Smallville 8x09: Abyss
Given what we're apparently going to have to deal with next week, thank you, TPTB, for giving me a fairly easy episode this time around to review. It is appreciated.
Was it just me, or did nothing really seem much to happen in the first half hour of this episode? Like really, nothing serious.
Jimmy... eh. He was there. He was much better represented than he usually is in the Chimmy relationship, I'll give him that, but he didn't have a whole hell of a lot to do.
Now Davis, on the other hand, well. Again, not much to do but dear fluffy lord can SW act. Apparently, there's no more Mr. Nice Bloome and that very final scene with Chloe? Creeped the hell out of me. As it was supposed to. Yay for unstoppable alien killing machine stalkers!
Chloe - and AM - did a lovely job in this episode. She came across as truly confused and scared with what was happening to her, and I loved the memory sequences. Very effective. But still, it felt like Chloe wasn't doing anything much more than running around forgetting people. I'm also still a bit confused as to how long, exactly, this has been going on. Did she start the electronic crib sheets after she forgot Jimmy, or had she had them before that, and if so, when did she start them? Has it just been the past couple of weeks, or are we supposed to now assume that it's been going on all season long? I could buy that aside from the fact that she hasn't seemed "off" with anyone other than Jimmy, frankly, and she didn't forget him until this episode (and if she had forgotten Jimmy prior to this and had to go remind herself who he was, than Lois' comment from last week about all the sex they're having actually bothers me now). So yes, confused, but I guess it doesn't really matter now, and I don't expect to get it clarified so I shall cut that loss and move on.
Oh, I know a lot of people though it was terrible, but I thought the wee Clark and Chloe first kiss barn scene was ADORABLE.
All right, let's get into it. Clark. We'll just get to the mindwipe right away, shall we? It was wrong. It was a stupid, idiotic thing for him to do deliberately and I was so hoping it would be a condition placed by Jor-El. However. From Clark's point of view, I can see how he's rationalized it to himself. It wasn't coming from a place of selfishness, it was what he thought he had to do to keep her safe. And he's not wrong; everyone he listed has been negatively impacted by knowing Clark's secret, as has Chloe. And frankly, since it's more than likely going to be reversed in Legion, since she and Clark are back to scoobying in Bulletproof, I can't get too worked up over it. Now, if it somehow sticks, then I'll revisit my feelings. For now, I just consider it the noble act Clark believes it to be. Hell, Chloe was the one who told him he'd have to play God sometimes.
I am of mixed feeling about the Fortress. I was thrilled to have it back, but everything between Jor-El and Clark fell flat to me. Having slept on it, I think I'm taking it better now, though. First off, Jor-El set the Fortress to self destruct and take Clark's powers away if he ever became a danger to the planet. Okay, cool. But, uh, when, exactly, in S7 was Clark ever a danger to the planet? The only way I can fanwank that is that he became a danger when Lex got his hands on the Purple Disco Ball and could control him. But then, didn't Jor-El send that, too? MAKES NO SENSE.
I was also a little miffed that they seemed to place all the blame for what the AI has done over past seasons on Clark's shoulders because he wasn't "mature" enough, and now that the AI thinks he's grown up enough, it'll play nice. In thinking, and re-watching a few scenes, I think Clark is just playing it, basically. His interaction is pretty flat, unemotional. He talks to the AI reasonably and logically. He's playing its game. The AI's biggest problem all along has been that Clark is too emotional, which is likely what it considers to be immature. Clark didn't do that this time. He didn't yell or scream or blame, he just went in, accepted the MAKING NO SENSE explanation and moved on, putting the emphasis on the issue he needed help with being Brainiac, not Chloe. And the AI breathed a sigh of relief, said "It's about fucking time" and helped without issue. Which, in a lovely roundabout way, does mean that Clark has grown up. Still, I actually made some kind of strange high pitched noise of surprise when he called it "Father." I know he's referred to Jor-EL this way to other people, but never to the AI itself.
And then I made the same noise, but louder and I scared my cats (sorry kids), when Brainiac took over the Fortress. I so did not see that coming and Marsters' voice? Just awesome. AWESOME.
Next week's it, baby. Bring it, I'm ready!
Was it just me, or did nothing really seem much to happen in the first half hour of this episode? Like really, nothing serious.
Jimmy... eh. He was there. He was much better represented than he usually is in the Chimmy relationship, I'll give him that, but he didn't have a whole hell of a lot to do.
Now Davis, on the other hand, well. Again, not much to do but dear fluffy lord can SW act. Apparently, there's no more Mr. Nice Bloome and that very final scene with Chloe? Creeped the hell out of me. As it was supposed to. Yay for unstoppable alien killing machine stalkers!
Chloe - and AM - did a lovely job in this episode. She came across as truly confused and scared with what was happening to her, and I loved the memory sequences. Very effective. But still, it felt like Chloe wasn't doing anything much more than running around forgetting people. I'm also still a bit confused as to how long, exactly, this has been going on. Did she start the electronic crib sheets after she forgot Jimmy, or had she had them before that, and if so, when did she start them? Has it just been the past couple of weeks, or are we supposed to now assume that it's been going on all season long? I could buy that aside from the fact that she hasn't seemed "off" with anyone other than Jimmy, frankly, and she didn't forget him until this episode (and if she had forgotten Jimmy prior to this and had to go remind herself who he was, than Lois' comment from last week about all the sex they're having actually bothers me now). So yes, confused, but I guess it doesn't really matter now, and I don't expect to get it clarified so I shall cut that loss and move on.
Oh, I know a lot of people though it was terrible, but I thought the wee Clark and Chloe first kiss barn scene was ADORABLE.
All right, let's get into it. Clark. We'll just get to the mindwipe right away, shall we? It was wrong. It was a stupid, idiotic thing for him to do deliberately and I was so hoping it would be a condition placed by Jor-El. However. From Clark's point of view, I can see how he's rationalized it to himself. It wasn't coming from a place of selfishness, it was what he thought he had to do to keep her safe. And he's not wrong; everyone he listed has been negatively impacted by knowing Clark's secret, as has Chloe. And frankly, since it's more than likely going to be reversed in Legion, since she and Clark are back to scoobying in Bulletproof, I can't get too worked up over it. Now, if it somehow sticks, then I'll revisit my feelings. For now, I just consider it the noble act Clark believes it to be. Hell, Chloe was the one who told him he'd have to play God sometimes.
I am of mixed feeling about the Fortress. I was thrilled to have it back, but everything between Jor-El and Clark fell flat to me. Having slept on it, I think I'm taking it better now, though. First off, Jor-El set the Fortress to self destruct and take Clark's powers away if he ever became a danger to the planet. Okay, cool. But, uh, when, exactly, in S7 was Clark ever a danger to the planet? The only way I can fanwank that is that he became a danger when Lex got his hands on the Purple Disco Ball and could control him. But then, didn't Jor-El send that, too? MAKES NO SENSE.
I was also a little miffed that they seemed to place all the blame for what the AI has done over past seasons on Clark's shoulders because he wasn't "mature" enough, and now that the AI thinks he's grown up enough, it'll play nice. In thinking, and re-watching a few scenes, I think Clark is just playing it, basically. His interaction is pretty flat, unemotional. He talks to the AI reasonably and logically. He's playing its game. The AI's biggest problem all along has been that Clark is too emotional, which is likely what it considers to be immature. Clark didn't do that this time. He didn't yell or scream or blame, he just went in, accepted the MAKING NO SENSE explanation and moved on, putting the emphasis on the issue he needed help with being Brainiac, not Chloe. And the AI breathed a sigh of relief, said "It's about fucking time" and helped without issue. Which, in a lovely roundabout way, does mean that Clark has grown up. Still, I actually made some kind of strange high pitched noise of surprise when he called it "Father." I know he's referred to Jor-EL this way to other people, but never to the AI itself.
And then I made the same noise, but louder and I scared my cats (sorry kids), when Brainiac took over the Fortress. I so did not see that coming and Marsters' voice? Just awesome. AWESOME.
Next week's it, baby. Bring it, I'm ready!