Episode 1.6: Hourglass

This episode features a villain named Harry Bollston who, after falling into a pond in his electric chair, is transformed into a much younger version of himself. Beyond this the meteor rocks in the pond that trigger his transformation offer him no other super powers like the typical meteor freaks we have seen so far. This makes him a much more interesting villain. He is also a much darker villain than we are used to seeing in Smallville as it is not the rocks that have brought about his nasty behaviour, rather, they have simply allowed him to continue where he left off so many years ago. George Murdock is particularly creepy as the older Harry Bollston who spends his days in a retirement home quietly reliving his past crimes through old newspaper clippings.

Also in this episode we are treated to visions of the possible futures of both Clark and Lex. These visions offer a glimpse into the destinies that we as viewers are already aware of for these characters. Clark's destiny is that of the saviour while Lex's is that of the destroyer. They are two sides of the same coin.

There is a touching moment with Lana too as she is forced to be reminded of her parents' deaths when she stumbles across a news article about it on Chloe's 'wall of weird'. It reminds us that the stories on Chloe's wall are not simply weird and entertaining headlines, but people's lives, much the same way as any news story in the real world might be. This ties into Harry's obsession with collecting old newspaper clippings about his crimes. To him they are trophies of past victories to be savoured. To the families of his victims they are a painful reminder.

Hourglass is a wonderful episode and one of the high points of the first season. 9/10