My TL;DR Eppy Recaps of the Past 4 SV eps...
Is you Is or Is You Ain’t Isis
“Isis” was the beginning of the troubling trend of pifle Clark/Lois “A” plots that lack substance and only seem to only be about their relationship. It’s like Clana’s secwets and wies except it didn’t take seven seasons or even seven episodes to make me tire of the Clois romance.
Usually curb my writing about the Clark and Lois's romantic relationship because it doesn't interest me. Since I feel my issue with their romance is a preference thing (I love Clark and Lois’ interactions as friends and Planet cohorts though) rather than an execution of the relationship by Tom and Erica, I don't bother saying writing anything about it because it would read sound like a broken record--as I'm sure it does now. However, I don’t mustard either but I don’t discount its appeal to others. I don’t hate Clark and Lois’ relationship as much as I hate mustard and Chad Michael Murray, I’m more like
Thankfully, I’m finding the B-plots more substantive and interesting.
What I Loved
* Oliver: “I canceled tonight’s gala. Adrianna was not thrilled to hear that news. I told her a friend unexpectedly flew in (and he was so proud at his joke. Dork.) ”
I yelled “YES!!” when he said her name. The museum’s facilitator is Adrianna! That’s why she was so passionate about the amulet. I just thought she was a day-player being overly earnest, but no, she’s Adrianna, she’s passionate about the amulet because of her (future? Past?) connection to Isis.
Very cool that they recreated the shot
Add to that the Black Adam reference? Oh, I was very happy.
*So the artifact was found at one of Lex’s excavation sites….like the one in S4? The site where Lex’s plane landed smack dab in the desert and not on a tarmac and the plane’s engine miraculously didn’t fall out of the air due to sand clogging the engine, but almost got wiped out by Clark as Kal-El soaring to the plane, ripping the door off and snatching one of the Stones of Plot Contrivance? That site? Damn, show. Sometimes you do remember!
*Lois’ rehearsing how she would tell Clark she knows his secret, right down to Clark’s denial. Hilarious. And Tom was great as well with his nervousness at having to tell Lois. He’s so damn darling.
Cat Grant is a bit cute in her rivalry with Lois. I think she’s supposed to be like the Lana and Lois of the Golden Age Superman tales where she’s goes to great lengths to uncover the identity of the Blur only to get pranked, fooled and stymied at every turn.
*Clark going to Oliver as a friend! Gah, I miss Clark having conversations that aren’t specific to saving the world or stopping some impending doom. And Oliver even offered him some of his cereal (“They sent spoons.”)
*Oliver being so blinded by love that he honestly believes “She (Tess) can’t do what Chloe did. No one can can take Chloe’s place.” Even though Dr. Emil, Clark, Tess, and Kara all walked into Watchtower and did what Chloe did. I bet you could put Gleek behind the computer and he’d get some intel for them.
*The walk and talk with Tess and Oliver on the phone, ending up with Tess walking into his office and him immediately walking her out. I thought it was a unique way to shoot that and very different take for SV. I was very impressed.
*Tess and Oliver’s bickering. Cassidy is the perfect foil for Oliver. Every scene between the two was excellent. Just the way they look at each other: Tess stares stonily at him as he levels an exasperated glare and a little shake of the head as if thinking, “This bitch here…” His frustration over her stealing his exposition thunder.
The best thing about it though is how real it is. He knows that the genie is out of the bottle and for better or worse whether she’s officially a part of their team or not, she’s involved and he hates it. And he’s going to continue showing his displeasure by not only carrying on with their usual digs back and forth, but he is now going to literally take his toys away (Oliver to Tess: “Sure, yeah, just make yourself at home-just do it somewhere else. Off the laptop.”)
*Tess getting verklempt over being a part of the JLA’s reindeer games. Cassidy broke my heart in this episode. Seeing Tess touched by the Clark’s and Alexander’s trust and how it’s reshaping her and bringing her walls down is wonderful.
…This is going to end badly, isn’t it?
* The humor was a nice touch in the episode. We have too little that overall on the show. Oliver putting Cat in the sarcophagus, Cat thinking Lois was part of some “s-e-x club”.
*The Cat grab by Clark. He even bought her a coffee and paper. Let’s see Spiderman or Batman do that!
*Lois’ simple and perfect reaction to Clark’s giving up the secret. There was no big speech needed, it was all there and the reaction of the both of them.
What I Didn’t Love
*That little sneaky exposition that the show placed in the “previously on Smallville” with Carter Hall explaining the story of Isis to Lois which is something that happened Offscreensville. I’m assuming it was edited out for time but what was going on in the previous episode that they had to cut out that scene (as well as Lois bringing home the necklace), but I don’t remember a time where something that they consign to Offscreensville actually held importance to another episode. I guess there wasn’t enough room for it in “Shield” because of all the destiny, fate and soulmates blabbity blah talk.
How did it get in her purse? How come when she pulled it out on the roof, she didn’t have more of a reaction that she was carrying the missing artifact? I would think her reporter’s instincts would kick in and she’d want to steal Cat’s story before being whammied. She barely reacted to the fact that she had the amulet somehow.
*Clark (to Oliver): “If I remember correctly, you coming out to Lois did not have a happy ending. You told Lois the truth and she dumped you.”
I’m splitting hairs, I know, but NO THE HELL SHE DIDN’T. She and Oliver broke up at the end of “Justice”. He returned in “Siren” trying to restart it, she told him no because she couldn’t share him with the world. And what really kills me is that Lois tells Clark the reason why she couldn’t be with Oliver, (Where his life is taking him is bigger than the two of them and she didn’t want to be left behind.) , so it’s a bit different than Lois outright breaking up with him under the weight of his secret identity. They weren’t together anymore.
*Leave it to a Teague to know how to bind Clark properly.
Isis, you mustn’t be a afraid to dream a bit bigger darling.
~They color-corrected it in post so that people wouldn’t think Oliver was tying up Clark…again. Or because they want it to look magical. I’m going with the Collie bondage though.
Other Bits
*Oliver: “Coming out was the best thing I ever did. I could be myself around here. And it turns out people actually like the real me.” Ignoring the fact that Oliver is out of the closet and now doesn’t have to hide his secret identity (that of Green Arrow and Rick Flagg’s sub) is he any different now that he’s out as Green Arrow? It’s not like Oliver undergoes a personality change when he does his costume: who he is as Oliver Queen is who he is as Green Arrow… except Oliver tends to be shirtless and Green Arrow is head to toe in leather: both work amazingly well for me. I guess I don’t get that line because it’s not like he’s going to come to LuthorCorp meetings dressed in gear or dart out from meetings by rappelling out the window.
*Cat (to Tess): “I know the look of a concerned mother when I see one.”
Tess: “This boy is not my son.”
Why ever wouldn’t you want to claim this not at all creepy looking kid?
It’s good that you wished those awful doctors into the cornfield, Alexander, it’s really good.
*We still have time to resolve the issue of Chloe since Alison is returning to close up her storyline, but I wonder if we’d ever be let in on if Oliver is being honest with himself about Chloe’s feelings towards him. I loved the noncommittal look on Tess’ face when Oliver told her that Chloe “really loved me”. She knows the truth: Chloe loved the idea of protecting Green Arrow and the team and loved them as her teammates, but in Oliver’s case, not the same deep love he feels for her. Oliver usually shows great self-awareness so I’m wondering if he’s still holding on to this fantasy love for all generations ideal he has about Chloe and himself out of self-preservation; so that he won’t go on another binge or he really is that clueless and believes that it’s his secret that drove her away.
*It shows immense growth on Clark’s part that he’s willing to trust Tess. Can we please, please, please get a moment where he at least voices the sentiment of “I wonder what would’ve happened if I trusted Lex with my secret?” Not that he should’ve, but I would just like to see him reflect on how his fear informed his decisions.
Harvest
If you want to know the plot of “Harvest” just look up the “Supernatural” episode “Scarecrow” or the film “Wicker Man” or read the short story “The Lottery” (highly recommended) and add in some kryptonite and bam, you have “Harvest”… an episode that somehow escaped being the 19th episode of the season-that’s for as uneventful as it was.
Between “Isis” and “Harvest” you have a hint of a real Clark and Lois storyline. Instead of “Isis”, they should’ve put all the relationship story in “Harvest” and had the two trapped together for the majority of the episode and knocked it out in one fell swoop.
What I Loved
*Lois questioning Clark about all the weird things: visit to the Phantom Zone, Doomsday, the spaceship.
*The B-plot with Tess and Alexander. Tess is trying to give (A)Lex(ander) the childhood he deserves and it’s a big difference from the one Lex had. I loved how Alexander’s birthday party was the adverse of the memory of Lex’s birthday party in “Memoria” where no one came.
*Connor Stanhope was fantastic. He tweeted that he just used what Michael Rosenbaum taught him about acting and that was very generous of him, but it was all him on that set. He played that part so well. The scene in the loft with Tess was heartbreaking because this misconstrued memory or subjective memory of his relationship with Clark is destroying him. When he yelled, “He wants to kill me!” it nearly broke me because he believes it. And I don’t think he just means Clark is trying to just physically kill him, Alexander believes; he feels that Clark has taken everything from him. He believes that Clark is killing him emotionally. I’m sure that’s how fake!Lex in “Requiem” felt. Lex trusted Clark, he loved Clark and believed that Clark wasn’t like the rest of the people in his life who lied to him and what happens? His father chooses Clark over him; Clark began to trust Lionel more than Lex, Lex finds out that Clark is an alien and from all Lex knows from his experience with aliens that’s a bad prospect, yet no one condemns Clark; instead the populace treats him like their savior. In Lex’s eyes Clark is behind everything bad that has happened to him. Now, I cut my teeth on soap operas so I’m loving the fact that Clark has the ability to break Lex. That’s how wrapped up in Clark Lex is. This is a whole new level of dicknotized.
When he rebuked and questioned Tess’ help: “Why? So you can feel good about yourself? For you can exorcise those demons deep within your soul? Isn’t that what you always wanted: to save the world so you could redeem the evil inside you? You couldn’t do it alone so you clung to powerful men. First Oliver Queen, then me, then Zod and now Clark Kent.”…between his pain and Tess’ fear and sadness that she is in a losing battle---it crushed me.
Also:
I’m a bit wary over the idea that Lex is evil through and through and that it’s in his genes. And I really don’t like that Tess is spouting how evil Lex is when she was doing dirt before him with Checkmate and after him. It’s all fun and games until someone’s eye becomes a spycam.
*It was very effective as a Halloween episode. Rural town with people carrying torches and wearing hoods certainly scares me.
They’re using “Superman Returns” suit, are they using “Batman Begins” Scarecrow mask too?
“Batman Begins” Scarecrow
SV’s
We also had kinda zombie!Clark
Which would’ve been more fitting if he had brought along his Thriller jacket.
*Going back in the wayback machine: a nod to “Memoria”, we saw Dr. Swann’s book, a EMILY DINSMORE MENTION! and Clark, once again, making love in the glow of candlelights. He read a lot of Martha’s Harlequin romance books.
*The song used for this special occasion? Can’t Take My Eyes Off You: The Cary Brothers
What I Didn’t Love
*Why are the Lois scenes with non-cast members so damn long? That dinner scene went on forever. I could’ve plowed their entire field in the length of that time.
*These two investigative journalists didn’t see that 2 x 4 immediately after running over it? Clark even lifted the car to take the tires off! Wouldn’t you automatically look around to see what you drove over?
Other Bits
*How did meteor rocks get in that town? Was the swath really that wide when Clark’s ship pulled through the atmosphere?
*Poor Dr. Trammell (played by Michael Shanks’ wife Lexa Doig) isn’t going to get her redemption. Hell, it’s even worse: now she’s actually culpable in the planned murder of a kid.
*Not that I care one way or another if Michael Rosenbaum returns but at least now we know that skull caps are passable.
Ambush
This episode was a smart way to weave in the events of New Krypton from the Lane side. In the events of New Krypton General Sam Lane and Lucy were deeply involved. Stupid Lucy even became a superhero with a silly costume to infiltrate the meta-human community. It also addresses the relationship between Lois, her dad and Lucy and how both daughters want to please them, except that unlike Lucy, Lois will go only so far to please him. They’re like Sam and Dean except neither of them cry as much. And they don’t have sex with each other.
What I Loved
*That Clark had to do chores to secure the General’s favor just like Lex had to do chores to win Jonathan’s favor. They both did it for love. Except Lex did it with less grumbling because Clark was worth it.
*Clark (to Lois): “Lois, the bedroom is up there.”
Lois: “But the porch swing is out there.”
Aww, that’s so sweet. She thinks they’re going to christen the porch swing.
Oliver beat you to it, sis.
Oliver decided to spend the day on the farm, decompressing from his busy work week of doing Tai Chi in his office or doing reps in his office or shadowboxing in his office. He wanted to live as a man of the land so he put on his favorite pair of jeans (that compliment his taut butt) and a flannel shirt that wasn’t even from a top designer-that’s how committed he was to that day. Clark was testing Oliver’s ridiculous camera-arrow on Oliver and one thing led to another and before you knew it, old Ben Hubbard was seeing something he normally has to order from a catalog delivered to his P.O Box.
It is special that he’s gotten over his fear of women in his jersey.
Our Clark is all growed up!
and maybe one day soon we’d get a love scene to match Clark/Alicia.
Never forget.
*The quick Tess as Oracle moment.
*Flag/Arrow FTW!
Oliver (to Tess, looking at Flag’s dossier): “Wait a second, I know this guy. This guy tied me to a chair, beat me to a pulp and then he wanted to kiss and make up. I knew he got under my skin, but come on.”
And this is why even Oliver’s son even joked about Oliver trying to lower his rating on the Kinsey scale. Currently, Oliver’s about a Tom Hardy on the Kinsey scale: he’s been to Gayland, took in the sights, sounds and feel but he doesn’t want to live there.
Ollie, is it time for another visit? You have all the oil you need right there on the premises.
I have a feeling Oliver is going to take this home and do naughty things to it.
~Tess (to Ollie): “How did you say you hurt yourself again?”
Oliver: “Just your typical axe-wielding maniac.”
Right. ::winks:: The first rule of Desaad’s Fetish club is that you do not talk about Desaad’s Fetish club.
*The Tess/Oliver had, yet again, wonderful scenes together. Oliver going to her with an olive branch or Belgian beer was really sweet. Giving up the Watchtower (I hope they all visit Jimmy’s grave since they’re using his house) was a huge gesture. I wish he could have more bonding scenes with Clark, but I’ll take this readily.
*I loved the two shot from the floor of Clark and Oliver standing over Flag and Warp. I could see that team going up against each other. Well, Clark and Warp watching Oliver and Flag go against/inside each other. Clark likes to watch Oliver with other people and no offense to Warp, he just doesn’t dig French accents.
*Clark was so strong and confident in this episode. He didn’t doubt himself, he didn’t roll over, he stood firm…he even called the General Sam. By George, he’s got it!!! This is how he should in every episode: unshakeable in what he’s trying to do in his personal life and as the Blur.
What I Didn’t Love
*I’m writing this having seen “Abandoned” already and it cheeses me off that the writers didn’t use the opportunity to establish a stronger through line between the two episodes. They have the season mapped out, they know what they’re tackling. A line that I thought was a bit of a reach could’ve worked so much better if they tweaked it a bit.
Frustrated over Clark calling her out for keeping silent with the General, Lois says, “Hey, just because you don’t have a f----.” Which is cruel is also nonsense (she could’ve easily said he wouldn’t understand because Jonathan is unlike the General). Even if she followed it up with the explanation that Clark didn’t have to deal with family therefore he didn’t understand (which is still a weak stance), I wish Clark would’ve told her about Jor-El’s disappointment. Or since I think we’re to believe they’ve had that convo Offscreensville, just say, “I told you about my birth father and what he wants from me.” That would’ve tied in perfectly with “Abandoned” because as it stands, I thought Jor-El and Lara’s appearance came out of the blue.
*I’m not understanding Clark’s hair. Has he been watching “Happy Days”? Did he put on the leather jacket, take his comb, lick it and run it through his hair before zipping out the door? He looks like Pat Riley.
or one of the guys from “The Outsiders”.
It’s a shame about Johnny, huh?
*Lucy Lane. I hated the episode “Lucy” and I hated everything about her in this episode. She’s the worst! She’s needy for attention, she’s stupid (someone tells you to plant something on your dad and you do it? When is it ever good to “plant” something on someone? Give, yes? To plant is to set someone up.) Instead of telling her to “Always watch your six.” Flag should’ve told her to “Stop eating moron flakes and chasing it with stupid juice, you ditz.”
*I’m glad that they’re letting Tess be a part of their reindeer game, but I’m bothered that it seems all Tess does is Watchtower business. Who’s running LuthorCorp? Not only that, it’s like she’s the Watchtower’s interior decorator and nurse. Nobody puts Tess in the corner. I hope they remember that Tess is her own person and not only a conduit from which information pours from. She’s too interesting of a character for that.
*They had the perfect opportunity for some Collie and they didn’t take it? Why would Oliver examine Clark without taking off his shirt? You have him joke about jumping out the window like they were 16, but didn’t go the full monty with Clark scrambling to put on his shirt? I have to deduct a point from this episode…if I was keeping score.
*Did they really have to blow up the Talon? It felt like they want to erase all sense of the past as a testament to how this season is about Clark is moving forward, but the thing about Superman is that he never left Smallville behind! His family is still there. His heart is still there. It’s where he goes when he needs to regroup, so to obliterate all traces of the past and act as if it’s forward moving behavior is uncalled for because one is suppose to make peace with the past. You don’t have to necessarily destroy all vestiges of it. I can’t decide if it’s the writer’s way of showing that Clark and Lana are over forever ever. Forever, ever? Forever ever. Or if it was their way of having a convenient way of having Lois move in with Clark.
Other Bits
*Michael Ironside plays that role well because I wanted to pistol whip General Lane. He’s such a disagreeable sod. He commandeers the Kent farm, even goes as far to dole out chores (and did he ever know Lois was living with the Kents? Now he’s worried about the place being up to code? Pulling a scene from “Meet the Parents” and interrogating Clark without even trying to teach Shelby how to flush the toilet.) and to question Clark in his own house? It makes me glad that he’s dead in the DCU.
General (to Clark): "You live in your mother's house and work in a basement."
Hello, all you fanboy bloggers! This ep is a shout out to you.
Jerk.
*As close of an eye the General had on Clark, he didn’t notice someone driving up to go to the Fortress? I’ll give the show the benefit of the doubt, though and say that he saw Oliver go to the Fortress and sent Lucy up to investigate and she got so flustered when Lois saw her kissing Clark that she forgot to tell the General about the guy who did a somersault out the window.
*Clark (to Lois): “Lois, your sister just----
Lois: “Ambushed you? This has Lucy written all over it.”
Two episode titles in one! I wish instead of spelling Clark’s name out as “Kilo Echo November Tango”, the General would’ve said, “Krypto Echo Nocturne Talisman”.
*Someone online pointed out that it’s unnecessary now for Oliver to wear his hood, glasses and voice modulator since he’s out of the (superhero) closet. That’s very true, but how is Oliver going to get his full kink on if he’s just wearing leather pants and jacket? He’s not Eddie Murphy in “Raw”.
Abandoned
Right now, it’s my favorite episode of the season. Clark finally had something going on besides relationship talk, we focused on the parents, we got a big ol’ surprise (which didn’t come as too much as a surprise for me because unfortunately I was online while watching and I got spoiled. I learned my lesson.), but know why else this episode rocked?
Whoomp, there it is!
And when Mad Menacing Harriet cut into his chest with the blades slowly?
Oliver, you’re supposed to be watching the surveillance video to find a way to rescue Clark, not to get yourself off!
What I Loved
*Besides shirtless!bound!Clark? The reveal that Tess is the daughter of Lionel Luthor and Pamela Jenkins. I applaud the mastery of that twist. I’m not completely sold on it because-while cool-- I think at this stage in the game, I know all I need to know about Tess. I don’t need to know the ins and outs of her family life to see what she’s all about it. I could fill that in. I think the only thing this will serve is that if/when Tess betrays the JLA she’ll blame her evol Luthor genes and Clark and Oliver could tut-tut and say how they were right to not trust Luthors. Or she’ll fight her “Luthor nature” and condemn Alexander or whatever Lex clone they’ll pull out of their hat and show how she’s beaten the Luthor curse (even though she was just as nefarious as Lex).
I was too busy laughing at the name Lutessa that I didn’t realize that her middle name was Lena, which is all kinds of awesome (even though right now how many Superman-verse characters is Tess made out of? Mercy Graves, Miss Teschmacher, Oracle, Lena Luthor and I’m guessing The Contessa (Lutessa).
*This new insight on her parentage reinforces what the writers and Glover said about Lionel’s preference for redheads.
Take that, “Bound”! Lex was screwing brunettes because he wanted Clark, not his mom.
If Martha could have children she’d be one of Lionel’s baby mamas too.
And even though this means Tess had incestuous feelings towards her brother..
Perfectly matched pair
, the real eye-opener is that it could be argued that Lex had the better childhood out of all the Luthor kids. Julian didn’t make it past infancy, the others were ditched. Lex lived a life of opportunity and privilege and he could’ve struck out on his own, but he was compelled to match wits with Lionel until it crushed him.
*Teri Hatcher got all the press, but it meant just as much to me to see Helen Slater. Supergirl and 90s Lois together in one episode is special. Both scenes with both parents were beautiful (although the Jor-El/Lara scene was incredible. I don’t know what they shot it on or how they made it look so pristine, but it was gorgeous).
I even teared up when Ella held up “Big Blue” and said that he was a symbol of hope. Lois has two of those in her life now.
I am Lois
I am Lois
I am Lois..because my fans say I am even though there’s no way I am.
Despite the joke of Julian Sands looking nothing like Tom (which always takes me out of the moment), I’m always moved when this show or the comics have the Els say their goodbye to Clark. The idea of them sending their last hope out in the universe alone never fails to touch me. So much so I overlook glaring inconsistencies like Lara talking about Earth as if she never been there when she and Kara took Sunday voyages to the Kent farm and walked around like they were Goldilocks (which, I guess they are).
Awww
*SHELBY!
*The casting of Steve Byers as Desaad is a another testament to the casting people’s great eye. When I saw his picture, I didn’t think much of the guy.
If you need a poor man’s version of Paul Walker, he’s your guy.
But just that brief scene between Granny Goodness and Glorious Godfrey had me hooked. He’s compelling and a bit sexy with the put-on accent. I can’t wait to see what they do with him.
*Lionel being shown, once again, ditching a kid. How many rain soaked departing limo scenes has this show had? I bet half of them were of Lionel throwing some kid out of it.
What I Didn’t Love
*Just what the hell is all that with Jor-El? I…what? We have to accept that Lois has a fire under her to reconcile Jor-El and Clark because I’m guessing they’ve been having discussions about this Offscreensville? It never seemed to me that Clark’s been too torn up over Jor-El’s dismissal since “Supergirl” considering that he doesn’t seem all too concerned about the “impending darkness”. Now it’s all fired important to get him to talk to Jor-El who now reappears with Lara, no less , in a holographic goodbye message that Clark just now is privy too. Did it get caught up in the Fortress’ spam folder?
If there’s some logical explanation why this happened suddenly like it’s only activated if Clark brings his true love, then I’d get it. But this sudden need to have Clark connect with the Els, just seems like the writers wanted their very own “Memoria” which to me is an episode that expressed the profound love between the parents and Clark and explained the tone of the relationship between Lex and his parents.
I tweeted that I guess I should just be happy it happened and not question the why, but I’m watching the clock and there’s a finite amount of episodes left and I’d rather them not dawdle on things that ultimate doesn’t move Clark forward and just because Lois says its left a hole, if the viewers aren’t shown that Clark is suffering from it, does it then matter? There was a perfect opportunity to have Clark discussing it onscreen since the General told him that family is important and he regrets he didn’t spend more time with them. Then, common sense would lead me to think Clark is going to reflect on it and want to do something about his relationship with Jor-El because even though he deflects and says, “it’s not my real dad”, it’s the closest thing to real Jor-El that he has. Instead we have Lois leading the charge and not Clark taking charge of his own resolution with his father. The writers are so focused on the big details that they miss the small vital ones that lead to character development. They’re looking for drapes for their house, but forgot to put in a bathroom.
That’s so random. I realize.
*I love Lindsay Hartley. She’s a supporter of the show, she’s terrific in her own right, but I am disappoint that the writers didn’t go balls out and create a truly mad Mad Harriet.
This is how the Furies should’ve looked
Not like Maxim babes.
This unnerved me more than the Furies
Interviews with “Abandoned” guest stars: Two with Lindsay Hartley. TV Guide and USA Weekend
*Teri Hatcher with TV Guide
*Helen Slater with Den of Geeks
Next week:
This guy and his bulge returns
~Tiny thought about SPN: Sam is like Abed from "Community" except lacking pop culture references.