle) shows up, stops a mugging. She and Clark team up to track them down and we learn >shock< that her morals may not be quite the same as Clark's. Clark of course teaches the young hero the importance of human life and that's it. We never hear from this Angela chick again. Mix in a pinch of goofy Chlark humor, a dash of Clana and Lexana and one fat, over done product placement and you've got any other mediocre filler ep.

Instead, because of the events of Reckoning (which did indeed change everything), it became a powerful emotional journey. Clark is forced to take big steps and grow up fast now that Dad's gone. Because of the Clana break up, the Clana and Lexana were more interesting. because of how ambiguous Lionel has been, the Luthor scene was all the more cool.

If a lousy ep is suddenly made great, quit knocking Reckoning!

[ClLaLeChFAN01]

Besides me wanting to buy Acuve contacts (NOT!) I think that it was really a great episode.

The AoV part was interesting, it was creative how she came into her powers.

The Mugging part was hilliarous!!!

And the end was perfect and it got what it needed to get out, almost with no dialong.

[my3cats]

This was one of the strongest episodes of the season, if not the entire series.

Smallville has returned to what they do best, the powerful portrayals of family relationships, the Kents pulling together and the Luthors rivalry.

The A-plot was well done with a well developed FOTW character, even if it was "comic-booky"

Great "Good-Bye" to Jonathan, I was afraid they were going to just have everyone forget he ever existed, a week later, like Alicia.

Loved the "Mionel" giving Lex a chance to give Lionel a taste of his own medicine by using his emotional vulnerability against him.

Loved that Clark finially shows signs of growing-up and having a grasp of priorities, from the opening scene where he trying to "fill Jonathans shoes" and actually doesn't drop everything to kow-tow to Lana's high-maintainance whining, was a real breakthrough.

One complaint, the time reversal in Reckoning, seems to have reversed all the improvements they had made to the writing of Lana this season, she was back to her whiney annoying self this ep, and they were doing so well.

[Supersonic]

*chloe* chloe* chloe* chloe* *Foams at mouth*

[RockGod815]

I loved this episode even more than "Reckoning" The last scene made me cry even more than I did watching the previous episode. Not many shows get it right when they kill off a charactor but Smallville definatly did. The whole episode was great because it showed what was going on inside of Clark. It allowed everyone to see him begin to accept his father's death and finally grieve.

[brainiacowen]

Best: The ending with the video of Jonathan(Tom Welling has gotten so freakin' good!).

Worst: The girl that played the Avenging Angel...she is NOT a good actress...and now she's one of the main characters on the new Aquaman series that's coming out by Gough and Millar...(not as the same character)

[PowerofFlight]

It was a powerfully emotional episode.

I am hoping that Clark soon decides he is tired of getting spin kicked by characters no where near as powerful as he is. That means he'd just brace himself and the kick or punch would bounce off him and hurt the assailant.

[wildcat]

Originally posted by TW1977
I cried at the end. I just wanted to hold Clark!

Don't we all!

[McKeznak]

I like this episode my only complait was the Angel's acting, the roof scene was almost unbearable.

[Welling_is_pretty]

I got to see this tonight on the rerun. What a total waste of time this was except for a few cute moments and the last two minutes.
AlandMiles (or whoever wrote this) played it too cute with the whole mild mannered reporter/secret identity thing. And why, oh why, oh why is Clark always reactive instead of [i]proactive[i] about this stuff? That really bugs me.
He's supposed to be the inspiration, not the other way around!
Anyway, about the last scene, which I had heard so much about:
everyone is right, it's great! I love how Clark just falls apart and cries in his mother's arms. It was great acting from Welling. I'm glad I saw that bit.
Otherwise, I could have just tuned in in the last 3 minutes and wouldn't have missed much.
I really didn't care for this episode.
At all.

[disciples of zod]

*claps* very good episode all the way through. the ending made us cry!

[maryjanewatson]

despite the angels unbearably horrible acting, this was a really good episode! The ending made my heart break for clark! This was a good acting episode for tom welling. He has improved so much as an actor! I am so proud of him! I just want to give him a big hug!

[smallvillechloefan01]

i loved how u see clarks point of view but dont u think its kinda random about that vengance chick....

[german-one]

every time when we saw the Angel of Vengeance we heard that Batman music - I hated that- because I only want to hear this music connected with Batman

[JulieLindsell]

I think this was a great episode overall, though I wasn't completely convinced by the Angel of Vengance's acting, she was good, but she didn't have me gripped as much as everyone else. I loved the scenes between Chloe and Clark when they were pretending she was mugged, they were funny, but the best scene of the whole thing was the last one, it was without a doubt the most moving scene I've ever seen, so beautifully put together and Tom's acting was just spot on, made me wanna cry!
xx

[Twelling_SV_L0VE]

I really liked this episode.
The ending with clark and his mother, when jonathan said goodbye and then clark crying, I really cried too

[carlralph]

My God, I haven't visited this forum in a long time, but after watching Power I wanted to comment on Ms. Mack's outstanding work. I'm really shocked how nasty and negative people have been about this episode. To tell the truth, I haven't really liked Smallville much this year. But Power was tight, it popped visually from start to finish (Mack found interesting ways to make pedestrial scenes/dialogue work), and the story is actually in keeping with how the Lana character has been used in the comics (not specifically, but the comic writers have given Lana things to do that would curl the toes of some of the posters here). At least we can appreciate fine work (Mack, Kreuk), overlook the tedious (Clark Whiner Kent), and enjoy the show for what it offers us. For free.

----- Added 1 Minutes later -----

Sorry, friends, I posted this in the wrong place. First time posting! At least in a long time.

[Mickey_Bickey]

One of my favorite episodes of all time, and easily my favorite Chloe/Clark scene in it!

10!

[Nimkong]

This episode is ok,but probably the worst superhero episode there is.Liked the new superhero and clarks vengenance was tight.But the plot was boring and so was the new superhero

[SGuthrie27]

I really enjoyed re-watching this episode a lot. The Angel of Vengeance/Andrea Rojas wasn't nearly as bad an actress/character as I originally may have perceived her. I felt for her character more this time around than I had last time, and the emotional weight of many of the scenes was pretty powerful. I expected nothing less after Clark and Martha's loss in the previous episode. Chloe had many good moments here, too, but I have to admit that her "Acuvue to the rescue" product placement line was really cringe-worthy, LOL. I give it 8 contact lenses out of 10.

[hadezown]

It was an episode where nothing annoyed me, but at the same time, the plot and writting was average. So no harm done with this one.

[KneelBeforeSmallville]

I really like this episode. It was nice they showcased Clark doing things a little different and hitting the streets of Metroplolis with another Avenenger. I love the action in this ep, very steller stuff! And another highlight of season 5 It was sad Pa Kent was gone but you really felt every1 effected from his loss, and that was emotional.

My only problem is the whole...Lionel comes over to the Kent farm, they played that WAYYYY TO MUCH on this disc. I get it ok, no need to show us every ep. He knocks up at the back door, it gets awkward.

It was a good ep all in all, i like it!