Cast
Tom Welling as
Clark Kent
Kristen Kreuk as
Lana Lang
Michael
Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
John Glover
as Lionel Luthor
Sam Jones III as
Pete Ross
Allison Mack as
Chloe Sullivan
Annette
O'Toole as Martha Kent
John
Schneider as Jonathan Kent
Written by Clint Carpenter.
Directed by
Thomas J. Wright.
Original Airdate
Precipice
originally aired on Tuesday,
April 22, 2003.
Premise
Clark loses his temper when frat boys threaten Lana.
High Point
The "it's not the days of the Good Old Boys anymore" crack was
incredibly funny when directed at John Schneider, but I've got to give
them credit for using "normal" human people as the villains.
Low Point
The compression of time. I can believe that several days passed
before the last scene, allowing Dr. Bryce to recover, but Lana had
at most two days worth of karate lessons. I've known people who
attend for two months before being taught any offensive tactics.
The Review
This went out of its way to break the mold of previous shows, which
helps it in the originality category. They used human
villains, showed implications and consequences to Clark's actions, and
had him acting like a normal teenager would with his abilities for
once. Huzzah! The police were even competent. The final scene in
the Talon was the only part that struck me as totally unoriginal, so I
give it 5 out of 6.
The effects were limited to stuff they've done before, but
they used them well. The two guys didn't follow normal arcs when
flying towards the chain link fences at the beginning, but the rest
looked good. Given their practice, that should have been better. I
give it 4 out of 6.
The story was well done. We saw something of what Lex will
become, but we also saw he's not there yet. Clark is starting to
learn about using his abilities with subtlety, in what is likely a
precursor to a secret identity. The behaviour of the police was
completely understandable, too. I give it 5 out of 6, because they
pulled the punch and had the guy fake his injuries.
The acting this week was good all around. Tom Welling and
Kristen Kreuk are finally getting the hang of their craft, and Michael
Rosenbaum always shines. I give it 5 out of 6.
The emotional response this produced was very good. I was
hooked, and excited to see them write intelligent costars and police.
The confrontation in the parking lot was a thing of beauty. I laughed
out loud several times, too. I give it 5 out of 6.
The production value of the show is at a comfortable high.
They've got the budget they want, and they're using it well. I give
it 5 out of 6.
Overall, this is a stronger episode than last week, and it's
a nice episode to have as we approach May sweeps. I give it 5 out of
6.
In total,
Precipice
receives
34
out of 42.
