Clark Plays the Hero, but the Women Rule on Smallville

There is something a bit regal about a show like Smallville, with its declining ratings and network move to a Friday night death zone, ignoring all that bursting out with one of its most creative seasons ever. Yet that's where we stand, as the most recent episode "Echo" continued a run of stellar shows that, if the season can sustain them, may make the this the best, if least watched, Smallville season ever.

I usually describe the main plot of a television show first, which is important because as someone who prizes character development and nuance above all other things I usually then ignore the main plot and focus on what I like. That was especially true in series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, both shows that did exactly what Smallville is attempting to do: get better and more sophisticated even as the viewers and ratings say it's on the way out.

Fortunately, there is no main plot of "Echo"-- just three plot threads that intersect deliciously. One involves the return of Toyman, a decently creepy villain with a grudge against Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) who framed him for Lex Luthor's murder. Toyman's adventures are pretty good, mostly because the actor is genuinely chilling in the role.

But this takes a back seat to what's going on with the two big handsome "heroes" of the show: Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and Oliver. They are both at remarkable places in remarkable journeys, both in need of help, and both who thankfully have help at hand.

What I love is that it is clear that there is only one thing that seems to be able to shake either one of these tough guys out of their superiority-complex personas: the kick-ass women of Smallville who just won't let a guy fall into a drunk or ignore his feelings. So, I'll start with the guys but probably end up talking about these very empowered women.

Clark learns he has a new power in this episode, the ability to read thoughts like ESP. Jor-El tells him that it's temporary, meant to teach him a lesson. Because Clark ends up coming, at the end, to a realization of Oliver's decline (after the ESP is taken away) I think we can safely say this is one of those few times in the series that the confusing Jor-El seems to know what he's talking about.

To start with, however, Clark uses his new power to read the mind of Lois Lane (Erica Durance) and, yes, it is clearly significant that he can read her mind first and most clearly through the episode. It enables him to finally ask her out on a date. I thought it entirely appropriate that even with ESP into Lois' thoughts (including her lusty-wrong thoughts about Clark!) he still manages to screw everything up and there is no date. THAT is pure Superman myth. Still, the chemistry between them only continues to grow.

I know some folks have commented that they don't like that Lois is "needy" this season and clearly has a void she expects to be filled by a hero. Hello? Am I the only geek in history to ever read Superman comics? Lois is supposed to be tough, but without a superhero/savior complex she wouldn't be Lois. And is it "weak" that she shows up to confront Clark about their missed date in a monster truck? Or that he begins realizing that just reading her mind doesn't give him quite the advantage he thought. In my opinion, Lois is holding her own.

I guess this is also the time to give it up for Chloe Sullivan, as Allison Mack (thank you writers, yes!) finally gets a chance to act again when she finds out Clark is reading her cousin's mind. Chloe's anger at Clark and her confrontation with him is her best scene since early last season.

I love it that when Clark can finally read Chloe's mind it gives him even less advantage over her in the argument than he had over Lois. In fact, it makes him back up a little, as she shows she's not afraid of ESP or Clark's rationalizations. It wasn't a long scene, but it makes me very nostalgic for the days when the too-impulsive but not-to-be underestimated Chloe Sullivan rocked Smallville on a regular basis.

The other hero in trouble is Oliver, and he's in far worse place than Clark. Basically, he's decided on suicide. So when he tries to commit it, via hard liquor and jealous Mexican husbands, who stops him? Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman), yet another of Smallville's "chicks" you just DON'T want to mess with. Turns out she needs Ollie to act the part of a sober CEO at a society function, although her true motives are, as always with Tess, deliciously in question.

What is great is how Freeman plays the scene, using both her sober leverage and her romantic past with Oliver to get him to do something legit despite his current spiral. She's even tougher here than when she was last week beating up zombies.

The way it all plays out is not as important as this character stuff, although I liked how Oliver, Clark, Chloe, and Toyman were all working at the same time (with none of them knowing exactly what was going on) in the payoff scene. Toyman was taken to "prison" which always apparently serves as some kind of euphemism for "now I work for Tess." The reference to "Metallo" was great, but just who is that kryptonite heart mean for?

The final conversation between Clark and Ollie was strong, as Clark recognizes he is going through a struggle to re-adjust to humanity and Ollie simply admits what he has become and his lack of a true identity. Makes me wonder, though. Do either of these tough guys realize that they wouldn't even be having this conversation if the women of Metropolis weren't busy kicking their asses into gear?

Smallville "Echo" Episode Score (1-10): 9

For more of my Smallville reviews and more see my blog A Dash of Salty