Monday, November 15, 2010

Smallville: Season 10, Episode 8 "Abandoned" Review


"Abandoned", anyone would feel the same way had their parents deserted them at birth. At least that's the way children see it, they don't know what's going through their parents minds when they did what was believed right. This episode was used to shed some light to the years of darkness built up in each child, now adults. Tess, Lois and Clark was subject to this emotion of abandonment, and they each discovered their parent's true emotions before they left them to face the world alone.

Teri Hatcher guest starred as Lois' mother and it brought back so many memories. Why couldn't they have her guest star in an earlier episode, to make Lois watching those videos more profound? Those tapes were hidden away and now her father decided to release them to Lois at this defining moment for Lois. Maybe he thought she needed them, or maybe it was time for him to let go, his big girl was growing up and she needed her mother. Erica Durance and Teri Hatcher sold that moment. There was a lot of exposition in that scene and it could have been boring or simply uninteresting, but it was golden. It showed how much Lois craved a mother in her life; someone to give her advice even when she didn't think she needed it. Hatcher filled in all those voids Lois kept close.

I remember "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman", and how much I loved Teri Hatcher there. Instead, Hatcher proved herself as a mother in this character and I had hoped to have more scenes with her in it. However what followed made up for that. In all the comic books and Superman themed shows and movies we've seen, there has always been the end of Krypton, Kal-El's parents sending him to earth and the message they left their son. It took the love of a woman (Lois) for her guy to reveal that message; a defining moment in Smallville history. You could sense the concern and hope for their son and the love between parents. A message Clark had to touch to see if it was real, but it was only a message and his parents were not before him, his fingers went right through them.

It took guts for Lois to confront Jor-El without knowing what he was capable of. He couldn't hurt her though, he knew what she meant to Clark, and it would mean losing his son forever, if that meant anything to him, which I am certain it would. I am happy Lois and Clark saw the message together. They are truly open with each other and it seems as though Lois knows more than anyone else in Clark's life, and she is willing to go beyond and above for them as a couple. Although it was interesting how easily Lois got to see Jor-El, hiding the key behind a bookshelf. I guess Clark didn't really expect anyone to go looking, people hardly visit the barn anymore.

A cliffhanger from last season was revealed along with a filler into Tess' past. Granny Goodness, seemed to good to be true, and not in a good way either. Tess' dream was so real and we all sensed that it had something to do with her past. So Granny Goodness was to thank for Tess' brilliant plastic surgeon. I almost forgot about Tess' mishap with Zod that landed her in the hospital. She is entirely transformed from that moment that her task to the audience is to do good. Yet, when Granny decides to give Tess a birthday present, it all comes together and Tess' dreams become memories of her past. She soon remembers Lionel as her father, making Lex her half brother. I only hope she and Lex...

Clark needs to find a way to combat his Kryptonite vulnerability. He needs to walk with a device that calls on his friends for help. The bad ass chicks with the lasso and the punches were depressing. Were they there from birth? Do the fight each other everyday in a dungeon-like place? How hasn't anyone shut down the orphanage? I was happy that Clark was helping Tess. It changes the way he used to see Tess, but I didn't like him being in captivity through his vulnerability. Kryptonite was the only reason he didn't storm out with Tess. What did Granny Goodness wipe from his memory? She did get that advantage over him before the Kryptonite was defused, then Granny Goodness just disappeared. Very strange. I simply do not understand how everyone owns Kryptonite as though they could purchase it in the local market. I am glad Clark took down lasso girl, she needed to be tied up and tamed. Granny Goodside and the Darkseid union was semi-disturbing. Those Justice League footnotes came in handy providing insight into their relationship, and Smallville finds ways to mesh together bits and pieces of Superman affiliated series. It created a suspense I think we would appreciate, slightly.

Finally Lois moves in! I mean she doesn't have a choice since the Talon incident, with no home to go to. Then we have the confirmation that Clark did ask the General for Lois' hand in marriage, and that diamond ring did shine. Lois and Clark have been through a lot as a couple and it was only a matter of time before this came up. I remember last season resenting the lack of Clois moments and how many time Clark disappointed Lois. Now, all is almost forgiven and I am happy for them both. The moment was sealed by Lois receiving that wedding note from her mother. Let's just see what happens next. For now let's focus on Lutessa, really couldn't she just be Tess. Did they have to make her name close to Lex, her last name would have spoken loud enough for fans. We would still call her Tess right guys? At least everyone found their parents in the end, and realized how much they were loved.

Pictures Courtesy: scifiscoop.com & wordpress.com

Lexa

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Four and a Half Stars

Grade A-
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1 comment:

Bryon said...

The “Granny” in this episode hasn’t aged a bit since Tess was a little girl. Now we find out why she has so many amazing abilities and what the master plan is for these girls. Obviously “Granny” recognizes Tess and intends to wield her once more as a weapon. I wonder if “Granny” could be the one behind everything? I have to admit that I have been busy for the last 9 months enough that I wasn’t able to keep up with some of my favorite shows. My absolute favorite being Smallville I figured it was better to wait until I could watch them successively because there are long periods of time I can’t watch. Well I finally started watching them and I can’t stop. The only saving grace is that now I have time since I got my new Sling adapter for free that I use with my DISH Network employee account. If I hadn’t heard about the free offer http://bit.ly/k80U6m I never would have tried the Sling that allows me to watch TV on any internet enabled device like my iPhone or Galaxy tab.