Exposition Workhorse: Legacy
Written by Hope

Just once this year does Jeph Loeb step up to write an episode of Smallville, and "Legacy" is going to be a brilliant episode... when the season is over. Every show has pivot points, places where the story has to be set up, so it can be properly told. Storylines have to be turned, characters have to turn, and this episode accomplished all of those things... the only problem is, if you're not spoiled, you have no idea what actually happened.

Now, the threads are there- they make up the substance of this episode. Jonathan's deal with Jor-El is coming to a head, he's stepping down as the Kent Man and handing that mantle to Clark. Likewise, Lionel is being dragged kicking and screaming from the dais so that Lex may be coronated in his stead. Lana's finally figuring out that she doesn't need a boy to make the world go around; astronomy will take care of that just fine, thank you, and Clark's facing the only mortality he ever will: the death of his childhood.

The devil, however, is in the details, and none of the details make sense because we don't know *exactly* where this show is going. We have a good idea (see also: we know how this ends,) but we don't know *how* they get there. "Legacy" worked hard to turn all the characters so they can move in different directions toward their ends (both finale-wise, and their ultimate disposition when this is all done,) but damned if I know what *this* episode was actually *about*.

This is a perpetual problem with exposition episodes- there's a long list of things that have to get done for the betterment of the entire season, and oftentimes the writer forgets that it *also* has to be a compelling hour of television on its own merits. The funny thing is, with the return of Dr. Swann, getting to see Jonathan and Lionel beat the everliving crap out of each other, getting to see Clark and Lex throw down, it wasn't a *boring* episode to watch, just a confusing one.

I suspect if I read spoilers, I'd have lots and lots to talk about in this particular review. Overall, I can say that the dialogue was solid, the acts were well structured, though it felt that the climax (the smackdown in the caves between the fathers,) came at an odd place. I was left wondering if this was the faux climax, and waiting for another, but all I got was falling action after that. Those things said, Jeph Loeb writes these characters in such a human way, which shouldn't come as a surprise at all. There's a reason that the years directly preceding Loeb's tenure at the Superman comics are referred to as the Pre-Loeb Era, and his own is called The New Direction.

Loeb revolutionized the way the comics told Superman stories, remembering always that there was a man beneath the cape; he's also the one who rewrote fifty years worth of comic mythos to create a Krypton that was not a sterile, emotionless wasteland, nor its inhabitants vicious conquerors. Knowing that little bit of comic lore is what gives me the impression that Loeb did incredible things in this episode, but nothing I'll know for certain until we see the rest of the season.

So... it was exposition, and it wasn't oatmeal- and that's good! But it was exposition and it was confusing- and that's bad. But! In retrospect, I suspect it's going to be incredible, so to accurately reflect that, I'm only going to grade this as an individual episode for now, but I'll come back to it after the finale.

Screenwriting: C+
To Watch: C+

Note: The views of Hope don't necessarily represent the thoughts and feelings of everyone at KryptonSite.

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