Episode 907 - Kandor Review




"Kandor" 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.

"Kandor" felt like a show about a young Superman again. There was a good sci-fi storyline and progression in the main season arc of Clark vs. Zod. The comics and movie references were nice shout-outs to the Superman fans who watch the show. On the negative side, there wasn't enough Clark screen time, no payoff in Clark meeting Jor-El, and no explanation about the warped AI Jor-El program in the Fortress.

Tom's Performance: Tom didn't have much screen time in this episode, which seems to be a disturbing trend for season nine thus far. While he was onscreen, he did a great job at portraying a confident, proactive young Superman. And, of course, he looked absolutely gorgeous.

The Good:

Clark Kent: Clark acted like a young Superman throughout this episode. He was proactive in searching for Jor-El, he was smart in finding the EL family symbol in the desert, and he made his own decisions in the process. It was cool when Clark realized that high temperatures would melt the sand into glass in the desert, and he found the symbol. Clark has had both of his fathers die in his arms: a clone of his birth father and his adopted father Jonathan. It's also interesting that both of Clark's Kryptonian parents left something for him on the Kent farm: Lara, a photo of herself, and the mysterious object left by Jor-El.

Clark Ignoring Chloe & Oliver's "Advice": Even though both Chloe and Oliver tried to tell Clark to not confront Tess about Jor-El, Clark made his own decision, super speeding away from both of them. This was great, and it's time that Clark makes his own decisions about issues like this. He is the leader of the Justice League in the future, and it's time to show them asking him for advice. If Clark had not done this, he probably would not have even met Jor-El.

Clark's Super Powers: It's always exciting to see Clark use his superpowers, and he used several in this episode: super breath, heat vision, super speed, super strength, and x-ray vision. It's also good to see him using a combination of his powers. For instance, he used his x-ray vision to find the El shield in the desert, and then used his super breath to blow away the sand. He also used his laser vision to etch the El family crest on Jor-El's tombstone.

Mythos References: There were both comics and movie references for Superman fans. The reference by Zod to Black Zero referred to the comics terrorist organization that was responsible for the destruction of Krypton. Zod also made a reference to the bottle city of Kandor when he said: "The bottled-up hopes and dreams of Kandor". The scene with Jor-El and the Ruling Council hologram "heads" with the floating circles were a reference to the Superman movies. And, of course, Chloe's comment about Clark having feelings for Lois since the 1930's was a comics reference.

Good Special Effects: In addition to Clark's use of his superpowers, there was the destruction of the city of Kandor; the El logo in the desert; the scene with Jor-El and the Kryptonian Ruling Council; and Jor-El creating the Orb.

Clark and Tess: There's an underlying tension between Clark and Tess, and Tess is obsessed with Clark, much like Lex was in earlier seasons. While it was great to see a strong, proactive, determined Clark, it was a little violent to see Clark choking Tess.

Tess and Zod: Watching their scenes together is like watching two people play chess, with each trying to stay one step ahead of the other. Tess' half-smile in scenes let the viewer know that she was "playing" Zod, and it will be interesting to see what happens when Zod finds out.

Parallels between Clark/Lex and Jor-El/Zod: There are underlying parallels in the classic relationship between Jor-El and Zod, and Clark and Lex. Lke Clark and Lex, Jor-El and Zod also started out as friends, but the differences in their basic morals, values, and beliefs caused them to become enemies. For both mythos relationships, the villains (Zod and Lex) want to rule Earth, and feel that the ends justify the means to accomplish that goal. Both Zod and Lex participated in cloning their own armies to achieve this goal. The Jor-El and Zod scenes were done well.

Continuity: Explanations and background information was provided for the Orb and the Stones of Knowledge. Zod and his army don't have powers on Earth, since Jor-El corrupted the Orb with blue Kryptonite. This also explains why Clark lost his powers in "Arctic". And, viewers find out that Jor-El, Zod and his army are really clones. There was even a reference to Jor-El's earlier visit to Earth from "Relic".

There was an explanation for why Zod created the Doomsday monster. Zod lost his first wife and son in the destruction of Kandor. He and his second wife, Faora, then "cloned" Doomsday, since they couldn't have children and he wanted another son. A reason was given for Doomsday's aberration, since Jor-El stated that the genetic cloning process was unstable. In the comics, the city of Kandor was shrunk by Brainiac and then put in a bottle, prior to the explosion of Krypton. So, perhaps the Orb is Smallville's version of the bottled city of Kandor.

But, the reference to the Stones of Knowledge was a little confusing. This episode showed Jor-El "creating" them, while in earlier episodes it was suggested that the Stones had been on Earth for centuries. However, it did explain why the Stones were protected by Kryptonite: the stones were meant for the clones in the Orb, not for Clark. At the time, Jor-El didn't know he would have a son.

There was even a reason given for why Lois wasn't in the episode, and a mention of Clark's kissing her from "crossfire". It was funny when Chloe said that they were taking a break from the "I Love Lois" show this week.

Cliffhangers: This episode ended with two intriguing cliffhangers. Jor-El had hidden some mysterious object on the Kent farm, and Zod now knows that Clark is the BLUR. I'm looking forward to the resolution of both of them.

Mixed Reactions:

Jor-El/Julian Sands: Julian Sands did a good job, but he has zero resemblance to Tom Welling. There have been multiple comments about how much Clark resembled his father. And, Tom even played a young Jor-El in "Relic". Would it have really been so difficult to cast a tall actor with dark hair in the part, instead of a short, blonde actor? It was difficult to believe that this was really Clark's birth father.

Oliver Has Clark's Back: While it's good that the writers are showing that Oliver is trying to be friends with Clark again, this was a ridiculous statement for Oliver to make, after he shot Clark in the back with a Kryptonite arrow in Doomsday. Is Oliver EVER going to apologize to Clark for that? What's going to happen the next time Oliver feels he knows best, and that the ends justify he means? Were the writers going for sarcasm with that statement by Oliver?

The Bad:

Not Enough Clark Screen time: There has been a disturbing trend in season nine so far, with more emphasis on supporting characters and guest stars, rather than the lead character. Why weren't there more scenes with Clark and Jor-El? Why couldn't Clark have met Jor-El at the farm instead of Chloe? Why bring Jor-El in as a guest star, if Clark has only a three minute scene with him?

Jor-El vs. AI Jor-El in the FOS: This was a missed opportunity to explain the earlier sadistic actions of the AI Jor-El program. The "real" Jor-El displayed a moral code similar to Clark's, but the AI Jor-El has had no problems torturing people (including Clark); using and murdering people at will; messing with people's lives, and even turning back time. Why couldn't there have been a scene with Clark and Jor-El at the FOS, with the real Jor-El reprogramming the AI program, with some explanation?

Chloe Spying on Clark: It was totally unnecessary for Chloe to install cameras at Clark's farm. This is a serious invasion of privacy, and it reminded me of Lana spying on Lex in a similar manner.

Clark Using Oliver's Plane: Why was Clark on Oliver's plane? He could have gotten to the desert faster by super speeding there. It again felt like Oliver was shoehorned into an episode that should have been more focused on Clark.

My rating? I give Kandor 4 out of 5 stars.

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