Smallville
The overall impression in fandom seems to be that nobody liked this episode.....which disappointed me, because I really liked it myself. However - looking back on it, it felt different than what Smallville normally is. Sometimes that's exciting to me, but I can also see where people may not like it.
Personally, I'm a fan of Oliver Queen, and I was about ready for something new to happen in this "Woe is me" storyline of his. Yes, it was all a bit over-the-top, but I didn't mind it. (Okay, it might have made me laugh a little). Did I question bits of it? Well, sure. I got that he was supposed to save Victoria to show that he isn't the same guy that killed Lex, etc. etc......but it didn't really hit me the way it was supposed to. My first thought was "Does she really DESERVE to be saved?" since at that point, it really seemed like she might be working on her own for whatever reason. Of course - you could turn that question around and use it in regards to Oliver killing Lex, right? I guess that was the point. As much as I personally loved Lex....he committed evil acts. So is he really any different than Victoria?
Okay, so I get it. But it didn't resonate the way it should have, and I don't really know what the answer to fixing that would have been.
(ETA: Actually, for me, the real "redemptive" moment they were going for came when Oliver heard the other man "yelling" in the coffin....and his panic to get it open when he saw Lex's name on the outside. But that was just me.)
Also, randomly - I love that he didn't even take the time to change out of the bloody suit before confronting Victoria. If he had known she had Lois, that'd be one thing....but he didn't. So that made me laugh in a kind of shallow way.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I am all for Clois, but damn it, Oliver and Lois pull me back in every single time. When I look at it logically, I do think that it's better for them to be apart, but then they act together and all my logic flies out the window. Crap. He was just so mushy and cuddly in that last scene with her that I was distracted. Heh.
I'm not sure what to make of Lois and Clark's argument over Ollie's suicide attempt. On the one hand - it's not really Clark's place to tell her "Hey, your ex-boyfriend seems to be going a little bit over the deep end." But on the other hand.....I could see where she was coming from. She knows that Oliver still feels a connection to her, or at least, she wanted to believe he did (more on that in a second), so I could see her being upset that Clark didn't fill her in. She had it in her head that maybe she COULD have helped him if she had known.....and then when he disappears and things look really bleak, of course she's going to lash out at the person who did know for not giving her that chance. So I saw both sides of that.
Getting back to her connection with Oliver, though.....*I* believe they have a connection, especially after hearing Oliver talk about his feelings for her during Rabid. However.....I saw Lois's belief in that connection as being hopeful more so than being logical. She didn't hear his speech in the elevator - she was too busy becoming a zombie, after all - and all he's done is push her away since then. Has he really given her any reason to believe that they're still connected the way they once were? No......but do I blame her for holding on to that hope that maybe they still are? Well, no, not really.
Okay, that probably didn't make much sense. It always does in my head.....if that helps?
Now, getting on to the big sticking point of the episode.....Chloe. I'm really not sure what to make of this twist, and reading everyone else's thoughts hasn't given me any hard answers. My first reaction was "Chloe wouldn't do this..." (I was with the people who figured it was Tess-related), but then I went "How do I know what she would and wouldn't do?" The truth is, this Chloe is far removed from the Chloe I first saw and rooted for back in season one. Her life has taken a darker turn. I've been having a hard time dealing with her for the last season or so, and I think it's because I still expect her to be *that* Chloe. I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'm not fond of this one.
I guess I have a hard time anymore figuring out just what the hell is going on with her. I feel like we're watching a downward spiral, that she's on her way to becoming a dark and possibly evil figure somewhere down the road. But the impressions we get from the writing are that we're supposed to root for her, that she's doing the "right thing", that she's one of the good guys. It makes it hard, at least for me, to figure out just where she's going as a character. I suppose the mystery of it could be intriguing - after all, I've heard people say that they never saw a point in rooting for Lex Luthor, because we all knew there was "no hope" for him anyway - but instead, it keeps me confused and not sure whether I should like or hate her.
I think it was huzzlewhat who commented on Chloe's affect during that final scene with Oliver. I'm right there with you in being a bit freaked out. She seemed very....evil mastermind....which I think is part of the reason why I'm now playing this "Is she or isn't she a good guy?" scenario out in my head. I also didn't appreciate how self-congratulatory she was, and how easily she shrugged off the fact that Oliver could have KILLED her COUSIN. This was really underscored for me when she mentioned that she'd made sure Oliver's gun was loaded with blanks. So, she had time to take care of that....but she didn't have the time to tell Victoria "You did WHAT? No, let her go, she's my cousin." The impression I got is that Lois was taken hostage accidentally....but once Chloe found out, she went "Hmm, I could work this to my advantage". And that makes me REALLY uncomfortable.
I really would like to see Clark's reaction to this.....not only the fact that Lois was put in danger, but also that Chloe did this at all - and then lied to him about her involvement. I think it could be one hell of a blowup. Then again....I'm still waiting for Clark to find out that Chloe killed a guy for knowing his secret. I didn't miss that bomb dropping, did I? It seems like it got conveniently swept under the carpet.....which is a shame. That could have played in nicely to Oliver's ongoing guilt about killing Lex.
Random amusements......Clark and Lois watching movies! Ha! I actually liked those scenes, simply for Lois staring down Clark's twitching leg, and of course the red bra. Not to mention Clark later summing up the evening with "Lois and laundry and lacy things".
Also, Oliver telling Clark he looked ridiculous. Okay, yes, this is coming from a guy wearing a green leather hooded vest, but still - funny. Didn't Oliver set his gear on fire, anyway? That scene of him burning his outfit kind of loses its symbolism if he had 20 more just like it at home in the closet. Heh.
Personally, I'm a fan of Oliver Queen, and I was about ready for something new to happen in this "Woe is me" storyline of his. Yes, it was all a bit over-the-top, but I didn't mind it. (Okay, it might have made me laugh a little). Did I question bits of it? Well, sure. I got that he was supposed to save Victoria to show that he isn't the same guy that killed Lex, etc. etc......but it didn't really hit me the way it was supposed to. My first thought was "Does she really DESERVE to be saved?" since at that point, it really seemed like she might be working on her own for whatever reason. Of course - you could turn that question around and use it in regards to Oliver killing Lex, right? I guess that was the point. As much as I personally loved Lex....he committed evil acts. So is he really any different than Victoria?
Okay, so I get it. But it didn't resonate the way it should have, and I don't really know what the answer to fixing that would have been.
(ETA: Actually, for me, the real "redemptive" moment they were going for came when Oliver heard the other man "yelling" in the coffin....and his panic to get it open when he saw Lex's name on the outside. But that was just me.)
Also, randomly - I love that he didn't even take the time to change out of the bloody suit before confronting Victoria. If he had known she had Lois, that'd be one thing....but he didn't. So that made me laugh in a kind of shallow way.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.....I am all for Clois, but damn it, Oliver and Lois pull me back in every single time. When I look at it logically, I do think that it's better for them to be apart, but then they act together and all my logic flies out the window. Crap. He was just so mushy and cuddly in that last scene with her that I was distracted. Heh.
I'm not sure what to make of Lois and Clark's argument over Ollie's suicide attempt. On the one hand - it's not really Clark's place to tell her "Hey, your ex-boyfriend seems to be going a little bit over the deep end." But on the other hand.....I could see where she was coming from. She knows that Oliver still feels a connection to her, or at least, she wanted to believe he did (more on that in a second), so I could see her being upset that Clark didn't fill her in. She had it in her head that maybe she COULD have helped him if she had known.....and then when he disappears and things look really bleak, of course she's going to lash out at the person who did know for not giving her that chance. So I saw both sides of that.
Getting back to her connection with Oliver, though.....*I* believe they have a connection, especially after hearing Oliver talk about his feelings for her during Rabid. However.....I saw Lois's belief in that connection as being hopeful more so than being logical. She didn't hear his speech in the elevator - she was too busy becoming a zombie, after all - and all he's done is push her away since then. Has he really given her any reason to believe that they're still connected the way they once were? No......but do I blame her for holding on to that hope that maybe they still are? Well, no, not really.
Okay, that probably didn't make much sense. It always does in my head.....if that helps?
Now, getting on to the big sticking point of the episode.....Chloe. I'm really not sure what to make of this twist, and reading everyone else's thoughts hasn't given me any hard answers. My first reaction was "Chloe wouldn't do this..." (I was with the people who figured it was Tess-related), but then I went "How do I know what she would and wouldn't do?" The truth is, this Chloe is far removed from the Chloe I first saw and rooted for back in season one. Her life has taken a darker turn. I've been having a hard time dealing with her for the last season or so, and I think it's because I still expect her to be *that* Chloe. I don't think I'm alone in saying that I'm not fond of this one.
I guess I have a hard time anymore figuring out just what the hell is going on with her. I feel like we're watching a downward spiral, that she's on her way to becoming a dark and possibly evil figure somewhere down the road. But the impressions we get from the writing are that we're supposed to root for her, that she's doing the "right thing", that she's one of the good guys. It makes it hard, at least for me, to figure out just where she's going as a character. I suppose the mystery of it could be intriguing - after all, I've heard people say that they never saw a point in rooting for Lex Luthor, because we all knew there was "no hope" for him anyway - but instead, it keeps me confused and not sure whether I should like or hate her.
I think it was huzzlewhat who commented on Chloe's affect during that final scene with Oliver. I'm right there with you in being a bit freaked out. She seemed very....evil mastermind....which I think is part of the reason why I'm now playing this "Is she or isn't she a good guy?" scenario out in my head. I also didn't appreciate how self-congratulatory she was, and how easily she shrugged off the fact that Oliver could have KILLED her COUSIN. This was really underscored for me when she mentioned that she'd made sure Oliver's gun was loaded with blanks. So, she had time to take care of that....but she didn't have the time to tell Victoria "You did WHAT? No, let her go, she's my cousin." The impression I got is that Lois was taken hostage accidentally....but once Chloe found out, she went "Hmm, I could work this to my advantage". And that makes me REALLY uncomfortable.
I really would like to see Clark's reaction to this.....not only the fact that Lois was put in danger, but also that Chloe did this at all - and then lied to him about her involvement. I think it could be one hell of a blowup. Then again....I'm still waiting for Clark to find out that Chloe killed a guy for knowing his secret. I didn't miss that bomb dropping, did I? It seems like it got conveniently swept under the carpet.....which is a shame. That could have played in nicely to Oliver's ongoing guilt about killing Lex.
Random amusements......Clark and Lois watching movies! Ha! I actually liked those scenes, simply for Lois staring down Clark's twitching leg, and of course the red bra. Not to mention Clark later summing up the evening with "Lois and laundry and lacy things".
Also, Oliver telling Clark he looked ridiculous. Okay, yes, this is coming from a guy wearing a green leather hooded vest, but still - funny. Didn't Oliver set his gear on fire, anyway? That scene of him burning his outfit kind of loses its symbolism if he had 20 more just like it at home in the closet. Heh.