Season 6 Premiere: 'Zod'
Special Review and Detailed Recap
What Happened?
Just in case you missed the premiere and can't wait for the repeat, here's a run through about what happened with a detailed recap. Note this is a special just because it's the season premiere.
Treated with a a nice neat little "Previously on Smallville" recap managed to catch up on what I had forgotten.
From within the prison in space Clark is trapped in, Clark looks back at Earth as he drifts away. Moving away, he plummets down into the depths and finds himself on a barren plain. As he moves across the landscape, Clark discovers he’s vulnerable and flying sinister creatures latch onto him. A cloaked woman uses a crystal necklace/weapon bearing the mark of Kal-El to drive them off, she then kicks Clark unconscious.
Opening Credits:
See the Opening Credits were refreshed with some new clips from this season, most of which are from the premeire and last season too.
Continuing from season five finale, The mob attacks Lionel and Chloe, and Lionel briefly hold off the mob. One of Lionel’s security guards helps them and tells them Lex is on the roof. Lionel gets Chloe and heads up after him.
Lana suggests Lex help the rioters but he announces he is Zod and flies off with her as Chloe and Lionel look on. In his office, Lionel explains that he no longer has the connection to Zod and that he will go to the Kents’ farm to get the dagger. Chloe prepares to go to the Daily Planet to find out more about the computer virus.
Clark wakes up in a building and the woman interrogates him. She then recognizes him as Kal-El and reveals she knew Jor-El.
Zod/Lex takes Lana to the warehouse where the spaceship is. He keeps her alive to bear witness to the resurrection of Krypton, then removes a disc from the spaceship, which disappears.
Martha wakes up to find the plane crashed in a snow storm and Lois badly injured. The radio and controls have been destroyed but outside she sees Clark’s Fortress of Solitude. She hauls Lois inside and talks to Jor-El, wondering why he brought them here. Jor-El reveals that Clark messed up by using the dagger against Fine rather then Lex. That destroyed all the copies of Fine but released Zod. Jor-El admits Clark has been banished and he can’t bring him back. He tells Martha to get the dagger and use it on Lex. She agrees and he teleports her and Lois back to Smallville.
In the Phantom Zone, the woman tends to Clark’s wounds and introduces herself as Raya. She explains that Jor-El created the Zone as a prison but she was his assistant and he sent her there to protect her, but refused to leave and died trying to save Krypton. Clark refuses to accept defeat and tries to find a way out.
Chloe is at the Daily Planet going through the Kryptonian papers when someone comes in. She confronts him and almost put a bullet in him, before recognizing him as Jimmy Olsen, who she had a relationship with.
Zod brings Lana to Luthor Manor and reveals he consumed Lex’s “essence.” Zod is able to temporarily deactivate the virus so he can hack into the Pentagon where there’s something he needs. The black ship can send a pulse that will reshape Earth into Krypton, a planet that he can rule. He needs to use the military satellites to broadcast the pulse, and tells her she can live if she gives him an heir. He then impales her to the wall through her palm and leaves for the Pentagon. She manages to free herself.
Raya and Clark make their way through the Zone while she reveals the gateway will only open to someone of the House of El. Two men attack them, one of them is Nam-Ek (from episode “Arrival”). Raya tells them she was bringing Clark to them so they could all escape.
Martha finds the dagger in the barn and Lionel and Lana both find her asking where Clark is. Martha tells them she can use the dagger to kill Lex but Lana warns she’ll never get close enough, but Lana can. Zod comes back from the Pentagon with a computer control unit and finds that Lana has freed herself. She agrees to give him his heir and they start to embrace and kiss, Zod tells her that he underestimated the women species, but Lana insist he underestimated her. Zod easily thwarts her and throws her across the room before destroying the knife after she tried to betray him by stabbing him with the knife.
Jimmy, who is now working at the Daily Planet, tells Chloe that he was in the basement when the chaos struck. They’re interrupted when the building vibrates and an overwhelming noise bursts out.
Nam-Ek takes Clark to the gateway and demands entrance. Raya tells him that it’s Clark’s blood that provides the key and asks for his knife, then cuts Nam-Ek’s throat. While Raya holds off his comrade and other criminals approach, she tells Clark to run for the gate. They stab her as Clark activates the portal, and he and they are all sucked through the gate.
Clark lands in Smallville (along with several other bursts of light scattered elsewhere) and gets to the barn where Lionel and Martha are trying to take cover. After saving them, they tell him where Zod is. At the manor, Zod is choking Lana when Clark confronts him. Clark destroys the computer, cutting off the transformation beams, and Zod attacks him. Zod hauls Clark into the sky and then off into the forest and the two fight it out. With Clark on the ropes, Zod tells him to kneel so his loved ones will be spared. Clark does so… then takes his hand holding the “S” necklace/weapon he got from Raya. He leaves it in Zod’s hand and it traps Zod’s essence inside itself, freeing Lex who collapses unconscious.
Clark visits Lois at the hospital and she has vague memories but nothing specific of her visit to the Fortress. They share a moment before remembering what they supposedly think of each other.
Lex confronts Lana at the hospital. He doesn’t remember what happened but promises he’ll rebuild everything he helped destroy. At the Daily Planet, Clark visits Chloe to make sure she’s safe and talk about the kiss she gave him. She dismisses it and introduces him to Jimmy Olsen. He invites her to dinner while Clark looks on.
At the barn, Clark tells Martha that he left the crystal at the Fortress for safekeeping, but it’s dead and Jor-El didn’t respond. He worries that things are changing and he feels left out, but Martha assures him that every world needs its heroes.
Lionel is sketching from his memories, and draws a Kryptonian symbol with the word “Power” under it. At the Luthor Mansion, Lex finds a chunk of metal from the disk Zod used to trigger the black ship’s pulse.
Finally in Argentina, one of the flying demons from the Zone flies across the land.
This episode can be described in one simple word. “Brilliant”. It had everything youd expect in a Smallville, all the action, adventure and everything else jam packed in one hour long premiere.
So, after a very long (22 week) hiatus, a bit shorter for me because I got this episode some time back, its time for a once of Season Premiere review.
Clark: Liked the scene with him against the Phantoms- was good. His realization that he had lost his powers didn’t cause him to despair. He just accepted his situation and continued onward. His only desire was to stop Zod. I also liked the way hes a lot more cautious with new “allies”. Especially of the Kryptonian ilk. Reyas sacrifice and story of Jor El and his very own sacrifice, fortified Clarks belief that not all Kryptonians are bad. And that, perhaps accepting his legacy, isn’t so bad either. Im glad he sees that his “S” symbol holds more importance now. He sees it as a symbol of strength. I also enjoyed last years training is paying off. After his release he immediately set forth to retrieve the dagger, and saved his mother and Lionel just in time. A heart felt return if anything. After learning Lana took the dagger to Lex, he left to Lex's mansion. He assessed the situation, saw Brainiacs hard drive and destroyed it. His pummeling by Zod that followed was expected. I mean how can a teen go up against a General? By the way, the whole battle?....super!!! (no pun intended hehe). I mean Clark was thrown threw the air, plowed into the ground buried in a boulder and rocketed to a field. Blood was even gushing everywhere. And he didn’t even land a punch. But what he lacked in power, he made up for it in guile. Just loved the action scene between him and Zod/Lex! In Superman 2 fashion he tricked Zod by playing into his ego. By bowing before him only to use the “S” Krystal against him. The scene with his mother, touching and revealing. His scene with Lois extremely touching!!! Finally we see feelings!! And the scene with Chloe, man if these two arnt the prime example of best friends I don’t know what is. Felt a bit bad when he wanted to talk about the kiss but then we could see Chloe was just all for Jimmy or James or whatever he calls himself. Clark feels so alone, and yet at the same time hes not. I felt a slight annoyance with Jimmy, but its understandable.
The Phantom Zone: I give my respect to the creative design behind Smallville. What they have done is bring an important part of the Superman Mythos and breath life and character into it beyond what anyone else had been able to do. Both the Animated series and Supergirl the Movie pales in comparison to Smallvilles Phantom Zone. Hell, even the comics lacked this much excitement and danger. And to prays everything above the comics isn’t something I do often. I also enjoyed the explanations given to how the Zone works. And that all threats imprisoned are not of Kryptonian origin. 38 Galaxies huh? Interesting. And that only the most serious offenders were denied their bodies, harsh, but understandable. So there’s common minor offense Prisoners, Deadlier prisinors without bodies (Wraiths or Phantoms) and the Warden Reya. 5 Prisoners were released. I imagine one was Aethra, another was Reya (perhaps dying in the Zone turned her into a Phantom allying her to possess a blond girl?), another was a Phantom. Namek may have also been turned into a Phantom. So that leaves one unnacouted for that escaped with Clark.
Zod: Cold. Well Done Lex. I mean he is just Cold. The only thing he felt affection for was his creation Brainiac, and even that was little. I would have enjoyed more anger but I guess that wouldn’t be Zods style. Even though he did explode when Clark prevented Earth terraforming. Which brings me to my question, why destroy Krypton only to attempt to re-create it somewhere else? Oh well. His treating of Lana even had me feeling sorry for her. The way he impaled her in the hand…cold. His beat down of Clark, you can taste the hatred.
Martha: I feel her pain regarding how she feels about Jor-El. Seeing as Jor-El used up his final energies to save both Martha and Lois. I wish she’d come to terms that hes not evil.
Lois: Where was she in this episode? She def took a backseat this episode. Didn’t really mind. I enjoyed the scene at the end with Clark in the hospital.
Lana: This is actually the first episode she was not annoying. She had guts, resolve and attitude. Much like her Countess counterpart, which I also enjoyed. Im hoping to see more of this Lana. Oh and no more “Clana” moments ending the episode. Wonder what this season holds in store for Lana and Lex or Lana and Clark?
Chloe and New Love Interest? Jimmy/James: These two together cause they to took a back seet in this episode. Not as much as Lois, but there presence was lacking. Im glad to see Chloe finally getting some attention in the form of Jimmy. She deserves it.
Jor El and Lionel: The fortress infected with the virus and Jor-Els weakening voice was hard to see. I loved the fortress and the fact that its dead just really annoys me. And that no one saw that Jor-El used his final energies to teleport Martha and Lois away, I mean what da...? But Perhaps hope is not all lost. Perhaps Lionel hold the last remaining parts of Jor-Els energies? Or his he back to evil ways now that Jor-Els influence is gone and is using his Kryptonian knowledge for his own good? The mystery surrounding these two continue!!!
All in all a great episode and strong premiere for what I anticipate to be a good season. Let's hope the standard for this season remains on track with the Season Premiere although I have heard some mixed reviews from the US.