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DVD, Smallville S9 (Upgrade)

Slight, another one of those insubstantial runarounds that isn't much of a standalone episode, while it carries on subplots and story-lines to its heart's content. On the other hand it features the unlooked-for return of likeable Brian Austin Green as John Corben with his Iron Man mechanical heart, which doubles as a Kryptonite weapon. I couldn't remember what happened to him, but it was nice to see him again, though he was really only returned to use as a McGuffin to save Clark from red Kryptonite dust which he inhaled when searching the secret lab in which… John Corben had been held. All a bit circular, as is the return to apologising from both Clark and Chloe, so it had the definite flavour of one of those many episodes from the middle seasons that wasted so much time. I wouldn't say this was a waste of time, it does continue things, but not in any great and fascinating way. It's all a bit arbitrary: so Red Clark is just the man to be mates with Zod, who had already been working on him, and is his physical equal, having used his blood (a plot point which ends the episode when he gathers together the more loyal Kandorians to feast on his own blood, presumably, and then there'll be lots of powered up Kryptonians for Clark to deal with). They hang out on rooftops, create freak snowstorms for fun, and go over to Dad's to play with the stereo. Or something like that. It should have come as a shock that Clark would reveal the location and existence of his personal, private, and important Fortress of Solitude, but it's done in such an offhand manner.

Loyalties and alliances are confused and disparate, so much so I'm not sure who's on who's side! Chloe and Oliver had created caches of Kryptonite weapons all over the globe (though Olly doesn't appear this time), ready for the outbreak of war, and obviously in his drunken state, Clark don't like that! He and pal Zod mash at least one of them up in flames, but it's not clear if it was just one they found or if they paid a visit to all. They didn't seem much in the mood to be scouring the Earth for such things, more like wanting to have a bit of fun together and a chat. Later, Clark admits it was Chloe's weapons cache that saved the planet in the future he saw, so is it a good thing or not? Chloe herself has to work with Tess and her super-soldier, Corben, under Tess' control, to get Clark out of his red stupor, going as far as chloroforming her own cousin, who has her own investigation rolling with John. It should be no surprise that it's all over the place in the story department, and if they'd concentrated on a couple of ideas and explored them more fully it might have made for a satisfying experience. Zod and Clark as mates; Clark under the influence (yet again - they do love their Red Clark stories, don't they!), Chloe and Tess; Lois and John and his quest for survival… Pick and choose, don't cram it all in.

Amid the many plots bubbling away I noticed the occasional gaff such as Clark walking into a table as he smoothly turns to leave the Watchtower, or when Corben's trapped in an icicle after the combined frozen breath of Clark and Zod freezes him, you can see he's not really frozen because his head moves slightly! It makes me suspect that the production was getting tired as we come towards end of season, and that they didn't have the time to be as slick as they usually try to be. It's a lot of men in long, black coats, talking in shadows, or women in long coats talking in shadows (how come Tess is working with Zod, again? I forget), and it's just never exciting or frightening, it's not got the charm or fun of the Lois and Clark episodes earlier in this season, so it's much of a muchness, nothing special, not a letdown or a bad episode, just forgettable. Which is unfortunate as there are a lot of details sprinkled throughout that we're supposed to be keeping track of, such as all those allegiances and alliances, who knows what, who has what (fun to see the old hexagonal ship key again, which is what Corben uses to get to the Fortress), and why. I'm hoping things improve in these last few episodes because in general I think of this as being one of the better seasons, one I'd almost keep, and I haven't been much tempted to do that for a long time.

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