Post by buffysmglover on Oct 20, 2007 13:26:45 GMT -5
Review: 'Smallville' - Cure
By ALAN STANLEY BLAIR
Source: SyFy Portal
Oct-20-2007
This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the episode "Cure" in the seventh season of "Smallville."
In a recent interview, executive producer Al Gough said that the seventh season will focus more on the characters of the series than any single plot piece. Now while this is a very noble and ambitious goal, previous "Smallville" episodes prove that this will be a bit of a hit and miss move for the series. And so far it looks like the key to telling these kinds of stories is taking the show back to its freshman formula of Kryptonite mutants.
Because lets face it, the debut year of "Smallville" was an embarrassment and should not be repeated. Subsequent seasons have gotten smarter, slicker and sexier without losing any of the Superman goodness that the series has established itself on. And initially, the idea of another mad scientist working for Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) performing experiment on the meteor infected sounded like a lost episode from the first season. But for a meteor-infected story, this one isn’t half bad.
The reality is that nothing can be farther from truth. Dean Cain takes on the role of Dr. Curtis Knox, who claims to have a cure for the meteor-infected residents of Kansas, and is backed by the reforming Lex Luthor who only wants to make amends for his evil ways … again. “Cure” offers Lex a substantially reduced role, giving much needed time to develop Knox as the central villain of the episode and Smallville’s very own Jack the Ripper.
Cain was fantastic as the complex and twisted Knox, whose obsession goes beyond healing his comatose beloved -- he wants to turn her immortal so they can spend the rest of their unusually long lives together. You can’t escape the overall silliness of the idea, but with recent revelations that Chloe (Allison Mack) is now a freak of the week and potentially a time bomb waiting to go off it gives some much needed time to show the inner turmoil faced by the character.
Too much emphasis has been made on the introduction of Kara (Laura Vandervoort), as “Smallville” already has a very talented and able cast just waiting for the right script to prove it. However, with Kara now established in the series, there is finally a reason for the inclusion of the Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris) other than to drop by and help Clark (Tom Welling) when things look grim. In “Kara”, we were offered a more shadowy purpose for the cousin from Krypton’s presence on Earth and now John Jones has confirmed it with a few revelations about his association to the House of El. It’s not exactly a grand exposure that will change the shape of the series, but as a slow burning idea, it could make for some sensational seasonal storytelling.
"Smallville” should never stop aiming for the sky because, although Clark Kent is still Earth-bound, this episode shows the series can still get there. Well-conceived, expertly crafted and wonderfully directed … if “Cure” heralds a return to the meteor freak stories then this is certainly the way to go.
What Worked
The tension between Chloe and Clark was an interesting change to the usual unquestionable trust dynamic that the two have had for the last few years, and it does prompt a few thoughts onto the wannabe journalist’s destiny. Is she really fated to lose her mind and terrorize Metropolis as a meteor-infected psychopath? Allison Mack was the real joy of the episode, and in “Cure,” Chloe’s relationship with Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) included a tenderness that the other character relationships have been missing recently. The couple’s final scene was perhaps the strongest performance of the episode and encompassed all of the raw energy that was once comfortably at home in the original Clark/Lana arc of the early years.
Since he first became part of “Smallville,” Ashmore’s Jimmy Olsen has been somewhat useless and has had very little of substance to do. After Kara making goo-goo eyes at him last week, it seemed a sure thing that there was another love triangle on the horizon and that Chloe was in for some competition to keep her man. Thankfully, the writers have something more substantial in mind: Chloe is now in the same position Clark has been in for the last six years with Lana (Kristen Kreuk), and it is refreshing to see the story unfold from another perspective. The Clark/Lana ballad has been an integral part of the series for the last six years, but now it’s time to let Chloe and Jimmy to step up and take the reigns while Clark and Lana both move into new terrain completely.
In addition to the mystery of what Lana was really up to, “Cure” treats us to some really interesting character moments that show just how far Lana as a character has come from the early days of dating high school jock Whitney. By siphoning millions of dollars from Lex’s accounts, studying Krypto-mutants and stealing as much 33.1 data as possible, Lana has ensured that there will be enough rocky times ahead for the Man of Steel to keep the show moving for the remainder of the seventh season. She may have divorced Lex, but Lana is a Luthor now and offers more promise as a potential villain than she is given credit for.
What Didn’t Work
It may excite some fans, but Lex as the atoning hero isn’t exactly the reason we tune into “Smallville” each week. Making amends will never be as fascinating as his underhanded exploitations of the still absent Lionel (will John Glover ever return to “Smallville?”) nor will it ever compare to his sinister 33.1 master plan. At best, it’s something to keep the character busy until the right moment comes along for him to return to his dastardly roots.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“Cure” was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer, and the episode was directed by Rick Rosenthal. “Smallville” stars Tom Welling, Kristen Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Erica Durance and Laura Vandervoort.
“Smallville” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
www.syfyportal.com/pagetogether.php?id=4328&page=1
By ALAN STANLEY BLAIR
Source: SyFy Portal
Oct-20-2007
This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the episode "Cure" in the seventh season of "Smallville."
In a recent interview, executive producer Al Gough said that the seventh season will focus more on the characters of the series than any single plot piece. Now while this is a very noble and ambitious goal, previous "Smallville" episodes prove that this will be a bit of a hit and miss move for the series. And so far it looks like the key to telling these kinds of stories is taking the show back to its freshman formula of Kryptonite mutants.
Because lets face it, the debut year of "Smallville" was an embarrassment and should not be repeated. Subsequent seasons have gotten smarter, slicker and sexier without losing any of the Superman goodness that the series has established itself on. And initially, the idea of another mad scientist working for Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) performing experiment on the meteor infected sounded like a lost episode from the first season. But for a meteor-infected story, this one isn’t half bad.
The reality is that nothing can be farther from truth. Dean Cain takes on the role of Dr. Curtis Knox, who claims to have a cure for the meteor-infected residents of Kansas, and is backed by the reforming Lex Luthor who only wants to make amends for his evil ways … again. “Cure” offers Lex a substantially reduced role, giving much needed time to develop Knox as the central villain of the episode and Smallville’s very own Jack the Ripper.
Cain was fantastic as the complex and twisted Knox, whose obsession goes beyond healing his comatose beloved -- he wants to turn her immortal so they can spend the rest of their unusually long lives together. You can’t escape the overall silliness of the idea, but with recent revelations that Chloe (Allison Mack) is now a freak of the week and potentially a time bomb waiting to go off it gives some much needed time to show the inner turmoil faced by the character.
Too much emphasis has been made on the introduction of Kara (Laura Vandervoort), as “Smallville” already has a very talented and able cast just waiting for the right script to prove it. However, with Kara now established in the series, there is finally a reason for the inclusion of the Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris) other than to drop by and help Clark (Tom Welling) when things look grim. In “Kara”, we were offered a more shadowy purpose for the cousin from Krypton’s presence on Earth and now John Jones has confirmed it with a few revelations about his association to the House of El. It’s not exactly a grand exposure that will change the shape of the series, but as a slow burning idea, it could make for some sensational seasonal storytelling.
"Smallville” should never stop aiming for the sky because, although Clark Kent is still Earth-bound, this episode shows the series can still get there. Well-conceived, expertly crafted and wonderfully directed … if “Cure” heralds a return to the meteor freak stories then this is certainly the way to go.
What Worked
The tension between Chloe and Clark was an interesting change to the usual unquestionable trust dynamic that the two have had for the last few years, and it does prompt a few thoughts onto the wannabe journalist’s destiny. Is she really fated to lose her mind and terrorize Metropolis as a meteor-infected psychopath? Allison Mack was the real joy of the episode, and in “Cure,” Chloe’s relationship with Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore) included a tenderness that the other character relationships have been missing recently. The couple’s final scene was perhaps the strongest performance of the episode and encompassed all of the raw energy that was once comfortably at home in the original Clark/Lana arc of the early years.
Since he first became part of “Smallville,” Ashmore’s Jimmy Olsen has been somewhat useless and has had very little of substance to do. After Kara making goo-goo eyes at him last week, it seemed a sure thing that there was another love triangle on the horizon and that Chloe was in for some competition to keep her man. Thankfully, the writers have something more substantial in mind: Chloe is now in the same position Clark has been in for the last six years with Lana (Kristen Kreuk), and it is refreshing to see the story unfold from another perspective. The Clark/Lana ballad has been an integral part of the series for the last six years, but now it’s time to let Chloe and Jimmy to step up and take the reigns while Clark and Lana both move into new terrain completely.
In addition to the mystery of what Lana was really up to, “Cure” treats us to some really interesting character moments that show just how far Lana as a character has come from the early days of dating high school jock Whitney. By siphoning millions of dollars from Lex’s accounts, studying Krypto-mutants and stealing as much 33.1 data as possible, Lana has ensured that there will be enough rocky times ahead for the Man of Steel to keep the show moving for the remainder of the seventh season. She may have divorced Lex, but Lana is a Luthor now and offers more promise as a potential villain than she is given credit for.
What Didn’t Work
It may excite some fans, but Lex as the atoning hero isn’t exactly the reason we tune into “Smallville” each week. Making amends will never be as fascinating as his underhanded exploitations of the still absent Lionel (will John Glover ever return to “Smallville?”) nor will it ever compare to his sinister 33.1 master plan. At best, it’s something to keep the character busy until the right moment comes along for him to return to his dastardly roots.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
“Cure” was written by Al Septien and Turi Meyer, and the episode was directed by Rick Rosenthal. “Smallville” stars Tom Welling, Kristen Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Allison Mack, Erica Durance and Laura Vandervoort.
“Smallville” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
www.syfyportal.com/pagetogether.php?id=4328&page=1