Smallville "Hourglass"

[Calhoun07]

WOW! That was a great episode! I the hairs on the back of my neck stood up! The vision of Lex's future at the end was just incredible. The action, the drama, the pacing of this episode, the writing, it was all top notch. Is this sweeps week or something? It made up for last weeks lackluster episode by a long shot!

[JL Man]

Yeah Smallville was awesome today! I'm kinda confused about the vision about Lex. Did it mean everything dear to him was going to end? :confused:

[Vin]

Originally posted by calhoun07
WOW! That was a great episode! I the hairs on the back of my neck stood up! The vision of Lex's future at the end was just incredible. The action, the drama, the pacing of this episode, the writing, it was all top notch. Is this sweeps week or something? It made up for last weeks lackluster episode by a long shot!

I loved this episode as well. Very nicely done.

In Lex's future, was Lex the president? I don't read any comics, but I did read he is currently the president of the USA in the DCU. I feel bad for Lex in a way. He really doesn't seem like that bad of a guy. In a way, he tries to hard to be nice. I don't want to see him end up turning evil, but, oh well.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by JL Man
Yeah Smallville was awesome today! I'm kinda confused about the vision about Lex. Did it mean everything dear to him was going to end? :confused:

I think that's meant to be up for debate. I really feel the writers left that as a grey area so fans could discuss it and try to figure it out themselves.

Here's my take on Lex's vision: When I first saw it, I was figuring he would become president of the US (hey, hey, a reference to the comic books! COOL!). Then when he was in that field touching those flowers and they were dying, and turning slightly green, I thought that must have something to do with his ultimate kryptonite poisoning that will plague him. And the end of the vision? Well, that was baffling, would he lose everything dear to him because of the path he took? Would he do something as President to cause there to be a massive war that wipes everything out?

Then the vision ended, and the old lady was dead. So the question remains, did she die because of the horrific vision she saw, or was her vision tainted in someway because she died and her visions of her own death were superimposed on the vision she was having of Lex? I personally think Lex knows in his heart the vision of his own future caused her to die. He was terrified there at the end of what she might have seen.

[Calhoun07]

One more thing about Lex's vision...I half expected him to see a man flying in the clouds when he looked up. I kept waiting for it.

[ShadowWolf]

Fogetting that once again they had to do another Kryponite villain of the week, the episode was much better than the last few weeks. That ending was great. Lex even had the black glove on one hand. Just hope they can stop doing the Kryponite villain each week.

[Oracle]

This has probably been my favorite episode out of all so far. I loved how the old lady with the visions was named Cassandra. I thought it was great when Lex walked in and said "I come bearing gifts," to which Cassandra replied "Just like the Greeks." Nice tie to the mythology. The foreshadowing with Lex was awesome!! It was so surrealistic and disturbing that it gave me chills. Good interaction between the characters, too, and no Whitney! :p I hope the next ep will be great, but I'm kinda disappointed since they didn't show a preview. Oh well... One thing's for sure, I really didn't want tonight's episode to end!

[Calhoun07]

What did the black glove mean? Is that also from the comic book?

[Oracle]

Originally posted by ShadowWolf
Fogetting that once again they had to do another Kryponite villain of the week, the episode was much better than the last few weeks. That ending was great. Lex even had the black glove on one hand. Just hope they can stop doing the Kryponite villain each week.

Didn't someone say they heard a rumour that the writer's were going to stray from that story line in another few eps?


Originally posted by calhoun07
Then the vision ended, and the old lady was dead. So the question remains, did she die because of the horrific vision she saw, or was her vision tainted in someway because she died and her visions of her own death were superimposed on the vision she was having of Lex? I personally think Lex knows in his heart the vision of his own future caused her to die. He was terrified there at the end of what she might have seen.

I was debating this also, but I think she did die because of what she saw in Lex's future. Lex must have realized it, too. He did look very frightened.

Did anyone else think the slow motion shattering knife was incredibly sweet?

[Calhoun07]

The slow motion knife was a very nice touch. I wonder when we will get to see him shot at?

[Firefly]

Yea the Knife shattering was cool. I also liked that they kind of strayed away from the "Villian" being from Clark's High School I liked this villian.

FF-

[Kal-el]

Originally posted by calhoun07
One more thing about Lex's vision...I half expected him to see a man flying in the clouds when he looked up. I kept waiting for it.

I was thinking the exact same thing! Either a man flying in the clouds, or Lex looking up and a shadow being cast upon him, or some other kind of symbolism/forshadowing of Superman.
The planets dying all around him, ending with total desolation...that was incredible. Could have meant he would be the leader of a dead or destroyed nation. The raining, I guess, blood is a tough one to figure out. Maybe so much death will eventually be the fault of Lex, sort of a "blood on his hands" kind of thing.
The black glove is also puzzling.
This ep was awesome. It didn't follow the normal pattern of the previous eps. The shattering knife effect was excellent.
Great episode. I, too, did not want it to end.

[JL Man]

I got it! The black glove represents the hatred built inside of Lex. The hatred is causing Lex to lose the things he loves. The blood means his greed will kill many people. Ain't I a smart un.

[The Guard]

I still have chills. I SAW SOMETHING PEOPLE!!!

Because I was watching for it. I ran the tape back...it's there.

As the clouds turn red, Lex looks up...

VERY briefly...for maybe a second...when there is a shot of just the sky. Right before the first lightning strike...formed by clouds...or a shadow...IS AN "S" SHIELD!!!. IT LOOKS LIKE A SORT OF GOLDEN AGE "S" MIXED WITH THE ELECTRIC SUPERMAN'S...it's there. I swear. You can just BARELY make out the outline of the triangular part. It's not real clear, but it can't be anything else. The clouds wouldn't make an "S" shaped shadow. The "S" shield fades, and it begins to rain blood. Also...did anyone notice that when the flowers die, Lex is standing in a field of skeletons? But the "S" thing...if you have it on tape...go look.

Do I get a cookie?

[The Guard]

I will explain in greater detail if anyone missed it. I just spent a few minutes studying it. It's an "S" shield. You can make out the stylized parts of it.

As for Luthor's glove. In the comics, Lex Luthor wore a Kryptonite ring to torment Superman for years. Eventually, the radiation poisened him, causing his hand to wither, and then fall off. He wore a black glove over a...robot limb...I believe...for a while...Eventually the poisen spread to his entire body, and he faked his own death, coming back as a clone...

[Calhoun07]

Dang, I didn't tape it! Could somebody post a screen grab of that image? I wanna see it again!

[The Guard]

I swear I'm not crazy. We just have to find someone who taped it. It's an incredible feeling. Seeing Lex look up and see that "S". Then the "S" fades, and it rains blood...

[Oracle]

I wanna see it too! A screen grab would be greatly appreciated! And The Guard, you can have a baker's dozen of cookies for this. :p The black glove is interesting, too. Kinda reminds me of Luke's robotic hand in Star Wars.

[The Guard]

Not sure a screen grab would do it. I tried pausing my VCR and it was a little harder to make out. Find someone with a copy of the episode and verify it. I want to prove I'm not crazy.

[Samhaine]

They had a vision for Lex?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I had to leave before the ep was over :(

Argh, I guess this just isn't my week for WB shows.

But I would also like to see the weekly villain cycle end. I mean, last's week's episode of The Tick didn't have a bad guy and it was a great ep! Smallville could learn a thing or two.

[Failure]

Whoa. What an ep. For once, I can honestly say I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. And the final vision with Lex? Wow. The imagery was awesome. I also expected to see Superman waiting outside Lex's window.

I interpreted the vision as Lex will achieve great things, but along the way everything he touches and comes close to will wither and die. The blood rain I figured was you know "blood on the hands" guilty of many crimes. And the glove I thought was a symbol of how Lex will never get close with anything or anyone. I cant say anything bout wow. The vision alone... geez. I'm speechless.

I looked for that S in the red clouds, but I didnt see anything.

And Oracle, I think I was the one who stated that they're going to stray from the villain of the week in the future, but I think the formula's still in store for a couple more episodes.

[The Old Maid]

Considering how much damage these little green rocks cause, I'm surprised the G-men didn't sweep the area the year Clark crash-landed. Even primitives went looking for space rocks. According to legend, Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged from a meteorite ; the trace elements made it much stronger than ordinary metals. Of course if the feds collected all the rocks there would be no Bang Baby stories. (Static Shock reference...)

Lana's anger and humiliation was perfect. To her the death of her parents was, well, the death of her parents. To the school gossip it's just another collector's item. In Lana's case it isn't a Wall of Weird, it's the Wall of Cruel -- and if Chloe really is her friend she'd take that photo down.

Ma Kent seemed dumb for a farm wife. I'll admit that the car's flat tires were visually impressive, but such a car can drive a long way before it gives out. The rims can be replaced. Ma's life cannot. A stolen battery would have been a more convincing obstacle. I don't know. It just seemed a little too chick-flick for me. A man would've driven the car.

The visions were superb -- but why did Clark picture all his family and friends dead? In all other continuities only Pa Kent dies. Everyone else either lives a long life or doesn't exist at all.

[Kal-el]

Originally posted by The Old Maid
The visions were superb -- but why did Clark picture all his family and friends dead? In all other continuities only Pa Kent dies. Everyone else either lives a long life or doesn't exist at all.

I was thinking it might symbolize the fact that he will live much longer than a human and that when all the people he knows and loves now will be dead and he will still be "super."
It could also have been one vision of the future that he alone has the power to prevent, or change. It could be a hint at a possible event in Smallville that could, with normal circumstances, kill everyone there (maybe someone's giant pile of manure spontaneously combusts and, because it is saturated with kryptonite, has a huge destructive force). It could have been directly related to the vision of Lex in a field of desolation and destruction. The two results could be part of the same event in both Clark and Lex's futures.

[Calhoun07]

When I saw Clark in the grave yard, I too felt he was seeing a future where he, the Superman, would out live everybody he knows and loves. I immediately was reminded of Superman #400, which envisioned all these possible futures of a world influenced by Superman, and in the last story, you see Superman is one of the last people alive and he finds a woman, and they become the Adam and Eve types. I used to own that issue, but I think I will have to seek out a back issue of it. That was a very good issue all around.

[DarkAngel]

Originally posted by Failure
And the glove I thought was a symbol of how Lex will never get close with anything or anyone.

Lex loses his hand due to the radiation from the kryptonite ring he'll be wearing. That's what the black glove is all about. I don't recall seeing the "S" symbol in the clouds either. Do you have it on tape? Did you have a chance to go back and look to see if it was there. That'd be pretty cool.

Yeah, the episode was incredible. It's actually the first one I've seen, and I was just blown away. I've heard a lot about the series, and I saw the end of one of the previous episodes, but this was the first full one I've seen. I was very impressed. And from what I've seen, "Smallville" kind of has an X-Files feel to it with all the unusual occurences happening in the town.

[Ricochet]

Just when you think a strange occurance will have absolutely nothing to do with Green K, the radiation starts a' streaming! Otherwise, great ep. Lex's vision? Pure genius. The "S" sheild, black glove, President thing, dying flowers, blood, It was all too good to be a TV show. :cool:

[Nass]

For those wanting a screen shot, I tried to find it but this is the best I could find, Im not sure if its the same thing but I outlined what I thought was the S in red. Pic is sorta blurry too, sorry.

http://www.galaxy-cities.com/Earth/nass_/scloudor.jpg http://www.galaxy-cities.com/Earth/nass_/scloud.jpg

[Calhoun07]

You know, this episode really set up alot of potential for this show. I think I could now see it go for 5 years. I don't think it would go for 5 years in Smallville exclusively, we will have to make a move to Metropolis sometime, but this episode really pushed the series ahead quite a bit.

From what I understand, Clark will begin using his powers for bigger and better things, such as natural disasters and fighting NON Kryponite enhanced humans! This will not only allow him to grow as a character and expand his powers, but it leaves him open to being noticed more and a larger danger of people discovering his secret.

So do you think we will see some kind of costume to protect his identity anytime soon? Perhaps earlier than we expected?

The dynamic between Lex and Clark will be what really drives this series forward, IMO. That vision of Lex's future left alot of potential for this dynamic, and now I suddenly want to see this series go on for several years to flesh that out some more. Before, I didn't think I could take 5 years of "villian of the week" episodes, but now I am ready to see where this show could take us now that it appears to be breaking out of it's mold.

[Ricochet]

Originally posted by calhoun07
So do you think we will see some kind of costume to protect his identity anytime soon? Perhaps earlier than we expected?


Please, anything but that! I don't think we'll have a costume, Superboy-ish or not. "Smallville" not only relies on fans like us, but also the "Dawson's Creek"-ing, "Charmed"-going teen WB viewers. And let us not forget, in the teen fashion world, spandex is sooooooo last year.

[Nightflower]

Originally posted by Nass
For those wanting a screen shot, I tried to find it but this is the best I could find, Im not sure if its the same thing but I outlined what I thought was the S in red. Pic is sorta blurry too, sorry.

http://www.galaxy-cities.com/Earth/nass_/scloudor.jpg http://www.galaxy-cities.com/Earth/nass_/scloud.jpg

I don't know if that would be the S...I thought if they were going to get the "S" across to the audience, they'd make it more Superman-stylized. Maybe it's just like the Sept 11 thing when people thought they saw Satan's face in a cloud of smoke?

[optimal321]

Originally posted by Nightflower


I don't know if that would be the S...I thought if they were going to get the "S" across to the audience, they'd make it more Superman-stylized. Maybe it's just like the Sept 11 thing when people thought they saw Satan's face in a cloud of smoke?

That's what i think too. Again i've managed to miss most of this conversation, but i'll just throw out a few points.

I really loved this ep. Not that much of a formula. The visions were perfect except... i wanted so bad to see some kind of indication of Superman! That was the only dissapointing thing in it.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by Nightflower


I don't know if that would be the S...I thought if they were going to get the "S" across to the audience, they'd make it more Superman-stylized. Maybe it's just like the Sept 11 thing when people thought they saw Satan's face in a cloud of smoke?

Nobody thought they saw Satan's face in the WTC smoke. That computer enhanced image has graced the covers of magazines like the Sun and World Weekly News at every bad event. The last time I remember seeing a pic with that exact same face in the smoke was at Waco. It's been used many, many times. That Satan faces makes more rounds than the Tourist Guy!

[Failure]

I think if the S was meant to be there they'd make it more prominent perhaps by putting it more towards the center of the screen. That looks like some smoky coincidence.

[The Guard]

Ok...

First...that red outline is not the "S". The "S" is much larger. See how there's that...darker area inside the clouds? Right SMACK in the middle of the screen? There are two brighter spots, white in appearance, which is really kinda that yellow filler in the "S" shield. Send me that screenshot, and I'll try to outline it for you...