Smallville, Mid-Season Report Card

[jeannev]

Whew, Finally!

Ya know, this sounded like a good idea at the time, but given how much time its taken me to do this, I have to second guess myself.  I decided to do a full rewatch of the S10 eps thus far.  I had only seen Ambush and Luthor after my initial review/screentime minute count.  I don't think my overall feelings on the season changed much,

Comments

[asha14]

I think you are a very fair grader and I agree with your report. Imo don't think that it has been suggested that Clark becomes Superman because of Lois (maybe a better Superman because of having that support his adopted parents had with each other and that has been a storyline for Clark from the very beginning which is nice. I however want more DP action for both characters) that belongs to another character and that is why I am thinking really really hard about watching the second half. The first half good have been better for the character of Clark Kent however I don't think he has been all about Lois while imo Lois with the exception of that wasteful episode of Super-girl has been all about Clark. she has been shown to be his only emotional support system and that is where I think the imo miss place accusations of the character making him Superman are coming from. In the early seasons Clark had his parents, and also his friends even if they did not know about the "super" half of him. Clark now only has Lois for emotional support: Chloe, Lana, Lex, Pete, and Parents are gone...Oliver is too envious of him and Tess, (whom Clark supports emotionally not the other way around and not because Tess does not want to support him emotionally; I think its because Clark is learning how to compartmentalize his two identities now) whom Clark keeps at emotional arms length and this season she is being used for JLA business. I think that Tess has been used wonderfully this year and the actress has truly shown what she can do. It seems the writers have finally found a place for this character and now imo she is more consistently written. As for Oliver my OTP on this show is not Clois its Oliver/Star City.

[jeannev]

I hear what you're saying, and you make a lot of great points. I think what really stands out for me are certain lines like Hawkman saying "He can't do it without you" and "You have everything you need" when looking at Lois. Its that she's linked to his floating in Homecoming (and I have no doubts she'll be equally linked to his flying). Its the talk of her as "Co-captain" in Patriot. Its her matching leather jacket outfit while being front and center at a funeral attended by all superheroes in costume.

And I know these are just moments, but they feel like a bit too much for me. I understand how mileage varies.

As for Oliver my OTP on this show is not Clois its Oliver/Star City.

LOL, Love it! I'd be fine with his going away, even though he's gotten a lot more tolerable for me as the season has gone on.

[asha14]

I think that imo those lines for me are what goes to the emotional support that Lois gives Clark, and the floating imo was not about Lois so much as it was about Clark feeling in that moment being totally free with whom he is. I have been told most married or committed couples call each other co-captains and that they are in the relationship together and all that other cliche bullshit. As for the furneral Lois is the most important emotional supportive person for Clark that is why she was front and center holding his hand. (throwing it into the viewers face that she is not Lana and will not let go when Clark needs her most...its annoying anvils like that that is making the clois relatioship to me look like a checklist or anti Clana) Lois also knew Hawk-man personally and had a relationship with him such as it was. As for the color matching this is nothing new to this show they have been color matching Lois and Clark since season four. The characters first four episodes together they went overboard with it.

[jeannev]

Don't get me wrong, I had no issue with Lois being at the funeral, or being next to Clark and holding his hand. But I didn't quite get the outfit. The heroes were in their "uniforms", but Lois shouldn't need the leather jacket get-up. But again, its all about how little things like that strike you.

Like, I know a lot of people don't think the floating was about Lois, and I took that scene to mean it was ALL about Lois. Just 2 different perceptions of the same scene. In the grand scheme of things, its a minor issue as long as Clark taking flight doesn't become all about Lois. That would be a major problem for me.

If Lois had been called Clark's co-pilot, I would've been more comfortable with the sports analogy. Co-captain was uncomfortable for me.

[audrey229]

And ironically, "co-pilot" was the language that Clark used back in "Rabid" to describe their relationship. Which sort of makes me think that the writers thought they were saying the same thing by saying "Co-Captain" and didn't realize that some people might see them as meaning different things. To me, co-pilot/co-captain kind of mean the same thing---just the idea that you're partners together/treating each other as a team/equals. And I think that's very appropriate for a marriage. But that is an example of how word choices can affect people's POV.

The outfit is another POV difference for me. I actually thought that Lois was clearly in civilian clothes while everyone else was in costume. The fact that she was in all black signaled to me that she was "different." Part of the team but in a different capacity. The leather jacket never struck me as odd because Lois has like a billion different leather jackets. She has a purple one, a brown one etc. I just figured this was another one of her leather jackets.

The floating thing also never really suggested to me that he was flying because of her. I felt like Kara's words about "living inside a moment" were coming into play. To me, Clark floated because he was at peace. It was just a rare moment in his life (a life that has been so filled with tragedy and doubt) where he felt at peace. It seems very in-character, for me, that love would be what would ultimately bring him peace since he has craved it for so long. But I don't think that means that he flew because of Lois. I think it's more about a state of mind and coming to terms with what he wanted in life and actually going after it. (I also always thought that his final goodbye to his father in the previous scene had a lot to do with his ability to find that peace within himself.)