Smallville 10x02 Shield
The thing I most appreciated about this ep was how it allowed a mixing up of dynamics and character interactions. Not all of them worked, IMO, but at least it was a refreshing change of pace, which is needed every once in a while to prevent the characters and their interaction with each other from getting stagnant.
Cat Grant, for me, was the real revelation. I thought KLP did a terrific job with the character, even when the writing was sometimes clunky and confused. I thoroughly enjoyed all her scenes and she was effective in credibly laying out a character path, with history to boot, in just one ep. I'm not so sure what was achieved by giving her the whole, "she-took-on-another-identity" angle, but her presence really worked, in this ep. Especially in her scenes with Clark, which were both genuinely funny and insightful.
The scenes allowed us peeks in to a number of windows wrt both characters - we not only come to know a little bit of Cat' backstory, giving the character more than one dimension but we were also allowed a chance to hear Clark articulate someof his feelings wrt relationships, and what he has with Lois. Hearing Clark so staunchly defend Lois was wonderful and we know he loves her, but yet at the same time his decision towards the end didn't ring entirely false either. I might not necessarily agree with it, but I can see how he would accept that Lois made her decision. That doesn't change how he feels about her or how I feel that these two are ridiculously stupid for not coming clean with each other but in the context of the ep, I can understand how he got there.
Where their interaction was even more effective, however, was in the characters differing stances on the 'heroes or vigilantes' debate. This was a nice thematic crossover from last season's 'Idol' and by throwing in characters like Deadshot, there was an interesting build up to a story that will undoubtedly play out during the rest of the season. "Inspired by people who step in to the sunlight", and the whole debate itself, I think is incredibly interesting, coming from it both as an SV viewer and comics fan. And I am curious, therefore, to see how the show handles it.
As much as I loved Cat' scenes with Clark, I think my favorite scene of hers was the one with Oliver, at the Talon. It was a really fun moment, with Cat's hilarious arsenal of weapons and GA' deadpan rebuttals. Fun, fun scene. A close second is the one with her and Clark in her very, very pink car - "my grandaddy always said seatbelts save lives" - boom. Heh! After the doom and gloom of the last ep, it was great to have these genuinely fun moments thrown in here. I look forward to Cat' return appearance, and I happen to think her crushing on Clark could produce some hilarious results.
The scene with the Suicide Squad at the end, with Plastique returning, was nicely done. I like that the writers aren't revealing too much right now but the set up is interesting at the moment. This storyline has a lot of potential, and so many possibilities with how they could get certain characters involved, especially now that we see the heroes are beginning to be 'marked.' I hope it's done justice to.
I was disappointed not to see any Tess and clone!Alexander scenes but I quite liked her scene with Oliver, actually. Not his taking a potshot at Clark or his whining, but the fact that in Tess, here's someone who can clearly put him in his place. Of course, it was a bit marred by Tess' reading of Chloe' epic love letter, which, I couldn't believe we didn't get a single snarky comment from her, I mean, someone like Tess would not read a letter like that and not say something - but I appreciated that she defended Clark and looks to, for the most part, give as good as she gets with Oliver.
The uneasy trust angle, meanwhile is working well for Clark and Tess too. This is a relationship dynamic that's still very precariously positioned, so there's all sorts of possibilities with where things could go. For now though, Tess' loyalties seem to be more clear than they have been in the past and so it's interesting to watch her and Clark maneuver their way around the current shift.
Chloe' storyline, is a bit confused at the moment, but I have to admit, it's not completely a mess as I thought it would be. For one thing, her leaving behind the picture, as a reveal that she faked her own death, was something I can see her doing. Now, why it was that particular photo, I have no idea, heh. What also seemed plausible to me, was Clark' reaction. Two seasons ago, I probably wouldn't have felt this way, and would've felt instead that there was absolutely no sense of urgency from him, and that was wierd. But now, after having witnessed the trajectory of the Chlark dynamic since the Davis debacle? I can very much believe Clark when he says that after all that Chloe has said about treating her as part of the team, etc, we have to trust in her plan, for now. In the context of all of S8 and S9, wrt their relationship and its issues, and the place they're at now with each other, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I bought Clark' response, and didn't think it was OOC.
Oliver' reactions, OTOH, (and while we're on this, him snapping at Clark again? Oh, joy.) felt very forced, perhaps because I just can't seem to buy, at all, this great epic love of all time between him and Chloe. But towards the end, with him having discovered that Chloe took his place in return for his freedom, any emotion stemming from that - including potentially the all consuming guilt? That, I can somewhat buy. And I wish they'd play up the conflicting emotions angle a little bit more, rather than focusing it all entirely on their grand love affair.
The other central theme therefore, this ep seemed to be love, relationships, undying or otherwise and their boundaries. This was brought across by Chloe/Oliver, Clois, Cat/her son, and Carter/Shayera. I've always appreciated Hawkman and Hawkgirl as characters and the appeal of their relationship, while it isn't my cup of tea, I can admit that the backstory is compelling. And I liked seeing that little glimpse of it here. I also appreciated the Carter/Lois scenes for all the very legitimate questions they posed wrt this certain type of relationship dynamic we speak of, when it comes to heroes and their significant others. I thought everything Lois was questioning was her right to do so, and I actually felt for her too, because her decision was obviously not easy. But what I found really problematic, and what, in fact, partially took me oiu of the scenes altogetgher, was the two of them openly discussing Clark, without his consent. It didn't feel right to me, because, again, much as I may think the whole not telling each other thing is stupid, it is what it is, for now. I also felt that, ultimately, the scenes were quite redundant, because what did they really achieve? If it was to convince Lois to return, then they failed. If it was just to have Lois express her thoughts and misgivings to someone other than Clark, well, OK, I can get behind the concept, but I still wish it had all been done with some air of anonymity. Also, can we please not have Lois ever mention Clark and God in the same sentence again. We've had enough of those comparisons from other characters in the past already. I did like Lois-in-reporter-mode at the very start, though, with her phone convo with Perry. That's a dynamic I'd love to see again. More than anything though, the scenes just reaffirmed to me how desperately I think the secret needs to be done between Clark and Lois.
Oh, and Suit 2.0 does nothing for me. Not that I prefer the Neo rip off either, so ::shrugs:: I'm being difficult, I suppose.
All in all, a solid 2nd ep. Some interesting themes and storyline set ups and a very strong character introduction.