Episode 517 - Void Review




"Void" Review

Written by Catarina

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.

Lana, depressed and lonely, has been injecting a kryptonite-laced serum that gives her near death experiences that allow her to see her parents. Clark, trying to save Lana from going over the edge, gets injected with the Kryptonite serum & sees Jonathan. Lionel tips Chloe off that Professor Fine has been seen in Honduras after she & Clark assume he's dead. Lionel escorts Senator Martha Kent to a political fundraiser, much to Clark's surprise.

THE GOOD:

Clark's visit with Jonathan: As always, emotional scenes between Tom & John Schneider are touching and this one was particularly poignant. The lovely bright lighting made Jonathan look angelic and gave the scene a heavenly look. Jonathan warns Clark that he must "go back" to protect his mother and the whole world since Lionel knows everything about his secret. He tells Clark that he's going to touch the lives of so many people as symbol of peace and justice. I could practically hear the Superman music! Tom has Clark show us pure panic at the weight of the world on his solitary shoulders.

Lex's visit with his mother: She lets him know that as a result of his bad life-decisions, he will cause pain to many others, including himself. She even goes so far as to ask him to "stay" with her to avoid all the murders he's going to commit. Michael Rosenbaum does a great job showing conflict on his face – it's not every day that you learn that you'll end up an evil person.

I thought the director and the writers really did a great job at showing the polar opposites between the people Clark & Lex will become in these two scenes. The dark lighting and foreshadowing of a life of evil and the destruction of life vs. the bright light and foreshadowing of a life of heroism & justice. Good vs. evil, heaven vs. hell, Jonathan says GO and Lilian say STAY. Take your pick. These two are at opposite ends of all spectrums.

The Lionel/Martha situation: Martha is showing us the strong stuff she's made of. She's taking a strong stand in her new position as Senator, and she made it very clear to Lionel that they will never be more than friends even as he's worming his way into her life. Great scene at the Kent house when Lionel comes to pick Martha up. Tom once again makes us feel Clark's angst when he sees that the man his father just warned him about is spending time with his dear mother. Clark now knows that Lionel knows, and Lionel is letting Clark know that he knows. Clark and Chloe realize that they all might be pawns with Lionel being the chess master. It's giving the show mysterious twist.

The final scene between Lana & Clark: Clark is now following through with the big sacrifice that he made in last week's eppy by breaking off with Lana. Tom shows pain and love in his eyes even when the words coming out of his mouth say the opposite. We're getting set up for whatever the future holds for Lex & Lana.

THE BAD:

Very light on the Tom. He's probably preparing for his directorial debut!

Sorry, but I have to say it. What is up with Lex's security system? Lana broke into the mansion to get money for her new habit and didn't trigger an alarm or someone's attention.

Too little on Professor Fine. Clark literally runs to Honduras in search of Professor Fine just to see the indentation of Fine's ship in the jungle - but no Professor. We know that there are at least 4 of him running around... where are they?

It took Lana so many tries under the influence of the serum to see her parents for a few seconds, but Clark and Lex saw their parents and had full conversations immediately.

Clark has to start using his superpowers a bit more efficiently. He demurely knocks on Chloe & Lana's dorm door after he superspeeds over in case Lana is there – but how does he usually know that Chloe is alone all the other times he whooshes in on her? Why wouldn't he use his superhearing to find Lana on the campus instead of relying on Chloe's ever-growing hacking abilities?

Some excellent scenes woven around Lana's effort to comfort herself after her breakup with Clark give this episode a major boost.

My rating? I give "Void" 4 out of 5 stars.

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