User Reviews

There is a breach in the security system of the Luthor mansion, and while running to the panic room with Lana, Lex vanishes. Sooner he finds that he is invisible, trapped in another frequency by the meteor freak and former electrician Bronson that wants to disclose to the world the experiments of the LuthorCorp's secret laboratory 33.1. Meanwhile Clark is informed by Chloe that the entire crew of the vessel was found dead in Seattle and he discovers that they have been slaughtered by the starving Zoner Aldar that feeds of human bones.

In "Static", there are two parallel stories: the first one about a man seeking revenge on Lex, and the relationship of the always weepy Lana Lang and her present lover Lex. The other one is about a dangerous and powerful Zoner that is vanquished by a mysterious man with abilities. Who is the saver of Clark and what will happen to Lana's baby are the greatest questions left in this reasonable episode. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Estática" ("Static")

Clark seeks out the third Phantom Zone escapee, while a meteor freak aims to get revenge at Lex in "Static."

A Phantom has massacred a port in Seattle, devouring people's bones for nutrition. Clark goes to stop him. Meanwhile, a meteor freak who escaped from Lex's secret test lab 33.1 gets revenge at Lex by trapping him in another realm of frequency waves. Clark's familiar Superman-logo looking crystal is unable to vanquish the Zoner, as it did the past one, Baern. Without a way to stop him, a mysterious dark man with glowing eyes comes to Clark's rescue. Meanwhile, Lana gives Lex the benefit of the doubt, claiming there is no 33.1. Near the end of the episode, Lex says quite a shocker concerning he and Lana's future.

'Static' is a little different episode, as a product of being directed by new crew member James Conway. However, the storyline involving 33.1 is progressed, and an important figure in the Superman story is hinted in this episode.

"Static" introduces another escapee from the Phantom Zone. I've always had mixed feelings about season 6. On one hand, the ongoing storyline of Clark's mission to recapture all of the Phantoms offered a nice change in pace. For once we didn't need to sit through 5 minutes of exposition to explain how the villain of the week developed their powers, and the Phantoms posed a serious threat to Clark. On the other hand, the producers continue to disappoint week by week with the portrayal of the Phantoms themselves. First a park ranger, then Lil' Bow Wow, and now the first of multiple WWE Superstars we'll see this season. Overall my opinion is that this particular Phantom of the week was a much better adversary for Clark, but it was way too distracting to see a well known wrestler in the show. It completely took me out of the episode.

This episode actually included two totally separate stories. Clark vs Phantom Zone escapee, and Lex being turned into Static by your standard disgruntled freak. I'm usually not a fan of the Smallville stories that go so heavily sci-fi, which is why I was surprised that I actually enjoyed Lex's story. I'm also not usually pleased with the episodes that tell two completely separate stories with no connection to each other, but yet again I didn't mind this one. I think the main reason why double plotted episodes usually don't work is because there's rarely an equal amount of time spent. One story usually carries 80% while the other is only featured in a few scenes. "Static" is much closer to 50/50. While neither plot is particularly strong on it's own, dedicating only a little over 20 minutes to each means the episode doesn't really drag on.

While far from a perfect episode, Static in my opinion is slightly better than it's reputation. There's even a nice tease at the end for another DC character soon to be introduced.