Season 10, Episode 10: Luthor

"Luthor"

Episode 10

Air Date: December 3rd, 2010

Well if the VRA storyline isn't giving Season 10 the juicy villainy it needs, Luthor sure makes up with that be bringing back one of the series' most beloved main baddies.  Since his death in Season 7, Lionel Luthor has been missed just as much as his son and I'm glad for the final year of the show, the writers decided to bring the character back in some fashion to make the looming threat(s) of the season a lot more intense and intimidating.  I like the idea of the Kryptonian mirror box and how it sends Clark to a parallel world where unlike his growing reputation as the heroic Blur of Metropolis, he takes the place of his evil doppelganger, who is quickly gaining infamy as the dreaded Ultraman, one of the scariest superpowered threats that has been taking over Metropolis for years.  I love how the writers introduce their own version of Crime Syndicate's leader from the comics and make Ultraman truly be a villain to fear.  But honestly, while everyone in the dark tinted universe is telling Clark how dangerous and scary his evil self is, it doesn't mean much if Clark Luthor (Lol!) himself isn't scary to begin with and it's all talk.  Well, thank God for Welling and his many years of experience acting at this point because he gives one of the most terrifying performances of his career when the story flips back to the main world and we see Clark Luthor interacting with our beloved characters.  His voice, his mannerisms, his delivery of his lines, etc.  Jesus, and I though NOTHING could be better than Red K or Bizarro, but Clark Luthor would send both of them packing or force them to work for him based on how legit scary he is.

Omg!!! The scene where he confronts Tess in her office and then attacks Lois and Tess at Watchtower are some of the most profoundly unnerving moments from this series! I literally felt beyond horrified for Tess and Lois' safety; that they may actually die in some form.  That just shows you how incredible Tom's performance is alone! Jesus, tossing Lois around like she's trash and threatening to kill Tess with a confident smile on his face! AHHHHHHH!!! Back to the mirror world! O_O Having John Glover back is just remarkable and he slips back into his role as if he never left.  Every scene, he knocks right out of the park and it's great to hear those infamous monologues the Luthor men always had to deliver as John just excels with them with such charisma and vigor. But I'd definitely have to say the final confrontation between them was just beyond brutal as Clark is once again weakened by kryptonite and Lionel uses it as the perfect time to beat the crap out of his son with his belt.  Jesus! This show can be so visually cruel sometimes! O_O As for the other doppelgangers of the cast in the mirror world, Lois and Oliver are engaged as well as not much different from their Earth 1 versions, tho a lot more morbid and moody given the world they live in.  Tess' is Clark Luthor's lover and through interacting with her, Clark learns that Tess is a Luthor!

It was nice that Clark got a chance to apologize from being so rash and relentless when talking about the Luthors at the beginning of the episode when he and Tess discover the last clone has escaped from Cadmus.  It was a very well acted and touching last scene between both Clark and Tess as Clark reaches out and supports Tess knowing how the discovery of her lineage is effecting her deeply.  Cassidy was so raw and real in this scene, she really knocked it out of the park.  Jesus, the writers are doing a great job of making Tess a more sympathetic and honest character after being a villain for so long.  Another aspect of the episode I thoroughly enjoyed was when Clark returns to the main world that Lois is able to see it's really her Clark and not Clark Luthor.  Makes their relationship that much stronger and meant to be, especially when Lana couldn't even tell the difference between Clark and Bizarro, not to mention actually preferred the evil Phantom posing as her boyfriend over the real thing! NEVER getting over that! -_- Unfortunately, it seems things are only about to get worse as Lionel from the mirror universe has some how gotten into the main one and will be planning something sinister as usual as he roams the city of Metropolis.  WOW!!! O_O 

Luthor is an intense, thought provoking alternate reality mayhem of an episode that reintroduces an old villain returning in top form, a new villain introduced that brings out the best of Tom Welling's acting chops yet and brings some serious relief for Tess in her journey in dealing with discovering she's a flesh and blood Luthor.  Not bad at all! :)

Final Kryptonite: A+(++)