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Zod
Major spoilers for the season premiere of Smallville behind the cut:
I actually kept a running commentary while I was watching, but I don't think that it's interesting enough to post. Overall, I really enjoyed the episode, especially the way it's positioning the characters for season 6.
There was nothing I really disliked in this episode, but let me start with the part that engaged me least before I move on to the really squeeful parts of this review. Although I thought they did a great job with the special effects for the Phantom Zone, and it was nice to hear a little bit of positive information on Jor-El, otherwise Clark's little trip there was really the least engaging part of the episode, I thought. As soon as he found the woman who worked with his dad, the conclusion of that whole segment seemed pretty foregone, to me. It was kind of fun to watch, but that's all, which is too bad, because it felt like every other character arc underwent more significant development in this episode.
I was very happy with the way they dealt with the Zodana, on pretty much every level. It was wonderful that he was not under her spell; it made sense to me that she would keep trying to save Lex, but I also really liked seeing Lana's attempts to step up and save the world; yet on another level I was kind of glad she wasn't able to fool him, because Lana just isn't on the same level as a man who has already destroyed a whole planet. But I really *loved* Lana's characterization through this whole episode: her first impulse to use Lex's powers to help people (take THAT, TWOP!!), her attempts to figure out if Lex was still in there; and her decision twice to step up and kill him if she had to. It's interesting, because I think that statement she made to Zod when she was trying to seduce him--"Sometimes to survive you have to give up the things you care about and just give into your fate"--may actually describe Lana's philosophy of life, at least on some level--but she was also the character most actively resisting. And Damn, when she pulled that bar out of her hand, I had to give her credit. She *is* a survivor, and she's going to hang on however she can.
We didn't get a lot of actual Lex characterization in this episode, but MR certainly was bringing his A game, because not for one minute while he was being Zod did I even have the thought "that's Lex." And it was so fabulous to see the fight between him and Clark, especially when they were flying. I kind of wish Lex and Clark got to have those kinds of epic battles.
The final Lexana scene was also a nuanced one--I like the fact that they acknowledged that things that people do when they're not themselves DO affect relationships (a fact SV often ignores), as well as pointing out that the fact Lana had to decide to kill Lex was also going to impact their future relationship.
Ok, moving on to other character developments in the episode: LIONEL! Lionel, Lionel, Lionel. I am ALL asquee. First of all, I can see the Chlionel this episode might produce, and I heartily embrace it. Yay for action Lionel, trying to save Chloe! I'm sure it's not altruism--it's Chloe's connection to Clark, and Chloe as a knowledge base, that Lionel was protecting, but that's fine with me. It was still fun to watch. I wondered, for a little bit, if we were going to get to see a scene where Lionel attempts to save the world by (almost) killing Lex, and how they were going to play it if it happened. I think having Lana do it works better for where they are this season with the characters, but for the overall mytharc it still might have been interesting if it were Lionel.
And though I still want MORE explanation of the damn Jor-El/Lionel/possession thing, we got more clarity about that in this episode than we have before. Lionel mentions that he had been able to feel a link to Jor-El and couldn't any more; Clark speculates that it was in fact Jor-El moderating Lionel's behavior; and that fantastic final scene where Lionel is trying to remember Kryptonian and deciphers the symbol for power. Excellent: the bastard is back! But not before some set-up that makes Mionel a little more plausible; from her perspective, Lionel was trying to save the world by killing his own son, and he also protected Martha during the earthquake thing. Combining that with the fact that Martha is not particularly pleased with Jor-El, and I can see why even knowing that Lionel is freed of Jor-El's influence isn't going to stop her from thinking there might be some good in Lionel.
And speaking of Martha--did she kick butt in this episode, or what? I COMPLETELY love action!Martha, and her travois and her Lois-saving and her confrontation with Jor-El. You tell him, Martha! What was that great line? "I've lost my husband and now my son because of your games"? DAMN. And then he tells her "you must find a way or all is lost," which struck me as very Lord of the Rings, for some reason. On a completely shallow note, Martha looked fabulous in that whole scene--something about the reddish light of the fortress, maybe? I really liked that Jor-El acknowledged her parenting before he sent her off to die.
Lois didn't get much time in the episode, but I loved that the Fortress is her image of heaven (hee!), and that little hand-holding with Clark was cute. I would be onboard for Clois, if they started moving that direction.
And finally, my girl Chloe. I have to start out by saying that if she thought she could figure things out at the Daily Planet, why leave in the first place? That bit made no sense whatsoever. However, I really loved her meet cute with Jimmy. Well, I guess it's not technically a "meet cute" since they've canonically met before, but you know what I mean. And I thought they played the reunion with Clark very, very well--she was acknowledging a moment of craziness, and Clark clearly actually did feel something, but too late, because Jimmy's back in town. And I like that little bit of vindication--I don't want Clark pining after her or anything, but I do like the fact that he might be realizing what he's lost when it's too late. And here's a meta reason why I like the Chloe/Jimmy romance I'm assuming is going to happen: because it will further isolate Clark. Last year he had Lana for love, at least most of the time, and Chloe to confide in. I'm sure he'll still be working with Chloe on various cases, but if she's not there to be his emotional support because she's involved in her own relationship, it will push him to be more independent. Or isolated. Or both, really. At any rate, his relationships with all the major characters have now been changed, and so even though Clark himself didn't undergo a lot of development in this episode, he's poised too because of the changes in everybody else.
OK, I think that's long-winded enough. Now I get to read everybody else's reviews, and go to bed!
I actually kept a running commentary while I was watching, but I don't think that it's interesting enough to post. Overall, I really enjoyed the episode, especially the way it's positioning the characters for season 6.
There was nothing I really disliked in this episode, but let me start with the part that engaged me least before I move on to the really squeeful parts of this review. Although I thought they did a great job with the special effects for the Phantom Zone, and it was nice to hear a little bit of positive information on Jor-El, otherwise Clark's little trip there was really the least engaging part of the episode, I thought. As soon as he found the woman who worked with his dad, the conclusion of that whole segment seemed pretty foregone, to me. It was kind of fun to watch, but that's all, which is too bad, because it felt like every other character arc underwent more significant development in this episode.
I was very happy with the way they dealt with the Zodana, on pretty much every level. It was wonderful that he was not under her spell; it made sense to me that she would keep trying to save Lex, but I also really liked seeing Lana's attempts to step up and save the world; yet on another level I was kind of glad she wasn't able to fool him, because Lana just isn't on the same level as a man who has already destroyed a whole planet. But I really *loved* Lana's characterization through this whole episode: her first impulse to use Lex's powers to help people (take THAT, TWOP!!), her attempts to figure out if Lex was still in there; and her decision twice to step up and kill him if she had to. It's interesting, because I think that statement she made to Zod when she was trying to seduce him--"Sometimes to survive you have to give up the things you care about and just give into your fate"--may actually describe Lana's philosophy of life, at least on some level--but she was also the character most actively resisting. And Damn, when she pulled that bar out of her hand, I had to give her credit. She *is* a survivor, and she's going to hang on however she can.
We didn't get a lot of actual Lex characterization in this episode, but MR certainly was bringing his A game, because not for one minute while he was being Zod did I even have the thought "that's Lex." And it was so fabulous to see the fight between him and Clark, especially when they were flying. I kind of wish Lex and Clark got to have those kinds of epic battles.
The final Lexana scene was also a nuanced one--I like the fact that they acknowledged that things that people do when they're not themselves DO affect relationships (a fact SV often ignores), as well as pointing out that the fact Lana had to decide to kill Lex was also going to impact their future relationship.
Ok, moving on to other character developments in the episode: LIONEL! Lionel, Lionel, Lionel. I am ALL asquee. First of all, I can see the Chlionel this episode might produce, and I heartily embrace it. Yay for action Lionel, trying to save Chloe! I'm sure it's not altruism--it's Chloe's connection to Clark, and Chloe as a knowledge base, that Lionel was protecting, but that's fine with me. It was still fun to watch. I wondered, for a little bit, if we were going to get to see a scene where Lionel attempts to save the world by (almost) killing Lex, and how they were going to play it if it happened. I think having Lana do it works better for where they are this season with the characters, but for the overall mytharc it still might have been interesting if it were Lionel.
And though I still want MORE explanation of the damn Jor-El/Lionel/possession thing, we got more clarity about that in this episode than we have before. Lionel mentions that he had been able to feel a link to Jor-El and couldn't any more; Clark speculates that it was in fact Jor-El moderating Lionel's behavior; and that fantastic final scene where Lionel is trying to remember Kryptonian and deciphers the symbol for power. Excellent: the bastard is back! But not before some set-up that makes Mionel a little more plausible; from her perspective, Lionel was trying to save the world by killing his own son, and he also protected Martha during the earthquake thing. Combining that with the fact that Martha is not particularly pleased with Jor-El, and I can see why even knowing that Lionel is freed of Jor-El's influence isn't going to stop her from thinking there might be some good in Lionel.
And speaking of Martha--did she kick butt in this episode, or what? I COMPLETELY love action!Martha, and her travois and her Lois-saving and her confrontation with Jor-El. You tell him, Martha! What was that great line? "I've lost my husband and now my son because of your games"? DAMN. And then he tells her "you must find a way or all is lost," which struck me as very Lord of the Rings, for some reason. On a completely shallow note, Martha looked fabulous in that whole scene--something about the reddish light of the fortress, maybe? I really liked that Jor-El acknowledged her parenting before he sent her off to die.
Lois didn't get much time in the episode, but I loved that the Fortress is her image of heaven (hee!), and that little hand-holding with Clark was cute. I would be onboard for Clois, if they started moving that direction.
And finally, my girl Chloe. I have to start out by saying that if she thought she could figure things out at the Daily Planet, why leave in the first place? That bit made no sense whatsoever. However, I really loved her meet cute with Jimmy. Well, I guess it's not technically a "meet cute" since they've canonically met before, but you know what I mean. And I thought they played the reunion with Clark very, very well--she was acknowledging a moment of craziness, and Clark clearly actually did feel something, but too late, because Jimmy's back in town. And I like that little bit of vindication--I don't want Clark pining after her or anything, but I do like the fact that he might be realizing what he's lost when it's too late. And here's a meta reason why I like the Chloe/Jimmy romance I'm assuming is going to happen: because it will further isolate Clark. Last year he had Lana for love, at least most of the time, and Chloe to confide in. I'm sure he'll still be working with Chloe on various cases, but if she's not there to be his emotional support because she's involved in her own relationship, it will push him to be more independent. Or isolated. Or both, really. At any rate, his relationships with all the major characters have now been changed, and so even though Clark himself didn't undergo a lot of development in this episode, he's poised too because of the changes in everybody else.
OK, I think that's long-winded enough. Now I get to read everybody else's reviews, and go to bed!
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AMEN!!!
I've been trying to say that for a long, long time now. I really absolutely fell more in love with Lana's characterization this episode, than I have any other, which is a lot coming from a diehard Lana fangirl such as myself. I really seriously hope that they keep portraying her in this type of way throughout the rest of the season, because if they do...more great things are bound to happen.
However, I really loved her meet cute with Jimmy. Well, I guess it's not technically a "meet cute" since they've canonically met before, but you know what I mean.
I am so completey on board with Chloe/Jimmy, I can't believe it. I said it in my review of the season premier, that this could definitely be the season that Chloe really rises in my standards and that I am actually able to really begin liking her in a way that I haven't really cared much for her - if that makes any sense. I'm starting to see her in a new light and with the possible budding romance between her and Jimmy, and her finally having a personal life and her own issues to deal with instead of Clark's all of the time...that's really going to make me enjoy her a lot more this season.
I mean not that I didn't enjoy the Chlark friendship before, but what I'm saying is she's really going to get more of her own storyline now and I really hope that they tend to do her justice with it. *g* Plus, I'm excited with the prospect of seeing Clark becoming a little more isolate and or indenpendent in his own ways. That's going to be interesting as well.
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i'd have been interested in your running comments! you always have interesting thoughts.
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Everything you said I agree with. Can't add another thing.
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I'm glad you singled out the line: "Sometimes to survive you have to give up the things you care about and just give into your fate."
Right when she said it, I was like, oooohhh... deep. LOL.. Actually, it made me think of Lex more than anyone.
Martha in the FOS TOTALLY rocked, I couldn't agree more.
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That episode just totally rocked!!!!
I do feel bad for Clark ... I loved Clark's mention of Lex at the end ("I can't talk to Lex")!!!!!!!
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I also liked the Martha/Lois mother/daughter vibes. It's not to see Lois be able to confide in someone and look up to a mother figure. I think I made a mistake upon initial watch...not paying attention to Martha's scenes and instead doing something else on my computer, but upon rewatch her scenes are what made the episode.
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I was thinking of you while watching the ep what with all the great Lionel and Martha action--Martha totally totally kicked ass! And if bastard Lionel is back, that's cool. I was pleased we got SOME clarification on the whole possession thing, though the final Lionel scene muddied the waters some more.
if she thought she could figure things out at the Daily Planet, why leave in the first place?
Ha! I hadn't thought of that. Though you know what weirded ME out? 'I can't make it back to Smallville with my leg'. Why? Because Lionel was going to walk there?!
here's a meta reason why I like the Chloe/Jimmy romance I'm assuming is going to happen: because it will further isolate Clark.
*nods* Absolutely! I'm all for that.
Clark himself didn't undergo a lot of development in this episode
Well I'd argue that he underwent a fundamental shift about his father this episode and that that's what the Phantom Zone journey was about, contrived or not. I guess it's something I'm emotionally invested in, so I enjoyed it regardless. Of course, TPTB may press the reboot button on all of that next ep... but somehow I think not. I got a 'Jor-El DOES have something to do with shaping Clark's destiny role, albeit belatedly' feeling.