Episode 6.8: Static

We get two villains this episode. One is a meteor freak who can travel to different plains of existence through static airwaves. He traps Lex in another realm, holding him hostage in order to make Lana help him uncover the truth about Level 33.1. The other villain is a phantom zone escapee who eats the bones of his victims and he's racking up quite the bodycount. Chloe and Jimmy help Lana with the meteor freak, who is ultimately killed by Lex, while Clark goes after the zoner. However, Clark isn't fairing so well with the bone munching psychopath and is helped by a strange, shadowy figure, with a taste for oreos and the ability to fly.

I rolled my eyes at the beginning when Lex says, "I know you are having difficulty knowing if you can trust me but, I give you my word, you can!" Err, if she doesn't trust you mate, then surely your "word" isn't going to be worth squat! It's precisely the kind of thing that someone who cannot be trusted would say.

I feel like Dave Bautista is wasted in this episode. The fight between him and Clark could have been epic but it ends up being over no sooner than it started. I know Bautista wasn't a huge name outside of the wrestling ring when he made this episode but, even so, why bother getting someone with his level of physicality if you are not going to use it.

That whole plotline with Clark and Bautista's zoner is really just the B-plot. It's primarily there to set up the arrival of John Jonzz, aka Martian Manhunter, which is pretty cool. But it does also give us the memorable brutality of seeing Bautista's character rip a man's spine out. Gnarly!

Clark's final scene with Chloe is highly frustrating. His fobbing her off seems really disrespectful given how loyal she's consistenly proven herself to be and there is really no reason for him not to tell her everything he saw. Her speech to him about how even heroes need help gives him too much credit for wanting to be the lone hero, when really, she should be chewing him out for trying to brush her off.

I find Jimmy rather annoying in this episode and I'm not sure why. I can't tell if it's the performance or the way he is written. He feels a bit too needy and he's not a good fit for Chloe at all. Also, him suddenly becoming a tech wizz at the end and working out how to get Lex back feels like a bit of a stretch for a photographer.

I love the stuff with the static meteor freak, Lex and Level 33.1 though. I like how Lionel makes a play to become a full partner with Lex on it. The way he blocks Chloe out of the computer files is classic Lionel. However, I am reminded that only two episodes ago, Chloe and Lionel shared a thanksgiving dinner at the Kent home. Seeing the way he is with her here only serves to remind me of just how ridiculous that dinner scene was. But I digress.

It's interesting watching these episodes in retrospect, knowing what happens with Lana's "pregnancy". Just take a look at the reaction on Lex's face when he hears the news. First time I saw it he looked like he was surprised and taken off guard. Now when I see it I can almost hear him in his head saying, "great, it worked!" Great acting there from Rosenbaum.

8/10