Smallville: "Fallout" Review Special guest star Bow Wow hunts down Kal-El while Lex and Lana's relationship begins to falter.

November 2, 2006 - Every so often a series requires a transition episode to move the overall story arc forward from point A to point B. An episode that will set the stage for things to come filled with a fair amount of exposition and plenty of retrospect. "Fallout" is one of these episodes and while it does plenty to further Kal-El's progression into Superman it is also comprised of a rather mundane villain and an unimaginative story. 

A good deal of "Fallout" focuses on Lana Lang and Lex Luthor's relationship, which has been fairly strong up until now. Sadly for those who have been enjoying their time together, the cracks in their union are beginning to show and Lex isn't the only one who is to blame. Lana decides to have a secret meeting with Dr. Groll who has been working on "the box" - a piece of the Brain Interactive Consciousness a.k.a. Brainiac. Unfortunately for Lana, cub photographer Jimmy Olsen snaps some photos of the meeting that make there way back into Lex's hands. Lex immediately confronts Lana and we are greeted to several chilling scenes between the two that have them questioning the very foundation of their relationship. 

One specific scene that stands out in this episode is Clark visiting Lana and Lex in the hospital. Lana knows that Clark hasn't been telling her something, she has known for years and Clark finally makes a conscious decision to be open with her instead of keeping secrets. She is still very cold towards her former boyfriend but the dynamic of this scene is very different from any they had last season. For once they felt like equals instead of Lana always being left on the outside looking in and if these two do reconcile this will hopefully be the foundation of their new relationship. 
 

The villain of "Fallout" is a Phantom Zone escapee that inhabits the body of Lamar (Bow Wow) who then tears across country towards Smallville searching for Clark Kent. Bow Wow does a respectable job in the role but the character is poorly written with silly dialogue like "I'm back and now I'm Supersized" and "Paying for the sins of your father can be a bitch". Lines like these ruin a key scene towards the end of the episode. They were probably going for the "teen mixed with Zone supervillain" feel but the dialogue falls flat and is fairly cheesy; not in the "boxing arrow" good way. Baern (the creature that inhabits Lamar) is a serviceable villain but appears to be there more to place key pieces in the right place for the next few episodes. 

"Serviceable" is also a word that applies to the character of Raya who is essentially in the episode to help Clark understand who he really is. Clark goes through a metamorphosis during "Fallout". He realizes that he has been avoiding his destiny for far too long and that it is now time to train with Jor-El so that he can give back to the planet that has been home to him for so long. A key transition into what he will become and he imparts his feelings to his mother while holding a crystal with the classic Superman "S" symbol on it. 

Lois and Ollie are a "no-show" this week but Chloe does make an appearance and she doesn't have much to do besides motivate Jimmy to visit Lex and give Clark some key information. 

"Fallout" presents a mildly entertaining story about an alien with a grudge against the "El" family but it succeeds far more in setting events in motion for the next few episodes of the season. Episodes that will undoubtedly see more Phantom "Zoners" and the eventual end of the Lex-Lana relationship.