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Smallville: Identity
Rather than divide this into sections that would have read "Things I loved with the white hot fire of a thousand burning suns" and "Things I loved only slightly less than that" and "Things I loved only slightly less than category two," I decided to just break this down by character:
Clark: Oh, Clark. How can you be (a) so completely lovely and (b) so completely Supermanly while being (c) so completely in denial about the danger that your identity is going to be exposed? If it's not Jimmy, it's going to be someone else. *Cough* Lois *Cough* I loved that you swallowed your pride and went to Oliver for help, though--heaven knows, Oliver owed you for exactly the same thing. And it was a pretty good plan, though I'm glad you were willing to give it up to save Lois. (Interesting that you're the one she chooses to call in an emergency, hmm?) My favorite part, though, was the look on your face when you realized the mysterious savior *was* giving people hope. That was really just perfect.
Lois: I pretty much could not love you more. You got to use your karate skills twice, and you were rocking that red dress, and your undercover dinner with
Jimmy: Wow! I love when the show lets you be smart! And for once it didn't punish you for your investigative skills, so yay! I was really impressed with your initiative in pursuing the story and going directly to Tess (not to mention, earlier, trying to get Lois on your side by engaging her competitive nature), and your investigative skills kicked butt. I loved how you made the intuitive leap about Clark being the hero. But I think what impressed me most was how you used that insight to let Chloe off the hook for keeping Clark's secret--you really are a very sweet guy at heart. And you just reinforced that with your little speech to Clark at the end about how even though he wasn't a superhero he was still always there for his friends.
Tess: Damn. Remind me not to get locked up in any of your facilities. You're kind of sexy when you're being all steely and menacing, though.
Oliver: Ok, it's probably wrong that I find you kind of sexy when you're
Chloe: I felt a little bad for the situation you found yourself in with your loyalties so completely divided between Jimmy and Clark, but I can't talk about that right now, because the end of the episode was so ENTIRELY MADE OF AWESOME it knocked the rest of your plotline tonight completely out of my head. I can't decide if I like better the idea that you are only partly taken over by Brainiac and you consciously made the decision to kill to protect Clark's secret, or whether you're completely taken over by Brainiac now. But honestly? Either way, they could keep you evil for the rest of the season and into season 9 even and I would be so happy because it's about 1000% more interesting than the stupid Isis foundation/Jimmy romance stories they have you doing now.
And also, with the glove? I thought for a minute you might be LEX. And it's never a bad thing in my book to be mistaken for Lex Luthor--especially when you're acting with his particular brand of ruthless pragmatism to kill off Clark's enemies. (Oh, I'm sorry, he only did that in fanfic, not in canon. My bad.)
Oh, and p.s.: I know there's been some complaints about the resurgence of the Chlark this season, but doesn't it put a whole new intriguing spin on things if it's been Brainiac faking-being-Chloe this whole time, instead? Brainiac/Clark slash FTW!
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I'm in exactly the same boat. I'm having a hard time thinking of something about that episode that I didn't love.
And it was a pretty good plan, though I'm glad you were willing to give it up to save Lois.
I know! Protecting his secret takes a backseat to protecting people. I love it.
My favorite part, though, was the look on your face when you realized the mysterious savior *was* giving people hope. That was really just perfect.
It really was. I found it really touching, the surprise — like he was thinking, "Wait, they don't hate me?" Just... hugs to Clark. Big, squishy hugs. No, honey, they're going to adore you. And how much did I love him trying to rid his wardrobe of everything red and blue? The boy wouldn't have anything to wear. I was shocked he found something grey!
Lois: I pretty much could not love you more. You got to use your karate skills twice, and you were rocking that red dress, and your undercover dinner with Henry Fitzroy the mutant of the week was awesome--and amazing continuity for this show, demonstrating to us you're still investigating that facility!
I loved the reveal when it turned out she'd known all along — the one thing that bothered me was how rudely she ushered Clark out of the apartment, blocking him from the handshake... and it made so much sense at the end. And she was protecting him!
Jimmy: Wow!
Oh, I had so much love for Jimmy in this episode. Aaron Ashmore has suffered unfairly from my dislike for Chloe/Jimmy — this episode, I just wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of him. The fanboying of the as-yet-unnamed Superman, the appreciation for Clark (because canon DC!Jimmy is a Clark Kent fanboy, too), the sheer joy and wonder on his face when he looked at Clark when he'd figured it out, and yes, his accepting of their lying to him... it was just a thing of beauty. Jimmy's best episode ever.
Tess: Damn. Remind me not to get locked up in any of your facilities. You're kind of sexy when you're being all steely and menacing, though.
I love Tess. No question about it now. How chilling that she cares about the string of murders only in that knowing about them gives her leverage. She was just so... Luthor.
Oliver: Ok, it's probably wrong that I find you kind of sexy when you're doing your Tony Stark impersonation being a drunken playboy
Oliver killed me this ep. His line "Dude, you made out with my girlfriend. What did you have to whine about?" was just... had me giggling insanely. And I liked that he stepped up to help, and I liked that Clark got to yell at him for a change, and I loved, loved, loved their reconciliation scene at the end.
because the end of the episode was so ENTIRELY MADE OF AWESOME it knocked the rest of your plotline tonight completely out of my head. I can't decide if I like better the idea that you are only partly taken over by Brainiac and you consciously made the decision to kill to protect Clark's secret, or whether you're completely taken over by Brainiac now.
I know. I KNOW!!! That final scene was just... damn. I think there's a clue as to what's happened to her in her speech in the hospital, about what happens when you download too much information into the human brain, that there's nothing left — and how much did I love the parallel with her overloading the Isis computers to "fatal error" earlier in the ep? The expression on her face as she walked away suggests that there's at least some part of Chloe left — that expression wasn't unconflicted. And damn, I'm such a Clark fangirl, I couldn't help but think that this is going to kill Clark when he finds out she killed for him, after the events of the close of S7.
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I thought the way they used Lois' memories during the Ace of Clubs scene was one of the most clever bits of storytelling I've ever seen on the show. It was such a great way of showing that Lois knew the score the whole time, that she was deep undercover the whole episode, that she knew she'd seen Sebastian before and she had the presence of mind to figure out how and where. And it was a great way of illustrating, even before she said it explicitly, that she was protecting Clark. Also, I love it that she's still investigating that facility/its residents (even if I don't like it that they've written her as not at all wondering why Chloe was being held there).
ITA with all of your other points, Huzz. Loved Jimmy, love Tess. I even like Oliver this week. And I literally gasped out loud at the end of that final scene.
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Yes, exactly. That's exactly the way it should be, but it was great to see that.
And how much did I love him trying to rid his wardrobe of everything red and blue? The boy wouldn't have anything to wear. I was shocked he found something grey!
Hee! That was a pretty adorable scene, altogether.
I loved the reveal when it turned out she'd known all along — the one thing that bothered me was how rudely she ushered Clark out of the apartment, blocking him from the handshake... and it made so much sense at the end. And she was protecting him!
I know! That was awesome. And I also loved that she acknowledged, later in the episode, that she was protecting him--and he was gracious about it! I think I especially loved that because sometimes he has a double standard (he can keep things from people to protect them, but he gets angry at the reverse), but he didn't apply it to Lois, he just accepted that she was really trying to help him.
Aaron Ashmore has suffered unfairly from my dislike for Chloe/Jimmy — this episode, I just wanted to squeeze the stuffing out of him. The fanboying of the as-yet-unnamed Superman, the appreciation for Clark (because canon DC!Jimmy is a Clark Kent fanboy, too), the sheer joy and wonder on his face when he looked at Clark when he'd figured it out, and yes, his accepting of their lying to him... it was just a thing of beauty. Jimmy's best episode ever.
Completely. It really cemented for me that it's not AA or even the character of Jimmy I dislike, it's just the plotlines he's been given, because he was fantastic in this ep.
Oliver killed me this ep. His line "Dude, you made out with my girlfriend. What did you have to whine about?" was just... had me giggling insanely. And I liked that he stepped up to help, and I liked that Clark got to yell at him for a change, and I loved, loved, loved their reconciliation scene at the end.
Oh, yes. And their discussion about capes felt very cute rather than anvilly, to me.
I know. I KNOW!!! That final scene was just... damn. I think there's a clue as to what's happened to her in her speech in the hospital, about what happens when you download too much information into the human brain, that there's nothing left — and how much did I love the parallel with her overloading the Isis computers to "fatal error" earlier in the ep? The expression on her face as she walked away suggests that there's at least some part of Chloe left — that expression wasn't unconflicted. And damn, I'm such a Clark fangirl, I couldn't help but think that this is going to kill Clark when he finds out she killed for him, after the events of the close of S7.
Oh, really good point about how Clark's going to feel when he finds out! But I'm still pretty excited about this development, because much as I love Chloe her storylines have either been boring or annoying me lately. I kind of hope it takes a long time for her to be cured of Brainiac's control.
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I vote for Chloe consciously making that decision, because Brainiac couldn't care less about protecting Clark/Kal-El.
Rather than divide this into sections that would have read "Things I loved with the white hot fire of a thousand burning suns" and "Things I loved only slightly less than that" and "Things I loved only slightly less than category two,"
Yeah, that's pretty much exactly how I felt. :-)
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I would totally love if the show actually went there, but it doesn't have a very good record of letting regular characters who aren't named Lex Luthor really turn dark side without giving them an easy out. (Also, I am probably confusing fanon with canon, but I thought one of Brainiac's consistent goals was to get Clark to rule the earth like a proper Kryptonian ought to? Which would give him reason to protect Clark until he can take over him again. I'm probably forgetting some big chunk of Brainiac's recent characterization, though, since I was never all that into that plotline).
It was definitely a fantastic episode.
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My favorite part of the episode. :D
I know, it's always great to see reporter Lois at work. And not letting go of a story, even with Lex now gone.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I actually enjoyed Chloe in that last scene. Creepy as it was.
Ha ha, Brainy is into boys? Trying to get Clark, while planning the wedding to Jimmy? *wg*
Honestly, I don't think Brainiac has taken over. He might have changed her somehow, but I think we still mostly have Chloe on our hands.
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If that's true, it's so very very creepy that I wonder what it's going to do to Chloe in the future. I know Chloe has always been protective of Clark, but killing to protect his secret? It's hard to see how she could come back from that.
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It really was. Very well played by TW.
I'm utterly confused about the Chloe thing. It seems to be Brainiac, but then why the pointed questioning about Clark? Surely Brainiac wouldn't have any interest in protecting Clark? I have a feeling this plotline has the potential to make my head go all kablooey.
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And that makes it different from a standard SV plot how? :D
It actually reminds me of the Lionel-possessed-by-Jor-El plot, actually; did we *ever* get confirmation of when he was acting on his own accord?
Still, it is wickedly fun to watch AM play evil.
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This episode will be forever have a special place in my heart just with that one moment. So fleeting, and yet so powerful in its significance.
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