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 Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner.
Directed by Chris Long.

Original Airdate

Redux originally aired on Tuesday, October 29, 2002.

Synopsis

The past comes back to haunt Clark, Lana, Lex, and a new classmate.

High Point

The first hints of Clark's tendency toward journalism started coming through today.

Low Point

It seemed really out of place. I know that it was filmed after last year's season finale, so they hadn't quite sorted out where everyone would be. I think this shows very clearly in the ways Clark related to Lana and Pete.

The Review

This wasn't that original. I suppose sucking out the pituitary is a little different from eating a person's liver, but the idea of feeding off of a given number of others periodically was used far more effectivly in the first season of The X-Files. It felt like they were hobbling recycled elements together in a manner that combined to form a given theme (about exploring the skeletons in the closets of the past) rather than to deliver something completely new. I give it 3 out of 6.

The effects were sparse, but well executed. This is likely due to the fact that it was done as a cheap episode that could be plugged into this season somewhere without knowing exactly where. (It was filmed the week after the season finale last year. That gave them extra time for post-production on Tempest without rushing into writing Vortex.) I give the effects 5 out of 6.

The story was hurt by when this episode was made. Although it was good to see evidence of some forethought into the next season (in Martha's comment about her job with Lionel) it still seemed obvious that some things (such as the changes in Clark and Lana's relationship) were not yet planned, but were obviously lacking. It hurt them to write this episode without planning everything out, especially given how much Lana shared with Clark despite their recent trust issues. The writers look bad because they aren't incorporating the most recent developments, but they didn't know what those developments would be. This is the fault of the showrunners, but it looks like a writing issue to most viewers, so that's where these problems will be reflected in this review. I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting was just as it was last season; Tom Welling is wooden, Kristen Kreuk exaggerates her body language (including her head motion in particular,) and the rest of the cast is excellent. I give it 4 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced was primarily confusion at first. Once I realized that this was the episode filmed right after Vortex, the confusion passed and just left me with a mild distaste. This really should have taken place at the start of the new school year. (Why else would the new principal be showing up now?) In my opinion, it should have been the third episode of the season, with the second episode taking place in the summer after Vortex, revealing such things as the creation of LexCorp, etc. This episode was too obviously out of place to really allow me to get pulled in. I give it 2 out of 6.

The production was still top of the line. This is really the only aspect of the show that never seems to falter. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, this would have been a decent episode during last season, but it didn't fit in the slot it was broadcast in. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Redux receives 26 out of 42.

Review written by fiziko.