“Let’s talk about Mr. Green…..in the bedroom…..with my cousin….”
That hilarious line, delivered perfectly by Lois Lane, comes from last week’s episode, titled “Escape.”
Since I didn’t get around to commenting on that episode, I thought I’d provide some quick thoughts. While it would be easy to write it off as “filler” – and in a sense, it was – I actually found it to be an extraordinarily fun, humorous, enjoyable episode. Clark and especially Chloe and Oliver have been so dark and dreary this season that it was legitimately wonderful seeing them display their playful side. And while we don’t see it often from them, these actors have extraordinary comedic timing. In addition to the quote above, I’m not sure there was anything funnier than seeing Clark and Oliver – two burly super heroes – sitting next to each other, uncomfortably close, as they awkwardly attempted to make small talk while Lois and Chloe were on the balcony.
And how about Chloe? Saying she doesn’t want things to be complicated, and then unnecessarily reads into and overanalyzes a simple gift before even opening it. Such a female thing to do (I joke! I joke! But please see the e-mail link above for hate mail, ladies)!
Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a throwaway episode. They touched on some the emotional status of a number of relationships. First off, they managed to get themselves out of a sticky situation by explaining that Clark can now be intimate with Lois, due to his….ahem….training (awk-ward). That, by the way, was another very funny scene, with Chloe sarcastically thanking Clark for cutting her off just AFTER it got uncomfortable. And it was interesting to see Chloe confess that her relationship with Clark is essentially as close as it will ever be, and that they’ll never truly connect because of their differing perspectives.
However, I thought Oliver questioning Chloe on her feelings for Clark was a BIT too forced. Did Oliver even know Chloe when she had feelings for him? And in that amount of time, Clark has had serious relationships with Lana and Lois. Not to mention that Chloe was, ya’ know, MARRIED to another man. If anything, I thought it would have been more appropriate for Oliver to wonder if she’s just using him to cope with Jimmy’s death. In fact, it seemed extremely strange to me that Jimmy went completely unmentioned the entire episode – one that was built upon the theme of emotions and intimacy.
But man, between Clark and Lois, Oliver and Chloe, and Zod and Tess, it was beginning to feel like I was watching season six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
And that brings us to this week’s episode, which featured the return of the Checkmate organization, which was introduced in the incredible Absolute Justice mini movie. My knowledge of the organization is pretty limited, so seeing this all pretty fresh and new to me. I did enjoy the cleverness of only certain people having “clearance” to knowing the secret identity of the heroes.
A few weeks ago I noted the ludicrous use of slow motion in otherwise mundane scenes. Well, that was in full force this episode as well, using obligatory effects when Tess dealt with her Checkmate pals (and for that matter, what was with the Batman-esque tube where Tess ended up in a different outfit?) Having said that, I did really like the I did like the freeze-frame effect when Clark rescued Chloe, only because it reminded me a whole lot of a comic book. I thought it really worked.
Oh, and for what it’s worth, Clark’s original red and blue colors have been mentioned more than a few times this season. What are the chances of Clark reverting back to those colors by the end of the season? I wouldn’t mind seeing that.
Tess continues to fascinate me. I didn’t mention this above, but I did enjoy the way she reminded Zod how Clark isn’t his competition. She certainly doesn’t always go about things the right way, but I honestly believe that her motivations are pure. She’s simply willing to do something wrong if it results in something right.
I will say, though, that one downside to this episode was that I had completely forgotten that Tess didn’t know that Oliver was the Green Arrow. I had pieced it together before the big reveal (which I did enjoy, with the two exchanging the lines in their earlier interaction), but it seemed strange to me that she DIDN’T figure this out earlier. I mean, she knows Clark’s secret. She knows Chloe’s involved in everything. And yet these modest, young adults from Smallville are hub bubbing with a multi-millionaire? Doesn’t something seem a bit out of place here? At least it gave them an excuse to actually have Oliver wear his costume.
Good to see them taking advantage of Martian Manhunter having his abilities again. Although I wouldn’t mind terribly seeing him in his green, Martian form (like we did in “Absolute Justice”). But hey, we can now add ANOTHER person who can fly, while Clark still can’t. But at least he can climax without killing somebody.
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.
