Episode Title: Aqua
Episode Airdate: October 20, 2005
First and foremost, I just want to let you know that the latest TV Guide (with Geena Davis on the cover) has a page long article on Smallville, including an interview with executive producer Al Gough. It’s a great read with some very interesting and up-to-date tidbits. For a full perspective on the article, check out my A Case of the Mondays column this Monday.
Episode Recap:
This week starts off with the gang at Crater Lake. Is that supposed to be an intentional pun? Honestly, I’ve never seen a place react so light-heartedly to a disaster that devastated the town and killed loads of people, not to mention the big picture consequence of mutating a bunch of people who were, at the time, innocent children. It seems like the name of every location is some tongue-in-cheek reference to the meteor shower. Okay, where was I? Oh, right, Clark is rubbing lotion on Lana’s back. She tells him he missed a spot on his lips, and they kiss. Have they had sex since he got his powers back? Because if they haven’t, Lana’s in for a big surprise. Anyway, Lois and Chloe arrive shortly thereafter. Holy cow, Lois looks absolutely amazing in her bikini. Honestly. Like, seriously, the clothing she wears on the show does absolutely no justice whatsoever for her actual build. Wow. Okay, I’m done. Clark wants to know why Lois is back, when Lois answers that she’s moving back into the farm. She humorously states “don’t worry, you little snuggle bunnies can hop around all you want, I’m a heavy sleeper.” After she leaves to go for a swim, Clark wonders if she would sleep through him smothering her with a pillow. I never understood why, dialogue wise, the writers behave as if Clark and Lois absolutely loathe each, while action wise, we’ve never really seen them be anything but close friends. After Lana leaves, Chloe remarks that Clark still hasn’t told Lana about her abilities.
Meanwhile, Lois takes a back dive off of a platform, and hits her head on a plank of wood underneath the water. That looked pretty painful, actually. On the shore, Chloe notes that Lois has been under way too long. She tells Clark to go. Clark dives into the water and swims towards Lois, but somebody else gets there before he can. Clark and the man stare at each other, when suddenly the man uses HIS super speed to get her out of the water. He gives her CPR, and she is revived. The man introduces himself as Arthur Curry (or AC). Clark tells Chloe that something is up with the guy, he can swim faster than Clark can.
At Central A&M, Brainiac is teaching a lecture, talking about how we use only 10% of our brain. I’ve actually read that that statement is not true. Consider this: Whenever anybody is shot in the head, how often does the doctor say “Hey, thankfully the bullet hit the portion of the brain this guy doesn’t use!” Clark comes into the classroom a little late, and the teacher asks if they started too early for him. Brainiac introduces himself as Professor Milton Fine, and the class is Introduction to History. The Professor says that history is about context and who is telling the story. He asks Clark how he will impact the world. He then compares Lex Luthor to Hitler, Stalin, and Napoleon. The Professor notes that Lex went from feeding people to killing them, but calls himself a white knight. He adds that you should beware of white knights, as they don’t slay dragons, they train them. Quite surprisingly, Clark comes to Lex’s defense, saying that he’s not in the same league as the aforementioned names.
At the Talon, Lois fills up a cup when AC interrupts her. She is actually quite rude to the person who just, ya’ know, saved her life. She notes that he could use some fashion sense, as he’s wearing an orange tank top with a green bathing suit. I actually like that reference. Lois again notes his attire, in case we needed it spelled out for us. The two of them bicker a bit, before making a date to, um, swim together?
At Central A&M, the Professor walks out of the building as Clark catches up to him to apologize for being late to class. It’s weird hearing James Marsters talk without the English accent. I’m also a bit confused, wasn’t Brainiac created by the ooze from the ship? In that amount of time, how did he manage to get a job as a professor at a college? Anyway, the Professor asks how long Clark’s been friends with Lex. Clark says it’s a long story, but that he’s not the man he makes him out to be. The Professor asks Clark to work for him as a research assistant for a book he’s writing on LuthorCorp. Clark turns it down. The Professor notes that the only thing scarier than speaking the truth is uncovering it.
AC and Lois swim in the lake as they continue bickering with each other. Lois challenges him to a race, and AC easily beats her. Lois seems attracted to him, thus proving that girls DO prefer assholes over nice guys. The two of them are about to kiss when suddenly an unknown sound begins causing AC tremendous pain. Underneath the water, some sort of mechanism is sending out some sonar signal. AC collapses on the shore, as his ears bleed. Lois looks out at the water, where all of the fish (now dead) rise to the top.
Lex is in his office at his mansion talking to a doctor about the successful trial run of his Leviathan project. It is apparently exceeding all expectations, and if things continue going this well, the Pentagon will want to put the Leviathan on all of their vessels. Lex seems unfazed by the implications of killing the marine life.
At the Kent house, Lois gives AC a glass of water. AC insists he’s fine, and that it was probably just an ear infection. The person they got to play Aquaman is actually quite good, as he physically fits the part exceptionally well. The two continue flirting, when suddenly he leans in for a kiss. Lois is offended, and tells him that just because he saved her, does not give him the right to slobber all over her. Seconds later, she grabs him and lays a big kiss on him. Clark walks in, prompting an uncomfortable Lois to say “Hey Smallville.” I love how she calls him that.
On the loft, Clark is talking to Chloe about AC. Chloe notes that he goes to University of Miami. If I’m not mistaken, University of Miami’s colors are orange and green. That’s actually quite clever. They then discover that his only arrest record is him setting free water life. Clark mentions that this is not the first guy he’s met that got his abilities from something other than meteor rocks. Chloe seems surprised, so Clark tells her about “some kid” who ran faster than his own good last year (the Flash episode). I find it odd that Clark referred to him as “some kid” when, if memory serves, the character flirted with Chloe quite a bit that episode. Wouldn’t she remember who he is if Clark mentioned him by name? Chloe wonders if Clark is just upset that somebody else has special abilities. Clark tells her he just has a bad feeling about this guy.
At the Talon, Lois fawns to Lana about how fast AC can swim. Yep, nothing turns girls on more than a fast swimmer. Clark arrives on the scene, and begins acting like a total asshole, interrogating AC about how fast he can swim. He notes that he must have gotten it from his mom, but she died when he was a baby. Clark asks what he’s doing in Smallville, and AC tells him that it’s to check out all the fish deaths in Crater Lake. Clark asks if he really believes that, or if it’s a pick up line. I don’t know about you, but when I want to pick up women, I make sure to travel from Miami to Kansas to talk about how much I care about fish. An offended Lois takes Clark aside, and tells her he doesn’t need an overprotective brother. Clark asks if he’s the only one who thinks there’s something fishy about him. Okay, that was kinda funny. AC says he has to leave, to take care of a few things. Clark says he’s going to go apologize, and chases after him.
Meanwhile, AC uses his super swimming speed to break into a Luthor laboratory. He places a bomb on the Leviathan mechanism, and is about to swim away when Clark arrives, grabbing the bomb and using his body to shield the explosion. When he turns to AC, he’s gone. The two come face to face underwater, and share a heated stare down. AC swirls his arm, and shoots a whirlpool of water at Clark. Clark uses his super speed to charge at AC with his fists aimed outward. AC once again swirls his arm, and sends an even greater whirlpool at Clark, this time catapulting him out of the water and onto the shore. Okay, that underwater battle was pretty damn cool.
I must say, I have enjoyed these little segments at the halfway point of the show where they summarize what you’ve missed in case you’re just joining the episode.
At Kent farm, Lois sarcastically thanks Clark for dropping the a-bomb on her date earlier. Isn’t the a-bomb “asshole”? Lois asks if he apologized, and Clark tells her he didn’t have a chance to, because he was too busy playing terrorist. He tells her that he saw him trying to blow up a lab, but Lois doesn’t believe him. After she leaves, AC arrives on the scene, and is very impressed with Clark’s abilities. AC reveals that the sonar weapon that he tried to blow up is responsible for all of the fish deaths, and that it has LuthorCorp stamped all over them. AC tells him it would be an ecological disaster if the Pentagon buys it. Clark insists that they can talk to Lex about it. Finally, Clark acknowledges that Lex is not his buddy. Considering all the defending he’s done, and the insistence that Lex can be reasonable, I almost forgot.
At Lex’s mansion, Clark and AC arrive. AC tells Lex that he has to stop the Leviathan weapon. Clark notes that perhaps the millions he makes off agriculture is not enough. Lex insists that the only thing he’s developing is to fight hunger. AC cuts him off, saying that Leviathan has nothing to do with hunger. Clark agrees. Lex notes that the days of him barging into his office to give him sage advice are over. AC storms out, calling Lex “a real tool” and telling him that he hopes he gets what he deserves. Clark tells Lex the days of him believing him are over. After Clark leaves, Lex returns to his laptop, looks at the screen, and hits enter.
AC arrives at Crater Lake, and as he walks down the dock a dart hits him in the neck. AC struggles for breath, and collapses on the dock.
AC wakes up, strapped to a platform in the laboratory. Based on his complexion, it looks like he’s seriously dehydrated. With a shortness of breath he asks “why are you doing this?” In an awesome line, Lex responds by saying “First off, you called me a tool.” That was great. Lex also notes that most people he knows needs scuba gear to swim under water. He adds “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised there’s something unusual about you, you are a friend of Clark Kent’s.” AC insists that Clark knows nothing about this, and asks for some water. Lex correctly assumes that if he gives him water, he has a feeling that he’d be able to escape from the restraints. Lex again asks how he can breathe underwater. AC says that if he shuts down Leviathan, he’ll tell him everything he needs to know. Lex is then called out of the room. Before he leaves, right in front of AC, Lex pours the water out of the cup. Great a-bomb moment. AC continues getting faint when Clark arrives on the scene. In an odd moment, AC quietly says “water” and Clark looks around with a panicked look on his face, as if he can’t figure out where to get water, despite the fact that there are numerous pools inside the lab. Finally Clark turns the ceiling sprinklers on, allowing AC to get re-hydrated and escape from his restraints. Clark offers to help him sabotage the Leviathan weapon.
Meanwhile, Lex meets up with some military officials to show them the Leviathan weapon. There seems to be some sort of disturbance, and the weapon evidently self-destructs. The military officials grumpily leave, and Lex discovers that AC has escaped.
Later, an apologetic Lex is on the phone with the Pentagon. Clark walks into the office, and Clark obnoxiously asks about the agricultural project Lex is working on. Lex asks about AC, but Clark says he hasn’t seen him. Clark asks if Lex ever thinks about where his life is heading, and Lex says it’s a complicated world and only the naïve view it in black and white. Clark mentions his Professor accusing Lex and LuthorCorp of being evil, and that he defended him. As he walks out of Lex’s office, Clark adds “I guess I am naïve.”
AC arrives at Kent farm to thank Clark for his help destroying the Leviathan weapon. AC notes that they make a good team, and that they should perhaps start a Junior Lifeguard Association. Clark responds “I’m not sure if I’m ready for the JLA yet.” Okay, that line was immensely contrived, but I absolutely loved it. Clark notes that he doesn’t think Leviathan will be a threat anymore, but Lex might. Clark tells AC to stay out of trouble, and AC tells Clark to try to get in some. He adds “stay super, bro” as they say good bye.
At Central A&M, the Professor does some work when Clark walks in. Clark tells him that he was right about Lex. The Professor notes “Of course I was, I will never lie to you, Mr. Kent.” Clark asks him if the research assistant position is still open. Clark adds that he can’t just sit back and watch, and that he wants to be a part of exposing LuthorCorp. The Professor says that he expects his assistant to be at every class, to which Clark says he can guarantee it. Considering his history of being unable to make it to set appointments, he seems awfully quick to make that promise. The Professor tells him he made the right decision.
Meanwhile, at the docks, Lois arrives to say good bye to AC. She notes, once again, that orange and green is a hideous combination. Okay, we get the point, he’s wearing orange and green. The two share a heartfelt good bye, and tells her that he doesn’t think he’ll be returning to Smallville in a while. They kiss.
At Kent farm, Clark is doing some work when he is interrupted by Lois. She apologizes for being thorny to him earlier, and Clark insists that he was just looking out for her. Clark then admits that he was wrong about AC, and Lois wonders when she’ll find another guy who wants to save the world. Clark promises “someday, you’ll meet somebody even more special.”
After the episode, Annette O’Toole informs us about the Superman tags, given to us from the Christopher Reeve Foundation. They’re 10 bucks, and they go towards paralysis research. They’re actually pretty cool looking, and it’s a great cause, so consider getting them. Here’s the web address:
www.christopherreeve.org
I usually don’t do this, but I absolutely must bring up the preview for next week’s episode, which revolves around vampires, for the sole reason that I absolutely LOVE the line where the Professor (played by James Marsters) tells Clark “there’s no such thing as vampires.” See, THAT kind of line is clever without hitting us over the head with a sledgehammer.
Episode Review:
I picked on this episode quite a bit in my recap, but I actually enjoyed it a lot. Aquaman is far from my favorite Superhero, but I thought he was really well utilized here, even moreso than the Flash episode last year. The constant orange and green references were tongue-in-cheek and excusable (plus I’m a sucker for those sorts of allusions), even if it was slightly overdone (but, again, it’s excusable because I like them). Also, the “JLA” line was awesome, even if very forced (although not as much as “Hey, maybe in the future we’ll start a league or something” in last year’s Flash episode). Again, it’s excusable, and I daresay fun for both the writers to write and the viewers to view.
We didn’t get much of Lana or Chloe this episode, which was fine, as this episode was all Lois. I like how they’ve continued having Chloe help Clark, even though he now has his powers back, without overdoing it. However, I would have preferred getting a bit more insight into Clark’s mentality now that he’s gotten his powers back, and now that he knows somebody he loves will have to pay the price for it. We got very little out of how this is affecting his relationship with Lana, other than him saying he hates keeping this secret. It would be nice to see him struggle with the fact that Lana could be the one who dies, or it could be Chloe, or it could be Lois. If I were him, this would be on my mind constantly, especially during times that I’m with somebody I care about. This was a major implication, and they seemed to brush over it too quickly. I’m sure more will be devoted to this, but it would have been nice to get a bit of an exploration in this episode.
As a big fan of James Marsters, it was a real treat seeing him in his role as Brainiac. Again, I have to get used to him speaking without the accent, but it looks like he has a good feel for the character. I’m not very familiar with the comic book version of Brainiac, so I’m still confused as to whether he was created from the ooze from the ship in the season premiere. If he was, how was he able to create such an accomplished persona in only a matter of months? I know there is some leeway for dramatic license, but I can’t imagine it’s that easy to get a job as a college professor. Can anybody help me out here? Aside from that bit of confusion, I really liked the character, especially how they’ve already set up potential conflicts with Lex’s character, ultimately culminating with a three way war between the two of them and Clark. Leading to that point should be an exciting journey, especially with Clark now working so closely with Brainiac (to take down Lex, no less).
The stuff with Lex this week was interesting. I enjoyed how Lex is now much more indifferent to Clark’s disappointment than he was in the past. Lex used to be truly fazed by Clark’s perception of him, to the extent that, in the past, he probably would have abandoned the Leviathan weapon if Clark felt that strongly about it. Here, Lex doesn’t appear to care less, and blatantly tells AC that the money outweighs the moral and ecological effects of the weapon. At the end of the episode, he was angry with Clark for his hand in what happened, when in the past he probably would have been more understanding. We’ve seen the episode ending confrontations between Clark and Lex before, and here the tone was distinctly different.
I was a bit surprised they had Clark come to Lex’s defense so often this episode, considering that he’s seen that Lex is willing to put the lives of his girlfriend and his parents at serious risk for the sake of testing him. Yet, he defends Lex to the Professor, and then again to AC. That said, I was pleased that he repeatedly told people he’s not friends with Lex, and at the end remarked that it was naïve of him to believe in him in the first place. I just would have preferred a bit more bitterness and hostility from Clark towards Lex, considering all that’s happened between them this past season. I am enjoying watching the deterioration of their friendship, though.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the witchcraft story arc last year, so I’m slightly skeptical about the vampire episode (although, admittedly, I am a fan of the vampire mythos). However, it’ll all be worth it to hear James Marsters tell Clark there’s no such thing as vampires….and considering the fangs on Tom Welling, I’d think Clark can step up to the vampire challenge.
