SMALLVILLE - SEASON NINE - 'Checkmate'

After some questionable installments, SMALLVILLE is back with a great, plot heavy episode

Grade: B
Stars: Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman
Writer(s): John Chisholm (II)
Director: Tim Scanlan
Release Date: Friday April 9, 2010
Rating: NR

Was or me, or did it seem like a whole lot happened during “Checkmate” that no one really saw coming? In SMALLVILLE, Checkmate is the name of the ultra top secret government organization. It had been mentioned before, namely during the two hour “Absolute Justice”, but not much had been said about it since. That is until now. And in the process, it just made you question what direction the season was headed in. All the signs pointed towards a Clark/Zod (Tom Welling/Callum Blue) showdown. While that still may happen, it became obvious that there is more going on in the background than anyone was aware of.

Download SMALLVILLE Episodes

Checkmate has decided to aggressively start recruiting/pursuing the members of Watchtower to prepare for the impending war with Zod’s alien army. First Oliver (Justin Hartley) and then Chloe (Allison Mack) are kidnapped. Checkmate’s goal is to secure Clark’s loyalty and to gain access to Watchtower’s database. Of course Clark is able to rescue Chloe, while Oliver is able to spring himself free. That is the most basic of gist of what happened.

Here’s what we really learned. Tess (Cassidy Freeman) is, or more correctly, was a member of Checkmate. Because she helped Clark and Oliver rescue Chloe, she must now go into hiding. John (Phil Morris) is a member of another super secret organization. Checkmate may be out of the picture, but another covert agency apparently is taking the lead in regards to the “alien” problem that the world is facing. Who or what this organization is has yet to be revealed.

While “Checkmate” may be plot heavy, it seems to have adversely affected other aspects of the episode. Take the acting, for example. It felt overblown and melodramatic, even for SMALLVILLE. Not even the usually solid Tom Welling was immune to some bad deliveries. And what was with the MATRIX like “Bullet time” special effects? Once or twice during an episode is cool and can really add some weight, but “Checkmate” overused the effect to the point were it was simply getting in the way in of helping to tell the story.

But nitpicking aside, “Checkmate” definitely puts SMALLVILLE back on track after a string of subpar episodes. It also drives the season forward, provoking the viewer into asking several questions. What will happen to Tess? Who does John work for? And most importantly, what is the deal with this unknown agency?

Now that we’re entering the last quarter of the season (and that it was recently announced that the show will be returning for Season Ten), SMALLVILLE looks to crank up the heat and nail us with episodes like “Checkmate.” It’s good to see the slump may be over, that’s for sure. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but from the looks of it, whatever does occur promises to be exciting, unexpected, and will have fans of SMALLVILLE drooling for more.