Chloe: "Chewing gum? Is nothing sacred any more?"Ridiculously long-lasting Kryptonite gum? Come on. I don't care if it was well done or not (and I'm going for "not"); I resent being forced to watch a one-hour chewing gum commercial masquerading as a Smallville episode. That's not product placement. That's hijacking.
Pete finally returned after a freaking long absence to discover that (1) practically everyone knows Clark's secret now, but (2) for some reason, Pete is still the one who gets tortured because of it. (Lex just can't stand those superpowered people, can he?) Although I found much of the episode forgettable, I did think for a moment that Pete would end up making the ultimate sacrifice for Clark. But no.
I think Pete was totally justified feeling left out and replaced. He was. And Pete has always had problems with Clark's superpowers. Pete couldn't help feeling envious, wondering what it would be like if he were the one, wondering why Clark didn't just tell the world and bask in the glory. Now Pete knows. But I think they could have found a better way to explore this theme, a better way to bring Pete back.
Kara was still wandering around dazed and confused. Why hasn't Clark filled her in? I kept expecting her powers to return at a really inappropriate moment. And now she's moving into the mansion, and we all know how well that went for Lana. Lex is so evil now that it's like the old Lex never was. He's even turned into the Daily Planet's Big Brother. If I were Chloe and Lois, I'd be looking for another job at the Inquisitor. Yeah, I know, they can't very well leave the Daily Planet. But if it were the real world, that's what they'd be doing.
The stars on the Luthor family crest represent the meteor shower in 1989. If the crest is old, how can that possibly be? Did it have something to do with why Lionel lied about Kara's bracelet? I'm getting confused. Maybe the long hiatuses has made it harder for me to track details.
Bits and pieces:
— It wasn't just the gum; the segments with the band were really long, too.
— Pete was working as a roadie. What band that can afford roadies would perform in a gum factory?
— Pete still cares about Chloe, and she about him. And I was confused about the Jimmy Kara Chloe triangle. Apparently, the Jimmy Kara spark is gone; maybe it was the amnesia. Is Jimmy ready to go back to Chloe now?
Quotes:
Chloe: "Unauthorized surveillance is totally unethical."
Tell that to George W. Bush.
Pete: "Maybe it's time for everyone to realize that a real hero doesn't hide in the shadows." Dan immediately said, "Tell that to Gotham." We've been getting this theme a lot this season. Of course, it relates to Clark staying on the farm.
Chloe: "Maybe next time they won't let the flavor last quite so long."
Clark: "If he ingests any more Kryptonite... we both know what happens to people."
Chloe: "Present company on stand by."
This felt like a one star episode,
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.
Interesting comment about the band. It's called One Republic and, for some reason, they took over this dire episode.
ReplyDeleteOne funny moment. During their first song, I kept thinking I knew the song, but couldn't place it. I kept backing up the disc and listening until it hit me on about the fourth time through. It's the same song that plays at the end of the Castle pilot.
:-)
Not even 5 seconds in the first image you see was for Stride brand gum. 1 minute in you can see the band get ready to perform, another one minute passes and Stop and Stare begins playing. Yes, we are in for a hijacking, with Wrigley and the Universal Music Group battling for control. With such blatant advertising ravaging my senses, I completely tuned out of the episode. Not even the return of Pete Ross could excite me over, because his reunion with Clark and Lana is interrupted with another form of blatant advertising, Toyota. I know Toyota had been a sponsor for years, but the glamour shots stick out even more.
ReplyDeleteIt really doesn't make sense that they don't tell Kara the truth. Like they said it was to "protect" her from Lex, but it has done the exact opposite. A bit of a lame gimmick from the writers.
ReplyDelete-LS
Where my fellow Pete-enjoyers at? :) I'll defend it. I liked it better than the previous episode which is IMO the first bad episode of the season. Product placement never bothered me and I actually find it a little charming. And I really liked Stop And Stare even though it made the scene feel eerie. Stretchy abilities are fun to watch and I'm sorry there wasn't more of it (pretty much my only big complaint about the Ms Marvel show).
ReplyDelete"(1) practically everyone knows Clark's secret now, but (2) for some reason, Pete is still the one who gets tortured because of it."
Not to defend that asshole Lex since I fully support Rubber Petey but the others who know Clark's secret didn't actively try to take out Lex lol.
Kara-Lex sadly quickly became boring when she lost her memory and no longer playing some sort of honeypot scheme with him. This is Lana-In-The-Dark shenanigans again with trust issues and I don't want to go back there X(