Um. Wow.
I know I haven't posted on SV much (at all?) this season - mostly because it's been a mixture of excitement and disappointment and holding my breath at the balancing act the writers were doing, because even they didn't know how the season was going to end until they figured out who they had as the cast for the final episodes...
But damn.
I loved the episode tonight. Every last frickin' minute of it.
Um, I didn't record it, so I couldn't go back and get exact quotes. I'll wait until I can get my hands on a copy of it to get specific, because there was one line that made me laugh out loud in delight, but I can't remember it at the moment. :-( (Blame it on the multiple glasses of truly excellent Zinfandel I've had this evening.)
Things I loved:
Jonathan. I've always loved Jonathan, but I've always been very aware of his flaws. His temper, his ability to hold a grudge, his tendency to lose perspective when he's angry. He was everything a Jonathan who lost everything should be in this episode. I love that Clark took what was good about his Dad, and left what wasn't, and was clear-eyed about the difference.No rosy-eyed idealism went into writing this character. Jonathan is, at the root of him, a good man, which meant that Clark could reach him and pull him back.
Which brings me to, oh my goodness. Clark Luthor. As much as I loved to watch Tom Welling be bad in "Luthor" I didn't like the idea of an irredeemable Clark. I don't think being good should be effortless for Superman; that's what made him, not uninteresting, but not inspiring me to fannish love, more like, all those years until SV came along. But I do think there should be a core of goodness to him. So this episode redeemed "Luthor" for me. It not only bolstered our Clark as Superman, unwilling to give up on anyone, but also picked up a core of remaining goodness in Clark Luthor that Lionel hadn't managed to extinguish entirely. And they did this by making textual something that Clark fans have been hanging onto for years - That if Clark really wanted to hurt someone, or kill them, he could do it in split-second. That doesn't make dangling someone by the throat okay at all, but it's significant that something holds him back from just snapping someone's neck when he has them that vulnerable. So yes. I liked that. A lot. And I loved what Clark saying that Lionel being gone, so Clark!Luthor could choose his own path meant for the Clark-Lex axis. It means something that Clark!Luthor can pull back from the dark side, go back to his own universe, bond with Jor-El (yes, I'm gonna handwave the fluffy puppy Jor-El part of this episode), and try to set things right.
I also loved that they made textual the shift in the show's identity - from Smallville the place, to "Smallville" the person, Clark.
I really liked Lois putting in the overtime for the promotion. And her and Clark connecting over Chinese food. "So. How was your day?" Guh. I loved the different ways that Lois and Tess clued in to the fact that Clark wasn't Clark. I love that Clark has people (PLURAL!) in his life who love him and know him well enough to see through charades by evil twins.
I loved that Martha still used "Kent" as her last name; that really does fit for her character. This is the woman who thought, "I hope he marries me!" within minutes of meeting Jonathan. Even if the marriage fell apart, of course she would keep the name, as a sign of hope. And Jonathan rewarded her hope, with the help of Clark, who renewed that hope in him. Jonathan and Martha together in the alternate universe? I love the idea. As much as I hate that Clark didn't get his hug from his Dad before he was pulled back to his own world.
Cassidy was excellent, and Tom and Cassidy have amazing chemistry. And Clark!Luthor killed Oliver! The Alternate Universe is a deliciously complicated place, with no clear good and evil. Oliver wasn't just a hero who selflessly ruined his own reputation in order to stop UltraMan, he also ruined lives, collateral damage, as represented in this episode by Jonathan. There were no clear lines of good and evil, and I love that. I wonder how Clark!Luthor will make his way now. I'd love to see how this universe diverges. Would the Jor-El program treat a Clark who was eager to exercise his strength differently? Fun to think about.
And I think this episode really brought home to me that the show is ending. I mean, selling the farm? It's completely contrary to the message of the episode, but I was nearly in tears. "NOOOO! Don't sell the FAAARM!" And of course, in the episode when they do it, they shoot the farm to look more beautiful than we've ever seen it. It was gorgeous. It was home.
But damn.
I loved the episode tonight. Every last frickin' minute of it.
Um, I didn't record it, so I couldn't go back and get exact quotes. I'll wait until I can get my hands on a copy of it to get specific, because there was one line that made me laugh out loud in delight, but I can't remember it at the moment. :-( (Blame it on the multiple glasses of truly excellent Zinfandel I've had this evening.)
Things I loved:
Jonathan. I've always loved Jonathan, but I've always been very aware of his flaws. His temper, his ability to hold a grudge, his tendency to lose perspective when he's angry. He was everything a Jonathan who lost everything should be in this episode. I love that Clark took what was good about his Dad, and left what wasn't, and was clear-eyed about the difference.No rosy-eyed idealism went into writing this character. Jonathan is, at the root of him, a good man, which meant that Clark could reach him and pull him back.
Which brings me to, oh my goodness. Clark Luthor. As much as I loved to watch Tom Welling be bad in "Luthor" I didn't like the idea of an irredeemable Clark. I don't think being good should be effortless for Superman; that's what made him, not uninteresting, but not inspiring me to fannish love, more like, all those years until SV came along. But I do think there should be a core of goodness to him. So this episode redeemed "Luthor" for me. It not only bolstered our Clark as Superman, unwilling to give up on anyone, but also picked up a core of remaining goodness in Clark Luthor that Lionel hadn't managed to extinguish entirely. And they did this by making textual something that Clark fans have been hanging onto for years - That if Clark really wanted to hurt someone, or kill them, he could do it in split-second. That doesn't make dangling someone by the throat okay at all, but it's significant that something holds him back from just snapping someone's neck when he has them that vulnerable. So yes. I liked that. A lot. And I loved what Clark saying that Lionel being gone, so Clark!Luthor could choose his own path meant for the Clark-Lex axis. It means something that Clark!Luthor can pull back from the dark side, go back to his own universe, bond with Jor-El (yes, I'm gonna handwave the fluffy puppy Jor-El part of this episode), and try to set things right.
I also loved that they made textual the shift in the show's identity - from Smallville the place, to "Smallville" the person, Clark.
I really liked Lois putting in the overtime for the promotion. And her and Clark connecting over Chinese food. "So. How was your day?" Guh. I loved the different ways that Lois and Tess clued in to the fact that Clark wasn't Clark. I love that Clark has people (PLURAL!) in his life who love him and know him well enough to see through charades by evil twins.
I loved that Martha still used "Kent" as her last name; that really does fit for her character. This is the woman who thought, "I hope he marries me!" within minutes of meeting Jonathan. Even if the marriage fell apart, of course she would keep the name, as a sign of hope. And Jonathan rewarded her hope, with the help of Clark, who renewed that hope in him. Jonathan and Martha together in the alternate universe? I love the idea. As much as I hate that Clark didn't get his hug from his Dad before he was pulled back to his own world.
Cassidy was excellent, and Tom and Cassidy have amazing chemistry. And Clark!Luthor killed Oliver! The Alternate Universe is a deliciously complicated place, with no clear good and evil. Oliver wasn't just a hero who selflessly ruined his own reputation in order to stop UltraMan, he also ruined lives, collateral damage, as represented in this episode by Jonathan. There were no clear lines of good and evil, and I love that. I wonder how Clark!Luthor will make his way now. I'd love to see how this universe diverges. Would the Jor-El program treat a Clark who was eager to exercise his strength differently? Fun to think about.
And I think this episode really brought home to me that the show is ending. I mean, selling the farm? It's completely contrary to the message of the episode, but I was nearly in tears. "NOOOO! Don't sell the FAAARM!" And of course, in the episode when they do it, they shoot the farm to look more beautiful than we've ever seen it. It was gorgeous. It was home.