Smallville Salvation Review

All human kind will Kneel before Zod

Our episode begins in the year 2013. Yeah, roll with it.

Lois Lane is exiting the office of the Daily Planet’s editor Perry White, where she’s sporting a pair of Clark Kent glasses and receives a delivery of flowers. She looks at the front page to find out that Lex Luthor is apparently making a bid for presidency. Yes, apparently Lex has returned to life for a maximum of three years and is that eligible to run for President of the United States.

Like I said, roll with it.

Lois ends up hearing about a plane heading toward the building and finds Clark’s desk has been abandoned, along with his signature pair of glasses. She calls for Olsen (thank God she can only be referring to Faux Jimmy’s little brother) and looks to see the plane saved by a red and blue blur that comes to save the plane from crashing into the globe of the Daily Planet. Through this scene we hear Doctor Fate’s prophecy that Clark “will lead (his) generation, as Hawkman once led ours”.

So what do we cut to next? Present day Clark opening his eyes of course. Yes folks, Clark is a regular alien psychic. I guess Doctor Fate left a little pixie dust on his shoulder the last time they talked.

Clark wakes up to see a note from his mom on top of a box that says “In case you decide to stay”. I love how it sounds like Clark is considering moving to another town instead of…you know…AN ALTERNATE PLANE OF EXISTENCE! Clark then opens up the gift and we hear a choir go off in the background as we see the reflection of a red and yellow House of El crest with a blue background.

What better reason for Clark to stay on Earth then by wearing a homemade Halloween costume his mommy made? I’m surprised he didn’t slap the Book of Rao on the Fortress’ console two seconds later.

Next we see Lois on a rooftop to meet “The Blur” who is revealed to be Zod. She doesn’t buy it at first, saying that the Blur wouldn’t out his secret identity and that he warned her that people might claim to be him. She also says Zod was shot, but he says his powers “saved “him. He gives a whole speech about protection and that people are trying to expose him, including Clark Kent. He says Clark has something he needs and says he’s not who she thinks he is.

At Watchtower, Ollie tells Chloe he’s coming home to help her with the war ahead. He alludes to their feelings, but quickly changes the subject. You know he seems to be pretty good for a man who just had a letter of the alphabet scorched over his heart.

Clark comes to Watchtower, showing Chloe the Book of Rao and tells her that Zod lied to them. The Book of Rao isn’t a Kryptonian Bible, it’s just a device that will send all of the Kryptonians away. Well then it wouldn’t really be a book, would it?!

Clark says he doesn’t want to leave because of his destiny. This took a bit of adjusting due to Clark’s “put everyone before yourself” morality, but he’s also considering the fact that he’s supposed to protect the world.
Chloe says that Jor-El has been silent with him and that maybe the trials have been made for him to prepare for the ultimate choice. Or it’s the fact that Terence Stamp wasn’t available or the producers didn’t call him.

At the Fortress, Zod yells inside and Tess confronts him. She says she wants redemption and Zod beats the crap out of her, saying the Kandorians knew she was hiding the Book of Rao. Wait a minute, then why didn’t he send them to go and destroy it if he knew the book was going to transport them away from Earth?

Well Tess pulls out the Kryptonite dagger and starts kicking the crap out of Zod, but he eventually gets his footing and blasts his heat vision at her.

Clark then goes to the Fortress and tells Jor-El that he can’t save Zod and that he’s staying on Earth. Once again, Terence Stamp isn’t credited, so Clark is talking to no one. Or so it seems. Instead Zod is still there and says he believes only the strong deserve to survive on Earth. Clark reminds him of Faora and says that he can be redeemed. Clark mentions how Jonathan Kent’s heart attack was because of him, but Zod still won’t believe in redemption. After a long talk about destiny, Clark tells Zod he won’t win, but Zod flies off anyway to prove him wrong. Clark also finds Tess who has had the right side of her face burnt to a crisp.

Yes, you know exactly who this is starting to feel like!

The make up on Cassidy Freeman isn’t the best, but thankfully it seems Smallville picked up on that right away, as most of Tess’ scenes from here are in the dark.

At the hospital, Tess tells Clark that the Book of Rao doesn’t need the Fortress’ console to be used. Before the solar tower was destroyed, the console was removed by Tess to a safe location. She also says that she hopes Clark will do well, because the war has already begun.

Across the world, landmarks like the Washington Monument, Great Wall of China and the Acropolis in Athens are burned with the House of Zod emblem on them. Chloe has hauled in her superhero friends (Hawkman, Stargirl, Black Canary, Cyborg, John Jones) and placed them all over the world while contacting them via computer screen.

Now I was one for saying that this episode had way too many guest characters, but this is kind of a cheap way of bringing the gang together. They’re not actually there, they’re not moving the story forward, it’s just them sitting in front of a camera bickering amongst each other of what needs to be done.

Eventually Clark steps in and tells them he’s made a decision. He’s going to use the Book of Rao to transport the Kandorians, including himself, to another world and give them a new start. He tells them his destiny will need to be fulfilled by them now and they all say goodbye. Chloe says she’s proud of Clark but walks off to be alone. Ollie says Clark needs to leave her be, but the person he really needs to talk to is Lois. He says it’s time to be honest with her before he goes, but Clark says it would only be more painful for her to find out just before he leaves.

On top of a building, Basqat tells Zod that they’ve destroyed the satellites that Watchtower would network with and Zod realizes that the Book of Rao must be destroyed if they’re to win.

Chloe realizes all of the teammates can’t be contacted, so Ollie tells her to chill out. He tells her he bought a satellite just for Watchtower as a gift for Chloe and he needs to go to the station in order to turn it on. He kisses her goodbye and leaves.

At the Kent Barn, Lois is rummaging through Clark’s belongings and lands upon Virgil Swann’s Veritas Journal with an image of the Book of Rao in it. Clark finds her there and says he needs to confess something, that ever since he came back in “Saviour”, she was waiting for him and that she’s the one he needs. A fulfillment of Doctor Fate’s prophecy.

Lois has a secret to confess to. Perry White has offered her a job at a foreign desk in Kenya, but she’s not sure she wants to go. Lois says the one thing that would be more important than her job is Clark.

So here’s a simple question; why was she so eager to break up with him in the last episode?!

Lois tells Clark he needs to be honest with her and they can’t have secrets anymore. Clark says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about and that she should go to Kenya with Perry. Lois then leaves after one last hug.

In the hospital, an old lady in a hood sits knitting while Tess spasms and eventually dies from her injuries. When the doctors walk out, she slips in and shuts the door behind her.

No, you’re kidding right? You couldn’t possibly be referencing to…GRANNY GOODNESS?!

At the base, Ollie crawls through the airduct and Chloe follows him on screen while he’s hooking the system up. Suddenly a group of red dots appear and pound on the sides of the air duct with superhuman strength. Ollie and Chloe say they love each other right before Ollie is cut off from communication and says “They’re not Kandorians!”

At the secret location, Clark finds the crystal console and goes to put the Book of Rao on it. Unfortunately it’s not in his pocket and he realizes Lois took it from him.

Down below, Lois meets Zod and says she can’t believe Clark would deceive her like that. Zod says he knows what it’s like to know someone you love broke your heart. Lois says her heart isn’t broken, it’s shattered. Zod puts his hand on Lois’ shoulder to comfort her. She touches his hand but then realizes that something is off. Zod asks where the book is, and Lois says she hid it in the place where she told him he was more important than anything to her. Zod’s caught in the act and tells Lois he’s not the Blur, but he doesn’t care if she lives or dies.

With a swat away, Lois is sent flying for the phone booth when Clark punches Zod and catches Lois from being killed. From the shadows, she realizes he’s there and apologizes for thinking Zod was him. She then gives Clark the Book of Rao, which would beg the question of how she knows the real Blur would know what to do with it. She asks the Blur to say anything to her, but Clark instead kisses her in the dark. When he speeds off, Lois is left in awe with a single word.

“Clark.”

In front of the crystal console, Zod corners Clark for the Book of Rao and the Kandorians come to join the fight. Clark brings up Faora and Zod angrily beats on him, whispering that Faora was a traitor and he didn’t mean to kill her and his child. What he fails to remember is that the Kandorians have super-hearing and pick up on the whisper. Vala, Basqat and the others quickly turn against Zod, who argues that Faora was a traitor, but no one listens.

The Kandorians say they need to use the Book of Rao to go to a new world. Well wait a second! Checkmate is gone, Zod’s secret murder has been exposed! You don’t need to leave anymore! But of course for plot convenience, they do, so Clark puts the book on top of the console and it blasts a beacon into the sky. One by one they’re picked up like in Star Trek, conveniently with Clark and Zod as the last two. Before they can leave however, Zod has one more trick up his sleeve.

Blue Kryptonite!

So let me see if I get this straight. This Book of Rao would only take away Kryptonians with powers? The Kandorian clones arrived on Earth WITHOUT their powers and Blue Kryptonite in their systems! So in order for Jor-El’s plan of sending the Kandorians away to work, the Kandorians would have to HAVE SUPERPOWERS. That’s right, the ONE thing he wanted to make sure they wouldn’t have!

Zod and Clark engage in a fight where we’re introduced to slow motion OVERKILL. Zod cuts Clark across the chest with the Blue Kryptonite and Zod claims that everyone, including the woman he loves, will “Kneel before Zod”. Figuratively speaking, if this isn’t the EXACT same guy we saw in the episode “Zod” I honestly have no idea who he is at this point.

Clark makes another remark about destiny while fighting off the Blue Kryptonite blade, but it’s no use. It jabs him in the gut and Clark falls off the edge of the building with the blade inside him. Even if he had the power of flight, it wouldn’t do him any good now. Zod is taken away with the Blue Kryptonite distant from him and Clark falls down like a wounded bird.

TO BE CONTINUED

RATING: 8/10