****
"Fragile" from Season 5
"Fragile" from Season 5
A girl with the power to shatter glass, Smallville had me at, "Hello!" In this Season 5 episode, coming shortly after the death of Jonathan Kent, this episode not only gives us a glimpse into the softer side of our favorite Big Blue Boy Scout, but it also serves as a good episode in allowing Clark to grieve and move on in his life.
Maddie is a little girl who hasn't talked since her mother's death, bouncing around from foster home to foster home due to odd events involving shattered glass. Lo and behold, Clark Kent comes in to save the day, taking Maddie in when her latest foster parent bites the dust, due to an odd glass explosion in the house. Clark manages to break through Maddie's shyness with his good ol' charm, learning she has the meteor power to shatter glass, but Clark believes that she was not responsible for her foster mom's death. So Clark sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery, so that Maddie wont be wrongly convicted of her foster mom's murder.
"Fragile" is just a great episode that plays into all of the things I love most about Smallville. Young people with super powers. A mystery with a twist. And hints at the future Man of Steel. The way Clark deals with Maddie is so reminiscent of all of the great, father-like moments that you see between Superman and little kids in the comics. This was a smart choice on the behalf of the writers of this episode, coming so soon after Clark's dad's death, it allows Clark to use many of the same lessons that Jonathan taught him in trying to raise an adolescent with super powers, and how to properly use those powers for good. This angle allows Clark to reflect on his father's passing and realize that he is the man his father raised him to be, even without his father there for guidance.
Actor Tom Welling is charming as Clark, and he exposes that lovable side of the Man of Tomorrow that shows why children all over the world still adore the character. Not to mention Welling also directed, marking his first time in the director's chair, and this is still his best work on the show to date.
Maddie is a little girl who hasn't talked since her mother's death, bouncing around from foster home to foster home due to odd events involving shattered glass. Lo and behold, Clark Kent comes in to save the day, taking Maddie in when her latest foster parent bites the dust, due to an odd glass explosion in the house. Clark manages to break through Maddie's shyness with his good ol' charm, learning she has the meteor power to shatter glass, but Clark believes that she was not responsible for her foster mom's death. So Clark sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery, so that Maddie wont be wrongly convicted of her foster mom's murder.
"Fragile" is just a great episode that plays into all of the things I love most about Smallville. Young people with super powers. A mystery with a twist. And hints at the future Man of Steel. The way Clark deals with Maddie is so reminiscent of all of the great, father-like moments that you see between Superman and little kids in the comics. This was a smart choice on the behalf of the writers of this episode, coming so soon after Clark's dad's death, it allows Clark to use many of the same lessons that Jonathan taught him in trying to raise an adolescent with super powers, and how to properly use those powers for good. This angle allows Clark to reflect on his father's passing and realize that he is the man his father raised him to be, even without his father there for guidance.
Actor Tom Welling is charming as Clark, and he exposes that lovable side of the Man of Tomorrow that shows why children all over the world still adore the character. Not to mention Welling also directed, marking his first time in the director's chair, and this is still his best work on the show to date.
****
And on a smaller note, this is The Unicellular Review's 500th Post! Party!
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