![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
Smallville: Arctic
Spoilers, obviously. Brief reactions
Things that drove me batshit insane:
The entire Jimmy plot. For Pete's sake! We could have had at least 5 more minutes of Clark-Lex climactic confrontation if they had cut that out. And I guess they had the marriage proposal in case AM decided not to come back (??? maybe???), but it really seemed out of the blue and DUMB, considering the anticlimactic Clark-Lana scene. I mean, Chloe and Jimmy are ok in their place, but I hated the fact that we got this taking away time from the ending of the two most significant canon relationships on the show.
Things that made me go WTF?
Um, if Brainiac was using electricity to recharge himself after Chloe drained him (or whatever it was she inadvertantly did), how the hell did electricity kill him?
Things that could have gone better:
I have mixed feelings about Lana's final tape for Clark. Part of me thinks they needed to have that conversation in person--couldn't they have taped an actual conversation before KK went off to film her movie? It's not like they didn't know what she was going to say; it was pretty much word for word what fandom (at least the non-Clana hating part of fandom) has expected forever, and I really wanted them to really get to say goodbye. Regardless of the fact that a significant chunk of fandom hated Clana, for the last seven years it's been presented as the most significant relationship of the show, and I don't know that a video goodbye did it justice. (Plus: is that really the first thing Lana would think of after waking up from a month or so of being under painful mind control?)
On the other hand, Lois being there to comfort Clark? Absolutely perfect.
Things I really, really loved:
I actually really enjoyed how long they left the "is Kara Brainiac" question hanging. Ok, we all pretty much had guessed, I assume, and yet they left it open to the interpretation that Kara was just protecting Clark in her own wrongheaded way.
And damn, that scene where she revealed herself as a Kryptonian to Lex? That was so much fun to watch. Especially that first hint of awe in his expression, quickly tamped down but still there. It reminded me of that scene in Shattered (or was it Asylum? Those two run together in my head) where he saw Clark stop the car. And yet, Lex clearly has that reaction fully under his control; he's willing to leave Kara behind, and his confrontation with Clark makes clear that he's not letting emotion stand in the way from what he sees as necessary.
And speaking of that scene: ok, it was too short for THE climactic scene of the entire series, but it was still pretty damn awesome. I loved Clark's argument that no one was controlling Lex at that very moment, that he was free to make a choice; and I also loved Lex's line "I love you like a brother, Clark, but it has to be this way"--because we've seen exactly how Lex treats his brothers, even when he does really love them.
That ending, though? Sucked monkey balls. Because Lex isn't going to BE THERE next season, so how will find out what happened to him? *Sobs*
Ok, now to watch the other show that's going to break my heart.
Things that drove me batshit insane:
The entire Jimmy plot. For Pete's sake! We could have had at least 5 more minutes of Clark-Lex climactic confrontation if they had cut that out. And I guess they had the marriage proposal in case AM decided not to come back (??? maybe???), but it really seemed out of the blue and DUMB, considering the anticlimactic Clark-Lana scene. I mean, Chloe and Jimmy are ok in their place, but I hated the fact that we got this taking away time from the ending of the two most significant canon relationships on the show.
Things that made me go WTF?
Um, if Brainiac was using electricity to recharge himself after Chloe drained him (or whatever it was she inadvertantly did), how the hell did electricity kill him?
Things that could have gone better:
I have mixed feelings about Lana's final tape for Clark. Part of me thinks they needed to have that conversation in person--couldn't they have taped an actual conversation before KK went off to film her movie? It's not like they didn't know what she was going to say; it was pretty much word for word what fandom (at least the non-Clana hating part of fandom) has expected forever, and I really wanted them to really get to say goodbye. Regardless of the fact that a significant chunk of fandom hated Clana, for the last seven years it's been presented as the most significant relationship of the show, and I don't know that a video goodbye did it justice. (Plus: is that really the first thing Lana would think of after waking up from a month or so of being under painful mind control?)
On the other hand, Lois being there to comfort Clark? Absolutely perfect.
Things I really, really loved:
I actually really enjoyed how long they left the "is Kara Brainiac" question hanging. Ok, we all pretty much had guessed, I assume, and yet they left it open to the interpretation that Kara was just protecting Clark in her own wrongheaded way.
And damn, that scene where she revealed herself as a Kryptonian to Lex? That was so much fun to watch. Especially that first hint of awe in his expression, quickly tamped down but still there. It reminded me of that scene in Shattered (or was it Asylum? Those two run together in my head) where he saw Clark stop the car. And yet, Lex clearly has that reaction fully under his control; he's willing to leave Kara behind, and his confrontation with Clark makes clear that he's not letting emotion stand in the way from what he sees as necessary.
And speaking of that scene: ok, it was too short for THE climactic scene of the entire series, but it was still pretty damn awesome. I loved Clark's argument that no one was controlling Lex at that very moment, that he was free to make a choice; and I also loved Lex's line "I love you like a brother, Clark, but it has to be this way"--because we've seen exactly how Lex treats his brothers, even when he does really love them.
That ending, though? Sucked monkey balls. Because Lex isn't going to BE THERE next season, so how will find out what happened to him? *Sobs*
Ok, now to watch the other show that's going to break my heart.
no subject
I think they needed to have something left, just to set the stage for Chloe's arrest at the end of the ep. But they didn't need to drag it out the way they did, when they had so much more ground to cover.
Plus: is that really the first thing Lana would think of after waking up from a month or so of being under painful mind control?
Well, to be fair, they did say that she was aware, just trapped inside a body that she couldn't control. So to some extent, she's basically been locked inside her own head for all that time, aware of Clark coming to visit her, so she may very well have had the time to reach a decision (you know, amid all the excruciating pain) — and then act on it when she woke up.
On the other hand, Lois being there to comfort Clark? Absolutely perfect.
God, my love for Lois in this episode, and in that scene especially, knows no bounds.
I actually really enjoyed how long they left the "is Kara Brainiac" question hanging. Ok, we all pretty much had guessed, I assume, and yet they left it open to the interpretation that Kara was just protecting Clark in her own wrongheaded way.
Yes, definitely. This was a case where the characters didn't know anything that the characters shouldn't know. And paradoxically, the way it was played had the effect of making the characters look smarter, even while they were being fooled, specifically because Brainiac didn't slip back into his James Marsters form.
And damn, that scene where she revealed herself as a Kryptonian to Lex? That was so much fun to watch.
It really, really was. I loved how completely Brainiac played him — talk about pure evil. The line about the Traveller thinking he was a force for good was perfect, because it covered the bases beautifully... no matter how much animosity has built up between them, there's no way Lex would believe that Clark was knowingly evil. And it was beautiful, to me, that in the end, even in the reveal, Brainiac still didn't tell Lex. He never actually got to hear the words.
I loved Clark's argument that no one was controlling Lex at that very moment, that he was free to make a choice
I loved this because Clark was urging Lex to exercise his freedom even while Lex was seeking to take Clark's away.
I also loved Lex's line "I love you like a brother, Clark, but it has to be this way"--because we've seen exactly how Lex treats his brothers, even when he does really love them.
Okay, this made me giggle. :-)
That ending, though? Sucked monkey balls. Because Lex isn't going to BE THERE next season, so how will find out what happened to him? *Sobs*
I have to admit, I'm at a loss as to how they're going to resolve this cliffhanger without Michael Rosenbaum. Unless they filmed extra footage of the "rescue" to use next season, I'm seriously worried about dodgy uses of body doubles.
no subject
Well, if she really *was* aware and in pain that whole time, I honestly can see why she wants to get the hell away from Clark, and I wouldn't blame her. It's one thing to know the hypothetical cost of having a superpowered alien as a boyfriend, and another thing to pay them. From that perspective, her farewell was actually quite gracious. My main issue wasn't even the video, it was more the finale pacing question, and the fact that they (as usual) were trying to pack too much into an hour.
I loved how completely Brainiac played him — talk about pure evil. The line about the Traveller thinking he was a force for good was perfect, because it covered the bases beautifully... no matter how much animosity has built up between them, there's no way Lex would believe that Clark was knowingly evil. And it was beautiful, to me, that in the end, even in the reveal, Brainiac still didn't tell Lex. He never actually got to hear the words.
Oh, yeah--Brainiac was really masterful in that scene, and you're right, convincing Lex that the Traveller had good intentions and didn't know what a threat he was was a brilliant choice.
I agree with you that Lois really rocked the house in this episode.