(S08E11) Geoff Johns writes! When a comic book writer has a chance to write an episode of a television show based on a comic book character, you can usually count on inside references. This is very evident in the first 2009 episode of Smallville. For further information on the Legion of Super-Heroes, go here.I cannot express my sheer joy at the fact that Lana was not whiny in the episode and is becoming likable. Whatever she was doing during those missing 7 months, keep it up.
The episode was exciting and fun to watch, even covering such deep topics as whether we control our destiny or it is pre-written. Rather than nitpick through plot points, I'm going to nitpick some of the comic book continuity aspects of the episode.
The Legion Flight Rings - the design is right out of the comic books. I'm hoping they become available for sale sometime (I know it has been available, but it looks so cool in live action). The time travel aspect to them is new. The Legion usually travels in a Time Bubble, but the rings could just be controllers for the bubble.
"Where's your cape?", "No flights, no tights" - Garth's little foibles have involved questions that fans have been asking since the series began. I got very excited when Garth almost called him "Superman". I also enjoyed the in-joke where the Legion has no idea who Chloe Sullivan is, given that she was created for the television show.
The Legion mentions the Levitz Museum in the future. Paul Levitz is the President of DC Comics and a former writer for the Legion comic book.
I'm almost sorry that the Persuader made such a brief appearance, but at least the whole Brainiac sub-plot is wrapped up. It's somewhat ironic that Brainiac actually becomes Brainiac 5, who is in fact his descendant in the comic books (don't ask me how a robot can have descendants).
I didn't see for certain, but when Chloe's casebook was being flipped through, did they reference past episode meteor freaks? It wouldn't surprise me.
The Brainiac three-circle computer symbol - this design was taken from the Superman cartoon series which in itself was a variation of Brainiac's original cranial design.
Other comic book references: "Acting like a sub" - a reference to the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a set of heroes rejected from the main Legion. "Holy sprock" - a common epithet of the 30th/31st century. "For my sister" - Garth's sister Ayla also becomes a member of the Legion.
It looks like Chloe remembers Clark's powers now. I wonder if she'll be pissed off if she learns that Clark tried to take those memories away. I bet that will be a plot point in the future.
There is still a question of Lex. Obviously, Brainiac isn't involved with him and, to the best of my knowledge, Michael Rosenbaum isn't signed on for any of this season. Well, they still have Doomsday.
It's good to have Smallville in the hands of someone who can write a television episode, yet have respect for the original source material. If the CW survives this year, popular rumor says there will be a ninth season of the show. If that's the case, I hope Geoff Johns writes another one.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-16-2009 @ 11:11AM
ac said...
There were several things that made me hate this episode, the first was that they made it seem like Lana was the center of the freakin universe. I thought they were past doing this and it just annoyed me and made me hate her even more.
Another was that red headed legion kid who somehow managed to make himself 10 times more annoying than the Lana loving throughout the episode.
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1-16-2009 @ 11:20AM
ryno2626 said...
i loved this episode, especially how it tried to resolve all the comic-to-show questions we've all been asking like "who the hell is chloe sullivan?" loved that part. i also thought the legion was well done, i was worried they were going to come off to cheesy. and i like the establishment of clark's character. superman doesn't question his choices. he knows them, the right decisions are his instinct. it's never a choice for him (to kill, etc) this has been my main issue with smallville and it's nice to see him get some confidience in his steps to becoming superman.
loved fanboy garth and the signed baseball.
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1-16-2009 @ 12:10PM
mklopez said...
I dont think this Braniac actually becomes Braniac-5. Didnt they mentioned something about Braniac-5 just before they returned to the future? if so, he already exists at this point.
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1-16-2009 @ 1:23PM
Adam said...
Yes, Chloe's casebook refrenced past meteor freaks; the first page was the hot as hell Alicia Baker. I'm glad Johns wrote this ep because the writing was the best in Smallville history. I too enjoyed the in world refrences, and I couldn't stop laughing at Lightning Lad's displeasure over no tights and no flights since most Smallville fans are calling for an end to that embargo. At first I was ok with Smallville potentially ending this season, but I think the fans deserve a final season of Clark being Superman and kicking ass all over Metropolis.
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1-16-2009 @ 1:24PM
RTMS said...
There was indeed meteor freaks in the case book and the first picture/story we see is of Alica Baker, the very person who revealed Clark's secret to Chloe in the first place. Another nice little continuity link.
I at first like Lana in this ep, but once Saturn Girl went on about Lana's future etc I just got sick.I'm sorry but the fawning over Lana and her future doesn't jive with either past or current comic book history, so why have they built her up like this.
The one good thing is she actually stood up for Chloe and insisted the no kill solution. The past Lana would have advocated for it I think.
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1-16-2009 @ 1:39PM
Age-K said...
I haven't watched Smallville in ages. Before this episode, the last two I saw were the "JLA" team up and the first episode with Impulse...well, the Flash, but it was Bart Allen, who will always be Impulse in my mind.
I had originally started watching Smallville to see the DC references and crossovers and after about three years with just a few spoken references, I finally gave up on it...There was only so much I could take of the the self-pitying sighs and "I can't be with you" "I love you" "My secret" *sigh* *whine* *sigh* *angst*. Of course after I gave up on the show is when they started actually bringing in all those characters I was waiting for.
In the show's second year, at the local comic store, we were talking about how a Legionnaires spin-off would be perfect for the WB. It is essentially the teen-soap-opera of the DC comics universe. I really enjoyed this episode, and it had just enough hokeyness too. They even called Lightning Lad Lightning Lad instead of the other name he had for the short time I read Legionnaires in the mid-90s...I don't remember what it was but I remember it was different. Of course, no Legion name is better than Matter-eater Lad.
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1-16-2009 @ 6:21PM
Brent McKee said...
It always seemed to me that in the early seasons the meteor freaks frequently had powers that the Legionaires in the comics had - electricity, splitting into two people, heat powers, freezing. I think there was even one who could eat anything (and everything) without getting fat. Like Matter Eater Lad (but a girl).
1-16-2009 @ 6:43PM
az1324 said...
Alexz Johnson!!
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1-17-2009 @ 3:57AM
xnifex said...
allison mack plays one extremely sexy evil chick. i love it!
that saturn girl chick was pretty cute too
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1-18-2009 @ 9:32AM
Joe said...
I'm pretty sure this episode set up a potential Legion episode in the future for season 9, but also suggested that when the series ends, Chloe will die.
It seems that while it was a bit of an in-joke that nobody from comics lore has heard of Chloe, but I feel it goes beyond just a quick joke. The fact that Kal-El never tells anyone about Chloe suggests he holds some dark secret about her and has attempted to shield her from the limelight to protect her or prevent himself from having to deal with his feelings after her death.
I'm think the question to be asking after this episode is 'Why don't people remember Chloe?'. The Legion was discussing possible answers in the episode, which felt like a guideline for the fans to start asking their questions.
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1-19-2009 @ 4:12AM
Mark Kawakami said...
"It's good to have Smallville in the hands of someone who can write a television episode, yet have respect for the original source material." ... I think he only did one of those two things in this episode.
I thought it was almost unwatchable. I'll admit a lack of familiarity with the Legion characters, but I assume one of their super-powers is not "Recite Crap Dialog With a Straight Face". Plus the plotting was incredibly lazy, even by this season's standards. For one thing, apparently over the entire time that Clark was aware that Braniac had somehow affected, if not entirely infiltrated Chloe's mind, he had a magic crystal that could solve that exact, specific problem (and only that specific problem). So that means that Clark was either too lazy or too busy to ever bother to find out "hey, what does this magic crystal with no apparent purpose do?"... or more accurately, they just made that up for this episode and don't really care that it makes their protagonist look dumb. It doesn't help that Clark is wildly unconcerned that his Fortress of Solitude has gotten a new paint job, and seems entirely oblivious to the idea that the monster that kidnapped Chloe and brought her there might still be there.
Similarly, the Legion really jumped to the "Kill Chloe" option unconscionably fast, given that the "Don't kill Chloe" plan took less than 30 seconds to think up, and mostly consisted of concentrating a bit harder than usual.
And sure, Lana whines less, but she broods more, so that's a wash. Lana isn't any more likable now, and that's because Kristen Kreuk simply isn't a talented enough actor to make the very dumb things the writers think up for her to do and say into something believable.
There's a theme here: Lazy plotting and lazy writing leads to weak characters. Smallville has really spent the last season and a half demonstrating this theory, and "Legion" is not in any way an exception.
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