Episode 715 - Veritas Review




"Veritas" 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.

Veritas would have been a lousy season finale for Clark Kent fans. Why would any season finale put the lead character in a supporting role? Perhaps the important cliffhangers were edited out, and pushed back to later episodes this season. It's insulting to Clark/Superman fans to suggest that Clark needs "flying lessons" from a secondary character, when Superman is the original superhero, the first superhero who flew, and the standard against which all other superheroes are compared! Clark should fly totally on his own, and for a non-shipper, heroic reason. Anything else is a disservice to this iconic character and to long-term viewers and Clark Kent fans.

Are there any Smallville writers interested in writing for the Clark Kent character? And, it's perverse, the way this show promotes torturing Clark both emotionally and physically, while heaping loads of illogical guilt-ridden crap on his shoulders on a weekly basis. Last week Clark was imprisoned in a Kryptonite-lined cage, and this week, the writers subject Clark to another pointless, angst-filled scene with Lana. Even the Veritas storyline, some continuity, and the appearance of Brainiac couldn't help save this episode from mediocrity.

The Good:

Tom Welling's performance: In spite of a chopped episode, some useless scenes, and some terrible dialogue, Tom once again exhibited his acting range, from the anger displayed towards Lionel, to the sadness in the angsty scene with Lana at the end. It's a shame there are not more episodes that are focused on the star of the show.

Superman References: Did Brainiac and Kara go through a Boom Tube? Are they going to Apokolips, and does this foreshadow an appearance by Darkseid? Or even by Doomsday? Or, is Brainiac trying to release Zod from the Phantom Zone again, and he needs a member of the El family to open the portal? Hopefully, regardless of the villain, Clark will defeat him on his own, and perhaps fly to accomplish this.

Religious Symbolism: Superman is often represented as the "savior" of Earth in many versions, and there have been several overt and covert religious symbolisms during the past seven seasons. In "Veritas", Chloe makes the following comment to Lionel: "Befriending Clark is the closest you'll ever get to seeing God". And, there was the use of another angel statue, to represent Clark as a guardian angel. There have been many angel statues used in relation to Clark, including the Pilot, Crusade, Reckoning, and even in Unsafe.

John Glover/Lionel: Glover did a great job in displaying Lionel's desperation, as he panicked at the thought of losing control and any influence over Clark. Lionel's long-term plans are unraveling before his eyes. It makes sense that there were several scenes that involved Lionel, since this is probably his "swan" song (no pun intended). And, perhaps Lionel's story is a reminder of Karma. Lionel has committed many heinous acts, including murder, during his life. Recently, he tortured Clark by kidnapping him and putting him in a Kryptonite-lined cage, and he killed his captor Marilyn with his bare hands. Even with Lionel trying to make amends for his life of crime by protecting Clark, it's obvious he has a warped view of right and wrong. He has lied and manipulated people for too long, and it's too little, too late. Lionel is similar to a "dead man" walking now.

Clark and Lionel: Both Tom and Glover were good in their confrontation scene. Tom really expressed Clark's disappointment and anger, which was nicely contrasted with Lionel's desperate plea. It's understandable that Clark would want to sever ties with Lionel. But, it made no sense for Lionel to talk in such incoherent sentences to Clark. Why didn't Lionel show Clark the photo of Lex, with the person who killed Patricia? Why didn't he tell Clark that Lex may have the second key? There's no reason for Lionel to act so cryptic, or to expect Clark to blindly believe his mysterious "warnings'. Although, on second thought, Lionel is the AI Jor-El program's emissary and that's the way the AI acts too. I guess that explains it!

Lex: Lex is starting to put the pieces together, and the focus is finally on his development as the villain of the story, instead of more "poor Lex" scenes. It was suggested that the events of Fracture contributed to Lex regaining some of his earlier memories.

Mixed Reactions:

Veritas Flashback Scene and Continuity: It was cool to see the old newspaper form the Pilot again, with the story of the Queens' death. Kudos to all the writers for trying to link the Veritas storyline back to the Pilot episode. But, why wasn't Veritas an ongoing storyline over the past six seasons? It would have had more impact, and been more believable. Instead, this show has wasted so much screen time on pointless soap opera angst, and there are several plot holes as a result. How did the members find out about the Traveler? How has Veritas existed for centuries? How is it linked to the Kawatche caves? And, how is it linked to the Brainiac storyline?

Lois and Jimmy: It's foreshadowing to watch Lois and Jimmy team up on a story. However, it was set up in a haphazard way, with Lois receiving an anonymous e-mail with Jimmy standing right there. Who sent Lois the anonymous tip? And, the scene in Luthor Corp was a little silly since both Lois and Jimmy should have known Lionel wasn't going to share any info with them. It would have reflected better on both of them to do more research first, before trying to interview Lionel and trying to "trick" him into confessing. At least, Lois and Jimmy ended up with the photo of Lex and Patricia's killer.

Chloe and Lionel: Even though Chloe was right to be loyal to Clark in that scene, it seemed out-of-character for her to not listen to what Lionel was telling her. As an investigative reporter, it seems that Chloe would want to know more details, before she made a decision.

Brainiac and Kara: Why does Brainiac need Kara? Is it because he's going to try to free Zod from the Phantom Zone again, and he needs an El family member to open the portal? Or, is it related to Darkseid or Doomsday in some manner? And why didn't Kara tell Clark what Brainiac said, about "saving" Krypton? Kara pretended she had no idea why Brainiac wanted her to come with him. Was Kara lying to Clark? Didn't Kara realize she was walking into a Brainiac trap?

The Bad:

Limited Clark Screen Time: Hopefully, the last three episodes have been setting up a major Clark storyline. Otherwise, the trend of relegating Clark to a secondary character on his own show continues at the expense of the main purpose of the show.

Kara Giving Clark "Flying Lessons": Superman is the original superhero and the first superhero that flies. It's insulting to suggest that a secondary character like Kara is needed to teach Clark this ability. Superman existed in the comics and flew for nearly twenty years before "Kara" was even created. Long-time Clark fans have been waiting for Clark to fly totally on his own, and for the right reason: a heroic moment to save someone's life or to save the world. And, please, don't reduce the significance by making it a shipper scene!

Clark and Kara: Although it's nice to have limited screen time with Clark and Kara, don't turn Smallville into the "Super Cousins" show. This is Clark's story, first and foremost. A young Superman should be smarter and more powerful than anyone else from Krypton. Clark/Superman is the future leader of all of the superheroes, and fans want to see his progress to that leadership position. The emphasis should be on his journey, and he should be the primary hero to defeat the villains. If I wanted to watch "teen titans" or the "superfriends", I would watch cartoons. Smallville should be Clark's story.

AI Jor-El Reference: Why would Clark be vulnerable if he turned away from the AI Jor-El program, as Lionel stated? The AI has consistently tortured Clark, rather than being a source of support and training. There's a huge difference between discipline and abuse, and it's insulting to try to pretend the AI Jor-El has Clark's best interests in mind. In no mythos version would the real Jor-El have ever set up such a warped sadistic AI program to guide his son on Earth. Is it possible that Lionel's mind couldn't handle being the AI Jor-El's emissary, just as Jonathan's heart couldn't handle temporary super abilities, given by the AI? If so, add another victim to the AI Jor-El's list of sacrificed humans.

Clark and Lana: This dead-end relationship should have been over a long time ago, so it's difficult to have much empathy or be interested in their scenes anymore. Their relationship has been so dysfunctional and unhappy this season, that the scene was almost laughable. Clearly, it's a plot device to stall out this dead-end relationship even further, and to pile more angst and emotional unhappiness on Clark. As with Lionel, Lana's fate may also be linked to Karma. Lana set Brainiac free, as a result of her tantrum fit in Wrath, when she attacked Clark, Los, and of course Lex. Now, Lana is feeling the Wrath of Brainiac in return.

Clark and Lana's first scene was in the graveyard, with an angel statue behind Clark. And, now this scene contained an angel statue behind Clark with Lana in a catatonic state, with Brianiac controlling her body movements. Hopefully, this is symbolic of their dead-end relationship finally coming full circle and ending! Zombie!Lana is another example of the extremes the writers have to go to, in order to find a purpose for her in the storyline. Will Clark ever be free of the Lana albatross? It will be a relief when Lana is finally written off the show.

My rating? I give "Veritas" 2.5 out of 5 stars.

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