TV episodes review
US airdate 1 October 2010; 8 October 2010; 15 October 2010; 22 October 2010 (The CW)

Lois visits Egypt and becomes an ancient Godess, Supergirl returns and Brainiac takes Clark back to the future…

If you didn’t know this was the final season of Smallville, you’d soon pick up the clues that things are moving towards some momentous climax. These episodes are full of contemplation of secret identities, the ethics of being a masked superhero and repeated riffs on Superman icons, from costumes to well-worn phrases and concepts.

‘Shield’ offers up the long-awaited Nietzsche übermensch (superman) reference, while setting up Lois-related events that pay-off big time in episode five, ‘Isis’. Supergirl offers up even more Superman icons amid the same themes and the slow-building “coming darkness” arc story. The series could have done without the return of Kara/Supergirl, but that and Oliver Queen’s Iron Man-style reveal at the end of the episode are all further steps on the way to the cape and flight.

‘Homecoming’ sees a reformed, future Brainiac taking Clark on a trip through his past, present and future, while the Smallville school reunion hopefully draws a line under that backstory. A mis-step is the introduction of the terribly grating Cat Grant (a revision of the character who appeared previously) — she may have a significant role to play, but so far she simply serves to annoy. A great thread through these episodes (resolved at the climax of ‘Isis’) is Lois’s knowledge of Clark’s secret identity, a nice reverse on the usual Superman set-up.

All the signs are good that Smallville is building to a fitting climax, so let’s hope they can pull it off. Brian J. Robb

VERDICT
Episode 2: Shield: 6/10
Episode 3: Supergirl: 6/10
Episode 4: Homecoming: 6/10
Episode 5: Isis: 7/10