norwich36: (luminous Clark)
norwich36 ([personal profile] norwich36) wrote2008-10-09 09:09 pm

Smallville: Instinct




Things I liked

OH CLARK. Why have you not been wearing gorgeous dark dress shirts in every episode? HUMINA.

Maxima. She's a great antagonist, and I really kind of loved her throwdown with Lois. Of course, the only reason I've even heard of Maxima was that story by [livejournal.com profile] astolat, so I have no idea how well she meshes with DC canon, but I certainly enjoyed watching her tear Clark's shirt off.

About half of the Lois-Clark banter. Some of it seemed a little too forced, but most of the time I am really enjoying it.

About half of the Chloe plot: specifically, the fact that she has a good reason not to be talking to Clark about her new powers: she's used her superbrain to analyze the situation and actually thinks he can't help her find a solution. (I also liked that she was wrong, and that Clark kept trying--but her explanation to him really made sense to me). I also REALLY liked all her encounters with Tess, especially the first one, where she made it clear that she'd faced down Luthors before, and Tess was no Lex Luthor. DAMN. More of this, please please please Smallville writers, and less of the manufactured romantic angst.

Things that drove me crazy

Oh, please I can't seriously believe she kept that letter in the first place after the response she got, and why oh why are they bringing the Chlark back up? Ok, the resolution at the end made up for it a little, but I don't really see why they had to go there in the first place.

The whole Chimmy plot. I really don't hate Jimmy (though I think they should mostly keep him for comic relief), but I hate the Chimmy so much right now I was really hoping Maxima would kill him, and I *don't* think that's what the writers were aiming for with that plotline.

Things that made me go hmmm

Is X LEX???????? (Hey, I can have pipedreams, can't I?) Alternately, perhaps Maxima already has Lex in Almerac and just wanted a threesome with Clark?

Didn't Dr. Grohl get killed off sometime last year?

Will we never be finally rid of Jor-El? That man has more lives than a Kryptonian cat. Um, [livejournal.com profile] bop_radar, pay no attention to that stray thought, what I really meant to say was, hmm, the stolen crystal can rebuild Jor-El and the fortress, hmm? I suspect this foreshadows Chloe actually needing to be saved from complete Brainiac takeover--shall we take bets as to whether this will be November or February sweeps?

[identity profile] latxcvi.livejournal.com 2008-10-11 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, please I can't seriously believe she kept that letter in the first place after the response she got

I know, right? And it seemed so inconsistent with what she said in her last scene with Clark, about how Jimmy's really the one. I just can't see keeping something like that if you've really moved on/don't feel that way any more.

and why oh why are they bringing the Chlark back up? Ok, the resolution at the end made up for it a little, but I don't really see why they had to go there in the first place.

I think it was precisely for the resolution at the end. They're clearing Clark's romantic decks so that when Lois steps up to the plate, she hits it out of the park. (Um, I may have watched some baseball last night, whyever do you ask?)

The whole Chimmy plot. I really don't hate Jimmy (though I think they should mostly keep him for comic relief), but I hate the Chimmy so much right now I was really hoping Maxima would kill him, and I *don't* think that's what the writers were aiming for with that plotline.

It just... Okay, I liked the argument they had because it's the first time in a long time that they felt like a real couple to me. No sweeping shit under the rug or ignoring the giant elephant in the room. But I wasn't actually invested in it. I didn't actually care whether they worked it out in the end. And I think you're right that the problem is that Jimmy Olsen doesn't work as a love interest. As a character, that's simply not his niche and they need to stop placing him there.

Loved Maxima, still loving Tess and I'm really enjoying Clark and Lois this season.

[identity profile] norwich36.livejournal.com 2008-10-11 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, I liked the argument they had because it's the first time in a long time that they felt like a real couple to me. No sweeping shit under the rug or ignoring the giant elephant in the room. But I wasn't actually invested in it. I didn't actually care whether they worked it out in the end. And I think you're right that the problem is that Jimmy Olsen doesn't work as a love interest.

Yeah. I can see if I were actually interested in Chimmy, this would have worked for me--but I'm not, so it didn't. And it's funny, because thinking about it I actually liked Jimmy's scene with Clark in the hospital, even though it was DEEPLY weird for him to be going for romantic advice to the person he thinks of as his rival, so I think for me it's not even Jimmy romantic plots that are problematic, it's the complete anti-chemistry he and Chloe have.

I'm sort of happy they're making it clear that Chlark is completely over forever--but since I think they ought to have done that at least two seasons ago, I was kind of meh about the whole thing.