Smallville 10x07 Ambush
Ah, I've finally found my 'Instinct' and 'Rabid' for this season! I loved Ambush. I think this was just the kind of ep to get me out of my SV funk - not a super flashy, gimmicky, ZOMG-LOOK one, but instead just straight forward good storytelling and great characterization.
The only thing I was spoiled about for this one was the return of Ironside, but other than that I was pleasantly surprised with pretty much everything.
I think an ep works best when Clark is written capably, and other characters aren't written at his expense. I found that to be the case here, and the wonderful thing is, the rest of the characterizations fall beautifully into their respective places as well.
Oliver, for instance, a character who has been hit and miss, more miss, so far, I thought was written with actual purpose here. There was a clear path for him through the ep, with clear motivations, and that worked to not only his own characters advantage but IMO added to Clark' story and the overall picture too. A non-petulant, competent, playfully snarky Oliver is what the writers ought to be aiming for every time. His calling Clark immediately upon learning of being tagged by the SS, working alongside him at the end, was all indicative of a healthy line of comminication open between them, which is what I want to see. I didn't even mind his Chloe mentions all that much in this one, because I sort of could tell that his gut reaction upon seeing Tess at Chloe' desk like that must've prompted a little bit of "um, what", but he listened to Clark. and in that vein I liked him taking the beer to Tess as a peace offering. An Oliver who can admit he was wrong is someone I can actually get on board with.
I liked the scenes with Tess - and in fact they're a perfect example of how this ep didn't really happen to have any irrelevant scenes at all. The first Ollie/Tess scene in particular was important because it's our first reveal to the characters of the heroes being tagged. Tess was crucial to the plot, and because of her previous involvement with Checkmate that we are aware of, it came off as more than just exposition because she was speaking from experienced knowledge.
Speaking of that knowledge, the SS and Rick Flagg are such interesting additions to this season and this storyline is really woefully being underutlized. IMO, between Darkseid, the clones and the SS/Vigilantes Registration Act, the latter holds the most promise for me, and so it was good to see it front and center here. At some point, of course all three storylines are likely to converge, but for now, the urgency of the scenario wrt more heroes potentially coming out, the essence of the heroes vs. vigilantes debate itself and the characters and threats involved, are all really interesting to me, not to mention fairly pivotal, in terms of where our characters and their motivations and future are at, especially Clark. Flagg continues to be fun to watch and his being so clear in his beliefs makes him such an interesting presence. He's a credible threat, purely because of how far he's willing to go to achieve what he wants. And in championing those beliefs, him and Clark effectively represent in different ways the same side of an argument, yet coming from two wholly different approaches. I'm very curious to see where this all leads.
General Sam Lane being in the thick of this kind of storyline is exactly what I'd expect of his return. Michael Ironside was a far more fully fleshed out character on this, his, I think, third appearance? He was pretty much spot on to what I imagine his characterization ought to be, given his comics counterpart/background, from his approach with his daughters, to his interrogation of Clark, right down to his stance on what being a hero means to him, to his eventual respect shown for Clark - which of course came about as a result of Clark standing up to him. Perfect!
Even Lucy was written a geeat deal wit the same kind of issues and baggage that comes from her comics background. This is someone who is seeking approval, yet does her damned best at preventing that through her actions alone. Peyton List was very good in the role and I especially liked her scene with Lois at the end, with her acknowledging how great a sister Lois has been.
And that was a terrific line, I thought - "we were so busy trying to be perfect daughters, we forgot how to be sisters." It's kinda sad that Lois would think this of herself when IMO, given what the show has told us previously, she has been as good a sister as she could to Lucy. I suppose it all echoes back to her old insecurity issues, which were out in full swing in the ep, thanks to the family visit. What I appreciated about Lois' characterization in this ep, harking back to an aspect from her characterization that I used to appreciate in her early days as well, is that she was written as a real, flawed person, who is capable of making mistakes but is big enough to see them right. In her argument with Clark in the barn and her choosing to go with her family rather than stay with Clark, and her overall need to appease her father at any cost - did not bring out the best in her. I actively wanted to shake her silly and tell her to stay with Clark, in fact. And my heart broke for him. Yet, I still felt for her too. Because I did know, at all times where it was all stemming from. And never once did I actually question her commitment to Clark, and that was nicely reflected there at the end when she clearly, and firmly declared her love for him to her father and reiterated her intentions wrt her relationship, echoing Clark earlier, similar declaration. Her returning to the farm, and the dinner scene at the end, was like the ideal balm to a rough, incredibly testing day and ED was great in just portraying that previously harrowed, but now, sense of calm at the dinner table.
Clois, IMO, were at their best in this ep, this season. This is the kind of Clois I like - I don't want, nor expect there to be a conatant saccharine sweetness to them. I want them to have that spark, that fire, that I felt they had in this one. The opening scene was sexy and playful - exactly what I'd expect of them. This was also the first, real test of their relationship - the little stuff doesn't faze them, note the Lucy-kiss incident, but it's their managing to overcome and emerge stronger from an actual conflict that makes them lifers. And they were presented with a conflict, one that was actually believable, and there was angst, but it was rooted in actual issues, and not manufactured. Their argument in the barn was fairly realistically portrayed I thought, and each character was allowed to be human and feel what they feel, yet at the end of it all, their open declaractions of love were just indicative of how potentially strong these two already are in their faith in each other and their relationship. And frankly, that strength is something of a boosting factor needed by both of them in their lives.
Which brings me to my favorite part of the ep - Clark. How do I count the ways I love thee? And TW who was maginificent in more ways than one. The difference between this ep, and between everything else thats come before so far this season is stark. Because for the first time Clark wasn't merely written as one half of a relationship, at best, or an afterthought, at worst. He wasn't just given one big flashy save at the end, while remaining oddly passive otherwise. He wasn't just written as a character you could swear the writer(s) had probably the least affection for, in comparison to everyone else. No, here Clark was written as if he was actually genuinely liked by whomever was writing him. There's really no fault I can find with Clark' writing here and I think that adds immensely to why I've taken such a liking to the ep itself. I loved his assured stance on his beliefs, whether it was communicating that to the General, or to Flagg. He was polite, yet firm with Sam Lane, not willing to back down from what was right or be daunted or intimidated or overawed unnecessarily. And I particularly appreciated the little touches, such as his shift of using 'Sam' from 'Sir.' That goes such a long way in highlighting where Clark is at in his life right now. Yet, for all his maturity and confidence, the writers also remembered to present him still as someone with real, human emotions - note the display of frustration in the wood chopping scene. I like it when my characters are allowed these moments, for I appreciate them that much more when they rise above it all and triumph from their greatness. I also appreciated that in his argument with Lois, Clark was actually allowed to have a legitimate POV, and moreover to fully articulate it. In the past, too often in his relationships, Clark has always shied away from expressing what he feels, or ought to feel. Instead choosing to take all the onus of whatever issue is at hand, and treat the other person as if on egg shells. I think the fact that Clark can choose to express himself fully to Lois shows tremendously how different this relationship factors in his life, for this is him treating her as an equal - one he can have a back and forth line of thinking with, without necessarily feeling the need to repress all the time, just for the sake of peace, or status quo or whatever. I loved it. I also liked how his compassion shone through, one of his most endearing qualities to me, in his defense of Tess to Oliver. And his humilty, in his final scene with the General - how he reverts back to 'sir' and how he listens and takes in what the General shares with him sbout the 'rush of battle', and applying it to his own situation. This is the mark of a good ep with good characterization when Clark is written as an actual multi-faceted individual.
Oh, and how much do I love that Martha is actively looking out for her boy! Go Ma Kent, we love ya.
And, the question at the end that Clark was referring to - ask Lois to move in with him?