Shimmer

DVD, Smallville S1 (Shimmer)

A mixed bag of class issues and struggles with Lana that is at times a heroic display of Clark's goodness, and a slight tale of the invisibility of some people. A more apt title would have been 'Invisible' since it's reiterated again and again that the theme is about those quiet ones we don't notice, and it does come down to an invisible man on the attack. But it's hardly a rampage, just a mild spree that doesn't have that strong a basis - Jeff must just have got really bitter that he was unable to fight back at those forces which controlled things around him and finally snapped. I'm not sure if I was fooled the first time and thought it was Amy who was the perpetrator of the ghostly goings-on, but it seems super obvious watching it now. The power of hindsight I suppose, which is as powerful a tool as Clark's x-ray sight which does get some use this time. The effects for it, and for the invisible person seen in the steam of the locker room at school, or in the displacement of water in Victoria's bath, or the mist of the Luthor grounds, not to mention the paint splatter, was very well staged, and really you'd take it for granted, except it must have been a big deal at the time and was probably stretching the abilities of the visual effects people working on it. In some ways the effects are the standout part of the episode because it is a rather romantic-focused story that isn't going to end well: either Whitney will be upset or Clark will, and it wouldn't look good on the hero of the series if he was having a whale of a time with Lana, while Whitney was grieving his Father's illness and dealing with that!

It is realistically portrayed in that Clark does the decent thing and fights off Lana after encouraging her in his direction to begin with, and then feels bad about it, but in truth it didn't make him look the greatest, nor Lana for that matter. Granted she and Whitney aren't wedded in holy matrimony, but things are heightened in teen minds so you'd expect loyalty. The episode is a little muddy in that it has three intersecting plots in Clark and Lana, Lex and Victoria, and Lex' house servants, none of which entirely take off, and none of which end conclusively, except for the help being cast out in as kind and non-vindictive a way as possible by Lex. Clark's confrontation with Jeff in the Luthor Mansion is small fry on the scale of violent encounters (though it did provide a terrific visual to be used in the opening credits to come!), and is over very quickly, Lex conveniently knocking his head on the wall in what would become a common occurrence whenever they didn't want Clark to have to explain anything about his powers (who's going to believe Jeff?). They only halfheartedly wrap up the major scientific discovery of total invisibility that he got from a green flower in the grounds by Clark not revealing it and supposing that the secret went with him - I don't think Jeff was dead, however, and the authorities, or at the very least Lex, would want to do extensive studies and work out how this wonder technique was achieved. I can buy that Lex hushed everything up, but he would be as desperate to get his hands on such a momentous, world-changing product as anyone - indeed this formula would be enough to make him far richer than his Dad!

Realism isn't that high on the series' list of main goals, and the way they let it go in such a low-key way doesn't leave you wondering if Lex will pursue the formula for invisibility, so it works for the series and isn't really a problem, it's just that I notice stuff like this more and it's not one that can be as easily explained away as if Jeff had died or that it was a personal mutation as other meteor-infected have been. More importantly, the episode is as bright and lovely to look at as ever that it's simply a pleasure to exist in that world for forty-odd minutes. I can't remember if Jonathan Kent and Nell having a history had ever been vocalised before, though you can tell there was some subtext the first time we saw them in the pilot episode. The Kent parents are kept largely out of the picture this time so as to give Clark more space to make the right decision for himself, which works in the context of this episode, but when they began to do that on a regular basis was when the series became far less interesting because they have so much to teach, so much experience to impart, and they're simply great characters acted by superb actors. Fortunately the adults were largely kept on the ball in Season 1, as evidenced by another flying visit by Luthor senior, there to tut at Lex, while he bats it all back again.

Although Lana comes across a little harsh and not terribly understanding to Whitney, not helped by his 'manly' handling of his problem by keeping it to himself to spare her, she also gets another gold star for her charity work, showing she wants to do things to help the community, a selfless girl who claims she's 'just trying to find her place in the world.' So all that stuff was great, especially Clark having to invent a reason why he can't give blood (I assume the Kents have realised that a needle wouldn't penetrate his tough hide, unless they were more concerned with his blood being alien?), and little moments like Pete saying Clark isn't the flying type or him using his x-ray vision in front of Lex, and to his friend it just looks like he's staring intently down at the floor around them! At the same time it isn't the deepest of episodes, even with Chloe's obviously wishing for Clark's attention, always around him, while he can barely see her as anything more than a useful font of information, so I do have mixed feelings. On the other hand, it is seeding things for the future, and I liked the servants giving us another perspective on Lex' life, so although there isn't a great deal to discuss around the episode, it still makes it over into the coveted side of the line. Lex being tied up and/or being knocked out, and Lana and Chloe throwing glowing eyes Clark's way were yet to become tropes, so even they can't detract from Clark's decent course of action. That's the thing, a useful lesson: just because you do the right thing doesn't mean you immediately get rewarded or feel good about it, beyond the comfort of knowing it was right. A hard lesson to learn.

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