What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 9, Episode 20 “Hostage” (F)

Bringing back a character from a time when the show used to be decent might be a nice thing if it wasn’t done in such a miserable, stupid way. I never liked Martha Kent much anyway, and therefore her return doesn’t do much for me. Fan favorite Perry White, despite Michael McKean’s wacky performance, is also reminiscent to me of how this show mangled classic characters and really didn’t do them justice at all. This episode is extraordinarily indicative of that failure, showcasing an awkward family dinner between Martha, Perry, Lois, and Clark with such regrettable dialogue that I’d love to never have heard. Lois and Clark actually getting together a while ago was a huge thing, but now, the idea of them breaking up seems almost inconsequential because they seem to have an on-again, off-again relationship, as in one episode they act very lovey-dovey, and the next it’s as if they’re not even a couple. The truth is, I couldn’t care less. The worst revelation of all in this episode is that the Red Queen is not the redhead we thought it was but instead Martha Kent. That character, at least the way she’s been crafted on this show, is definitely not capable of such duplicity, and the notion that everyone is so inter-connected is just silly. Martha’s revelation that Clark too is supposed to be expelled from the planet is somewhat intriguing, if he wasn’t the main character and wasn’t evidently going to figure out a way out of it.