I don’t know what it is, but Smallville always does the best “Previously” montage videos. Great stuff.
Anyway, Smallville returns from a rather long hiatus and, yet again, we get a Green Arrow-centric episode. I feel like Oliver is going through the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man 2 syndrome, where there’s this inexplicable desire to give him literal increased face time. There have been numerous moments this season where Oliver SHOULD have been in Green Arrow mode, but instead of rocking the bad ass costume, we see him as normal old Oliver. I suppose I can give them a free pass on the Saw-esque episode, because, thematically, it was more about Oliver overcoming his demons than the Green Arrow once again becoming a superhero, but I’m still disappointed that, in the future episodes, we saw Oliver fighting the Kandorians instead of the Green Arrow. I think back to that awesome visual of Oliver aiming his arrows at the sky filled with flying Kryptonians, and it just would have looked THAT much cooler if he was wearing the hood and sunglasses. The dude’s got a pretty awesome costume – let’s take advantage of it.
For that matter, since he’s going through a rough patch anyway, now might be a good time for him to grow the goatee he’ll sport later in life. Why not really make him look the Green Arrow part?
I do hope that this episode was a turning point for Oliver, because I think it’s time to move past this dark period as it relates to his character. It seems like we just got past it with Clark, and we’re still going through it with Chloe. I worry that they’re spreading themselves too thin in that regard. Then again, have any of you ever seen that YouTube video where they tell you to count how many times the basketball players are passing the ball – and you’re so busy paying attention to the basketball that you don’t see the giant bear walking across the screen? Maybe that’s what they’re going for with Chloe. The writers are placing such a focus on Clark and Oliver’s dance with darkness that we’re completely overlooking Chloe’s descent. Then, when something critical – and possibly tragic – happens, we’ll look back at the past two seasons and ask, “How did I not see this coming?”
At the very least, Clark has his eyes on Chloe, and I’ve actually quite enjoyed Chloe’s tense (and almost resentful) response to Clark’s comments. In my 2009 review, I noted that Chloe is starting to take a very Luthorian approach to her work. She’s willing to spy and deceive her closest friends and allies if, in the end, it yields helpful results. So far, she’s diverted all of Clark’s accusations with a variation of “the ends justify the means” or “we can discuss this later….when this information isn’t saving your ass.”
I do hope that this is going somewhere, though, as Chloe is beginning to turn into a character I don’t necessarily enjoy watching anymore. I absolutely detested her character until she found out Clark’s secret, at which point she catapulted to becoming one of my favorite. If her current behavior is an intentional plot the writers are using to exhibit her growing resentment and insecurities, then great. But if this is who she is developing into – much like how Clark is developing into Superman – then I’m not so much a fan. She’s just not terribly likeable, and she barely even speaks like a human being anymore.
I appreciate the fact that they’re not beating us over the head with Clark and Lois now being together. But I also hope they don’t take this too far – after all, the budding relationship between Clark and Lois has been the driving force of the series for the past two seasons. Keeping them at a distance would be a mistake at this point, in my opinion.
Anyway, that’s it for this week. I am looking hugely forward to next week’s spectacular looking episode, featuring the Justice Society, though. Hawkman looks BAD ASS!
Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.
