Television: Smallville and Supernatural

[butterfly]

I have to get something out of my system now:

OMG! Lois and Clark totally kissed! Did you see that? Eee! Yay! OMG!

Okay, I think I'm good now.

I really enjoyed Hydro -- I think that Tom Welling did a fine job as director and he really pulled a strong performance out of Allison Mack, who I've found to be a bit weaker this season than she's been in previous years. Chloe was a really terrific character this episode -- strong and feisty and likable.

I loved seeing Lois starting to recruit the elements of the future by having Jimmy playing her photographer and trying to enlist Clark into helping her find out if Oliver was the Green Arrow. Her stance on secrets is both refining and changing slightly, in what feels like are appropriate ways -- she doesn't feel that secrets belong in love relationships and thus wants to know if Oliver really is the Green Arrow -- but when GA saves her, she assures him that his secret is safe with her. People keep secrets for a reason, but sometimes the reasons are stupid and if you love and trust someone, you should be willing to share your secrets with them and trust that they'll understand.

I adored Lois playing the part of the damsel in distress on the phone -- it's a role that fits her poorly and I'm pleased that the show recognizes that. And then... her scene with the 'Green Arrow' was fantastic. Her reaction when Clark showed his superstrength really reminded me of her smile when Kal 'relocated' her in Crusade -- and I loved Clark's reaction to the kiss. He was leaning into it, and Lois was the one who had to pull away. And his face afterwards really was a thousand words -- he was so stunned and kinda pleased. And then the conversation in the apartment with the two of them plus Chloe was really fantastic.

And then there was a plot with Lana and Lex -- it was good, I think. I may have to rewatch the episode for it to register, because my brain is still... well, see the beginning of this post.

Supernatural was darker than Smallville, which is not surprising. I've really been enjoying the show -- I'm so glad that I got into it.

The one thing that makes me sad about the show is having no female regulars (much as I adore the Brothers Winchester, that's something that I miss when watching the show). However, they've had quite a few very strong female one-offs at this point, Ava being the most recent example, and Ellen makes for a very powerful reoccuring character. Speaking of Ava, I really adored her. Protesting her normality, then getting into the adventure of it all, not wanting to leave Sam to die -- I liked Ava a whole lot and will, thus, believe that she was somehow kidnapped or ran off after seeing her dead fiancé and isn't at all evil. Until I hear otherwise, Ava is still on the side of the angels for me.

On the subject of the secret, I found it to be incredibly fitting, given what we've seen from Dean this year and given John's (stupid) need-to-know way of thinking. Even if he knew more than he told, he only thinks that Dean needs to know about the need to save his brother (and, failing that, killing him). Though I'm reading speculation on the nature of the war and the rest of What Sam Is, I've actually decided not to speculate myself. I'm enjoying the openness of all the possibilities at the moment.

Sam and Dean were individually wonderful in this episode -- Sam, passionate about learning who he is, and Dean, passionate about protecting his brother. Learning what the secret is really does put Dean's frustration, pain, and anger into perspective. The knowledge that his father told him that he might have to kill his brother has been screaming in his head ever since John died -- no wonder he wants to say fuck it to the hunting, if this is what the hunting gets him (to quote another person faced with killing their younger sibling (told by their father figure that they'd have to kill their younger sibling) -- "I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away, I don't see the point." -- "If Dawn dies, I'm done with it. I'm quitting."). I can definitely understand why Dean wants to chuck it all and run off to the Grand Canyon or Amsterdam with his brother.

Comments

[jic]

if you love and trust someone, you should be willing to share your secrets with them and trust that they'll understand

Or maybe, if you don't trust them to understand about your secret, maybe you don't love and trust them as much as you think you do. At least, that's my preferred perspective.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Indeed -- that's just the thing with Lana. Deep down, Clark didn't trust her (or, for that matter, Lex) with his secret. He didn't trust them not to turn on him (and, in fact, we've seen that his fears center around those two finding out the truth and then hating him).

[skylee.livejournal.com]

"I don't know how to live in this world if these are the choices. If everything just gets stripped away, I don't see the point."

Exactly. Oh, poor Dean. I don't think he would ever be able to kill Sam, even if the fate of the world is at stake (he's proved as much in Crotoan). He'll probably be like Buffy in The Gift: if the world ends, then the last thing Sam sees will be Dean protecting him.

Eeep, the angst!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Poor, poor Dean. He's really had a rough time of it. And I do think that he's much more like Buffy in The Gift than Buffy in Becoming.

[xander-harris.livejournal.com]

Lets review the two moments of the kiss that made it that much more gold.

1.) His reaction afterwards before the break. I'm no psychic by body language read, "wow...that was some kiss. I kinda liked it."

2.) Chloe/Lois/Clark scene in the apartment near the end. Chloe knew Clark was Green Arrow and the reason WHY Lois knew it wasnt Oliver. Chloe was all smirky happy. *chole stops clark* "let her tell you why she knew before Oliver showed up" "lets just say Green Arrow could teach Ollie a few things."

*DIES*

The Clois in that ep is gold...GOLD i say.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

1.) His reaction afterwards before the break. I'm no psychic by body language read, "wow...that was some kiss. I kinda liked it."

Yeah, his body language and his face seemed pretty clear to me. He liked it.

And then the apartment scene! So much great Clois stuff in this episode.

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Ava was played by Katherine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps. I love her! I hope she gets another episode.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've never seen that movie! I've heard some interesting things about it though. Would you recommend it?

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Most definitely. It reminds me of Buffy in that it uses the monster as emotional metaphor. It's also twistedly funny. I recommend the entire trilogy but the first movie is the best.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I'll put it on my netflix queue! Thank you.

[latxcvi.livejournal.com]

I adored Lois playing the part of the damsel in distress on the phone -- it's a role that fits her poorly and I'm pleased that the show recognizes that.

This is such a good observation. Even her delivery of the "lines" was kind of awkward and stilted in a way that was clearly deliberate (on the actor's/director's part), as if Lois doesn't even know how to "play" the role of DiD. I was like, "Lois, boo. That is so not convincing!" It was a really nice touch to underscore the idea that Lois isn't a DiD. She gets herself into trouble plenty, but she can handle herself despite that fact.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

She gets herself into trouble plenty, but she can handle herself despite that fact.

Exactly! Someone else said, somewhere on my flist, that it stood in direct contrast to all the genuine calls just like that that Lana has made to Clark -- Lana slids right into the DiD role as if it were made for her.