Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson did it again ! These great writers already worked on Metallo and now that I have seen Crossfire I can't wait to watch their next episode. Until it airs there's one thing most viewers will do, watch the episode over and over. Many things happened and it almost felt like a second pilot but thanks to Michael Rohl's good direction it succeeded in fixing all Savior issues. The editing was really smooth and each scene had the precious minutes it deserved. In fact it's impressive what they were able to tell in only forty minutes. However I was so pleased by most story arcs that I wish they had split it into two parts. The ending was cut sharp for example.
Let's start with the arc I enjoyed the less. The one involving Oliver was clearly a reference to some cult romantic comedy film but I found it too cheesy and predictable. Moreover it wasn't flawless as a scene with both Lois and Clark seemed rushed and even if it was intense I still wonder why it ended the way it did. Will it have some sort of impact in the upcoming episodes ? However I was pleased by the arc's ending because a new character was introduced and I found the performer's work quite charming. Let's also not forget the shiny lighting, colorful set, supercar and Fight Club moment.
Tess and Zod were back and he's finally starting to grow on me when I thought it would never happen. As usual Cassidy Freeman did a gorgeous job but I still wonder why the writers haven't developed Mercy & Oliver relationship further. We had a Tomb Raider moment in Echo but now they haven't made a single sound. Anyway her few scenes were delightful and her twisted profile keeps surprising me. One minute she's a white dove, the next she's black kryptonite. The monochromatic lighting of their last scene also contributed to make us feel uncomfortable. It was specially wise not to show us what really happened because it left the event free for our imagination. So it wasn't a shortcut but a well played move by the writers and director.
Roulette was a disaster and Chloe's role in Echo was anecdotic but our favorite hacker was back. It's really the first time in season 6 that the writers took Allison Mack's talent seriously. From now on I really hope she'll be featured in every single upcoming episodes because I can't get enough of her. However her scenes were short but quite funny. In fact it's the writers ideas that made me laugh. It's like if they asked Bryan Miller for tips on hacking a computer, because of the easy writing shortcut he used in Echo. But it doesn't matter as her interactions with an other character were more important. Of course how she achieved her goal was a bit absurd but it was an unexpected twist and should definitely lead to some interesting new story arc.
Last but not least, Clois. The very first minutes I knew their scenes would be funny. In fact I hadn't read Crossfire's summary so I didn't know what to expect. That's why their arc was such a great surprise. You can feel how good the chemistry between Erica Durance and Tom Welling is. And if they can't bare each other in real life then it makes them even better performers. But after what happened in Roulette it was obvious something either good or evil would happen between them. I let you appreciate the path chosen by the writers. I specially enjoyed how a third character was used to develop an existing triangle. So when at times it feels like the episodes are not perfectly linked, Crossfire proved the contrary. It even reminded me of one of the best season 8 episode. Like Metallo it's really a model and I really hope the other Smallville team members will learn from Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson skills.
