The return of Kara Zor-El is welcome in a very good episode of the eight season. Clark mysteriously re-obtains the Kryptonian crystal that created the Fortress of Solitude nearly four years earlier, having been sent in the mail after Maxima had obtained it in a previous episode. This crystal, however, sends both he and Lois to the Phantom Zone, an unwelcome return for Clark until he finds his cousin Kara there, still alive after being completely taken over by BrainIAC and sent there months earlier. In valiant attempts to free her, the wife of Zod, Faora, escapes and comes to Earth, using Lois' body to find her creation, Davis Bloome. Faora's character and visit helped Davis to further realize that he was designed to be a monster and a killer, and that with correct mindset he is invulnerable to earthly things. Through this he becomes more convinced that Lois really was possessing the soul of someone else, and that the someone else was speaking truth to him about being a creation meant to bring doom to others, on many worlds, but particularly Earth. It's also good to see Kara freed, but to also understand her need to remain connected to the still-alive city of Kandor, from Krypton, a city that has multiple connections to BrainIAC as its conqueror in comic canon. At the same time, Clark is at full understanding that although it would be great to help Kara reclaim Kandor, his calling, as he had told the alien goddess Maxima, is to remain on Earth and inspire hope in others, as he had stated in the previous episode.
3 Reviews
Bloodline
Colcatron27 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Pros and Cons.
PRO- It's good to have Kara back, even if it is a bit of a brief return. She added a lot to season 7, and I always felt they dropped the ball on her character near the end of season 7. I liked the idea of having her trapped inside the Phantom Zone. In a way it's a nice throwback to the Supergirl movie from 1984. Another pro is that the Davis Bloome storyline starts to get more interesting. It was about time they did something with Davis other than the uninspired Jekyl and Hyde that's been done up until this point.
CONS- This is like 2 episodes crammed into one. Kara's return and everything in the Phantom Zone should have been one episode, and then Faora's possession of Lois and the Davis Bloome revelation should have been a 2nd part. It's too ambition for 40 minutes of TV, and because it's all crammed in, neither story really has a chance to take off. Another con, for me at least, is the Phantom Zone itself. I never was a fan of how the Phantom Zone is portrayed in Smallville, but the bigger problem is the ease of escape from it. This is the second fairly easy escape from the Phantom Zome (and there would be a 3rd by season 10). I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but the frequency of visits and ease of escape really kills the idea of it being the scariest and most inescapable prison in the universe.
This is still 10 times better than most of the episodes in the second half of season 8, but I'm not as big of a fan of "Bloodline" as many people seem to be.
PRO- It's good to have Kara back, even if it is a bit of a brief return. She added a lot to season 7, and I always felt they dropped the ball on her character near the end of season 7. I liked the idea of having her trapped inside the Phantom Zone. In a way it's a nice throwback to the Supergirl movie from 1984. Another pro is that the Davis Bloome storyline starts to get more interesting. It was about time they did something with Davis other than the uninspired Jekyl and Hyde that's been done up until this point.
CONS- This is like 2 episodes crammed into one. Kara's return and everything in the Phantom Zone should have been one episode, and then Faora's possession of Lois and the Davis Bloome revelation should have been a 2nd part. It's too ambition for 40 minutes of TV, and because it's all crammed in, neither story really has a chance to take off. Another con, for me at least, is the Phantom Zone itself. I never was a fan of how the Phantom Zone is portrayed in Smallville, but the bigger problem is the ease of escape from it. This is the second fairly easy escape from the Phantom Zome (and there would be a 3rd by season 10). I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but the frequency of visits and ease of escape really kills the idea of it being the scariest and most inescapable prison in the universe.
This is still 10 times better than most of the episodes in the second half of season 8, but I'm not as big of a fan of "Bloodline" as many people seem to be.
Loved the Davis storyline
Metschristian14 April 2014
This episode was great. It was one of the best episodes of season 8 if not the best. So in the episode Clark gets a package which is the phantom crystal which sends both Lois and Clark to the phantom zone. I believe the crystal was sent from Lex hoping it would send Clark to the phantom zone permanently. This episode features the return of Kara. Clark and Lois come across her at the phantom zone. When Lois is released from the phantom zone Zod's wife Faora gets out as well and inhabits Lois's body. Faora then goes after her son Davis Bloome. When she finds him she wonders why Davis is helping people instead of killing them. She tells him his true orgin that he's meant to destroy Earth. Davis is of course very surprised and doesn't want to believe a word of it. She then stabs him in the chest knowing he will heal and become immune to stabbing. When Clark and Kara are released from the phantom zone (thanks to Chole) Clark sends Faora back to the phantom zone. Kara then leaves smallville hoping to find Kandor which she never will. I loved the Davis/Doomsday storyline, it was probably the best story arc of the whole show but it ended really badly.
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