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Smallville: Sleeper
Spoilers.
Well, about 5 minutes of that episode was worth watching. (Who knew that the title referred to the catatonic state this episode would put the viewers in?)
If SV was following its normal pattern of episodes without the interference of the writer's strike, I would know when I should be anticipating filler episodes after climactic ones; basically, unless it was airing in February or May, so I would know that just because Lionel died last week, I shouldn't expect actual action until May. But the writer's strike has messed with my perception, and pardon me, I was expecting actual developments in the plot rather than filler. So like I said, 5 minutes of the episode was worth watching.
Ok, let me try to recover my inner SV cheerleader. It's not that, normally, I would have an objection to the Chloe-and-Jimmy show. I like them both; they're cute; and Jimmy as James Bond was pretty damn adorable. Also, I thought it was actually a reasonable development that Chloe would be investigated by Homeland Security, given all the shady investigations and associating with, let's face it, people the U.S. government would very much classify as terrorists.
But really? The only positives about that whole federal investigation I could see were (a) the cuteness of Jimmy embracing his inner ninja and (b) the tango. (And given what a huge cliche the old spy tango is, I may have to withdraw that as a good point, even if they were fun to watch when they were dancing it.)
What really got to me, though, was how damn illogical the whole thing was. I was REALLY expecting the ending reveal to be that Lex had hired the "feds" and was doing the whole thing just to keep track of Chloe and throw a good scare into her. That would have made sense of the complete unrealism of the feds setting up Jimmy to be James Bond. (I mean, I could see real feds making him report things she said to him and maybe even snoop and/or plant bugs, but the rest of it? Puh-leeze.) I also couldn't believe that Jimmy would go to Lex for help considering he's been suspicious of Lex the whole time he's been on the show, and Lex just fired Chloe. That makes NO sense.
I actually thought Jimmy's plan to get Chloe out of trouble was either to reveal that the "agents" were fake (I was hoping that would be the case and he was smart enough to figure it out) or that he took pictures of that agent torturing Chloe and was going to threaten to release it on youtube or something.
*Sigh* The actual plot was so unrealistic it actually broke my suspension of disbelief, and I didn't even think it was possible for Smallville--the show where someone would get transferred from Detroit to the Smallville medical center for superior care--to do that anymore to me. I thought I had long since given up expecting real world logic to function in the SV-verse. Apparently I was wrong.
I did like the Lex part of the episode, though. I loved that they made it look, for a moment, like he killed his father for an empty box. I almost wish that had been true; the irony would have been wonderful. And I have to confess, despite the MASSIVE CLICHE again, I still liked his Godfather imitation with Jimmy.
I can see a lot of this ep was just to set up the 150th episode, which looks like it's going to be awesome, but I really wish they had at least made the A plot logical.
Well, about 5 minutes of that episode was worth watching. (Who knew that the title referred to the catatonic state this episode would put the viewers in?)
If SV was following its normal pattern of episodes without the interference of the writer's strike, I would know when I should be anticipating filler episodes after climactic ones; basically, unless it was airing in February or May, so I would know that just because Lionel died last week, I shouldn't expect actual action until May. But the writer's strike has messed with my perception, and pardon me, I was expecting actual developments in the plot rather than filler. So like I said, 5 minutes of the episode was worth watching.
Ok, let me try to recover my inner SV cheerleader. It's not that, normally, I would have an objection to the Chloe-and-Jimmy show. I like them both; they're cute; and Jimmy as James Bond was pretty damn adorable. Also, I thought it was actually a reasonable development that Chloe would be investigated by Homeland Security, given all the shady investigations and associating with, let's face it, people the U.S. government would very much classify as terrorists.
But really? The only positives about that whole federal investigation I could see were (a) the cuteness of Jimmy embracing his inner ninja and (b) the tango. (And given what a huge cliche the old spy tango is, I may have to withdraw that as a good point, even if they were fun to watch when they were dancing it.)
What really got to me, though, was how damn illogical the whole thing was. I was REALLY expecting the ending reveal to be that Lex had hired the "feds" and was doing the whole thing just to keep track of Chloe and throw a good scare into her. That would have made sense of the complete unrealism of the feds setting up Jimmy to be James Bond. (I mean, I could see real feds making him report things she said to him and maybe even snoop and/or plant bugs, but the rest of it? Puh-leeze.) I also couldn't believe that Jimmy would go to Lex for help considering he's been suspicious of Lex the whole time he's been on the show, and Lex just fired Chloe. That makes NO sense.
I actually thought Jimmy's plan to get Chloe out of trouble was either to reveal that the "agents" were fake (I was hoping that would be the case and he was smart enough to figure it out) or that he took pictures of that agent torturing Chloe and was going to threaten to release it on youtube or something.
*Sigh* The actual plot was so unrealistic it actually broke my suspension of disbelief, and I didn't even think it was possible for Smallville--the show where someone would get transferred from Detroit to the Smallville medical center for superior care--to do that anymore to me. I thought I had long since given up expecting real world logic to function in the SV-verse. Apparently I was wrong.
I did like the Lex part of the episode, though. I loved that they made it look, for a moment, like he killed his father for an empty box. I almost wish that had been true; the irony would have been wonderful. And I have to confess, despite the MASSIVE CLICHE again, I still liked his Godfather imitation with Jimmy.
I can see a lot of this ep was just to set up the 150th episode, which looks like it's going to be awesome, but I really wish they had at least made the A plot logical.
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Me, too!
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I think eventually this would end up with Jimmy actually sleeping with Lex. But all SV plots in my head generally end with someone sleeping with Lex; I wish the SV writers would just accept my psychic commands already.
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man, yes. you said everything i was thinking. this ep? i kind of just gave up hoping for anything resembling sense and let the pretty wash over me.
the one awesome thing was lex making jimmy an offer he couldn't refuse. ;)
the only way that lex could have possibly called off homeland security? is if they were actors on his payroll. i don't think even the luthors have that kind of power. not to mention, would they really need jimmy? really? it seemed to stretch reality even by smallville standards.
lex in switzerland, fending off a garrotte wire? that was also amazingly awesome. i kind of can't wait for him to become overtly evil.
i can't wait for next week's episode! although i'm wondering if canon can live up to some of the time travel clex fics i've read.
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I agree, Lex is always fun to watch when he's getting his badass on by fighting off attackers. And I agree with you about the homeland security thing being unrealistic.
I'm just interested to see what they do with next week's episode. I find it helps my appreciation of episodes not to actually compare it to fic, which is usually a lot better.
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Well, about 5 minutes of that episode was worth watching. (Who knew that the title referred to the catatonic state this episode would put the viewers in?)
*snort* Yup, that's about right. The Lex stuff, and a bit of the Clark stuff (when he wasn't completely incapable of multi-tasking to try to stop Lex). That's pretty much it.
I like Chloe & Jimmy, too. But not a whole episode of them, please. I also like the other characters, strangely enough, and wouldn't have minded seeing more of them. Jimmy was cute as James Bond, but I couldn't enjoy the cuteness enough to get over my eyeroll, so. *sigh*
At least next week looks good!
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*helplessly laughing*
So funny and so true! I had exactly the same reaction to the episode as you -- my suspension of disbelief was broken to the point that I disbelieved everything, even disbelieved the tango ("When did they learn to dance the tango?!") when normally I give Smallville a free pass, leaping plotholes in a single bound.
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I LOVE your icon, btw.
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That got me, too. I mean, maybe if there'd been hints along the way that Chloe and Jimmy were taking ballroom dancing lessons together or something. But the tango's not something one Just Knows or could easily pick up a la the Macarena or Electric Slide; it takes practice. So that was just odd.
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*snort* I know, right? I love the tango, and I didn't even bother to watch most of it, because all I could think was, "Jimmy knows how to tango? Really?"
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You're not alone in thinking that. I thought that was exactly what was going on and was disappointed when it didnt turn out that way. It would have made Lex's difficulties in getting out of the country (which werent explained) a little more understandable. He fed Chloe to the Feds ;) as a return favour for allowing his flight plans to continue.
So yeah, colour me confused as well.
The only parts of the episode that I enjoyed were Clark's scene at the FOS and Lex's scene at the Bank, otherwise, it as definitely a Sleeper. Who knew??
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It's too bad that we can so easily come up with better plots than the writers!
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See, this is why we keep seeing passionate proclamations of "You should write for the show!" across the fandom. ;)
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