Zap2it:

Holy crap, they remembered Relics!

It was great seeing Chloe, but I hate when the writers have her say stupid crap.

I think Clark's a clone.

Thank you, show, for taking the path of least confusion. And generally making sense. And for JULIAN SANDS and more Tessod and making Chloe really not annoying (except for bugging the Kent Farm; not cool, Chloe) and letting Oliver be funny. Unfortunately, you suck for piling yet even more unnecessary trauma and grief on Clark.

First time watching this show this season. I can have one drink. I have self control.

I didn't think it was the episode was that bad. Obviously there are several problems but overall, it wasn't terrible. And now I get how this doesn't change the future of Krypton. I need more time to think about it before I can go in depth.

However, there are a couple of thing I'd like to mention.

I quite liked Tess, but I kind of liked her last season too.

Clark doing the grave out in the open, kind of dumb.

I had no idea about Jor-Od (aka Krypton Clex Kind Of) but wow, hoyay indeed.

But the single MOST important thing from this episode is "You've had feelings for Lois since the 1930s?" Which might be the WORST ANVIL EVER if not the worst piece of dialogue ever.

It will be good to have Lois back next week.

I actually like this ep they shockingly acknowledged eps from the past. How they remembered I have no idea.

I think Clark killed Jor-El too, I'm sure the writers were trying to make us think Zod killed him, but then Jor El would've said Zod instead of "I don't know". My guess is Clark killed him using his superspeed before the hill and came back and held him for the cameras Chloe installed. I didn't understand what Chloe was looking with Jor-El on the footage, I didn't see that part.

But for my one nitpick, I thought Zod and Faora were unable to have children? So how could he have a son?

What was that Black Zero or whatever Zod's troops were talking about at the beginning? Is that strictly a thing from the comics, or could it possibly a hint for something that happens later on?

Hot damn this show just gets better every week. And someone must have given Smallville's producers a budget boost. We are finally getting some decent special effects again!

And three different powers in the same episode!

I couldn't believe it.

Gee, I'm not a geography expert, but I've been to Turkey many times and I wasn't aware there were deserts there. Looking at a map helps.

But overall, I liked the episode... at least the prospects of perhaps a good plot to come.

Faora is his second wife, as she's with him right before Krypton's destruction and gets sent to the PZ for helping him.


It's from the comics, most likely in reference to the Kryptonian terrorist group.

HOLY MOLY THIS EISODE WAS AMAZING.

I KNOW!

Super breath, x-ray vision, and heat vision. All in the same episode. I don't think that's ever been done before.

It's not time travel! It's CLONES! Oh my God, now I can start puzzling myself to death over why Fortress Jor-El doesn't remember 2009 Jor-El. The Kandorians weren't sucked out of space and time or anything, they were just cloned and stuffed in a little gay orb.

I have to say, pretty awesome episode. Tess, Zod and Jor-El ruled all show long, and the rest of the cast gave some of their better performances too. Though Chloe playing the exposition fairy was a bit annoying. But the backstory between Zod and Jor-El was fittingly dramatic. Almost a tad overblown. Kind of like the comic books.

And I greatly enjoyed the scene where Clark stopped with the bullshit and just hefted Tess into the air like a rag doll. On one hand I was like "FINALLY! NO MORE TRANSPARENT LIES!" while on the other I was like "Don't hurt Tess, she's pretty."

Ok not sure how I feel about this episode. Would have liked if Jor-El had lived more then one episode. I get why he didn't but still.

I also like how Clark told Jor-El's grave that he wouldn't try to save Zod because he knows what he will become. (That is so unlike him I almost didn't hate Clark....wow. Go Clark!)

The Zod/Tess stuff was fun as always. (I may be a shipper.)

Clark has been keeping his fly open alot lately. Using his powers in plain sight. I think Lois is the only person who DOESN'T know he's the blur. (I find that weirdly funny.)

Wow, Chloe had more then one scene. Bugging the Farmhouse. What next bugging Clark's bedroom? Is Chloe going all stalky on us? Actually.....hmmmmm that might be fun.

No Lois, so plus there. (Oh wait I don't hate her. Just don't care.)

Actually I think I liked this episode. Show don't do this to me. Making me like you again.

Interesting. First one I've watched this season (clearly I haven't missed much), and not bad except for the excruciating Cnois pimping. Clark has had feelings for Nois since, like, the 1930s? Feelings of annoyance, maybe, but not much else. Please *rolls eyes*.

Julian Sands was awesome. Callum Blue is pretty good, but I see why people complain about not being able to understand him; the accent is pretty thick. (Anyone know what that accent is, specifically?) I like Zod, though. Flashbacks were well integrated. Points for actual Kryptonian stuff instead of romantic comedy. Points for mentioning Relic, but points deducted for failing to remember that the main point of that episode was that Clark and Jor-El look very much alike-- which, hey, you guys sort of hoped we'd forget, didn't you? Well, it WAS a forgettable episode, so we'll overlook it. Points for Clark mentioning that Jor-El isn't the greatest guy in the world-- but dude, if you know that, then WHY are you training with him?

The whole clone plot supports the Eradicator/clone theory, I thnk. Clark didn't remember how he survived the fight with Doomie. These guys didn't remember anything after they were cloned. It would make sense that Clark "died" underground, and then was cloned by Jor-El (the AI). But Jor-El is corrupt, so he's messed up. That would explain the violence toward Tess.

I thought the effects were pretty sucky. I gotta admit the blue dildo looks better when it's all glowy, though.

Seriously? Oh wow I thought they were very good. Better than they've been in a long, long time. The last time we saw the super breath it looked ridiculous. And the heat vision left something to be desired the last 3 seasons. I was even surprised at the effects from Kandor blowing up. They've definitely improved over the last 2-3 years imho.

When Clark grabbed Tess one handed that to me was the moment where I really started thinking he was a clone.

A really good episode. Nice outside scenes. They made good use of all their actors and there were no wasted scenes.

Julian Sands was wonderful. So we’re going to have an ongoing question of who was responsible for his death? As long as they don’t forget the plotline - - that should be interesting.

I wish they didn’t have Chloe so cheerfully pushing the Clois. I don’t mind Clark and Lois, but it does seem out of place to have Chloe playing cheerleader for it.

Also, it sort of bothered me when Tess was giving Clark the spiel about ‘how long she’s waited for him to confide in her’. What, she’s known him for two years - - if that? I can see Lex spouting the line of how long he’s waited for Clark’s trust, but it just seems disingenuous from Tess, who Clark has only ever had sporadic contact with.

I really liked this one. It had some minor problems -- notably "You've had feelings for Lois since the 1930s." Don't do that, show. I am willing to be slightly forgiving if it's a comic shout-out (Lois was apparently introduced in 1938), but it did not need to be wrapped around another disconnected Clois anvil. Also, the ending with Jor-El was a little bit rushed.

But overall I thought this one hit the mark in most places. The characters were generally on-point (Oliver was funny but sincere, Tess was manipulative, Clark cared about Chloe, etc.), there was continuity with past episodes, Julian Sands is always awesome, and the final scene was pretty nice.

I also loved the Kandor scenes. The battle scene with the destruction of the city was cool, learning the exact origin of the orb was a relief, and the "trial" scene with all of the disembodied heads just made me smile, because of all the disembodied heads. I also assume that Zod's line about "The bottled hopes and dreams of the city of Kandor" was a direct shoutout to this being Smallville's version of "The Bottle City of Kandor."

Speaking of Zod, I'll be interested to see the screentime totals for this one. I think Callum Blue might have had the most, and he did a great job with it.

any episode where Nois isn't around hogging screentime and being her annoying idiotic self is a plus. Shame they couldn't cut out the stupid Cnois anvils - we get it show! These 2 characters that have never been remotely interested in each other and have 0 chemistry will end up together.

A lower/working class London one, I believe.

That was what I thought, too. It's hard to understand compared to the crisper upper-class accent.

I forgot to mention it was nice to see the outside scenes, but they were overdoing it a bit. The scene with Jor-El dying on the hill felt a little overblown somehow. And the desert scene (which I presume was not really on location) was way too yellow. Someone needed to tone the filter down a bit.

And I agree with whoever said it was foolish of Clark to put a grave with the S symbol on it where anyone could find it. If people find that, they're going to start wondering.

That whole scene was quite meta, with Chloe referring to taking a break from the "I love Lois" show and Clark mentioning Lois's absence from "prime time."

I enjoyed this very much. It was a callback to the days of a more earnest (and inadvertently funny) Smallville. My favourite part...just by staring at Jor-El, Zod is able to deduce the following: he's frightened for someone, he's protecting someone, who would you protect?, Family!, "We led lives back on Krypton...", "YOU HAVE A SON ON EARTH!" It plays out exactly like a scene between Lassie and Timmy. Jor-El has the worst poker face in the history of anywhere.


Very nice! The superbreath was used beautifully.

I thought he sounded like a young Michael Caine like in Alfie. And, IIRC, Alfie was a working class Londoner.

Clark buried Jor-El on the Kent farm, right? I hope the police don't ever start poking around on that land. The body count is starting to stack up there this season.

Haha!

I didn't like that "Superman" would do this to a non-superpowered person when he wasn't Red-K'd or mind-controlled or something. A clone is a nice way around that, but I doubt this show would keep up a clone pretense for 7 eps and counting, would it?

Oh, I think so. In fact, I'm banking on it. And "Kandor" really seems to support this theory. I'd been on the Eradicator train, but this works too. Hopefully we'll be getting Real!Clark back soon.

Adored the "I Love Lois Show" meta. Makes me wonder if the writers are reading the boards. Or if the overload is purposeful and will be righted once the real Clark reemerges.

I cannot believe how much better this show is when it's not driven by shippy crap. Admittedly, I'm not usually of fan of the Kryptonian stuff, but I really enjoyed Julian Sands. And he's actually younger-looking than I thought--although the "young Jor-El" angle really is lost on an actor over what, 30? It's also a little annoying that "Relic" was referenced when it was TW playing Jor-El, but...at least they remembered that the episode happened at all.

Clark did not grow up without parents. I was waiting for him to correct Ollie, but of course he didn't. Another clue that this isn't Real!Clark.

I love that Chloe is the one Jor-El spent time with. Imagine if he'd had the misfortune of running into Lois...she'd be loading him up with tequila shots and teaching him how to spit.

Hee. Their Mutual Mancrushes cracked me up.

So did Zod actually see Clark's face? Or does he just know that Jor-el's son has dark hair?

After that horrible 1930's line (seriously guys, that made no fucking sense) I was worried that an episode that I was really looking forward to was going to suck...

Thankfully, it turned out to be a very good episode..My wife was shocked when the credit's came up...For the first time in a long time she was really interested.

It's amazing how getting rid of Nois for an episode makes it just flow...I remember when KK had the same effect. She would suck the life out of the show but when we were blessed to not have her in the episode the story suddenly moved forward and got interesting again.

And, THIS Ollie I like. Someone who was there to help out Clark but would do some good natured needling. I'm not a big fan of the sanctimonious Ollie.

Overall, the best of the season in my opinion.

My thought? "Aha. There's proof that she's the Female!Lex! Just in case we all forgot."

My thought? "Aha. There's proof that she's the Female!Lex! Just in case we all forgot."

But Clark only ever choked Lex when he was hypnotized (Hypnotic) or under the influence of Black K or Red K (Splinter/Crimson). As far as we know, he's just his regular self here. I thought it was a very dissonant moment and I usually like Clark/Tess interactions.

In the comics, Black Zero was the name of a Kryptonian terrorist organization and a Superboy clone from an alternate timeline where Superman was permanently killed by Doomsday.

First time watching since last season's finale--the description sounded important. Plus, Julian Sands!! And Callum Blue. Mmm.

Disappointed that Clark did not get more time with Jor-El. Writers, would it have killed you to have given them something more than, "I'm proud of you?"

I thought it was nice that Chloe got to tell Jor-El about his son. It reminded me of Clark telling Chloe's mom about her.

I get that it was a comic shoutout - but it was just dreadful. (tm Dwight) So, if Clark has had feelings for Lois forever, does that retcon Lana out of existence? For someone who was nursing a whopping crush herself, it's ridiculous to have Chloe be Relationship Cheerleader for whomever Clark is currently obsessing over.



I'm English - and it's not so much his accent, but rather he sounds like he's got a mouthful of marbles.

First episode of season 9 that Ive watched and it was really awesome!

How many more do we get without Lois?

Exactly. Someone early on in the season referred to it as "mush mouth." It's annoying.

Changing subject, did anyone else laugh out loud during the dildo scene? I was prepared for it to be ribbed and neon purple, but the vibration was just hilarious. Silly Kryptonians.

S9E7: Kandor 11-06-09 Writers: Al Septien & Turi Meyer, Director: Jeannot Szwarc. As Hubby rolled the tape a planetary view appeared. "Have I taped the wrong show?" he muttered. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed, "It's the red sun of Krypton!" "Huh?" Hubby responded.

Above the battle raged as the soldiers ran to hunker down among the trenches. "What the Hell is this?" Hubby asked. "IT'S THE FINAL BATTLE BEFORE THE FALL OF KANDOR!" I excitedly shrieked. "THE WHAT?!" Hubby confusedly yelled back. As we both settled down to get comfy all was made clear by the shows end with the exception of who, how, and where Jor-El was shot; and I'm already developing theories on that.

We both really enjoyed the show as it explained sooo much, although at times we had to remind ourselves that we were watching the replicants in later SMALLVILLE, whereas we had first seen the original DNA donors on earlier Krypton. Hubby gets TMS (Time Motion Sickness) so he relies on me to help him keep his time lines straight. Sort've like me being his Constant (from Lost).

We enjoyed taking a swim in the DC Comics pool; immersing ourselves in the Superman mythology. I enjoyed watching SMALLVILLE tie a previous storyline into (uh-hem) Comics Canon. I actually was glad to see those old hateful Stones of Knowledge, and I didn't think that I would ever hear myself saying that!

I think that was pretty clever of Chloe to install security cameras at the Kent farm, since Clark had been spending so much time in Metropolis and at the Fortress. Chloe knew Clark would have said no thanks to cameras, so she sneaked and did it anyway, without his permission. Yes I know she was wrong to go behind his back, but unfortunately Clark can be stubborn to his own disadvantage at times. How many times has Clark (and other family members) been attacked in the barn? Clark should have had cameras installed YEARS ago! BTW nice salute to Spock and his Vulcan neck pinch, which Jor-El used on Chloe. HEH!

I like that Oliver was there to offer Clark his jet, and trek with him into the desert. Geez Guys, be sure to bring water and to wear hats and sunglasses the next time you're in the desert. Oliver was panting like a hot dog, ha!

Speaking of panting, I wonder just how far Zod would have gone to keep Tess occupied? All the way upstairs to her bedroom, perhaps? I liked Tess being dramatic by hurling her glass at Zod. The last guy that ticked her off got way more than that! Yes, that gesture brought back fond memories of Lex busting many a glass of Scotch in the fireplace.

We were both really surprised when Clark seized Tess by the throat, lifting her up so that he could've knocked her brains out on the Luthor mansion rafters. Hubby commented "I think she peed her panties." I replied "I know that I just did."

We already miss Jor-El, and I can't believe you all let Zod discover Clark so quickly. That was a beautiful site Clark chose for Jor-El's grave. Great show!

Heh... Apparently my DVR has been recording House instead of Smallville for a while. Who knew? Oh well I missed it.

-Was pointed to a clip of Chloe scenes. It was a dark pit and there was a Lois mention immediately. Decided not to bother. Really, if I'm ever going to sucked back in I need to be able to at least watch the Chloe scenes without Lois bullshit. That way I might get curious about the rest of the show. If I could just fast forward through Lois, maybe I could deal.

Anyway, as it is I'm not that intrigued by Zod or if Clark is an eradi-clone or whatnot because it's more annoyance to watch than pleasure. Not to mention I can't help remember they never paid off Chloiac or Bizarro in a really satisfying way. It just seems kind of tired.

I found Chloe taping the farm to be majorly ooc.
Didn't sit well with me at all and just proves they're just ruining Chloe so we won't miss her when she leaves.

When Chloe mentions that the kiss was what sent Nois running, Clark's face basically said, "Hey! We've kissed and I didn't hear you do any complaining."

"Who are you?"
"A friend."
"We both know that's not true."
- Awesome, Jor-El


EllyF:



I didn't really have a problem with this line because we know it's bullshit. But it's like Hex when Chloe bascially says that Clark hasn't ever sent any eye fucking her way even though we've seen it. She thinks he has has some big feelings towards Nois but it's only this season that we've only really seen anything resembling non-annoyance.

Of course, it could be a reference to the Action meta.



And it wouldn't even need to happen because of the possibility of a corrupt Fortress. In this episode, Jor-El stated that the process could result in mutation. If the Fortress is teaching him one thing, the cloned Clark could be interpreting it in another. And any differences might keep the Fortress from seeing everything that Clark does.

And is it just me or have the special effects for Clark's powers looked a little different from past seasons? That could be a visual clue to this being Not!Clark.


Peace_47:



Last season, they kept up the pretense that Chloe was still only Chloe. Just with some some enhancements inadvertently caused by Brainiac. It was only revealed in Abyss that Brainiac was still in there and Clark had Jor-El extract it. That was the ninth episode. Then two episode later we have Legion which stated that Brainiac was still inside her.

And of course, they've kept up the charade that Nois is the real Lois Lane for far longer. :)


SaveLevi:



Then we can have a throwdown between Real!Clark and Not!Clark. One that isn't like the "throwdown" in Failsday.



It'll be funny when he learns what's been going on.

"What?! I...he...was dating her?" (goes into a catatonia)
"Helloo. Clark?"



I think he would've used his Kryptonian neck pinch to get Nois to shut. the. fuck. up.


wirebiter:



Yes, tell me again that Chloe is over Real!Clark.


Kittenrescue:



Taking the to the 'Ship Happens thread.


Texann:



Well, she's returning next week. So, not enough, apparently.

First episode I've watched of the season.

Where to start?

1930

I'm still trying to decide if I appreciate TPTB openly acknowledging that Smallville's Clois is only built on someone else's mythos or if it just bugs me all the more. I'm torn. I also spent a few minutes pondering if Lois actually was likely to kiss and run. Frankly, I can't come up with a precedent. Still, I did appreciate the mostly Lois free Zone (and yeah, it sounded like TPTB knew I would) even if Chloe was tossed under a bus in the name of servicing the imaginary.

I'm glad Chloe had increased screen time and I couldn't help be struck by the parallel of Chloe getting to fill Clark's dad in all that he's become vs Clark doing the same with her mother. Made the lack of an end Clark/Chloe scene more blantant though.

Chloe still adores Clark, despite how cold and distant he remains around her when they aren't talking Lois or a case.

Clark moaning about having no parents got old and again seemed a stark contrast against Chloe boasting about his wonderful parents to Jor-el.

Actually, I was struck throughout the episode by many contrasts and parallels and I'm not certain which were deliberate and which are a product of a writing team without new ideas.

Parallels

Jor-el getting the Clark Kent bio via Chloe vs Moira getting the Chloe Sullivan bio via Clark Kent (mercifully for her she's been in a coma since season 6 and therefore only remembers Chloe as a reporter)

Jor-el wanting to save Zod vs Chloe wanting to save Davis
(And Clark now firmly convinced it is right to go ahead and judge a man on actions beyond his control aka future evil Zod and Davis fighting against his Doomsday side, no attempt to redeem or rescue. I guess that means he really did treat Lex right. -- I would be fine with Clark finding out and judging Zod based on the right murdering bastard MAJOR Zod actuall still is, but I hate that he doesn't know anything about Zod right now and is ready to bring him down. For all Clark knows Zod might be a really great guy. I hate that Clark no longer has any optimism about individuals.)

Zod begging Jor-el to save his son vs Chloe begging Clark to save Jimmy
(Was this meant as a hint that Chloe is going to get the turn evil Zod treatment?)

Does that also mean that we might down the line get a Clark regreting not saving Jimmy like Zor-el seemed to regret not saving the son of Zod (that gets old typing, how about just naming the Son of Zod, Sod?) because it triggers the end of the world? Did Chloe already let Clark off the hook for any of her actions when she assured Jor-el that what Zod did wasn't his fault?

Jor-el not knowing who killed him vs Clark not knowing how he survived. (A variation on the Eradicator is looking VERRY promising)

Another most regretable parallel, Chloe putting the Kent Farm under watch vs Lana rigging the Luther Manor.
I did enjoy Chloe just brushing Clark's whining off. You know what MR. Clark Kent is dead? I don't give a crap if you don't like that she didn't tell you. (Though the terribly wrong image of Chloe watching Clark while he showers or walks around nude makes me giggle) I am sure we are meant to assume that she hasn't been monitoring the cameras since Clark returned. Still, not telling him is very odd, though once again, Clark has never apologized for walking away from Chloe during her darkest hour so STFU Clark Kent.

I am concerned that Chloe is going to hide what she saw on the tapes from Clark. Just a vibe I got.



He sounded like he was trying to swallow the back half of his words, very distracting.

Anyone else mighty puzzeled as to what Tess thought she could accomplish with tossing a depowered Jor-el at Zod? How was a crappy T shirt (Sands looked down right silly in short sleeves) supposed to make Zod believe a depowered Jor-el could possibly be the blur? Perhaps Tess just waay over estimated Kryptonian acting skills.

Speaking of Tess, so she's basically an Eco-terrorist bent on saving the earth by any means?

I have a number of other thoughts and nitpicks, but might as well save those for another time.

I loved how concerned Clark was when he was trying to wake Chloe up. Only Tom and Allison can rock scenes like that.

They are rare so I always enjoy the visits to Krypton that Smallville delivers. As a child I was always fascinated by that civilization. Of course, I stopped reading the funny books a long, long time ago so I missed out on DC turning Krypton from a happy, shining beacon of the future and a veritable advert for the benefits of technology to a civilization wracked by warfare and destroyed by megalomaniacs. On the other hand, I was always fond of dystopia in literature so I feel up to the presentation that Smallville offered, however brief.

Major Zod chewed a lot of scenery this episode. He and other Smallville characters (Lois and Tess come to mind) often threaten to take me out of the moment, but then I remind myself that these are comic book characters. So I sat back and watched Zod and Jor-El each struts and frets his hour upon the stage. And then (in the case of Jor-El) is heard no more. And I thought it was good.

I am pleased that the bottled city of Kandor was set aside. Even as a youngster I always thought it was silly. Perhaps the clone plot is, too, but I was receptive to it and, forgive me, I thought it was a clever solution (to, you know, having Jor-El also be around for the end of Krypton and giving Kal-El the big send off).

I am intrigued by the speculation in this thread that Kal-El is himself a clone. Maybe there was a flaw in the cloning process that over-emphasizes anger. That sure would explain Clark throttling Tess the way he did. (Truth be told I thought she had it coming.) I thought this was a great episode and I am hopeful that the powers that be build on it throughout this season.

I thought Clark was wildly reckless, trotting out his super strength and speed right in front Tess, not to mention the choke hold lift being pretty awful. I'd seen it in the previews and yet it still managed to surprise and disgust me (and creep me out that Tess seemed to get off on it a bit). Interesting that it was her calling him an alien that triggered his extreme reaction.

Speaking of aliens, how wishy washy were the Kryptonian high court (or whatever they are called) One moment they are ready to sentance Jor-el to death and the next they were ready to make him a co leader in rebirth on another planet.

Why would waving a pulsating blue dildo over the orb have a permanent rather than a temporary change?

Since I seem to be on the subject of nit picks, how was the Orb supposed to be used to stop the Traveler if it has always primarily been a lifeboat for dead Kandorians (and why just a small band of Military folk? Why not more people and a more deverse offering?)

Another complaint I have is that while the Stones of Knowledge were mentioned/seen, there was no explanation as to how they ended up embedded in historical artifacts and came with a long and bloody history.

I guess Kryptonian women can have children long past our standards. I'd just assumed that Jor-el got married later in life, but here we were, twenty years before the birth of Kal-el, and Lara was already married to Jor-el. That means Aunty Lara would have known Kara from birth. Odd thought. Speaking of Kara, she's going to be very disappointed with the remnants of Kandor. Not exactly what she was hoping for.

Liked the episode, hated the 1930s line for the anvil it was and Chloe being a cheerleader and the uncomfortable parallels of bugging his house to Lexana.

I think Tess owned this episode. Her battle of wits with Zod is amazing... her "anger" at being "outwitted" by him at the mansion, throwing the glass... she recognizes that his weak spot is his pride. Zod is a little too confident that he can read people and lead people-- he can, too, he was able to read Jor-el like a book-- and Tess uses that against him. I confess I like this stuff much better than problems being solved with a 20 foot man-toss.

Tess' little side-smirk in the scene outside the limo when Zod mentions the blur was just priceless. It's a very interesting game she's playing, and she's playing it amazingly well. There was a lot of good acting in this episode, and I think the laurel crown goes to Cassidy.

Zod was great too, very menacing, very dangerous. Loved the way he figured out Jor-El had a son. Great dynamic with Jor-El, I found both performances believable, like these two had a long personal history/animosity together. That's rare with a guest star.

I found it odd that Chloe was explaining the history of Krypton to Jor-El. Not odd in a bad way, just... strange. Here's this Earth girl, with no powers, explaining all about the fate of Krypton to the patriarch of the House of El. Weird.

Another weird thing: the opening shot, past "the red sun of Krypton". The sound effect... was that burning? As in the sun burning with a crackling sound, like a giant fireplace log?!

I liked that they mentioned the Clois kiss. It's not something they can just leave in limbo for another week. It also seems something that Clark would want to tell his best friend about. In terms of story-telling, there needed to be a pause after the kiss, and I think they did a great job of it, by having Lois "run". It is so Lois...

Honestly, I'm not much into the whole Krypton back story stuff. And having yet another version of Jor-El seems needlessly confusing (this one's a very different personality from the Voice in the FOS). The time-travel aspect doesn't help with the clarity, either. And having him be a clone just sort of makes it pointless in the end. Another problem I had with this episode was that Clark seems to be backsliding. He gets emotionally involved over his father (understandable, but haven't we seen more than enough of that aspect of Clark?) Losing his temper, running off half-cocked against the advice of his friends-- I thought Clark had moved past that kind of adolescent behavior. Lifting Tess by the throat was not Superman-ly behavior. It's exactly what Clark did to a street punk in the aftermath of Jonathan's death. (Had something to do with the stolen wristwatch nonsense). I want to see Clark maintaining his cool in a crisis, not getting pissed off and turning violent.

Overall, though, I think this episode was done well. It just didn't appeal to me all that much.

It was a good episode, but not as good as i hoped for. If Peterson and Souders want to do stuff like this, they better pay better attention to the show they have worked in for 8 years. Jor-El's age was one issue I had. Another was the fact that the Orb and the Stones of Knowledge(if I remember correctly) were sent to Earth before 1969. There was also the problem with Jor-El not looking exactly like Clark, but that's one I am willing to let slide. Zod doesn't look like Davis either.

Clark had another mediocre Season 9 episode IMO. I found his desperation to meet Jor-El a bit over the top. As was the case with him and Lara in Blue. Like Chloe said, Clark had the best parents he could ask for so I can't see what would make him so starved to meet Jor-El and Lara. In the end, all we had was more grief for him. And him grabbing Tess by the neck was as bad as I thought it was. Good to see that his connection to Lois brought him in touch with his human side! I hoped that with Lois out of the way Chloe and Tess would get more screentime and i was correct. They both got bumped to 8-9 minutes of screentime. Great! If your show lasts 20 minutes that is! I like Tess, but I still can't understand what her motivations are. Maybe it's just me though. As far as Chloe goes, give her something better to work with. Was the 1930s line and her spying on Clark the best they could come up with? People wonder why Oliver had to be in this episode. The way I look at it, they wanted to make viewers used to the idea that Chloe won't be Clark's confidant from now on. In that scene outside the Kent house when the camera was rotating around Clark, I expected to see Chloe next to him. When I saw Oliver, I figured that they are probably settig themsleves up for next season. Zod and Jor-El were great so no complaints about them.

Finally, I have to say that the special effects were fantastic. One of the best things about this episode. By default, it's the best episode of Season 9. However, I want to enjoy episodes without Lois a lot more. There won't be many of them this season.