Obsession

DVD, Smallville S3 (Obsession)

At first I thought it could be a good one. Lionel is there at last, after missing for a few episodes. And there's a good mysterious teaser leaving you wondering what will happen. Then the episode unfolded and it became very Season Two freak-of-the-week-ey, and this was one of those totally homicidal maniacs. What could be more creepy than an amoral obsessive that can beam into any place at any moment! Hence the title of the episode, though they subtly caused the viewer to associate the title with Adam after Lana finds his notes on her and Clark (she even uses the word), and at that point Alicia hasn't been unmasked.

But then things take a turn for the worse, and at the end of it, at the point Clark could have spoken to Lana and cleared everything up, he sticks to his guns and she walks away. Very Season Two! If only he would decide one way or the other, though I suppose the shock about Adam hadn't sunk in yet. In a way I suppose he should be proud that he kept to his decision and didn't leap in when Adam was gone, but it leaves the episode on a downer with Clark wondering if he'll always be alone!

The partial saving grace is Lionel and Adam's revelation of their experiment, though I'm not sure how that links to the Kryptonite experiments in cloning he was running with the little girl at the end of the second season. At first I wondered if this Alicia would turn out to be some sort of superhero confidant, recurring, but the episode wasn't that clever. It didn't really have amazing effects, but rather functional ones (and it didn't make sense that Alicia couldn't escape from the lead paint as it wasn't covering her whole body, and since it was touching her couldn't she just take it with her and still get away, and go and wash it off?).

Early on, you could guess Adam would turn out to be more than a simple love interest, but at least the cards are on the table now. The usual Season Three complaints arise again, that the other characters weren't featured much (Pete, not in an episode focused on himself, is once again demoted to one scene of corridor chat, as if last week's story never happened!), and Lana should surely know what it means to call in help from Lex like that. She must know Adam would be in big trouble, but fortunately it never comes down to that as Lex lost the trail. Thanks to his Father...

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