Episode 518 - Fragile Review




"Fragile" Review

Written by Babaluwee

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.

The Good

We were not deprived of "face time" with Tom as he made his very successful directorial debut.

Kudos to the child actress, Emily Hirst, who played Maddie, a child who hadn't spoken since she was three when her mother was murdered. Initially, Emily had to act her role using only facial expressions, comportment, & demeanor, rather than dialogue. There were subtleties in her expressions and delivery that seemed advanced for an actress her age. The fact that the character of Maddie was engaging and convincing throughout the episode was due in no small part to the director, Tom Welling.

Clark portrayed many of the character traits we have come to expect in Superman, one of which is genuine trustworthiness. In sweet and simple ways, Clark gained the trust of a very troubled child who believed no one liked her. He got her to speak when he saw that she reacted well to Shelby, and he told her, "I may not be as furry… but I'll never say mean things to you." She trusted him enough to tell him about her power to shatter glass with her mind. In soft-spoken and gentle tones, Clark repeatedly told her that she had "powers" and "abilities" which she can control. He convinced her that she was not a freak to be shunned but someone who had a lot to contribute to the world. There was a clear contrast in this episode between the murderous "freak of the week" and someone who is gifted and moral. Maddie could have gone in either direction, especially at a critical point where she was in a position to kill the real murderer (and "become like him") or to restrain herself.

When evidence really started to mount that Maddie may have murdered her foster mother, and later when more evidence pointed to her as the murderer of her birth mother as well, Clark was still willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. In a particularly memorable scene with Chloe, he compared himself to Maddie: "If my parents hadn't found me in that field, I could be in the foster care system, scaring people with my powers, being accused of crimes I didn't commit." In the context of this conversation on "powers," Chloe tells Clark, "…one of your greatest powers is your unrelenting faith in people." How very true. This episode is an example of Smallville at its best: portraying the values of treating others as you would want to be treated; having faith in people; looking for the good in people and bringing out the best in them.

In this episode Jonathan lived on in Clark and Martha. Maddie was troubled that her father was a murderer, but Clark reassured her that just because she was his child, she didn't have to follow in his footsteps. Biology is not destiny. He compared his own biological father with Jonathan whom he rightly called his real dad. He told her fondly a little about Jonathan. Actually, Jonathan was present all over this episode in the values it depicted so well and warmly.

At the very end of the episode Clark asked Chloe about Lana, had she "found anyone" yet? Chloe reacted vehemently and denied anything was going on with Lana. We can tell by Clark's facial expressions that he suspected there was something Chloe wasn't telling him. It seems to me that Clark & Chloe not only had their usual amazing chemistry, but that there was something intuitive and subliminal going on between these two as well.

The Bad

Lex & Lana are exhausting. Chloe was right about suspecting that Lana wants to hurt Clark with Lex, and that Lex would take advantage of Lana at a very vulnerable time. But I don't know who's playing whom, who is predator or prey. In a final scene, Lex kissed Lana and said, "It just happened." How could it just happen? They were dealing with the issue of being more than friends throughout the episode! Lana came to discuss this very issue with Lex. She fueled the fire, instead of letting it die. It didn't "just happen." It was a set up.

I give "Fragile" 5 out of 5 stars for sheer faithfulness to the message and values of Smallville, for excellence in directing, for the usual great acting from everyone, and for fine writing (Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer)

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