Maybe they used it because it caused Tom Welling to smile spectacularly. That is a handsome boy right there. My boyfriend (KrustyKlown, see above) kept rewinding to watch the smile.
I believe that’s a breathe-controlled wheelchair controller. Stephen Hawking has something similar.
I liked the scrolling of the text - that could be an important part of how to read Kryptonese - maybe Clark, used to the static text of us mere earthlings, slightly mistranslated something. They are starting to make Jonathan Kent a little too thick for me. I would agree Lex is the best character on the show - maybe they could have him develop into a really, really misunderstood or flawed character, instead of just plain evil. Maybe he will read of hear the message in the ship that Clark translated, read it the same way, and become the arch enemy of Superman to save the earth from his rule. Smallville has certainly taken the old Superman concept and given it some really good, intelligent twists and turns.
Slight hijack here - did the post crisis Superman have a human borther or sister? And was there ever a Chloe in the post crisis world?
Not unless you count “Matrix,” an artificial life form taken in by the Kents, who lived with them for a while and eventually became the post-Crisis Supergirl.
No. And Pete Ross is a blond white guy in the comics. And Lana is a redhead.
If the last time the Kryptonians visited the planet the humans that lived there were still stone-age hunter-gatherers living in caves (at the time the message was left) and were worshipped as gods because of their power and technology, it makes sense that Jor-El would think that Clark would be destined to be considered a god and leader among those same primitive peoples. Tenhnologically, we’ve progressed very quickly in the last few thousand years, compared to where we were 8-10,000 years ago. They had no way to know that our society would be as changed as it is.
StG
Fiver - I think that although Reeve can go for a time off his vent, he’s not completely breathing on his own. It might be a conscious effort instead of automatic, as with most of us. And when you add in the work and concentration necessary to act and remember lines, etc, I think it might be aking too much to through that in there. Besides, even if he’s able to breathe on his own for say, five minutes at a time, that doesn’t mean he could do it through numerous takes and whatever. Better safe than sorry.
StG
I thought it was a great episode. I too got a little thrill from hearing the John Williams music.
It’s kind of a shame to see Lex and Clark at odds already. I’d hoped they wouldn’t come to that until closer to the end of the series. I suspect that in this world, Lex will know that Clark is Superman, but will keep the info to himself, for possible use as leverage against him.
I also considered the possibility that Clark wasn’t interpreting the message in the ship correctly, although maybe on this Krypton Jor-El and Lara were the rulers, so they expected their son to be the same on his new world.
I think the fact that he mentioned he may be reading the message incorrectly is good evidence that he was, but I could just be optimistic.
I don’t think they mentioned the character’s quadroplegia at all, though I could have missed something.
I always thought Tom Welling looked like Christopher Reeve’s younger brother, so it was interesting to see them side by side.
All in all, I think “Smallville” has breathed new life into the whole Superman idea; the first episode made me laugh when Lana noticed Clark had been reading Nietsche’s Man and Superman; she asked, “Which are you?” and he said, “I haven’t figured it out yet.” Not to mention the rather startling image of Clark crucified out in the cornfield with an “S” written on his chest…
I thought the first episode was obvious and strained, Baldwin. It’s since improved.
Younger brother, nothing! Tom Welling could be Christopher Reeve’s son! Even if he was playing his true age of 25+.
Where in Atlanta do you live? I’m in East Atlanta Village.