Season 3, Episode 1: Exile

 

"Exile"

Episode 1

Air Date: October 1st, 2003

Well, Al and Miles sure know how to jump start a season and especially one where the budget for the show has been noticeably increased to almost cinematic proportions!!! Never had Metropolis felt more like a huge, lively city than watching Clark 3 months later; leaving a life of crime thanks to the Red Kryptonite ring.  Gotta love Tom throughout this episode, not only looking incredibly more attractive than usual (Jesus, what happened to him over the summer??? Was this the work of make-up and hair??? Also helps seeing Clark in nice attire, looking more extravagant bad boy than heroic farm boy with the plaid! Seriously, I loved not only the opening teaser just seeing who Clark has become a Metropolis' newest playboy but how confident and charismatic Tom is playing the bad boy.  A role he will continue to portray even better with seasons to come.  Then there's the bank robber heist that Clark crashes and uses his powers to take out not only the thugs robbing it but forcing the Metropolis police to fire on him before using his heat vision to cause a massive explosion to get away undetected. Even ole Maggie Sawyer was there leading the charge and I'm glad she's not the only major Superman comics character the writers insert into Clark's story.  There also the menacing and smooth introduction of Morgan Edge, one of Metropolis' notorious crime bosses, confronting Clark after his men track him down and show him just how indestructible Clark is.  I got to admit, even with his overconfident sneer and countless powers, Morgan is more than a match for Clark and a welcomed new antagonist that will play a much bigger role this season than you'd expect.  It's just great seeing Morgan knowing how to manipulate Clark and enticing toward a much larger life of crime....that he turns down at first but eventually decides to take up his offer, but more on that later.

So what have the other characters been up since Clark's rode out of Smallville, well the Kents are in the middle of losing their farm but honestly, it's just an unfortunate bonus to the already broken family without their son as Martha desperately hopes Clark will come home while Jonathan is frustrated and adamant about finding him.  I know the Kent scenes and dynamic of the show have been wonderful so far, but man has Clark's absence really packed their scenes with even more of an emotional punch.  From Clark taking off his ring and trying to call home but not being able to talk to his mother when she knows it's him or that tremendously tear jerking barn scene where Martha and Jonathan have a heartwrenching moment before chasing after Clark who was snooping around; overhearing his parents' hope for happier days despite their financial tragedy.  Ehhhhhhh, I really commend Al and Miles here with their vision here BEFORE things took a nose dive mid-series.  There's so much heart, emotion and purpose in Clark's story as well as how he affects his loved ones in such profound ways. It's no wonder this season will go on to be possibly one of its finest in its entire run. Anyway, Lana is also trying her best to keep herself together since Clark left but.....oh boy, here come Satan's step daughter Chloe there to not only discourage her but make things about her when it comes to Lana's feelings for Clark.  She even has the nerve to say he apparently doesn't love her since he took off! Ummmm, would that apply to his parents to you moronic teen angst nightmare! Not to mention, she's meeting up with Lionel and continuing to work her way around his evil clutches but it's too late to try to get yourself out of it Chloe! You already betrayed him and now you're trying make Lana forget about him.  Oh and Chloe has known where Clark has been for over 2 months???!! Oh WOW, what a surprise! -_-  Gotta say it was a delight seeing Clark yell at her to get out and threaten her! :)  It's what she deserves and is just spawn gone terribly wrong! Luckily, Chloe's evil mind comes to its senses and apologizes to Lana for discouraging her, not to mention finally tells someone she found Clark.

Not only do we get another great scene of someone yelling at Chloe nicely but getting to see Lana and Clark reunite in Metropolis.  Meanwhile, we find Lex on the set of LOST as he has been apparently stuck on a deserted island ever since the plan crashed in the ocean.  Gotta love Micheal Rosenbaum's performance here, seriously, why hasn't he done more dramatic, dark roles like this.  His scenes were intense and the direction was so  stunning; with how different Lex's side of the episode was visually.  Not to mention, "Louis", a man also trapped on the island, who's been driving Lex even crazier than he's been.  Honestly, guest star Ryan Robbins is terrifying in the role, especially once he turns on Lex.  But what I love is how things play out with Lex shockingly killing Louis only for it to be revealed Louis never existed when a man from a ship finds him clearly deranged and delirious.  WOW! I especially love the LL necklace around the skeleton and Louis' reveal about killing his dad....hmmm....all the foundation for what's to come this season very well done. :)

But as the episode heads toward its closing moments the tension really ramps up as Lana tries to tell the Kents about Clark's location but Clark, on Red K, is even more enraged by talking to them and even more that Lana betrayed him.  Like I said, it's the catalyst of what leads Clark back to working for Morgan Edge gleefully....but not before Jonathan pays a visit to the caves with the ship's key to find a way to bring Clark home.  We get a powerful scene of Jonathan cursing Clark's race and his father before Jor-El contacts him in a beautiful effects shot.  It's a terrific scene between Clark's two fathers as Jonathan's desperation to retrieve his son leads him to a surprising deal you never see coming,  The closing moments of when Jonathan confronts Clark is literally terrifying and just when you think Pa Kent is done for the count he quickly gets up to superspeed to towards Clark through a window; sending them both falling down Luthorcorp Plaza before "To Be Continued" pops up.  Man, such a thrilling and explosive opener to the season with the strongest confidence in the writing, the cast and the plot points laid out for this season.  Terrific acting and plot twists that hold up immensely to this day! :)

Final Kryptonite: A+