Smallville Checkmate (2001–2011) watch online HD

...Interesting to say the least. So interesting that I can't even think of a rating. This is a first for me and I feel flabbergasted. Let's start with the story. Tess and Checkmate kidnap the Green Arrow to bring out Watchtower (aka Chloe) and use her to find the rest of the Justice League. Not a bad premise. In fact it's quite good. The problem is the direction for the episode. It was directed by a long time co-producer of the show and one could see that he was heavily influenced by Zack Snyder.

The opening of the episode featured unnecessary "hand cam" that was shooting Tess loading a gun. The sequence was shot from four angles, with the camera shaking the whole time. It was just- arbitrary. Maybe the director was trying to convey some tension but he failed, especially with what came after that, which where a series of action scenes that featured Tess beating up people- now here's where Zack Snyder's influence comes in- every time Tess threw a punch, the shot entered slow motion upon her fist coming into contact with the victim. It was very- "Watchmen." If you thought the "Absolute Justice" film was a lot like "Watchmen" you haven't seen anything yet. At least that episode pulled it off. But I digress- Pam Grier was really good as Amanda Waller. Casting her was definitely a wise decision. If DC was considering to put that character in a feature film, Pam Grier should reprise her role. She brings this edginess and "queen bitch" presence every time she appears on screen. Phil Morris as the Martian Manhunter reprises his role as the Oreo-loving detective who is trying to find Waller. If the director did one thing right, it was showing off the Manhunters powers at any chance he got. It definitely made me nod my head several times and go "that was a nice touch." Whenever the director wasn't trying to flash silly action scenes at the audience, he threw in dramatic scenes with Tess and Oliver as well as Chloe and Clark that luckily worked.

So with that in mind it was really hard to determine what to rate this episode. it had it's fair share of good moments and some really bad moments as well. I'm a long time Smallville fan, check out my reviews for other Smallville episodes and you'll see. But this episode was just a rush of mixed emotions. I guess what I can say is that you'll have a love/hate relationship with Checkmate.

(I don't know)/10

With such a title Checkmate could only be a pivotal and intense installment. However considering how strong some of the previous episodes were I wasn't expecting it to be a mix of light pros and dark cons. The two major disappointments were the writing inaccuracies and wobbly direction. The very first minutes I knew something was wrong because it just didn't seem like Smallville.

The slow motion visual effect used in action scenes ? I have been watching and reviewing the excellent Spartacus : Blood and Sand for weeks now and I know how impressive the effect can be when it's wisely used and well directed. But it wasn't nothing like it and I even found some scenes ridiculous, specially considering the character involved. In fact they even reminded me one of the worst choreographed film I have ever seen, Batman Begins. But if you worship Christopher Nolan then you should be blown away by the intimate close-ups. So I wasn't surprised when I found out that it was Tim Scanlan first directing job on Smallville. He probably watched films like The Matrix and Equilibrium a thousand times and played way too much Max Payne. However it wasn't a complete disaster as one black and white scene with The Blur was more creative and believable. The budget was well spent and I think they found the right solutions to the post-production problems they had to solve in time.

As for the writing they were so many plot holes that I quickly stopped counting them. Does the name John Chisholm ring a bell ? Well like for Scanlan it was his first episode and I'm surprised they let a newcomer to work on such an important episode. From the whole Oliver & Tess mumbo jumbo to the castle of the death incident there were plenty of elements to fill the trivia section of your favorite website. Don't get me wrong the story itself was captivating but its writing wasn't strong enough, like if they took us for granted or something. I like to consider some viewers are demanding and we can't just accept so many mistakes. Wasn't the script checked by the head writers ? However beside these annoying issues Checkmate was still entertaining and even interesting at times. First the story focused more on Tess and I found Cassidy Freeman quite convincing at the beginning. Moreover considering her dual profile, both delicate and fierce, she was the perfect player for such a chessboard game, a fascinating metaphora but far too literal. Second Lois was missing but all the other characters of The Watch Tower team were involved, even if some of them are definitely not strategists. I specially enjoyed how the Martian Manhunter behaved, confident and secretive, and he definitely made the story more exciting and some of Phil Morris lines were both insightful and intriguing. Third the acting was convincing, specially thanks to Morris, even if I think the wink links were Allison Mack and the white queen's actress. The chemistry of the first with Justin Hartley wasn't so authentic for example. As for the last she didn't make her character grow on me and I didn't find her believable. Fourth the production was great, from Green Arrow action scenes to the special abilities of our favorite superheroes. Fifth and not least the story was also heavy on character development. Its dramatic events strengthened some relationships but weakened others.

To sum things up my opinion is mixed. If you disconnect your brain you'll probably think it's mind blowing entertainment but if you pay attention to all the tiny details I pointed out then the experience should be less memorable. I think that the goal set for the ninth season is just out of reach. The creative team behind Smallville is not ready to take a wide world conspiracy involving double agents, reporters and aliens. Digesting the fact that no one has recognized The Blur nor found The Watch Tower so far is already hard to believe but after everything that happened in this episode you'll be sure of one thing, that the story could become a confusing gibberish if the upcoming episodes are in the same vein. However with all the other excellent directors and writers they have on the show I don't worry at all about Smallville's future ! But let's hope they'll improve their teamwork because the less skilled members could benefit from the experience of their peers.

This is a tricky episode to review, as I thought the writing was decent, the direction wasn't all bad (minus the slow-mo stuff) and the performances were solid. I think my issue is partly with the story, and partly with the execution. The simplest way to put it is that "Checkmate" is kind of boring. I was never a fan of the Checkmate story, and this episode may be the main reason why. If you're going to escalate a storyline this late in the season, and place the kind of stakes on it as they write here, the introductory episode needs to have an enormous hook to it. It needs to be kicked off with a bang. "Checkmate" just kind of drags. The pacing for a story like this should be much more exciting. There are moments in the story that demand more impact, but every major scene just falls flat. Maybe it is a direction issue, but the editing doesn't help matters either. Not the best of season 9, that's for sure.

This episode starts off with a very action-packed feel, leaving the viewer wondering what's going on. This is quickly killed with an over-use of slow motion and "witty" banter. Tess Mercer (Cassidy Freeman) is wearing a wig, although the reason is lost on me, because she is identified right away by people around her. She then proceeds to abuse the slow motion in a fight scene which can only be described as unnecessarily death-filled; practically half the characters in the scene are killed. The slo-mo is a good touch, but should be used much more sparingly, and only for moments that truly deserve it (as oppose to every kick, punch, and flip).

This episode features unnecessary "cool" action sequences with Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) flipping off rooftops for no apparent reason, and one very annoying instance when Tess throws a knife at him: he bends over, picks up a book, and uses it to block the knife, rather than simply bending out of the way.

The extension of the Martian Manhunter's powers (Phil Morris) was well done, and not overused, although there is the scene where, rather than immediately destroying this cryptic blood sample, he walks around it until someone comes in. He then proceeds to talk to her, which would be fine for a human character, only that he is able to absorb thoughts and memories, which would have proved a much safer and more efficient method of getting the information he wanted.

A similar situation occurs later when Clark Kent (Tom Welling) bursts into a room as quickly as he can to save his friend from being shot, but before stopping the already-moving bullet, he punches every other occupant in the room (which would undoubtedly kill them).

These lapses in character intelligence are typical of Smallville, and of course, forgivable for the sake of tension & drama, but the final straw comes when the always proud, always cool, always intelligent Tess Mercer seems to break down for no apparent reason and begs Oliver's forgiveness, and tell him she's leaving Checkmate, the seemingly omniscient organization. Rather than having immediately fled and had reconstructive surgery and a new identity, she decides to hang back and talk to Oliver in a very public and wide-open space, where multiple people brush by her, any one of which could kill her.

All-in-all, although the episode itself was rather alien and disappointing, the director does seem to have potential, but the writing for this episode was really lacking.