Warrior

Skipping Warrior and waiting for the next episode, Persuasion, to air ? It's what I was planning before reading some raving reviews about it. Now that I've seen it I realize that it would have been foolish to skip it because it was one of the best ever directed and written Smallville episode. I don't know who really made it so unique, poetic, smart and inspiring but it's obvious Allison Mack's sensitive direction and Bryan Miller's magic writing greatly contributed to it. In fact he already wrote Hex last season that also featured Zatanna. She came back and asked for Clark's help so it was really a sequel. No Zod sounded like a filler but let's not forget how strong past episodes like Idol were. Moreover these side stories always manage to bring things in a new light and develop characters in surprising ways.

Indeed as often Warrior was a lot about character development. First many fans disapproved how Chloe's role was anecdotic and messy in most season 9 episodes, specially in Echo. In this one she was a central character, like in season 8's Requiem, and not the usual sidegeek. Moreover for a change she wrapped up the episode as she was featured, with someone else, in the last scene. I would be lying if I said I didn't see it coming from miles away but I'm sure many viewers will be surprised and skeptical about its outcome in the upcoming episodes. Second Serinda Swan was fantastic as Zatanna. So she redeemed herself after what I consider a decent but overall disappointing performance in Hex. She definitely brought some depth and tension to the story. I specially how elaborate was the triangle between her, Clark and Lois. It could only happen considering she just fell in our favorite love birds nest. Their first encounter was quite funny as Lois wasn't prepared for it. Let's just say she could use some suit up lessons from How I Met Your Mother's Barney. The following events were unexpected and very well staged. But the one thing that really fascinated me were the dialogs. They were just brilliantly written. From the costume metaphora to the lines about fantasies it was by far one of the most appealing script.

But the great recipe I've just described is nothing compared to the exquisite taste of the whole meal. The actor who portrayed Stephen Swift aka Warrior Angel did a very agile job considering the number of profiles he had to act. However I'm slightly disappointed by how things turned out for him because I don't think he'll come back like Zatanna did. A sequel in season 10 would have been totally awesome ! As for the other great elements there were quite many. From references to the Red Blue Blur, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Superman, Doomsday and comics in general the fans should feel in heaven. There were also plenty of burning moments involving Zatanna, Clark and Lois. Let's just say they should change the way you feel about candles and what happened in the copy room in Crossfire.

Last but not least I would like to warn our younger viewers of the subliminal advertisements for the Xbox and Project Natal featured in this episode. These days they're so common, specially for the iPhone, but I can't help noticing them because I hate to be manipulated. We're not brainless puppets they can master ! It's specially annoying because you can't avoid them as they're part of the scenes or dialogs. Chloe mentioning Lois Xbox, again, was just pitiful. In fact that's the reason why I have decided not to give Warrior a perfect score. It's not entertaining anymore when real ads are mixed with the fiction ! Sorry for the digression but I thought it was important to highlight that dark matter.

Zattana returns to Smallville after an entertaining first appearance in "Hex". This time the plot revolves around a young boy who ages and gains powers after coming into possession of......... get ready for it....... a magic comic book. The concept is just as corny as it sounds, and for the most part this episode would be more appropriately placed in the 80s Superboy series than here in Smallville, but it's not entirely out of place thanks to the comedic tone in the writing. Nobody should be expecting even the slightest degree of seriousness or drama in "Warrior", but then again, I doubt anyone involved in the show were attempting that. No storyline progresses here. You could skip this episode completely and not miss a single thing in regards to the overall season. There's nothing wrong with a fun filler episode every now and then. This isn't perfectly executed, but as I already said, the tone of the episode is funny enough that it doesn't come across as too goofy. Thanks to the setting at a comic book convention, there are a few amusing nods to the sci-fi/ superhero culture. The story does get a little too serious for its own good closer to the end, but for the most part "Warrior" is acceptably cheesy fun.

There were 7 seasons of strong chemistry and 2 strong women and courageous Pete Ross and testosterone(not Ross). Then 2 seasons of filler that included this episode. It's clear that the justice society and league are being established but this series is over by season 9. Certainly, by then, the low ratings were deserved.

The can to the back of the head adds 3 stars alone.