Martha Kent returns in Smallville
Mrs. K, oh, how we’ve missed you! Annette O’Toole made her triumphant return to Smallville as Martha Kent this week. The great thing about Martha—or, more precisely, O’Toole’s portrayal of her—is that she can say something as cheesy as “Sometimes the hardest save to make isn’t a stranger in a burning building, it’s the person closest to you” and it comes across as wise and comforting.
Not seen since becoming a U.S. Senator at the end of Season 6, Martha came back into Clark’s life as both the loving mom we know, and with a whole new agenda. She is, not-so-spoiler-alert, revealed to be the mysterious Red Queen who has been lurking in the shadows the past few weeks.
As usual her agenda centers on one thing: protecting Clark. In Washington she learned that people in high places had their eye on the Blur. People like Checkmate. So she turned into something of superwoman, secretly undermining both Checkmate’s hunt for Clark and the Kandorians’ search for The Book of Rao.
She pulls it off with an elaborate plan that involves mind-manipulator Maxwell Lord getting inside Tess’ seriously twisted mind. But when Max goes too far—creating a hallucination in which Oliver professes his love for her—Tess snaps out of it and escapes. Which is exactly what Martha wanted. Tess has the Book of Rao and Martha trails her and, at gunpoint, takes it away. And proving she’s not above a little trash talk, she gives Miss Mercer a verbal smackdown: “You say you’re saving the planet, but you really only care about yourself. You figured out Maxwell’s charade because you knew in your heart that Oliver’s declaration of love was a lie. You can’t comprehend what it means to truly protect someone you love.” To quote The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper, “Bazinga!”
Meanwhile, Lois is suffering through Blur-withdrawal and sorting out an identity crisis. “I need a purpose, some kind of bigger mission in life,” she tells Clark. Preoccupied with the Kandorians, he just asks her to give him a break. Oops, poor choice of words, buddy. Didn’t you ever watch Friends? Lois takes “break” to mean a break from the relationship. And, in fact, she wants to break up altogether.
A little side mission with one Perry White—played by O’Toole’s real life husband and co-Oscar-nominee Michael McKean, who returns after a one-off appearance way back in Season 3—gets her back on track. No longer a wayward drunk, Perry is now dating Martha and working on a big story: trying to track down the Red Queen. His story intersects with one Lois is pursuing as a means to get her Daily Planet job back, the arrival of aliens on Earth.
They don’t really crack the story, but Erica Durance’s effortless comic timing synchronizes perfectly with McKean, a comedy icon best known for his work with Christopher Guest. And Lois does get to save his life, which this seems to bring her groove back. When Perry asks her to join him in the search for the Red Queen, she replies that “Normally I would jump at the chance at running away from my problems. After one day in the trenches with Perry White, I realized I don’t have to go anywhere to find my higher calling. I just needed to find the hero inside of myself.” Huh? So does she want to be a reporter or a superhero? Stop the presses, this storyline needs an editor.
As for Chloe, she’s having an identity crisis of her own. She’s repaired Watchtower, but is hesitating about becoming Big Sister again. “It’s easy to think that having all the information is the same as having all the answers,” she tells Clark. “I can’t be the eye in the sky anymore. And now that I have Ollie, I want to plug into the real world. Virtual reality bites.”
In the world’s fastest pep talk, Clark sets her straight. “You may not be saving people from train wrecks, Chloe, or shoot outs, but you are just as much of a hero as the rest of us,” he tells her with surprising tenderness. “We’re on the brink of war Chloe, and the world needs you. I need you.”
That war will be coming to a head in next week’s season finale. Martha hands Clark the ominous Book of Rao, which she says “can be used to transport the Kandorians to another plane of existence.” But if it’s used, “all Kryptonians will be exiled from Earth—including you.”
Source: TV Guide
Thank you for taking the time to do this review.
I for one felt that this was a good episode in terms of characterisation but poor overall. Annette O’Toole must be glad she’s no longer a regular with the way her character was changed from the one we knew and appreciated. Smallville has a habit of twisting the characters of old regulars who return to the show (see Pete Ross).
I liked the fact that Anette decided to return once more. But how she’s changed. All I can say is Wow.