Smallville 8.06 Prey
I enjoyed this episode while watching it but find I don't have a lot to say about it afterwards.
I am glad they had an episode that explored the naivety and potential problems with the Isis Foundation. This episode showed that goodwill towards the krypto-infected is not enough, and even with the best of intentions, the Foundation can be dangerous for the very people it claims to help. Centralising records for the krypto-infected before they are even widely acknowledged, let alone accepted by the world at large, is dangerous--those could be seized by the government, for instance. What privacy does the Foundation really offer people? A SIGN-IN sheet? Lying around in the open--are you kidding me? Whether or not Clark was right to take it, that shows naivety on a dangerous scale.
The other problem with the Foundation is that it assumes that all krypto-freaks are or want to be harmless. Yet we know that psychosis and psychopathy result in many, if not most, cases where people are infected. It's very heartwarming to believe that such people can be saved--but to do so would surely need professional help and cooperation at the very least. (I'm still not convinced all krypto-freaks can be saved, but the Foundation ignores that problem as well.) Chloe's group therapy sessions (which she controlled badly) assumed that everyone had the same desires and goals--to be recognised and accepted. But clearly some don't. Some embrace their powers and use them for bad, some rebel against society, and without professional medical intervention, I don't really know how anyone can say who's to blame: the krpyo-infection or the person behind it? They are 'victims' yes, but whitewashing them with that term ignores the differences within the krypto-infected community. This was demonstrated very clearly by having one krypto-freak prey on another in this episode.
I'm kind of loving Chloe and Clark fighting, and am entirely on Clark's side but will say no more to avoid offending the Chloe-fans on my f'list. ;)
Clark was AWESOME! Ten million kinds of awesome! And even better with J'onn at his side. I love that J'onn showed up to mentor the minute Clark really took on the mantle of hero in Metropolis. And aww, I kind of love that Clark went from 0 to 100 in terms of thinking of himself as responsible for EVERYTHINGEVEROMG! I was particularly amused by his dialogue with Jimmy where he blamed the unnamed 'hero' for letting something happen... Jimmy must think Clark is really weird, because from his pov he'd be thinking 'well, we don't even know for sure there IS a hero, but immediately you're blaming him for every bad thing that happens??!'
I fanwank that Clark is levelling up with the hero shit partly to impress Lois. :D
Unexpectedly, because I've found him boring so far, I really ended up liking Davis in this episode. The actor put in a very sympathetic performance and I found myself really moved by his character. Once he confessed to Chloe that he thought he was the killer, I was riveted. And I loved the double fake-out. Yay! I am unspoiled but have gathered that Davis is 'someone' in comics canon. Right now he reads as a Jekyl and Hyde character--if he is conscious of what his dark half does, then he's an evil mastermind because it read so genuinely that he was not, though he had come to suspect. I wish he had someone else around to put his trust in other than Chloe--her naive handling of his confession of fears will only make things worse for him longterm I think--but regardless I'm hooked in.
Also, good to see that he's maintaining the high standard of male torsos on SV. :)
Also, was VERY amused by his way of being a 'lone' paramedic... circling the town, wasting petrol, while waiting for a call. Yuh. That's how they do it. And there's always only one of 'em. *nods* Also they would totally only send a paramedic, not a police car, to the scene of an attack. Hmm.
*Loving* J'onn to bits. Love him as a cop, love his loyalty and the fact that he doesn't bitch about his powers, love Clark's determination to get them back... it's all good.
Yeah, Clark's got a lot of learning to do about how to balance being a hero and having a real life, and YAY that they brought up identity issues. This is EXCITING!
I am glad they had an episode that explored the naivety and potential problems with the Isis Foundation. This episode showed that goodwill towards the krypto-infected is not enough, and even with the best of intentions, the Foundation can be dangerous for the very people it claims to help. Centralising records for the krypto-infected before they are even widely acknowledged, let alone accepted by the world at large, is dangerous--those could be seized by the government, for instance. What privacy does the Foundation really offer people? A SIGN-IN sheet? Lying around in the open--are you kidding me? Whether or not Clark was right to take it, that shows naivety on a dangerous scale.
The other problem with the Foundation is that it assumes that all krypto-freaks are or want to be harmless. Yet we know that psychosis and psychopathy result in many, if not most, cases where people are infected. It's very heartwarming to believe that such people can be saved--but to do so would surely need professional help and cooperation at the very least. (I'm still not convinced all krypto-freaks can be saved, but the Foundation ignores that problem as well.) Chloe's group therapy sessions (which she controlled badly) assumed that everyone had the same desires and goals--to be recognised and accepted. But clearly some don't. Some embrace their powers and use them for bad, some rebel against society, and without professional medical intervention, I don't really know how anyone can say who's to blame: the krpyo-infection or the person behind it? They are 'victims' yes, but whitewashing them with that term ignores the differences within the krypto-infected community. This was demonstrated very clearly by having one krypto-freak prey on another in this episode.
I'm kind of loving Chloe and Clark fighting, and am entirely on Clark's side but will say no more to avoid offending the Chloe-fans on my f'list. ;)
Clark was AWESOME! Ten million kinds of awesome! And even better with J'onn at his side. I love that J'onn showed up to mentor the minute Clark really took on the mantle of hero in Metropolis. And aww, I kind of love that Clark went from 0 to 100 in terms of thinking of himself as responsible for EVERYTHINGEVEROMG! I was particularly amused by his dialogue with Jimmy where he blamed the unnamed 'hero' for letting something happen... Jimmy must think Clark is really weird, because from his pov he'd be thinking 'well, we don't even know for sure there IS a hero, but immediately you're blaming him for every bad thing that happens??!'
I fanwank that Clark is levelling up with the hero shit partly to impress Lois. :D
Unexpectedly, because I've found him boring so far, I really ended up liking Davis in this episode. The actor put in a very sympathetic performance and I found myself really moved by his character. Once he confessed to Chloe that he thought he was the killer, I was riveted. And I loved the double fake-out. Yay! I am unspoiled but have gathered that Davis is 'someone' in comics canon. Right now he reads as a Jekyl and Hyde character--if he is conscious of what his dark half does, then he's an evil mastermind because it read so genuinely that he was not, though he had come to suspect. I wish he had someone else around to put his trust in other than Chloe--her naive handling of his confession of fears will only make things worse for him longterm I think--but regardless I'm hooked in.
Also, good to see that he's maintaining the high standard of male torsos on SV. :)
Also, was VERY amused by his way of being a 'lone' paramedic... circling the town, wasting petrol, while waiting for a call. Yuh. That's how they do it. And there's always only one of 'em. *nods* Also they would totally only send a paramedic, not a police car, to the scene of an attack. Hmm.
*Loving* J'onn to bits. Love him as a cop, love his loyalty and the fact that he doesn't bitch about his powers, love Clark's determination to get them back... it's all good.
Yeah, Clark's got a lot of learning to do about how to balance being a hero and having a real life, and YAY that they brought up identity issues. This is EXCITING!