Television: Smallville and Supernatural
I have to get something out of my system now:
OMG! Lois and Clark totally kissed! Did you see that? Eee! Yay! OMG!
Okay, I think I'm good now.
I really enjoyed Hydro -- I think that Tom Welling did a fine job as director and he really pulled a strong performance out of Allison Mack, who I've found to be a bit weaker this season than she's been in previous years. Chloe was a really terrific character this episode -- strong and feisty and likable.
I loved seeing Lois starting to recruit the elements of the future by having Jimmy playing her photographer and trying to enlist Clark into helping her find out if Oliver was the Green Arrow. Her stance on secrets is both refining and changing slightly, in what feels like are appropriate ways -- she doesn't feel that secrets belong in love relationships and thus wants to know if Oliver really is the Green Arrow -- but when GA saves her, she assures him that his secret is safe with her. People keep secrets for a reason, but sometimes the reasons are stupid and if you love and trust someone, you should be willing to share your secrets with them and trust that they'll understand.
I adored Lois playing the part of the damsel in distress on the phone -- it's a role that fits her poorly and I'm pleased that the show recognizes that. And then... her scene with the 'Green Arrow' was fantastic. Her reaction when Clark showed his superstrength really reminded me of her smile when Kal 'relocated' her in Crusade -- and I loved Clark's reaction to the kiss. He was leaning into it, and Lois was the one who had to pull away. And his face afterwards really was a thousand words -- he was so stunned and kinda pleased. And then the conversation in the apartment with the two of them plus Chloe was really fantastic.
And then there was a plot with Lana and Lex -- it was good, I think. I may have to rewatch the episode for it to register, because my brain is still... well, see the beginning of this post.
Supernatural was darker than Smallville, which is not surprising. I've really been enjoying the show -- I'm so glad that I got into it.
The one thing that makes me sad about the show is having no female regulars (much as I adore the Brothers Winchester, that's something that I miss when watching the show). However, they've had quite a few very strong female one-offs at this point, Ava being the most recent example, and Ellen makes for a very powerful reoccuring character. Speaking of Ava, I really adored her. Protesting her normality, then getting into the adventure of it all, not wanting to leave Sam to die -- I liked Ava a whole lot and will, thus, believe that she was somehow kidnapped or ran off after seeing her dead fiancé and isn't at all evil. Until I hear otherwise, Ava is still on the side of the angels for me.
On the subject of the secret, I found it to be incredibly fitting, given what we've seen from Dean this year and given John's (stupid) need-to-know way of thinking. Even if he knew more than he told, he only thinks that Dean needs to know about the need to save his brother (and, failing that, killing him). Though I'm reading speculation on the nature of the war and the rest of What Sam Is, I've actually decided not to speculate myself. I'm enjoying the openness of all the possibilities at the moment.
Sam and Dean were individually wonderful in this episode -- Sam, passionate about learning who he is, and Dean, passionate about protecting his brother. Learning what the secret is really does put Dean's frustration, pain, and anger into perspective. The knowledge that his father told him that he might have to kill his brother has been screaming in his head ever since John died -- no wonder he wants to say fuck it to the hunting, if this is what the hunting gets him (to quote another person faced with killing their younger sibling (told by their father figure that they'd have to kill their younger sibling) -- "I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away, I don't see the point." -- "If Dawn dies, I'm done with it. I'm quitting."). I can definitely understand why Dean wants to chuck it all and run off to the Grand Canyon or Amsterdam with his brother.