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10/16/2003: Extinction
Just some random thoughts I had while watching this week's Smallville. Spoilers for 3x03 Extinction ahead...
I liked that they squeezed so much continuity references into this ep, and without it becoming cumbersome too.
Right at the start I thought "Heh, even students of Smallville High notice how Lana attracts the stalker types." A nice nod to the fans. I guess they're really heading towards making being universally liked and attractive her mutant power like many suspect. Just why she takes a swim in a deserted school pool I can't fathom. Is something like that even allowed, using school facilities like a pool without supervision? I mean, what about insurance and all that stuff? It's probably best not to dwell on these things.
I like that Clark is back at the Torch, I hope that means more Clark/Chloe interaction as friends and fellow reporters once again. Though I have to say that Clark sure jumps to conclusions quickly when he suspects Van right away. There must be more people with a grudge out there whose family fell victim to one of the mutants.But I liked how they mentioned all those mutants and speculate about the meteors making them psychotic. I also liked that Pete got to be a sidekick at least a little.
And here I always thought Lex meteor mutant healing was largely fanon, but obviously it's not and there really is more to his amazing ability to bounce back from injuries than convenience as he has to be fit in the next episode. Unlike others it didn't bother me much that last week he was said to have malaria (and is it really certain that he had malaria and didn't just say it to cover the hallucinations?), and this week his mutation is revealed.
I had to giggle at Van's psychotic army camp. I didn't mind that he could melt Kryptonite with his campfire equipment. I did wonder though why Van wasn't afraid he'd turn into meteor mutant from handling all that Kryptonite. If I was anti-Kryptomutant I'd make sure I don't expose myself to meteor rocks too much. I thought the Kents' kitchen surgery was a great scene.
I liked how the Lionel-Chloe plot fit neatly with the computer setup and how Van knew about the mutants. And Chloe now starts to realize the depth of the consequences of her deal with Lionel, though I guess she really couldn't have anticipated that Lex would reconcile with his father and merge Lexcorp back into the Luthor empire, making her father's job this vulnerable to Lionel directly. The Lex-Lionel scenes also continue to creep me out. In a good way, though.
