Kandor

Well this is yet another episode that really stands out and sadly for all the wrong reasons and before the fanbase starts throwing their toys out of the pram let me tell you why.

The last time I saw alleged villains or bad guys and girl this poorly done was either a pantomime or that old cartoon penelope pitstop as both tess mercer and callum blue's portrayal of being the bad guys is on par with Dick Dastardly and Muttlery, yes the two of them make tess mercer and the so called evil general zoddie look like stan laurel and oliver hardy rather then evil genius that would put the fear of god into a person.

Considering its title Kandor sounded like a very special episode. Indeed it was and I think it'll be remembered as one of the strongest Smallville episodes. Now that I've checked it's not a surprise because they had the brilliant idea to reunite the people behind Bride, season 8 10th episode and probably my all time favorite. So Al Septien & Turi Meyer were back at their writer's desks and Jeannot Szwarc directed it. Moreover it's not everyday that the visual effects impress me so…

When Crossfire was about Clois and Oliver this one was entirely devoted to the Zod arc. To tell the truth I have never been a fan of it since it was introduced in Doomsday. Moreover Callum Blue never convinced me as the Major and I always found his acting over the top. However Kandor entirely changed my mind. The story was well written, captivating, quite entertaining, full of unexpected developments and even a new character was introduced. Its relationship with other characters brought a deeper and new layer to the existing connections. Moreover the performer did a great job and even Callum Blue grew on me.

Like if it wasn't enough most characters were involved. The only one missing was Lois but it was a wise decision to exclude her as it allowed the writers to focus more on Chloe. It has been a while since last time we saw her having so many scenes. It reminded of the good old days when it used to be all about Clark & Chloe. Of course Oliver was featured too but this time he only worked as Clark's sidekick. However their scenes and dialogs were quite inspiring as their friendship was strengthened now Oliver's wounds are apparently healed.

Last but not least, Tess Mercer. Woody Allen described Scarlett Johansson as "a sexually overwhelming, beautiful young woman" (Wikipedia). Well after Cassidy Freeman's performance in Kandor you'll definitely agree that these words perfectly describe her too. Her talent and gorgeous assets are so well used ! I really liked how some of her scenes with Zod were directed, revealing two sides of the same coin. So congratulations to the people who gave birth to such a wonderful creature.

As the episode ended on a cliffhanger I can't wait to know what will happen next. Watching Smallville has never been so exciting !