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Written by: Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer
Directed by: Glen Winter
The One Where: Clark is stripped of his powers by blue Kryptonite while finally having the chance to meet his mother. Kinda sorta.
Verdict: We’ve been here before with Clark’s depowering, and his ‘reunion’ with Lara feels weirdly undramatic, but there’s some decent intrigue and conflict. The revelation that Gabriel is Lex’s long-lost brother Julian walks the fine line between contrived and cool and feels a little at odds with the playful comedy-romance vibe of the scenes between him and Lois.
Highlight: Kara nearly indulging in a spot of patricide is a surprisingly powerful moment.
Trivia: Blue Kryptonite has featured in Superman comic book lore, but only affects Bizarro – traditionally, it has no effect on the Man of Steel.
Goof: The episode “Memoria” established that Julian Luthor was born in 1992. I always thought he was too young to be the Daily Planet’s editor, but I never suspected he was actually only 15...
Did You Spot? Kara mentions Coast City, home to the Silver Age Green Lantern in DC mythology.
WTF? How did Clark know to rescue Lionel in the proverbial nick of? No explanation is given and it feels like a lazily convenient piece of plotting.
Star Turn: Another impressively menacing turn from Christopher Heyerdahl, playing Zor-El with real power and charisma.
Best Line
Chloe: "Blood and sweat on Clark Kent are never a good combination."
Nick Setchfield
