Review - Luthor - 10x10 - Smallville
So I had high hopes for Luthor… Despite the fact that my favorite character (cough*Chloe*cough - LOL! As if you didn't know!) wasn't present and there was buzz of Lollie, I was looking forward to seeing some evil!Clark… not that head-in-his-ass-Clark hasn't just been delightful…
We begin Luthor, the tenth episode of the tenth season, with Tess (Lutessa Luthor) Mercer getting a gift from dear old dad… Or, okay, because she's the sole heir she got whatever important crap he left behind. I have to give Cassidy Freeman props, because she is consistently an awesome actress. She handles the in-control façade Tess puts on well but when alone, her shields fall, and she shows insecurity just as magnificently. I also love her delivery of lines, snarking off to Clark about his calling another woman late at night and how it might not sit well with Lois…
Tess: "Whatever happened to everyone deserves a second chance?"
Clark: "Luthor blood is Luthor blood; it's poison."
Ouch. Although, I can't really disagree. I mean, from Clark's point of view, that's all he's seen and admittedly, though she was trying to do good, Tess hasn't been the greatest of people… In fact, she has that Luthor manipulation gene down pat.
Here's the thing… I was a little surprised to see Tess wilt like she did in front of Clark. He's accusing her of hiding Alexander for her own benefit, which she kind of was, but he's also saying she's just like Lex, which she isn't… I expected her to jump to her own defense and not let him kick her when she's down. But then I realized she's already worried about whether or not being a Luthor does affect her, if that secret means that Clark and Oliver will walk away from her. And she's come to really care about them and Watchtower, liking her position as a helper rather than a hindrance. So while I don't like the Tess that takes Clark's berating, I also think it was a good portrayal.
"You're no better then he is… What else are you hiding Tess?" Oh, you know, just a little identity problem and a magic mirror, the usual… Hey, why don't you go through my purse and see for yourself! Lol, Hands off, Clark, didn't Martha ever tell you not to touch other's belongings without their say so?
Okay… Can I just say that Clark is slightly on the dumb side? She told him it was a Kryptonian relic… shouldn't that have been the first sign not to go fiddling with it? He doesn't know what it'll do, so he really shouldn't be just twisting it around for curiosity's sake… Just saying…
LOL at Clark waking up with two women curled up against him. He lifts his hands like "What? If Lois is watching, I so wasn't touching them! I swear!" haha Evil!Clark is such a pimp. If Lois didn't appreciate his late calls to other women, I don't know how she's going to feel about this…
"When you arise in the morning, think what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to enjoy, to love, to think…" - What a grand entrance by Lionel Luthor… such flair that man.
No offense, but Ultraman is such a lame name, lol.
Lionel is made of awesome. Evil, crazy, megalomaniacal awesome.
Smart man, too. Having the swords made with blue meteor rock so it makes Clark human, keeping them on an even keel. I'm surprised Clark was able to handle himself as well as he did, even if he did lose horribly. Lol
Lionel to Clark: "The heart… it'll blind you, son." I like that.
"The man of tomorrow, Clark Luthor!" So. Freaking. Weird.
"I sometimes shudder to think what would've happened if my little traveler had been found in that corn field by the first ignorant farmer that came along…" lol! Gee I wonder…
I was kind of hoping when he went to the farm we'd see Martha or Jonathon, despite not hearing any news on that front. His finding Tess and the subsequent kiss was interesting though. Did anybody else catch her smile? So easy and light and in love…
Clark: "Father…? Our father?"
Tess: "Last time I checked you were still adopted and I'm still his red-headed bastard as it gets…"
Clark: "You're a Luthor…"
Tess: "God you love to rile me up, don't you?" LOL, not exactly the most normal foreplay, is it?
"Tess, I can't do this." The look on her face - I really felt bad for her. It's obvious she has strong feelings for her evil!Clark, which is still weird, but whatever. Poor thing.
So when she goes on to talk about how her Clark basically betrayed her and used the box, only to realize that it was good!Clark who did it, all I thought was… Evil!Clark must feel something for her if he actually avoided using the mirror box just because he promised her he wouldn't. Which doesn't fit that whole evil thing, lol.
"You… Or the more fun version of you anyway." If by fun you mean serial killer-like, lol.
"Are you really this naïve in your world?" haha, yes.
Hah! Lois hits Clark with her car… awesome.
"Lois, why would I want to fire you?" I'm sorry… Did he forget the part where he's in an alterna-world where he makes out with his adopted-sister and wakes up in bed with two other, random women, and was raised by Lionel Luthor…? Why does he keep expecting things to be like usual? I'd be seriously careful what I said or did for fear people would realize it wasn't me.
And enter Oliver - woot! I love that man. Seriously. Even if it's apparent the rest of the world hates him... which is weird. Was I the only one who just didn't see any heat between alterna-Lollie? Maybe I'm Chlollie-biased, lol.
Wow, Oliver's got some real eye-hate for Clark, lol.
On an unrelated note… I like the coloring for the alterna-world, it really gives a clinical and dark view of it all.
So now we realize Ultraman is pretty power-crazy, killing perps rather than passing them on to the police. Why he'd even bother, I have no idea. Boredom, apparently. Guy needs a hobby is all I'm saying.
And back to the normal world, yay! I like evil!Clark's swagger… and when he kissed Tess, sorry Lois, but that was awesome… He's so confident with it and while Tess looks like she knows it's wrong and should definitely stop it, the moment she just gives in I kind of hoorah'd! Honestly, if Lois wasn't in the picture, I'd love these two together, just saying. They have interesting chemistry and that was *phew* quite the kiss! Hey, does anybody know of a Clark/Tess/Cless community - I want some fic on these two pronto! lol
She's so quick, that Tess, realizing that Clark wasn't quite right and going with the flow rather than let it show…
"Doesn't feel right though, not having blood on my hands before lunch…" Again, boy needs a hobby. Good!Clark liked football, just a tip.
Evil!Clark is much smarter than Tess… There's a moment in the office when she questions him about the box where I think it dawns on him that she's not who he thinks she is… Or at least suspects. I get the impression alterna!Tess is a little more of a pushover when it comes to Clark.
LMAO! Tess stopping Lois' card and then calling the dude behind her to get a hold of her when she doesn't answer - Made. Of. Win! And her trying to steal from the Karma jar! Hilarious.
Poor coffee/cell dude totally thought he had an opening with Lois - lol! Aww, even bought her coffee for her.
Did anybody else get excited when they saw Bart on the other computer screen while Tess was trying to find Oliver? LOL! I love that speedster!
Lois: "Okay, I'm not really sure what you're doing, but I'm perfectly willing to run around and frown at technology if it'll lend a hand." Lol
Evil!Clark incoming and… Dude! They have had to replace ENTIRELY too many of those stained glass windows! lol
Umm, throwing Lois across the room was just weird to see… So wasn't expecting it. I know he hates her in the other world, but it was just unusual…
Clark: "Give me the box."
Tess: "And if I don't?"
Smirks. "I'll kill you."
See, I honestly think Tom Welling does crazy/evil better than good ol' farmboy…
Back to evil-world.
Ooh, a Tess-Lionel showdown. Such awesome snark between these two. It actually reminds me a little of when Chloe and Lionel would verbally spar. They were both so smart and so quick that it was an even ground between them and you couldn't be sure who would win this time. There's a different dynamic what with Tess being a Luthor and partly wanting to be accepted by her biological family though.
Evil-Lionel is a douche. The way he talks about Tess, I was proud when she finally gave him a slap. Talk about deserving it.
Tess: "I hope that your love is enough to save you when he stabs you in the back, you sonuvabitch!" I just love how she delivered that line.
Clark at the Fortress:"I killed Lex…" Don't worry, I'm sure there's a few clones running around somewhere. They tend to pop up.
Clark to Lionel: "I just want to make you proud, dad." Looked like he had a sour taste in his mouth there at the end, lol.
Lionel: "Queen's no fool, son." Damn right he isn't! haha
And we pop on over to Oliver and Lois' engagement party. Now I've got a bad taste in my mouth. Poor Oliver, hated.
Lois: "They're waiting for us."
Oliver: "They're waiting for you…" Looks back at her. "You look, um… You look beautiful." Tries to smile.
Lois: "It's not like the whole world hates you, Oliver…" Walks to him.
Oliver: "No, no, just, uh, the greater Metropolitan area… It'd be nice to have a couple people out there backing me up." Looks out over the city, sad and lost.
Sidenote: [I wonder where AC, Victor and Bart are… Thought about: I suppose Bart would still be stealing things, Victor would be on the streets, and without Oliver to save him from "a thousand tuna cans" that would suggest AC is dead… and being eaten… just a thought.]
Lois: "I'd like to think that I'm all the cavalry you'll ever need."
Oliver: (looks back at her, half-smiling)
Lois: (kisses his cheek) "Come on…" Turns to walk back to the party.
Oliver: "Why me, Lois? Why me?" (AWWW!)
Lois: (pauses, turns back and walks to him) Because you are a very, very good man…
Oliver: There's gotta be somebody out there better than me, right?"
Lois: (shakes her head) "Mm-hmm… If there is, I've never found him." (I don't know if that's a compliment, lol)
Oliver: I really love you, y'know? (leans in to kiss her) [I so totally thought I heard - I wish I could love you. haha. That'd be sad.]
Lois: (looks a little surprised, lol)
And Clark swoops in and takes her away, thankfully before the kiss. What? lol I didn't wanna see that, to be honest…
Phone rings. "Lois? Lois, are you safe?" Yeah, sure, just got swooped up as a goof and dropped on the roof. Thought I'd call you, tell you I'm fine. No biggie. *snorts*
The Clark/Lois heart-to-heart was interesting. He's trying to convince her but I don't know why. I mean, yes, sure, maybe it makes some sense for him to not want any Lois to believe he's like Clark Luthor, but dude, he's going back to his world and she's going to marry Oliver… now she's got doubts!
"I can't live in a world where you don't love me." See opinion above…
So I don't wanna get down on Oliver's plan, but he'd have to lure evil!Clark to some pretty specific places for that green-K-window to work. It happened to work this time, but still…
"I evict farmers from their land and I mine that land for meteor rock." Really? 'Cause in the regular Smallville the crap pops up everywhere… and Chloe didn't have to do any mining to create her meteor-rock weapons, so what gives? lol Poor farmers.
Whoa, and Lionel gets in the way with a steel pipe to Oliver's head - um, ouch. Where the hell'd he come from anyway? lol Just hiding behind some boxes until intervention was necessary?
I still think it's funny that Lionel, as smart as he is, hasn't realized that this isn't his son… But for an old dude, he really gives it to Clark.
"We're long, long overdue for a father-son talk…" Which means his foot meeting you face, boy.
"No true Luthor would've let me live this long." So apparently he would've been prouder if Clark had killed him… Huh, not the greatest way of thinking there, genius.
Hah, and Oliver Queen with the save.
"You said that you wished we could save the world together… we do." Aww, bro-mance!
And Clark returns to the right world with green-K weapons pointed at him. Um, somebody should thank Chloe for that or you'd all be goners, lol!
I liked Oliver's parting words though - "Nightie night!" LOL! That's what I like to say to my enemies before putting a meteor-rock tipped arrow between their eyes.
So, I can't help but feel like watching evil!Clark and what he did to the good-world and how he beat up on the good guys would've been more interesting. I feel like we've been cheated out of a really massive and interesting fight. 'Cause Oliver's got a bloody nose and the others are pretty beat up… Kind of lame… Watchtower is a giant mess of sparking wires and broken crap, I'd have liked to see how that happened…
Flash over to Clark and Lois at the hospital…
Clark: "Nothing says 'Sorry my doppelganger from a parallel earth tried to kill you' like flowers." Sometimes, he's funny. Sometimes.
Lois: "I think there's a card for that now." She's always funnier. lol
And off to the Luthor mansion we go…
I like when Clark and Tess talk and her secret is out in the open. She's all teary eyed and kind of wishing he didn't know.
Tess: "Clark, you wanna know the truly perverse part…?" I expected her to say she and Lex got busy, lol. What? It was implied earlier in the show. Not this episode, but awhile back. Like possibly another season entirely. "I'm upset that he threw me away… As grotesque and sordid a family tree I just inherited, I… wasn't good enough." Awww… Poor Tess. Somebody hug her. lol
I like their interactions though. She's very real with Clark, letting her emotions show and her barriers fall. She's tried it a few times with Oliver this season, but he tends to be very suspicious of her still and keeps her at a distance. With Clark, when he's not being pig-headed, he listens to Tess and lets her bear all.
Tess: "The real reason I hid Alexander was because I didn't want anyone to take him away from me…" Swipes a tear. "I was afraid that he might be the closest thing to family that I would ever know. But he fooled me… And he's just as smart as Lex… if not smarter. When and if he's found, it'll be because he wants to be." (Wow, I suck at watching, I hadn't even realized that kid got free… I mean, last I remember Tess had ordered that he not get the antidote to his aging problem and it was assumed he'd die soon…)
Clark: Takes and squeezes her hand. "When Lex does show up, we'll face him together… You're not alone anymore."
And oh snap! Evil!Lionel hopped on over to this world. Thus answering a question I was thinking of earlier. If the other you is dead, can you still travel to their world? Yes, yes you can. Although, this just makes me wonder if evil-Clark is dead… or if alterna-Oliver is dead… or if Lionel just took the mirror-thingamajig and outie'd before anybody could stop him, lol.
Lionel: "But I guess I'm back in the nick of time…" Looks directly into the camera. "Wouldn't wanna miss how it all turns out." Freakin' epic! I seriously think that's the best part of the whole episode, lol.
So I'm giving it a 3.5/5, it didn't live up to my high-hopes but it was interesting. I think it would've been better if spread out over a couple episodes rather than crammed into the one. Like I said, I wanted to see how evil!Clark gave the good guys what-for. Him versus Ollie, Tess and Lois would've been interesting. But still, I liked the episode overall, I give Cassidy Freeman a standing ovation, and I can't wait to see more of Lionel!
What do you think?