Smallville – Hostage review

Hostage is written by Jordan Hawley (Rabid and Disciple) and Ann Coffel Saunders (Idol and Persuasion) as they write for Clark and Clois. It marks the returns of Martha Kent and Perry White. This is the penultimate episode that will lead-in to the season finale. It’s a character relationship divide with Clark/ Martha, Lois/ Perry, Clark./ Chloe, and Tess/ Max Lord.

The reunion between Clark and Martha was long overdue since Martha left at the end of the 6th season. We’re in need of that long overdue mother/ son re-connection as the specter of Jonathan Kent comes up and it has to so that it reinforces what she and Jonathan have brought to the show – family, morals, and values – all three of which was lost until now. Clark was able to figure out on his own that Martha is the Red Queen and I predicted that this would be addressed at the end of the episode after Martha hits him with Green Kryptonite.

Charade saw the Blur and Lois breaking  up and this episode saw Clark and Lois breaking up. It is clear that Clark and Lois are not connecting that Lois has with the Blur. Also, Clark is not connecting with Perry White that Lois is. While Clark and Lois broke up, Clark’s friendship with Chloe is restored to its true nature as Chloe apologized for her actions all-season long. While the Superman/ Clark/ Lois triangle is the heart of the Superman mythology, the Clark/ Chloe friendship is the heart of Smallville.

The first half of the episode saw an awkward dinner with Clark, Lois, Martha, and Perry that’s an echo of Escape. Things start to get interesting from there in the second half of the episode. It’s no surprise that Martha is the Red Queen and she owned Tess pretty good. She sums up what Tess is all about and this may have an impact on her in the season finale. The Checkmate/ Red Queen storyline ends in this episode. However, this felt like two episodes as we have the warmth atmosphere involving Clark, Lois, Martha, and Perry contrasting the dark mood involving Chloe, Tess, and Max Lord. 

Hawley and Saunders are my favorite writers because they have Clark and Lois rehired at the Daily Planet, which was a correction of Henderson and Whitehead’s firing of them in Charade. A lot has moved forward under their writing such as Clark having the Book of Rao, Clark and Lois rehired at the Daily Planet, Clark and Chloe’s friendship restored, Martha revealed as the Red Queen, and Clark and Lois breaking up.

Good, solid episode from Hawley and Saunders, but it wasn’t a strong lead-in to the season finale because there’s no Zod.