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Smallville: Infamous

Lois: "How could someone with x-ray vision be so blind?"

Really good episode. I loved it. And I haven't said that about a Smallville episode in a long time. It was like the writers were apologizing for forcing that Clark-Lana craptasm from the past on us. I didn't even mind the inevitable "Clark tells the world so you know they'll take it back in the end" re-set button.

Clark sorta kinda got to be Superman with bullets bouncing off his chest, even. He had a discussion with Chloe about his now obvious need for a secret identity and a disguise. But the best thing about this episode was that I felt like they actually gave us Lois and Clark for the first time. Their scenes together were terrific. I loved the way he told her the truth, and the way she accepted it. That moment in the barn when she told him she understood was the first time this season that I remembered why I fell in love with this show in the first place. Lois can never know? Really, Clark? That's, okay, it's consistent with the traditional Superman story, but sad.

And in a parallel that worked really well, Davis came out to Chloe as Clark was coming out to Lois. I find the Davis and Chloe beauty and the beast thing to be a lot more interesting than her marriage to Jimmy Olsen. Davis's secret identity isn't going to be a secret much longer. I expect much rampaging about until the season finale.

I don't have a lot to say about the appropriately named Linda Lake making another splash; she was one big water metaphor "circling the drain of obscurity." At least Tori Spelling was again convincingly vicious and evil. And Davis killed her, so she won't be back; that's a plus.

Bits and pieces:

— Linda Lake originally appeared in the season six episode, "Hydro."

— Jimmy, whom we haven't seen since the wedding, is being transferred to Met General.

— The Legion time travel ring came in handy already, and now it's gone. Couldn't Clark have just waited another minute to put it on, though?

Smallville has gotten early renewal; there will be a ninth season. I honestly don't know how they can keep Clark out of a cape for another year, though.

Quotes:

Clark: "Linda Lake is back."
Chloe: "What? I thought that water snake slithered back into her swamp."

Lois: "What'd you do? Sneeze?"
Clark: "Actually..."
I remember that; it was one of my favorite Smallville moments.

Chloe: "You know, Clark, maybe you can have your cape and wear it, too."

I was getting close to giving up on Smallville. This episode dragged me right back in,

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.

7 comments:

  1. Billie, this time I disagree with you. Because we had already this kind of episode before.

    Clark did the same thing with Lana. Shared his secret and then went back in time and changed everything believing himself that it was better if she did not know. Aside from the fact that this time he chose to tell the world too.

    Hated that he was so i do not know the word for it and could not even spare a second to hear lois out

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  2. Loved it, although I am actually disappointed that it got renewed. Unless they put him in glasses and a tie every week, and pull out ACTUAL Supes, they don't have much more story to tell. But, I guess this means they can wait until the finale to rock out the ultimate Doomsday/Superman showdown and the fallout from that. (Kept that spoiler free, but that is a pretty famous moment, are we allowed to talk about it?)

    I generally don't like magic rings or accessories because they are just too easy to write, especially just for an episode. (See: Gem of Amara) But I guess this worked ok. The time travel worked for me, and it gives Clark actual reasons not to tell anyone. Up to this point it was speculation that the government would want to test him, or that enemies would use his friends to get to him. Now it is fact.

    This is the show that doesn't end...it just goes on and on my friends...

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  3. I know who Doomsday is; Dan reads comic books. It's probable that 90% of the audience knows.

    I expected the show to end with season seven. Then, I expected it to end with season eight. If Smallville is indeed the CW's highest rated show, I understand why they want to do a ninth; they need the money. (And if it gives me a fifth season of Supernatural, I can't complain too much.)

    But how much longer can they put us off? Seriously? I'm already ticked off with the teasing, and I'm not sure I want to review yet another season of frustration.

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  4. a fascinating episode for sure and so glad to have lois back in full force. my only issue was how "the world" and the government were so quick to take linda lake's word for it that clark was a bad guy! c'mon. that was so stupid how a known tabloid journalist could convince everyone that quickly. i understand that its only a 42 minute show... but thats no excuse for such a silly plot point.

    best parts of course were clark telling lois his secret and what he can do and her reaction to him.

    they also need to change that no flights rule. i agree with the no tights, but c'mon... he shold be flying already. the original dudes behind the show are gone... no need to adhere to their every rule.

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  5. That was the thing about this show the first time through. Just when I was thoroughly fed up with it and ready to turn it off, they would give us a great episode -- just like this one.

    I love that Lois is not a one note character. Yes, she and Clark banter and get on each other's nerves, but she is always there in a pinch. Sooner or later, Clark is going to have to realise that the girl of his dreams is right under his nose.

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  6. I have a few questions about the time travel at the end. Did Clark inhabit the body of his past self, or are there two Clarks around? For convenience's sake, it looks like the former. Also, the ring. Clark says he destroyed it, but that likely referred to the ring he used to reset the events of the episode. He did bring that ring back from an aborted timeline. When he returned did he destroy the past version of the ring as well (as it was at a point before Clark would have thought to use it, thus be in the tool box where he left it after the episode Legion)?

    It was nice to get anything on Martha. You'd think she'd get visits from Clark (super speed), Chloe or Lois, or even be invited to Chloe's wedding considering she's the closest thing Chloe has to a mother figure.

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  7. I couldn't help but wondering how much Tom Welling brought to this episode from his whole experience. I mean, he walks around all the time with that extraordinary face and body, and must be instantly recognized by a lot of people wherever he goes. (I guess less now (2023) than during the run of the show.)

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