Escape

This episode, in many ways, played a "filler" role in the larger scope of the season. I was impressed by the dialogue between Clark and Oliver when they run into each other at a getaway cabin, after Lois and Chloe leave. But, the funny exchange between the two is short-lived. There contain plenty of sexual humor that is uncalled for as well. The subplot of the witch from the past was also akin to the meteor-freak story lines from Season 1. Thank goodness that the season arc of Tess and Zod was explored a bit further to provide some substance and importance to the plot in the episode, as well as Clark's mentioning of his training with his father. There was a lack of energy in this episode, that just filled the time in many ways.

After the jaw dropping Conspiracy and a cold winter break I was expecting Smallville to cool off and provide us with a refreshing and springful episode. It's exactly what Escape was and even if its fantasy story was ridiculous at times it was still good entertainment. Indeed with so many empathic characters and talented performers you can't disappoint the audience. First even if the story reached some over the top moments it reminded of the Ghostbusters II and all these scary films for teenagers. However it failed to spook me and most of the time I was laughing out loud because of the surreal situations the characters got themselves into. But don't get me wrong some jokes were hilarious and as I was in a good mood I didn't mind the rest. Moreover between two screams the writers managed to develop relationships like Lois & Clark and Oliver & Chloe. Tess and Zod continued their dangerous game and even if I don't like where it's heading it could lead to some intense and captivating arcs. Last but not least I found their dialogs about power, information and The Blur quite interesting because these poker players have different hands and it's hard to know who's going to win the game. It's even more intriguing considering how the episode ended, with an original and unexpected scene.

Every season has at least one infamous episode that's laughed off by the fans. For season 9, "Escape" is it. DC comics villain The Silver Banshee makes a truly awful appearance here. In all fairness, the way the character was brought into the story, and how she interacted with the characters wasn't that bad at all. The fault for this disaster goes to the producers, for not axing he footage of the Silver Banshee when she's finally revealed in form on screen. The character design looks bad enough to have walked out of some tacky Roger Corman horror film from the 70s. Seriously, SOMEBODY must have looked at the footage on a monitor and thought to go back to the drawing board. The plot doesn't necessarily help matters either. To put it simply, this is a boring story.

The only reason I'm giving this a rating as generous as 6/10 is because there are some genuinely amusing scenes when Clark and Lois awkwardly meet Chloe and Oliver at the couples retreat. I do have to comment that the love story between Chloe and Oliver was very poorly developed and never felt believable until well into season 10. You can't just tack on 2 flirtatious scenes in preceding episodes and expect a relationship to be believable. But believability aside, I have to acknowledge how well this show handles subtle comedy. My favourite scene is the one where Clark and Oliver are awkwardly trying to make small talk at the breakfast table. The actors on this show don't get enough credit for how well they handle comedy. These scenes aren't enough to save the rest of the "Escape" train wreck. Here's one infamous episode that deserves most of the criticism it gets.

In this episode Clark and Lois take a weekend away to small B&B in the country and there they meet two friends who had the same idea. After a few awkward moments things get heated when a ghost kills one guest and threatens another.

Over all i thought that this episode was good catalyst to move the Clark and Lois storyline along.

Also this was a good episode to move the Zod storyline along. One surprising thing was when Clark says that his training is paying off. However I did not like the end of the episode, but I am looking forward to the next. Some scenes are a little cheesy the episode makes up for it in drama