Orb Inconsistency & Major Retcon about the Stones & Davis

[HeroesUnlimited]

Exactly. A lot of people keep saying: "The orb was created to control Clark if he ever became a threat to humanity," but the only reason to explain what the orb does know is to say that the orb can do MANY things, which including the power to control Clark.

Again, I don't think this is a stretch EITHER. Blue Kryptonite, remember? What does blue Kryptonite do? It blocks a Kryptonian's powers. The orb was infused with it as we saw tonight.

[BrandonR]

That's news to me. How do you figure?

It was in one of those side comic strip things that are technically considered SV canon unless contradicted on screen (which this doesn't do). It was Justice and Doom or Kara and the Chronicles of Krypton. One of those two.

Again, I don't think this is a stretch EITHER. Blue Kryptonite, remember? What does blue Kryptonite do? It blocks a Kryptonian's powers. The orb was infused with it as we saw tonight.

Oooooo, nice. I never made that connection. That makes a lot of sense.

[xrayvision]

I haven't read through all of this thread so I don't know if this was mentioned, but there's no inconsistency with the stones. We already know that Zod communicated with Gertrude in the 17th Century about the stones, so clearly Kryptonians have a way to communicate through time. The fact that they showed the stones and the orb 20 years before Krypton's destruction changes nothing. Furthermore, there's nothing to suggest that Faora was Zod's first wife.

The whole OP is nothing but assumptions.

Assumptions? Wrong, I've watched the show in detail. There's a difference between communicating through time like we saw in the episode Crisis between Lana and Clark and actually going back in time and hiding the stones. It's possible that they could do the latter (where Jor-El time travels), but to me, that's nothing but a total copout. Smallville is making Jor-El be the only significant Kryptonian in the House of El other than Clark. And that's just not the case.

Having to resort to time travel is cheap and poor writing. It's a plot device. They should have introduced Kem-El as the one who hid them and who foretold the Naman prophecy. But I'm sure Jor-El will be shown to be responsible for the prophecy too.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

Again, I don't think this is a stretch EITHER. Blue Kryptonite, remember? What does blue Kryptonite do? It blocks a Kryptonian's powers. The orb was infused with it as we saw tonight.

That may make sense. It glowed a purplish/bluish color when Lex inserted it into the Fortress. But it needed to be plugged into the Fortress. Also, I wasn't aware blue kryptonite hurt Brainiac since that's what the orb did when Brainiac (as Kara) tried to take it.

But its origins don't make sense unless they use the idiotic copout---time travel. Where the hell is Kem-El in this show?

[BrandonR]

Assumptions? Wrong, I've watched the show in detail. There's a difference between communicating through time like we saw in the episode Crisis between Lana and Clark and actually going back in time and hiding the stones. It's possible that they could do the latter (where Jor-El time travels), but to me, that's nothing but a total copout. Smallville is making Jor-El be the only significant Kryptonian in the House of El other than Clark. And that's just not the case.

Having to resort to time travel is cheap and poor writing. It's a plot device. They should have introduced Kem-El as the one who hid them and who foretold the Naman prophecy. But I'm sure Jor-El will be shown to be responsible for the prophecy too.

Even if it is cheap, poor writing, and a cop out, that doesn't mean there's an inconsistency or a retcon.

[xrayvision]

Even if it is cheap, poor writing, and a cop out, that doesn't mean there's an inconsistency or a retcon.

Well, I guess you have me there. But it does indicate a bad quality in the writing of the show.

[Vergon6]

Assumptions? Wrong, I've watched the show in detail. There's a difference between communicating through time like we saw in the episode Crisis between Lana and Clark and actually going back in time and hiding the stones. It's possible that they could do the latter (where Jor-El time travels), but to me, that's nothing but a total copout. Smallville is making Jor-El be the only significant Kryptonian in the House of El other than Clark. And that's just not the case.

Having to resort to time travel is cheap and poor writing. It's a plot device. They should have introduced Kem-El as the one who hid them and who foretold the Naman prophecy. But I'm sure Jor-El will be shown to be responsible for the prophecy too.

It seems the fans are more attentive to the show than the writers are. I have wrote fanfic too, so I re-watch episodes or read up on things or remember on my own, to make things at least relatively consistent or explained. There was some good continuity in this episode in terms of Jor-El not knowing he had a son and his rite of passage in "Relic" but then they forgot most of Season 4 it seems, aside from the fact that there were stones. And of course, they totally forgot the orb's original purpose or how long ago it was placed on Earth. Unless it turns out an identical looking orb was place on Earth earlier.

[HeroesUnlimited]

Originally Posted by BrandonR We already know that Zod communicated with Gertrude in the 17th Century about the stones, so clearly Kryptonians have a way to communicate through time.

That's news to me. How do you figure?

That's news to me. How do you figure?

It's not part of Smallville canon actually. If you read Smallville magazine, there was a very interesting short story in one of the issues, dealing with the stones of knowledge and Veritas. In that story, it told how Zod had communicated with Isobelle.

[BrandonR]

Well, I guess you have me there. But it does indicate a bad quality in the writing of the show.

In an episode this good, I'm willing to give that a pass. Every show uses plot devices, including Smallville. I'm willing to live with them using plot devices for an ancient back story if it means helping the present story of Clark becoming Superman.

It's not part of Smallville canon actually. If you read Smallville magazine, there was a very interesting short story in one of the issues, dealing with the stones of knowledge and Veritas. In that story, it told how Zod had communicated with Isobelle.

I'm pretty sure all of those side stories, whether they be those comic strip things or short stories in a magazine, are considered canon unless otherwise noted. They wouldn't put a short story in the magazine if it was just meant for kicks, unless they specifically said it was.

[xrayvision]

This could have been an excellent segue to introduce Kem-El into the series instead. Then they could have brought on the Eradicator, which is sorely needed & missing from the show, and explained that Kem-El created the cave prophecy.

[Theshadow129x]

It was a complete jump in explanation. We really didnt need to learn anything about the stones of power but we got a big inconsistent story out of this episode which ruined it to me. As soon as they mentioned the stones and the cloning and everything else, the entire aspect of the episode went to hell for me. good job smallville! i knew this would happen when they tried to tell a back story. they can never get anything right on this show when it comes to going to the past.

[Estro-gen X]

Assumptions? Wrong, I've watched the show in detail. There's a difference between communicating through time like we saw in the episode Crisis between Lana and Clark and actually going back in time and hiding the stones. It's possible that they could do the latter (where Jor-El time travels), but to me, that's nothing but a total copout. Smallville is making Jor-El be the only significant Kryptonian in the House of El other than Clark. And that's just not the case.

Having to resort to time travel is cheap and poor writing. It's a plot device. They should have introduced Kem-El as the one who hid them and who foretold the Naman prophecy. But I'm sure Jor-El will be shown to be responsible for the prophecy too.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----



That may make sense. It glowed a purplish/bluish color when Lex inserted it into the Fortress.

But its origins don't make sense unless they use the idiotic copout---time travel. Where the hell is Kem-El in this show?

Why do you keep saying Kem-El?

Here

http://theages.superman.nu/encyc/entries/index.php?entry=el-family

It would make sense if the prophecies came from Jaf-El and the stones placed by Var-El

[BrandonR]

It was a complete jump in explanation. We really didnt need to learn anything about the stones of power but we got a big inconsistent story out of this episode which ruined it to me. As soon as they mentioned the stones and the cloning and everything else, the entire aspect of the episode went to hell for me. good job smallville! i knew this would happen when they tried to tell a back story. they can never get anything right on this show when it comes to going to the past.

There's no inconsistency at all, as established a few posts up. Was it bad writing? Well that's a matter of opinion, but it's not an inconsistency when it matches with what's already been established and with what can easily be presumed: time travel. A plot device, yes, but oh well.

[Iluvgreen]

I don't think the son Zod was talking about was Davis.

[xrayvision]

In an episode this good, I'm willing to give that a pass. Every show uses plot devices, including Smallville. I'm willing to live with them using plot devices for an ancient back story if it means helping the present story of Clark becoming Superman.

The only thing is that this one has a bad track record lately when trying to connect Kryptonian aspects of the show. It started back in season 7 with the Veritas retcon. Before that, the main retcons involved Chloe's background.

I'm sure many here would have appreciated a nod to Kem-El. Or at the very least wouldn't have minded it.

[HeroesUnlimited]

It seems the fans are more attentive to the show than the writers are. I have wrote fanfic too

You've got that right. XRayVision should write for the show. He's got some great ideas in his fan fics (albeit long-winded ones )