Chloe: "Did you order Morgan Edge to kill your parents?"Scoop-a-rama. This was a reporter's dream: asking questions and getting the absolute truth, every single time. This episode was so well written, so much fun to watch, and several secrets were dragged into the open in the most enjoyable way. Such as:
Lana doesn't really trust Chloe.
Martha thinks Jonathan's illness has changed him.
Pete is in love with Chloe.
Lex wants Lionel to love him. (What a terrific scene that was. Lex actually looked a little shocked when he said it out loud, as if he hadn't even realized it.)
But the best was, of course, Chloe getting the truth out of Lionel. Lionel did indeed have his own parents killed for the life insurance money. Chloe getting him to admit it, and even recording it, actually gave me chills, as did Lionel's phone message to Chloe in the end. Allison Mack (also a favorite, along with the Luthors) was fabulous here: so gleeful, curious, and triumphant, just as Chloe would certainly be under the circumstances.
The only thing I thought was off was Clark curing Chloe with the great big Pulp Fiction needle scene, given to him by a homeless former somebody who just happened to have it ready in his fridge.
We even had a fun cliffhanger, with Mrs. Taylor's son trying to run Chloe off the bridge. That was the same bridge where Clark saved Lex in the pilot, wasn't it? Too bad Chloe was only minutes away from the truth about Clark.
Bits and pieces:
— It has been pretty firmly established that Lionel wants Lex to love him, and vice versa. And they will probably never connect. How sad.
— Paris? Lana is going to school in Paris? I don't suppose they're going to write her out, are they? At least I can hope.
— Clark is really getting into the investigative reporting.
— Lionel still has marks on his face from his fight with Jonathan.
— The two cars on the bridge got mildly wrecked; two points.
Quotes:
Pete: "Clark's gonna run to Metropolis to get Shark Dogs from the stadium."
Chloe: "What? Whoa, whoa, back up. You mean to tell me that Clark is driving six hours to pick up a couple of hot dogs?"
Pete: "Well, when Clark goes supersonic, he can make the round trip in ten minutes."
Mrs. Taylor: "My real name is Marianne Lewis and I've been running from my past since 1972."
Lionel: "Thanks for dropping by."
Lex: "Which of your obsessive compulsive fixations is behind today's summons?"
Lana: "I just can't wait to get out of here and go somewhere where people don't judge me."
Pete: "As long as you're online, you wanna ask Jeeves how long it takes to die of embarrassment?"
Pete: "Come on, Clark. As far as long shadows go, you're the dark side of the moon."
Lionel: "You are constantly defensive with me. Now tell me, dammit, what is it you want from me?"
Lex: "It doesn't really matter, Dad. I'm never going to get it."
Outstanding. 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.
Taking a short break from my Smallville watching as of this episode. Not that I'm bored or anything, but there's a lot more left to watch of the series still, and I eally wanna watch Arrested Development and The League right now, heh. Can ya blame me, though?
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this episode, but more for all the confirmations we get of things we suspected but didn't know for sure than anything entirely new.
ReplyDeleteI must admit, however, that Chloe's glee at her ability truly worries me. She was so awful, prying the truth just to do it and getting people to reveal things that were so very private. In one fell swoop, it felt as though "The Torch" became a supermarket tabloid. She's better than this -- or at least I hope so. She did seem to show some remorse at the end, so maybe I'll forgive her eventually.
Lana in Paris works for me. Au revoir, ma cherie!
Although the idea of people being compelled to tell the truth isn't a new idea, this is a pretty good riff on the trope. What makes it so great is that it's Chloe everyone is telling the truth, kicking her reporter instincts into high gear.
ReplyDeleteBut um, Chloe...you're supposed to send these sorts of information to somebody else to receive in the event of your death. Putting it in your own secure voicemail is basically inviting Lionel to murder her. Yikes!
Best episode lol, Chloe just going full Freak of the Week shamelessly. Of course it catches up with her but it was good to see this style of episode again
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