Show: Smallville (WB)
Episode: Vessel – Fifth Season Finale
Originally Aired: Thursday, May 11th 2006
Rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Quick Synopsis: Everybody is in danger. Zod has been released. Clark is trapped.
Long Synopsis: The episode starts with Lex being taken by the ship to prepare him as the vessel for Zod. Clark is told by Jor-El that he must destroy the vessel. This sets up a confrontation between Lex who now has Kryptonian powers and Clark. Clark tries to take out Fine instead of Lex and ends up unleashing Zod. Zod takes over Lex’s body and traps Clark. The episode ends with Clark floating out into space, Lois and his mother passed out in a plane that is off course, Chloe and Lionel being overtaken in the riot and Lana unknowingly with Zod as he stands watch over the destruction of Metropolis.
Review: I was hoping for a little more from the season finale of Smallville, at least in the confrontation between Lex and Clark before he becomes Zod. For what is was though it was pretty good. That being a setup for next season’s opening episode.
There are three types of finale episodes. There is the cliffhanger, the wrap-up and the regular episode or some combination. Veronica Mars was a wrap-up with a cliffhanger. A show like Everybody Hates Chris was just a nice final but regular episode. Smallville was a cliffhanger. Nothing gets concluded and everybody and everything hangs in the balance. Leaving you to wonder all summer, how are they going to get out of that? The big payoff is the first episode next season.
There were some great scenes, like Chloe kissing Clark since they may never see each other again. Also Lex telling Lana off his new powers, Lionel telling Clark he must destroy the vessel and then Clark telling him the vessel is his son and Lex as Zod standing over Metropolis. Lastly watching Clark float away trapped as the Superman theme music plays and the screen goes dark. What were your favorite scenes?
As for that big payoff, I can’t wait to see how they get out of it next season and how they continue the telling of this great story. Will next season be the one where we see him become the superhero we all know he will be?
What did you think of the fifth season finale of Smallville?
