Every now and again Smallville does an episode that is uncomfortably close to a movie premise – the two Saw-esque episodes immediately comes to mind – and while they tend to be rather good (and even contain memorable moments or instances of important character growth) there is still an unfortunate feeling of gimmickry. It almost feels like the latter seasons of Sliders, where each dimension would resemble the latest blockbuster movie.
This episode, the first one after a multi-month hiatus, bore obvious similarities to The Matrix and a lesser extent Avatar (perhaps only because of the repeated use of the word “avatar,” even though it was appropriate in those cases). It also featured the return of Chloe, one of the most interesting characters in the Smallville universe. For the first four seasons, up until she discovered Clark’s secret, I found her unbearably unlikable. Quite simply, she wasn’t a girl friend. She was jealous and she was disrespectful of people’s privacy, under the guise of journalism. Then once she found out the truth about Clark, she grew exponentially. She looked out for him, she helped him, and she gave him the appropriate amount of space. One of my favorite Clark/Chloe episodes was when Clark lost his memory and Chloe acted as his guide, even though she didn’t fully understand his abilities (one of my favorite moments is when Chloe whispered to Clark from across the room that she shouldn’t trust Lex). However, over the past few seasons, particularly after Jimmy died, Chloe became almost inhuman. Her dialogue and manner of speaking was no longer relatable. And since the show no longer focused on keeping Clark’s secret (virtually everybody knew at this point), Chloe’s knowledge and assistance was no longer enough to make her an inherently interesting character. Unfortunately, she had deteriorated into an expositional character – she merely existed to explain everything to the audience. So when she was written off earlier this season, I wasn’t devastated. And I was somewhat skeptical about her return.
Overall, though, I thought it was handled well enough. She has drifted significantly from the awkward, innocent girl she once was, but they at least acknowledged that fact. And I’m also glad that they brought up the point that none of them have really reacted to the fact that this girl they care deeply about disappeared off the face of the universe. And considering the dangerous world they live in, that seemed unusual. Now, we understand that this was their way of coping with the pain. With Oliver, it was over losing the girl he loves (I’m still not entirely invested in that relationship), and with Clark, it was due to his best friend not trusting him enough with a reason for why she’s leaving at all.
I will say this, though: I found the whole “should we trust Chloe?” thing a little shaky. When everybody returned home (while actually still in the Matrix), Oliver had seemingly immediately distrusted Chloe, while Clark repeatedly defended her. Yet when confronted by Chloe’s avatar, they inexplicably did a complete 180. Suddenly Oliver was willing to trust her, while Clark wavered. It’s not that I had a problem with Clark’s reluctance or Oliver’s willingness – I just didn’t understand why they kicked off the episode with them taking the other’s stance.
Overall, though, I appreciated the allusions to the series’ beginnings. From Chloe growing from her dorky early days, to Clark realizing that for his entire life he’s been asking people he cares about to trust him without asking any questions, and that he needs to do that for others as well. And I really liked the frequent interactions between Clark and Lois.
Speaking of which, considering all of the times that I’ve argued that Clark should take flight, believe it or not I had a real problem with the flying scene at the climax of the episode. It was actually a really well scripted moment, building off of a rather emotional and touching speech given by Lois. And that’s part of the issue – it would have made for a nice scene when he legitimately flies. I understood that it once again showed that Lois is the one person that can help him achieve his fullest capabilities, but I feel like it ultimately took away from what will be a supremely important moment. In many ways, the moment the entire series has been building towards.
