jlvsclrk | Smallville review

Yikes, I've been AWOL for far too long flisties - my bad. However on the philosophy of better late than never, here are my random thoughts about Finale. Despite some WTF moments and a few missed opportunities, I have to give it an A+ for the moments that had me misty eyed, nostalgic and bouncing with joy.

WTF, Smallville?
The worst aspect of the episode for me was the scene with Martha. I'm sorry Mrs Kent but it just doesn't make sense for Clark to stay at the farm while he and Lois are working in Metropolis. And if you feel that strongly about not selling, why did you give Clark the deed and NOT tell him of your feelings? Do these two ever talk to each other???? And if not, why is that Clark's fault: you're the one who left Smallville. Grrrr.

On a related note, I hated the return to the Fortress, which we are supposed to believe Clark had arbitrarily turned his back on the previous episode. Sorry, not buying it, not for a second. The Fortress / Jor-El / AI - whatever you want to call it - has very seldom been of any assistance to Clark, and on the few occasions it was of immediate benefit, it just wound up creating bigger problems long-term. I could rant for days about how useless the thing has been, and I really resented Clark kowtowing to it. And really, the only thing it did was give Clark the suit that it had stolen from him at the beginning of the season. What's so crucial about that? Why would the AI care?

I actually enjoyed Chloe's bridesmaid scenes, but thought the future scenes with her were wasted time that should have been spent on Darkseid and Apokolips (sp?) Overall, the pacing of the first half of the show seemed glacial at times while the second half was overly rushed at certain points. And it was bizarre how Chloe disappeared from the second part on the most contrived of reasons. I'm also still not buying a happily ever after for her and Ollie, especially given Ollie was under the Omega influence for the whole of their marriage and she never noticed.

Missed opportunities

The whole Darkseid plot was mishandled IMO - although we got a vague idea of the powers of his minions throughout the season, they always seemed far too easy to handle. And we really didn't know what Darkseid himself was up to and what his power levels were. Look to the comic series Final Crisis for an idea of how formidable a foe Darkseid really is. It doesn't help that except for a very few moments, Oliver seemed to be his normal self throughout the period he was possessed.

The worst part of this was how easily they were all defeated. Oliver strings his bow and takes out the three minions in a matter of seconds. To take out Darkseid, all Clark has to do is fly through him (Notwithstanding this complaint, the flying thing itself was cool and is discussed below). And worst, we never really get to see Clark's ultimate confrontion with Apokolips itself. I understand budget limitations but its one of the screenwriters main jobs to come up with a story that is ultimately filmable. Why have Apokolips the planet approach Earth if you're not going to have a good payoff? When you think about it, the climax of this episode ranks below the much maligned Doomsday in terms of action.

Kudos!!

On the Clois front, I understoond Lois having wedding jitters, even though I found the specific reason given for them in the previous episode contrived. I loved how Chloe dealt with the matter: not making light of it but using the secret weapon of Clark's vows. I hated Clark's EXTREMELY contrived doubts, directly contradicting his confidence at the beginning of the episode and indeed for the season as a whole. But out of those contrived worries, Smallville gave us what will rank as one of my favourite Clois scenes ever - as they stand on either side of a wall and somehow look into each other's heart. Lois's vows (red penciled of course!) were just what Clark needed to hear and I melted at the sheer romance. The wedding scenes were almost as good - repeating the vows here was a mistake methinks, but I loved to see them walking down the aisle together. How I wish though that there had been more recognizable faces in the crowd!

The Clex scene was sheer perfection for me even though it's impact is reduced for many since Lex forgets everything in the end (unless you adopt the approach of some of the wonderful 'fix it' fanfics on the subject). But even if Lex does permanently lose the memories, Clark does not. I think it's important for Clark to know that even as a declared enemy, Lex was on Clark's side when the world is at stake. It's kind of a call back to Fracture - that deep inside there is something redeemable in Lex. And I loved Clark's wistful apology.

That apology finds its echo in the equally wonderful scene with Lex and Tess. In a horrifying call back to his mother's murder of baby Julian, Lex stabs Tess to save her from becoming like him. "Too late," she says. "Clark already did." And then (and only then), she touches his cheek with a serum whose origin dates back to season 4's Blank, knowing Lex cannot be trusted with all he has learned. This wasn't the real Lex, the one who essentially sacrificed his own life when he felt it necessary to kill Clark. This was an unholy amalgamation of the 'best' (read 'worst') parts of several clones, powered by alt!Lionel's evil heart and sewn together by Darkseid's will. This Lex didn't deserve those memories.

Finally, I adored all the Supermanly bits, from Clark's first flight (with the memory flashbacks including many of my favourite saves), saving the airplane, looking down at the Earth and the future epilogue. I was fist pumping and jumping to my feet and squeeing at the TV as each of these moments unfolded. I thought it was hysterical that Clark and Lois still weren't married, and can't help but wonder at all the emergencies that derailed all their intervening attempts. I may be a minority but I do not miss the absence of a full body shot of Clark in the suit. I just know how hard it is to make that look good, especially given the time and budget constraints of a TV show. I thought the last scene with Clark tearing open his shirt was a perfect ending for the show. Up, up and away!