Smallville 10x04 Homecoming
Anything was bound to be better than last week's crapfest, so in that regard? This ep was a huge step up. That's not to take away from the elements of the ep that really did work for me - because they did, and should be credited as such. Also, I think going in to this, the only things I was really spoiled about were that there was some kind of reunion and that Brainiac would return. So in that sense, the surprises here, really did come as a shock, and most of them were very pleasant. I don't think my reactions would have been the same, had I known there would be flashbacks and flashforwards, and whatnot.
And speaking of the premise, it was good to see Brainiac5, and my love for JM remains such that I can't help but go, "James Marsters!" any time I happen to see him on screen. Him and TW continued their streak of chemistry in this one too, which is always great to witness. I'm still a little fuzzy on the specifics as to what brought B5 back, but I suppose it has something to do with darkness, perhaps. ::rolls eyes::
And that was a running theme, unfortunately, in this ep too, which continues to piss me off. Which is why I'm glad Clark was actually allowed to question it all a little here in instances like his WTF over "all of a sudden darkness in me" and "don't know how not returning a few calls equals some great darkness within me." So rarely do the writers allow Clark a chance to stand up for himself, that I doubly appreciate whatever we get. But none of it mitigates the fact that this so-called 'darkness' is a theme at all. Because like canadabear and jeannev and others last week so eloquently pointed out, "dwelling in the past" and "fearing the future" does not automatically equate to 'darkness!' And so it bugged me like hell that we began the ep once again on this very note.
I felt like the ep therefore, with its flashforwards particularly were a sort of, 'pat-themselves-on-the-back' measure by the writers to show us how oh-so clever they are by resolving the whole darkness theme for Clark in a positive manner. Which, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for, (especially at this point where it's the final season and I just want Clark to move on and ahead already and stop having other characters pull him back) but it's funny that this ep felt so self-congratulatory to me almost, because it's the writers themselves that introduced the damned darkness theme in the first place! A theme which was introduced completely out of nowhere, it seems now only to accomodate this ep. Talk about backasswards.
Also, the writing seemed self-contradictory, in parts. First, we had that "bumbling nerd" remark, and later, "local farmboy turned local hero" - so which is it? And an even more glaring contradiction was the show absolving Clark of one guilt one minute (Jonathon' death) and the very next minute lobbing yet another on him (Oliver'manpain).
Speaking of Oliver, even though I actually liked his speech at the end, and it's gratifying to see how much Clark' presence apparently affects him, I still felt as if he was a bit shoehorned in here.
And as much as I loved Lois in the ep, the one part wrt her that did annoy me was the whole, this-is-my-HS shtick. To me, it got old, fast. I get that SV is the first place Lois put down roots, but the the entire thing felt way too OTT for my taste. How in the hell did she even remember all those people? And Chess club? Though we did get the amusing "23 days - showed up for 5" dialogue, so there's that, I guess.
I also found it amusing, but not exactly in a clever way, that The Torch writers / editors were at a high school reunion. What were they even doing there? I suppose it was obviously to accomodate the Chloe mentions, so I can let it go, but it still felt a little wierd.
Coming to the mentions and the flashbacks - when present!Clark scooped down to pick up crazy!counseller!lady's books, and then we flashed to past!Clark from all those years ago - I have to admit, I got goosebumps. I don't know why, maybe it was because I just wasn't expecting to see it at all, or whether it was just nostalgia, or what, but I was stunned in to the trip down memory lane. I think, in this regard, the ep hit some truly defining moments for the flashbacks. The Clana scene is so memorable not just for introducing us to our first Superman shoutout, but for many of us Clark fans in particular, to our first moment of attachment to the character. I'll always remember my first reaction to the scene all those years ago - this young, shy vulnerable guy who's clearly besotted with the pretty, kind girl - and all I wanted for him was to be happy. And that's exactly the emotion I flashed back to when watching it again. The Chloe flashback is of course, self explanatory too, given what a force unto itself the WoW became during the course of the show. And finally, the Jonathon scenes from the 100th, seemed a fitting choice too, and now in hindsight, definitely a defining hour, for not only Clark, but in turn inevitably the kind of tone the show eventually took on, too.
By the time we got through with the flashbacks and did the whole present-with-Ollie over with, I was sort of braced for there to be some sort of nod to the future as well. What I was not expecting was to actually, fully see future!Clark. The elevator scene was fun, and two Clark' together - positively delicious. The hints we got of the future!clois dynamic through present!Clark' interaction with future!Lois, were gold. This truly is iconic Clois, and it was great seeing the actors have fun with it, particularly Ed/Lois' glasses gesture, which was made of win. The butt slap was cute too, and the rooftop scene was just lovely. I loved seeing Lois in both reporter mode and fierce!protecter mode and loving wife/girlfriend mode - all in one, and it was absolutely believable to me that the Lois we know today will be that Lois one day.
It was also believable to me this Clois will be that Clois one day - which brings me back to one of my big annoyances with the ep - that the secret is still not out in the open. If I as a viewer can believe this of the couple, why can't the TPTB? If I as a viewer understands that their dynamic, with the secret no longer between them is what makes them uniquely them, different from everyone else, then why can't TPTB realize this and just let them get there already. To have them continue to not tell each other continues to make them both look the worse for it. Because, frankly, the whole, 'not-telling-her-to-protect-her' argument isn't the reason Clana ended, as far as I recall, anyways. So why should Clark think it would be the case with Lois. It's beyond me why this, the big 200th wasn't siezed as THE opportunity to finally reveal all. They even had that big moment, in the final Clois scene, and a segueway too, with Lois' "we need to talk." All she had to say was "I know." And all Clark had to reply with was "I know, too." And that's that. The floating and the dancing could still have ocurred and this would have just made the ILY's even more meaningful, in fact. As it stood though, romantic and all notwithstanding (and it's interesting that we now know Clark instinctively floats when in love - first with Lana, now with Lois), I just didn't enjoy the scene as much with the secret still looming over them. That Clark saw his future and still doesn't come clean to Lois, bothers me. Bothers me probably even more than the fact that it should have to take a glimpse of the future to get him to come clean with her in the first place.
The focal point of the ep was Clark, and his journey, and in a way that's as apt a theme as any for a milestone ep such as this. I just wish the writers would've paved a stronger road in getting us here, than the one they ended up doing. Even so, I think what I appreciated most about the journey as a thematic aspect, was the return of Greg Arkin, as a symbol of the positive influence Clark has made on people's lives through the years. His is an extraordinary story, not just because he saves lives, but because on this show, we've watched our Clark Kent do the saves that get him on to the road where he will one day be Supes. And Greg is just one of those saves. This is what makes our CK' journey special and unique, to us as viewers following him for ten years. I honestly wish the writers had focused more on this aspect of Clark' journey, utilizing the HS reunion premise as the catalyst, to go through these moments of Clark affecting those around him, rather than droning on about darkness.
The only positive result one would imagine, of the darkness theme, would be Clark letting go of this nonsense. Still, with Darkseid on the horizon, one can't even be sure of that.
Nonetheless, moving on was certainly the thematic conclusion for this ep - and it culminated in the scene with Clark burying his father's watch. In a certain way, I felt that was moving on, both wrt guilt carried from Jonathon' death, and residual feelings from his relationship with Lana. Because that watch represents each of these individuals importance in his life - Jonathon as his beloved father and owner of said watch and Lana as the woman he loved, and who loved him enough to scour the city finding that watch of his beloved father in that awful time of grief. That Clark schooses to say goodbye in that moment, I think, is certainly moving on - quietly nostaligic, yet at peace, and ready to move forward.
I have to end this, really by acknowledging just how magnificent TW was in this ep. From his comedic chops in the crowning scene (crown's his, bitch) to his emotional range at Jonathon' grave, to just his all round presence as future!Clark - TW proves yet again why he continues to be so successful in this role. SV has always had a terrific cast, and they all deserve credit for the success of the show too, but this man right here - he is the glue that has kept it all together for a decade. Bravo, TW. And good luck, Clark. If I know anything of TPTB, I think you'll need it more than ever in this final season.
And speaking of the premise, it was good to see Brainiac5, and my love for JM remains such that I can't help but go, "James Marsters!" any time I happen to see him on screen. Him and TW continued their streak of chemistry in this one too, which is always great to witness. I'm still a little fuzzy on the specifics as to what brought B5 back, but I suppose it has something to do with darkness, perhaps. ::rolls eyes::
And that was a running theme, unfortunately, in this ep too, which continues to piss me off. Which is why I'm glad Clark was actually allowed to question it all a little here in instances like his WTF over "all of a sudden darkness in me" and "don't know how not returning a few calls equals some great darkness within me." So rarely do the writers allow Clark a chance to stand up for himself, that I doubly appreciate whatever we get. But none of it mitigates the fact that this so-called 'darkness' is a theme at all. Because like canadabear and jeannev and others last week so eloquently pointed out, "dwelling in the past" and "fearing the future" does not automatically equate to 'darkness!' And so it bugged me like hell that we began the ep once again on this very note.
I felt like the ep therefore, with its flashforwards particularly were a sort of, 'pat-themselves-on-the-back' measure by the writers to show us how oh-so clever they are by resolving the whole darkness theme for Clark in a positive manner. Which, don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for, (especially at this point where it's the final season and I just want Clark to move on and ahead already and stop having other characters pull him back) but it's funny that this ep felt so self-congratulatory to me almost, because it's the writers themselves that introduced the damned darkness theme in the first place! A theme which was introduced completely out of nowhere, it seems now only to accomodate this ep. Talk about backasswards.
Also, the writing seemed self-contradictory, in parts. First, we had that "bumbling nerd" remark, and later, "local farmboy turned local hero" - so which is it? And an even more glaring contradiction was the show absolving Clark of one guilt one minute (Jonathon' death) and the very next minute lobbing yet another on him (Oliver'manpain).
Speaking of Oliver, even though I actually liked his speech at the end, and it's gratifying to see how much Clark' presence apparently affects him, I still felt as if he was a bit shoehorned in here.
And as much as I loved Lois in the ep, the one part wrt her that did annoy me was the whole, this-is-my-HS shtick. To me, it got old, fast. I get that SV is the first place Lois put down roots, but the the entire thing felt way too OTT for my taste. How in the hell did she even remember all those people? And Chess club? Though we did get the amusing "23 days - showed up for 5" dialogue, so there's that, I guess.
I also found it amusing, but not exactly in a clever way, that The Torch writers / editors were at a high school reunion. What were they even doing there? I suppose it was obviously to accomodate the Chloe mentions, so I can let it go, but it still felt a little wierd.
Coming to the mentions and the flashbacks - when present!Clark scooped down to pick up crazy!counseller!lady's books, and then we flashed to past!Clark from all those years ago - I have to admit, I got goosebumps. I don't know why, maybe it was because I just wasn't expecting to see it at all, or whether it was just nostalgia, or what, but I was stunned in to the trip down memory lane. I think, in this regard, the ep hit some truly defining moments for the flashbacks. The Clana scene is so memorable not just for introducing us to our first Superman shoutout, but for many of us Clark fans in particular, to our first moment of attachment to the character. I'll always remember my first reaction to the scene all those years ago - this young, shy vulnerable guy who's clearly besotted with the pretty, kind girl - and all I wanted for him was to be happy. And that's exactly the emotion I flashed back to when watching it again. The Chloe flashback is of course, self explanatory too, given what a force unto itself the WoW became during the course of the show. And finally, the Jonathon scenes from the 100th, seemed a fitting choice too, and now in hindsight, definitely a defining hour, for not only Clark, but in turn inevitably the kind of tone the show eventually took on, too.
By the time we got through with the flashbacks and did the whole present-with-Ollie over with, I was sort of braced for there to be some sort of nod to the future as well. What I was not expecting was to actually, fully see future!Clark. The elevator scene was fun, and two Clark' together - positively delicious. The hints we got of the future!clois dynamic through present!Clark' interaction with future!Lois, were gold. This truly is iconic Clois, and it was great seeing the actors have fun with it, particularly Ed/Lois' glasses gesture, which was made of win. The butt slap was cute too, and the rooftop scene was just lovely. I loved seeing Lois in both reporter mode and fierce!protecter mode and loving wife/girlfriend mode - all in one, and it was absolutely believable to me that the Lois we know today will be that Lois one day.
It was also believable to me this Clois will be that Clois one day - which brings me back to one of my big annoyances with the ep - that the secret is still not out in the open. If I as a viewer can believe this of the couple, why can't the TPTB? If I as a viewer understands that their dynamic, with the secret no longer between them is what makes them uniquely them, different from everyone else, then why can't TPTB realize this and just let them get there already. To have them continue to not tell each other continues to make them both look the worse for it. Because, frankly, the whole, 'not-telling-her-to-protect-her' argument isn't the reason Clana ended, as far as I recall, anyways. So why should Clark think it would be the case with Lois. It's beyond me why this, the big 200th wasn't siezed as THE opportunity to finally reveal all. They even had that big moment, in the final Clois scene, and a segueway too, with Lois' "we need to talk." All she had to say was "I know." And all Clark had to reply with was "I know, too." And that's that. The floating and the dancing could still have ocurred and this would have just made the ILY's even more meaningful, in fact. As it stood though, romantic and all notwithstanding (and it's interesting that we now know Clark instinctively floats when in love - first with Lana, now with Lois), I just didn't enjoy the scene as much with the secret still looming over them. That Clark saw his future and still doesn't come clean to Lois, bothers me. Bothers me probably even more than the fact that it should have to take a glimpse of the future to get him to come clean with her in the first place.
The focal point of the ep was Clark, and his journey, and in a way that's as apt a theme as any for a milestone ep such as this. I just wish the writers would've paved a stronger road in getting us here, than the one they ended up doing. Even so, I think what I appreciated most about the journey as a thematic aspect, was the return of Greg Arkin, as a symbol of the positive influence Clark has made on people's lives through the years. His is an extraordinary story, not just because he saves lives, but because on this show, we've watched our Clark Kent do the saves that get him on to the road where he will one day be Supes. And Greg is just one of those saves. This is what makes our CK' journey special and unique, to us as viewers following him for ten years. I honestly wish the writers had focused more on this aspect of Clark' journey, utilizing the HS reunion premise as the catalyst, to go through these moments of Clark affecting those around him, rather than droning on about darkness.
The only positive result one would imagine, of the darkness theme, would be Clark letting go of this nonsense. Still, with Darkseid on the horizon, one can't even be sure of that.
Nonetheless, moving on was certainly the thematic conclusion for this ep - and it culminated in the scene with Clark burying his father's watch. In a certain way, I felt that was moving on, both wrt guilt carried from Jonathon' death, and residual feelings from his relationship with Lana. Because that watch represents each of these individuals importance in his life - Jonathon as his beloved father and owner of said watch and Lana as the woman he loved, and who loved him enough to scour the city finding that watch of his beloved father in that awful time of grief. That Clark schooses to say goodbye in that moment, I think, is certainly moving on - quietly nostaligic, yet at peace, and ready to move forward.
I have to end this, really by acknowledging just how magnificent TW was in this ep. From his comedic chops in the crowning scene (crown's his, bitch) to his emotional range at Jonathon' grave, to just his all round presence as future!Clark - TW proves yet again why he continues to be so successful in this role. SV has always had a terrific cast, and they all deserve credit for the success of the show too, but this man right here - he is the glue that has kept it all together for a decade. Bravo, TW. And good luck, Clark. If I know anything of TPTB, I think you'll need it more than ever in this final season.