Asylum

DVD, Smallville S3 (Asylum)

The first truly worthwhile episode of the season! You have to smile when Clark's going through the asylum and people he's put there keep meeting him. It gives a more three-dimensionality to the community when you can imagine these people are still out there and still bear a grudge. The fact that the three of them (Eric, Van and Ian) work together makes for some fun scenes, and it makes sense because none of them on their own would have been much of a threat to Clark, or made much impact as a guest star. But all three together make for a worthy opponent.

The tension in the episode comes from the possibility of Lex having his memory forcibly wiped, or whether he'll survive with Clark's secret intact. They had to put him through the procedure, or how would the series continue - it still feels too early for Lex to be in on it. But you can't help wondering whether he retains some memory or has flashbacks to make him suspicious of Clark.

Everyone's involved, even if Pete feels more like a cameo from someone that used to be in the series, and I love the shot at the end where Chloe, Pete and Lana are talking at the party. Even Martha and Jonathan have a little more meat in their dialogue. Things are happening, it doesn't feel like we're on autopilot at last. But why is it that a guy called Adam always pops up in these programmes, and is a bit creepy and annoying (see 'BUGS' and 'Dr. Who' for two examples)?

As a comeback episode and as an exciting story, and for totally unmasking the villainy of Lionel to the characters if they were in any doubt, that he is indeed a complete and dangerous villain, where before perhaps he seemed a charming rogue, and for ending on a scene worthy of the series, with pain and S1 style trauma, this is an episode that makes S3 worth seeing. If only there were more. Hopefully the first few episodes were an anomaly.

One note about the violence: maybe it's because the season has been so tepid, but it did seem more violent than we've seen in a long time. Maybe too much? Great opening, great ending, and a whole lot of fun in the middle. If fun is the right word for such trauma!

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