Pandora (909)

[GateWorld]

SMALLVILLE SEASON NINE PANDORA EPISODE NUMBER - 909 Tess kidnaps Lois in the hopes of learning what she is seeing in her visions, discovering a terrible future for Earth under Kandorian rule. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >

[marty2006]

Interesting episode.

[Elflinn]

I really enjoyed this ep.

Spoiled... you've been forwarned!

Spoiler:

I loved how we got to see what actually happened when Lois went to the future. All of the flashbacks of it all fell together. Now, it makes me want to watch even more to find out how everything is going to play out since it cost her memories. Woohoo! Clark asking. "What are doing ? or something like that. That so rocked! Now, Bring on the JSA! The promo alone for the new ep for Jan. 22nd (US) return is going seem like forever! Besides, do ya think Clark is just a little bit protective of Lois?...

[Heaven]

kneel before Kal-El!
loved the last scene

the future kinda sucked though, there was like gazillion plotholes
they should have put more thought into that story

[Replicator Todd]

This was quite an epic episode!

[the fifth man]

This was quite an epic episode!

Yeah, I would say so. Seeing where things go from here should be really amazing.

[tanneth]

Ok first off I think this was one really killer ep, that said. What I don't understand is why does the red sun make Clark lose his powers and the Kandors get theirs? Sorry I know this has probably been explained somewhere I must have missed it.

Thanks

[Heaven]

Ok first off I think this was one really killer ep, that said. What I don't understand is why does the red sun make Clark lose his powers and the Kandors get theirs? Sorry I know this has probably been explained somewhere I must have missed it.

Thanks

it was never really explained but it's either a mutation (as Jor-El did say that might happen) or he did it to them on purpose.

either way it's a crap plot device that leads to a bucket of plotholes.

[wise one]

maybe i missed something but clark not really that smart he supposed to be from krypton even though his whole life he lived on earth his brain should be naturally smart or evolved enough for a standard kryptonian to deal with a sitaution even when his powers are gone.

and what happened to the fortress did the kandorians destroy it since jor-el fortress could cover the sun with some manipulation from zor-el that woud of stopped the kandorians and there tower and that would give humans time to destroy the tower

like poeple have said lots of plotholes and i didnt realise just how many kandorians there where on earth poor oliver

[entil2001]

I’ve always been a sucker for apocalyptic futures and visions. There’s just something about knowing that things are on the verge of falling apart completely, knowing that familiar faces are somehow responsible, and seeing them try to make adjustments to prevent that future from occurring. It’s a well-worn plot device, but one that usually works for a reason.

It’s a convenient way to approach one of the key philosophical debates within human existence: predestination vs. free will. Are we bound by some complex law of cause and effect or the whims of a higher power with complete control, or do we have the ability to change probabilities and shape our own destiny? It is a question at the heart of humanity’s spiritual struggles, and as such, it rightfully serves as the center of much of our popular culture myths.

In a sense, “Smallville” has always been a story about destiny vs. free will on several levels. There are the obvious expectations laid at Clark’s feet by his father, and the question of whether or not he can find his own path within the confines of those expectations. But there is also the approach taken with the series: how closely must the story of “Smallville” conform to the expectations of the Superman myth, as known within modern culture? How far can the story deviate before it becomes too different for its own good? (Many might say that ship has long since sailed.)

The writers did themselves a favor by setting Lois’ experience of the future only one year ahead of the end of the eighth season, confining the struggle to prevent the fall of humanity to this season. It’s a fair bet that Clark will manage to prevent Zod and his minions from completing their bizarre plan to harness the power of an altered sun, but he cannot know which path will take him to what end.

What is interesting is that Tess and Clark both have partial knowledge of this future disaster now. Tess had her misgivings about Zod in previous episodes, but now she knows that standing with Zod will not end well for her. Just like Clark, Tess may try to shift her strategy in the hope of preventing Zod from executing his plan. The question is: will the attempt to prevent the future bring about the circumstances of its arrival?

It’s already clear that Lois’ memories depict a timeline of events that differ from the continuity of the episodes since the season premiere. The fact that Lois came back from the future altered the sequence of events. So it’s possible that everyone will be reacting to prevent a future that is already obsolete to some degree. Because they have very limited information, they could change things and actually make the future worse in comparison.

For that matter, I’m intrigued by this idea that Zod thought he was saving the world. It seems clear that the alterations to the sun brought about massive negative climate change (as one would expect), so how exactly was Zod creating this new Golden Age? He might have been talking about saving the world for his own people, except that Tess was almost fanatically convinced that following Zod to the bitter end was the right thing to do. So there is a huge piece of information missing from the equation.

I’m also not sure about how Zod’s scheme is supposed to work. The tower somehow alters the sun to shift from yellow (and its subsequent radiation) to red. Generally speaking, red stars are huge. The sun looked much bigger in the episode, but most estimates suggest that when the sun goes to red giant, it will have a diameter encompassing Earth’s orbit. So the writers were taking some creative license, without a doubt. (And this is “Smallville”, so of course they are!)

But more to the point of the mythos, it is the yellow sun’s characteristics that give Clark his abilities. The Kryptonians, living under a red star, did not have abilities. That is their default, normal state. So how would changing the sun to a red star give Zod and his minions their abilities, while taking Clark’s abilities away? It’s obviously just a plot device, similar to what occurred at the end of “Superman II”, but it would have been nice if it had made a little more sense within the context of the established series mythology.

The details of Zod’s plot, however, are a minor annoyance, and pale in comparison to the strength of the rest of the narrative. One can see the seeds of that terrible future in the current status quo, and it should be very interesting to see how the characters try to change things to thwart Zod. It will be a long wait for the new episodes to resume in January 2010.

[Heaven]

maybe i missed something but clark not really that smart he supposed to be from krypton even though his whole life he lived on earth his brain should be naturally smart or evolved enough for a standard kryptonian to deal with a sitaution even when his powers are gone.

that's exactly why I don't like him
I can never admire a character that has zero ambition
and is all muscle no brains.

in the comics superman had a genius intellect

I’m also not sure about how Zod’s scheme is supposed to work. The tower somehow alters the sun to shift from yellow (and its subsequent radiation) to red. Generally speaking, red stars are huge. The sun looked much bigger in the episode, but most estimates suggest that when the sun goes to red giant, it will have a diameter encompassing Earth’s orbit. So the writers were taking some creative license, without a doubt. (And this is “Smallville”, so of course they are!)

the sun wasn't actually altered. the way they explained it the tower collects radiation from the sun turns it red and beams it to luthercorp satelites that reflect it back to the planet.
the tower effectively creates a sort of force field covering the yellow sun and only red radiation can pass.

[LoneStar1836]

it was never really explained but it's either a mutation (as Jor-El did say that might happen) or he did it to them on purpose.

either way it's a crap plot device that leads to a bucket of plotholes.

I'd guess that Jor-El did something to them when he put their DNA or whatever in the orb. They had to come up with something that didn't allow the other Kryptonians to have powers right off the bat otherwise Clark would have had a snowball's chance in hell of defeating them considering their numbers. So I think it works. These are clones and not the real deal like Clark so it works for me...their DNA could have been manipulated to strip them of the ability to get powers from the yellow sun.

I thought the ep was good...especially considering this storyline is where my interest in this season lies.

[wise one]

jor-el used blue kryptonite on the orb in the scene before zod came in and then asked him to use his wife and child dna and put it into the orb, jor-el said no because it was a tiny fragment of dna and said he wouldnt know what would happen and that it could cause a mutation

i think if jor-el didnt use the blue kryptonite on the orb they would be the average kryptonian under the yellow sun but with it it seems the blue kryptonite is infused with the dna so with the red sun or red raidation they get there powers

[Heaven]

wise_one, I guess it's possible the blue crystal he used infused them with blue kryptonite but still there's too many inconsistencies.

- in the season opener Alia showed up from the future and didn't have powers on the train when fighting Lois.
- then she suddenly had powers again (under yellow sun) fighting Clark
- then blue kryptonite took both her and Clark's powers
- now in Pandora, when the tower went down Zod didn't have his powers under yellow sun
- then Alia shows up and she has powers (in yellow sun)

it's like a black hole of inconsistencies

[LoneStar1836]

Maybe there is something special about her that they have yet to reveal. *shrug* I'm going with that otherwise that is some really shoddy writing if her abilities under the yellow sun are never addressed. We still have half a season to go so I don't think we've seen the last of her and why she's different.


That's why I don't pay too much attention to detail with this show. I just kinda watch it if you know what I mean. Paying too close attention to detail over the years would make one go crazy as there are lots of inconsistencies and rewrites. Not ready to write this particular detail off as one of those yet though.