Smallville – S08E17 – Hex


Tonight’s episode: Hex

The guest star parade continues with Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic! Some will roll their eyes, some will clap with glee. I’ll let you decide which category you call into.

Me, I love Zatanna. She’s one of my favorite second tier characters, and it’s not just because of the fishnets. (Not entirely.) I love her bemused attitude towards superheroing. She’s a performer first and a superhero second and even when she’s saving the universe by talking backwards she’s always performing. I like that. It’s totally unique.

And it looks like tonight she’s going to use her magics to make Clark fly. Again with the flying teasing. I don’t know how much more of this people can take!

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, opinions, gripes, live-blogging, etc.

Comments

  1. She’s on my (very) short list of DC characters I actively like. Hmm, basketball or Smallville, basketball or Smallville…

  2. i cant take this teasing ………..make him fly ……….it is getting very annoying

  3. I fell in love with the character Zatanna in her Seven Soldiers series.  Grant Morrison’s Zatanna was awesome.  Not feeling the choice of actress for her on Smallville though, at least not based on her looks.

  4. Jim, that was where I first paid any attention to her. That was a good series and Ryan Sook’s version of Zee hasn’t been equalled. Since then I’ve caught up on much of her history and I just like her. Don’t really know why, I just do.

    Yeah, Smallville wins tonight.

  5. Ok, just to set the scene…. The ‘real’ Zatanna didn’t get her full ubersuite of powers until later in life, right?  So it would be fine if she was more like Sabrina here.  I actually think I’d like it best if she was something like the Timmverse Zatanna.  I always liked the BtAS episode that told her story. 

    No tights no flights should hit the road.  Time to make Smallville into Metropolis. 

  6. Here we go.

  7. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Zatanna Zatanna Zatanna!!!!

  8. I know says words backwards to use her magic.  I wonder what it would be like to have her interact with Mxyzptlk.

  9. Keystone City… Impulse let’s see him again

  10. Looks like Clark’s in the JLA now, huh?

  11. @Jestr: Whomever had to write a Mxyzptlk and Zatanna fight would have a supreme headache.

  12. Unlike Ollie to pass up a chance to flirt with Zatanna, if only briefly.

  13. Chloe has had it ruff… I always feel bad for her…. even when she smothered that guy.

  14. So is this a birthday party for Chloe or they just like at a bar or something, because no one seems to care about her…

  15. noooooooo not another one of these episodes

  16. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    That’s actually a good Allison Mack impression.  

  17. I think that either Dudley Moore or Kirk Cameron or Judge Reinhold is in this episode.

  18. @Paul: I just rewound to see it again.  She nailed the body language.

  19. so wait… she didn’t switch bodies… now there are two loises and lois is still in mexico city.  So she can be here for a day?  Idk

  20. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Trying to imagine what a Grant Morrison scripted Smallville episode would be like.  

  21. @Paul: I would pay good money to see that.

  22. zatanna looks hott

  23. @Ragu73: I agree

  24. That felt a lot like BIG.. or Freaky Friday.

  25. @paul: Imagine Morrison brought a Batman to the Smallville universe. 

  26. Um, isn’t someone gonna notice she’s supposed to be out on assignment?

     

  27. Whoah!  That’s a terribly inappropriate comment!

  28. She is even dressing like she would as Chloe.

  29. Is it just me, or is Clark acting way cocky this episode?

  30. If clark doesn’t notice… he’s stupider than i thought he was.  Also isn’t Oliver pissed his plane blew up.

  31. when is clark going to start to wear glasses???anyone

  32. Ah, they were at a bar not a party.

  33. Zatara!

  34. @Jets4life242: They’re already established Clark pretty firmly without glasses. They really can’t have the regular Clark/Superman dynamic in this world.

  35. I hope she joins the League at the end of the episode.

  36. ok well if ollie believes her without her showing him any magic he may top clark in the stupid file.

  37. @Ragu77: You mean beside just disappearing from his office?

  38. @Conor: Maybe in this world he stays the Red/Blue Blur.

     

    Ugh, that reminds me of Red/Blue Superman.

  39. ok i made the comment before that… i take it back

  40. @conor : then when he becomes superman (the end of the series) everyone will know it is him?

  41. @conor: my bad.

  42. I haven’t had any major cringes yet.  There’s even backstory being added in!  yay! 

  43. @jets4life242: I’m not convinced he ever will become Superman.  If he does, they’ll have to come up with some kind of contrivance.

  44. You know if they are going to call the episode Hex it should have Jonah Hex in it.

  45. CW ads seem so much sadder than those on real networks.

  46. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I love how journalism works in the Smallville universe.  

  47. I’ve decided that my life is incomplete not owning a megaphone.

  48. @Paul: Totally.  There’s nothing to it!

  49. Crap, breaking news interrupted, where did the crazy guy come from?

  50. yeh clark how?

  51. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Actually the episode should’ve been called ‘Hex’d’

  52. because he is stupid

  53. I missed the beginning and now i’m too lazy to go back and see what happened… why did Zatanna hex Chloe into Lois’ body…?

  54. They really missed an opportunity to have Choe list all of Clark’s transgressions against her there. It could have been a scene of "Costanza and the Co-Op Board" proportions.

  55. How did you not pick up on that sooner? You’re a moron, Clark. A moron. That’s why.

  56. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @Jim – Chloe wished she had Lois’ life.  

  57. @Jim: She offered Chloe one wish.  Chloe wanted to be Lois.  She’s not actually in Lois’ body, she just looks like Lois now.

  58. @conor: it should be interesting how they end it all

  59. @RobAbsten: If your friend acts weird do you assume someone else is inside a body that just looks like theirs?

  60. Ah… sweet exposition. 

  61. @Conor:  Would the episode be titled "Festivus"

  62. Are his powers gone?

  63. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Zatanna is an Angel!

  64. haha so he forgets he had powers?  Hmm… thats actually better than just losing them. That was a good choice honestly.

  65. I know this is different then the comics but….

    I dont recall Zatanna ever being evil…

  66. not sarcasm.

  67. zatanna is great ……..it seems her magic wears off tho

  68. @Conor: I would assume so, this is like the Superman movie.  He realizes he wants his powers in the end.

  69. By the way, one of my favorite lines in any comic came in that Seven Soldiers Zatanna series: (SPOILER?): the message from her father, "I wrote my books in you, Zatanna. You were my greatest spell. My gift to the world…" 

  70. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @TNC – She isn’t evil here either…

  71. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    "Lois is the tall one."  Bwahahaha!

  72. She should drop him off the building.

  73. @Paul: I get an evil vibe from her….or an erotic vibe…hard to distinguish the two actually..

  74. I guess we’ll see if he has powers or not.

  75. It seems that when Clark forgets about his double life, he gets doublely earnest.

  76. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Great scene.  

  77. This is really corny.

  78. I am enjoying the whimsy tonight. It’s a nice change of pace.

  79. nice slap him across the face.  "Have you completely lost your mind that could have hurt?"  Wtf?  Thats what you say when a pipe is coming at you.

  80. This is the best acting job by Tom Welling I’ve seen.  Hilarious!

  81. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Shoot him with a gun!  

    "I told them not to put so much starch in my shirt this time!" 

  82. Clark was transformed into the stick in his ass.

  83. God I love Green Arrow…

  84. @superchuck: Agreed. It’s up there with his Red Kryptonite "Kal" persona.

  85. @chuck: Erica is doing a superb job as well.

  86. "I wasn’t totally sure it was you until you took off those glasses."

  87. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Now, if they do this right, Ollie’s wish SHOULD be that there are stripper poles every thirty feet.  

  88. Yeah….she’s evil…

  89. BACKWARDS TALK!

    (I think)

  90. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I still contend…not evil.  

  91. @Conor:   Hahahahahaha!!!!! See it does work in the Smallville universe.

  92. @jes, Definitely, her impersonation of Chloe is fabulous.

     

    Wow, those were some cool magic effects. 

  93. @PaulMontgomery – I hope he doesn’t forget the, you know, strippers.

  94. @Paul: Well she might be doing this to get her dad back….but still I say evil…

  95. awesome episode

  96. @Paul: I don’t think she’s evil either.  She’s just desperate to get her father back.  Heroes have worst dustups over disagreements than this in the books all the time.

  97. "eit mih ni epor" I think she said.

  98. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    God, I love magic.  

  99. I could rewind and put on closed captioning, but it’s almost back form commercial.

  100. If she says anal will Lana disappear from the show. 

  101. This Zatanna actress has won me over, by the way.

  102. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    They should keep Clark this way.  For the rest of the series.  

  103. Two weeks in three of wacky Superman fun.  This is great.  It doesn’t need to be said again, but Lois + Clark – Lana = Great Smallville.

  104. oh boy …..whos it gonna be???/

  105. CRAP! Another interruption!

  106. It’s Poltergiest!

  107. @paul:  Yeh hes not as much of a jerk. or tool.

  108. Fly, bitch, fly.

  109. @Paul: This is like when Batman punched Guy Gardner in Giffen’s JL and made him a super dopey nice guy for like a year.  It was fantastic.

  110. This must be one of those empty streets in NYC I’ve heard so much about..

  111. Omg! He’s flying! 🙂

  112. not flying jumping.  Explains the preview.

  113. Did he just fly???

  114. finalllyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

  115. Does that count as flying…?

  116. That looked like a power jump.  Like the original Superman (who couldn’t fly).

  117. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    That was a leap.  All vertical.  Flying requires horizontal.  

  118. bla bla bla do some more magic.

  119. ….Can I just believe he flew?

    I was wrong, she wasnt evil. My bad

  120. Good, now that that’s over – join the Justice League, Zatanna!

  121. They have a lot of anti-drug commercials on this channel…

  122. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I wanted a really weird, really random Zatara cameo in there.  Like David Copperfield.  

  123. chloe is deff going to die ………they been teasing it for weeks

  124. @Paul:

    ‘Here’s my big brothers ‘Seigfried and Roy’-Zatanna 🙂

  125. Well I’m sure it was just a super leap but they used the same fx from when he flew in the first ep of season 4.

  126. @paul  hahaha david copperfield

  127. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    I’m sorry…punched through her what?  

  128. I like bagels

  129. Mmm… I want a bagel.

  130. bagels?? in kansas??

  131. @jets: Maybe he ran all the way to NYC in superspeed to get those bagels.

  132. @jets4life242: Metropolis appears to be a major metropolitan city, I’m sure they have bagels there.

  133. Blah blah blah…Justice League!?

  134. @thenextchampion:haha very possible

  135. Those look like those plastic kiddie juice bottles; that also look like mini barrells.

  136. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    The episode should have ended with Ollie still tied up to that post.  

    "Guys?  Helloooo?"

  137. reserve member

  138. No Justice League for Zatanna…

  139. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Ollie got his wish after all.  

  140. Middle Management Superman

  141. Wow, that was a provocative wink there.

  142. @conor: i would hope soo

  143. Speaking of poker face, I wonder if Chloe kept that money…

  144. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Who wouldn’ve thought Clark Kent was sentimental?  

    Ummm… 

  145. hit that up clark

  146. It should end with the cop coming in stating: ‘Where’s my money!?’

  147. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    Clark, you clod.  

  148. they make clark such a jerk all the time

  149. Eh, he wasn’t a jerk tonight… he’s just being dumb. As usual.

  150. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    She’s Oracle?!

  151. I could handle another year’s worth of episodes like this. 

  152. JLA >>>>>>>AWESOME

  153. ….So is Chloe the new Oracle now?

  154. awesome ending

  155. Watchtower. Nice.

  156. now she aint paraolized

  157. Good ending. I like cloe as the watchtower.  And the legion would be like.  OHHH she’s watchtower.  That’s who she is.

  158. THAT WAS AWESOME. 

  159. Great episode.  Best since LEGION.

  160. They should have closed playing "All Along the Watchtower".

  161. Hahaha

  162. @conor:  I agree.  I feel like if i cut out the two lana centric episodes this is filling out to be a very good season.

  163. @conor: agree

  164. Good episode, not the greatest. I would’ve like to see Zatanna stay on but I guess they cant keep this show overcrowded with over Superheroes.

    It’s amazing how WB has no problem with Impulse, Green Arrow, Cyborg, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and some others being actually named and in costume….but Superman in his tights and flying? Nooooo

  165. @Conor and Ragu:  I couldn’t have said it better myself.

  166. Onto Futurama….and beyond!

  167. I’m from the midwest; what are these "bagels"?

    Also, I ride a cow to work.

    (Panera @^#%$ started here, you know.)

  168. @Jimski: Do you have a hat made of straw? And overalls?

  169. Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

    @Jimski – Please explain the appeal of NASCAR.  

  170. This episode was great, it was also a tip of the hat to all those "Chlois" and "Chloe must die" fans out there. They teased both in this episode. But at the end they are saying that neither of those things is going to happen, and they gave Chloe a purpose by having her man the JLA Watchtower.

  171. This was easily one of the best episodes of the season and maybe the most fun episode in years, easily in the top 5 since its started.  It really had tons of fun and humor mixed with danger and what I think everyone has enjoyed in this season, a big dose of DC Comics lore.  Introducing Zatanna was brilliant, and Serinda Swann could be one of the best casting they’ve done for an existing DC character!  I thought she was spot on, looked the part (wow she’s pretty!) and they brought in her origin story.  As a DC fan, I was loving this one from start to finish. 

    Then all the mischief she caused with Chloe & Clark… I was actually laughing out loud!  Welling and Durrance both seemed to up their game on this one.  Erica has been great all year, but Welling’s Clark was classic!  When he dialed 911, I clapped!  My ONLY complaint is…….  PLEASE PUT GLASSES ON HIM!  PLEEEEEEEEASE find a way to explain him taking on the dual identity so that we get that all NEXT season!  This is really REALLY a Superman show now… yet… technically no Superman.  Its thoroughly entertaining, but sometimes thoroughly frustrating at the same time.

    Finally, I must say, Ollie’s interaction throughout the episode with Zatanna was cool.  Am I nuts, but I want to see a JLA show with the characters they’ve already established with more added.  How cool would that be…?

    GRADE: 5 OUT OF 5

  172. This show is still on?

  173. Yep, and it does quite well too.