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Smallville: Arrow
If you hated this episode, this may not be the review for you.
Let me just get this out of the way first:
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE THIS SHOW! I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I screamed out loud at least three separate times when I was watching it!!!!
Ahem. Ok. I will try to contain my fangirly joy long enough to be semi-coherent about this episode. I expect there will be abuse of the CAPITALS OF EMPHASIS AND GREAT EXCITEMENT in this post, though, so please be warned.
Things that filled me with tremendous joy in this episode:
LOIS: I could finally see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, iconic Lois Lane. She really shone in this episode. Even when she was bumbling tactlessly through cocktail party small talk, she was amusing, but I loved how good she is at being an action-adventure heroine! Seriously, I *believed* her ability to catch up to Ollie, and more especially, her proficiency at self-defense when attacked by the goons and her toughness under torture a hell of a lot more than I ever believed in the self-defense moves of any of the women on this show before. She seemed like a grown-up, tough woman, rather than a little girl playacting at being tough.
And I'm believing her entry into journalism, too, because I can definitely see someone like Green Arrow getting under her skin and making her crazy enough that she can't stop investigating him. I love that just like she ends up eventually giving Superman his name, she gives Green Arrow his name, too--and I love their adversarial relationship. Hell, her banter with Green Arrow is even better than her banter with Ollie.
I think the moment I loved Lois most in this episode, though, wasn't any of the dramatic stuff or the great banter, but just how self-assured and snarky she was in her initial scene with the security guy, because that's the moment I went, oh YES. That is a Lois Lane I can buy into!
I only have one concern with her new trajectory this season, and that's that I really hope they're not setting up a Lois/Chloe journalism rivalry. That would make me sad, because I love their relationship. I think maybe Chloe's still being a tad condescending to her, but they did work together, and I liked that better than a rivalry.
CLARK:
I really liked all his interactions with Ollie--they seemed really in character for his future role. I like that he's simultaneously realizing that not everything is black and white and yet at the same time holding onto a moral code, because future Superman really *isn't* Robin Hood. And I'm actually interested to see what he does with that necklace--I hope we will find out in future episodes. And that final talk he had with Ollie about relationships was fantastic, I thought, because it shows first of all that Clark has learned something from his time with Lana, and because it struck me as a nice bit of protectiveness toward Lois. (I still don't really see Clois chemistry--more of a sibling thing--but I like that he feels protective).
I'm not as into Ollie as the rest of fandom, but I can definitely see the slashy potential there, too, and definitely look forward to reading those stories.
LANA:
Oh, MAN. Before the very end of the episode, this review was going to close with a long section on how much I LOVE LANA in this episode--she was so LUTHORIAN. (And I still think that--it's just now I have to end with Lex, for obvious reasons. But first Lana).
I never thought I could possibly love Lana as much as I loved Lana tonight, but this Lana? Kicks serious ass. HOLY SHIT! She was playing Lionel! I mean, he was playing her in a very complex game for Lex, but until that reveal, I was so damned impressed that she made Lionel think she was sympathetic to his agenda and then went and blackmailed that scientist. DAMN! That was just the most perfect thing I have ever seen in my life. I love that she puts Lex's interests above those of other people; I love that she is using the Luthorian skills of blackmail and manipulation, and I love her little steely explanation to Lex that she wants him to keep investigating so if the Kryptonians return they can fight back. That was so marvellously in keeping with the whole fear-of-aliens motif that was her primary character arc last season and was only reinforced by the encounter with Zod, and I love it to DEATH.
LEX
And really, the only thing better than Lana's plotline was to find that Lex wasplaying her testing her the whole time. DAMN! That's my Lex Luthor! And holy crap, he got Lionel to play along with him! This is it, folks. This is Lex taking serious steps down the road on his iconic journey. The power reversal from season 1 is almost complete: now Lionel's the one begging to be let into Lex's projects, and Lex is the one with power. And he's using the power for what to him is a serious and important goal--being able to protect the world--and if that's dangerous, so be it.
And can I just say, I actually got up and did a little joy dance around my living room at the confirmation that Lionel has been playing the Kents, and Lex knows it very well. (Ok, it's possible that Lex is right, Lionel *has* convinced himself that he's good and he's playing some sort of deep multi-level game, but either way, I don't care: Lionel's back to his glorious, bastardly, devious self and I couldn't be happier.)
Oh, and Martha Kent running for U.S. Senate, not just state senate, and needing Lionel's help to grease the wheels: an excellent motive for her to spend more time with him. Mionel! With Clark not wanting his mom to be indebted to Lionel! I am so excited about the potential of this storyline!
And next week's preview, which I won't mention specifically so as not to spoil the DL crowd, but it makes me so excited too!
I love my show so VERY MUCH!!!
Let me just get this out of the way first:
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE THIS SHOW! I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I screamed out loud at least three separate times when I was watching it!!!!
Ahem. Ok. I will try to contain my fangirly joy long enough to be semi-coherent about this episode. I expect there will be abuse of the CAPITALS OF EMPHASIS AND GREAT EXCITEMENT in this post, though, so please be warned.
Things that filled me with tremendous joy in this episode:
LOIS: I could finally see, beyond a shadow of a doubt, iconic Lois Lane. She really shone in this episode. Even when she was bumbling tactlessly through cocktail party small talk, she was amusing, but I loved how good she is at being an action-adventure heroine! Seriously, I *believed* her ability to catch up to Ollie, and more especially, her proficiency at self-defense when attacked by the goons and her toughness under torture a hell of a lot more than I ever believed in the self-defense moves of any of the women on this show before. She seemed like a grown-up, tough woman, rather than a little girl playacting at being tough.
And I'm believing her entry into journalism, too, because I can definitely see someone like Green Arrow getting under her skin and making her crazy enough that she can't stop investigating him. I love that just like she ends up eventually giving Superman his name, she gives Green Arrow his name, too--and I love their adversarial relationship. Hell, her banter with Green Arrow is even better than her banter with Ollie.
I think the moment I loved Lois most in this episode, though, wasn't any of the dramatic stuff or the great banter, but just how self-assured and snarky she was in her initial scene with the security guy, because that's the moment I went, oh YES. That is a Lois Lane I can buy into!
I only have one concern with her new trajectory this season, and that's that I really hope they're not setting up a Lois/Chloe journalism rivalry. That would make me sad, because I love their relationship. I think maybe Chloe's still being a tad condescending to her, but they did work together, and I liked that better than a rivalry.
CLARK:
I really liked all his interactions with Ollie--they seemed really in character for his future role. I like that he's simultaneously realizing that not everything is black and white and yet at the same time holding onto a moral code, because future Superman really *isn't* Robin Hood. And I'm actually interested to see what he does with that necklace--I hope we will find out in future episodes. And that final talk he had with Ollie about relationships was fantastic, I thought, because it shows first of all that Clark has learned something from his time with Lana, and because it struck me as a nice bit of protectiveness toward Lois. (I still don't really see Clois chemistry--more of a sibling thing--but I like that he feels protective).
I'm not as into Ollie as the rest of fandom, but I can definitely see the slashy potential there, too, and definitely look forward to reading those stories.
LANA:
Oh, MAN. Before the very end of the episode, this review was going to close with a long section on how much I LOVE LANA in this episode--she was so LUTHORIAN. (And I still think that--it's just now I have to end with Lex, for obvious reasons. But first Lana).
I never thought I could possibly love Lana as much as I loved Lana tonight, but this Lana? Kicks serious ass. HOLY SHIT! She was playing Lionel! I mean, he was playing her in a very complex game for Lex, but until that reveal, I was so damned impressed that she made Lionel think she was sympathetic to his agenda and then went and blackmailed that scientist. DAMN! That was just the most perfect thing I have ever seen in my life. I love that she puts Lex's interests above those of other people; I love that she is using the Luthorian skills of blackmail and manipulation, and I love her little steely explanation to Lex that she wants him to keep investigating so if the Kryptonians return they can fight back. That was so marvellously in keeping with the whole fear-of-aliens motif that was her primary character arc last season and was only reinforced by the encounter with Zod, and I love it to DEATH.
LEX
And really, the only thing better than Lana's plotline was to find that Lex was
And can I just say, I actually got up and did a little joy dance around my living room at the confirmation that Lionel has been playing the Kents, and Lex knows it very well. (Ok, it's possible that Lex is right, Lionel *has* convinced himself that he's good and he's playing some sort of deep multi-level game, but either way, I don't care: Lionel's back to his glorious, bastardly, devious self and I couldn't be happier.)
Oh, and Martha Kent running for U.S. Senate, not just state senate, and needing Lionel's help to grease the wheels: an excellent motive for her to spend more time with him. Mionel! With Clark not wanting his mom to be indebted to Lionel! I am so excited about the potential of this storyline!
And next week's preview, which I won't mention specifically so as not to spoil the DL crowd, but it makes me so excited too!
I love my show so VERY MUCH!!!