Smallville season 5 disc 3
5.9 Lexmas
A very, very Christmassy episode, borrowing from A Christmas Carol and really going for it. Having been shot (oh yes), Lex hallucinates (or does he?) that his dead mother is the Ghost of Christmas Future, givinghim a glimpse of his happiest possible day. It felt like fanfic, in that Lana was his pregnant wife, he was living the middle class dream, having cut ties with Lionel, and Jonathan Kent was proud of him! Rosenbaum took the opportunity with both hands, his innate likeability got to shine, and I even found Kreuk convincing as a mother, seven years on from the show’s timeline - more convincing than the extensions they bequeathed to Mack.
Lex had to dodge a few anvils about choices/decisions, especially when it all went wrong and Lana started haemorrhaging to death in childbirth, and Lionel would not help.
In the real world, Lionel was his magnificent self, and cavalierly ordered an operation to save Lex’s legs, which might be at the threat of his life. Doctors were named after show producers. Lex didn’t learn the lesson his mother wanted him to learn, and though he was understandably angry with Lionel when he woke up (incredible recovery time!), he chose money and power, believing that would help him to protect those he loved (Lana).
Meanwhile, to dial up the ‘holiday spirit’, Chloe guilted Clark into using his powers to help kids, and then he and she may or may not have met Santa.
Lex’s dead mother came across as…stoned.
It was OTT, committed and quite enjoyable.
5.10 Fanatic
Why not make Lois Jonathan’s campaign manager? Sure.
I’d have thought it would involve more than stapling posters on an university campus, myself, but this is a ridiculous campaign. Lex had a crazed stalker ‘helping’ him by deciding to remove his opposition and later her hair (I pitied the actress for that).
Meanwhile the show finally turned its attentions to the Clana fissures, which is to say she finally raised that they hadn’t had sex recently (since he’d regained his powers) among other issues. But although Lana insisted Clark was honest with her, she didn’t break up with him when he wasn’t. Chloe had to give awkward advice to Clark (and about Jonathan’s need to prove himself to his superpowered son.)
Lionel was prowling at the fringes of the campaign, trying to undermine Lex and certainly getting under Martha’s skin.
Lex compared himself to Icarus and missed the obvious, but the episode was ludicrously OTT and stupid at the same time.
5.11 Lockdown
This also offered plenty to snark at in at least half of its scenes. But let’s take a moment for the fallen Sherriff of the weirdest town in Kansas.
The spaceship turned out to be the worst kept secret and Lex’s security continued to be terrible. All that stuff about him shot would have landed better if they hadn’t shot him two episodes ago.
This week’s anvils were about secrets versus the truth. Lana still put up with Clark and Lex. All of Chloe’s tough best friend talk to Clark was A1. It was hard to miss the anvil about Lois being his future true love, but he was deeply unsympathetic as he sabotaged his relationship with Lana. I found her not annoying for several stretches, though I saw no reason to praise Kreuk’s acting in this episode.
They addressed the timing eventually and the lady cop’s motivations, which I appreciated. Martha accepting Lionel’s money would have worked better if she hadn’t been so strenuously opposed to Jonathan running at the beginning.
5.12 The Reckoning
Or: about time!
This episode was dialled up to 11 and contained much !!??
We started off with an incredible (as in I disbelieved it) scene where Clark told Lana he was an alien to keep her. I was no fan of the decision to have him flying then, because I’ve never been a fan of the ship. AND THEN HE PROPOSED TO HER and my nose crinkled up in disgust. Aged 19 and the day before the poll results and with no time to process what he’s just told her?
The campaign stuff continued to be ridiculous.
And then Lana ‘died’ and Jor-El said Clark could save her vis crystal because it was always going to be Jonathan but he should think carefully about it - Ha! Yes, Clark would totally do that - because ‘someone else (name Jonathan)’ would die in her place. Clark saved Lois from ‘accidental death’ and then Lana, but Jonathan was determined to beat Lionel up as his first act after being elected, even before Lionel tried to blackmail him properly. Well, Jonathan’s dicky heart wasn’t having that.
There were anvils aplenty, Kreuk was EXTREMELY Canadian, though I thought she outacted Welling, if I’m honest. But Mack mainly doing reaction shots as Clark’s wingman, Rosenbaum playing drunk!angry/sad beautifuly, and O’Toole playing heartbroken were much better than the material. I thought the episode made decent use of Clark reliving the day to open up the story (even using the abomination that is James Blunt’s ‘Beautiful’ cleverly) and the funeral scene was gorgeous.
But it was crazy OTT, and probably should have happened five episodes or so ago.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/297336.html.
A very, very Christmassy episode, borrowing from A Christmas Carol and really going for it. Having been shot (oh yes), Lex hallucinates (or does he?) that his dead mother is the Ghost of Christmas Future, givinghim a glimpse of his happiest possible day. It felt like fanfic, in that Lana was his pregnant wife, he was living the middle class dream, having cut ties with Lionel, and Jonathan Kent was proud of him! Rosenbaum took the opportunity with both hands, his innate likeability got to shine, and I even found Kreuk convincing as a mother, seven years on from the show’s timeline - more convincing than the extensions they bequeathed to Mack.
Lex had to dodge a few anvils about choices/decisions, especially when it all went wrong and Lana started haemorrhaging to death in childbirth, and Lionel would not help.
In the real world, Lionel was his magnificent self, and cavalierly ordered an operation to save Lex’s legs, which might be at the threat of his life. Doctors were named after show producers. Lex didn’t learn the lesson his mother wanted him to learn, and though he was understandably angry with Lionel when he woke up (incredible recovery time!), he chose money and power, believing that would help him to protect those he loved (Lana).
Meanwhile, to dial up the ‘holiday spirit’, Chloe guilted Clark into using his powers to help kids, and then he and she may or may not have met Santa.
Lex’s dead mother came across as…stoned.
It was OTT, committed and quite enjoyable.
5.10 Fanatic
Why not make Lois Jonathan’s campaign manager? Sure.
I’d have thought it would involve more than stapling posters on an university campus, myself, but this is a ridiculous campaign. Lex had a crazed stalker ‘helping’ him by deciding to remove his opposition and later her hair (I pitied the actress for that).
Meanwhile the show finally turned its attentions to the Clana fissures, which is to say she finally raised that they hadn’t had sex recently (since he’d regained his powers) among other issues. But although Lana insisted Clark was honest with her, she didn’t break up with him when he wasn’t. Chloe had to give awkward advice to Clark (and about Jonathan’s need to prove himself to his superpowered son.)
Lionel was prowling at the fringes of the campaign, trying to undermine Lex and certainly getting under Martha’s skin.
Lex compared himself to Icarus and missed the obvious, but the episode was ludicrously OTT and stupid at the same time.
5.11 Lockdown
This also offered plenty to snark at in at least half of its scenes. But let’s take a moment for the fallen Sherriff of the weirdest town in Kansas.
The spaceship turned out to be the worst kept secret and Lex’s security continued to be terrible. All that stuff about him shot would have landed better if they hadn’t shot him two episodes ago.
This week’s anvils were about secrets versus the truth. Lana still put up with Clark and Lex. All of Chloe’s tough best friend talk to Clark was A1. It was hard to miss the anvil about Lois being his future true love, but he was deeply unsympathetic as he sabotaged his relationship with Lana. I found her not annoying for several stretches, though I saw no reason to praise Kreuk’s acting in this episode.
They addressed the timing eventually and the lady cop’s motivations, which I appreciated. Martha accepting Lionel’s money would have worked better if she hadn’t been so strenuously opposed to Jonathan running at the beginning.
5.12 The Reckoning
Or: about time!
This episode was dialled up to 11 and contained much !!??
We started off with an incredible (as in I disbelieved it) scene where Clark told Lana he was an alien to keep her. I was no fan of the decision to have him flying then, because I’ve never been a fan of the ship. AND THEN HE PROPOSED TO HER and my nose crinkled up in disgust. Aged 19 and the day before the poll results and with no time to process what he’s just told her?
The campaign stuff continued to be ridiculous.
And then Lana ‘died’ and Jor-El said Clark could save her vis crystal because it was always going to be Jonathan but he should think carefully about it - Ha! Yes, Clark would totally do that - because ‘someone else (name Jonathan)’ would die in her place. Clark saved Lois from ‘accidental death’ and then Lana, but Jonathan was determined to beat Lionel up as his first act after being elected, even before Lionel tried to blackmail him properly. Well, Jonathan’s dicky heart wasn’t having that.
There were anvils aplenty, Kreuk was EXTREMELY Canadian, though I thought she outacted Welling, if I’m honest. But Mack mainly doing reaction shots as Clark’s wingman, Rosenbaum playing drunk!angry/sad beautifuly, and O’Toole playing heartbroken were much better than the material. I thought the episode made decent use of Clark reliving the day to open up the story (even using the abomination that is James Blunt’s ‘Beautiful’ cleverly) and the funeral scene was gorgeous.
But it was crazy OTT, and probably should have happened five episodes or so ago.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/297336.html.