Smallville Review – “Labyrinth”

Another prominent Justice League member makes an
appearance on the series.

Cast and Crew

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
Annette O’Toole as Martha Kent
Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang
Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
Guest starring Phil Morris as the Martian
Manhunter

Written by Al Septein and Turi Meyer
Directed by Whitney Ransick

High Point

The reaction to the lighter.

Low Point

They did the same basic thing much better on
Buffy.

The Scores

As mentioned above, the originality was
found lacking due to similarities to a recent show
that did this concept in a much better way. I give
it 3 out of 6.

The effects were minimal this week, given
the nature of the episode. (I can’t help but suspect
this was by design, given what last week’s episode
would have cost.) They were nicely done, though. I
give it 4 out of 6.

The acting was well done, though I would
have liked to see more of Phil Morris. (I suspect we
will before the season is over, though.) I give it 5
out of 6.

The story was well plotted. If I hadn’t
seen the Buffy episode, I’d have been much happier
with it, but that’s just too high a standard to meet
this soon after the fact. I give it 4 out of 6.

The production was well done, with some very
redressed sets and remarkably different lighting. I
give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response could have been
stronger, though it was nice to meet the latest
future JLA member step out of the Oreo-filled
shadows. I give it 4 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a decent episode, but it could
have been a little more unique. Too many viewers of
this show will have watched Buffy as well. I give it
4 out of 6.

In total, Labyrinth receives 29 out of 42.

9 replies on “Smallville Review – “Labyrinth””

  1. Lana
    Lana was well-used in the bulk of the episode, but the whole second thoughts thing at the end was insanely stupid. It’s over. OVER. Can’t the writers please just get OVER it?

  2. Forgive my ignorance
    Exactly who is the future JLA member? I know of which character you speak, but what was his name?

  3. Which Buffy ep?
    So not having seen this episode, I’m wondering what they did that was so similar to something from Buffy? (Yes, I’m asking for spoilers. ;)

    • Re: Which Buffy ep?

      So not having seen this episode, I’m wondering what they did that was so similar to something from Buffy? (Yes, I’m asking for spoilers. ;)

      Pretty much the exact same thing. Some sort of demon or something makes Buffy think that she’s normal and in an asylum and that all the slaying stuff was her paranoid delusions.

      Heck, I could’ve sworn I remembered Smallville doing it once before, it’s so played out.

      But even though the premise didn’t catch me, J’onn’s introduction here (and I didn’t even suspect him in that first scene) was what made it great.

      • Re: Which Buffy ep?

        So not having seen this episode, I’m wondering what they did that was so similar to something from Buffy? (Yes, I’m asking for spoilers. ;)

        Pretty much the exact same thing. Some sort of demon or something makes Buffy think that she’s normal and in an asylum and that all the slaying stuff was her paranoid delusions.

        Heck, I could’ve sworn I remembered Smallville doing it once before, it’s so played out.

        But even though the premise didn’t catch me, J’onn’s introduction here (and I didn’t even suspect him in that first scene) was what made it great.

        I swear I’ve seen it more places than just Buffy, but as soon as they went into the asylum, I groaned for the lack of originality.

        Though, and this might just be personal bias, but the way they used Lana really struck me as well done.

        And for those who aren’t familiar with the Martian, it left me outright puzzled for a lot of it.

      • Re: Which Buffy ep?

        So not having seen this episode, I’m wondering what they did that was so similar to something from Buffy? (Yes, I’m asking for spoilers. ;)

        Pretty much the exact same thing. Some sort of demon or something makes Buffy think that she’s normal and in an asylum and that all the slaying stuff was her paranoid delusions.

        But what made that episode really, really good, was that after Buffy decides that she wants to be in the real world and (sort of) closes down her mind, we have a shot of Buffy’s family reacting to this in the asylum, just putting in a teeny weeny bit of doubt about which world is the "real" one.

        It was a great little throwaway moment.

    • Re: Which Buffy ep?

      So not having seen this episode, I’m wondering what they did that was so similar to something from Buffy? (Yes, I’m asking for spoilers. ;)

      Specifically, it was "Normal Again" from season six.

  4. One of my most hated plot devices
    I might have gotten a *little* bit of enjoyment out of it if I’d known about whatzisface, but the whole "wake up in an insane asylum to be told your whole life was a figment of your imagination" is one of the most overused plots I’ve seen. And the most painful to watch, because you know exactly how it’s going to go down. Originality: 1.

    Story: 2 – the details of how he supposedly got his ideas were kinda cute, especially Jorel, but bah — standard issue stuff. There was nothing inventive enough to make it interesting.

    Overall: 2 – I haven’t seen the Buffy version (and now I’m dreading the fact that there *is* a Buffy version, as I do plan to watch the series eventually), so that’s not coloring my view. That takes me down to 23.

    Actually, Emotional Response 2 also — I was so annoyed, I just didn’t care, so 21.

    I did think it was well acted, especially Michael Rosenbaum, as usual.

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