"Odyssey" jumps ahead from the season 7 finale several weeks and attempts to resolve the cliffhangers that were developed at the end of the previous season. Unfortunately, the season 7 finale had very little going on, so I was exactly dying to find out how it was going to be resolved. It was the right decision to jump ahead in time to start with a cleaner slate, as opposed to filming a direct continuation as season 5,6 and 7 did with their premieres.
There are a lot of good things about "Odyssey", such as heavy focus on the Justice League as a group for the first time in 2 years. The Green Arrow and Black Canary were natural choices to bring back, and it was good to see them used again. Aqua Man on the other hand has never really clicked in my opinion. Still, having any variation of the Justice League is a treat. The writers also created more mystery surrounding Chloe. There wasn't much more that could have been done with the healing power. Her abduction, and the use of her ability in this episode was a perfect setup for where her character would go in the first half of season 8. Lois has now officially settled into her comic book role as a nosey Daily Planet reporter.The finale scene of the episode between her and Clark is exactly what the show should have focused on during the season. Even though they dropped the ball half way through, it was a fantastic idea to finally develop the traditional Lois and Clark rapport.
Now the negatives. Tess Mercer's introduction does little to create any excitement. By the end of season 8 she had differentiated herself from Lex, but here, and in most of the early season 8 episodes, she's a carbon copy of Lex. To make it more unfortunate for her, the writers seemed to be writing her identically to the season 5 and 6 Lex, when he was more questionable and not an all out villain yet. Considering how far Lex's character progressed by the end of season 7, Tess feels like a giant step back. Another negative is Clark. The early scenes were repetitive, dull, and had poor pacing. The loss of powers has been done so many times. This brought nothing new to the table. Same goes for the action. Aside from a fight scene between Clark and Oliver, which was fun to watch, the action in this episode comes across as dull and tired. The resolution never paid off as big as it should have.
Still, this was a slightly entertaining introduction to what in my opinion would turn out to be a disappointing season. Being free from several of the old characters allowed for a little bit more focus.
There are a lot of good things about "Odyssey", such as heavy focus on the Justice League as a group for the first time in 2 years. The Green Arrow and Black Canary were natural choices to bring back, and it was good to see them used again. Aqua Man on the other hand has never really clicked in my opinion. Still, having any variation of the Justice League is a treat. The writers also created more mystery surrounding Chloe. There wasn't much more that could have been done with the healing power. Her abduction, and the use of her ability in this episode was a perfect setup for where her character would go in the first half of season 8. Lois has now officially settled into her comic book role as a nosey Daily Planet reporter.The finale scene of the episode between her and Clark is exactly what the show should have focused on during the season. Even though they dropped the ball half way through, it was a fantastic idea to finally develop the traditional Lois and Clark rapport.
Now the negatives. Tess Mercer's introduction does little to create any excitement. By the end of season 8 she had differentiated herself from Lex, but here, and in most of the early season 8 episodes, she's a carbon copy of Lex. To make it more unfortunate for her, the writers seemed to be writing her identically to the season 5 and 6 Lex, when he was more questionable and not an all out villain yet. Considering how far Lex's character progressed by the end of season 7, Tess feels like a giant step back. Another negative is Clark. The early scenes were repetitive, dull, and had poor pacing. The loss of powers has been done so many times. This brought nothing new to the table. Same goes for the action. Aside from a fight scene between Clark and Oliver, which was fun to watch, the action in this episode comes across as dull and tired. The resolution never paid off as big as it should have.
Still, this was a slightly entertaining introduction to what in my opinion would turn out to be a disappointing season. Being free from several of the old characters allowed for a little bit more focus.
