Episode Review: Savior

Fine. If I can't fly, then I'm going to need guns. Lots of guns.

September 25th brought us one of the strongest Smallville season openers in years. After the obligatory recap, we’re thrown immediately into Chloe’s personal crusade to find Lois three weeks after the events of “Doomsday”, which saw her vanish after inadvertently putting on Clark’s Legion Ring. This Chloe is already a different one than we saw in the season closer. This Chloe is angry, disillusioned and desperate for any answers that might lead her back to one of the only people she has left. Her opening scene in which she informs the person on the other end of the line not to concern themselves with the second cursor on their screen because she’s hacked into their system is just classic, and it had me smiling immediately. Dr. Hamilton then shows up, setting up a plot line that seems destined to carry through the rest of this year: the (seemingly annual) disappearance of the members of The Justice League.

And then, in a moment that had me very grateful to have followed the series close enough to know what on Earth was going on, we’re thrust headlong into a sequence aboard a Metropolis rail car, beginning with Lois’s re-emergence. But she’s not alone. A mysterious woman has come back with her, and a smack down ensues that rivals anything we’ve seen previously on the cat-fight action front. This could have gone into campy territory pretty easily, but it stays just on the right side of that line. I did have to scratch my head a few moments later, though, as the car seems to leave the track for no apparent reason (I suppose they may have been trying to indicate that the blows thrown by these two women were that powerful, but I’m not sure I buy that explanation). But then, when did Superman stories ever qualify their emergencies with reasoning that made sense – unless anyone’s seen a guy nearly drown in his car after driving over a hydrant lately.

And naturally, Clark (or “the blur” as he’s going by these days) is there to save the day as the car plummets from the track. And there’s this great moment where we see instantly that Clark’s been in a very dark place since the “Doomsday”. You can just see it on his face, he’s more intense, focused, and isolated than we’ve seen in him in the past, and when he catches a glimpse of Lois through the window of the train, something happens. There’s this fleeting look of…it’s not quite happiness, but it’s something he wants to feel again. Some part of his humanity that he associates with Lois in a very personal way. And we can – possibly for the first time ever in a legitimate way – see exactly what it is about Lois that is going to eventually be the catalyst for the two winding up together in the end. It’s a tour-de-force sequence that really tells us everything we need to know in a very brief time span, and this sequence is probably the most significant.

After leaving the symbol of the House of El as his mark, Clark ascends to the top of a nearby skyscraper and looks on at the whole Metropolis. And yes, as some others have already pointed out, this sequence does take on a bit of a “Dark Knight” feel, but I certainly don’t think it was overplayed. Clark’s in a dark place right now after what happened to Jimmy, and it stands to reason that that would have to be the motivating factor in his being finally willing to begin his training. Clark, for better or worse, has thus far been a character who has been quite resistant to changes, monumental to mundane, and it’s almost always been tragedy that has propelled his character arc forward. That motivation is front and center here, as it rightly should be after the events of the finale. I also have to take a moment here to give a shout out to Louis Febre for another absolutely stunning piece of score accompanying the opening sequence. That was just positively, undeniably epic.

Our first scene post-credits has Clark training at the fortress, and we get a few close-up shots of him as Kryptonian symbols scroll by, quite similar in style to his training sequence in Season 5. But here the tone is quite different. Clark seems determined. Jor-El questions his focus, citing “something or someone” who is holding him back, but Clark stays resolute and says he’s not turning back. I must say, it’s great to see Clark this driven to complete his training, and it’s awesome that his inability to fly has been addressed so early on as it’s been on everyone’s mind for several seasons now.

We get our first scene with Chloe and Lois, and right away Lois’s obsession with the blur is on full display as she ditches Chloe at the hospital to keep her appointment with the blur at a phone booth, still unaware that she’s been gone for three weeks. I’m not sure what’s going on with keeping Lois in the dark about Jimmy (as I’ve heard that this is also not addressed in Metallo), but I can’t see why Lois wouldn’t be told about this…and why a scene like that wouldn’t be worthy of inclusion. I’m reserving judgment on it until things play out a bit longer, but suffice it to say that Lois learning this several episodes into Season 9 would seem to me a bit silly considering how huge that news would be to her character.

Hey, Kal, things aren't that bad! Don't do it!

The phone booth sequence segues directly into one of my favorite segments in “Savior”, with Clark taking a swan dive off of the Statue of Liberty in a “mental trial”. The marketing team cleverly masked the nature of that shot in the trailers, and it was just a great geek-out moment to see the real context play out that way, even if it did wind up being just in Clark’s head. The scene ends with Clark uttering a line I think we were all waiting for, “what happened to Jimmy was because of me”. Ugh. Okay, writers, we get that Clark blames himself for everything under the yellow sun, we don’t need to be reminded every few episodes. He’s a tortured soul who thinks he’s the cause of all negativity in the world. We get it. Now…that’s also not Superman, but hey, we’re not there yet, so I’ll let it go. But I just don’t see the systematic need to put lines like this in Clark’s mouth. It does get tiresome. Clark also comes to the realization that he must say goodbye to Lois in order to move on and focus on his training.

One thing here, but it seems a bit forced to me that suddenly it’s Lois holding Clark back. I mean, sure, we had some Chlois sparks flying during “Bride”, but virtually the entire Lana arc played out after that sequence, and you’d think that if any part of humanity was holding Clark back at this point, it would be that fresh wound. I hope they find a more satisfactory way to explain this, because as things are playing out now, I do feel a bit like they’ve gone straight from Lana into Lois without really explaining why. And, as many fans have noted, Lana’s exit left Lois looking like Clark’s second choice. The show needs to show us why that isn’t the case, but the premiere behaving in this way and opening with Clark “needing to say goodbye” to Lois just…there hasn’t been enough reason for him to need to say goodbye for me to fully swallow that pill. Not yet. So I hope this is addressed a bit more down the line because it seems a little lazy at this stage in the game.

Next up we’ve got our first scene with Callum Blue’s Zod in a positively oppressive Luthor Mansion. I know it has more to do with the color-grading than anything, but wow, I’ve never seen the place look so foreboding. The art department really did a fantastic job creating an off-putting atmosphere in an otherwise familiar set. We learn that Zod is a Major and that he and his followers are a bit lost on Earth. Now, the one thing I’m not too keen on in this scene is the way Zod is introduced. I know the point was to show that the Zod we’re seeing in “Savior” wasn’t the one we saw earlier in the series, but I couldn’t help but feel that there might have been a better way to show that than to have him hit to the ground by one of his own followers in his first scene. It kind of diminished his stature and threatening presence for me a bit.

Our next scene finds Lois meeting Brian Austin Green in his first scene as John Corben. Their banter is cute, though brief, and I did wonder impulsively when the powers that be would decide that Lois had had enough suitors around the time Corben stole the kiss. This segues into Chloe’s second meeting with Dr. Hamilton, in which we discover that he’s outfitted the Watchtower with technology paid for by Oliver. There’s this little beat that I imagine was left purposefully ambiguous where we’re not sure if Hamilton isn’t doing all of this out of a desire to do something for Chloe, which I thought was interesting. On a side note, the technology that’s wheeled into Watchtower, apparently in the span of a single afternoon, is pretty impressive.

Hey, Zod, what's the matter, you gonna cry? Yeah, thought so.

The following scene, with Tess and Zod, is just great. This is more the first scene with Zod that I would have personally preferred. He’s threatening, but still charismatic, and you can totally get why people would follow someone so commanding and methodical. It’s also great that Tess begins to really realize the mistake that’s been made. There’s a hint of foreshadowing here that perhaps she already knows what terrible things are coming and how horribly wrong things have evidently gone, and that’s certainly an interesting dynamic to already establish for Tess this early in the season. It’s also interesting to have Zod in a position where we’re unsure of his motivations, and it sets up his character perfectly. Juxtaposed with this, the following scene with Clark and Chloe on the roof is equally great, because it takes a setting that we’re all-too-familiar with and shows us just how much has changed between seasons. The dynamic of Chloe’s character and how she interacts with Clark is certainly a bit strained here, but it’s done in such an effective way that we can totally buy all of it, and I love how, if even for a moment, Chloe is able to be there for Clark as she always has been, giving him the clue of the Legion Ring. It’s also telling how Clark speaks of his training and how far away his “old life” seems. It’s very obvious that the writers don’t want this to be yet another phase for Clark, but instead a decisive turning point, and I’m glad that Clark’s being written not to let us forget that for a moment, even when he’s not physically at the fortress.

Crouching tiger, hidden Clark? Well, it sure beats Lana-fu.

I’d read that Season 9 seemed to receive a bit of a budgetary facelift after Season 8, and that does appear to be the case. It’s either that, or the production team has learned to more efficiently do much more with what little they have since May. This show looked polished, professional, and honestly…extremely film-like in this episode. The production levels are just that high when the mysterious assassin shows up at the seedy fight club in which Ollie has buried himself, leading directly into one of the better fight sequences we’ve had on the series. And you know, I didn’t exactly feel that way upon first view. But watching it again and taking in everything from the lighting and choreography to the score, it’s really very cinematic in feel. This show feels much more grown up, even than the one from last year. And it somehow feels like there are finally real stakes, not just things that might impact these characters for an episode or two down the road. The return of the Blue K and Jonathan’s watch were also both nice touches (and wow, that thing keeps great time, huh? Not even a second off after a year…I want one). And when Zod finally wins over his followers at the mansion, it’s done so well. Gone is the campy feel to Zod. Callum Blue really knocked it out of the park in this first episode, and I really hope that trend continues, but I have no doubt that it will as we go forward. The reveal of the time traveler as one of Zod’s followers was also well-done, and it just stands to reason now that the season will end with Clark sending her to the past…and I have to say, I wonder how that’s going to work if Season 9 is the end of the road for the series. If they’re already banking on setting up a time loop for the end of this year, then won’t we, kind of by necessity, need a Season 10 to fully resolve things?

You know, that's it. I'm deleting those Spring Formal files.

Being the former closet Chlark shipper that I am (please don’t flame me, guys, I just have a soft spot for impossible situations and tragic, unrequited love stories, so I had no choice in the matter), the scene with Clark and Chloe in the barn was…wow…what a scene. It might have been my favorite of the entire episode in fact. Both of these characters have come so far with each other, and it’s really a testimony to the writing that such a strong case is made for both of them with this. I could really see where both of them were coming from. Clark being unwilling to mess with the timeline to save Jimmy after what happened to Jonathan and Chloe feeling that she’s owed something…finally…after all the years of sticking by everything that Clark’s had to do…both of those are valid arguments. I really couldn’t decide who I thought was right…and scenes like this make Season 9 feel like it’s going to be a season where there aren’t any easy, black and white answers. And I truly could not be happier about that, because if Smallville has been guilty of anything that I haven’t liked, it’s a tendency to wrap things up neatly, even things that appear on the surface to be potential game-changers. The show just hasn’t typically let things fester and grow into the real-world issues that, honestly, they would become if these things were really occurring, so it’s good to see that changing a bit here.

We then get a bookend John Corben / Lois Lane scene that very cleverly opens with an homage back to Clark’s squeaky chair scene from Season 8. Not to diminish Green’s performance here, but what really stood out for me in this sequence was how this show is seriously selling the Lois and Clark dynamic – finally. The best indicators of feelings are in the quiet, introspective moments, not forced, sprawling proclamations of storybook affection (ahem*Lana*cough). When Lois looks down and sees Clark’s name plate, we know what she’s feeling, and a scene like that with no dialog says more about her feelings for Clark than a dozen scenes drowned in sappy monologues. I also love how this scene immediately transitions into Lois’s phone scene with the blur. It’s like the show’s making a not-so-subtle connection between what Lois feels for Clark and what she’s projecting onto this superhero she doesn’t yet truly know. We as the audience get how those two feelings are interconnected, even if Lois doesn’t yet. And setting up scenes to play out in this way is really a masterful way to bottleneck those (perceived) dual emotions into what will eventually be a single, focused one.

I've never been with a muffin peddler before, Lois.

And lastly, we get that parting glimpse into Lois’s nightmare. Just knowing that we’re going to have to wait until “Pandora” to find out exactly where Lois has been and what she’s gone through is maddening, and it’s going to be even harder if we keep getting these kinds of teases on a regular basis. On the whole, this was a very strong season opener. Not the strongest the series has seen, though. I think if I have any complaints, it’s that the episode had so much to do in such a short time that it felt more like a stepping stone than a standalone installment. That’s not – necessarily – a good thing for the first show of an entire season. But then again, if that trend continues throughout this year, I’ll be one happy camper. I’ll take over-arching mythology over our old freak-of-the-week friends of yesteryear any day. If anything, “Savior” has me entirely psyched for “Metallo”, which from all accounts I’m aware of, is an even stronger episode than the season opener. If that holds true, then I can only hope that some strong word of mouth keeps our show afloat this year in its time slot of death. I know I’ll be watching.