Legion

DVD, Smallville S8 (Legion)

For those that love comics I'm sure this is exactly the kind of episode to get them excited: bringing in more comics-created characters! Connecting to a larger mythology! Commenting on Clark Kent's place in history! But for those that find comics continuity and the ridiculousness of the world(s) all too much silliness, taking away from more real drama and plunging us into a minefield of silly costumes and characters pulled out of the back end of the science fiction barrel, this does not, on the whole impress. I'm not sure if I've ever heard of the Legion, I may have, but if so it didn't strike a chord, and I'll admit that some of what they were saying about Clark's eventual destiny to lead a new galactic-wide movement that brings worlds together in the distant future was interesting, but it felt out of place on this series and more like a completely different, much more sci-fi-heavy series (and one that I would watch). Mixing these characters into an existing setup in order to get rid of Brainiac, as that's the only reason they were there, was another example of many where the series copped out. If they were going to finally and irrevocably write the Brain Interactive Construct out, couldn't they have done better than some heroes from the future who are pupils to a mentoring Sup– I mean Kal-El, who show up to do the defeating, learn a new lesson from someone you'd think would already have taught them this (it's wrong to kill), mention how great he's going to be, then head off back to 3009.

It did not assist the story that they had three such dull characters that weren't around long enough to get to know. You have Rokk, the leader of the trio, who was fine at being that, but bland. Then there's Imra, the token female who has as much emotion in her actions as an android (for all I know she may well be an android, but it wasn't mentioned!), robotically reciting lines like "Your sadism is historic where I come from" in a completely serious, dull voice. The only interesting character was 'Lightning Lad.' Was this a character created in the fifties or sixties, or maybe even earlier? It just makes you smile with a name like that as if some schoolchild has come up with it. Granted, the costumes weren't as dopey, but they wouldn't have got away with anything too cartoony. But that's the way I feel about the much of the vast roster of superheroes that have been developed over the decades: just makeup a name and chuck in a power and you're done, you have a character. But character is much more than what you're known as or what abilities you have, as Clark has proved. Non-comics readers love Superman, they love Batman, and Spiderman, not just because they're cool and have amazing powers (not just superhuman ones either, in Batman's case), but because they have a strong character to them. So shoving in three new (to me), characters in a weekly TV series for one episode doesn't cut it. I felt the same way about the Justice League, and indeed all but Green Arrow remained undeveloped, just showing up once in a while to crack some wises.

Green Arrow became a character to me due to the episodes that saw him go through things, where we would learn about him and why and what he did and would do, not because he fired arrows. It sounds like a rant against superheroes, and it's not, I just find one-off episodes in which we're asked to like these people we don't know simply because they're part of something bigger, annoying. But as I said, comics readers probably loved it because they were in the know, but even then I wonder, because it wouldn't be enough, you'd want to see more. I suppose the gift of the time-travelling ring at the end was given so that prospect of bringing these characters back into it could be a dangling thread ready to be picked up if this episode had been successful. It may have been and they may turn up again, or Clark may travel to the 31st Century, but I won't be holding my breath in anticipation. Similarly, I had the impression the name of the writer, Geoff Johns, was a semi-famous comic book creator, but again, I'm not up on comics lore, it's just a name I may have heard (not like Stan Lee, or Bob Kane or whomever, the really big names to non-readers). If he is a big name then this must have been a stunt episode to pull in the ratings by featuring a comic writer and familiar characters, but I'm not sure it was the place for it immediately after such a momentous episode.

That recap at the beginning was exciting and made me think this was going to be a direct sequel like a proper two-parter, but in fact, although it did continue the story, many of the regulars were nowhere to be seen (Jimmy being nursed by Lois in Star City; no Tess or Green Arrow), and Doomsday was popped in a chrysalis in the Fortress for the duration so as not to interfere while Clark had backup. Not that they're likely to do the death of Superman storyline, the only thing I know about Doomsday, as Clark isn't Superman, as is made abundantly clear by the people from the Legion. That side of it was quite fun when Lightning Lad (stifled laugh), asks where his cape is, almost calls him Superman which is the closest we've come to the actual name being said onscreen, I think, and mentions the 'no flights, no tights' line which was a definite part of the writers' code for the series when it started (sadly long abandoned to super-heroic shenanigans far from the potential the series had in those early days, which I will forever, and continue to, mention!). Unfortunately it didn't endear the Lad to those meeting him for the first time, confirming the kind of impressions of comicbookness that keep me away from it all thanks to his annoying excitement at being in the presence of young Clark and everything being an artefact from museums he's thrilled to see.

It's strange, because I like sci-fi when it's done in a realistic way, with method in the madness, and yet even though these people were from the future, it didn't excite me, it just felt out of place. They were a little stereotypical, being a bit arrogant in terms of coming back to a simpler time without revealing much, and try and muscle in on events to sort 'our' time out. Actually even that seemed a little forced to begin with as they're simply chasing a 'Persuader' who's stolen one of their time rings and tried to kill Clark with an axe (an aside: the axe in the side didn't look very realistic, while still being bloody, so why bother? Either it goes into him and is nasty, or it rebounds off, so what was going on there?). So their first appearance is full of the talk of a mythology I know nothing about and have no reason to care about. There was too much of people telling other people what had to be done or what was going to be done, the episode saturated by such scenes and it felt a little too 'insider' comic junkie for my liking as someone with a casual understanding. It was more confusing than it needed to be, positively chucking facts and details at us with the trio acting very stagey and walking awkwardly around each other throughout as if they were tied together by string! Future people being annoyingly cagey and irritating isn't a new thing, and it's understandable when they have so much advance knowledge, and they weren't as smug as, say, Daniels from 'Enterprise,' but at the same time, they were too characterless to be appealing.

Things did improve later in the episode so that by the time we get the three of them being taught the valuable lesson of thou shalt not kill (although hasn't he killed people from the Phantom Zone? I could be wrong), and pulling Brainiac out of Chloe into a black ball to take home as a souvenir (although they seemed remarkably blase about the threat this thing poses - oh, we'll find a use for it - that I hope Brainiac doesn't become another returning villain!), there was finally something happening that meant something. I was also glad this storyline didn't run for a few episodes with Chloe as the villain. It wasn't Allison Mack's fault that she was written as a cliched evil villain, but look at the way James Marsters played the character originally, which was much more interesting and uncertain. It would have been nice to have a cameo from him somewhere, but not essential. I also thought the talk between Clark and Chloe at the end was good stuff, too, as I was wondering why, if she was talking about all this Kryptonian lore as if it was normal, how she could know it all without knowing Clark's 'secret,' but that was corrected quickly, and it was kind of a relief that she does know, after all. So what was the point in the previous episode of making us think that from now on she'll be back in the dark? It seems like the writers thought it would be cool to do stuff, but then changed their mind. Unless it's going to become an issue again, but then it'd be like a revolving door and more annoying.

Lana's return has so far been pretty pointless as she hasn't come back in some great story about her, she's just sort of showed up again, and it's weird. Imra says she won't reveal her 'secret' so presumably that's going to be something that we're supposed to expect to be developed, but it was just a little line thrown in amid so much. Messy is the best way to describe this kind of storytelling, not a cohesive story, although I will credit the episode with having a go at poking some themes when Clark's so adamant that killing is wrong in any instance (again, why did his future followers not know this, or does he change his mind in a thousand years?). They almost talk about this time as if it's an alternate history, since they know about Lana, Lois and Jimmy, but not Chloe. Of course Chloe was a character created specifically for 'Smallville' (one thing that made her cool at the start because they could do what they want - mind you, in those days they could do what they wanted anyway because it was a deliberate differentiation from the expected Superman mythos), which is like it was in comics or films before this series. They don't actually say it is an alternate timeline, just that their knowledge of history might be incorrect or incomplete, but once again if these are followers of Superman, have they not spoken to him, has he not told his life history? And do they not have a code that goes against allowing people from the past to come to the future, so shouldn't be handing out time rings as gifts?

The other theme was destiny and how you make your own, as Lana tells Clark. It's strange to see them chatting as if nothing ever happened, but I was sort of neutral about it all, not bothered that she's been brought back, but not excited about what they might do, either. At least Lana isn't dull and wooden, even if she's so far purposeless. Anything else to say? Imra can suddenly hear Chloe inside so, what, did she just not try hard enough before or did she have to get right up close before she knew and changed her mind that it wasn't actually a good idea to murder the Brainiac host after all?! It would be chilling the way they calmly discuss killing Chloe, if they weren't simply unemotional beings the rest of the time (except the Lad when he gets excited about period objects). It was another episode that didn't sit well, but had enough bright lights and flashy things to get you through to something of value with the stuff at the end, but as ever, 'must try harder' would be the conclusion at the bottom of the report, and if they can get the Doomsday stuff to work then they might be onto something. Rokk wasn't too helpful with his advice, though. There was not even a mention of Lex Luthor, or what Clark should expect from Doomsday, he just said be careful. Yeah, thanks future guy, really helpful there.

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