Smallville (TV Series) Veritas (2008) User Reviews

Who knows what will happen next?

[Rcwilkinson123 · 9/10 · 28 March 2008]

An open-ended continuation of Season 7's 14th episode 'Traveler' leaves many questions heading into the final quarter of this season.

BrainIAC wants Kara. Why? We do not know, but in Kara and Clark's defiance, BrainIAC takes control of a human that is a large part of Clark's life. This causes Kara to make a crucial decision. Lex, having secured one of the keys of Veritas after Patricia Swann died in 'Traveler,' gets closer to recovering the keys he needs to discover a secret in Zurich by remembering Veritas meetings that his father held with Virgil Swann, Robert Queen and Edward Teague- meetings that lead to Lionel and Lex's journey to Smallville back in this series' pilot. Finally, Lionel desperately warns Chloe that something terrible is coming, but for all his lies and deceit of the past, Chloe refuses to listen to him.

For everything that was revealed in the last episode, more was left open-ended in 'Veritas.' However, we do see that the society of Veritas had wanted to control the Traveler, who is Clark, from the beginning, but didn't know how. We also see that Lionel's intentions with the Traveler have changed since he became the emissary of Clark's biological father Jor-El.

I am a little conflicted with the episode, particularly concerning the final scene involving Lana, but there are plenty of compelling story lines and backstory that are left to be wondered about once this exciting episode concludes.

i want a show just about the luthors

[joh03096 · 8/10 · 30 December 2012]

While everyone is running around trying to deal with Brainiac and holding their fingers in their ears while Lionel talks, Lex is collecting special Veritas keys. Veritas, we learn, has known about the Traveler's impending arrival and Virgil Swan has supposedly discovered a way to control the Traveler. The keys Lex is collecting will unlock a deposit box containing Virgil's discovery.

The scheming and mutinous plots and secret murders that Lionel used in the past and that Lex used in the last episode are fun. Rich men killing other rich men for the opportunity to read a secret they believe will be able to give them ultimate power by controlling the traveler. It's a wonderful piece to fit into the Luther backstory.

Lionel is still paying for the whole kidnapping bit that happened in the last episode. No one wants to listen to him, even when he begs them to. Everyone thinks he killed Patricia Swan. I want to complain (again) that Lionel hasn't done anything wrong and has always looked out for Clark's interests since becoming Jor-El's emissary, but I guess this time everyone has pretty good reason to be suspicious of Lionel. Sure would have helped, though, if Clark had just taken 30 seconds to talk to Lionel when he brought the evidence that Lex killed Patricia. Probably could have saved a lot of trouble. Communication! But it just wouldn't be Smallville without needless obstacles and unnecessary misunderstandings.

And Lana, poor Lana. Lana meets an interesting fate in this episode. Thanks to Brainiac she's not exactly dead, but not really alive, either. The tears in Clark and Chloe's eyes sure made it seem like there's not much hope for her. But there is still SOME hope for her. She's not dead dead. Not yet. A man can dream. But, dead or not, her current fate is satisfyingly brutal. Awake, conscious, in pain, but unable to control her own body. Unable to communicate with anyone. Brainiac sure is a dick.

Miss it, and enjoyed it

[nogoats12 · 29 July 2011]

Thanks to all involved to make Smallville such a wonder show. Despite actors and those in Hollywood getting other gigs, please think back of your involvement in Smallville. For a television series on a limited budget, you all made a compelling and entertaining experience every week.

That was a special thing, and a wonderful addition to the Superman mythology I would not be surprised still as popular 50 years from now.

Kudos to the cast, kudos to all on the project. You did wonderful things!

A fan

Veritas

[Colcatron · 10/10 · 20 April 2011]

The biggest story arc of season 7 is the history of the Veritas organization, and their connection to Clark's arrival on Earth 20 years earlier. Had the 2007 Writer's Guild strike not been resolved, "Veritas" would have been planned as the season finale. Obviously there were some minor changes made, but it's easy to see this living up to all of the great finale's from past seasons. This episode starts out with a bang with the return of Brainiac, and keeps the pace exciting all the way to the end. The main plot of the Veritas flashbacks could have easily come across as needlessly tacked on, like season 8 did with the Davis Bloome flashbacks, but instead it feels like a mysterious twist that the producers CHOSE not to reveal until now. Whether or not that's the case, i have no idea, but the way this episode writes and films the Veritas scenes flawlessly fits it in with the entire show's history. It's filmed in the same style as so many other flashbacks to the same time period. It's also interesting to see the season 1 pilot where Lionel is reading a newspaper with a front page story that ties directly into the events in this episode.

Besides the excellent Veritas story, there's a nice side adventure from Lois and Jimmy which seems straight from a comic book, and the show finally does something with Lana's character after a very uneventful season for her, even though technically all they did was remove her from the equation. With all that's going on, "Veritas" is essentially a Lionel Luthor episode. He's always been the most interesting and unpredictable character on the show. Although Smallville acting is passable, it has never really reached Emmy level, with the obvious exception of John Glover.

Although I was thrilled that the writers strike ended early enough to allow for 5 additional episodes to be filmed, in some ways I wish that "Veritas" could have been the finale. It would have been interesting to combine this with "Arctic", as the only thing really impressive about the "Arctic" finale was the final 10-15 minutes, and the only negative of "Veritas" is that the ending felt too open.

Downfall

[tomasmmc-77198 · 10/10 · 24 April 2023]

Season 7 of Smallville was confusing, and with strange twists here and then, but at this point, was at its highest. The whole deal about Veritas is a very intriguing plotline, which concerns Clark's fate. The Luthors, the Queens, the Teagues, and the Swann family, four chosen to be the human guidance for Kal-El. But one of them, will become his greatest foe.

There's something amazing achieved by Smallville. And that's Lex Luthor. How his background was built, the character development, everything was perfect. It's incredible how the roles were reversed. In the earlier seasons, especially in the 3rd (Shattered, Asylum), I could feel pity for Lex, and feel bad for how he lost his mother, and had to be raised by a cold-hearted father. But now, it's the opposite. Lionel ends up like a redeemed man, who recognized his crimes, and instead is wrongly by everyone of Patricia Swann's murder. It's sad, the heroes forgot about Lex, and were led to Lionel only because he knows the secret. Praise deserved John Glover and Michael Rosenbaum for their performances. Smallville was totally underrated 15 years ago.

As for the other part, Brainiac shines once again as a villain. I understand Lana had borrowed time in season 7 (she should have been sent away sooner), but still, giving this tragic turn out for the character was magnificent. Brainiac not only leaves her in a coma, but also uses her to chastise Clark. "Kal-El. You're too late" Without doubt. Brainiac is one of the greatest of the story. Taking Kara away, was also a master move, leaving Clark more alone on his quest. The ending scene, with Clark kneeling, broken, before a comatose Lana in a wheelchair, was excellent. The statue of an angel by the side, nice detail.

Then, Lois and Jimmy, the dynamic duo of reporter and camera, served as a lighter for the episode. It's always good to see some wink to the original comic. Jimmy Olsen is a memorable character.