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DVD, Enterprise S4 (Home)

I remember disliking this episode on first viewing. I think it was mainly the Vulcan side of it, but I wasn't impressed with the many threads running through, they were too shallow and I didn't see the point of much of it. It was important for the series to take a breath, much as 'TNG' did after 'The Best of Both Worlds,' or 'DS9' after the six-episode war arc at the beginning of Season 6. So there was precedent for a quieter, or more fun episode, to build on the experiences the characters had recently been through, and consolidate, or in some way reset the series, or put it on its next path. But this episode doesn't really delve into the characters, not all of them anyway. Perhaps that's fair. After all, 'Family' was all about Picard, and 'You Are Cordially Invited' was about Dax and Worf, not 'all the characters,' so perhaps I'm asking too much. It's just that the series had gone from the traditional 80s and 90s style of an ensemble piece, to more and more focusing in on selected main characters. And that doesn't change here, with Mayweather, Reed, Phlox and Hoshi once again given only one or two scenes of very little importance, while the can is carried by Archer, with about equal support from Trip and T'Pol. It's something the series needed to address, to get that sense of family back into the crew that, for example, 'Voyager' had so strongly.

That isn't to say the four 'lesser' characters don't have anything to do: Phlox has a few nice scenes, one with Reed who warns of rising xenophobia on Earth, another in which this is encountered (allowing Reed and Mayweather to let off steam in a minor bar fight), leading to the Doctor's puffer fish defence mechanism being activated (what at any other time would have been to hilarious effect, though here it feels more serious thanks to the cause), and one where he and Hoshi discuss what happened. It's good (that's probably the wrong word in the circumstances), that the temperature on Earth towards aliens, that would become so important in the penultimate two-parter of the season, was given some setup here, along with a plausible reason for why this mood was appearing: after the Xindi attack at the end of Season 2, humans had been knocked out of complacency, and while this Earth isn't the one of two centuries hence when everything is hunky-dory, it was still a peaceful and better place thanks to the aftermath of World War III, making any such belligerence shocking. That conflict helped change human history (just as The Great War, and World War II did for our times), forcing the nations to reason and cooperate, with the help of the Vulcans (although their assistance often seems to be underplayed in these later-produced Treks).

The change in humanity's mindset is embodied no less than in Captain Archer himself - not the xenophobic part, of course, but a wave of cynicism that has crushed his adventuring spirit and makes him wonder if Earth ships should stay close to home so they can protect the homeworld against future threats that could appear at any moment (nobody tell him about the Borg!). I say not the xenophobic part, but there is a slight impression of even that in his manner. He's no longer excited to explore new worlds, or is bitter that he can't be that same wide-eyed explorer that we miss from the first two seasons, his old attitudes represented by Captain Erika Hernandez of the NX-02 Columbia that has now reached completion (or almost completion, it wasn't clear). He sees himself in her, and can't accept that life can continue as 'normal' as it was before the Xindi attack. So, thanks to his recommendations, the new ship has upgraded weapons and more of them, when he admits himself that he originally argued against heavy weaponry with the designer. Similarly he recommends Hernandez take a squad of MACOs, even make one of them her First Officer, when it was initially something he wouldn't have considered. So it's really sad to see this idealistic personality have such a u-turn in his beliefs and optimism.

The debriefing didn't help. We begin the episode with the Captain and his senior staff lined up before a cheering crowd (done well, with a good impression of size and space - a prequel moment to the finale in which we see Archer make a more important speech), making a speech about those they've lost (did Reed look down because he felt responsible?). Even in that moment of triumph, that bring to mind the medal ceremony at the end of 'Star Wars,' you start to see the guilt and negativity that have taken root in Archer's mind. When his actions are questioned at the debriefing regarding the loss of the Vulcan ship Seleya (as seen in 'Impulse'), it's the last straw for him, snarling at the Vulcans, and Soval in particular, forcing an angry Admiral Forrest to order him to take some leave (he doesn't have a brother to end up rolling in the mud with to improve his mental state!).

I like that there's a callback to a specific event that occurred in the Expanse, it's not just as easy as returning to Earth as heroes that saved the planet and having no accounting for actions. But Archer's fed up with both sides, the hero worship and seeming accusations from the Vulcans. It's good that underlying tensions that have been there since the start of the series are being addressed and returned to, and it provides the best character moment in the episode: Captain Hernandez follows Archer into the wilderness where, in true Captain Kirk tradition, he goes climbing (he's no Kirk, though - has to use ropes!). With nightmares about Xindi-Reptilians coming to kill him (in the last ever appearance of the Xindi, I believe - they got some good use out of those Reman outfits, didn't they!), he admits to Erika that he's not the man he was, and seeing her as he used to be doesn't help, the guilt about what he did or became in the Expanse (such as stranding Casey Biggs' ship). It's not like she immediately changes his mind or tells him to pull himself together, but her presence helps to return a little of his natural optimism about the future.

This is furthered by Ambassador Soval, at whom Archer had previously flared up, and whom had constantly been a thorn in his side, but now he actually thanks the Captain for what he did, and basically validates his actions against the Vulcan ship. It's a nice moment, and to show that Soval is sincere he even initiates a handshake, a human custom that, thanks to their distaste of physical contact (due to their touch-telepath nature), is quite a gesture. It's a shame there wasn't a similar moment of reconciliation between the Captain and Forrest considering what would happen to the unfortunate Admiral in short order, but I imagine it happened off screen, and he was hardly going to be angry with his best Captain, and friend, for long. One thing I didn't realise was that the Expanse was expanding (clue's in the name I suppose…), which is mentioned by Soval, another reason why he thanks Archer, since Vulcan would eventually have been caught up in it, too.

Soval's gesture is the least of the Vulcan interest that takes place - in one short episode we are given a statement of intent from the writers about where the series is headed from now on: we are going back to the familiar of 'TOS,' what we've missed in large part from this supposed prequel series was now jumping to the front of the queue, and you can't get much more 'Star Trek' than the planet Vulcan to which T'Pol takes Trip. Ostensibly to visit her Mother (played by Joanna Cassidy, whom I knew, ironically, as a crazy and dangerous woman in an episode of 'Starsky & Hutch'!), though it turns into a Vulcan wedding when we meet her betrothed, Koss, at last (played by Michael Reilly Burke, who'd been a Borg in 'Descent' and a Cardassian student in 'Profit and Loss'). So you could say this was almost a combination between 'Family' and 'You Are Cordially Invited'! This is where I had more problems with the episode, and once again it's with these Vulcans and how they're portrayed. We all know they have emotions, but you can't deny them their control or you deny the race its unique character. Yet every one has their emotions accessible just below the surface which rise up quite regularly and make a mockery of their so-called control, rather than the appearance of no emotion. Yes, T'Pol can be excused to a certain extent as she's a special case, having always been interested in aliens, living among humans, and more recently her addiction to a drug that released her emotions more readily (I'm not saying I like it, but these are excuses), but the others do not have these reasons!

T'Pol's homecoming isn't the serene occasion it might have been as we learn that her actions, specifically, the Enterprise's interference in the monastery of P'Jem, have made her almost an outcast, or at the very least, have driven the Vulcans to punish her in the only way they could - by removing her Mother from her high position (though it could equally have been for her abandonment of the Vulcan Science Academy in favour of joining the Enterprise crew permanently at the end of Season 2). Again, it's good that something that happened so long ago should be called up again ('The Andorian Incident' was an early episode from Season 1), a further statement of intent that though the series had a new direction (it's third after the initial exploration, and then the Xindi mission), it's not about to forget the things that were good about the early episodes, notably the Andorians, Vulcans and the interplay between these and Earth, all moving towards the founding of the Federation. It must have been so tricky to know how much to accomplish in this regard, when the future of the series was uncertain (and indeed, short-lived), as they would have wanted to play out the founding in real time so we eventually got to the year (2161), yet they wanted to get to the good stuff, too, in case they didn't get the chance to continue. A difficult balancing act that they carried off successfully, it's just a shame we never had the opportunity to see it happen.

On a more picky note, the lighting for outdoor scenes on Vulcan was flat, and when compared to the great outdoors Archer climbs in, looked completely unnatural. It was good to see the grand statues of Vulcan, though they must have been others to those we saw in 'The Motion Picture' since they looked different - why not just take the CG effects from the Director's Edition and use them here? Just as Soval initiated his human handshake with Archer, Trip initiated the Vulcan salute with T'Pol's Mother, in a nice piece of symmetry between the two plots. Usually if Archer is upset he can rely on his buddy, Trip, to go off with him, but this time it was good for them to have a break from each other, though you feel like he's just going to Vulcan because it's as good a place to go as any, now his home has been destroyed, and the Enterprise has become that for him. I think what's really missing is him going over the Enterprise refit, something that every other engineer we've ever seen would be hopping up and down to do, not swanning off to Vulcan! T'Pol should have had to pry him away from his engines and then when he realised how he felt, we should have seen him take the difficult decision to go with her rather than do what he really wanted to do. We're not shown much of the refit, and it's technically more of a repair, but still…

It's exciting to see the Columbia, Archer taking a tour of the bridge (it's only little so it didn't take long!), and helps inject some optimism into the unhappiness and uncertainty about the future hanging over some of the characters. There's still hope for the Federation to come and the universe we know. Again, I'd have liked to have witnessed the launch of the NX-02, perhaps to end on, but we'd still be waiting for the NX-01 to get back into space, so maybe that would have been inappropriate. I do wonder if 'Enterprise' had been the success originally envisioned, running for anywhere up to seven seasons, and then heading up the film series (the plan at one time), would Columbia have headlined a spinoff series to continue Trek on TV? Or another NX down the line - it seems likely that any new series would have followed in this time period. This was not to happen, and sadly we now have to endure a 'Star Trek' that is not really 'Star Trek' any more because of the failure of this version. And it really is sad, because what I do love about this episode now, is that despite being a relatively slow episode, it's heavily set in our favourite universe, no longer trying to be something it's not, what with a tri-screen in the debriefing room, mention of the kal-if-fee (though not realistically, it seems), Vulcan spoken with subtitles (yay!), the knowledge that successful film epics are made about World War III (though this seems hard to believe - wouldn't they prefer to forget this dark period of history?), and some of T'Pau's speech from 'TOS' used to close the episode out, it couldn't be any more 'Star Trek' if you added green people. Could it…?

***

Need For Speed Underground

GameCube, Need For Speed Underground (2003) game

I had no idea a 'Need For Speed' film, inspired by the long-running franchise was coming this year when I bought my first version of it on any system, it was purely a coincidence and a choice based on necessity: I'd got all the other worthwhile GameCube racing games, so now I was forced to buy a lesser, an EA, mass-produced, sleek and soulless one. That's how I've often seen EA games, anyway, (speaking historically, I have no idea how the company's developed since the 'Cube days), and so I didn't have expectations that this would get anywhere near the benchmark of realistic racing games on this system: 'Burnout 2.' I was right, this isn't a patch on that great game, but it is a good game, and one I enjoyed playing for quite a while thanks to the long-lasting 'Underground Mode' in which you take part in a variety of challenges in a (very) loose story mode, whether that's a point-to-point Sprint race, Circuits, Drag, or Drift. Those four categories cover it all, but there's also a little more depth to proceedings in that you have incentive to win, and win big, by the fact that the difficulty you choose (out of three), decides your winnings, and with this money you can upgrade your vehicle.

This is where we get to the 'shallow EA' style that I expected - it's in evidence in the way that you appear to have so much choice, and yet in reality you can only upgrade what the game has unlocked, so you're basically just given one choice when it boils down to it. Yes, you have a variety of manufacturers to choose from and you do have the option to change the individual colours on most parts of your car, as well as adding less useful visual modifications to give it its own identity. These do have some use actually, as they improve your style rating which gives you more money or improved performance, or something along those lines, I wasn't paying that much attention - the important stuff is in the car's performance upgrades. It would have made life simpler not to pretend there was choice, and just have the option of turning on each upgrade automatically when you win it, as you have to go through the menu manually to find the equipment you're now allowed to add to your car (even though it handily points out where to go with arrows!), I suppose to give you a feeling of empowerment. The upgrade system is fine, as are the 'story' elements, but they're only sideshows to the real reason you get a game like this: racing.

Control is responsive and with the excellent 'Cube controller in your hand you feel all the control you require. It rips along at a pleasing pace, so that's the 'Need' and the 'Speed' part of the title covered. It's just the 'Underground' part that isn't quite as impressive. The game is dripping with manufactured cool, as it tries to 'get down' and appeal to the 'yoof.' Fine if you like that music, but I had to turn it off as soon as the game loaded, and the 'cool' characters that occasionally showed up in cutscenes weren't 'all dat.' Fortunately, this all takes a backseat to the racing. The AI of your opponents is quite strong. I say that, although I found that to have a challenge I needed to select 'Hard' difficulty as anything less was too easy, though I like to think I'm pretty good at racing games. I chose that difficulty for pretty much every track, except for an occasional early one which I didn't enjoy, and wanted to get through quickly, such as the 'Drag' mode.

Out of the four types (or three if you include Circuits and Sprint together under the banner of straight 'Racing'), 'Drag' was my least favourite as it was the most basic (drive forward flicking left and right to avoid other motor vehicles, while hitting the top of your gear at just the right moment to get the best change-up, while also making the most of your Turbo boost, and keeping track of your three opponents!), almost like an old-fashioned 2D shoot-em'-up. They could either be won in seconds with a chance easy run-through, or take ages to master. Once I got used to this style of race I didn't mind it so much, but I could never shake the feeling it was more of a mini-game than a proper race mode. Strangely, the style I enjoyed most was 'Drift,' in which you slide round a curvy circuit trying to score as many points as possible by pulling off long or sharp drifts without touching the sides of the track of slowing down too much. This I always looked forward to, even though some were a challenge, but if this was a mini-game it was of the 'just one more go' variety, and something I would consider playing to get a new high score, not just to win and progress in 'Underground.'

The racing itself was straightforward, though with the setting of almost exclusively city streets (and always nighttime), I was somewhat put off by the visuals, which featured neon lights all over the shop and a lot of darkness (it would, being night!). The tracks just weren't varied enough, were too cluttered, and preferring daytime, naturalistic tracks in my racing games, this was something I had to grow accustomed to. But I did, over the pretty long time that I played. The longevity is definitely a plus point because it's a game you can play for a few minutes to try and win the current track, or, if you feel like putting in a couple of hours, you can do that too, as there are so many challenges to win (112, though it actually says 111 - you get a final one-on-one race at the end). After extended play into the game you do begin to see subtle differences in the tracks, and the clutter that initially tricked and irritated your eyes become recognisable landmarks so you know where you are and where you're going (as well as finding shortcuts that provide new tactics - do you go for the shortest route and risk crashing, or the longer and safer one?). As in most racing games, and certainly of the time, the breadth of tracks are increased sneakily by the use of reverse tracks, although the other artificial extension of variety by changing weather conditions, isn't really attempted, except for rain. I'd have liked to have seen snow-covered tracks or maybe a nice race at dawn to change things a bit, but I will say that the water reflections were impressive.

You do feel like you're racing the same track over and over, because you are, and when you realise that tracks are different routes through the same area, that's not so impressive, either. Adding to the neon ocular discomfort are the bright yellow stripes on the road which provide an uncomfortable irritant to the eyes, so much so that I would sometimes drive to left or right of them to avoid the strobe effect. But the test of a good racing game is in how much enjoyment you get out of it and how immersed you are in its environment. I would say this did a good job, and the feeling of elation at completing one of the trickier later challenges (one of the last Circuits is a seven-lap race in which you can't make any mistakes!), is as strong as any gaming accomplishment. There is some exhilaration, too, though perhaps not as strong a sense of speed in seeing sunlit country streaking past. You feel like the opponents are having a proper race with you, not following strict racing lines, but competing well, yet still occasionally having a useful crash that enables you to catch up - it's fun to use the rearview mirror to try and prevent them passing, a tactic especially useful on 'Drag' mode, though awareness of what's in front is just as important! I didn't try the multiplayer, but I would imagine you'd have to play someone who had experienced as much of the game as you in order to provide a fair contest.

It is a shame that you can't revisit any of the 'Underground' mode again, and are forced to start a new file, though perhaps you can recreate a favourite challenge in the 'Quick Race' mode, something I didn't really explore. Apart from the taste in style of nighttime racing, there were a few other things that took the game down a few notches - I already mentioned the lack of real choice in upgrading, and this loses a sense of saving up for the stuff you want, just being automatically unlocked and essentially making the currency valueless. As long as you get some money, and don't waste it on every different neon light variety, for example, you can always get the next upgrade, but it's too forced and you don't feel in control of the buying side of things. This adds to the lack of jeopardy in-race: you never lose anything, you can just have another go, and that applies to the 'Tournament' races, too, in which you can replay any race in a tournament as many times as you want, rather than having to race all the tracks and start again if you didn't do well enough. There should have been something on the line, whether that was your car, money, points or whatever, perhaps betting with your competitors would have upped the ante, anything to make a race essential to win. To begin with it also felt like races just end with no obvious goal point in place, but that's the nature of this supposed illegal street racing, it's just turn up, tune up and race.

With all this said, and despite it being a decade old EA game, I have to say I quite enjoyed it. There are little touches like getting your car photographed on un-lockable magazine covers, and if you really want some jeopardy, you can find it in the statistics section where it shows the percentage of wins you have compared to starts you made (a paltry 11% by the end of the game, for me!). The 'Cube didn't have a lot of variety when it came to car games, but this stands up there as a good alternative to 'Burnout 2,' 'Dakar 2,' 'Smuggler's Run' and other vehicle-based games. I would definitely consider getting more in the 'Need For Speed' series on the machine, and I believe there are a few. With this game lasting around six months, it was £2.48 well spent!

***

Turbulence

DVD, Smallville S8 (Turbulence)

What started as a bitty episode turned into something a little more interesting by the end, but it still wasn't the most complete episode to enjoy, dipping deeply into super-soap territory and predicating much of its heart on the notion that you care about Chloe and Jimmy being married, which I don't. I must admit, I didn't expect things to become quite as open and 'normal' for some of these characters after recent events, but that's always the way: although Tess Mercer could still be a villainess, she looked different, not just her attitude since decrying Lex recently. Could it all just be a plot of his that involves her and this is a way to get Clark to admit his secret identity to her? Then again, if she really were in with Lex (I'm assuming he's not dead, that's a pretty safe bet!), she wouldn't need Clark to tell her, since Lex knew his secrets. As soon as something went wrong in Oliver Queen's private jet (I was thinking as Clark said how nice it was of Oliver to let her borrow it, 'how nice of the prop department to let you use it'), I immediately suspected foul play on Mercer's part, because her new leaf may well be genuine, but it's far more likely she's still out for power for herself, and even good people have wanted to test their theory of Clark's abilities (see 'Superman II' for Lois Lane's attempt), something Superman has always had to put up with.

I'm never really clear on how he could leap out of a plane and land with another person still alive. Clark, yes, but surely Tess wouldn't survive the impact no matter how well Clark cushioned the fall! I get it, we have to use our imagination on that score, and it was a good moment, if overly obvious. Apart from nefarious motives I'm not sure why Mercer needs to know his secret and is willing to go to such crazy lengths to find out - it was confirmed it was all planned because we see her paying off the captain of the plane at the end, not that there was any doubt. Though the situation was phoney, was her story of a tough childhood in which her Father injured her many times, the truth? Or was that similarly fabricated to try and get Clark to spill the beans on his innermost secret? The charm offensive didn't entirely work, but it has put her in Clark's good books (to Chloe's dismay), which is probably what she wanted, a secondary objective achieved. Don't trust her, despite working closely with Queen…

Oliver didn't make an appearance this time, but after a long absence, Jimmy did, and it was quite an impact, going a bit crazy (and not in the medically induced way Davis was suggesting) - I almost wondered if he was going to take all the pills at the end and drive over some cliff or other, the way he was so full of rage. This was where the super-soap returned in full force, with Chloe feeling guilty over Jimmy's injuries from Doomsday at the wedding, and finding some comfort in Davis in full view of Jimmy's hospital room. Not a wise thing to do, whatever innocent motives she had, though of course Davis took full advantage. I was just waiting for the camera to show Jimmy watching from a window, and predictably, it did. It's annoying that Davis doesn't turn into Doomsday when Chloe's there, as that would bring her memory back, I expect, or at the least give her reason not to trust him. I think we're still supposed to feel a little sorry for Davis because it's a problem that he's having to deal with, not just his own personal motives. I suppose we should be grateful he didn't kill Jimmy, but that would have put Chloe forever out of reach, and alienated most of the viewers - it's all very much aimed at teenage girls over gaining sympathy for the blokes and arguing their motives, which only emphasises the soap aspects. It's also kind of strange how Chloe, Jimmy and Davis' storyline was so separate from Clark's.

Clark, apart from having to rescue Mercer, has quite a nice time of it, having fully accepted his dual identity as the Red-Blue Blur (even going so far as changing in the Daily Planet's phone boxes, and having a link to police channels so he can dash off - he's practically Superman now!), making sure he spreads hope and inspiration to the population by slowing down enough for speed cameras to register the blur. Meanwhile, and I suppose in opposition to the positive impact Clark makes on the city, Davis has become this creature of the night, taking out his lust for death and destruction by couching it in some kind of loose moral framework: he goes out to catch criminals or those that have done wrong, and offs them. It was a bit much of Jimmy to knock the man out with a metal bar and handcuff him to a fence, but I admire his forethought. It just didn't work out because Chloe zapped him with a taser, so it's no wonder Jimmy was sore at her! I liked the episode better than when I started watching it, but not really enough that I could say it worked. It sets up more angst and jealousy, which never works in this series, though they kept plugging away at it, even if the end montage was well done. The episode's incidental music stood out for me as threatening and interesting, but if you're concentrating on those kind of details maybe the story wasn't a strong one. No surprise that they couldn't successfully follow such a good one as previous episode.

**

Storm Front, Part II

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Storm Front, Part II)

Just as in the first part this isn't much of a character episode, but it does give weighty bang for buck conversion and proves to be one of those rare second parts that improves on the first. Many of the main cast are mostly overlooked as Archer goes on his lone wolf missions (with help from the guest cast), leaving T'Pol to 'man' the ship, Reed to sit on his rear, and Phlox to point out that this man is not who he seems to be. Did Hoshi even have a line? I didn't notice. At least Travis gets to be part of things(captured and beaten up - it's his stock in trade!), though even he is chained back up to the helm before long to pilot the ship in a dogfight over New York against futuristically-weaponised aircraft. And while I'm pointing out problems, the CG doesn't always score big points (though reading about the turnaround schedule in an old 'Star Trek Magazine' recently, I'm not surprised!), especially with the planes. Also, whether it was because I knew they were filming in digital or not, I did feel that whenever there was harsh lighting (such as in the Generalmajor's office), it looked as if it was shot in the 1970s, although it was fine most of the time, and in external shots. With all that said, this felt like a more immersive experience than part one, we get some of the things we wanted or expected, and there are a number of strong moments, including the necessary explosions and gunfights (despite the diversionary attack by Carmine and his gangsters being in a narrow alley it was still well shot and exciting, although again, it's not the best tactic to take on machine-gunners with handguns!).

If you want character scenes, there's none better than the one between Archer and Alicia Travers, the resident of New York who was beamed up last time. She shows the difficulty in acceptance of all these aliens, space vessels and time travel that was previously missing, and despite Archer, God-like, offering her the ability to go anywhere in the world, she chooses to return home - none of this skulking off for a safer life elsewhere for her! It was also of interest and pleasure to hear Archer tell her of the positive future on Earth, wherein humans no longer fight against each other (though, technically, that hadn't ended as we saw in the penultimate two episodes of the series), a touchstone for the Roddenberry ethos that was often lacking in 'Enterprise,' set as it was in a halfway house between the aftermath of World War III, and The Adventures of Captain Kirk. Yes, it is sad that a guest character should get such a scene when the main cast generally don't, but it's better than nothing on a series known more for its action and speed than for deep thought and interactions.

Other good stuff includes Trip shinning up a pipe in order to break a glass lamp to get a shard to cut his bonds, and actually, anything with Trip works well (though as in part one, I wished for a more heartfelt reunion between him and Archer since he thought he was dead, though the humour in the scene played well), such as the tense meeting between Archer and Vosk when his men are released, and especially the scene in sickbay where the Captain realises Trip is not the man he was, resulting in an impromptu rumble between Archer and what turns out to be Silik. Have we seen Suliban impersonate people before? I can't remember. Then again, despite Silik dropping from the ceiling of Trip's cell I never connected the dots and realised the alien was now impersonating the Engineer (how did he know Archer was supposed to be dead in order to show surprise at seeing him - did his benefactor give him the heads-up? He mentions about Daniels choosing him to fight the Xindi, so maybe he had all the details). The effects work on Silik as he squeezed out of Archer's grip and donkey-kicked him into a shelving unit worked really well (I wanted him to escape properly and be a threat on the ship for a bit), and generally the morphing effects looked good. What I enjoyed most was Archer forced to work with his archenemy against their common foe. For one thing, it gave the Temporal Cold War added depth as we realise it's faction on faction, (we know of at least four separate ones: the Time Agents Daniels represented, Silik for Future Guy, Vosk and his Na'kuhl, and the Sphere Builders in the Xindi war).

As much as I was disappointed that the grand storyline of the Temporal Cold War was ripped out of the series at the end of this episode, it was better than the alternative of never being referenced. Silik's involvement should never have been cut short, and the same for Daniels, as they were part of the central core of the series from its inception. Silik was this series' Gul Dukat, or Q, or Seska (who was killed off early, but came back). I know he doesn't really have the same standing as these other august villains, but the series ended before completely hitting its stride, and I'm sure that if it had run for a full seven years or longer, Silik and Daniels would have returned. The Suliban were a bit like the Vidiians of 'Voyager' in that they were underused, but generally, when included they made for a strong enemy. Unfortunately, we never really learned enough about them thanks to the half-hearted manner of the Temporal Cold War's inclusion. Even though it came out of an edict from the studio, in this case they were right to want to provide a conduit to the future (the future of the future, that is!), since that was where Trek's major success had been: the 24th Century. If the TCW had been better utilised as a way to bring in familiar characters and places, it would have greatly improved the chances of 'Enterprise' to be popular, I feel, but it was used so sparingly, and the answers were never forthcoming about Future Guy's identity, what this or that meant, mysteries I was excited about at the time because I expected revelations in a later season. But it was not to be.

Silik did get his dues in this episode, however, and so did John Fleck, the man who played him. It was somehow creepier to see the Suliban in casual attire than in his usual uniform, but I liked that not only did he choose to work with Archer to defeat Vosk, he also got to show a human face for the first time in six roles (stretching across 'TNG,' 'DS9,' 'Voyager,' and of course 'Enterprise'). He was the king of prosthetics, but it must have been a relief to get to be out of makeup for the final appearance in his most important role! Silik's last bow was a little pointless, recklessly taking out some Nazis alone to procure a weapon. You'd think he might have kicked up a fuss back on the NX-01 when he had the chance of getting a phase pistol (which looked fantastic in action, as did all Trek's staple technology, such as the Transporters!), but it showed what a tricky customer he was, and was a cool moment for the character as he takes on two soldiers singlehandedly, shot in the back having succeeded in his objective. Would he have used the gun on Archer after the mission? Possibly, but there wasn't the tension seen in 'To The Death' when a Jem'Hadar tells Sisko he's going to kill him once their job is done, a missed opportunity. Did Silik become too comfortable a character, Archer just taking him along quite happily, and could that be another reason we didn't have more Suliban involvement? Maybe.

A more pertinent question might be why Reed didn't accompany the pair, since he is the Security Officer. Was he really needed that much on the bridge? Something else Reed should have shown consternation over was in his recounting of recent history to T'Pol. What stands out is that he never bats an eyelid when he says Hitler took England quickly, and you'd expect some kind of reaction! An added attraction of this episode is beginning (post recap), with an 'archive' newsreel of Hitler and the Nazis in the US, cleverly blending elements to create a realistic piece that appears to be from the time (if the time had been that timeline). I'll bet they had fun making that, it's even fullscreen and was a great way to open the episode before turning into the widescreen beauty of the credits montage. I wonder if this experience was what gave them the idea of redesigning the entire credits sequence for the Mirror Universe episodes later in the season? You also get more chances to marvel at the makeup of the Na'kuhl - one design that if an actor got bloodshot eyes from the prosthetics would have been an asset, fitting in with the red contact lenses they were made to wear! However, as good as the makeup was, the aliens didn't look distinctive enough from each other (presumably why they wore Nazi uniforms to denote rank, or lab coats).

I still didn't see the strength of Vosk as a villain. He sounds pretty reasonable, yet isn't a Kai Winn or Dukat whose talk is at first honeyed, but when you get used to it you realise how deadly and venomous it is, so he didn't quite work, though he was trying. As the 'great enemy' opposed to the Temporal Accords and potentially the most dangerous person in all history, because he wanted to change it all for his own people's benefit, I just never felt a great threat from him, either personally to individual characters, or with wider implications for the timeline, which was a slight flaw in the story, and stops it from being a classic. They needed to show the results of his meddling (beyond the US being invaded by the Nazis), in other times and places, but because he was almost helpless, his mission a negative one (just needing to return to his time of the 29th Century), he seemed weak. His speech to his men about how it is their right to decide which direction they travel through time and vanquishing those who oppose them would have carried more resonance had they been Remans as I used to think they were - coming out on top of the Romulans, their slave-drivers, it would have been a stronger sentiment to express. Maybe he was in the wrong series entirely - he did after all try to escape through the Stargate…

One thing missing from 'Enterprise' in general, and this episode in particular, was a philosophical discussion, highlighted by Vosk actively saying he refuses to be drawn into one on the ethics of time travel and intervention (sounds like Annorax), for the 'benefit of all species' (maybe not). At least Archer wasn't fooled by his poor offer to send them back to the 22nd Century if they help him, and to set it to rights once he's defeated the Time Agents! When he was saying how familiar Archer's voice was to him, it got me wondering why, until I remembered he'd either been the one to see him at the end of 'Zero Hour,' or his men had told him about the Captain. But how did he hear his voice? I was beginning to wonder if he was going to speak to Future Guy and that this was a clue to Archer somehow being that mysterious person from the future, but Future Guy doesn't appear, sadly, and we'd never find out the identity of the Suliban's benefactor. At least Silik and Daniels (unsurprisingly back from the dead, again), were included, but the end of the TCW seemed rather arbitrary - why should Vosk being defeated in this time, at this point, stop him forever? Surely, (as seen in 'Relativity' on 'Voyager'), the same man could go through time again and again as different 'versions' of himself, and could still be dangerous in another time? (A shame that the end of the TCW didn't set the Abramsverse right!). At least it could be said to be left open so other fronts might open up in future series' or films, and I hope one day they reexamine the TCW in a more detailed and satisfying way (some hope!).

The episode was nothing if not ambitious - the idea of the NX-01 in a dogfight over New York in the 1940s would have been farfetched in Season 1 (I was surprised T'Pol referred to 'shields' in the attack on Vosk's compound as I thought they didn't know about such things then, but I could be wrong). It may have bitten off a little more than it could realistically chew, but at least it tried something bold and different, a sign of the thinking for this season of a last-ditch attempt to make it the best possible. By the end of this episode, everything's right again, the timeline incursions reset (to the bizarre sight of English Prime Ministers and US Presidents in the background - I never thought I'd see the day when Margaret Thatcher appeared in Trek!), Daniels promising to leave Archer and his crew alone (though no doubt Season 5 would have seen a calamity that required someone with Archer's experience and Daniels would be back again - though with all the Trek Captain's of history to choose from why not Kirk, Picard, Sisko or Janeway? Temporal restrictions on recruitment?), they reach Earth in the proper time and all is well. It was a reset button for the series, giving Manny Coto the option to do whatever he wanted (like JJ Abrams and co. did only he didn't mess it up, alter the timeline and bring back characters in a stupid way!), and he took the sehlat by the horns and laid out a fascinating season of treats that delved into the Trek back catalogue, while giving us more 'Enterprise,' and better. At least that's how I remember it, and I look forward to being proved right as I watch it all again.

***

Infamous

DVD, Smallville S8 (Infamous)

It was too good to be true, and too much was happening, so I wasn't fooled for long. But the way they had Clark finally decide to go public, and by telling Lois first, I did believe it was really happening, although I still kept the expectation spark alive in my head that Lois would somehow lose her memory (let's face it, it happens to characters on this series all the time!). With the reintroduction of a minor villain from Season 6 ('Hydro'), in Linda Lake (played by Tori Spelling again), I began to feel this might all be some kind of dream or forced hallucination that she was putting Clark through for some nefarious unknown purpose, especially as he really did go public and let the world know his secret, unleashing all those painful results that Superman has had to deal with: adoration that turns into adulation; people doing crazy things to get his attention; the authorities quickly suspicious and having to put a leash on this potential danger; unable to save everyone, and the backlash that goes with that… It's all part of the Superman mythos, even the superhero genre, the reason why they have to have a secret identity, and it's nothing to do with colour coordination!

It started one way, as a threat from Lake, a past adversary that wasn't a particularly good one as I recall, changing into something more magical in the vein of the Season 5 story in which he tells Lana his secret ('Reckoning'), and all this great stuff happens until something terrible occurs and he comes under doubt and suspicion. I think he was able to turn back time in that one (and I was half expecting dashing round the world to make it spin in the opposite direction to become an option!), but I had no idea what gimmick was to be used to remedy this spiralling situation. Of course, the Legion's time travel ring given to him for just this kind of dilemma! I thought it was a one-use only deal, so I don't know why he had to destroy it at the end (disappointing he's unlikely to go to the future now) - if he had the ability to travel through time as much as he wanted I'd have thought he'd have used it a few times, at least to try it out. Maybe he's just not interested in human history…

Still, it removes that particular get out of jail free card, and with Jor-El still apparently gone for good after the destruction of the Fortress, his specialist options are running thin on the ground for world-changing intervention. The pudding was a little over-egged, what with Lake (who fortunately didn't have as big a part to play as at first indicated), Clark's big decision (though believably arrived at thanks to the inspiration his alter-ego the Red-Blue Blur has given the people), as well as the return of Davis. In this version of those days, we learn Chloe's memories are blacked out on Bloom, so she doesn't know he's Doomsday, which makes for an exciting moment when she has to escape from the metamorphosing man-beast. It's not like Clark to ignore a message from Lois as she tries to tell him Davis is Doomsday, a Kryptonian sent to kill him, just as he goes back in time, but maybe he thought (as I did), that Lois' phone wasn't the first thing she should have been paying attention to after being knocked out by, and fighting, Lake!

I'm not entirely sure what the purpose of the episode really was, as we already knew Davis' identity, and it's only Clark that needs the heads-up. I suppose it was a vision of the future for him, and the dangers of revealing all to the world. He's successfully kept his secret for so long that to release it on a whim brings him the realisation that to protect himself and his friends it needs to stay locked up. You could say whenever he's told someone else it was a moment of weakness where he couldn't keep it in any more, and he's got the chance now to stay strong, and the added incentive, having seen such a frightening vision. It doesn't change that one of the reasons this episodes works is that he finally, and unexpectedly confides in Lois. It's done well, and it's a special moment between them. Such moments are rare and protected jealously by the writers for times that matter, but with this they got to 'have their cape, and wear it too,' as Chloe puts it, with a 'what if?' scenario that gives us Lois' reaction to learning his big secret. It also drives a bit of a wedge between them as seen in the sad little ending where Clark chooses not to meet up with her on an open offer (wonder how long that'll last…?). But it was a really nice piece of writing (I know, is this really 'Smallville' I'm watching?), and good to see Lois back. I always thought she'd be the last to know his secret, and that doesn't look like changing for a good while. Probably the best episode of the season.

Also nice to have Clark talking to Martha, though we don't actually hear her side of it, being a phone conversation. I'd have thought she'd have something to say about him going public with his secret, and I'm surprised he didn't at least let her know what he was going to do, and preferably discuss the ramifications of his choice. Of course Martha might well have talked him out of it, undermining the drama, so I suppose it's a fair enough dramatic device. What isn't so easy to follow is Linda Lake's special powers. I'm not talking about being able to dissolve into water, but in carrying clothes and paper around with her. I have to assume it's all for show and not real, as one, the paper would fall apart if it got wet, and two, we can't see it when she sloshes away! It was quite a harsh ending for her, but I have to say I thought it a bit of a relief that Davis got rid of her (after she tried to rile him up so he'd free her from her cell), as she wasn't much of a character and I hope we don't see her again. I liked that we get the events of two days earlier, but with different outcomes: Clark doesn't get a rollicking from Lois for failing to pick her up in the rain, and Davis isn't under suspicion from the nurse that finds him ransacking the medical cabinet (don't you have to have requisitions to replenish your drugs?), but is instead asked to meet a patient, who turns out to be Lake. It's difficult for them to do time travel on this series, but they pulled it off here without it feeling like a major gimmick, and as an episode I actually liked it, which is always a nice surprise.

***

Storm Front

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Storm Front)

It's been almost a decade since watching this season, and in that time it's become known in my eyes (and many others), as the best of 'Enterprise,' supplanting my previous favourite, Season 1, which wasn't as strong in its second half after viewing on DVD. Will this view prove to be correct, or will it disappoint? I doubt it, although I must say I was more ready to be excited at the series' return back then, willing to overlook a certain lack of depth, and a slight feeling of simplicity to the storytelling. The guest characters are okay, and it's good to see our Starfleet heroes again, especially considering Season 3 could easily have been the last, but rather than a new season, fresh and with the potential to lead to more Trek, I now see it as part of the Trek that was, a huge block of 40 years, now ridden roughshod over by the desire for megabucks films. Not that this has great character depth, there's very little time for it (there was the potential of a more emotional return for Archer which could have been so much more powerful, though it was nice to see his crew surprised and happy to see the man they thought they'd lost), and actually this is closer to the Abramsverse films with a focus on action and excitement (though obviously with a smaller budget), so you don't peer too closely at all the time-related plot points. If you did, you might start to wonder why Daniels couldn't send other time agents to this period previously if this is the best point at which to stop Vosk.

Another thing that I first enjoyed when seeing this episode years ago, but which now is not so wonderful, are the links to the Temporal Cold War, with that backbone that ran through the series from its pilot (just as Sisko and the Prophets, or the USS Voyager's journey home was the main theme of their series'), and again, had great potential, though was used far too sparingly. Well, I was excited to see them return to it (I say return, though Season 3 was strongly connected with the Sphere Builders one of the temporal factions, so it had been at the forefront), but now that I know this and the follow-up episode are the last remnants of such a great concept I feel slightly disappointed with how it was written out. I was glad to see Silik the Suliban again, doing all his squidgy, climb-ey tricks, and it adds to the mystery of what's going on since he beats up Trip, then saves his life by moving him out of the shuttle bay before depressurising it to escape in a stolen shuttlepod. And it was good to have Daniels return, though we're never going to be concerned for his health since he'd already been killed once on the series. But it is a shame that rather than become the vast and complex time war that had been hinted at over the series, it becomes a much smaller scale affair with this front being the dead end where the Big Bad of the whole thing can be defeated. When put in that perspective, Vosk doesn't seem all that threatening, he's just another alien.

Now that I know they're not Remans that also colours the episode differently, though it's still enjoyable seeing such facially outlandish aliens (another great job from Michael Westmore!), wearing human clothes, let alone Nazi uniforms. It's a tradition that (almost), every Trek series has to have Nazis as the villain at some point, continuing the tradition of 'TOS' ('Patterns of Force'), and 'Voyager' ('The Killing Game' two-parter), though I'm not sure how successfully the impression of their occupation was carried through. It was certainly a strong sci-fi concept to have Germany invading mainland America, but I doubt there would be boys off fighting in the Pacific (as Alicia's husband is), with such a chunk of the States under Nazi control, but who knows what paths this version of WWII took? The aliens (actually called the Na'kuhl in the script, so as close to canon as you can get without it actually being said on screen), may look fascinating with their red Pah-Wraith eyes, and grey skin (talking of which, wouldn't it have been even cooler if they'd been Cardassians, as that would have been a nice tie-in to a race we know, fitting what we know of them, especially drawing parallels with the Nazis as often happened on 'DS9'), but, certainly in this episode, we don't really get to know them. Daniels tells us they're a threat, but that's about it, and context was needed to give us more reason to be concerned about their interference.

That's the problem I found running through this episode: as exciting and fast-paced as much of it is, with explosions and fistfights and shootouts (can you see why I equate it to the Abramsverse now?), as too often occurred on the series, it lacks depth. Things fall too easily. Take the period setting, for example. Travis recognises the planes attacking the shuttlepod 'from air shows,' which is fair enough, and Archer knows the Hollywood actresses his captor reels off (still plausible considering Trip liked showing old films to the crew), but he also knows the old-fashioned music right away (not the best idea to play an illicit record loudly enough for any passing German to hear!), and just seems far too at home in the environment for us to worry about his situation. There's just not enough jeopardy, despite him coming up against German soldiers who question his walking with the black Alicia, or having shootouts with soldiers. And people don't appear to be fazed by anything. Alicia seems to take it in her stride when she's beamed away, and it feels like it's all 'we could go into this, but there'll be time for that later,' just like when Archer returns to his dumbfounded crew. Which is strange in a two-part episode when you have time to show character scenes that build up the connections and make us care more. To be fair, there are slivers here and there, such as Trip apologising to T'Pol for questioning her on the bridge, or Phlox trying to comfort Porthos, but it's not quite enough.

The crew haven't had all that much time travel experience compared to other Trek crews, but they're not bewildered, they just calmly get on with it. You can imagine they would if this was 'TNG,' where people were so used to such things, but I think this is the NX-01 crew's first major time travel story - yes, some had done it before, but if you remember back to Season 1 when they first visit an alien planet and we see the wonder of such a thing played out, here it's as if we're in 'TNG' almost, but without the technology. It comes back to the jeopardy again, and if the crew are comfortable, then why do we need to worry for their safety as viewers? It's mostly a little too tidy and comfortable, the closest we get to seeing people rattled is when Sal and Carmine, the gangsters assisting Archer, come face to face with an alien. I do wonder why these aliens were happy to wander around without any covering, and it could have been more mysterious and creepy if they'd had they're faces hidden and we almost never actually saw that they were alien, adding to the mystery, furthering the myth of German experiments on people, and adding a layer of creepiness. Because we see them openly among German soldiers it's another example of this all being 'normal' and fine, another day at the Trek office, when perhaps a different perspective was needed? Of course it would have been more difficult to have such an intriguing cliffhanger if Archer hadn't seen the alien face looking down at him at the end of 'Zero Hour.'

There's some good continuity with the rest of the series, however, which is always good, such as T'Pol coming under fire for her previously expressed disbelief in time travel. Since then she's actually experienced it firsthand with irrefutable evidence ('Carpenter Street'), so she doesn't rule it out as she once would have, though it seems she hasn't shared her experience with the rest of the senior staff as they start giving her a hard time about not believing, which they wouldn't have done if they knew about her and Archer's trip to the early 21st Century. I also felt she was too expressive, as I often have, but that may be because I haven't watched the series in a while, and they did set a precedent with her drugs problem last season so this may be a continued side effect of that. One character who, although not getting a huge amount to do, sticks in the memory, mainly because he usually gets absolutely nothing, is Travis Mayweather. He got to leave his seat on the bridge! He goes off with Trip to chase down Silik, which strikes me as something Reed should have been done as he's Security Officer, but maybe Manny Coto was aware of Travis' lack of action and decided to give him some screen time. Which is fair.

It doesn't explain why T'Pol doesn't warn them to keep out of sight or be careful not to show their shuttlepod as would be said in the other series' if someone was going down to infiltrate another time, but that shows that this is a prequel series and they're not as concerned with altering the timeline and such. Of course this is an alternate history so it doesn't matter what they do, I suppose (another reason this feels a bit Abramsverse!), but it doesn't add to, yes, the 'j' word again: jeopardy. It's quite something that they actually destroy one of their prized shuttlepods because that's such a rarity, and it's not like they can just go and get another one from Starfleet HQ, so you'd think a salvage operation would have been a high priority, not just to stop people from this time getting their hands on future technology, but to keep as many cards in their deck as possible, since they didn't know if or how they were going to get back home. But no, Trip is fine with blasting it to pieces, and not only that, but he waits until it's full of German soldiers!

Now I know America is at war with the Germans, and I know they've been invaded, and Trip is going to identify with his countrymen, and he doesn't have the same ideals as 24th Century humans generally do, especially after the ruthless battles against the Xindi, but he didn't need to take out all those people, he could have blown it before they reached it. It would still have been a good diversion for him and Travis to escape, and wouldn't have resulted in them being wanted as murderers by the Germans. Though that wasn't very apparent when they were captured, another example of the lack of depth - there should have been Germans angry at them, threatening to kill them, but instead they're just brought before the alien and he isn't going to give two hoots about some soldiers being killed, so there's no jeopardy there, except the inference of torture to come. And while we're there, those dogs weren't very useful, unable to smell or hear the fugitives hiding close by!

So the Germans aren't given any character, it's down to the aliens to provide menace and colour to the villainy (ironic, considering their greyness). That's not quite true as we get a link to other Trek when none other than J. Paul Boehmer shows up as an SS Officer again (he'd been there at the end of 'Zero Hour' and further back, in 'The Killing Game' on 'Voyager' in much the same role!). It's only a small scene, but a good connection. This wasn't Boehmer's first role on 'Enterprise' as well as appearing in 'DS9' and 'Voyager' he'd played a Vulcan in 'Carbon Creek,' so was another of the multi-alien list some actors got to be part of. Interestingly, we also see the explosion from 'The Killing Game' episode, played as recorded footage which the alien uses to demonstrate to a German official how powerful the weapons are that he's going to build for him. The German seems remarkably cool about pursuing the alien's demands, even though, as he reminds him, they're standing in the former President's office! You'd think he'd jump at the chance to solidify his power (though maybe not the one about a plague that targets non-Aryans as Hitler wouldn't have survived…).

J. Paul wasn't the only face to return to Trek in this episode. The German official was played by Christopher Neame, who'd been a hologram in 'Voyager' episode 'Heroes and Demons,' and, continuing the strong links to that series, Tom Wright played the alien who meets with the informer, and he was much better known for being Neelix and Tuvok combined in 'Tuvix' (I knew I recognised that voice from somewhere!). Something which 'Voyager' shied away from, probably because of the technology of the time, was displaying wear and tear on the ship. Here, with the NX-01 a CG model, they were able to show the damage that had been wrought after a tough Season 3, which is one part of the episode which suggests a little jeopardy. If the aliens ever got a ship, the Enterprise would be hard put to fight. That was never likely, but still I like the attention to detail that it showed. The effects in general aren't bad, though being CG, they have dated, specifically the view of land in the early plane attack on the shuttlepod doesn't look too realistic. It doesn't affect the episode, but it was noticeable, and Allan Kroeker does a good job of capturing the action throughout. With his many experiences as a Trek Director that should be no wonder.

First and foremost, as was often the case with the series, this is a Captain Archer story, with his screen time probably equal to all the other cast combined. He's fine, but as I mentioned before, with his seeming to be at home with everything it doesn't provide much in the way of… jeopardy, or even humour. In 'TOS,' when they went to another time and were caught like fish out of water there'd be great fun in seeing them bluff their way out of it - think the mechanical rice picker of 'The City on The Edge of Forever' or "I only work in outer space" from 'Star Trek IV.' I was half expecting a similar response when Sal questions Archer about whether he's from the future, because he says he was born in New York, but could have followed it up with "I only work in the future." Archer is the typical brave hero, but it may not have been the best idea to try and take on machine guns with handguns, the Captain even wasting time to fire a parting shot from some distance before darting round the corner! I can't say Archer was a disappointment, as ever he goes into things with great gusto, perhaps having found a second wind after the wearing Xindi mission, and just glad to be alive having been trapped on the exploding weapon, but where was the discussion where he admits to such thoughts? He didn't have anyone he could really talk to. Will it all come 'later' as he tells T'Pol when she says they have a lot to discuss, or had such things slipped through the cracks permanently for Trek? I look forward to seeing the rest of Season 4, as I'm sure much of it will still hold up, but for now this first part isn't quite so easy to wholeheartedly embrace as when I first saw it.

**

Requiem

DVD, Smallville S8 (Requiem)

This felt like a mid-season cliffhanger, and was a slight improvement on the previous episode, though that wasn't hard to do. In fact, from the opening I was inwardly groaning at the appearance of a stereotypical mad toymaker who's a former employee of Queen Industries, and his evil plans as he cackles over his madcap creations. Likewise, the Clark/Lana soapiness was regrettable, but by the end, although I wasn't wholeheartedly enjoying the story, it had its few moments that weren't bad, and the groans at the start had been somewhat addressed. For instance, Winslow Schott, the crazy inventor who blows up the entire (I assume), board of LuthorCorp, wasn't in it that much after all, far from being the Freak-of-The-Week, not even demonstrating any 'powers' other than high IQ, and actually precipitating two of the more interesting little moments for Oliver: the explosion at the board meeting was preceded by his announcement (to Teryl Rothery of 'Stargate SG-1,' who was not playing the previous character she'd been on this series, this time an appearance so minor she only got named during the end credits!), that he, with Tess Mercer's help, now had a controlling stake in LuthorCorp. And the other time was when Schott traps him at the hospital (as usual he had only the TV version of trauma with a little facial scar to his forehead and some minor shoulder damage so as not to ruin the image!), and we see some proper ingenuity on his part to escape the situation.

Queen taking over his nemesis' company raises some questions - can he dismantle the organisation from the inside out? Will he? Or is he destined to become the next Lex Luthor with power corrupting, aided by the immoral and dangerous Mercer? He certainly doesn't pull his punches when it comes to his enemy's demise. Supposed demise, because it's not that clear if Lex was in the explosion, and since it's highly unlikely they'd kill off Superman's main villain like that, and usual caveat that he'd want to be thought 'dead,' this isn't the end of Lex, I'm sure. We didn't even know if it was the real Lex (it certainly wasn't in terms of actor - one guy played him, and someone else played the voice, in the Darth Vader vein), and even the way it's shot it's not clear if he was in the explosion or watching it on a screen. And what about cloning, Lex was into that? But it effectively resets the status quo for a bit with Lex 'dead' and Lana unable to stay around any more.

You have to give them credit for extracting her from the series with more precision than usual - she doesn't leave after a falling out, or get kidnapped or anything of that sort, it's purely a decision that has to be made for Clark's health. Ironically she seemed more of a superhero than him this time as she has his strength and speed, yet isn't affected by Kryptonite, although we see later that he still has the edge when it comes to his other abilities (x-ray vision and super-hearing being the useful tools this time). I'm not sure if I immediately twigged that Lana was going to become a Kryptonite hoover and suck up all the green stuff whenever she touched it, but I certainly saw it coming long before the bomb on the roof of the Daily Planet gag, and it makes sense that something Lex designed would feature such a capability, plus it gave him a cruel revenge on his two hated adversaries by driving a wedge between them. Handy that all this time Lois Lane, who was becoming Clark's very good buddy, (and Jimmy), have been out of it for almost all of Lana's arc, and I'm sure she'll be back to mop up Clark's tears. Plus there's bound to be some future reversal of the process one day as they'll probably bring Lana back around eventually.

I didn't expect to see as much of Lex as we did, an actual view from the front, with just the eye, and his Bane-like mask and voice (there's an idea, bring Bane in to fight Clark…), but although Clark says that he's not interested in living in the past any more, there are tons of references and conversations, whether it be more recent events such as Brainiac in Chloe's body killing Sebastian Kane (from 'Identity'), Lex himself (wonder what Michael Rosenbaum thought of it - I still don't know whether he left amicably because he wanted to do other things or whether there was a problem), the necklace and its history dating back to high school, it's like an old episode with Lana and Clark together - one thing that puzzles me, though, is when they super-speed in each other's presence: it should look like normal speed from each other's point of view, but when they each get dressed, the other one looks up from where they'd been stopped in 'normal' time, yet shouldn't they experience that as really long? I don't know, super-speed and its implications have never really been addressed to that level of detail.

There are some themes being played out, such as trust between Chloe and Clark, and Clark and Oliver, although some of that stuff wasn't quite right. I can sort of understand Chloe not wanting Clark to go after Lex for his own safety (amazing she can just cobble together a Lex-finder so easily - almost as if he wanted to be found), but not so much Oliver's disregard of his personal ethics to want to blow up Lex. Granted, he hates Lex and everything he stands for as a threat to the Earth, but he's supposed to be a hero, and above that kind of thing. Though I wasn't surprised by the breaking apart of Lana and Clark with the Kryptonite idea, I did like that she stands in his way as a barrier, so he can't kill Lex as he'd finally decided to do. When it came down to it could he have made the final, fatal move? I don't know, but Lana as a positive barrier was interesting. So while I remained mainly unimpressed, there were enough things in the mix to appreciate, and it was nice to have a musical montage at the end which they don't do nearly enough any more. I hope the next arc is more successful than the Lana one has been, though. At least I'm getting through the season, slowly (it's hard work a lot of the time!).

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