"Promise" is an episode so large, so important, bringing so much closure to ongoing story arcs, that it could very well have been a season finale. Very few Smallville episodes have been executed this effectively.
What truly sets this episode apart is the complex storytelling, which is borrowed from Kurosawa's Rashomon, with the same day and same events being told from 3 different characters points of view. You never fully understand the whole picture until all 3 characters views have been shown. The episode was directed by former feature film director Rick Rosenthal, who has directed some of the show's most interesting episodes, and also some of the most boring. He's a director who seems to need a really strong and unique concept to make something great. Like his previous work on "Lexmas", with a great script he was able to turn "Promise" into a classic.
The main plot of "Promise" revolves around the season 6 love triangle between Lex/Lana/Clark, which many people weren't a fan of. Personally I thought it was one of the most interesting personal stories in Smallville. Just like many others, I was always bored in the past by the Clark/Lana drama, but when they entered season 6, the producers got it right. What the personal drama on Smallville needed was something unpredictable. Putting Lana with Lex also helped to make her character interesting for a change. The Lana character was never handled right in the earlier seasons, because it always felt like the writers were trying to force her down the audience's throat as such a perfect and likable character. Season 6 made her more questionable. So I'm actually a fan of the love triangle in season 6, and this episode continues to surprise, with each twist bringing the personal drama in very unpredictable directions.
Of course there's a lot more to this episode than just exploring a love triangle story arc. There's a murder, more mystery surrounding Lana's pregnancy, and another sketchy turn from the show's best character, the "is a a good guy or is he a bad guy" Lionel Luthor.
Season 6, while not as bad as season 8, was never the less one of the least interesting seasons of Smallville, yet "Promise" and a handful of others still rank among some of the greatest Smallville episodes in its 10 year run.
What truly sets this episode apart is the complex storytelling, which is borrowed from Kurosawa's Rashomon, with the same day and same events being told from 3 different characters points of view. You never fully understand the whole picture until all 3 characters views have been shown. The episode was directed by former feature film director Rick Rosenthal, who has directed some of the show's most interesting episodes, and also some of the most boring. He's a director who seems to need a really strong and unique concept to make something great. Like his previous work on "Lexmas", with a great script he was able to turn "Promise" into a classic.
The main plot of "Promise" revolves around the season 6 love triangle between Lex/Lana/Clark, which many people weren't a fan of. Personally I thought it was one of the most interesting personal stories in Smallville. Just like many others, I was always bored in the past by the Clark/Lana drama, but when they entered season 6, the producers got it right. What the personal drama on Smallville needed was something unpredictable. Putting Lana with Lex also helped to make her character interesting for a change. The Lana character was never handled right in the earlier seasons, because it always felt like the writers were trying to force her down the audience's throat as such a perfect and likable character. Season 6 made her more questionable. So I'm actually a fan of the love triangle in season 6, and this episode continues to surprise, with each twist bringing the personal drama in very unpredictable directions.
Of course there's a lot more to this episode than just exploring a love triangle story arc. There's a murder, more mystery surrounding Lana's pregnancy, and another sketchy turn from the show's best character, the "is a a good guy or is he a bad guy" Lionel Luthor.
Season 6, while not as bad as season 8, was never the less one of the least interesting seasons of Smallville, yet "Promise" and a handful of others still rank among some of the greatest Smallville episodes in its 10 year run.