Episode 713 - Hero Review




"Hero" 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.

Hero was a puzzling episode and seemed contrived only to bring back Pete Ross. The episode wasn't completely dead as it gave us a few hints of the next two episodes to come and we were left with a couple of cliffhangers.

The Good

There was very little that was good about this episode, but here goes...

Clark Kent and Pete Ross: It looked as if these two didn't have three years separating their time together. They slipped back into where they left off at the end of season three.

Clark and Lionel: It is very evident that Clark still doesn't trust Lionel and that is a good thing. I really loved the fear and worry in Lionel's face when Clark looked at him and said, "We need to talk." Tom's delivery of that was brilliant. Clark was in command of the situation instead of going with the flow.

Clark and Jimmy: I really enjoyed the scene between Clark and Jimmy in the Stride warehouse. The foreshadowing of Jimmy's role in C.K.'s future was a very nice touch.

Jimmy: I loved Jimmy in this episode. He was portrayed as a very caring and gutsy friend. The bumbling was kept to a minimum and I thought he was the true hero of the episode...other than Clark. I also like the fact that Jimmy only went after the story after he got Pete to agree to the interview even though he had a picture. Shows real integrity of the future Jimmy Olson.

Pete, Kara and Lex: Lex was at his sleaziest in this episode. He knows what Clark is and it was evident in this episode...or at least he has his suspicions. I wonder what other information Lex has uncovered. Maybe we will find out in the next episode. They kind of left us hanging. The scene between Lex and Pete was well done as well. The chemistry between the two actors kept me riveted and I love that Jimmy heard their conversation.

Special effects: Both rescues, Pete with Kara and Clark with Pete, were fantastically done and very believable. I wasn't sure how well the stretching thing would look on camera, but it turned out great.

Continuity: "The Boss" Ross was mentioned from the episode Velocity. The basketball game between Clark and Pete was reminiscent of their friendship.

The Bad

Clark Kent: Okay, there were too many opportunities to have Clark in scenes that would have made more sense instead of doing everything they could to keep his appearances to a minimum. It's not like he is directing the next episode. Unless Tom was recovering from an injury or sick, it is inexcusable to have an episode titled HERO without our TRUE HERO in it!

Kara and Lex: This whole storyline has left me cold from the beginning. Tonight the whole subplot seemed contrived and out of sorts with what we already know of the character, Clark Kent. Would Clark really hide Kara's true identity from her because he is concerned about her not believing him? And would he conspire with Lana to lie to her on a daily basis? This smacks too much of Lex, not Clark. I thought this plotline was used to force Kara into a situation where she was close to Lex. Very unbelievable. Also, the whole 'I am your friend and Clark is the deceptive enemy, is an old 'Lana/Lex' plotline. In the scheme of things, it just didn't make sense to me.

Pete: Pete's resentment of Clark was petty and dangerous. For Pete's sake (no pun intended...well, maybe a little) it's been three years and you would think Pete would have had time to overcome his problems with Clark. I hated that Pete made Clark feel responsible, yet again, for Pete's own insecurities. And poor Kryptonite was blamed yet again! Not to mention the fact that Pete used it to keep Clark from following him so he could be a hero. Bad move, Pete! Some friend you are! Seems to me, the rock gets more screen time than Clark!

Kara and Lana: Why wasn't this scene done with Kara and Clark? I think it would have been more appropriate. Kara's anger seemed very misplaced...is she on something? This whole 'memory' lapse could have been handled a lot better than they have so far! Not that it was needed in the first place.

Pete, Chloe and Jimmy: Jimmy was awfully close to Chloe and Pete when Pete declared the gum Kryptonite-free. Was that a blooper?

Clark and Lana: These two are too comfortable around each other in this episode. I thought she was moving out to live with Chloe? What was with the happy, homey scene with Lionel? This didn't make sense at all in light of what has gone on before between these two. It was almost as if this episode was written before the last five or six...

Stride gum: Talk about advertising...they beat us over the head with it. Felt like I was watching an hour long info-mercial for Stride gum.

Plotline: You all know how positive I usually am in my reviews, but I didn't like this episode much at all. I had hoped that Pete and Clark would clear the air between them as they parted with unresolved issues at the end of season 3. I don't think it was necessary to give Pete super-powers to have a great episode for Pete's return. All this did was fuel Pete's resentment toward Clark and solved absolutely nothing.

Kara is being shown as a brat instead of a loving cousin and Lana just won't go away! Even with memory loss, I would think she and Clark would have sat down and had a heart to heart to explain why he wasn't revealing information to her. Clark is a good person and anyone who meets him, sees that, so why doesn't Kara? Why does she think he is the enemy? Has she been spending that much time with Lex? It has become Lana and Clark from previous seasons in a twisted sort of way.

In my opinion, I would rather Pete hadn't returned. I think his character has been tainted with this episode. Okay, I'm stepping off my soap box now.

I give Hero 2 out of 5 stars for Clark and Jimmy.

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