The CW's Smallville is drawing to a close. The most recent episode, “Booster,” furthers the Superman mythology, bringing Clark Kent (Tom Welling) closer to his destiny. In it, Lois (Erica Durance) helps Clark further build his geeky demeanor so that he can come out publically as a hero. Cat (Keri Lynn Pratt) is still not a supporter of The Blur, but she is taken in by a new hero in town: Booster Gold (Eric Martsolf), claiming his "openness" as the source of her attraction. Booster arrives to try to take The Blur’s place in Metropolis, but unlike Clark,
he uses flashy commercials and events to get attention. Meanwhile, Booster’s presence has unexpected consequences when, during a rescue, an alien scarab is released, and it latches onto nerdy Jaime Reyes (Jaren Brandt Bartlett), turning him into the Blue Beetle.
Advertisements for this episode make it seem like a goofy side adventure, a weird way to go with only a few hours left in the series. Thankfully, that is not the case, as not only are both Booster Gold and Blue Beetle foils for Clark in different ways, but Clark gets even closer to becoming Superman. He changes in a phone booth for the first time (who even knew any still exist?), and refines the geeky demeanor he will use as his secret identity. Booster recommends Clark choose a cooler name that incorporates his "S" symbol, preferably something "super." These important touches make this episode better than the average one, and show it is worthy to be included this close to the end.
A major development that may be a tad unexpected: Clark's biggest worry about assuming his new persona is not about himself, but how it will reflect on Lois, who still plans on marrying him. He argues this will seems out of place, since she is now so successful, and he is... well, not. He basically gives her a pass, which she chooses not to use, because she doesn't care how it looks. She loves him. Score another point for the gumption of Lois Lane, a character trait found in virtually all versions of the character.
Article comments