Episode 617 - Combat Review




"Combat" Review

Written by Scarlett

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.

Combat highlighted the main storyline of Clark Kent battling the Zoners, which takes him one step closer to his destiny. Clark's journey is what Smallville should focus on, instead of cheap soap opera angst, and unnecessary triangles.

The Good:

Tom Welling: Tom's acting range has grown so much, and it was obvious again in this episode. As a fan, I have to also acknowledge how drop-dead gorgeous he was in Combat. From the close-ups of his beautiful face, to him dressed in black leather, to the aggressive way he fought the Zoner, Tom literally exuded confidence and pure masculinity! I felt every emotion with him. Kudos to Tom for another great performance!

Clark Kent: Clark was more proactive, and began taking charge of his life again. He had been involved in bringing several career criminals to justice, and he was planning how he was going to take care of the remaining Zoners. In addition, Clark was doing some investigating on his own too. All of this was progression for him, and was a welcome relief after last week's disaster, "Promise".

This episode also showed Clark coming to terms regarding his human emotions. Clark is right, he's not human. "I'm not human, and it's time I stopped pretending to be." Clark has such compassion for the human race. He expressed many human feelings, from anger and frustration; to empathy for meteor freaks being killed; to concern for Lois getting hurt; to even remorse over Titan's death. Clark has a strong link to humanity (thanks to his parents), but Clark is also much more than human, with a much larger destiny.

"You are not one of them my son"- Jor-El in the Superman movie. This famous line really underscores the paradox that is Superman and also what makes him unique. Clark dedicates his life to helping humanity, but on some level, he will always be an outsider. It's a bittersweet fact that Clark will have to make many sacrifices in order to fulfill his destiny. Clark's struggle to find that "balance" between his Kryptonian destiny and his Human side needs to be explored more. These are the types of issues that give the viewers insight into Clark Kent, and what makes him a hero. But, please do this for ALL of Clark's relationships; don't waste entire episodes showing Clark obsessing over an old high school girlfriend. Let Clark reach closure, and move forward.

Fight Scene: This was the best fight scene so far! Kane as Titan was the ideal opponent for Clark to fight: a Zoner who also had super-strength, and who was also physically huge. Tom is a big man himself, and this type of physicality was needed for a fight like this one. It was satisfying to watch Clark finally be able to defeat a villain in a no-holds barred fight. Superman is a very powerful being, and even though his preference is never to kill someone, sometimes physical force is necessary. If Clark had not stopped the Zoner, he would have killed many more innocent people. Clark risked his own life to stop Titan. And, of course, Clark did not kill him. It was an accident, since Titan fell on his own spike and died. The fight scene was done really well. And Clark's line, "My turn", was delivered by Tom in a sexy, powerful way, and give this viewer chills. It is also very appropriate that Clark showed remorse for Titan's death, since Superman values all life.

Director James Marshall: Next to Tom, Marshall is my favorite director. Marshall has consistently elicited some of Tom's best performances, and this was no exception. There was urgency and a sense of excitement throughout the episode, and the timing was in sync with the overall theme. Kudos to Marshall for another great job!

Martha Kent: It was nice to see Martha show some concern for her only son again. Martha has been written inconsistently this season, but Tom and Annette always do well in their scenes together.

Clark and Chloe: Their close friendship is one of the highlights of the show. Chloe helped Clark, but Clark was clearly the leader in control, and was investigating on his own.

Lois Lane: Even though she was only in a few scenes, this was iconic Lois. The scene where Clark and Lois bump into each other while both doing undercover investigative work was classic Clark and Lois. Lois investigated the story on her own, without trying to hack into Chloe's computer. I enjoyed both her and Clark trying to protect each other in the fight scene! I also laughed when Lois jumped on Titan's back, and when she hurt her hand punching Clark. And yes, this viewer noticed the way Clark checked out Lois in her skin tight red costume.

Lex Luthor: Michael did a good job of portraying Lex as a creepy, disturbed villain, who is capable of doing almost anything to get what he wants. It was appropriate that Lex was also trying to find out about the fight club, so he could harness the best meteor freaks. And Lex finding out Titan was an alien adds a new twist to the story. It was also a nice touch to see his reaction to Oliver shutting down another level 33.1 facility. Lex is progressing in his role as a dangerous villain.

Lana Luthor Nursery Scene: Kristin did a good job in this scene, and it was eerily reminiscent of an earlier nursery scene with Lillian, Lex's mother. However, the whole baby storyline is the lamest plotline ever, even worse than the earlier witch storyline.

Superman Reference: Clark was referred to as the "Man of Steel".

Continuity: This episode had several moments of actual continuity. Chloe mentioned her dormant meteor freak power; Oliver made a brief appearance in regards to level 33.1 and talked to Clark on the phone; Lois referenced her earlier strip scene from Exposed; and Aunt Nell was even on the phone for Lana. Now, if only there could be continuity for the characters themselves, as well as for past events.

The Bad:

Lex and Lana Luthor Soap Opera: It will be a relief when this soap opera sub-plot concludes. There were so many ways to do an interesting storyline with Clark, Lex, and Lana. But, the writers chose to try to force a romantic triangle instead, and this reflected negatively on all three characters. It is absolutely horrific that Lex is doing something to Lana in regards to her pregnancy, but again, was this really necessary? Wouldn't their relationship and the marriage have been enough to show Lex's warped view on love? Lex's involvement with level 33.1 is much more chilling, violent behavior, and is more appropriate for mythos Lex Luthor. The whole Lana scenario is more pathetic behavior than anything else (on both their parts), and makes Lex look desperate, not "evil".

It's good that Lex is finally being shown making his own decisions and being held accountable for his own actions. It's so unrealistic to always blame someone else for one's decisions. Now, it's time to do the same for Lana too. Yes, Lana made a mistake by getting involved with Lex, but she has only herself to blame! It's difficult to see Lana as strictly a victim, because viewers can't just pretend that the first half of season six didn't happen. Lana voluntarily got involved with Lex, had sex with him, moved in with him, told him she loved him, agreed to marry him, flew to Paris to buy a wedding dress, had a party with Chloe at the bowling alley, and planned an elaborate wedding. This all happened BEFORE Lionel threatened Clark in "promise". Let's not conveniently use Lionel as a scapegoat for either Lex or Lana's behavior.

Hold Lana accountable for her part in this mess, and let her learn to stand on her own two feet for once. And, let Lana finally redeem herself by trying to protect Clark from Lex. Maybe then we can see the beginning of the lifelong friendship between Clark and Lana.

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

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