Smallville (TV Series) Abandoned (2010) User Reviews

Abandoned

[Colcatron · 8/10 · 9 May 2011]

In the series of season 10 stories dealing with tying up family issues, "Abandoned" is a step in the right direction after the unoriginal "Ambush". Lois watches a video her mother made for her before she died, Clark sees his birth parents Jor-El and Lara one more time, but surprisingly for the first time ever, Tess carries the show.

After 3 seasons of Tess being nothing more than a boring replacement for Lex, and then a boring replacement for Chloe, she's finally given some individuality as a character, and a proper back story. Tess' childhood is tied directly to Granny Goodness, a DC comics villain with a strong connection to this season's main villain, Darkseid. For one, I loved that the producers chose not to make the main villain front and centre for the whole season, something that I feel ruined the tension is seasons 8 and 9. Instead Darkseid is always a menacing presence in the background, with his minions taking centre stage. Of all of Darkseid's minions we see this season, Granny Goodness was probably the best written, best acted, and most terrifying. Lots of credit goes to the actress for being able to stand next to Desaad and Godfrey and be the one to give you nightmares.

Inspiring women driven stories, frightening Granny Goodness and impressive performance, heavenly Lois & Clark, delightful fan service and irresistible elements

[igoatabase · 9/10 · 13 November 2010]

We all have family issues and dealing with them is an impossible mission for some people. In this installment Clark, Lois and Tess finally decided to solve their problems to move forward and live at their full potential.

Now Miss Mercer has become part of the gang it was only a matter of time before she landed a cushy role. Abandoned was probably her moment and a pivotal episode to develop her story and unveil her troubled past. Who is Tess Mercer ? I enjoyed the puzzling way it was answered but wish her arc had been scarier. In the end the black and white scenes weren't immersive enough. They could have tricked us into believing in her nightmare for example. However one can only be impressed by the actress who portrayed the disturbing Granny Goodness. She actually reminded me of Kathy Bates in Misery so I really hope we'll see more of her in the upcoming episodes.

As for Lois & Clark I was glad the writers decided to split them up. That way we enjoy their reunions even more and it allows the characters to be autonomous and independent. I will never get tired of Lois heroic moments. Moreover Erica Durance makes you believe in love thanks to her moving talent. In fact their arc was covered with vivid roses and as a long time fan I was teleported right into Superman's wicked heaven. From the heartbreaking guest performance to the ethereal holograms it was definitely the boost season 10 needed.

Like if it wasn't enough there were also plenty of irresistible elements. First one dialog should make you tick if you have been watching Smallville from the very first time. It's funny because it actually triggered my memory and I instantly reminded one of the most beautiful scene ever. It leads us to super Clark as he had to deal with new enemies. His powers were well used, not too much and at the right time. The visual effects were as sweet as Saturday night popcorn and what I like to call the "whip whip" scene should definitely make you laugh. He is such a gentleman ! Last but not least a vital clue was revealed about what's going on between our favorite reporters. They're sister and brother ! Oh I should have said spoiler alert ! Seriously it was almost a flawless episode and even if I still don't know what to think of this season trinity of prophets plot Abandoned confirmed me that Smallville will have the ending it deserves !

a great episode

[sstuart47 · 10/10 · 12 November 2010]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode both the lois storyline and the tess one. Lets look at the tess storyline first. We learn that Tess was sent to an orphanage as a young girl run by granny goodness where she has been putting together her army of furies. I don't remember tess ever mentioning being in an orphange. All i remember was a story that her father beat her. (which could have been lie to clark to get him to open up) or (it could have been referring to the family that raised her after leaving the orphanage). spoiler - we learn Tess is the daughter of lionel and pamela jenkins who was lex's nanny. Which i guessed when granny mentioned a powerful family threatened to shut them down. So Lionel had 4 kids. Lex and Julian (died as baby), orphaned son of the mom who thought clark was hers - played by Paul Wesley - "vampire diaries" and tess. Tess was glad that she felt like part of Clarks team but also embraced her birth luthor name. Which side will she chose?

the lois storyline was started by her moving in to the farmhouse and looking at the box of mementos from her mother. As a kid who lost a mother and have those mementos and videos. I felt what her character was going through. I do sometimes feel that hole a loss of parents puts in my heart. Lois as Lois does best takes a giant leap to go trekking on a difficult task to help someone. Which has her challenging Mr. El which was pretty funny. But she helped Clark see a vid of his parents goals for him. That bridged somewhat the recent gap b/w him and jor-el. Which also brought him and Lois closer.

It was interesting seeing Clark as a secondary character in 2 story lines but it worked and looking forward to whats coming for clark and lois. Darkside story gained more momentum.

A Moving Episode

[lenzyhenderson · 10/10 · 13 November 2010]

This was a fantastic episode, one of the best Smallville episodes I have seen in a while. I am sad to say I have not watched Smallville from the beginning. I have, however, seen my share of bad episodes. Every TV show has them. I honestly believe that the studios hire crappy writers to put out bad episodes on purpose; they add contrast to the show. Bad episodes make the good ones seem even better.

(cue the spoilers)

You will find no vampires or zombies in this episode. OK, so there are brainwashed, kryptonite wielding, ninja chicks. I don't think Smallville would be seem proper without some random kryptonite. You would think Clark would be looking for that tell-tale green glow by now. Somehow he always seems to be surprised by it.

This episode has a lot of heart. It reminds us that no matter what we have lost, we can move on. We are the choices we make. They define us and make us who we are. To remove these unsightly parts of ourselves would unravel the tapestry of our lives (to borrow a line from Star Trek). No matter what life throws at us, we always have a choice. The guest stars in this episode were wisely chosen. They all performed superbly. I would be surprised if they did not get awards for their roles. In short: This was a great episode, and will no doubt make the top ten Smallville list in years to come.

The heart of a Parent

[tomasmmc-77198 · 10/10 · 4 May 2023]

This episode has two different storylines. On one hand, there's Lois's. For the first time, Ella Lane is properly introduced on the series. And there's no one better to portray her than Teri Hatcher. Lois's mother died from cancer when her girls were children. And as the tape says, nor Lois or Lucy went to the hospital because Ella didn't want them to see her. But she left these videos for Lois, and surely some for Lucy. Acting on this scene was superb. Even if Teri had so little screen time, she was perfect. And so did Erica. She let herself feel like seeing her mother. They even looked alike. Lovable. Lois having this way to see her deceased mother, and her words, encourage her to look for Jor-El. She makes some digging in the barn, in Shelby's company, gets the key, and goes to the Fortress of Solitude. There she talks to Jor-El, pleading him to fix his relationship with Clark, and have faith in him. The fortress traps her until Clark arrives. And then, they see a tape recorded by Jor-El and Lara-El, right before Krypton's blast. This scene was moving, touching, since it let show a different side of Clark's biological father. That human side often hidden behind Terence Stamp's voice. He reassures his love in Clark.

The whole episode is covered by a melancholic tone. Dark surely, but hopeful as well. There's not a large cast, so Clark and Lois's protagonism is at a deeper level. It's more moving indeed. How a relationship betwren two people who beling together is built. In the end, Clark thanks Lois for showing him, for helping him make peace with Jor-El. All while he secretly keeps an engagement ring on his pocket. And Ella Lane left some special present for her daugher's wedding. It's pretty good.

On the other hand, the storyline for Tess is somehow darker. Granny Goodness is a creepy woman, a well built villain, who attempts to capture her and Clark in the orphanage St Luise. Fortunately, he manages to free himself and rescue Tess right in time, though the old woman escapes. In the last scene, is revealed that Tess entered that orphanage as a child since she is the unrecognized daughter of Lionel Luthor. Probably a not so stunning revelation, but a dramatic one surely. I never saw Tess as a Luthor, and is hard to picture that way.