The CW Source

I wish lana would tell Clark why she had to marry Lex I have to say That since Lana know about Clark's Secret she still wanted to be with him I love Clark I think he is so Hott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i do not like the combo.. lana is prolly the only one who can get the good in lex, but lex is also to far gone to be saved.. even with lanas help.. i know clark is destined for lois so i also do not think she is good for him..... and umm kristom... LEX IS NOT UGLY..... hes gorgeous!! he is the reason i watch smallville!! and the only man who can pull off the bald head......

Wow, an episode that was worse than Sacred!! Who thought it could be done!! Well, TPTB have been really trying lately to deliver some of their worse stuff... I mean there was Subterranean, Crimson oh yeah, and don't forget Trespass...

I thought they had already killed the Clana!!! Why is it back?? Why did they used Chloe character like this?? To promote the Clana??

Clark is a wimp!! I'm so sad about this!! I want my Clark back!!! I miss him!! He was so great in Justice, Labyrinth or Freak!!

I hope Progeny is good, if not.. I'm so out of here!!! Since.. yeah.. I have no hopes for Combat.. except for Tom W. in leather. Bye.

*chuckles* Ed Martin's review "objective"?

You're most welcome, lillie. Having said that, I have to confess that I slightly misreported the viewership: apparently "Promise" got 4.58 million viewers, not 4.54 million. It's not a huge mistake, obviously, but I thought I should set the record straight, and apologize for the error.

Thank you for posting those #'s RichardAK

Thanks, Zantana. I thought I'd add some interesting news: the overnight ratings for "Promise" were 4.54 million viewers, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that the episode was so heavily promoted. Congratulations, Smallville, you managed to lose 503,000 viewers between "Freak" and "Promise." (I'm using the overnights, not final numbers for "Freak," for two reasons: one, it makes more sense to compare overnights to overnights, and two, the finals for "Freak" were artificially low because it was preempted in a number of markets for basketball.) Perhaps this, combined with the relatively good ratings for "Justice," will at long last lay to rest the absurd belief that Lana or Clana produces good ratings. It is becoming glaringly obvious that the opposite is true.

Excellent post, ClarkFan! I thoroughly agree with you. Thanks for bringing a reality check to this discussion. You too, RichardAK. The circumstances surrounding Ed Martin's review do have a rather fishy odor ...

I applause the review. Sooo true oh and by the way, when Ed said Clark and Lana had chemistry, he was being sarcastic! DUH!

The number of things wrong with "Promise" and this review just staggers the mind. This is the story of Clark Kent (the Man of Steel) and Lex Luthor (evil mastermind) not some random soap opera characters.

Some facts. Lana Lang chose to run to Lex when Clark dumped her. (In fact, she was going behind Clark's back when they were dating to meet with Lex knowing Clark wouldn't like it.)

Lana chose to start a relationship with Lex. She chose to move into the mansion. She chose to sleep with Lex. She was not coerced to say she loved Lex or that she wanted to marry him and have his child. She categorically refused to hear anything negative about Lex from Chloe and Clark. Instead she chose to be "nobody's prey" and jumped into a relationship with Lex. She is now carrying Lex's child (as far as she and the other characters know). She made her bed and it's time for her to lie in it and grow the heck up!

It is really pathetic that six years into Smallville, Lana Lang is still allowed to play the poor damsel-in-distress pretty pink princess that constantly needs saving. All the while keeping her own secrets, telling lies, and always ready to cheat on her boyfriend-of-the- moment. She's snooped, lied, and deceived others in an attempt to find out Clark's secret. A secret that he doesn't want her to know. And nobody ever acknoledges that Lana Lang is wrong. "Oh look, she's snooping around and taking pictures in your barn, Clark. She must be trustworthy and good." On what planet?

To keep Lana Lang pure, TPTB have Clark Kent decide to rescue a bride who not only willing consented to the wedding but spent her fiance's money for a wedding dress, trips to Paris, an engagement party, a lavish wedding/reception and is also living with and pregnant by the groom. This is the future Superman?! He has no common decency or morals. How is he supposed to one day fight for truth and justice when he apparently can't tell right from wrong?

To keep Lana Lang on her pedestal, Martha is retconned from telling Clark that "maybe Lana is not the one" and "stay away from Lana" to encouraging him to crash the wedding to save Lana - who doesn't need saving since she willingly agreed to marry Lex and is pregnant with Lex's child.

To keep Lana Lang blameless and beautiful, Chloe goes from telling Clark that he should go to the wedding to send a message to Lana, Lex and especially himself that he is moving on to guilting him into saving Lana Lang by having him tell her (Lana) his secret! Wtf?

How does telling a pregnant Lana on her wedding day Clark's secret a good idea? In "Reckoning" Clark didn't tell her because that would put her in danger since she was close to Lex. Now that she's going to become Mrs. Lex Luthor and is carrying his child, it is no longer dangerous? It makes absolutely no sense. Furthermore, did Clark really think that he and Lana would live happily ever after raising Lex's child? This is beyond absurd!

Lex Luthor is the smartest, most cunning, evil mastermind. In Smallville, Lex regularly gets kidnapped, shot, double crossed, knocked out or blackmailed. His evil schemes are so transparent and stupid that even this Clark is able to foil them. Clark and Lex's scenes have been reduced to two 15 year olds having a pissing contest over a worthless twit.

If the reviewer had been watching Smallville regularly, he would be aware of the inconsistencies and the deliberate sabotage of the characters of Clark, Lex, Chloe, Lionel, and Martha to justify Lana Lang's existance on Smallville.

The characters graduated high school and Clark lost his father (to bring Lana back from the dead) last year. It's time for Clark to move on. Right now, Clark has Zoners to track, Level 33.1 to expose and his training with Jor-El to do. He should have left his childish high school crush behind, come to terms with being superpowered, and moved toward becoming the man Jonathan Kent believed his son to be. Instead he hides out in his barn moping about Lana. Six years!

As for the chemistry between Kristin Kreuk/Lana and Tom Welling/Clark? I've never seen it.

"Clark and Lana that will once again make clear that they are the sexiest, deepest and most romantic couple on television -- even though they have never actually been together."

The sexiest, deepest and most romantic couple? Come on! They're not even friends. They don't even know each other! It's all physical attraction, nothing deeper. The brief time they were together (and it worked) was when Clark lost his powers and was mortal/normal. Once Clark got his powers back, they spent their time together hiding things from one another, lying to one another and sneaking around (Lana going to see Lex). Their relationship inevitably self-destructed.

"If I have a complaint about Smallville this season it is with the baby story, which threatens to devolve Lana into the ultimate victim and undercuts the many fine scenes in which Lex has declared his love for the mother of his child. The apparent depth of his love for Lana has made Lex a more interesting villain than ever before, and the idea that it is all an act of some kind -- which it will have to be if the baby story continues to go where it seems to be going -- is potentially character-destroying. The writers are crushing themselves into an increasingly small box. They are headed toward a story reveal that nobody wants to see, including the most ardent Smallville fans."

I completely agree with this. The writers are destroying the character of Lex Luthor to make Lana Lang blameless and pure.

Al Gough and Miles Millar have systematically tainted the Superman mythology at the altar of Lana Lang. Clark is a passive, whiney, moping, obsessive idiot who at this rate will never become the Man Of Steel. Lex Luthor is so in love with Lana that he'd do anything to be with her. Pathetic!

Instead of gradual character growth, they (Al&Miles) are happy with lightswitches, retcons and character assassination to move the plot in whatever direction they feel like in any given week. "Promise" spoilers and this review have taught me a very important lesson. It's time to move on to "Heroes" and "Ugly Betty".

I would like to know exactly how much the CW paid for that review.

I will be willing to write reviews of upcomming epsiodes that are just as glowing for half the price.

Way too soapy for me. I'm glad the next few episodes sound light on Lana, heavy on action!

I wonder why Ed Martin was so lucky as to get to see "Promise" early. Why show such favor to this one reviewer in particular, above all other television reviewers? Do you suppose it could have been that they deliberately went looking for a critic who would say what they wanted him to say, no matter how ridiculous?

One thing that can be said for "Promise" was that it did perfectly encapsulate, however unintentionally, what a vile person Lana Lang is. Seriously, she imprisoned her maid-of-honor in a freezer so as to set a trap for her ex-boyfriend in order to discover a secret that she has no right to know on the very day that she is to marry another man. She was then prepared to run out on her husband-to-be, on the day of their wedding, so as to run off with said ex-boyfriend, despite having no reason to think that Lex had anything wrong (just because we know of Lex' evil deeds doesn't mean she does). Are we seriously meant to think that she doesn't deserve misery?

I almost feel bad for the writers of this show; it's so clear that they want Lana to come off as sympathetic, yet they keep writing her as evil, without seeming to intend to.

I'll wait until I see the episode for myself to judge, but if by chemistry, they mean generate complete boredom and less heat than an icebox, then yes, Clark and Lana have lots of chemistry.

Most of the time, when they're together, Clark looks mildly ill and plenty guilty and Lana vacillates between pouty, annoyed, and teary-eyed. I think I can recall only one or two times when they genuinely seemed happy to be around one another. Other than that, it's been teen angst galore.

And seriously, folks, Clark had to wait until Lex and Lana's wedding day before trying to win her back this way? Why not go over the Level 33.1 stuff with her? The experimentation on her bridesmaid?

In fact, why not get on with the business of catching the rest of the phantom zone criminals and moving forward on your heroic journey? You know, trying to become that superman guy?

Of course, then we wouldn't have as many chances to see all that amazing 'chemistry' between Clark and Lana.

Joy.

Ed Martin's review was the most hilarious thing I've ever read. Especially the part where he compares Clark and Lana to Soap Opera Couples like Luke and Laura and Bo and Hope. I wonder if he even contemplated a comparison, oh lets see: Buffy and Angel?

No longer is he even pretending that this show should be more than a soap-opera. He seems to have accepeted it's fate quite easily. How unfortunate for the rest of us who tune in to see the development of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor.

So, what's next for our star-crossed Soap Opera Couple? A baby locked away in a secret lab? Only to emerge grown and in search for it's Saintly Mother in Lana Lang. Shall Clark kill his married-lover's child? Shall Lana be the long lost daughter of King in a far-away land? Oh the angst! Days of Our Lives should only have it so good as these guys! Next up for CW? 57 Daytime Emmy Award Nominations! And here CBS thought their soap operas had that wrapped up tight. They've obviously never dealt with the power of Days of our Lana Lang.

Love the review and it is sooooo true, they truely are 'magic' together!

I loved the review by Ed Martin and now I'm more excited than ever to watch Promise. It is definitely going to be an emotional episode for all of the characters.

the review was dead on! loved everything he had to say about the pair...their chemistry is amazing and i can't wait to see more screentime with the two of them in the future! the love and chemistry they have is what hooked me to the show and is what's been making me hold on since hypnotic (painful memory). forever clana!

It's good to read some objective reviews about Clana and Kristin Kreuk. Tom welling and Kristin Kreuk are really the cutest TV couple EVER. When they share scenes, they just glow. Lana's character is getting stronger and stronger and she should stay in the show till the finale.

Enjoyed reading the review....Now, I am really excited to see the episode!!!

I have always enjoyed Tom and Kristin's performances, they are truly magic to watch on screen.

Thanks for the review!

Finally!! The chemistry of Tom and Kristin never ceases to amaze me! Glad to see others in the media acknowledge it too!

The CW is lucky to have these two actors in their midst. Smallville hooked me the first time I saw them together.

Looking forward to this Promise episode, no matter how heartbreaking!

Forever Clana!

Yes, I think that this article proves what many of us already know, that there are many more Clana and Lana and Kristom fans than post and that people realize.

It's so heart warming to see Ed's review discussing Clark and Lana's chemistry... havent read such Beautiful words in a long time..

"Their chemistry feels more authentic and more urgent than that of any other couple in the top relationship-driven primetime dramas of the day, perhaps because the looks that pass between Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk, the actors who portray Clark and Lana, say more than any dialogue ever could. They make magic every time they are together. That's something that can't be planned. It just happens. That's one reason why Smallville is still so hot in season six."

My heart warms up every time i read it!

LOVED the review. Kristin and Tom have the most fantastic chemistry ever! :D

Long live Clana! :)

I've been a long time fan and I've watched Smallville since the beginning. I found it appalling the writers / TPTB had decided to put Lexana together. I was even more disgusted when they butchered the Lana Lang I knew! I am still shaking my head and I'm sure they're doing the same for the biggest, most regrettable decision they ever made.

On the bright side, Lexana is ending. It is on its last leg and having a wedding will not salvage this sick, twisted relationship. And I have no doubt Promise will deliver Lex's reckoning. This is it for Lex, this is his darkest moment. Lana Lang will no longer be the "trophy" girl, she will THE iconic Lana Lang we all know from the comics. This is the only reason I am still watching.

As for the review, I couldn't agree more. The mythology, Clark and Lana's relationship have driven this show to success. The creators of this show should be thankful, without Tom and Kristin's chemistry this show lacks magic.

FANTASTIC review. This episode is proving to be a hell of a lot better than I think anyone anticipated. The Kristom chemistry isn't really surprising though. It's been that mind-blowing since Season 1.

lana is not going too marry lex in that promise episode because he s too ugly 4 her the real love of her life is clark kent and they are meant tyo be together so its the wedding of clark kent to lana lang not lex luthor to lana ok.she looks great in the wedding dress though.a true fan of clana 4 ever and ever love yah a;ways go clark and lana.

"Promise" is going to be an emotional ride for us clana fans. The sacrifice Lana will have to make, out of love for clark is just: wow, heartwrenching stuff.

No one can touch the chemistry between Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk and that is a FACT!

I love Clark and Lana!!!

Now that's more like it!

I love Ed Martin's review. I'm glad I got to read a review that praises Kristin and Tom! They deserve it! I especially LOVE what he wrote, " Clark and Lana that will once again make clear that they are the sexiest, deepest and most romantic couple on television..." *sigh* Ain't that the truth.

"Promise" looks Promising. It'll be interesting to see Lana font and center!

Thanks for posting the article.