MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*
After the last two piddling outings, "Magnetic" is at least an appealing bit of formula fluff. Once again, Lana feels an attraction for a new guy on her horizon. But Clark's new rival Seth Nelson has gained the meteor-freak power of magnetism, and he quickly learns that he can manipulate Lana's romantic moods with that new ability.
Seth is one of the flattest of the meteor-freaks, inciting neither strong sympathy nor antipathy. Given that Lana's not in her right mind when she hangs out with him, "Magnet Boy" doesn't really pose any competition to Clark, in contrast, say, to Byron Moore of "Nocturne." Lana does have a wistful scene with Clark in which she remarks how pleasant it was to have a boyfriend that revealed all his secrets to her, which remains one of the show's primary tropes throughout its history. The final battle between Kryptonian strength and kryptonite-induced magnetism provides decent action for a TV episode. But "Magnetic's" main significance is providing more development of the twin plotlines that come to a head in the next episode.
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