Smallville: Checkmate
Well. Didn't that suck. This ep felt like a slap in the face. We're heading towards S8 levels of end-of-season debacle, it seems. The whole Chloe/Clark/Oliver set-up is too familiar already not for it go down that road again. ::sighs::
I think I'm pretty much done with Chloe, unless something drastic happens in the writers room and they realize where they've gone wrong with her. Which for me, above every other issue, is her utter inability to see fault in any of her actions. She is completely unable to recognize her part in any debacle / failure, and this is something that has been going on too long now for me to just dismiss it as a passing trend anymore. It is now, unfortunately, a consistent trait of hers. I'm not sure if she's wilfully choosing to ignore her own shortcomings, or if she genuinely, honestly believes she's justified and right - but whatever it is, by now, I'm beginning to think of Chloe as seriously deluded, one way or the other. And honestly, her blaming Clark, or being snippy with him, I think I probably would be able to tolerate better if Chloe herself was also shown accepting her own mistakes. And yet, there's never anything of that sort that comes from her - ever. We're heading towards the end of the season and we're not only so far removed from Chloe ever having actually offered a semblance of apology to Clark, but the situation is further compounded by the fact that a) she's yet again keeping things from Clark and going behind his back and b) Clark has now offered more than his fair share of apologies. The fact that the writers can't see how wrong this is - this is the reason why so many SV fans have little to no at worst, or deeply wavering at best, faith in the SV PTB. Clearly, from the events of S8, and now here, the writers come at the situation from Chloe' end, not Clark'. This is now abundabtly apparent, unless, like I said, Chloe is shown to undergo some major rethinking and introspection - which I'm not holding my breath for at all. On some level, a part of me would still like to see it happen - for Chloe to genuinely come clean to Clark and accept her part in any and all screw-up's since the Davis debacle, and for Clark to be the bigger person and forgive her and for them to then work together towards a common cause. But the other part of me doesn't want to see this, because I know it's not likely to happen, and I've all but practically given up on Chloe.
Some of the dialogue had me absolutely seething. "Unlike some people who don't follow protocol" and "you forget we need to watch each others backs too" were so insanely condescending and hypocrotical that for a moment my naivete kicked in and I thought, maybe, just maybe by the end of the ep we'd have Chloe come to this realization about her double standards too. Obviously, I was wrong. And stupid, for that matter. And the dialogue kept on deteriorating because we got 'gems' later on such as Chloe being described as Clark' "most valuable ally" and "greatesat asset." I kept thinking during this of just how untrue both these statements were now. At some point in the series - true. But by now? I'm thinking more like 'most dangerous and volatile ally' instead of valuable, to be honest. And then the most hateful scene of all took place where we had Clark repeatedly grovel in Chloe' presence and where we had to sit through diaogue like "I'm sorry for everything", "I abandoned you", "I didn't give you enough credit" and "you're the one that brought us together" (which, while we're on the subject, isn't it Oliver who in the SV verse is responsible for the JL? Guess not). And all of this said from Clark, as sincerely as ever, while Chloe carried on with her`surly, snippy demeanor, with no hint of apology even, from her own side and topped off, to make matters worse with "maybe you just didn't trust me." You think, Chloe?! ::checks in her secret arsenal of weaponry::
My reactions to Oliver were not quite on the same level, probably because he himself had not much interaction with Clark, but nearly there, because he not only continues to keep Chloe' batshitness from Clark, but also was quite the hypocritical jackass in his interactions with Tess. I mean, how ironic was it having him, of all people talk about trust and betrayal.
Chlollie together continue to either bore me, or aggravate me, depending on the situation.
The whole ep, barring some stellar moments courtesy of Tess, MM and The Wall, seemed designed specifically to undermine Clark. And that is just never the kind of ep I can get behind in totality. Even in the writing for him itself - for instance, I've never had a problem with Clark' behaviour towards Tess this season. She's a bad guy, and that's how Clark would deal with a bad guy in those situations. The issue of gender was a non-issue for me. For the first time though, I had problems with Clark shoving Tess up against the wall on the rooftop. After her smart-alecy "I'm not telling you anything" I didn't think Clark was excessive in taking her straight up to the rooftop. What was excessive to me however was the continued threatening afterwards. It's not like she wasn't talking, so what was the need? Again, it's just a case of the writers not giving a shit when it comes to Clark' characterization.
But if we're on the Tess subject, I should begin now with stuff from the ep that did work for me. All of which, ideally belonged in an ep that was not so wholly un-Clark friendly. Nevertheless, this was CF' best performance this season (and that's saying something because she's always so good) and I enjoyed Tess' presence inevery single scene she was in, right from that very cool opening sequence her character got, even inspite all the too-many-slo-mo's. The quick GA reveal reaction scene between her and Oliver, before they come in to the bedroom was also marvelously done, I thought. Both hers and JH' expressions were spot on there. The final scene - while a part of me still wonders if she was on some level playing Oliver, the other part of me can't help but acknowledge that Tess' loyalties are indeed divided now. There's no question of that anymore. She didn't rat Clark and Ollie out, and for whatever reason that may have been for, or where it all may lead, but for now, Tess remains a dangerous mix of motivations. And that often makes for the most interesting characters to watch.
And of course, speaking of interesting, just how amazing was Pam Grier! You know if Tess is deathly afraid of someone, then that someone is one helluva badass mofo. Waller' "the correct answer is 'no, I did not properly secure the detainee." Me=::gulp:: Imagine Tess' reaction. Waller crackled and sizzled with everyone she was onscreen with, particlarly Clark and J'on. Albeit with some key memories removed, and possibly a new game plan even - she can prove to be a very interesting and crucial player now.
As intimidating as Waller was in this ep, J'on J'onz held his own, throughout. And that's what makes him so awesome. He's never easily put in any kind of flurry and he's always there for Clark with sincere, experienced words of wisdom. It is such a damn shame that we don't see more of MM on the show.
Bits and bobs:
Who is MM working for? My best guess at this point would be General Lane?
Why did Waller ask for a report of Tess' physical?
I loved the slo-mo Clark-saves-Chloe scene. Very different. Almost like comic book panels being realized on screen.
Best line: "you sure are nice to look at." All that was missing was a lip-smack. ::bows to Grier' delivery::
I think I'm pretty much done with Chloe, unless something drastic happens in the writers room and they realize where they've gone wrong with her. Which for me, above every other issue, is her utter inability to see fault in any of her actions. She is completely unable to recognize her part in any debacle / failure, and this is something that has been going on too long now for me to just dismiss it as a passing trend anymore. It is now, unfortunately, a consistent trait of hers. I'm not sure if she's wilfully choosing to ignore her own shortcomings, or if she genuinely, honestly believes she's justified and right - but whatever it is, by now, I'm beginning to think of Chloe as seriously deluded, one way or the other. And honestly, her blaming Clark, or being snippy with him, I think I probably would be able to tolerate better if Chloe herself was also shown accepting her own mistakes. And yet, there's never anything of that sort that comes from her - ever. We're heading towards the end of the season and we're not only so far removed from Chloe ever having actually offered a semblance of apology to Clark, but the situation is further compounded by the fact that a) she's yet again keeping things from Clark and going behind his back and b) Clark has now offered more than his fair share of apologies. The fact that the writers can't see how wrong this is - this is the reason why so many SV fans have little to no at worst, or deeply wavering at best, faith in the SV PTB. Clearly, from the events of S8, and now here, the writers come at the situation from Chloe' end, not Clark'. This is now abundabtly apparent, unless, like I said, Chloe is shown to undergo some major rethinking and introspection - which I'm not holding my breath for at all. On some level, a part of me would still like to see it happen - for Chloe to genuinely come clean to Clark and accept her part in any and all screw-up's since the Davis debacle, and for Clark to be the bigger person and forgive her and for them to then work together towards a common cause. But the other part of me doesn't want to see this, because I know it's not likely to happen, and I've all but practically given up on Chloe.
Some of the dialogue had me absolutely seething. "Unlike some people who don't follow protocol" and "you forget we need to watch each others backs too" were so insanely condescending and hypocrotical that for a moment my naivete kicked in and I thought, maybe, just maybe by the end of the ep we'd have Chloe come to this realization about her double standards too. Obviously, I was wrong. And stupid, for that matter. And the dialogue kept on deteriorating because we got 'gems' later on such as Chloe being described as Clark' "most valuable ally" and "greatesat asset." I kept thinking during this of just how untrue both these statements were now. At some point in the series - true. But by now? I'm thinking more like 'most dangerous and volatile ally' instead of valuable, to be honest. And then the most hateful scene of all took place where we had Clark repeatedly grovel in Chloe' presence and where we had to sit through diaogue like "I'm sorry for everything", "I abandoned you", "I didn't give you enough credit" and "you're the one that brought us together" (which, while we're on the subject, isn't it Oliver who in the SV verse is responsible for the JL? Guess not). And all of this said from Clark, as sincerely as ever, while Chloe carried on with her`surly, snippy demeanor, with no hint of apology even, from her own side and topped off, to make matters worse with "maybe you just didn't trust me." You think, Chloe?! ::checks in her secret arsenal of weaponry::
My reactions to Oliver were not quite on the same level, probably because he himself had not much interaction with Clark, but nearly there, because he not only continues to keep Chloe' batshitness from Clark, but also was quite the hypocritical jackass in his interactions with Tess. I mean, how ironic was it having him, of all people talk about trust and betrayal.
Chlollie together continue to either bore me, or aggravate me, depending on the situation.
The whole ep, barring some stellar moments courtesy of Tess, MM and The Wall, seemed designed specifically to undermine Clark. And that is just never the kind of ep I can get behind in totality. Even in the writing for him itself - for instance, I've never had a problem with Clark' behaviour towards Tess this season. She's a bad guy, and that's how Clark would deal with a bad guy in those situations. The issue of gender was a non-issue for me. For the first time though, I had problems with Clark shoving Tess up against the wall on the rooftop. After her smart-alecy "I'm not telling you anything" I didn't think Clark was excessive in taking her straight up to the rooftop. What was excessive to me however was the continued threatening afterwards. It's not like she wasn't talking, so what was the need? Again, it's just a case of the writers not giving a shit when it comes to Clark' characterization.
But if we're on the Tess subject, I should begin now with stuff from the ep that did work for me. All of which, ideally belonged in an ep that was not so wholly un-Clark friendly. Nevertheless, this was CF' best performance this season (and that's saying something because she's always so good) and I enjoyed Tess' presence inevery single scene she was in, right from that very cool opening sequence her character got, even inspite all the too-many-slo-mo's. The quick GA reveal reaction scene between her and Oliver, before they come in to the bedroom was also marvelously done, I thought. Both hers and JH' expressions were spot on there. The final scene - while a part of me still wonders if she was on some level playing Oliver, the other part of me can't help but acknowledge that Tess' loyalties are indeed divided now. There's no question of that anymore. She didn't rat Clark and Ollie out, and for whatever reason that may have been for, or where it all may lead, but for now, Tess remains a dangerous mix of motivations. And that often makes for the most interesting characters to watch.
And of course, speaking of interesting, just how amazing was Pam Grier! You know if Tess is deathly afraid of someone, then that someone is one helluva badass mofo. Waller' "the correct answer is 'no, I did not properly secure the detainee." Me=::gulp:: Imagine Tess' reaction. Waller crackled and sizzled with everyone she was onscreen with, particlarly Clark and J'on. Albeit with some key memories removed, and possibly a new game plan even - she can prove to be a very interesting and crucial player now.
As intimidating as Waller was in this ep, J'on J'onz held his own, throughout. And that's what makes him so awesome. He's never easily put in any kind of flurry and he's always there for Clark with sincere, experienced words of wisdom. It is such a damn shame that we don't see more of MM on the show.
Bits and bobs:
Who is MM working for? My best guess at this point would be General Lane?
Why did Waller ask for a report of Tess' physical?
I loved the slo-mo Clark-saves-Chloe scene. Very different. Almost like comic book panels being realized on screen.
Best line: "you sure are nice to look at." All that was missing was a lip-smack. ::bows to Grier' delivery::