This episode of Smallville reminds me how so much of this series relies on a form of tragedy upon which a character falls to disaster. This was that episode. A love lost by Jor-El, Clark's father who happens to look like Clark. Some episodes where Clark still can't allow himself to be the boyfriend of Lana are more a Greek tragedy that at some level within our life we, like Clark, befall a disturbingly difficult period in our life as well. Albeit most don't suffer nearly as many times as Clark does. He's a repeater that guy when it comes to tragedies.
Other more common tragedies are when a principal character recognizes or discovers another character's true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances, this by definition a tragedy called an anagnorisis. Those episodes are what many in the Smallville Community call Freak of the Week. This happens when a character is affected, usually by a meteor rock, from Superman's planet of birth, Krypton. Thereby, when the secret identity of the new guy with powers is found out by one of the main characters i.e., Clark, Chloe, Pete or Lana, or Lex, Leonel sometimes Ma and Pa Kent. This importantly ties our principal character to learn the secret identity which follows with the storied completion of this tragedy.
To have peripeteia tragedy occur in your story, the characters must experience a change in their internal or external circumstances. Guess what, this occurs in near every Smallville episode. Change is observed, and it is generally about the antagonist. He or She, makes their way from being normal to having powers. This changes his internal and, or external circumstances. Also, another example would be Love, gained, love lost by any of the series major characters.
There are three more tragedies; the tragedy of suffering; the tragedy of character; both occur throughout this series, and lastly spectacle.
The brilliance of Smallville writing is that they knew a complex tragedy requires a cocktail mix of at least two tragedies such as anagnorisis, and peripeteia in order to make an even more potent caliber story The series played more like a soap opera to appeal to women and men. This includes enough love, and relationship bonding, an appeal to women, but for men- a great display of a superhero's machoism from our young man Clark Kent. Tom Welling played him as an understated hero, self reflective, self- deprecating teenager. He may have every right to celebrate or brag, instead keeps his selfishness and self interests in check. The world, and its problems he carries on top his shoulders. Burdened by a savior complex, but for the right reasons. He literally saves people's lives all the time!
Having had this responsibility for so long, he no longer gets a dopamine rush from saving people, but instead much of his thoughts have been consumed with a stress that he must at all costs help everyone at any moment's notice with the exclusion of his own social life. Ahead of his years in kindness, but still lacking in wisdom that comes with living life. Finding that doing the right thing comes with consequences.
You can examine spectacle, the last of known tragedies, but the background fabric in Smallville. Spectacle which is plainly explained as the illusion of this comic book world, the effects, music, look of all, which help us suspend our disbelief in. Just for 45 minutes I envision this world, a scary world of evil, political maneuvering, love, hate, and superpowers. But mostly, I love the main characters and care about them dearly. I know it sound's silly for a grown guy to say this. It makes our world seem so simple in comparison. Gives us hope that just what we have for problems here are so simple, knowing we will never have it as bad as them. Perhaps we learn from those silly episodes that the impossible, is possible. The reason we care about them is that we as humans want to feel their emotions, maybe within ourselves lonely, and this series successfully pulls those deep emotions out that we don't always experience. This is our dopamine rush!
3 out of 3 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
