Smallville Series Rewatch: Episode 2.01-2.02 (Day 11)
Wow, how behind am I? Sorry, I got distracted by the last few eps of Glee for the season. Because I love Glee, sorry. Not as much as Smallville, but they were new eps...sorry.
Episode 1 (22) Vortex, directed by Greg Beeman, written by Philip Levens
We have our "previouslies", in case you missed the finale.
I wonder where the spaceship was going before it got caught up in the tornado.
This the moment that Clark later explains that he think he might have flown. It makes sense because how else did he just "happen" to get to Lana's truck in the midst of a tornado. No amount of random or coincidence could've made that happen.
How amazing is Jonathan that he runs out in the middle of a tornado and tackles Nixon all to protect his family. Then, he saves the man's life when a house is literally about to fall on them.
I never noticed the tornado dissipating in the background there while Clark kneels over Lana.
In order for Lana to have survived the "landing" while the tornado dissipated (and seeing her truck literally all over the place), Clark had to also have done some amazing super feat.
I love this doctor standing up to Lex, thinking Lex wanted special attention just because Lionel is Lionel Luthor. It's not what Lex meant, but it was cool to see someone who isn't afraid of the Luthor name.
Anyway, back to the Kents. What's important about these scenes between Jonathan and Nixon is that Nixon thinks that Jonathan is going to kill him, but the fact that Jonathan, even as angry as he was with Nixon, would never do that. This is one of the cornerstone's of Superman's morality and one of the major things that makes him a true hero.
Lana's face is dirty, but her clothes are miraculously not.
This is the beginning of Lana's suspicions about Clark.
I'm having a problem with Chloe being disappointed that Clark left the dance to save Lana.
The good thing about Lex helping Clark find Jonathan is that he's doing it out of genuine concern. In the next scene however, he recognizes Nixon's car in the tree and his need to find JOnathan became more imperative. Lex lies to Clark about knowing whose car it is and suggests they split up. He wants to find Nixon before Clark does and learns that he was a part of Nixon's plan to uncover the truth.
Nixon doesn't understand what it means to protect Clark, but he makes some interesting points about Clark's destiny being huge.
I do love that Jonathan damaged Nixon's phone, willing to rot underground than let Lex and Nixon uncover the truth.
Lex lies again even though Clark clearly hears Lex call his name. Clark is justified in his angered considering Nixon tried to blow him up in a truck, make a story out of him, and Lex had already investigated him once before.
Hearing Martha say that one day Clark won't have her and Jonathan there to protect him, that he'll have to carry the burden of his gifts on his own and that when that day comes she knows he'll make the two of them proud just took me back to Season 9 (Hostage in particular) and just wondering what Jonathan would think about Clark now. I hope that they have to foresight to bring JS back for S10 because I would love to see what Jonathan thinks of Clark now. (I know he's dead, but they did it in S9, so it's not impossible. And I know that Jonathan is just so so proud of his son that I'm starting to get teary-eyed just thinking about it.)
Once again Nixon exhibits the difference between Clark and other people. Nixon would use those powers to get rich, Clark uses them to help people, without credit. One of the things I think SV got right is bringing on The Blur persona, because having Clark do his Superman thing without showing his face further shows that his reasons for doing what he does isn't so he can be congratulated, but it also shows that he does need to show his face so that people can feel like they trust him.
This daylight confession of Lex's is him only telling half the truth. Nixon did approach Lex about Clark, and Lex did threaten Nixon to leave Clark alone...but Lex also told him that whatever information he finds better be worth it. It's little ambiguities like this that shows two sides of Lex. He did want to protect Clark, but he was too obsessed with Clark and the "mystery" surrounding him to not cross that line of friendship.
Of COURSE there's Kryptonite in the ground where Jonathan and Nixon are buried.
Martha tells Lana that her magic wand wish came true when she and Jonathan found Clark.
Chloe pretends that Clark going off to save Lana is okay with her. And she does her thing where she tells Clark she'd rather stay friends and then is hurt that he goes along with it. And for the rest of the season she makes passive-aggressive snide comments about how Clark doesn't see her as a romantic interest. Dude, it's your own fault. And now she's crying. Can I punch her?
Nixon seems like he's being a little human in this scene with Jonathan, telling him he can be proud of the type of person Clark is.
This story that Jonathan tells about the time Clark lifted the oak bed over his head, and they took Clark to a doctor only to have Martha state when they got to the office that the doctor they might try to keep Clark and they'll never see him again is actually pretty close to the Golden Age canon where the Kents take Clark to an orphanage after they find him only to take him back when Clark's strength becomes too much for the orphanage to keep him.
Martha coming up with an "out" for Clark in this scene with Pete just shows how important it is for Clark to have people he trusts in on his secret.
Unfortunately, Jonathan puts a little too much trust in Nixon by telling him it's the meteor rocks that's weakening Clark.
Lex shoots Nixon right before Nixon can kill Jonathan. YAY, right? But why does Lex have a gun with him in the first place? I say he was planning to kill Nixon all along.
Jonathan says that even though it took everything in him to not kill Nixon, he remembered what he and Martha taught Clark about not crossing that line. I love the Kents, btw.
The thing is that Jonathan is right about Lex in this instance, but I still love that Clark is still willing to defend Lex and his motives.
My major problem with this scene of Chloe deleting the pictures of her and Clark (and then saving them after all) is that THERE ARE SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON IN THIS EPISODE THAN HER HURT FEELINGS!
This Lionel/Lex scene just shows how much of a bastard Lionel is. He actually blames Lex for saving his life and not letting him die. Seriously?
So now Lana is on Clark's case with his secret, and thus begins the "secrets & lies" litany. Her questioning Clark and not liking his answer kind of contradicts what she said to Ryan in "Stray", but I guess her opinion changed when she's "witnessed" what it is that makes Clark different.
Episode 2 (23) Heat, directed by James Marshall, written by Mark Verheidan
Lana is making a video letter for Whitney, and it's nice to see that the writers as well as Lana haven't forgotten about him just because he's no longer a part of the cast.
Chloe...next!
In walks Desiree...and that dress is all kinds of inappropriate (and Lana's reaction is kind of priceless), but it's hilarious how Clark almost falls out of his chair when she bends over.
Let me just say that this explanation for his heat vision is my very favorite EVER! LOL
So, did you know that this episode is just fuel to the Clex-lovers fire? Watch Clark be surprised that there is ANYONE else in Smallville that Lex would rush to see was alright after the fire.
And then proceed to watch Clark be jealous for the rest of the episode, lol.
I hate that they flipped the scene around so that Clark and Lex's faces are backwards.
Some people are grossed out by the Clana kiss in Red, but this Lex/Desiree kiss always makes me wanna vomit. Is this why some people are obsessed with seeing tongue in Clois' kisses?
The Kents don't have air conditioning...that must be BRUTAL!
Clark explaining about his heat vision to Jonathan and Martha is simutaneously hilarious and embarassing. Clark's face after saying the class was watching a sex-ed film in class, *dies* (I forgot how funny this episode is)
I'm trying to not make a comment about Chloe's passive-aggression (and lying about her feelings). Clark is justified in his confusion. After all, Chloe is the one that ended things before they started.
You would think that with this heat wave, Lana would wear her hair up.
Clark tries a take-two on his portion of the video letter to Whitney. He does a much better job this time. He's trying to be honorable and keep his promise to Whitney.
Uh-oh she made a mistake mentioning "Passion" while Clark is still trying to get a handle on his heat-vision. (I'm glad SV calls it "heat-vision" and not "laser vision".) And...there goes the Talon.
It's so sweet that Clark is trying not to look at his dad while Jonathan is trying to talk to him. It's even sweeter that Jonathan tells him to "look at [him]"
And this scene where he gets Clark to practice, but Clark is like "um, can I have some privacy?"...LMAO!
Haha, Clark is so proud of himself.
"Five scarecrows, two water barrels, and out mailbox later..." I love Jonathan. A lot.
One of the best things about this episode is that we consistantly see Clark practicing. But here comes Desiree (yeah, real subtle on her name, scriptwriters)
Poor Clark, he gets sexually assaulted more than anyone else on this show.
And the fact that Desiree's powers don't work on him is just fodder (FODDER!) for the Clexers.
Superman said "dissing"
This episode is not helping me sympathize with Chloe...why do people like her again?
I'm gonna skip talking about this scene for when Martha has a talk with Lex. (But this is one of the scenes that Tom flubbed his lines in the outtakes, lol.) And Clark gets catty with Desiree. Oh wait, maybe I will talk about this scene because it's important that Clark's friendship with Lex is what causes Lex to waiver. Desiree says that "Clark is a part of your past".
Chloe says that she indulged in her feelings for Clark and ended up getting hurt...YOU DID IT TO YOURSELF!!! *chants*She's a teenager, she's a teenager, she's a teenager*/chant*
Desiree persuades Lex to buyout the Talon from Lana. Clark confronts Desiree because he knows she had something to do with it. What she says is very interesting. She did it to prove a point to Clark, not Lana. She realizes that Clark means a lot to Lex, so she has to break up their friendship...not Lex's friendship with Lana, but with Clark. And then she frames Clark by blowing up her car. (The writers were...not very subtle with the Clark/Lex subtext)
I love how righteously outraged Martha is when Clark tells her that Desiree came onto him. That's right, Mom! And once again we see why Clark's respect for the law is absolute: even though he's innocent, Jonathan tells him that he must do what Ethan says.
And here's the scene with Martha and Lex. It's funny how contrite Lex is when standing in front of Martha. She outright tells him that Clark was the one person that stood by him and that he couldn't possibly know Desiree after one week when he's been friends with Clark for a year.
And we see where Clark gets his respect for women, lol. Go Jonathan! Unfortunately she got to close to you. (I REALLY don't appreciate this woman kissing Jonathan, and I wish the writers had not have gone there. She could've just breathed on him instead of compromising Jonathan that way. That I don't forgive.)
Even the police station is Red, Yellow, and Blue. But Lana and Chloe come bearing good news with their investigation into Desiree. (Ugh, again with the comments, Chloe.) But we have Clark using his abilities wisely to get out of jail.
Desiree couldn't get Clark to follow her plan, so she uses Jonathan.
Actually, even though Clark could've probably caught that bullet, it was smart of him to melt it while Lex and Desiree were still in the room. So instead, Desiree sets Lex on fire and tries to make a run for it (Clark burns the metal doorhandle). Also this scene of Clark putting the fire out on Lex has been used as "evidence" in vids.
I still love these little hints into Clark's differentness: Martha is using overmits to take out the muffins, Clark uses his bare hands. And Jonathan grabs a muffin and it's hot.
Lex's statement gets the charges against Clark dropped. And saving Lex's life got him off with a warning about escaping from jail. Jonathan obviously feels guilty about Desiree (and hasn't told Martha everything that happened) because he's taking Martha out.
Clark is reading Farenheit 411. I have no idea what that book is about. Anyway, its time for a heart-to-heart between Clark and Lex. Clark is being very mature about waiting for Lana to work out her feelings with Whitney.
Aside: they put WAAAAY too much lip gloss on Lana.
Ah, the secrets and lies litany official begins. Especially after asking Clark how he escaped from jail and about the three fires he was there for.
Ok. So, I'm glad Lana was honest with Whitney instead of stringing him along for too long. She tried it for a summer and realized she couldn't put her life on hold for him. I get that. I think it kind of taints the video letter she had all his friends contribute to, though, to have her break up with him at the end of it, but that doesn't make her a "bad person". It was a plot device that the writers didn't think through. I think she should've told him in a separate letter, that way he can still watch his video without wanting to burn it when he gets to the end.
Conclusions: Well, teen drama and unnecessary bashing of Clark by Chloe aside, I still love this episode. It's genuinely funny, I love how Clark gets his heat vision (and the explanation), and it doesn't hurt that the Desiree plot only further proves the Clex theory, lol.