Smallville: Season 9, Episode 17 'Upgrade' Review

Usually moments where Clark and Lois are alone together, I would be close to the television screen just trying to listen to every word in detail. Yet before this bed scene in 'Upgrade', we had Lois falling down a steep hole and waking up in a bed next to Clark the following day. Some eyebrows definitely rose then. I kept thinking about Metallo and how freaky it was that he knew where Lois lived and he possibly dropped her off in her bed(?). The next thought that crossed my mind, when things mellowed down and I grew accustomed to Clark's arms around Lois and his lips on her cheek, was how exclusive are Lois and Clark? Is it enough for Clark to be in Lois' bed without it being a big deal, or without her thinking he was a complete stranger. It did shed that romance theme between them, and it reminded me how different they were not too long ago. I mean, how many wake up calls does Lois get from Clark, or vice versa?

Zod and Tess are certainly romantic elements, but more along the lines of 'love to hate you' kind. I wonder if Zod still view humans as peasants of sort, or merely still looks down on them? Especially now that he's sleeping with Tess. Does he have true feelings for her, or is he just keeping her at arms length attempting to squeeze her for information? He has certainly used 'The Blur's' method of communication to get through to Tess' secrets, but why Lois? Sure Lois is a reporter who has done the impossible at times, but what if Metallo was not there to catch her or even take her safely home? Zod obviously doesn't care about Lois safety. Did anyone else notice Lois approach while she is talking to the Blur, when has Lois ever hung up on the Blur before? Clark has obviously taken priority in her life and since when is it Blur-like to send Lois on dangerous missions. Maybe subconsciously Lois is catching on his false identity. The Blur isn't even harsh with Lois, which I discovered Zod was when he wanted to discover more detail into Tess' operation.

Clark should embrace his 'Blur' side around Lois now more than ever, even if it means to check up on the side she is keeping from him. That would definitely throw Zod off a notch.

The 'real' Blur: "Hi Lois, it's been a while since we last spoke".
Lois: "What do you mean it's been a while, don't try to play a smart one on me because we just spoke two hours ago and I still have no information" (Or something Lois-like).

That would give Clark the pointer he needs to know that someone else is playing the hero voice over. It's almost sad thinking about it, anyone with a voice decrypter could mimic the blur's identity. I still don't understand a few things with regard to Clois. How could Clark be so intimate with Lois and not let her know his secret? The thought to consider telling her should at least cross his mind. Wouldn't Lois somehow be able to detect the secret identity? I believe she detects a secret, but that's about it.

This was yet another red Kryptonite themed episode, where Clark, once exposed to it begins to act out his true desires. At least he was honest with Chloe when he related to her the reasoning behind the horrible things he did, while wanting to form a brotherly bond with Zod. Yet when Clark mentioned to Zod about meeting Jor-EL, I kept shaking my head against the notion. Zod is incredibly unpredictable with his actions. Even at some points he would be sincere, there would be moments he wouldn't hesitate to stab a person in the back. Look at what he is doing to Tess, with Lois. Tess wouldn't give him information, so he is using Lois to get it for him (why doesn't he ex-ray the place and find out himself, leave Lois out of his madness!). Zod is now using his blood to develop an army of Kandorians and I believe he would twist what Clark showed him to his advantage, for the sake of his greed.

Tess herself is afraid and barely surviving. She is simply using Zod to reclaim her strength in herself, because that is somehow lost. There was an uncomfortable feeling between her and Zod, and even when she showed Zod the picture of him and Clark, she spoke out against Clark for the first time. She tried to have Zod turn against him for the sake of her reputation. What plan does she and Zod have together? Does Zod really need Tess? It was nice to have Tess and Chloe work together, but even cooler to have Chloe's place be trashed by Clark (although pretty lame).

When Clark went berserk on Chloe, to an extent it showed how he would have reacted to her in 'Idol' had he been exposed to the red Krptonite then. Chloe has been known to doing lethal things for the sake of Clark's protection, yet every time it could be used against him, when it remains a secret. The focus can be shifted to Metallo who made his presence here. His story was the typical lab rat theme, but how did he break out of the ice? His heart acts as a sort of heat rock that exploded the ice and caught Clark off guard, not to mention Zod who suddenly disappeared. Then Metallo disappears (?), with a parting word of 'I did this for a friend'). Lois was a bit extra nicer to Metallo, which probably sent him the wrong message in the end. Even if Lois was not with Clark, would she want to be with Metallo, given his special glowing heart? There is only so far they could travel as a couple, maybe Metallo should have stuck with friendship.

So this was a decent themed episode which covered interesting plots, from the creepy Tess experiments, to Kal-EL, Zod and the Kryptonians. Clark better keep a close eye on Zod having his secret out in the open. Who knows how far he would go with his new Kandorian army? Oh I may be upset with Chloe for a while, what gives her the right to knock Lois out, there are certain lines you don't cross!

Lexa

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Four Stars

Grade B+
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