Smallville “Scion” 

I remember a time when Smallvillewas a simple show. At it’s heart were the Kents, a down to earth family unit and the Luthors, a fractured combination of a power-crazed father and son. A lot has changed since the first few seasons.  Characters have come and gone, new superheroes and galactic threats have occurred, and the Luthor family was all but wiped out. “Scion” felt like a return to form like many fans are saying, but not just a return to good writing after a string of so-so episodes. This episode felt like the return of the timeless struggle between the Kents and the Luthors, albeit with some new players.

Tess finally comes clean to Clark that Alexander is actually Connor, a genetic clone of both him and Lex that possesses his ablilities. Clark and Lois take responsibility for him and Clark tries to train him just like Jonathan Kent did for him. However, Lionel Luthor is on the warpath and his next stop is reclaiming his son, Connor.  After slipping a red kryptonite ring onto his finger, Connor takes Lois hostage and his inner Lex comes out. Clark eventually is able to bring Connor back to the light and Tess is able to prove that Lionel is not the real Lionel and he must relinquish control of Luthorcorp. Defeated and distraught, Lionel visits the grave of Lex wishing he could bring him back, when the darkness which has been a cloud of dust up until this point reveals himself as Darkseid and appears to Lionel as the show fades to black…

You can’t even imagine how exciting it is for comic book fans to see Superboy being done right on television. Lucas Grabeel brings the character to life and did an amazing job of showing the darkness that stems from his inner Lex side. Let’s be honest, it can be tough to come in this late in the game and really be a character that has any true impact on the show, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a Superboy spinoff happens someday…

Of course John Glover as Lionel Luthor is just solid as a rock and watching scenes with him and Tess is like watching a tennis match of wits and badass-ness.  And of course Erica Durance came to play this week and showed kind of a different side of Lois. A review I read criticized how accepting Lois was of becoming like a mother of sorts to Connor but I completely disagree. The character of Lois has matured so much in the last couple of seasons…hell in the last couple of episodes…that I totally believe in the choices her character made and I completely believe in her relationship with Clark.

But the most exciting part of “Scion” for me was the final few seconds where we caught our first full glimpse of Darkseid. What an amazing set up to what will eventually bring Michael Rosenbaum back to the show. For those who aren’t die-hard comic book nerds, Darkseid has been known to bring back people from the dead to do his bidding. I’m glad that it will truly be Lex who will be coming back and not a clone. Granted I’m just speculating here, but I really hope this is the direction they’re going in and that’s what the final few seconds seemed to hint at…

So we’ve got ourselves a little break until April 15^th and then the end really begins. Until then, go back and watch your favorite Smallville episodes and reminisce before we really get the ball rolling.