Season 2, Episode 4: Red

 

"Red"

Episode 4

Air Date: October 15th, 2002

WOW!!! It's the 4th episode of the season and the writers continue to breath new life into not only the show, but the Superman mythos as Clark gets more than he bargained for when his new class ring turns out to be a new form of meteor rock aka Red Kryptonite. It's nice to see the writers once again having run with the comic book lore we've come to expect from our caped wonder to be but what's even more impressive is Tom Welling clearly having waaaayyy more fun playing Clark out of character than his usual noble farmboy routine. Look I've given Tom a hard time about his Season 1 performances being noticeably....amateur(ish) and problematic...but he does a complete 180 here by playing Clark's new attitude with this smug and self aware confidence that feels so much more natural on him....maybe even a extremely fitting and comfortably sexy??? 0_0 *Blush* Especially during that bar sequence with his black sleeveless shirt and just letting loose with his powers are a couple of guys trying to start a fight with him.  Clark even comes off even a bit terrifying as Tom Welling gives a performance that show Clark relishing in the terror he's causing by surrounding faces of concern as he knows there's nothing on Earth that can stop him. Yikes!!! Not to mention, I even found the scenes between Clark and Lana much more entertaining with the teen melodramatic being replaced with an aggressive charm to satisfying seduction to finally get her on a date with him.  Seriously, that kiss between Tom and Kristin....wow, I have no doubt that those two had an offscreen hook up or something after that kiss!

Also, we finally get to see Clark interact with Lionel Luthor directly and I love how cocky Clark is with him, Lionel being shocked but equally impressed by Clark's bluntness. lol The story with Jesse and her father tho....it's serviceable, if not unneeded.  It only serves to give the plot more conflict when Clark's red k rampage is enough dilemma for episode alone, hell even an episode more or two! It's just some generic plot about a father and daughter on the run from a corrupt US Marshall who is after some discs that whole tons of information that Clark suddenly wants because it will make him rich! Honestly, Clark was coming off scary and intimidating enough, ready to take the world by storm and make millions by the powers he has.  Of course, now that Pete's in on the secret, it gives him more of role as expected to help save the day instead of being an oblivious, barely seen side character.  I like the plan Jonathan devises with Pete to get Clark back home as the moment he unleashes the green kryptonite to weaken Clark enough so his father can shatter the ring was really heartbreaking; making me feel bad for Clark and the lengths his loved ones had to go for once to stop him.  It was just refreshing overall to have Tom play the villain this time around and it certainly won't be the last, thank god!

There is some good surprisingly that comes from Clark's new attitude for an episode as he helps Lex finally stand up to his father when his decision to remain in Smallville has him renovating Lex's office more to his liking.  But this also sets up Lionel's new intrigue and interest in Clark as he is seen holding the bullets that dented on Clark's skin; making him very alarm and wondering the mystery behind the Kent's adoptive son.  Of course, it wouldn't be Smallville without some teen melodrama, so the episode ends with Lana giving Clark a hard time about his changed personality but some of the dialogue is infuriatingly head scratching.  Lana makes it seem like Clark is always acting out of character and hurting her when usually he's the one always saving her or on her side.  Look, I know the writers are trying to desperately push more animosity in their friendship since the tornadoes hit, but it is starting to make Lana look a bit shallow and heartless when Clark should have said he was effected by a meteor rock or something instead of just making him look like the bad guy.  I get they both have feelings for each other but this type of soap opera theatrics in the writing and characterization is just disheartening and feels inauthentic. I mean at this point, Lana has seen enough weird stuff to give Clark the benefit of the doubt but this is just a precursor to in the middle of the series when Clark can do nothing right and characters are always, always, ALWAYS putting him down.  Ehhhh!!! Anyway.....

Outside of that bit of tawdry resolution between the teens of angst, "Red" is easily one of the season's best entries with the writers exploring the darker side of Clark through a new form of kryptonite and giving us more insight into him as a person by revealing his sometimes selfish desire to be as rich and successful as Lex.  Didn't see that coming but makes sense from Clark's naive state of mind as a teenager here.  The Clark on red k episode will be done numerous times more throughout the show with mixed quality but the first outing will always be the most fun and zaniest of the show with the writers taking their protagonist and making him into a surprisingly charismatic and even dangerous new foe for the rest of the cast for once for an hour. :)

Final Kryptonite: A+