"Fierce" (Smallville)
My analytical fervor for Smallville has evaporated thanks to Al and Miles' handling of L/L. But so far I've watched the first three eps of the season. I'm just taking things week-by-week. At the rate things are going, I don't think I'll be missing very much if I do choose to miss an eppy.
Now, Fierce! What a bad episode. Oh so bad. Bad. I ended up flipping between channels and I still caught a good bit of it. It proved to be as textually disappointing as it sounded in spoilers and it felt choppy. All of Lex's scenes (even with Lana) were the only substantive parts. I unexpectedly missed Lionel and Lois tonight.
1. Clana. I don't think I saw all of their scenes, but Clana wasn't nauseating. They seemed kind of pointless, underwhelming, and worn-out. If I was a Clana fan, then maybe I would be thrilled, but how weird Clana are. And boring! Did Clark even ask any questions? He just seemed to happy she was there, any old explanation she gave was fine. However, there was foreshadowing about the breaking of their illusions, delivered by Lex and even Lana herself. I think Labyrinth Lana is the Lana we'll be seeing with Clark for much of the season.
2. Season mood. I've said before that S7's start feels like the beginning of S5, especially from Lex's end -- he finds Lana first, he watches her cavort with Clark and blatantly treat him like dirt, he gets fixated on Kryptonians, and he becomes interested in a spaceship. Believe me, Lex is still Lex. He's just more subtle than we hoped for S7 Lex, but the Lex in "Fierce" is smart, perceptive and intent.
3. Lex/Lana. Strangely enough, I'm growing to accept Lex and Lana's current antagonistic chemistry given the context of their recent interactions. Their antagonistic chemistry may actually meet their romantic/sexual/kissing chemistry if well-written. But given all of Al and Miles annoying interviews it doesn't appear that L/L will ever have any interaction other than antagonistic. They'll unlikely even tread a combative sexual relationship that some are hoping for after their Shanghai rendez vous. It will be interesting, but I don't see the EPs going in that direction, especially since losing Lana's love is apparently partly responsible for Lex's dark course ::head aches::
Anyway, Lex is still wearing his ring at the beginning. What that wedding ring represented still means the world to him. Like many L/Lers, I just wanted him to take off the ring and move forward, but part of me is also touched by how much he really wanted this last great love of his life to work. He's so crazy and screwed up, but there's still such a human side to him. At the Kent Farm, he responds to Lana's arrogance with politeness. He still seems to want some sort of peaceful ending for them. This may certainly all be an act, but he does tell her he loves her (present tense). The sentiment is believable because I don't think he'll ever get over her. But the ring comes off by the end of episode. It's time to move on and he'll be filling the void by befriending/investigating Kara and pursuing his other projects. I'm sensing he's back to his old self.
Another person back to her old self is Lana. Now see, trying to shoot her husband isn't her way and Lex knew that, but inviting him to meet her at her lover's house is more Lana-esque. No shame, Lana. No shame. She hates the boy and it shows. Similar to her romp up the hill with Clark in Mortal, she tends to smack Lex in the face quietly. That's her way. She's not interested in apologies or his love, she just wants him to fix a legal crisis that she created and get their marriage legally over with. Although she rejects the monetary [divorce] settlement, she also doesn't deny taking his money as her means of living while on the run. She is something else isn't she? Similar to their meeting in Shangai, he seems dually annoyed and relunctantly impressed by her bravado.
A couple of interesting things:
(1.) Lex noticeably baits Lana about Clark's possible inability to handle knowledge of the embezzlement. He can actually admire it because he understands what drives her, but can Clark? While Lex's illusions have slowly been broken, Clark's illusions are still in tact and I sincerely believe Clark will find a way to excuse Lana's growing number of secrets once they're exposed. Despite Clark's pending reactions, Lex actually destabilizes her arrogance a little (a la Hidden). It's almost as if he's trying to remind Lana that she's trying to be something she's not.
(2.) He also purposely plants seeds of anxiety about his desire to meet Kara. I'm unsure if he actually expects Lana to do or say anything, but he says it so deliberately it's almost as if he wants to intrigue her, he wants her to know he's up to something, he wants to instigate her destructive self-protection and her destructive love for Clark. Whether or not he expects anything, this lays the groundwork for what she begins doing in Cure. He leaves with an air that I read as "You think you're protecting Clark's secrets, but I'm never far away. I'm onto him. I'm onto all of you."
Even though he's complimentary and apparently meek, he retains situational control. He's stirring up the already muddy waters, not by interfering directly with Clana but by messing with Lana's insecurities a little bit. I don't know, but doesn't this Lex sound like the Lex we know?
4. Kara/Clark. I like the cousins' dynamic. I think LV plays her rather well as Kara goes through a compressed version of Clark's identity crisis. I'm sort of surprised her attraction to Jimmy was so instantaneous, but I see some sparks between them in their meaningful stares at each other. Lana's not as invasive in their relationship as I expected and I suspect she'll be off doing her own thing while they are figuring out their destinies.
5. Lex/Kara meeting. Pretty good. It was a lot like the old S1 Clex scenes, just more probing and semi-confrontational in tone. He's friendly at first, but it's not about friendship. He wants to thank her for saving his life. More importantly, he wants her to admit to who she is. That's the purpose of the confrontation. The irony in this scene is the irony we've been seeing since S1 -- here's a guy whose supposed to be the villain, but he's being honest from the get-go while the good guys are so scared that they lie. The more they lie to him, the more intent he becomes to uncover the truth by being just as deceptive as they are.
Although he diverts the gov. agent using the "I was saved by an angel" thing, he's been down this road before with Clark and since "Kara" he senses this girl has been walking (or flying) somewhere in the world. Before this, his investigator says she was exactly where Lex expected her to be, which means he's already connected the dots between her and Clark. He tells Kara flat out he doesn't believe his underwater salvations by both her and Clark are coincidences. The fact that Clark and Kara are relatives makes it even more glaring. He just wants someone to finally admit his knowledge is accurate and to trust that he won't be as manipulative with the truth as they fear. At the same time, he's also interested in the spaceship (a la S5, S6). He's trying to gain her trust by telling her he's harmless and he'll protect her secret. Depending on how difficult her relationship gets with Clark, she may actually trust him for a brief period. For now, she's sticking to Clark's hit-or-miss plan of "blending-in." Lex warns he'll find out the truth sooner or later. In other words, he already knows the truth and he'll get concrete confirmation sooner or later. Yes, this Lex sounds familiar!
Last week there was some talk about a Lex/Kara pairing. Who knows. His interactions with her may act as an emotional replacement for what Lana couldn't become, but as of "Fierce" it seems his interest in Kara is benign and primarily investigative.
6. Jimmy and Grant. I missed Jimmy so much. He's so sweet! Shame on him, though, for eyeing Kara while still with Chloe. And, shoot me, I really like Grant Gabriel in all his obnoxious glory. Some have argued that Michael Cassidy is too young to play the role, but he's been selling Grant. At least, I'm buying the Grant that Cassidy is selling. He needs to take his loud speaking down a notch, though. His voice sounded very high-pitched because of it. Of course, we know there's more to his story and many suspect he's working for Lex. Hee!
Off to bed.
J