Retro!SV
Mmkay. So this is the first episode of my older Smallville reviews. The first one is Splinter.
On a writing level, I thought this was quite an interesting episode. First, Clark's dreams/paranoid delusions piqued my interest:
~ Clark suspects Chloe is telling Lionel his secret. Well, he's dealt this this regarding to S2/S3.
~ Clark thinks Jonathan is making a deal with Lionel. In the past, Jonathan did make a deal with Lionel wrt Clark (Lineage).
~ Then he see Jonathan telling him that he wasn't really his son, just a thing he found in the cornfield. You could say that it parallels Jonathan's behavior towards Clark in Exodus with Jonathan pushing him away.
~ Clark sees Lex and Lana kissing. He's seen them becoming close before in Forsaken and Covenant.
All of his delusions are not frivilous. They actually have happened before or have been on the brink of happening. And in the present, they are actually half-truths.
~ Chloe *is* talking to Lionel, but not about Clark.
~ Jonathan is communicating with Lionel, but not about selling Clark out.
~ Lex and Lana are dabbling in something together, but they are not in a romantic relationship.
It's also interesting to me how Clark's visions do end up coming true, in a sense. Lionel *does* know Clark's secret; Jonathan and Lionel do end up in cahoots with each other; Lex and Lana do become romantically involved. Now, whether or not this was all intentional is a matter of opinion, but I personally think it was. And I thought the baby crib in one of his visions was definitely about the baby brother he lost in S2.
Now, on a Chlark note, I loved that hug between them at the hospital. I thought it was an interesting contrast between the previous Clana scene where there were secrets and lies, and the Chlark scene full of honesty. Even though Clark and Lana were the couple of S5, I never thought they were that intimate. Sure, they lost their virginity to each other, but Chloe and Clark are much more intimate because of their honesty. They are forthcoming with everything and confide in each other. Confiding in another person with your thoughts and life is something personal and intimate that you don't do with everybody. And it says something about the Clana relationship that they couldn't even tell each other the truth after they pledged to do so in Arrival.
On an acting note, I thought Tom Welling did a fantastic job this episode. You could tell he was so enjoying portraying a different side of Clark. He even said Splinter was his favorite episode of the season, and it showed. It was such a gradual build and not over the top at all. His delivery of the line "I loved you. I loved you more than anything, and you betrayed me just like everyone else" was filled with a lot of emotion and was perfect. And kudos to the make-up department. They did a really nice job with the red eyes.
On a writing level, I thought this was quite an interesting episode. First, Clark's dreams/paranoid delusions piqued my interest:
~ Clark suspects Chloe is telling Lionel his secret. Well, he's dealt this this regarding to S2/S3.
~ Clark thinks Jonathan is making a deal with Lionel. In the past, Jonathan did make a deal with Lionel wrt Clark (Lineage).
~ Then he see Jonathan telling him that he wasn't really his son, just a thing he found in the cornfield. You could say that it parallels Jonathan's behavior towards Clark in Exodus with Jonathan pushing him away.
~ Clark sees Lex and Lana kissing. He's seen them becoming close before in Forsaken and Covenant.
All of his delusions are not frivilous. They actually have happened before or have been on the brink of happening. And in the present, they are actually half-truths.
~ Chloe *is* talking to Lionel, but not about Clark.
~ Jonathan is communicating with Lionel, but not about selling Clark out.
~ Lex and Lana are dabbling in something together, but they are not in a romantic relationship.
It's also interesting to me how Clark's visions do end up coming true, in a sense. Lionel *does* know Clark's secret; Jonathan and Lionel do end up in cahoots with each other; Lex and Lana do become romantically involved. Now, whether or not this was all intentional is a matter of opinion, but I personally think it was. And I thought the baby crib in one of his visions was definitely about the baby brother he lost in S2.
Now, on a Chlark note, I loved that hug between them at the hospital. I thought it was an interesting contrast between the previous Clana scene where there were secrets and lies, and the Chlark scene full of honesty. Even though Clark and Lana were the couple of S5, I never thought they were that intimate. Sure, they lost their virginity to each other, but Chloe and Clark are much more intimate because of their honesty. They are forthcoming with everything and confide in each other. Confiding in another person with your thoughts and life is something personal and intimate that you don't do with everybody. And it says something about the Clana relationship that they couldn't even tell each other the truth after they pledged to do so in Arrival.
On an acting note, I thought Tom Welling did a fantastic job this episode. You could tell he was so enjoying portraying a different side of Clark. He even said Splinter was his favorite episode of the season, and it showed. It was such a gradual build and not over the top at all. His delivery of the line "I loved you. I loved you more than anything, and you betrayed me just like everyone else" was filled with a lot of emotion and was perfect. And kudos to the make-up department. They did a really nice job with the red eyes.