Starkville’s House of El Podcast

So what did Tim have to say about Traveler?

Wow. What en episode this was. It really had everything. This episode could’ve been so much more. It could’ve just been all exposition but it was part exposition, emotion and action. It was truly amazing to watch! I enjoyed it on a lot of levels.

At its core, this episode was a Lionel-centric episode, as it was all about Lionel. We don’t get many Lionel-centric episodes, as the last one we got was in season 5. I like Lionel-centric episodes when we do get them, because we really get to see how things affect Lionel and what drive him. I could really feel the conflict of natures within Lionel as the episode progressed. It almost felt as if he truly was wrestling with his newly discovered good nature and his longstanding evil nature. John Glover really pulled it off.

As we know, one of the beauties of Lionel Luthor is that you never quite know what he is up to. This trend has been in effect since season four when Lionel emerged as a “changed” man, and then he went back to the dark side. This plot thread continued in season 5, and continued into season 6 & this season, as well. Like in this episode, Glover plays this dark, manipulative character very well.

Another thing that was interesting to see regarding the character of Lionel Luthor was his evil nature. There were some scenes that Lionel spoke where I was directly reminded of specific moments in season 3 when Lionel threatened Chloe on many instances. These are some of the moments that Glover really excels at.

On a Lionel note, I think the pinnacle of the episode was the Lionel and Clark confrontation at the end of the episode, where Clark ended another friendship (or alliance, or whatever you want to call it) with a Luthor. The scene had obviously been building from the previous episode. The scene really reminded me of two scenes that involved Clark and the Luthors, namely from Covenant and Mercy. It almost seemed like a combination of the two scenes where Clark and Lex ended their friendship, and when Clark confronted Lionel about his secret.

In this scene, we got to see an aspect of Lionel we so rarely see: fear and desperation. This begs the question, why does he care so much about what Clark thinks of him? I think Lionel definitely sees Clark as his “son.” That much has been established since season 5. The ambiguity is who he cares for more: Lex or Clark. I think as the next couple of episodes continue, we are going to see a lot of Lionel trying to convince Clark that he is on his side. I will enjoy seeing whether Clark will accept him as an ally or whether he will just be what Lex is to him now, as Clark now sees the Luthors as a “lost cause.”

I do want to say something about that. I like the fact that Clark really came to that conclusion that the Luthors are a lost cause on his own. Since the pilot, Jonathan has been saying that the Luthors are bad news, and to see Clark actually come to that realization on his own was amazing. Turns out ol’ Pa Kent was right after all.

Not only was this episode very Lionel-centric but it was also very Clark-centric, as almost every character’s actions in this episode were driven because of Clark. Although Clark was locked in a Kryptonite cage throughout the better part of the episode, he was the center of everything in this episode. He is after all, the “Traveler.”

One highlight was the introduction of the character of Patricia Swann. Now, I did not see this character’s death coming when the episode happened. I really would’ve liked to see her character develop somewhat as someone who could’ve helped Clark along on his journey to becoming Earth’s greatest hero. I thought Gina Holden really lit up the screen every time she was on it. I actually believed that this girl was the daughter of Virgil Swann. Like I said, I would’ve liked to seen her continue as the series develops. I didn’t think we knew that much about her, and we could’ve learned so much more about her.

Now, this storyline seems like it was pulled out of the hat right now, but I think that this particular storyline has been in the works for some time. At least since season four. But I recently watched Rosetta before watching Traveler, and Swann’s first meeting with Clark had a very much “Veritas” feel to it. In the episode, Patricia reveals that Veritas’ goal was to welcome the Traveler. Throughout Swann’s constant contact with Clark, he seems to maintain that goal.

But this storyline has been running through Smallville media since at least last season. Justice and Doom hinted at it with a few things, but it was also briefly touched upon in The Oliver Queen Chronicles. In that, Robert Queen spoke with Bridgette Crosby regarding Swann. But my first brush with this storyline was actually in a Smallville magazine, with a small short story that talked about Virgil Swann and Genevieve Teague. It actually intrigued me quite a bit, so I was excited about it.

One little thing that I did not like about this episode was the fact that Lionel had a hand in the death of Virgil Swann. It just didn’t sit right with me when it was first mentioned. But I also rewatched the news bulletin scene in Sacred where his death was talked about, and it actually makes sense that Swann died at the hands of a Luthor. I don’t like it, but it makes sense. If you watch that scene, it makes sense in the context of the series.

Another highlight of the episode was the Chloe and Lana teamup. It was very interesting to watch. You could definitely tell that Kristin Kreuk and Allison Mack really enjoyed filming that scene. It reminded me a lot of early seasons with Chloe and Lana working together. For much of the series, as of late, their storylines have been so polar opposites. So it was nice to see them working together with a common goal: save Clark.

Allison Mack really shined in this episode. Her monologue talking to an unresponsive Jor-El was really moving. You really got a sense from that speech that Chloe really cared about Clark. Of course, that is no surprise to longtime viewers of the series. But that seemed to be what was driving Chloe throughout the course of the episode.

Another pinnacle of this episode was the scene where Jor-El bestowed upon Kara her memory. When Jor-El was about to do so, I thought that a crystal chamber was going to emerge from the crystals in the Fortress and that was gonna be how Kara was going to receive her memories and powers back, ala Superman II. But the way that it happened was still amazing nonetheless.

This episode saw the return of Kara to her normal Smallville self. I, for one, was ecstatic by this. Like Derek and Steve, I never thought I would be entranced by this character. When Supergirl’s character was initially announced to be coming to Smallville, I was interested, but didn’t think too much on it, as I was not a huge Supergirl fan, but throughout her stint in Smallville, I have entranced and intrigued by the way writers have “reinvented” her for this current continuity. So, I was glad to see her return to the way we remembered her in this show.

One character that remained interesting to me was Lex. In the past couple of episodes, it seems like Lex is returning to that old inquisitive side of Lex that I remember from seasons 1 & 2. This kind of diminished once he tried to put his father behind bars, got Luthorcorp, ran for Senate, married Lana, headed Project: Ares and tried to reform. One line that really catches my attention is when he’s talking to his female assistant about Kara: “Her mind may contain questions I’ve had for a very long time. I’m tired of waiting.” I think Lex knows more about the remaining Kent family members than he’s letting on. It’s almost as if he knows the truth but wants confirmation of it. If Kara had went through the brain procedure that Lex had wanted, I almost wonder if when he found out the truth about Clark, he would’ve said, “I knew it.” I think Lex knows more about Clark’s connections then he lets on to people, including Clark.

This episode also saw Lex kind of on the “truth-path” to finding out more clues behind Veritas. I think we will see as the next two episodes go on, what he will find out about Veritas, and how much Lex actually knows about Veritas itself.

One of the many things that Smallville specializes in is its coloring, in terms of clothing, sets, etc. I find it very interesting that while Kara had amnesia, she was clothed in white, grayish clothing to almost symbolize the fact that her slate was clean, and that she was herself a blank. But as soon as Kara got her memory back, she clothed herself in blue and red clothing, to symbolize the family colors of the House of El. I thought this was very nicely done. Albeit at the time, it sounds cheesy, but I particularly enjoyed it.

Throughout episodes, Smallville is known for its music. Last week, we had lots of OneRepublic music filtered throughput the episode. This episode, we did not. I have noticed that in particularly mythos-centered episodes, the pop music is not featured as much as in other episodes. Another example of this is in Oracle. That episode didn’t have any, as it was a mythos-centered episode.

But the music really soared in this episode. Some key moments for me regarding the music was when Lionel and Clark are having their great confrontation. The music was subtly thrown in there, and then after Lionel admits he’s a changed man, it suddenly stops and you suddenly lose a breath. Then, when Clark says he’s not, the music returns in a somber note. Another key music moment was when Kara was “restored”, and it reminded me very much of Superman II, when Superman was “restored” in that film. It really brought it back for me. Then, the music swells up again when Kara saves Clark, and Clark discovers that Lionel is behind everything that had been going down in the episode.

In most Smallville episodes, there is a protagonist that threatens Clark’s secret. A noteworthy one is Det. Phelan from Rogue. I loved the character of Pierce in this kind of role. He had a great backstory and a tough-as-nails attitude that you rarely see in Smallville. He almost represents those in fear of Superman in the future. If Pierce were still alive, Lex Luthor would definitely hire him again and use that fear to drive him against Superman. I really loved how Aaron Douglas portrayed him in this. Now call it bias, as Battlestar Galactica is one of my favorite shows right now, but I totally dug Pierce. It’s a shame Lionel killed him, but it had to be done, I guess.

Traveler was a very mythos-focused episode, at best. I, for one, love those kind of episodes in any show. I watch shows for characters, and I love seeing character dramas unfold, but it is the mythos episodes that catch my attention, and glue me to the screen. Smallville has such a rich mythology, combining the traditional “alien from another planet” idea with the already rich Superman mythos.

Some mythos ideas that I particularly found interesting was Veritas itself. Now, with this episode, we’ve only scratched the surface with Veritas. We’ll probably see more of it when the episode of the same name rolls around. But I find it very interesting to see that Genevieve, Lionel, Swann, and the Queens were once connected.

Although this episode was a strong mythos episode, it was clearly a builder to what was originally conceived as a finale for season 7. It definitely had that buildup feel to it in many aspects of the episode, and I can’t wait to see what it will build up to.

The existence of Veritas raises one question in my book. What was the genesis and catalyst of Veritas? What caused these specific billionaires to come together to form Veritas? Where had it gone wrong? So many questions that I hope get answered soon . . .

This episode was written by the writing team of Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson. I must say that these two writers have really come into their own this season. It is interesting to note that all of their episodes have been entirely mythos-centered (Lara, Persona, and Traveler). They have definitely stepped up as writers and were able to turn a really good episode. Although these writers have only debuted this season

All in all, this was a really strong episode. I have to say that it is my favorite of the season. This episode was gripping from the getgo. It really had you and didn’t even let you go until the end. I absolutely loved it. But as much as this episode rocked all levels, I have a feeling that the following episode, Veritas, is going to pulsate them with a level five shockwave.

RATING: 5/5

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.