Chloe: "Let's face it, Lana. Clark has more issues than Rolling Stone."Fathers and sons, good and evil, like always, but more so. I love it when the writers become secure in their universe, and just go nuts. The Jonathan/Clark showdown was Smallville at its absolute best. Clark's rebellion wasn't all the accelerated power of red K; it was fueled by a serious identity crisis. He felt that, if he were Jor-El's son, he was pretty much born to be bad.
Jonathan, of course, loves Clark more than his own life. What was surprising was that Lionel also loves Lex. The two of them reconciled in a big, big way, and Lionel took Lex back into Luthorcorp. And they hugged. Hugged! I could swear Lionel was actually crying at one point, too.
After all that's happened, it wasn't a surprise that Helen was indeed not the principled doctor she first appeared to be. I even thought for a while that Lex had fallen for her act when he was making up to her, but I shouldn't have worried; Lex is too good at taking care of himself. What did Lex do to Helen? I don't think they told us.
Lionel and Morgan Edge were drinking "suicides" together. It looked like they were putting blood in their drinks. (Guess that's why they're called suicides, Billie.) Ironic that all the carrying on was about Clark's blood, after all. What I don't understand is, if Helen was unprincipled enough to sell the blood in the first place, why didn't she tell Lionel where the blood actually came from?
Bits and pieces:
— Clark and Lana did not fall into each other's arms. The two of them breaking up was almost an afterthought.
— This episode's second coolest moment (after the Jonathan/Clark fight, of course) was when Clark cut his own arm, with the help of green K and the octagonal key. Pretty intense for Smallville, I must say.
— Lana's self-defense lessons from Lex just paid off; she managed to beat up Morgan's henchmen. One of them even died a gruesome pitch-fork-y death. Lana killed a man.
— Morgan Edge is probably not dead. Lionel had something on Morgan having to do with murder. Guess we'll find out eventually.
— Jonathan and Martha accepted a handout from Lex, because the compass they gave him saved his life. This felt weird to me, what with Jonathan in the past so bound and determined never to accept anything from a Luthor, ever ever ever.
— Lana was driving a big, red SUV that I'm sure will crash sooner or later. How can an orphaned teenager running a coffee shop afford a car like that?
— There was much Clark and Jonathan tossing about, with major structural damage. And Clark blew up a truck. Quite a few points.
Quotes:
Clark: "Looks like the old man has been working out."
Jonathan: "Jor-El and I have an understanding. I'm taking you home."
Lionel: "I had search parties scouring half the world for you."
Lex: "Looks like you picked the wrong half."
Helen: "Lex! Oh, thank God!"
Lex: "Trust me, I've done that already."
Clark: "I guess we all got to take a look at our dark side."
Lex: "Problem is, sooner or later, if you stare at it long enough, it can get hard to tell the two sides apart."
Chloe: "I mean, you saw him, Lana. He wasn't exactly the charming flannel king we all know and love."
Lex: "If my father wanted me dead, he wouldn't have failed."
This was a big, exciting two parter that pushed the Smallville envelope. I loved it. Four stars,
Billie
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Billie Doux had a love-hate relationship with Smallville, which is why some of her reviews are briefer than they should be.
A great second part. The fight between Clark and Jonathan was the best thing the show has done to date. Amazingly filmed.
ReplyDeleteI have a thought about why Jonathan accepted Lex's help with the farm. Jonathan is SO proud. It must be extraordinarily difficult for him to admit that he has lost a farm that has been in his family for four generations. During the scene where Martha is crying over losing the farm, Jonathan just looks shattered. Without the farm, what would he do all day and where would his family live? When Lex offered him the farm, I think his need to keep the farm overrode his Luthor hatred.
The music playing during the Luthors' reconciliation is "Salut Demeure" from Charles Gounod's "Faust." Music doesn't get any more appropriate than that.