Smallville 9x01 Savior
Well, this wasn't my favorite SV premiere, let's just put it that way. But, all things considered, for a show embarking on its 9th year, and that too having undergone several structural evolutions / changes in the past two seasons - I do believe this was decent, solid enough opening. I think my biggest gripe with this though is that there didn't feel as there was enough Clark. However, that said, I think if any ep could justify this, it's this, because there was a lot to cram in. And in that regard, I think the ep did well enough.
Clark is definitely not in the healthiest of mind frames, and I'm not sure at all why the show thinks he ought to train, and that too with Jor-El, but I can appreciate at least that there is a somewhat basis for his mind frame, after the events of 'Doomsday.' And what I actually love, is the fact that even though he's training and claiming to cut off ties with humanity and whatnot - he's still out there, actively saving lives. I think, given where he's at, and what he's been through, the fact that he's still a hero - an active hero, who cares, no matter what he tells himself or others to the contrary - proves that he's a hero at his very core, heart and soul. And I love Clark for that. I also loved his train!save. That was very well done. As was the shot of him leaping off of the Statue of Liberty, which I'm assuming was a training simulation? Because otherwise, I don't quite get it. Unless this is his own training - fuck what the AI says, and leap off of tall buildings to see if you can fly or not, type of thing, heh.
There were some real poignant moments as well, such as the one where Clark recalls Jonathon to Chloe. My heart broke for him there, but I admired his conviction so much in that particular scene. I think it spoke very well of Clark not only to refuse Chloe' wish, but to do so in the manner he did.
Also, just a couple of little things but I really, really loved the visual of Clark atop the building. And seeing the 'S' symbol everywhere was just, amazing.
Clark' fight scene with Kryptonian!chick was well done. We need more of this kind of stuff on the show. I'm not sure at all what her deal is though. She supposedly dies, but then we see her again in the scene with Zod, and also in the flashback. And she had Jonathon' watch?!
Speaking of Zod, as it stands, I'm - no pun intended, majorly confused. I do think the storyline and character, both, have potential though. Just the little sampling we got of Zod in his element, standing up to his people and actually winning back his army - and all this without powers, was excellent. Plus, CB is just so good in the role already. And he and CF are generating some interesting chemistry already too.
There wasn't a lot of Tess in the ep, and she was bruised and battered for most of it, but how terrific was it seeing her at her best when we discover that she was having the whole thing taped. And I loved that little look shared between her and Zod at the end of their last scene.
Lois was very much front and centre for the ep, and in a way, after having been marginalized in season premieres for years, it was kinda refreshing actually, heh. I liked most of her scenes, though I admit my annoyance with Ollie colored the ones she shared with him. Those aside, I liked that she was actively kicking butt from word go, and that she was determined to go meet the Blur. It really wasn't until Corben informed her that she discovered she was missing for three weeks. Speaking of this scene, good for her stomping on Corben' feet. WTF was up with that kiss?
Corben is a big 'ol question mark right now, even though I know who he eventually becomes, because I'm unsure of the how's of it at the moment. Why exactly does he have such a honkin grudge against the Blur? And if he was indeed a reporter in Afghanistan, why is starting off at the DP opposite Lois? Still, I'm going to hold out hope that the storyline pays off next week.
Chloe' scenes were a bit of a hit and miss for me. I liked her scenes with Lois and Emil, and I was fine with her first scene with Clark too. In fact, I really liked how at the beginning of the ep she said about Clark that "he's still doing everything he can to keep the streets of Metropolis safe." But then the she lost me again in her second and final scene with Clark. I don't care for people saying to Clark how they've sacrificed for him, so Chloe' "I've given up so much for you" grated. As did her "Jimmy died because you and I screwed up." Not quite, Chloe. And then finally, her "It's good that you've embraced your Kryptonian side. There's nothing human about you anymore" was particularly annoying, because it just reminded me of just how much she herself played a part in getting Clark to this point. And yet, either Chloe is too delusional to know this or she is wifully choosing to ignore it. I don't know which is worse.
Her scenes with Emil were good though, and I'll say again what a great addition he is to the show. Not only is there someone else, through him, to share the exposition stuff, but he does it with flair. I did have a problem with Chloe suggesting that the JL "turned on each other." Not quite how I remember, because what I remember is the JL collectively turning on Clark, and Clark alone. Wherever they are right now, it has nothing to do with Clark, far as I'm concerned - it's all on them.
And what can I say about Ollie? I think Lois says it best - "onboxious jackass." I get that he has issues, but I'd like to see this actually go somewhere. Preferably including a well deserved apology to Clark.
The Clois dynamic, both in the capacity of Clark/Lois, and Blur/Lois, was quite prominent in the ep, even though they shared barely a scene together. On the one hand, I can clearly see how this amping up of the 'ship comes off as ill timed after the Clana arc of last year.
But on the other end, just as I can't ignore the Clana portion of last season, so too can I not ignore the Clois aspects of it. Up until 8x10, there was a solid enough foundation based wherein not only were these two spending immense time with each other, but they were claiming a certain place in each other's lives, if not mutually their hearts yet, with it all culminating in that almost!kiss. Then of course, it all got horribly derailed during the middle, but even so, there are eps from the latter half of S8 that continued this course of setting these two up as procuring quite unique places in one anothers lives. 'Infamous', 'Hex', 'Stiletto', even 'Doomsday', to a degree. Not only had Clark and Lois managed to stay friends, and close and borderline flirtatious (as displayed in 'Hex' and 'Stiletto') despite the aborted date in 'Infamous', but Clark had begun to rely on Lois as a confidante as the Blur ('Stiletto', 'Doomsday.') To add to this, Lois was one of the only few in Clark' life who not only didn't betray him, but was an active source of comfort and support for him. So I can definitely see how Clark would come to value this about her. The cutting ties with Lois as a link to humanity is slighhtly more of a stretch for me to believe than Clark' growing feelings for her.
My main concern with all this now however, is that we need to see this foundation that was lain last season actually evolve now, as opposed to jumping straight in to any territiry of love declarations. We got to see Lois falling for Clark last season, I think we deserve to see the same of Clark this year. To really see them on the same plate, so to speak. Obviously there is the added complications now of the Blur angle and Lois thinking Clark isn't interested in her the way she was or felt, but yet what is promising in this whole thing was how it all tied back ultimately to Clark/Lois at the end of the ep, not Blur/Lois. Lois' scene with Corben clearly showed how much she still cares for Clark. Her hopeful "Clark" at hearing the squeaking of the chair, her faith in him eventually returning to the job and telling Corben therefore to not "get too comfortable in his chair." And then of course seeing the nameplate in the bin. I think this is when she realizes Clark just may not be on that so-called vacation. It was a nice little parallel to 'Odyssey' where then she happily, with a hint of promise arranged Clark' nameplate on his desk. And here, there's nothing but concern and worry. What also tied it back to Clark/Lois were the flashbacks, with the Clois sex, because now add that to the confusing pile for Lois, and a shared history/timeline with Clark too.
Speaking of the flashbacks, we got Clois sex, The Blur wearing Zod' symbol, Chloe dead, Ollie digging a grace and Tess, quite literally, kneeling before Zod. Very interesting. What concerns me though is that often even better written shows can screw up when it comes to time travel and time lines and whatnot. I'm not sure how convincingly SV can pull this off. But I'm willing to wait and see.
I think, in general, this premiere set up some central themes, and cohesively, at that. The main ones obviously involve the question of the timelines and then there's Clark evolution itself. The flying thing has really been set up as a kind of end goal here, and I think, if the show were to end this season, there'd be a nice symmetry to it. Because when Clark eventually does come to realize that his faith in humanity is not a liability, then this stint as The Blur can be seen as the last transition block to his eventual end point as Supes.