Season 1, Episode 10: "O Mother, Where Art Thou?" (SPOILERS)

[Dark Raven]

I'm sure he'll still have supporters and influence despite the evil he's done. It's been known to happen.

When has that ever happened in real life, even on 6 January 2021?

 

[Babillygunn]

I see. Thanks.

BTW has Morgan Edge been exposed for who he is now as Tally Ho? Can he continue his business ventures in Smallville as Morgan Edge? And will anyone ever trust him again including Kyle Cushing?

Morgan Edge could shoot someone right in the middle of Smallville Square and people would still support him.

 

[Will2k]

Hi,
I liked this episode but one thing I don't understand is..when superman set off that device in mid-air to take away all those smallville residents powers and return them to normal...how did they end up on the ground unharmed...didn't they just fall from the sky?!

 

[flickchick85]

Hi,
I liked this episode but one thing I don't understand is..when superman set off that device in mid-air to take away all those smallville residents powers and return them to normal...how did they end up on the ground unharmed...didn't they just fall from the sky?!

Lara had a line about how once the the human consciousnesses are returned, the powers will fade in time. So they didn't lose them immediately. Just like Supes didn't when he solar flared - he still had enough juice left to fly to the Fortress. Barely.

 

[Gaultheria]

Lara had a line about how once the the human consciousnesses are returned, the powers will fade in time. So they didn't lose them immediately. Just like Supes didn't when he solar flared - he still had enough juice left to fly to the Fortress. Barely.

Plus, this is Superman, who flew across the world to save a bunch of people in danger of falling from a collapsing bridge. If the Smallville hosts -- who were right there with him -- couldn't reach the ground safely under their own power, Superman would've made them his highest priority. Superman would only reach the Fortress if he first made sure that everyone was safe. If there were any craters in Smallville, then Superman never would've had enough energy remaining to fly to the Fortress.

 

[Dr.]

Hi,
I liked this episode but one thing I don't understand is..when superman set off that device in mid-air to take away all those smallville residents powers and return them to normal...how did they end up on the ground unharmed...didn't they just fall from the sky?!

It would have helped if we saw one or two of the Smallville-ians crash-land — dazed, unconscious but otherwise unhurt. But this is what must have happened, albeit off screen. The alternative is that Superman (still holding the Eradicator and in a weakened state) caught or otherwise rescued a couple of dozen people (!) falling from the sky. And that’s the kind of thing you show; you don’t ask the audience to deduce it.

On a related point… Am I right in thinking that there are two separate and independent “phlebotinums” at work here? One is X-kryptonite, which endows mortals with Superman-like powers. The other is the Eradicator, which inserts stored Kryptonian minds into human bodies. Superman’s “energy overload” trick reversed the Eradicator’s effects. But the X-K powers should still be intact, no? So perhaps all those folks survived their (unconscious) fall due to being invulnerable...

 

[heatvision38]

I actually think that in seeing Superman up-close for the first time, Lana had a revelatory moment and was finally able to deduce that he and Clark are one and the same. She just played it off like she was still in the dark. I could be wrong, but I really hope I'm right. lol

I thought the moment Superman said "Lana" and she gave a certain look, something was there.

 

[Dark Raven]

Superman should put on a different accent to Clark Kent.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

I thought the moment Superman said "Lana" and she gave a certain look, something was there.

@Gaultheria got the same impression, but it's hard to say at this point.

 

[heatvision38]

Tal-Rho: "Our time has almost come, Kal-El. Our people will awaken soon. And when that happens, I need you by my side, or you will be Eradicated too!"

@heatvision38, you're right. It seems that's what happened in the other universe to make Superman go bad.

It's still possible that without his family anchoring him, without ever having been with Lois, that he was more susceptible to the idea of bringing his birth mother back, but it just came across as eeevil in that one shot, so still not sure yet.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

One thing that bugged me a little about this episode was in seeing how the writers chose to depict the first-ever meeting between Clark and Lara. I would've preferred that she make herself known to him by way of artificial intelligence rather than a human host. That way, we would've at least gotten to see what she looked like before Krypton went kablooey.

 

[heatvision38]

I liked the episode but I wish the "reunion" of Lara and Kal had more emotional weight to it. That was a let down for me.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

I liked the episode but I wish the "reunion" of Lara and Kal had more emotional weight to it. That was a let down for me.

Yeah, it felt a little rushed to me, and while I'm generally pleased with the show's dialogue, Lara's lines could've stood to be less generic.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

It'll be interesting to see what became of Jonathan and Martha Kent in the universe (or is it universes?) where Supes went rogue.

 

[Dark Raven]

If Superman is known as the Man of Tomorrow, then his half brother could be the Edge of Tomorrow. With his current Eradicator tech, his motto could be "Live, Die, Repeat."

 

[Gaultheria]

Also, on re-watch, I'm thinking bringing the Eradicator to the Fortress (right before passing out) was maybe not the best idea.

I wonder if that was Edge’s plan all along, to take control of Superman’s stash of Kryptonian technology. Much easier to rebuild Earth in Krypton’s image that way.

 

[Gu3ree]

I realized I haven't posted here in a while, because I forgot. I have still been watching this show though. On episode 11 now. I wanted to come back to this episode though because...WTF? Seriously?

I have so many problems with this "Edge" (it never even was Morgan Edge!) backstory. So Tal-Rho hid himself for 40 years and did nothing? He never once reached out to Kal-El, his brother? What in the actual--God--I can't.

So Rho's father trained him to be a dick, yet---no, wait...did Tal-Rho's father also train him to be a businessman and newspaper editor in disguise and use the identity name Morgan Edge? (So that was just the writers attempt to use a name comic book fans will know for the sake of it, but it wasn't really Morgan Edge...WTF)

And Supergirl still exists in this universe, right? I mean, post-crisis, yes? Um...well that's a lame excuse for her not being able to show up. Why wouldn't Lois call her instead of John Henry Irons? How could he really help? Moreover, why wouldn't Tal-Rho try and recruit Kara for his mission? She is after all, family, and Kryptonian. All things considered, this should concern her too. But then again, when Kryptonians were invading Earth in Supergirl season 2, Superman wasn't actually around. Shouldn't be too surprising.

So Tal-Rho was tortured for a few years but eventually escaped...didn't he? What was the point of pretending to be a businessman if he (and his father) hated humanity so much? Why wait after a LIFETIME to reach out to Kal-El only now? This is utterly ridiculous. What was stopping him? It's not like he had to wait for anything. Moreover, Tal-Rho could've taken over Earth probably decades ago and turned all humans into Kryptonian souls.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[flickchick85]

I realized I haven't posted here in a while, because I forgot. I have still been watching this show though. On episode 11 now. I wanted to come back to this episode though because...WTF? Seriously?

I have so many problems with this "Edge" (it never even was Morgan Edge!) backstory. So Tal-Rho hid himself for 40 years and did nothing? He never once reached out to Kal-El, his brother? What in the actual--God--I can't.

So Rho's father trained him to be a dick, yet---no, wait...did Tal-Rho's father also train him to be a businessman and newspaper editor in disguise and use the identity name Morgan Edge? (So that was just the writers attempt to use a name comic book fans will know for the sake of it, but it wasn't really Morgan Edge...WTF)

And Supergirl still exists in this universe, right? I mean, post-crisis, yes? Um...well that's a lame excuse for her not being able to show up. Why wouldn't Lois call her instead of John Henry Irons? How could he really help? Moreover, why wouldn't Tal-Rho try and recruit Kara for his mission? She is after all, family, and Kryptonian. All things considered, this should concern her too. But then again, when Kryptonians were invading Earth in Supergirl season 2, Superman wasn't actually around. Shouldn't be too surprising.

So Tal-Rho was tortured for a few years but eventually escaped...didn't he? What was the point of pretending to be a businessman if he (and his father) hated humanity so much? Why wait after a LIFETIME to reach out to Kal-El only now? This is utterly ridiculous. What was stopping him? It's not like he had to wait for anything. Moreover, Tal-Rho could've taken over Earth probably decades ago and turned all humans into Kryptonian souls.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

He had to wait for the Eradicator to arrive on Earth. He was already successful businessman Morgan Edge with a ton of resources by the time that happened, as we saw in a flashback. And then he had to find a town with Kryptonite-affected hosts to be subjects, since it didn’t work on most humans. Which is why he spent the last few years preying on small towns where meteors had landed.

 

[Boy Scout]

Really good episode! I love that they put Lara front and center by making her the connection between Edge and Clark as well as making her the genius mind behind the Eradicator. After years and years and years of Jor-El being the important parent, it was a welcome change. And hey, there's no better way of eliminating the possibility of Superman and Lana ever hooking up than making her face the one he associates with his biological mother.

I have to give a special shout out to Hoechlin for his performance this episode. You could see in his eyes the conflicting emotions he felt about meeting Lara for the first time only months after losing Martha. That pain was still there, excitement was bubbling up, there was only so much time he could spend speaking to her, and about such limited subject matter...homie did a great job.

But just so y'all don't think I've gone soft: I'd like to start a petition to stop putting evil aliens in long coats and passing it off as alien garb.

EDIT: I'd forgotten this because I enjoyed the episode so much, but this episode, more than any Superman-related material I've ever seen in my life, impressed upon me how utterly ridiculous Superman's disguise is. There is no way Lana shouldn't have recognized him, especially once he started talking.

 

[flickchick85]

EDIT: I'd forgotten this because I enjoyed the episode so much, but this episode, more than any Superman-related material I've ever seen in my life, impressed upon me how utterly ridiculous Superman's disguise is. There is no way Lana shouldn't have recognized him, especially once he started talking.

To me the disguise works best when they keep it simple: people who don't give Clark a 2nd glance wouldn't even consider his resemblance to Superman (if they notice it at all) as anything but a resemblance to a famous person. Like the guy at the grocery store who looks like Brad Pitt or whatever. They'd never even entertain the notion that the seemingly all-powerful alien god who flies around their planet saving people would spend most of his time as the mild-mannered dork at the office fetching coffee. Because he doesn't wear a mask, most people should be assuming that Superman is just Superman 24/7. The idea of him having a secret identity wouldn't even cross most people's minds. But the people who actually get to know Clark and SEE him for the great guy he actually is end up figuring it out pretty quickly. So to me the "ridiculous" part of it on this show is that Lana has somehow known Clark for 40+ years and didn't already know by the time this show started. That was just not the route I would've gone, personally. She still could've kept it a secret from her family so there would still be regulars (+ Chrissy) who don't know. But oh well. I get that they probably wanted the chance to handle that dramatic milestone at some point on their show and not have it be something that already happened in the past. It just creates quite the stretch in credulity for me.

 

[flickchick85]

So when Tal-Roh first landed here as a kid, he had something plugged into the back of his head attached to his ship, like straight out of the Matrix. I didn't notice that before, but that's pretty suspicious, right? Clark certainly didn't have that. Again I suspect he's more "science experiment" than "son."

 

[Dark Raven]

So when Tal-Roh first landed here as a kid, he had something plugged into the back of his head attached to his ship, like straight out of the Matrix. I didn't notice that before, but that's pretty suspicious, right? Clark certainly didn't have that. Again I suspect he's more "science experiment" than "son."

It would be great if Tal-Roh finds out that he's not even really Kryptonian but just an experiment created by Kryptonians. So much for his patriotism then. Maybe he'll even find out he was a human boy abducted by Kryptonians and then later sent back to earth.

 

[Boy Scout]

To me the disguise works best when they keep it simple: people who don't give Clark a 2nd glance wouldn't even consider his resemblance to Superman (if they notice it at all) as anything but a resemblance to a famous person. Like the guy at the grocery store who looks like Brad Pitt or whatever. They'd never even entertain the notion that the seemingly all-powerful alien god who flies around their planet saving people would spend most of his time as the mild-mannered dork at the office fetching coffee. Because he doesn't wear a mask, most people should be assuming that Superman is just Superman 24/7. The idea of him having a secret identity wouldn't even cross most people's minds.

That’s exactly right. The disguise is effective not only because of everything you just said, but because most people don’t interact with Clark or Superman in equal measure. I don’t think the method of disguise is generally a problem; there’s something to be said for blending into the background and hiding in plain sight. But, as you go on to point out, the people who know and interact with Clark or Superman on a somewhat regular basis (like Lana and Sarah, who met Superman a few episodes ago) should be able to figure out that he’s masquerading as the “other guy” with little trouble. That is, unless you go full Reeve.

But the people who actually get to know Clark and SEE him for the great guy he actually is end up figuring it out pretty quickly. So to me the "ridiculous" part of it on this show is that Lana has somehow known Clark for 40+ years and didn't already know by the time this show started. That was just not the route I would've gone, personally. She still could've kept it a secret from her family so there would still be regulars (+ Chrissy) who don't know. But oh well. I get that they probably wanted the chance to handle that dramatic milestone at some point on their show and not have it be something that already happened in the past. It just creates quite the stretch in credulity for me.

I don’t have a problem with that, actually. I got the impression (can’t remember if it was outright stated) that they’ve barely seen or spoken to each other since they graduated high school. If that’s the case, there’s no reason she should’ve figured it out before now and I can’t imagine why he’d feel inclined to tell her.

 

[Gaultheria]

So when Tal-Roh first landed here as a kid, he had something plugged into the back of his head attached to his ship, like straight out of the Matrix. I didn't notice that before, but that's pretty suspicious, right? Clark certainly didn't have that. Again I suspect he's more "science experiment" than "son."

Tal-Rho detaching the bumpy cable from the back of his head:



There's something similar in Kal-El's ship during his descent to Earth:



We don't see if the cable in Kal's ship connects to him, and the arrival scene doesn't show the back of his head, but the cable looks non-biological, so I think it's the same thing that Tal's ship had.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I am halfway through this episode, and I hate everything about this Morgan Edge plot. Just frigging awful.