Jack Malone's Television/Virtual Series Reviews!

[Jack Malone]

Having learnt a few days ago that in English, when we return from the holidays, we'll be learning how to do reviews, and critique work/art/shows professionally, I figured I'd open up a thread where I'll be doing some practise reviews, get the energy flowing. I'd have to acknowledge AntiChrist's reviews for inspiring me, and Kryptonsite's Triplet, whose reviews I read on a regular basis.

Any show or episode requests, please either PM me or leave in this thread; feedback would be much appreciated.

THE REVIEWS

XENA THE WARRIOR PRINCESS

1x01 - Sins of the Past = 4/5

SMALLVILLE

9x20 - Sacrifice: 5/5

The markings will be simple. For virtual series' I will go off the marking for the ratings system, but for the television series it will be a marking out of five. Can't wait to get started on these first two shows, and I can't wait to share!

[Jack Malone]

story by
Justin Hartley & Walter Wong
teleplay by
Bryan Q Millar

Smallville is a show most known for coming in strong in the first few installments of the season, then fleshing out the main story for all its worth -- something we fans like to call ‘stalling’. So the season introduced us with a ‘back to the future’ storyline that revolved around the Kandorians who had just arrived on Earth, with Lois being the only key to that knowledge of ‘what lies beyond this mystery?’. And lately, we’ve known to call it ‘World War III’. And after a long list of episodes that have been stalling that issue, this episode finally kicks us back into the main plot and drives us towards the upcoming finale.

“Sacrifice” was a story that revolved around Chloe Sullivan and Tess Mercer, who on many levels, are a lot alike. They have both sacrificed many things for their beliefs and desire to have an impact on the world, to save it, and it all culminates in this episode. With a few minor sacrifices seen in this episode from a certain someone giving up on their coffee addiction to another sacrificing their beliefs to stay alive, the major one in this episode was respectively Chloe’s sacrifice of Watchtower to save Tess and herself.

This was one of the best stories told this season, especially from a character such as Chloe Sullivan whose actions, viewed by fans, have not been justified as of late. We learned, after a long discussion between the two, that Chloe has been hiding behind Watchtower as a means of keeping the rest of the world at arms length - protecting it without having to live in it. Learning that lesson, personally, Chloe seems to have stepped out of that wall she put down having lost Jimmy (which I give props to Justin Hartley, the co-writer, for referencing his death as Chloe’s password).

Being locked in Watchtower for so long, with Checkmate after them both, it was great to see some interactions between Chloe and Tess that didn’t always end with a punch to the face and a gun to the chest. They seem to have, even though still mortal enemies, bonded after this encounter, which is shown when Chloe has to kill Tess in order to destroy the tracking device (parasite) in her body.

Now, halfway through the season, Tess saw that in the future Chloe had shot her down with an arrow, ultimately killing her, and since that knowledge was gained she’s been rather short with her. Even though, there is this moment of disbelief from Tess towards Chloe about her reviving her back from the dead, its clear that the whole relationship is based on trust - something that Chloe is lacking in. And, Tess knowing she has trust issues, in the end, tells her that she, and I quote, “you’ll just have to trust me”. This can be seen in one of two ways.

One: Tess wants to gain Chloe’s trust to ultimately destroy her slowly-recovering-self, to overcome her in the finale. Or...

Two: Tess has an understanding of how similar they really are, and wants to prove that she can trust her to, in the end, help
Chloe break down that final barrier and step back into the woman she used to be.

So based on the Chloe/Tess part of the story, I think it was cleverly done, emotionally moving in some parts, and whilst keeping that similarity tone, also continues their hateful grudge towards one another - so props to the writers who did that in this episode.

Moving on, we have Clark and Zod’s side of this story, one in which was rather bland and not as interesting as the main plot. Clark, who has established that the Kandorians are his family and he’d like to trust them enough for them to feel at home here on Earth, is betrayed by Zod. Now, Zod has been impersonating the Blur, Clark’s persona, and contacting Lois which doesn’t shed too lightly on Clark. And this episode finally culminates in the war starting between them. Only Clark’s plans to have peace with the Kandorians is betrayed when it leads to the death of Faora, who we learnt was carrying the heir of Zod. Willingly lying to his people, Zod informs them that the humans had killed her, when in fact it was really him, who out of rage, felt betrayed from her and her actions of siding with Clark.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of the Kandorian storyline that has been drawn out for so long this season, however, this episode really did have an impact on me. I felt as though this episode finally showed Clark’s need to keep peace with the Kandorians, but also showed how Clark has an issue with wanting to see good in people where there is nothing but evil instead. I would grade this story down more so if Clark was still oblivious to the fact that Zod was still there to be saved, but luckily, Clark now realizes that Zod is a threat - but what disappoints me is that it took two friends to get hurt in the process before that could happen. And, even in the end, it was more about the destruction of Checkmate, in which he said “Zod’s now declared war” that he really comes to the conclusion of that.

Finally, onto Oliver’s aspect of this story -- which was to of little importance in the eyes of Clark -- he was put in the line of fire to complete a task for Clark about Tess. He broke into the mansion, where instead, he ran into Zod, who burned a rather painful looking ‘Z’ into his chest. That’s right ladies, no more shirtless Oliver until he gets some surgery for that awful scare. It was clearly shown though that this part of the story was really only linking back to the A-Plot which was Chloe, shown in the final few scenes of ACT FIVE where she had, to me, realised she’s falling, if not already, in love with Oliver.

Tom Welling was amazing this episode, and with what little he had gotten to do this episode (not having the highest of screening minutes), he really put on his a-game. I think his best scenes were with the Kandorians in this episode. He was able to put across anger and a feeling of betrayal mixed into one, without going over board on one or the other. I think its safe to say he really knows his character well and how he would act; especially with this Zod storyline being similar to the Davis one, last year.

Allison Mack really shone in this episode! Not saying she doesn’t always in every other episode of Smallville, but when the spotlight shifted in her direction, we really got to see her take on new aspects, emotions, and really perfected them! I think her and Cassidy Freeman really work well together, the two have amazing chemistry on screen, and Allison’s acting really did take this story, her character and the show into a new level.

Speaking of Cassidy Freeman, she has got to be one of the most gifted actors I’ve ever seen. Although at times her acting can seem rather off cue and/or dodgy, she really does portray Tess really well in that for a character that acts tough and strong, she hits that vulnerable, lonely level that really adds to the character’s shape and form as the season comes to a full circle - hope to see more of Tess in season ten.

Callum Blue plays the perfect Zod. I think, acting wise, Callum has it down - he knows how this character acts, thinks, and feels, showing them onscreen since the premiere. I give props to how much Callum makes this character believable. One scene particular, where Zod had just clenched Faora’s last breath in his hand and realised she was carrying his baby, the actor demonstrated the best reaction and actually made me feel sorry for a character I’ve disliked since ‘Rabid’.

Justin Hartley, Justin Hartley, Justin Hartley. What’s to say about this particular actor who contributed in writing the best episode of the season? Not only did he do a great job with Oliver Queen this episode, and writing it in general, but his reactions to things going on the episode really was handled well - from when Clark brought up keeping Chloe out of the situation, to him realizing that Zod had disappeared from sight. The only problem I have is that when he had the ‘Z’ burnt into his chest and was being brought to the hospital, he seemed rather painless when talking to Clark. A few puffs and pants or heavy breathing, something that shows a struggle in his speech, would have been preferred than just hurrily informing Clark what needed to be said.

All the guest stars, most notably Pam Grier and Sharon Taylor performed expertly this episode, and really had me on the edge of my seat throughout each minute of their screentime. It appears we have said goodbye to those two lovely actresses and their interesting characters, but I wish the actors well in the future and their works.

This episode has opened up many questions, such as: was Amanda Waller killed in Checkmate’s destruction? Will all this foreshadowing of Clark flying actually come about in the finale? What will happen to Watchtower, or more important, Chloe, now that its gone? Is this the last of Checkmate in the Smallville Universe? And many more that make me highly excited for the penultimate episode next Friday. Overall, I give this episode 5 mechanical parasites out of a possible 5.

[Jack Malone]

Xena the Warrior Princess
"Sins of the Past"

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Xena the Warrior Princess is a great series that I've only seen tidbits about, but remember several episodes as a kid. The other day my mum decided to purchase the boxset so that we can watch a new show, having rewatched many different shows recently (Boston Legan, Ally McBeal, Friends). And so here's my short and sweet review of the pilot.

"Sins of the Past" throws us in the middle of the action where we learn Xena was not the nicest warrior and in fact killed a lot of people. She has returned to her home village to seek redemption for the sins she's commited in the pans, ergo the title of the episode, and it all culminates in saving her village, her kinsmen, from this big bad known as Drago. During the course of the episode we are introduced to another character, Gabrielle, who admires and respects Xena, without knowledge of her great evils, but in a way, she doesn't care when the village pin blame on her for Drago's arrival.

This is one of the best pilot's I've ever watched. It has set up a great, promising series, and in a way, reminds me of Angel. You've got a character wanting to redeem themselves, meeting someone who wants to help them. The only huge let down I would say is budget -- but if I were given the script to read as a virtual series I would probably give it full marks. The fight scenes were at points laughable, but still, surprisingly enjoyable. I think the people working the stunts and fights found how Xena should move and work towards the end of the episode; at the start it seemed awkward and really unrealistic.

Overall, I think story-wise everything was set up wonderfully. They had a redeeming character, a character that brought humorous elements to the table, and a villain that was feared on all accounts. Where the story dropped was when they tried to pass off humourous elements to the villain of the story, and his followers -- it wasn't intimidating.

I give "Sins of the Past" 4.5/5 flying Xena frisbee's out of a possible 5.

[Jack Malone]

10x01 - Lazarus

"You can not be a beacon of hope with darkness in your heart." With our theme clearly put out there, the final season of the hit CW series, Smallville, shows us who Clark's greatest challenge is: himself. Every season, the stakes get higher and higher, from Brainiac, to Doomsday, then Zod soon following after that, and the producers really hit a high note when they've come to the decision of Clark facing his inner demons. With this theme, we really get to take a look at where he's been, where he's going, and where he's at now. Lazarus does a good job of setting this up in what seems to be the aftermath of Salvation [last season's finale], whilst adding some new twists for the final season to kick off from!

After the climactic battle on Crow's Nest between Clark and Zod, our soon-to-be-Superman is at death's door where he experiences a limbo-esque encounter in which Jor-El informs him he's abandoned Earth playing the marty's card. He is asked, "What makes you think you deserve a second chance?" Where Clark responds: "I can be their hero!" Sure of himself, it seems the producers are really showing us the man he goes on to become - but turns this on its head when we learn pride and vanity has clouded his judement. One step forward, then another two steps back. But does it work? Absolutely. Clark is then restored, when Lois - who had stumbled upon him earlier - pulls the Blue Kryptonite dagger out, and eagerly watches in the distance as he heals himself, but not before he gets a short glimpse of his arch nemesis: Lex Luthor.

Allison Mack returns [for 5 episodes this season], despite being shown in the opening credits, as the scorned lover, Chloe Sullivan. Last seen screaming into a walkie talkie after her boyfriend, Oliver Queen was kidnapped by "mysterious" figures, we finally get to see a more active, less cramped up behind a computer character who is determined to save the love of her life. We learn early on, Oliver's been kidnapped by humans - after the four month debate of him being taken by "otherworldy" creatures that are linked to the season's big bad ["The Darkness"]. Instead, we get the first glimpse of the show's Suicide Squad leader, Rick Flag. "We're coming for all of you."

"I'm the last to know." Lois Lane has finally stumbled upon Clark's secret of being the Blur, and although some fans are extremely excited about this, the show has stepped too far into Superman territory. Last season, we got a cheap knock-off of the Superman/Lois/Clark triangle dynamic, and even though we get great moments where Lois cheers on her guy from the shadows with a, "Go get 'em," the producers rush through several elements that make the iconic relationship ... iconic. Its still questionable if Lois would be this much in love with Clark if he wasn't the infamous Blur. However, they managed to get some good scenes out of this rushed element of the series. We've all seen the Joker's [see the Dark Knight] "pen trick," but Lois Lane's is much more genius. The great thing about this character is her independance, something we haven't seen in a long time due to her relationship with Clark, but we do get to see a little spark of it in Lazarus.

Tess' reintroduction to the series brings an element of mystery after we witnessed her death in last season's finale. But the premiere refuses to make it that easy, and sticks more to the situation she's in now: stuck at Cadmus Labs, Tess uncovers an entire facility devoted to cloning Lex Luthor. And after releasing "the bad one," Clark is left to face his arch nemesis one (hopefully not the) last time. "There can only be one Lex Luthor," the clone claims, after burning the entire facility down. Determined to get to Clark, he kidnaps Lois (which honestly didn't make sense), and at an attempt to make a forced callback to the pilot, he strings her up as a Scarecrow, at the same place he once "saved Clark." After setting up the fact Clark will be facing internal struggles, we now have a physical threat, one that feeds to the main plot: Clark's dark heart. After nearly killing Lex with his bare hands, Clark realises he has it in him to kill - and Jor-El, who is more disappointed in his son than Clark is in himself, speaks his farewell to Clark, as he "will never be Earth's savior."

Where does the premiere leave us? Chloe sacrifices herself to save Oliver's life, after seeing a glimpse [later revealed to be several glimpses] of the future - and telling Clark that "everything is going to be okay," we, as the audience, can expect her to be back soon. Lois jets off out of Metropolis, accepting Perry White's offer to be at the foreign desk in Kenya. Tess takes in one of the Lex clones -- we'll be calling him Alexander -- and steps into a mother figure (last shown handing Alexander a small glass of milk). And as for Clark Kent? He shares a special moment with his deceased father, Jonathan, who reminds him that he's a fighter, and he should prove Jor-El wrong. But, with "the Darkness" on its way, will Clark be able to deal with his inner demons before it comes to devour him, and the rest of Metropolis? Another wait and see we're left on.

Did the premiere live up to its hype? Yes, it did. Not only did we get to see the aftermath of the events shown in "Salvation," but new storylines kick started to a promising season that should be rather exciting as it unfolds. Unfortunately, the show has lost one of its strong suits, Allison Mack's 'Chloe Sullivan,' and despite one's feelings of the character, she adds a certain element to the show that makes it a lot better than a show without her. But Lazarus wasn't all rainbows and bunnies. Several forced elements, such as Lex kidnapping Lois and knowing she was in a relationship with Clark Kent, seemed to ruin some of the excitement for me, as a viewer. And the huge step into Superman territory by making Lois know the secret was another leap too far. Other than that, the premiere dealt with the past, the present, and gave us a small look at what to expect for the rest of the season.

9/10.

[Jack Malone]

10x02: Shield

Shield, to be honest, doesn't carry the same excitement the premiere did. Basically, this hitman goes after a new reporter at the Daily Planet - DC Comics Character Cat Grant - with a secret agenda of calling out Clark, the real target. Also following Oliver Queen in his search for Chloe, it all ties back when we learn this hitman is working for Rick Flag - head of the Suicide Squad - and they've managed to mark several heroes in order to track them down in the future more easily. The weak link of the episode is, once again, Lois Lane.

"I guess you never know what fate has planned for you." Lois Lane is officially working for Perry White, at the foreign desk, and is currently researching the 'Tomb of Isis' when she happens to run into Carter Hall - Justice Society Leader, aka Hawkman. As he digs deep into his past, having learnt what Lois truly knows about Clark, he gives her insight on their relationship through his own experiences with Shayera - his deceased wife. This plot is so detached from the episode, it feels like you're watching two different shows. Before the season began, I knew it was a mistake giving Erica Durance a full season, despite her acting capabilities. The writers are incapable of fleshing out a good arc for her character, that doesn't get repetitive, or just plain boring. This is a classic example, and in just the second episode, the once promising season that the premiere gave us insight to, has immediately dropped.

Back to the main plot. Keri Lynn Pratt joins the cast as Cat Grant, a breath of fresh air to a show in its tenth and final season. Usually, I'd be sceptic towards introducing a character this late in the game that has an entire episode devoted to them, but she really got things moving along, was quirky, and reeled in the audience well. Where it failed, was when Cat informs Clark of her terrible past, with her wanting to be a hero for her son, and how these vigilantes aren't what she wants her kid looking up to. Taking the time to develop such a backstory with so much emotion resonating from both Keri Lynn Pratt and Tom Welling to make it seem 'real' was actually coming off forced and rather irritating. Meanwhile Clark is trying to save her life, Oliver is desperately trying to find the love of his life: Chloe.

"There's no digital record of Chloe Sullivan anywhere." The depths Oliver goes to, trying to understand what happened, why she left, where she went, is really intriguing. Us, as the audience, have no clue what happened to her up to the point of the "trade" in Lazarus. He comes face to face with the enemy, Rick Flag, who at first tries to recruit him ... despite torturing him, and kidnapping his girlfriend, but Oliver declines. After thwarting him, Oliver demands information - only to learn that Chloe is dead; she never released any information that could expose the other heroes/vigilantes, and gave her life (with a cyanide pill) to the cause. "You'd have been proud of her."

Also featured in this episode, Tess Mercer's riviting arc seems to have lost complete focus and swerved off course, as the writers take her down a different path: Clark's go-to-girl. If it wasn't bad enough that the producers couldn't keep Allison Mack around (despite her interests in other mediums), they waste no time in trying to fill the role Chloe gave the show. Fortunately, Tess' character isn't completely drowned by this new role, and we still get to see some of that old character we knew in the previous two seasons. What's disapointing is that she's left to carry all the exposition on her own, and acts as nothing more than a device for the plot, rather than a character experiencing the plot. This upsets me.

Its not surprising that the producers would introduce, and go as far as showing this new big bad, Darkseid, and then just push it aside to flesh out another storyline - whether it be as interesting as the Suicide Squad - but I was a little disappointed that we were just to "forget" this new presence. Pfft. I'll move on. The Suicide Squad prove to be a reasonable threat -- especially this Deadshot, an expert marksman. The only problem is, the threat wasn't big enough for Clark. And as the central character, he needs to be challenged, and not just blur in, push Deadshot into a fence, and then blur off. The antagonist, Deadshot, proved to be worthy, and intelligent up until the point where Clark just instantly knocked him out, and went on his way.

So, as you can see, there were more problems in this episode than there was great moments. From Lois' subplot disaster that didn't seem to do anything for the story (she didn't even reunite with any of the main characters by episode's end), to forcing a different role on Tess' character, this episode really didn't hold the same excitement the show had with Lazarus. However, there were some amazing moments in this episode, and things that should be addressed and acknowledged. For example:

"I'm not asking for your thanks, Clark. Just your trust." Its obvious that this season, with the minimum cast, has Tess seeking Clark's trust - and having redeemed herself last season, when she approached Zod at the fortress and gave her life trying to bring him down, Tess is on her way to becoming one of the good guys. Although she is taking up the role of giving so much exposition, her personal arc that makes her character 3Dimensional is still shown, and that is that she wants Clark to trust her, and she wants to be trusted [even Oliver and Lois.]

"She faked her own death," Oliver concludes after finding all the clues Chloe left behind to show them she was alright - including a letter addressed to Oliver. Clark realises that its all coming together, that she's okay. She saw the future, and he now knows they need to trust her. Even though this seems like a huge copout of having Clark trying to find her, and the search lasting the whole season until Chloe returns, the writers have done a great job of setting it up that they don't 'need' to go looking for her, because they know she's alive, and safe.

Despite my feelings towards Lois Lane in this episode, and her pointless subplot, we finally get to hear the future heroic name Clark takes upon himself once Smallville finishes. "Superman," Lois gasped, a hint of excitement in her eyes. The great thing about this season so far is that you really can tell its the final chapter in the story, and that everything is moving along smoothly to an endpoint. Speaking of endpoints, it was foreshadowed that Carter's life is almost up, and he'll be reunited with his wife, Shayera. Its nice to see that he's at peace with this, and isn't fighting it - his love for Shayera is one I'd call epic, and iconic. The story of them was intriguing, despite some boring exposition to pimp out Clark and Lois' relationship.

In conclusion: an intriguing plot brought down by unnecessary subplots, and a great introduction to a new character, Cat Grant.

6.5/10.

[Jack Malone]

10x03 - Supergirl

"These illegal aliens are stealing our jobs. They're dodging taxes, and like so many others they're thumbing their noses in the face of truth, justice, and the American Way." Right off the bat, we're introduced to Gordon Goddfrey, a podcaster with a negative view on the heroes of today. But his views aren't highly followed until the new threat, Darkseid, currently going by "The Darkness" arrives and uses him as a vessel of pursuassion, in hopes of filling the doubt, and fear across Metropolis. And now we have the main story of the episode, and finally, a good look at the season's big bad: Darkseid.

"This blustering blowhard just crossed the line." Lois Lane returns just in time to find Gordon feeding the doubts people have about the Blur, and other "vigilantes." Clark stupidly makes the comment of "Maybe he's not even on the Blur's radar," when we can clearly see posters everywhere with the Blur's symbol, cross out. After a much anticipated reunion, the relationship between Clark and Lois is put to rest, for now, as an awkward moment confirms they're "partners" again. And Cat, apparently, is coving some dog sled story in Alaska ... conveniently. When one of the billboards come hurdling down, Clark rushes forward to try and save the people of Metropolis - and show Goddfrey a thing or two about being a hero - when we get the delightful surprise of a familiar face! "Isn't that your cousin, Clark?"

Making her last appearance on the show, Laura Vandervoort returns as Kara Kent, who is now sporting a new look, and destiny. Jor-El has appointed her the Earth's Savior, having given up on his son, and Kara is here to fight the coming darkness (Darkseid). As amazing as Laura's acting capabilities are, the producers have made the mistake of giving Kara all of Clark's powers, plus the ability to fly, as it doesn't make Clark look good on his own show. Kara comes to fulfil a mission, outing herself to the public and being a symbol of hope, in order to stop Darkseid. But she is sidetracked when her love for her cousin gets in the way, and she decides to help him on his issue: flying.

As Kara teaches Clark to fly, Lois approaches Goddfrey, in which she learns his agenda. He's going to expose Oliver as the Green Arrow. Determined to stop him, Lois spends the entire episode undercover, following Goddfrey to Club Desaad's. Here, she dresses up as a dominatrix and snaps controversial pictures of the podcaster. Using these to blackmail him into reconsidering posting what he has on Oliver Queen, she fails to realise that he's possessed by a force stronger than she is. Luckily for Lois, she is pure of heart -- which basically means Darkseid can't touch you, you're free from being his little puppet. But that doesn't stop him from kidnapping her (the classic Lois Lane scenerio and storyline).

Clark learns that this "darkness" entered through a tear in the universe, and it was able to arrive due to using the Book of Rao to send Zod to another dimension. Trying to locate this thing, Clark and Kara work together, and stumble across footage of Goddfrey at Watchtower. They eventually realise he's possessed when Clark listens closely to his voice. Utilizing Watchtower's resources, they uncover where Goddfrey was last, and to their suprise, Lois was with him. "That's Lois!"

"Are you sure you can win against me? You know what I am. You know the doubt in your heart. You so called heroes are false gods. All of you. And when people stop believing in you ... you'll shatter like glass." The Darkness begins to get to Clark, and his hatred and inner demons come roaring out - he's definately affected by this thing, and seems short of breath in its presence. The darkness is feeding to his doubts. "You're at war with yourself." Leading him in, Clark is attacked, the Darkness ready to use him as a vessel for destruction and chaos -- but at the last minute, Kara blurs in and uses her bracelet as a portal to defeat him. "Its like it could see inside me..."

"I guess heroes even need someone to come home to, huh?" Kara and Lois share a beautiful scene at the end that relates to Lois' doubts in her relationship with Clark (which doesn't exist at the moment). I think Kara understands what Lois knows, and how she feels about Clark, but they're both not really saying anything. And before Kara departs, she runs into Clark in her dual identity as Linda (dressed in a black wig, and business attire). "You can't save people when you're the center of attention." Kara decides to stay in Metropolis, and claims that "This isn't your fight." Are we to assume that as the other storylines come flooding through and with the main big bad of the story that Kara is off facing Darkseid? Its clever doing it like this, but still, there are several problems I have with it.

"I am Green Arrow!" After everything Lois did trying to stop Goddfrey from revealing Oliver's secret, he approaches the press by episode's end and reveals himself to the world. It was a bold move, and I'm sure it will not be overlooked, but it makes you ask the question: was it really worth spending the majority of the episode on Lois going undercover to protect the secret? Meh. Anyway, Oliver's arc in this episode was a subplot that revolved around trying to understand what he should do next. The love of his life is gone, he's lonely and questioning why Chloe left, and the reveal really does suit his story. I find Oliver to be one of the more fascinating and intriguing characters of the season. He's mourning the grief of a loved one, and struggling to find out what to do next. I think its really captivating.

There were a couple of problems with the episode. Bringing in a character, as I've said before, that is stronger than your main character, and is clearly demonstrated as that -- well, it doesn't make your main character look good. Kara arrived on Earth with all of her powers, and its taken Clark 10 years, and still, he hasn't mastered all of his abilities. On a side note: calling the episode "Supergirl" was an incredibly terrible mistake on the producers part. Clark is meant to carry the name, and be the first to step forward as Superman. It doesn't look good on his character when Kara names herself that first - it looks like Clark is copying her. Not good. Other than that, the episode featured too much of Lois, and it didn't work well when she was in three scenes back to back -- the flow of the episode was really bad.

In conclusion: a solid episode with a good A & B plot; moved the main story forward, but managed to make the main character look weak, and often at times ridiculous. Too much time spent on Lois investigating, when the result of the episode could, if had come sooner, could have solved the main problem of the episode. Rather bland, with some good moments mixed between the episode.

6/10. ("Shield" was more impressive)