Episode 503 - Hidden Review




"Hidden" Review

Written by Cherry

DISCLAIMER - Please remember that this review does not represent the opinions/viewpoints of everyone; it is the personal opinions of the reviewer only. Thank you.

Hidden is a fast paced and emotional countdown to disaster for Smallville. And Clark doesn't have his powers! The music in the episode as well as fantastic acting drove the emotional and tense scenes and made the heart beat faster and kept you on the edge of your seat as it moved from scene to scene in a very effective way.

Tom's Performance: In this episode Tom Welling was able to play a variety of emotions and was excellent in every one. He went from playfully sexy to a teen in trouble with his parents, to investigative reporter to dying, and then to distraught and depressed, but yet heroic throughout. This man truly is still an undiscovered talent!

The Good

Clark Kent: With or without his powers, Clark Kent is still Superman and he showed it without a doubt in this episode. Clark didn't dwell on his own problems, but went right into "save the world" mode after Jor-El restored his powers. His intelligence was also displayed when he found a way to get to Gabriel Duncan without his powers.

The Kents: The parent child relationship throughout Hidden was delightful and compelling. Jonathan's fathering was exciting to see and the interaction between him, Clark, and Martha was very realistic. Having raised teenagers myself I could totally identify with their roller coaster ride from the first to the last scene they shared. I really enjoyed Martha trying to diffuse the situation with Jonathan and Clark when Jonathan realizes his son had sex with Lana under his roof. Talk about breaking rules! Nice touch to mention "safe sex".

Shallow Moments: Couldn't resist a couple of shallow moments. Didn't Clark look absolutely yummy in that light blue t-shirt? It stretched so nicely across his chest and biceps. Sorry about all the drool! And, this is the first time I have noticed how torn Clark's clothes were during the scene when he comes back to his parent's house after having saved Smallville from nuclear annihilation. The bottom half of his t-shirt is missing which you see right before he hugs his mom, and his pants leg is split all the way to his thigh. You get a glimpse of a shapely calf and a little thigh when he stands waiting for Lana to jump into his arms. You almost miss it!

Gabriel Duncan: This was one scary villain! I loved this guy. It was refreshing that he was not a FOTW. His mixture of cold-heartedness and vulnerability were astonishing. He made the role he was playing totally believable. He was a warped hero on a mission. This villain really highlighted the difference between Clark's sacrifice to save humankind and Gabriel's own delusions. Superman really is an amazing hero!

Lionel Luthor: This character keeps you guessing as to his true motives. It was an unusual twist to have Jor-El's emissary be Lionel. Lionel is dangerous to Clark's existence. The Lionel at the beginning of the episode appeared to be the caring father of Jor-El, although this was out of character to what we know of Jor-El to this point. By the end, he is the sharp witted, devilish Lionel again. Does he remember what happened to him or is he just playing all concerned? It will be interesting to find out what Lionel really knows about Clark.

Chloe: Wow, what a range of emotion for Chloe. I really enjoyed her amusement at Clark's expense in the scene with Clark's parents where Clark was in oh, so much trouble. She was adorable. Her alarm and screams when Clark was shot pierced the heart as well as her fear she had failed to keep Smallville from being blown up. Then her hero came through to her utter confidence. She had no doubt it was Clark who had saved the day. Her gentle discussion with Clark about what happened was so tender and poignant. I would have liked to have seen the conversation go further, but it was a very nice ending to an emotional rollercoaster of an episode.

Special Effects: Standing ovation to the special effects team and Tom Welling for the rocket save by Clark. What an amazing, exciting visual. I held my breath the entire time.

Lana: Lana was strong, vulnerable, and feisty. She defended Clark and stood up to Lex. I thought the scene when Clark flat lined was so well done. Her horror and disbelief added to the music and the camera work in this scene. Chills coursed as the music swelled to include Lionel/Jor-El's reaction to Clark's mortal death. Lana's grief and joy at seeing Clark alive in their last scene together was the stuff of romantic legends. The song 'Collide' was an excellent choice for this scene.

Lex: This one is so devious. He shows caring to Lana as well as Lionel while all the while being sneaky about trying to tie Clark into the whole alien picture.

Mixed Reactions

Jor-El: Using Lionel as his emissary, Joe-El comes off as a caring father. Very soft spoken and loving in his tone. His words start out almost like what you would expect from a Final Destination movie where death has to be satisfied. The universe must be paid back for losing him in death. However, Clark didn't have the choice to "cheat" death. The choice was taken away by Jor-El. It sounded more like Lionel taking things out of his hands. I don't know if that was intentional on the writer's part or it Jor-El really is the sick individual they are making him out to be.

The Bad

Clark sleeping with Lana at home: As adorable as this scene was, it was still out of character for Clark to so blatantly defy his parents. It was almost like he wanted to get caught by sleeping with Lana in his bed at home.

Clark's encounter with Lana after the rocket is taken care of: Clark's clothes are torn to smithereens and the conversation never comes up as to why, when the last time Lana saw him he was in hospital pants and no shirt? And dead? This was too much of an overlook for me. Lana is smart. Let us know if she just chose to overlook the obvious. That would make more sense than for her to act as if it didn't happen. Even Lana's scene with Lex seemed weird after that.

I give Hidden 4 out of 5 stars.

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