Shawn

I agree.

Kal-El

This is just me but Christopher Reeve = classy. Dean Cain = cheesy.

I completely agree about Welling being the next big screen supes though. Give him a few years to work his craft and this role's his.

nightwing82

Ok I went into the show already disliking Smallville. I had watched most of the first season and thought it sucked.

But .... Christopher Reeve's appearance was great. And, as most have said, I loved the use of the Superman movie music! But besides that part of the episode and some other bits I thought the show was still lacking. And I don't find Tom Weiling to be that great of an actor. Neither was Dean Cain, but I enjoyed Lois & Clark way more.

Zien

Yeah, but if Tom Welling is in the Superman movie, how do they explain that nobody recognizes him? Chloe and Lana are about as dumb as a bag of hammers in that show, but if they saw Clark in tights and a cape, they'd still recognize him. Maybe Welling's Superman would wear glasses...

Patman

Stupendous
Unbelievable
Powerful
Excellent
Righteous
Majestic
Awesome
Noteworthy

If this episode doesn't get blood pumping, you need to find another show. This episode handled Clark's origins with such a strong and delicate touch. Sprinkling John William's Superman theme music just flat out floored me with more and more anticipation of the revelations to come from Clark's ship once he was imbued with the language skills to understand the language his parents used on their planet of Krypton.

What a masterstroke it was to get Christopher Reeve to play Virgil Swann to introduce the catalyst of change in Clark's point of view of his destiny and his place among humans. FYI, Swann had to be a tip of the cap to long-time Superman artist, Curt Swan, who passed away about 5 years ago. His appearance lent so much resonance in this episode, it was like he was passing the torch to Tom Welling in the continuation of the lore of Superman for a new generation.

You have to love the ending scene where you see that the love and morality of Jonathan and Martha Kent will eventually make the difference in shaping the character of Clark, even after reading his biological father's message to him, creating doubts within Clark regarding his true purpose in life. It's a nice little bit of the "Nature/Nurture" social experiment at work here. Are we our nature, or can we re-define ourselves through social molding and personal responsibility?

Oh, just to comment on the other subplot or two, it was good to see Chloe accept Lana unconditionally because that's what family members do, even after Lana got caught playing the snoop (must run in the "family"). Lex's curiousity will get the better of him in episodes to come. Now that Clark knows more about his origins, Clark will be more resolute in making a difference in the world, and this will make the difference when Lex crosses the line and their relationship will take on a more complex tone in terms of wants and will between the 2 "brothers".

Patman

Loved the reaction of the crew at the end of the PSA.

"Please call..."

Soybean

Do you really think they rewrote the lore, though? I'm still hoping he just misunderstood the message. I really like the moral dilemma, so that's good, but I don't think I can deal with Jor-El actually being evil. He has to be loving and kind, like Marlon Brando!

Draven

Wow. I mean wow.

Most everyone has said what needed to be said, but this was by far my favorite Smallville yet. I commented to my wife about halfway through that the music had a definite "movie" feel througout. I was hearing little snatches that I was sure were from the score, and then....WHAMMO! There's the music!

I literally got chills. You KNOW what he is going to become, you KNOW how evil Lex is going to be, you KNOW the tragedies that await Clark, but DAMMIT...he is freakin SUPERMAN and that music cinches it.

So classy to get Christopher Reeve. I would have been less surprised if they had done a "Dean Cain as a bad guy" thing or something lame like that. This just had class act written all over it.

And yay! A name for Clark's home planet! I was wondering when they were going to find that out. Getting tired of "meteor rocks." I expect "kryptonite" will be making an appearance soon.

Rogue588

Wow.

Amazing, isn't it...that 25 years after the release of Superman: the Movie, JW's fantastic score is instantly recognizable [and appreciated]?

Too bad someone can't tell that to the studio execs in charge of the current crop of comic book adaptations...

devilshalo

That made me laugh and cry at the same time. :sniff:

cooper2000

I agree with you Rogue588 case in point Daredevil with the blaring Rock music. It gave me a headache.
I think the studio execs think that because its geared towards a young crowd that they wouldnt appreciate a Score.

mikehunt

normally public service announcements don't do anything for me
but I might just have to go to www.christopherreeve.org

Terrell

I hope you're kidding. Dean Cain was just terrible as Superman. I never thought he made anywhere near a convincing Supes. Tom Welling is more more convincing as a young Superman.

Brilliant episode.

How so? I don't agree with that at all. They're two girls basically fighting for one guy's affections, and since they're friends they hold back. They play those roles perfectly. Chloe is presented as very intelligent in the show, and so is Lana with her running a business.

elias

They are very intelligent girls who can't figure out that Clark has powers. There have been enough occurances with Clark to make both of them suspect that he's not "normal". They both think he's just secretive.

Doc MacGyver

actually, that is the lore... but Jor-El's not exactly evil. He knew his planet was doomed, and he sent his only son to safety out of love... however, he also intended Kal-El to basically rebuild Krypton on Earth. It would be as if we sent a child to a planet that was ruled by cromagnun man... we'd want the child to help them along their evolutionary way and remake their primitive world into what earth was like. It's misguided, but not necessarily evil...

Doc MacGyver

of course the continuity changes all the damn time... sometimes Clark's planet is a cold loveless one devoid of physical contact, where only at the very end to his parents share an embrace before their planet explodes. Sometimes it's more loving and his rents are basically the kryptonian ma and Pa kent... mostly though, and for the longest branch of continuity (at least post-crisis) they go with the father who wants his son to remake krypton... not evil, just a little misguided.

Soybean

Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing that up. It would still be a misunderstanding of sorts on Clark's part, then. Soon Clark's dad in holographic face form will tell him more. Hopefully.

cooper2000

Ahhh, they should have had Dean Cain on to complete the passing of the torches.

I liked Cain.
Maybe he will be on next Sweeps along with Teri Hatcher and Margo Kidder.

clemente

Except acting chops....the kid is really stiff, especially in really emotional scenes, then it just gets bad.

As for Lex's latent gay crush on Clark....well, its true. Seriously, intended or not, there's some major sexual chemistry between the two dudes.

Now if only we could get the same between Lana and Chloe

Excelesor

Damn, looks like after a good episode were going to have a long string of reruns. Looks like the next new episode will be on April 15, damn we have to wait 6-7 weeks for the next new ep. they've done 17 eps so far and there would more likely be 22 episodes this season, so that would be 5 more eps and season finale will be in May. I would've rather had them do a few new eps then break for 2 weeks then so on instead of having like 6-7 new episodes in a rox and do one long ass break.

calhoun07

It's been a while since I picked up a Superman comic book, but if I recall right, Lana knows his secret in the DC Universe. Chloe, on the other hand, I feel will be the tragic figure in Smallville, and will ultimately die, possibly as the result of some evil plan of Lex. Just a hunch. That will be the driving force that will motivate Clark to take on reporting at the Daily Planet, which is Chloe's dream, and he will meet Lois Lane, who I feel will remind him more of Chloe and will make him want to strike up a relationship with her. Again, just a hunch. Whatever the Smallville creators have planned, I just want WB to scrap ALL plans for any Superman movie they currently have, let Smallville have a good four or five year run on TV, then "graduate" the characters to be the stars of the next franchise for the theaters. Welling isn't the only actor on the show I'd like to see on the big screen; they have the best Lex ever with Rosenbaum. And to see Anette O'Toole in another big screen Superman movie? Come on, you geeks know you want this in your heart of hearts.

I am also surprise to not see this mentioned so far in this thread (at least what I saw): Did anybody else notice that in the alien writing appearing in the ship at the end, you could clearly see the classic S logo swirling around in there?

Doc MacGyver

Forget the Cain nonsense, Lois and Clark was flat out awful. I didn't watch it when it was on (didn't much care for it then) and when I see the occasional rerun on TNT, it clearly hasn't aged well... I can stand sloppy effects on tv, but these were awful... big projecting blue beams from clarks eyes when he sees through ****? I don't think so... Smallville doesn't have the most amazing effects, but they're all done right and with intelligence... and before you all jump on me saying effects do not make a good show, let me say that that is only one of the many problems I had with Lois and Clark.

Cain had a whiney voice (Tom welling's supposed to be a teenager before I'm flamed for that, Cain was a man). Cain's-what- spanish, italian, puerto rican? whatever he is, he isn't superman. (not knocking these races, but I wouldn't make batman black, so don't change Supes).

The show had far too much cheese for superman in my opinion. Dick Donner's superman is a great flick, but tell me you don't groan at some of the self-mocking moments in the third act.... That's why smallville is so revolutionary as a Superman story, in my opinion... everything is dealt with in a respectful and serious manner. The cute little "Clark Kent, Man of Tomorrow" and "I don't want to wear a suite and have to fly places" nods are just that, nods to a future we all know is coming.

People always say Gene Hackman was a great LL. Nope. Just like Jack was NOT a great Joker. They were at their best playing GENE and JACK, but they were not LL and the Joker. MR personifies Lex to me... even NOW I can see how amazing he'd be when he turns full-on evil lex.

I didn't mean to turn this into a rant, but it seems to me like the show's creaters Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, along with Jeph Loeb, the great comics writer and creative consultant to the show, know exactly what they're doing and personally I'm happy to let them go on without taking opinions from the internet fanboys, myself included. When I heard William's score I was amazed, and suprised no one else thought of that. Everyone, WB included (stop trying to force live bands down our throat... an establishing shot is fine, but not 2 minutes of it, with token pete jumping in to shout how "great this band is") should let these guys do what they're doing, because personally I have no complaints. (except that they should not EVER let Clark get with Chloe... she's a Jason Todd... more important in death than in life).

Mac

Bronkster

Wow. I think that's been said already, but Wow! The 2nd half of this episode totally blew me away for reasons already mentioned. But I gotta say that the John Williams music really added to the mood and emotion.

I've been reading Superman comics since they were 12 cents (yikes, a lamer old guy!) and it's really cool to see the slow evolution of Clark growing into the eventual icon. This part of Clark's life has always been glossed over (even in the old Superboy comics where he just sort of becomes Superboy and everyone is fine with that). Granted, this retelling of the myth in current times is altering a few of the old, established concepts, but that's why things get retold. Tying in the old with the new just gives it that much more validity.

A great episode, if not one of the best. It really hit me on an emotional level seeing Chris Reeve doing such a great job, with the history of Superman behind him.

Being an old-time reader, I wondered about the Swann / Curt Swan reference too. And yes, I caught the various logo/emblem bits too. Especially the red/blue/yellow colors when the "key" was active.

Let's hope the writing continues along this level, and they fade out the "freak of the week" theme.

By the way, does anyone think the ship will become a version of the Eradicator? Might fit in with the 'conquer Earth' idea...

lwhy?

I liked this episode. I didn't watch it very intensely though. I will watch it again on Sunday.

cooper2000

The whole Dean Cain thing was suppose to be a joke.
Glad we have people with senses of humor around here.

My question is, all this kudos is going to Christopher Reeve.
I wish this many people had had that respect for him before he was in an accident.