Cast

Tom Welling as Clark Kent
Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang
Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
John Glover as Lionel Luthor
Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
Erica Durance as Lois Lane
Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan.

Written by Kelly Sounders and Brian Peterson.
Directed by Michael Rohl.

Original Airdate

Bizarro originally aired on Thursday, September 27, 2007.

Synopsis

Clark deals with the final phantom and the apparant death of several friends.

High Point

"Don't you think you should get on that one?"

Low Point

If that character cheats death again, they might as well change the character's name to "Jean Grey." (I'm not talking about the obviously fake death from the season ender, I'm talking about the more convincing one.)

The Review

The originality exists almost entirely in this take on Bizarro. The show has done the rest before. I give it 3 out of 6.

The effects were pretty darned impressive. This is one aspect of the series that rarely disappoints. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story did what it needed to do, but it also did some things that weren't needed. (As you might have guessed by the Low Point, I think that some of the tougher decisions would have made for a better show.) Frankly, it didn't have the same pacing or gravity as the previous season openers, despite the introduction of the new cast member. I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting was fairly well done. As usual, Welling is more convincing in an evil persona. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response had its moments, but I'm usually glued to my seat from start to finish when they end or start a season. Compared to those, this was weak, though it was better than many of the mid-season episodes. I give it 3 out of 6, due to a big irritation in the low point. (Don't get me wrong; I love that character, I just think there should be a limit on how often one character should cheat death.)

The production was well done. The new score by Louis Febre was impressive, particularly following Mark Snow's work. The moment in the light featured some great accents. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it's a decent episode, but it's not as good as the season premiers tend to be. This season may be an uphill battle, or it may just be going through a slow build. Either way, I have lower expectations for next week. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Bizarro receives 27 out of 42.