![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Smallville is back: really, really back! This wasn't quite a perfect episode, mainly because I really don't enjoy watching Tori Spelling attempts at acting. But in a way her histrionics were well suited to a character who's utterly convinced of her right to publish any number of lies and innuendo to get the front page headline. I found Clark's struggle against the power of the tabloid press quite riveting and give the episode a solid A.
The story is a simple one. Trying to move on from the heartache of Requiem, Clark has once again started throwing himself into superhero mode. Lois arrives back in town and is understandably exasperated when he fails to pick her up at the airport. She says she understands she's not a priority in Clark's life and walks away. The dejected Clark is taunted by Linda Lake, who had to go into hiding after the events 2 seasons back in Hydro. Linda wants back on top by having the exclusive details of the Red-Blue Blur's every rescue attempt. If Clark doesn't cooperate, she'll out him to the world. Clark decides to counteract the threat by having Lois print his story instead. For a day, Clark is on top of the world until the press starts to turn on him, guided by sleazy Linda. The Department of Domestic Security automatically assumes the worst and Clark soon finds himself public enemy number one. With help from Lois and clues from Chloe, he decides to go back in time and this time turns the tables on Linda. More than ever, Clark understands the importance of maintaining his secret identity. Sadly, he also decides Lois in particular can never know the truth and passes up the chance to talk with her about what happened between them at Chloe's wedding.
This was a well constructed script by Caroline Dries, solidly executed by director Greg Winter and brilliantly acted by all the regular cast. The very long second act was a masterpiece in the way one scene builds into another: starting with Clark coming out to Lois, the crowd reaction to the resultant headline, Chloe finding herself a minor celebrity and Davis finding out about the other Kryptonian as a result, Linda going to the city editor with her version of the story, culminating in the last scene where the press is starting to turn. I was really wound up by the end of the act and paced around during the commercial break. In the entire episode, my only quibble from a plot perspective was just exactly how in the 3rd act did Linda (1) overhear Clark talking to Chloe about kryptonite and the flight ring, then (2) talk to Lois in the elevator at the DP, then (3) steal the flight ring and replace it with kryptonite at the Farm. A small enough error compared to the gaping plot holes in the Lana arc, but it still took me out of the moment.
I'll admit I'm not sure where Clark's head is regarding Lois but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of their scenes together. I loved Lois's laughter when Clark told her he was the Red-Blue Blur and the way disbelief so quickly transformed to awe and then back to friendship. I loved how Lois responded to Clark's catalog of powers by seizing on the see through vision: instinctively moving to cover up her breasts. I loved how loyal Lois showed herself to be, and how angry on Clark's behalf she was at Linda. Her best scene I thought was the one in the barn when Clark tells her his plan to go back in time. Favorite line: "How can someone with X-ray vision be so blind?" She is so devastated that this, her chance to be part of something different, is going to be undone and she'll once again be on the outside. Clark tries to reassure her: it has to be this way because she is special. You can tell she wants to believe it but can't yet: she's been hurt too many times in the past. Anyways, she then saves him from Linda - you go girl - and tries to pass on Chloe's message but too late, Clark is gone back in time. And how sweet that after taking care of Linda, Clark's next priority is to pick Lois up at the airport - another wrong made right. But after thinking it through, he decides that he won't risk getting involved with Lois beyond work. I don't think Chloe is right when she asks him if he's just trying to protect himself from being hurt again. I take it to mean that Clark feels he's currently too damaged by the Lana-mess to give Lois the attention she deserves. It'll be slow going on the Clois front for a little while at least, which I think is a good decision given the events of Power-Requiem.
Chloe was also back in top form this week, sharing several excellent scenes with Clark and another couple with Davis. I think her last two were the best and showed AM's range as an actress. There's a really scary scene where Davis tells her about what really happened in the Arctic and tells her to warn Clark, then transforms to Doomsday and chases her down. I was genuinely frightened on her behalf. And then there's the lighthearted scene at the end with Clark where she mourns her opportunity to see him as a celebrity. And hurray for Chloe for telling him not to give up but to start splitting the two sides of his life apart more consciously.
As a science fiction fan, one of the things I really like is how Smallville has embraced the idea that just because you can travel in time, doesn't mean you get a free ride. You can undo the one thing that you know about, but you'll also inevitably change something else. The first time I saw Superman: the Movie, I cheered with everyone else when he went back in time to save Lois, but now when I re-watch the scene it just feels like a cheat. Why go back in time for Lois and not the hundreds and thousands of people that he could potentially save each day? Where do you draw the line? This episode felt like the ultimate payoff for Reckoning, as Clark goes back in time with full knowledge of the potential consequences. We as the audience know that because of the change, Clark will not get the warning that Davis is Doomsday and we can all pretty much guess what this means for him. But since it looks like Chloe would have died getting that warning to him, its a sacrifice he would gladly make. The secondary result of the change in history is that Davis discovers a way to keep Doomsday at bay: by killing a criminal, he is able to stop from going on a rampage and killing dozens of innocents. Oho, I sense another moral dilemna approaching for our cast: what actions are acceptable to prevent Doomsady? I can't wait to see how this plays out!
The story is a simple one. Trying to move on from the heartache of Requiem, Clark has once again started throwing himself into superhero mode. Lois arrives back in town and is understandably exasperated when he fails to pick her up at the airport. She says she understands she's not a priority in Clark's life and walks away. The dejected Clark is taunted by Linda Lake, who had to go into hiding after the events 2 seasons back in Hydro. Linda wants back on top by having the exclusive details of the Red-Blue Blur's every rescue attempt. If Clark doesn't cooperate, she'll out him to the world. Clark decides to counteract the threat by having Lois print his story instead. For a day, Clark is on top of the world until the press starts to turn on him, guided by sleazy Linda. The Department of Domestic Security automatically assumes the worst and Clark soon finds himself public enemy number one. With help from Lois and clues from Chloe, he decides to go back in time and this time turns the tables on Linda. More than ever, Clark understands the importance of maintaining his secret identity. Sadly, he also decides Lois in particular can never know the truth and passes up the chance to talk with her about what happened between them at Chloe's wedding.
This was a well constructed script by Caroline Dries, solidly executed by director Greg Winter and brilliantly acted by all the regular cast. The very long second act was a masterpiece in the way one scene builds into another: starting with Clark coming out to Lois, the crowd reaction to the resultant headline, Chloe finding herself a minor celebrity and Davis finding out about the other Kryptonian as a result, Linda going to the city editor with her version of the story, culminating in the last scene where the press is starting to turn. I was really wound up by the end of the act and paced around during the commercial break. In the entire episode, my only quibble from a plot perspective was just exactly how in the 3rd act did Linda (1) overhear Clark talking to Chloe about kryptonite and the flight ring, then (2) talk to Lois in the elevator at the DP, then (3) steal the flight ring and replace it with kryptonite at the Farm. A small enough error compared to the gaping plot holes in the Lana arc, but it still took me out of the moment.
I'll admit I'm not sure where Clark's head is regarding Lois but that doesn't take away from my enjoyment of their scenes together. I loved Lois's laughter when Clark told her he was the Red-Blue Blur and the way disbelief so quickly transformed to awe and then back to friendship. I loved how Lois responded to Clark's catalog of powers by seizing on the see through vision: instinctively moving to cover up her breasts. I loved how loyal Lois showed herself to be, and how angry on Clark's behalf she was at Linda. Her best scene I thought was the one in the barn when Clark tells her his plan to go back in time. Favorite line: "How can someone with X-ray vision be so blind?" She is so devastated that this, her chance to be part of something different, is going to be undone and she'll once again be on the outside. Clark tries to reassure her: it has to be this way because she is special. You can tell she wants to believe it but can't yet: she's been hurt too many times in the past. Anyways, she then saves him from Linda - you go girl - and tries to pass on Chloe's message but too late, Clark is gone back in time. And how sweet that after taking care of Linda, Clark's next priority is to pick Lois up at the airport - another wrong made right. But after thinking it through, he decides that he won't risk getting involved with Lois beyond work. I don't think Chloe is right when she asks him if he's just trying to protect himself from being hurt again. I take it to mean that Clark feels he's currently too damaged by the Lana-mess to give Lois the attention she deserves. It'll be slow going on the Clois front for a little while at least, which I think is a good decision given the events of Power-Requiem.
Chloe was also back in top form this week, sharing several excellent scenes with Clark and another couple with Davis. I think her last two were the best and showed AM's range as an actress. There's a really scary scene where Davis tells her about what really happened in the Arctic and tells her to warn Clark, then transforms to Doomsday and chases her down. I was genuinely frightened on her behalf. And then there's the lighthearted scene at the end with Clark where she mourns her opportunity to see him as a celebrity. And hurray for Chloe for telling him not to give up but to start splitting the two sides of his life apart more consciously.
As a science fiction fan, one of the things I really like is how Smallville has embraced the idea that just because you can travel in time, doesn't mean you get a free ride. You can undo the one thing that you know about, but you'll also inevitably change something else. The first time I saw Superman: the Movie, I cheered with everyone else when he went back in time to save Lois, but now when I re-watch the scene it just feels like a cheat. Why go back in time for Lois and not the hundreds and thousands of people that he could potentially save each day? Where do you draw the line? This episode felt like the ultimate payoff for Reckoning, as Clark goes back in time with full knowledge of the potential consequences. We as the audience know that because of the change, Clark will not get the warning that Davis is Doomsday and we can all pretty much guess what this means for him. But since it looks like Chloe would have died getting that warning to him, its a sacrifice he would gladly make. The secondary result of the change in history is that Davis discovers a way to keep Doomsday at bay: by killing a criminal, he is able to stop from going on a rampage and killing dozens of innocents. Oho, I sense another moral dilemna approaching for our cast: what actions are acceptable to prevent Doomsady? I can't wait to see how this plays out!
