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Overall I would say I enjoyed the Smallville premiere. Not everything in it, but large parts of it. Of course, I've had low expectations of this show since about season 2. I came for the Clex and the journey towards good and evil, and have pretty much given up hope on either of those themes, but I have a strong love for Chloe and a fascination with both Luthors that has kept me watching. I think it helps that I have about 8 coworkers who are big Smallville fans--not of the internet type (2 of them are actually huge Clana fans), but just people who love to watch the show and talk about it the next day, and I think that has really kept me seeing the positive when everyone in online Smallville fandom seemed to bailing ship last year.
Anyway, my thoughts on the premiere behind the cut.
Ok, my first reactions were (a) did they blow the whole special effects budget for the season on this episode? and (b) I hate the new credits with the fiery passion of a thousand death suns. If that metaphor actually makes sense.
And I might as well get the rest of my criticism out of the way upfront and say I am still pretty annoyed, despite my lowered expectations, that they seem to be doing the "flipping the light switch to evil" approach to Lex. Yes, people are deceiving him and he hates that, but he's going a little too creepy a little too fast, unless he has really been possessed by Alexander.
That said--creepy Lex is awesome! I can't decide which made my hair stand up more: Lex suddenly appearing at Chloe's bedside, or that little note to Lana. I still hope his progress to evil is a little more gradual, but DAMN. He does do menacing very, very well.
Now, for the things I liked about the episode, which were many: first of all, the Clark-Chloe scene is currently my favorite scene in the series. And damn, Allison Mack just completely nailed that, too--her shifting facial expressions when she found out Clark was an alien were just wonderful, and she is one of the few members of the cast that can actually sell cheeseball lines like "you're a superhero." God, Chloe really is my favorite character on the show, and I'm SO stoked that she and Clark will be working together.
Second, the shot of the Kent house was brilliant, and really hit me emotionally. And who knew Bo could act! That scene in the hospital with Martha he actually made me cry! And I even liked Lois, when for once she wasn't completely self-absorbed and was given something organic to do. I've decided the way to deal with my continuing sense of Lois' out-of-placeness is just to pretend she's an original female character who just happens to share a name with the future Lois Lane, and maybe I'll like her better.
And speaking of liking characters I don't normally like--holy shit, did Kristin Kreuk take acting lessons this summer or something? I was starting to tolerate her last season with the Jason storyline, but I actually thought she (and Lana) were pretty kick butt in this episode. Luring superpowered aliens to kryptonite when you have a broken leg--that was smart (except she should have kept a piece of kryptonite in her pocket) and brave. And I didn't even hate her scenes with Clark. In fact, I love that she and Lex have now seen the destructive power of aliens, and that Lana believes in them, since I think that will make for interesting plot complications.
By the way, the Kreepy Kryptonians were a nice red herring, weren't they?
As for Lex....well, I found that scene with Clark in character for light-switch flipped evil Lex, I guess, but the real Lex might have, you know, expressed some sympathy with CLark who's lost his home and whose parents are hospitalized before going with the "you're a lying liar" bit. That scene really felt like the death of Clex to me, not because they were fighting, but because of the way they were fighting--it felt like they were both just adopting their usual postures, and neither one was actually present in the conversation--they were just talking to their mental images of the other person, or something, if that makes any sense. Which sucks, because even as enemies they should be passionate about each other, and it didn't read that way to me.
I console myself with the thought that Clex in fanfic is forever.
Final observation: did anyone else get the strong feeling, when Clark was in the fortress, that he didn't belong there? Apparently not only do I not want Lex to go evil, I also don't really want Clark to bessuperman. Tom Welling is a great Clark to me, but holding that ice crystal I had a strong sense that should be Christopher Reeve standing there. Maybe this just indicates I'm in denial about the future of both Lex and Clark. Which should make me hate the show, but I don't. I guess for me it has become an AU with an out-of-character Lex and Clark who still sort of interest me, and such fascinating storylines for Chloe and Lionel that I'm interested enough to keep reading. Or watching, as the case may be.
Anyway, my thoughts on the premiere behind the cut.
Ok, my first reactions were (a) did they blow the whole special effects budget for the season on this episode? and (b) I hate the new credits with the fiery passion of a thousand death suns. If that metaphor actually makes sense.
And I might as well get the rest of my criticism out of the way upfront and say I am still pretty annoyed, despite my lowered expectations, that they seem to be doing the "flipping the light switch to evil" approach to Lex. Yes, people are deceiving him and he hates that, but he's going a little too creepy a little too fast, unless he has really been possessed by Alexander.
That said--creepy Lex is awesome! I can't decide which made my hair stand up more: Lex suddenly appearing at Chloe's bedside, or that little note to Lana. I still hope his progress to evil is a little more gradual, but DAMN. He does do menacing very, very well.
Now, for the things I liked about the episode, which were many: first of all, the Clark-Chloe scene is currently my favorite scene in the series. And damn, Allison Mack just completely nailed that, too--her shifting facial expressions when she found out Clark was an alien were just wonderful, and she is one of the few members of the cast that can actually sell cheeseball lines like "you're a superhero." God, Chloe really is my favorite character on the show, and I'm SO stoked that she and Clark will be working together.
Second, the shot of the Kent house was brilliant, and really hit me emotionally. And who knew Bo could act! That scene in the hospital with Martha he actually made me cry! And I even liked Lois, when for once she wasn't completely self-absorbed and was given something organic to do. I've decided the way to deal with my continuing sense of Lois' out-of-placeness is just to pretend she's an original female character who just happens to share a name with the future Lois Lane, and maybe I'll like her better.
And speaking of liking characters I don't normally like--holy shit, did Kristin Kreuk take acting lessons this summer or something? I was starting to tolerate her last season with the Jason storyline, but I actually thought she (and Lana) were pretty kick butt in this episode. Luring superpowered aliens to kryptonite when you have a broken leg--that was smart (except she should have kept a piece of kryptonite in her pocket) and brave. And I didn't even hate her scenes with Clark. In fact, I love that she and Lex have now seen the destructive power of aliens, and that Lana believes in them, since I think that will make for interesting plot complications.
By the way, the Kreepy Kryptonians were a nice red herring, weren't they?
As for Lex....well, I found that scene with Clark in character for light-switch flipped evil Lex, I guess, but the real Lex might have, you know, expressed some sympathy with CLark who's lost his home and whose parents are hospitalized before going with the "you're a lying liar" bit. That scene really felt like the death of Clex to me, not because they were fighting, but because of the way they were fighting--it felt like they were both just adopting their usual postures, and neither one was actually present in the conversation--they were just talking to their mental images of the other person, or something, if that makes any sense. Which sucks, because even as enemies they should be passionate about each other, and it didn't read that way to me.
I console myself with the thought that Clex in fanfic is forever.
Final observation: did anyone else get the strong feeling, when Clark was in the fortress, that he didn't belong there? Apparently not only do I not want Lex to go evil, I also don't really want Clark to bessuperman. Tom Welling is a great Clark to me, but holding that ice crystal I had a strong sense that should be Christopher Reeve standing there. Maybe this just indicates I'm in denial about the future of both Lex and Clark. Which should make me hate the show, but I don't. I guess for me it has become an AU with an out-of-character Lex and Clark who still sort of interest me, and such fascinating storylines for Chloe and Lionel that I'm interested enough to keep reading. Or watching, as the case may be.
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I think I'll try that, too. It seems like a good idea.
I loved Lana and Lionel conspiring to Thwart the Alien Invaders, but I wish Lionel had been in the mansion then with Part Two of the Plan! He just kind of vanished.
Final observation: did anyone else get the strong feeling, when Clark was in the fortress, that he didn't belong there? Apparently not only do I not want Lex to go evil, I also don't really want Clark to bessuperman.
It's a long time since I thought that this version of Clark Kent could possibly end up as anybody I'd recognize as Superman, but only time will tell, I guess.
As far as Lex being suddenly evil like he seemed to be last night, have you read Catatonic (http://www.smallvillefanfic.com/archive/17/catatonic.html) by
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Yes, that was weird, wasn't it? Where could he have gone? And who, exactly, is possessing Lionel, anyway?
Thanks for the rec for Catatonic--I hadn't read that, and it is a great explanation!