(S08E16) Smallville reverts to form in this episode where it becomes yet again both boring and predictable. And they didn't even need Lana or even Lois in the cast to do so. I had a sense of optimism for Smallville when the premise changed, and some decent episodes were shown at the season's beginning, but I am finding myself more disappointed as things progress. However, I shall persevere in hopes for a turn-around by the season's end.
The Chloe-Jimmy-Davis triangle took a turn for the worse today. It's the old love triangle misunderstanding trick. I'm torn as to whether Chloe and Jimmy will get back together, or even if I want them to. An annulment would make sense in the case of continuity, but Smallville has broken traditional continuity on more than one occasion.
I do have one or two positive points to make: I like the twist on Davis' story. Doomsday is becoming a twisted version of the old Incredible Hulk television show. He's even trying to use his inner beast to right wrongs, albeit in a murderous way. He has embraced the Dark Side.
Also, let me give major props on the design of the telephone booths at the Daily Planet. It was a flash of nostalgia from the old days of when Clark would change to Superman in a telephone booth. (In this age of cell phones, does the Daily Planet even need telephone booths anymore?)
Jimmy is looking pretty good for being nearly disemboweled. His hair wasn't even messed up. It's nice that he's getting his prerequisite hospital stay, along with the rest of the cast at one point or another.
Did anybody not predict that Tess was using the plane ride and her own sob story as a method of determining Clark's secret? In her own way, she's as underhanded as Lex. Clark should be able to see through it by this time and not continue his "aw shucks" small town personality. It's no wonder Clark eventually feels that a pair of glasses would fool everybody.
And then we also have Chloe, who chooses the explanation of Davis over that of her husband. She couldn't pick up on his double life after knowing what that's like with Clark? Wasn't she even the least bit suspicious? No wonder she stopped being an investigative reporter. She and Clark are two of a kind.
There's another reason Tess is using Oliver's jet: it saves on production costs. The plane did conveniently explode when Clark leaped out. I hope Oliver isn't too pissed off about that when he finds out.
Why is it in television that characters always cry when it rains (or it's raining when they cry)? And why do supervillains always seem to carry rosary beads?
I wish I could give this series a better grade. I can tell that The CW is trying to aim it at their target demographic, the sort that watches Gossip Girl or 90210. I only wish they would aim some of the writing at people who enjoy this sort of programming sometimes (other than when Geoff Johns is the writer).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2009 @ 9:35AM
MDR said...
I too was disappointed by this episode, especially after last week's show. I think last week's episode should have been a multi-part story dealing with Clark's revelation and its consequences. Plus this week's episode didn't even have Lois! One thing that bothers me is how did Tess survive the leap from the plane? Clark I can believe but Tess would have been crushed by the speed of the fall. Unless Clark can fly. Hmmm.
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3-20-2009 @ 2:23PM
Dave said...
MDR, so you are willing to believe that Clark is an alien from Krypton for the purposes of the show but Tess surviving a plane jump in the arms of Superman is just too much? OK.
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3-20-2009 @ 12:12PM
superrrguy said...
I thought they were flying to Niagara Falls where Tess would jump into the river to see if Clark would save her.
A plain crash is lot different than jumping into a river to pull out someone from a car. Why did Tess think Super Clark could save her from a crashing plane? (Why don't they show Clark trying to fly by flapping his arms? Anything!)
Why didn't Clark use his X-Ray vision to check for parachutes? Also, the lack of oxygen made Tess pass out? Wouldn't she have just pulled off the mask?
The love triangle was pretty weak. Hasn't anyone learned that when people don't believe you, acting even more crazy is a no no.
I like the episodes with Lois' breasts.
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3-20-2009 @ 5:46PM
Wii60 said...
I second that breasts thing.
3-20-2009 @ 1:08PM
Naichev1 said...
First thing, the music in this episode was really good I thought; which is weird, but when the story is tired you tend to notice other stuff. Second, I find the Davis Bloom/Doomsday character about 1000000% more compelling then Clark. Maybe its because we have seen Clark grow as a character and then plateau like a bad workout; and seriously is they do the whole Louis/Clark I cant be with her cuz of my secret/what is Clark hiding from me, I will flip. Bottom line, Sam Witter is making Tom Welling look like the lead in a 3rd grade production of Peter Pan.
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3-20-2009 @ 4:05PM
Joel said...
You know something, I completely agree with you on just about every count. It gets extremely frustrating to tune in, after watching some really good episodes, and then end up watching crap. As far as this season, I am even going to be harder than you and say, it is hands down the worst episode this season. I thought Bulletproof was weak, Power had it's moments, but this episode was just plain bad. Even with talented actors bringing this lame story to life I still wish I hadn't watched it, and for the first time actually walked out with out watching the Coda. If this had been a film I would’ve gotten my money back. And there are a number of reasons why.
Why oh why is it when the writers decide to do a story arc using Jimmy it ends up a really bad episode. If it happened just once that would be one thing, but to have every episode that features Jimmy pretty much suck, going back to season six.? There's Frequency, and of coarse Noir, in season 7 Gemini, and Sleeper. And now Turbulence...Not really fair to Aaron Ashmore. I mean his brother Shawn shows up in two episodes and both of them are better written than this episode. Actually both of them were better episodes period. So to me when it comes to properly paying off the character, the writers have never really done it.
I will be honest, I thought Chloe hooking up with Jimmy has always been a bad idea. Just another small pet peeve I've had with the writers of the series. The thing is when they write a storyline with Chloe and Jimmy it always goes bad for Jimmy any way, and Chloe always ends up looking like self-centered, self absorbed jackass. It has me being sympathetic to Jimmy. And makes me angry at Chloe. When they spoiled the love triangle featuring Chloe, Jimmy, and Davis on Kryptonsite all I could do was shake my head. Great...going to the well again. And wow, a new shipper nickname-Chlavis. Arghhh. You know in the history of Smallville, the only relationship that didn’t have a build to it was Chloe and Jimmy. Hell, there was even a build with Jimmy and Kara. But not for Chloe and Jimmy. He shows up and from day one after a couple of brief innuendo mentions in Season 3, and Boom they are dating. Rushed idea, and look where we are at.
In season 6, the writers decide to shape and change Chloe's character and come up with the Chloe meteor freak scenario. Okay, I can accept that. It makes sense, especially considering her history on the show, not to mention it would also put Chloe on a more level playing field with Clark so I was excited about the change. And for a while we were all speculating what her "gift" would be. Finally it turns out to be that she’s an Empathic Healer. Wait a minute. Empathic...Healer...? Um okay. Probably would have gone for a different power but okay Empathic healer works I guess. The few stories that have actually featured that power, have been decent episodes. And yet since the Davis/Doomsday story arc has started what had me wondering for a while is this. Jimmy gets attacked by Doomsday, and gets put in the hospital, and spends five weeks there...because...? Chloe and Jimmy like paying useless hospital bills and doctor bills when Chloe could just as well use her healing ability on a visit? This makes sense why? Well we needed Jimmy out of the way and had to explain it. Fine. The easiest way would have been Chloe healed him, and he is now with Lois chasing what ever story she would be after. I mean that’s what they did in the comic book. Instead he’s switched around from hospital to hospital, while Chloe decides I like Davis, I don’t like Davis, I have Brainiac still in me I don’t have Brainiac in me. Sorry writers you should have thought this arc out a little more. The Davis/Doomsday character arc has been okay, they have provided unique Smallville twists to the character that have made it interesting to watch. But at the same time I find it a little hard for Davis to just go to a priest and confess, and have the Priest even spin the idea of as long as it is evil you can kill it my son. Yeah they have worked really hard building that inner beast conflict, and yet completely destroyed it with this episode, just by having Davis say a few hail marys. Sorry, not buying it. And then to make the triangle even more complex, let’s give the impression to the audience that Jimmy could be addicted to Morphine. Again hello, Chloe’s handy dandy meteor powers. Problem solved.
Maybe I am angry because of feeling like I was lied to by the ad campaign to Turbulence. It teases Clark finally being put in a situation where he’s stuck and has no choice but to finally attempt to… FLY!!!! And what did we get instead? Jimmy possibly being a drug addict, the collapse of the Olsen’s, Doomsday on a holy crusade, and last but not least, a side arc involving Clark and Tess in one of the dumbest most asinine plot twists ever. Having to use Ollie’s jet aside, Clark is forced to join Tess in some stupid trip to Los Angeles, so Tess can perform the patented Luthor technique of proving there’s something more to Clark than meets the eye. Come on. This is the best you could do with this stupid scenario. And not only is the scenario stupid, you have Clark doing things that are just plain out and out not Superman, just so he can protect his secret. When it has come to secret protecting, I have always had a problem with some of the values Jonathan and Martha had seemingly instilled in Clark, when it has come to that part of Clark’s over all arc. I’ve seen him do things that are really not Superman, and have these actions ruin his relationships, on the show. Because no where in the comic history would the Big Blue Boy scout, carry out some of the decisions he has done on this show. And the two biggest Issues with this episode in particular? Well number one, and probably the biggest was this. I need to find out if Tess knows my secret, I will get her drunk. Um, excuse me? Come again? Get Tess drunk? Where is this in the Superhero handbook? Clark, are really Kal? Have you been absorbing red Kryptonite again? How is this even a heroic trait? I was thinking to myself while watching how the scene played out, sheesh Clark why not just whip out the Sodium Pentothal ? I’m sure Ollie would probably have some on the plane. Come on writers, what the hell kind of a scene was this. Have you not read the comic? Have you not even seen the movie? You writers are so big on doing little homages to the film anyway did you guys just forget the first exchange between Supes and Lois at her apartment?
“Would you like something to Drink?”
“No thanks. I never drink when I fly.”
Then comes my second favorite. “Clark the plane is going down, I can’t find any parachutes.” Wink wink. Nudge nudge. And Clark just buys it. Apparently the “good stuff” as Clark so eloquently put it must have had some effect that us the viewers didn’t know about, because it has apparently rendered Clark, a skeevy seemingly red kryptonite induced Clark, but now Clark has forgotten he has X-Ray vision and would be able to see five friggin parachutes in the little closet. Gee if I just checked I wouldn’t have to cause asphyxia to get Tess to pass out just so I can rip the door off the plane…and…Jump. I could just strap a parachute on Tess, strap on myself so she knows no different, and I don’t have to come up with some lame story later at the mansion when she asks. “Um Clark there were how many parachutes?” He gets tripped up by that? Are you kidding? And then finally the whole build up tricking the viewers that we were finally after four seasons going to see Clark fly again, and they pull this crap.
I love Smallville despite some of the most ungodly horrible shows I have seen in seasons past. And I really thought it would be hard to top Subterranean as far as how low the show could sink as far as the writing quality. But I for the first time just walked out and left, as the goodbye scene between Jimmy and Chloe was happening. I really hope that is the end of the lame shows for this season I really do.
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3-23-2009 @ 10:01AM
Ryan said...
Just two notes - 1) Chloe lost her healing power a while back: when Clark was shot, she couldn't heal him at all, and it's never come back, 2) Davis discovered at the end of the previous episode that killing someone (e.g., Linda Lake) while he's still human slakes the bloodlust, enabling him to prevent the transformation into Doomsday. That's what he's been driving around at night doing. The priest and Davis's faith had nothing to do with it.
There may be others, but I only skimmed your rant.
3-24-2009 @ 1:34AM
Riley Freeman said...
I dont know much more i can keep watching this foolishness.
Heroes along with smallville keep wearing on me.
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4-03-2009 @ 7:16PM
Jerry Waddell said...
I just watched the episode under discussion...it was indeed terrible! The last shot of Chloe with tears in her eyes at the hospital looked like a comedy sketch by Ellen Degeneres!
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