Rambling thoughts on "Patriot".....

[sanalayla]

This is incredibly late, but – hey – we haven’t moved on to the next (sexy) episode of SV, yet, have we? Until “Luthor” airs, it’s fair game. But since it’s been awhile, this is going to a lot more random than usual.

So… the previously on was rather weird. It went all the way back to S5 and showed a shot of Lois getting rescued by A.C. I thought this was odd, because I know, as a well-versed viewer, that it was a shot from “Aqua” and that A.C. and Lois had a brief (emphasis on BRIEF) fling in that episode, along with A.C. being introduced. But a random viewer? I really don’t think that five second shot was going to do a damn thing to refresh their memory.

 

A.C./Mera

Holy Bad Acting, Batman. I cannot even begin to get into all the things wrong with this pair. First of all, why is Mera allergic to clothes? Secondly, why do they think that it’s OK to go around blowing up buildings? I thought A.C. learned that terrorism was Very Bad back in “Aqua”. One of the final scenes in that episode is where A.C. and Clark have a conversation where he agrees to stop blowing things up, because there are better ways to save the world. So, what? Am I supposed to now believe that A.C. not only had NO character development since then, but – in point of fact – his “soul mate” took all the lessons he learned and made him UNLEARN them? I was so confused by this.

Anyway… so, yeah. Apparently these two love each other. And also love to stick their tongues down each other’s throats while a fire rages behind them. I'm sure Welling enjoyed creating this shot (I'm sure much more than the actors who are barely clothed and it  was probably freezing that day) but I really didn't need to see this shot with them.  

But, just in case you didn’t get the memo: they love each other. They are the bestest example of superhero couples EVAH. Don’t believe me? Well, just ask them. They’ll tell you.

I don’t have much more to say about them except to again comment on the terrible acting of both the actress playing Mera and the guy playing A.C. Now… of course… I expected the bad acting from the guy playing A.C. This is, after all, not the first time he’s been on SV. But Mera? Wow… what is WITH the CW casting department? And why must the writers go out of the way to make all the DC female characters so frakkin’ ANNOYING??? (And slutty?) Someone on DI posed the theory that they kept Mera naked to distract from the actress’s bad acting and since Welling was the director, I have to say that imagining THAT conversation made me giggle:

Welling: Okay, let’s try that line again. This time with more… conviction.

*Actress tries line again.*

Welling: Ah… all right… this time with LESS conviction.

*Actress tries line again.*
Welling: You know what? I give up. Just unzip your shirt.
 

 

If that is what really happened, then I want to be cast as a bad actress on “SV” and have Welling be my director. I’m just saying.
 

 

One of the biggest problems with the Mera/A.C. storyline being played by weak actors was it actually impacted the quality of the episode. For the most part, I thought Welling did a brilliant job of directing an episode that was probably hard to direct. But… he was saddled with two actors who couldn’t emote to save their lives (and had a TON of screen time), so he wasn’t able to present a finished product that did justice to his directing skills.

Clark/Lois

Ah… sigh. I am so confused by this ship. I adore this ship so much. I want to hug this ship and sleep with it next to my pillow at night. But… SVClois… why do you frak with my mind so much???

 

I feel like I walk into every single episode not knowing where things stand with them. They tell me that these two won’t have any secrets and lies (at the end of “Harvest”), basically expect us to believe the two had a marathon session of sex for a week between “Harvest” and “Ambush” and then give us an episode like “Abandoned” where Lois is crashing his FoS and Clark’s whipping out an engagement ring right after she moves in with him.

 

And… then… I’m supposed to believe that he never bothered to tell her that Tess knows his secret? Um… say what?

WHAT did they talk about for the weeks leading up to “Patriot”? His favorite COLORS? Am I honestly supposed to believe that one of Lois’s questions (when they talked about his origins and his powers) wasn’t, “How many people know about you?” What, does Lois have to play a game of twenty questions to get answers from Clark? Specifically say things like, “The little boy that got lost back when slutty Zatanna felt you up – does that little boy know? Does Zatanna know?” And then Clark will answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’? Does Clark not choose to… you know… volunteer information that Lois may not even know to ask?


So… at this point… I’m so confused. I will say, though, that one of the reasons I’m not more annoyed by this is because the writers actually addressed the frakked up nature of this. They actually had Lois say something along the lines of, “so much for total honesty.” Of course, they had Lois say this in a context where it didn’t make much sense (her conversation with Oliver) but I appreciated that the writers didn’t just pretend that the conversation at the end of “Harvest” didn’t happen.


Speaking of that conversation with Ollie: what was the guy’s problem? I thought it was very odd that he presented Clark’s decision to register for the VRA to Lois in a way where it made it seem that Clark could care less about Lois’s feelings about the matter. That wasn’t the sense I got from Clark’s convo AT ALL. He was standing around the Watchtower, the subject of the VRA came up, and Clark posed a solution. The way the writers wrote “Patriot”, it makes me think that we were led to assume that Clark would have immediately super-sped to go register without even bothering to give Lois a peck on the cheek on the way to slaughter.

Really, writers? Really?

You just ended the last episode with him gazing at an engagement ring. Is Clark really that screwed up in his relationships that he doesn’t recognize his future wife would kind of need to know he’s about to reveal himself to the government? I refuse to believe that, so – in my world – Oliver was just being an ass.

Back to the subject of Clark and Lois: I really loved that they had a moment where Clark left a present for Lois on her desk at the DP. I didn’t love the idea that he hadn’t taken a moment to text her to tell her – at least – that he missed her. (Seriously, would it have been hard to have Lois check her Blackberry and get a text from him stating, simply, “Miss you. Love, C.”? This seems like a little nitpick, but it’s one I have, because I’ve actually been in a pretty decent and loving relationship for over a decade now and that’s how relationships WORK. Especially in the beginning.)

I feel like we needed to see something like this, because while the present was nice, I had some problems with the idea that Clark could so easily just dismiss Lois from his mind. Like he dropped of the present and then went about his Blur business feeling like he’d done his due diligence with his girlfriend. As opposed to us seeing that he, in fact, was thinking about her while he was actually away from her. It would have been nice to see him do that in the wake of all his conversations with A.C. about how slutty awesome Mera was.

However, even as I say this, I realize that I'm being somewhat of a hypocrite because I actually wrote a story very similar to this theme. (Black Tie Affair) In that drabble, Clark and Lois have been married for a few months and Clark has gone off to save the world without really bothering to check in with her as often as he could have. He just assumed that she would figure out what he was doing and  Lois felt that he was taking her for granted. They have a moment, though, where they both realize something. Clark can't take her for granted, but Lois also has to give him space and support on the terms he needs it. The interesting thing is that this episode had Lois mention her mom and how her mom was an army wife (meaning that she could relate to what her mom went through) and I had Lois actually wish she could talk to her mom for advice in my fic, as well. (She has this moment where she compares herself to an army wife.) 

All that to say that this "conflict" wasn't that far out of left field for Clark and Lois. I just felt that given that she JUST moved in a week ago, I thought it would have taken him longer to start taking her for granted.

Anyway… still. It was a nice gesture. But I still appreciated Lois’s frustration. Which led to the frustration she displayed when she finally tracked Clark down in Florida and Tess came up on the screen. Durance played that scene incredibly well and I also loved Freeman’s facial expression when Tess sees Lois. The line about how Lois can’t even get him to text her and, yet, Tess can get him on Skype was HILARIOUS. And then Tess’s retort about Real Housewives of Metropolis. Gold.

(Someone get Cassidy Freeman, Erica Durance, and Brian Austin Green together in a show airing in Fall 2011 STAT.)

I also thought that Welling directing of that scene was stellar. I liked how he set up the shot so you see the image of Tess between Clark and Lois. There is also a point where Clark is looking at the screen and Lois is looking at Clark, unable to believe what's happening.

Back to Clois. I thought Clark was being weird. There. I said it. He just didn’t look guilty enough to me.I think he should have felt bad that Lois had to hunt him down and then caught him talking to Tess.  And while I appreciated that he was proud of Lois when she pulled out the blueprints that she’d stolen, I thought that reaction was odd, given the circumstances. We were supposed to believe that the reason that Clark had been acting like a douche (basically globe-trotting with his JL buddies without even a text to say, “Honey, I’m missing dinner tonight.”) because he was somehow worried about her safety and her getting in the middle of these sorts of things. But when Lois pulls out info that makes it clear that she almost got her ass kicked somehow, his response is to smile and go, “Yeah… Lois is so awesome.” What? At least look a little worried and go, “Do I want to know how you got that?” Then have Lois respond, “No. And I’m mad at you, so be very careful about what you say next, Smallville.”

All of this leads to their final scene. First of all, can I just say that I really did not appreciate watching Mera/A.C. come in as some sort of “foil” or “foreshadowing” to the Clois ship. I mean… just… EW. That is not Clois. Clois kicks their little flippered asses. The idea that these two superhero wanna-bes (who think that blowing up buildings is a turn-on) are somehow in a position to MENTOR Clark Kent and Lois Lane? Excuse me while I vomit.

So I really didn’t like that they had Mera kind of give her “stamp of approval” on Clois and Lois Lane. To hear her intone (in her slutty voice) that Lois treats Clark like an equal made me want to throw things at my TV. Then to hear her take it one step further and go on and on about how Clark needs and shit? I was like, “WTF? You just MET the man. You have no clue what Clark wants or needs. You have no clue what the Clois relationship is like. You need to STFU.” I mean, seriously. If some random bimbo met my husband and me right before we got engaged and started going off on how much he needed me? I’d look at her like she was crazy-pants. So I really hated that Lois actually looked happy at Mera’s words. I really wanted Lois to go, “That’s nice. But Clark and I are none of your business.”

(As a random aside, I did like how Lois treated Mera for the most part. The way she reacted to Mera dropping all her clothes and the line about the how someone gets a ring on their finger and suddenly no one’s relationship can cut it. I liked that, because it showed that Lois immediately recognized that Mera was Arthur’s wife and that Lois was merely Clark’s girlfriend. I also liked that Mera mentioned all the guys that Lois dating on the JL, but I still didn’t understand why Mera felt the need to be such a raving bitch to Lois. I hate that they don’t let Lois meet a woman on this show and that the woman actually LIKES her. I mean, I think Lois is awesome. I’d like her if I met her.)

Sorry… so… yeah. Clois. The ending scene. They should have touched. Sorry. They should have. I know that a lot of folks are talking about their “emotional connection” and their “soul mate bond” and all that jazz. I say that's a load of bull.

Yeah, that stuff is important. Don't get me wrong. But so is the sex. So is the heat. So is the physical intimacy they should have between each other if we’re to believe that these two regularly engage in porch swing sex.

They should not have been making out like a bunch of hormonal teenagers, but they SHOULD have been touching for at least a portion of that conversation. The point where Clark reminds Lois that he told her about the darkness and that no one else knows should have been a moment where he put his hand on her shoulder. Or she stepped closer and put a hand on his chest. They should have hugged at some point. When Clark apologized and Lois told him it was okay. Hell, I’ll take an arm punch along with the comment about the “Clark Kent express” being better than flying in a plane.

The point where Lois backs up at a very intense moment of the conversation and increases the distance between them really made me want to kick something. I was incredibly perplexed. Typically, the act of creating a space and more distance between one and the person you're talking to is to show that there is a greater divide being created. And, yet, the dialogue in the conversation is at a point where these two are getting CLOSER. So their actions didn’t match the actual conversation.
 
Like, for example, say you're reading a scene in a fanfic: 

Option A: 

"I love you, Lois. I always have." Clark looked at Lois solemnly, trying to gauge her reaction. 

Lois took a couple of steps back, increasing the distance between them. 

"I know, Clark." 

Option B: 

"I love you, Lois. I always have." Clark looked at Lois solemnly, trying to gauge her reaction.

 Lois took a couple of steps forward, eliminating the distance between them. 

"I know, Clark."

If you just read this, at a glance, it appears that - in the first one - Lois is actually not OK with his declaration of love. In the second one, it appears that she's more than OK with it. So... yeah... I think that Welling kind of missed the ball on this one. 

To compare it  to "Aqua" -- a point where Clark was dating LANA -- the two ended with more close contact. That just seems... well... bizarre to me. That now that they've slept together, they're standing 10 feet apart. And back when they were just friends? So close. I think that if I were to show these two shots to a random person who knew NOTHING about the show and said, "In one these shots, these two are dating and madly in love. In the other shot, they are just awkward friends. Tell me which one is which?" then the random person would think that "Aqua" is the one where they are dating and "Patriot" is the one where they are awkward friends.  

This is the second episode in a row where they’ve had these sorts of problems, so I hope that they stop doing it. I don’t need to see Clark shove his tongue down Lois’s throat in every episode, but I do expect to see him brush against her gently or lightly place a kiss on neck or forehead. Or just give her a hug from behind. Or stand at least 1 foot away from her, instead of six feet.

The final Watchtower scene. Not much of a Clois scene. Again, I would have liked to see them walking in holding hands. It would have been a nice (and subtle) way of showing that they started out the episode at a disconnect and now they’ve re-connected. Since this episode was all about the FOILING, it would have also served as a nice foil to the final shot of Mera/A.C. leaving the Kent farm holding hands. (See, writers, this is how you SHOW parallels instead of TELLING us parallels.)

 

Lois and Investigative Journalism

Oh, Investigative Journalist Lois Lane, how I love thee. Let me count the ways.

1) I love that you have the ability to look so damn hot when you’re going undercover.

2) I love that you have military connections and know how to use them.
 

3) I love that you will look straight in the eyes of a crazy-military man and not even flinch.

4) I love that you will banter with pretty much anyone, even when it’s some creepy old guy who keeps mentioning your dad, but looks like he thinks you’re hot.

5) I love that you have no problem mentioning your dad to get an in and then don’t even care when the old creepy guy points out that you and your dad disagree on everything.

6) I love that you brought a bribe, showing you did your homework.

7) I love that you manage to have the best hand-eye coordination on the planet (excepting your super-powered boyfriend) and actually switched out your phone with a lighter in the blink of an eye.

8) I love that it’s already gotten to the point where people recognize that you’re Superman’s biggest fan. Even though he’s not Superman, yet. But you don’t let it hold you back.

9) Most importantly, I love that you have this innate sense of right and wrong; the ability to get to the bottom of things and you do it without killing someone.
 

 

Lois Lane with the scalpel in the hospital. (Oh, sounds like the answer to a game of Clue.) I never thought, in a million years, that I’d get to see Lois actually threaten the life of Dr. Hamilton in an effort to track down her missing boyfriend. ROFL. Oh, S10 SV, where the hell have you been for the past five years? I want to see so much more of these two and I was kind of bummed that Hamilton wasn’t in the final scene. And am I the only one who think Hamilton looked impressed when she left and a little turned on? Then again, I think that plants probably look turned on after Lois has just merely watered them.
 

I think it’s funny as all hell that Lois figured out (with her Blackberry) what Watchtower and 4 members of the JL couldn’t figure out. All those fancy gadgets and spyware at WT couldn’t help them, but Lois Lane’s badassery did. I like this idea, to be honest, because it shows that while fancy gadgets and high-tech satellites can provide SOME answers, sometimes it’s the leg work and actually GOING TO THE LOCATION that really busts open the case. I think this helps explain why Clark Kent chooses to be an investigative journalist and also helps show why being a DP reporter helps make him a better Superman. And also why, sometimes, Clark Kent can figure things out that Bruce Wayne can’t. Because Bruce has his eyes on monitors, while Clark is actually there at the location, interviewing people and hunting down answers the old fashioned way.

This is why I wish we would get to see more Clark Kent, DP reporter as well as the Blur stuff. How cool would it have been if Clark had gone with Lois to confront Slade? Asked him questions as a DP reporter and gotten a lot of the answers on his own? In other versions of Superman, we get this sort of thing a lot, but it really looks like “Smallville” is not going to go there.

 

Slade

Not much to say here. I thought he was an okay villain. I think he made sense within the context of the season & I thought Welling did a good job with his scenes. I am a huge “BSG” fan, so I was probably pre-disposed to thinking he was going to be awesome, anyway. (I did shout out, “He’s a CYLON!” at the end.)

I did have a WTF moment at the end where he puts Clark in the Kryptonite bars. Um… wow… did they just have those installed ALL OVER or was he just incredibly lucky that Clark chose to stand still there? I did not understand why Clark was not writhing in pain on the floor. If anything, he looked like he had a little bit of heartburn. I think that Welling must not like playing Clark weak (since Clark is always the strongest in the episodes he directs) and must have decided that Clark could take the pain stoically like a man. But, for me, it left me – again – scratching my head as to how much Kryptonite actually incapacitates him. Just a small rock can leave him on the floor, but a full set of Kryptonite bars surrounding him just gives him a rash? Did the bad guys melt down the Kryptonite to liquid form and then just painted the bars with it, so the reason he wasn’t impacted as much was because it was in diluted form? I’m genuinely curious about this.

Anyway… I think the other thing that was weird was that I didn’t fully catch how Clark got out. I did enjoy the line where he says, “I’m a man… made of steel.” But… um… yeah. Laser vision? Superbreath? Just massive ability to work through pain? I got nothing. I can’t figure out. Personally, my fanwank is that Welling just looked at the script and said, “Huh… that’s a lot of special effects. Not only do we not have the budget for this, I don’t have time for this shot. Let’s cut it. The audience will figure it out. They’re smart people, our fans.”

 

Oliver

I enjoy this kind of Oliver. I really miss this kind of Oliver. Snarky. Kind of funny. Trying to stand up and do what’s right while making jokes. Acting as though Chloe never existed. I do think this is the brief calm before storm. Apparently, Mack is kind of in “Icarus” (because of some cut scene from “Lazarus”) and then Mack comes back for another 4 episodes right after the break. And I fully expect to hear nothing but how awesome Chloe is from Oliver’s lips throughout that entire arc.

I really loved the scene where Oliver is giving the press conference and registering for the VRA. Again, I think Welling did a fantastic job on that scene, where he showed the growing panic of the two women, while Oliver looked on in confusion. And that shot where he looks back before the elevator doors close? Very well done.

 

Clark Kent

Other than the fact that he was acting a little weird when it came to his relationship with Lois (seriously, Clark, you told her about the darkness and never mentioned WATCHTOWER?? What the frak?), I thought that this was a strong Clark episode. There was too much AC/Mera for my taste, because I thought it took away some of the focus from Clark. BUT… I liked him in this episode. As I said above, I think Welling plays Clark as stronger and more commanding when he directs and I saw that here. Even Clark’s apology to Lois at the end was not delivered in a groveling and whiney kind of a way (that was typical of the Clana apologies), but – rather – in a normal way that a guy would kind of sigh and admit he was wrong to his significant other. He also directed Durance in a way where Lois immediately brushed off the apology and downplayed it quite a bit. It helped show that these two do get along and have mutual love and respect for each other. I appreciated that.

I thought that the idea that Clark believes in “truth, justice and the American way” fit well with Superman. Superman is the sort of guy who believes in the system. It’s Batman who doesn’t. Batman assumes the system is corrupt and that the good eggs are few and far between. Superman believes the system works and that the bad eggs are few and far between.

I thought the final convo between AC/Clark was supposed to somehow be this epic JL bonding moment, but it fell flat to me, because it was almost identical to the convo they had back in “Aqua”. I mean, seriously, it’s ridiculous. These two have had at least SOME character development since S5, haven’t they? They were even shot similarly and in the same setting. 

 

Also, it was the same problem I had with the Mera/Lois convo. AC should not be in a position to give Clark advice on his love life. Maybe last season it would have worked for me. But this season? Clark has already decided he’s going to propose. And since he and Lois don't think that blowing up random buildings is a turn-on, I like to think that Clark & Lois actually have a healthier relationship than Mera and AC.  

But I’ll grant that it wasn’t as bad as Mera doing it, because AC has known Lois and Clark for years & he was also aware that Clark dated Lana, so he probably figures that Clark has issues. But I really don’t need to see Clark Kent have a lightbulb moment where he goes, “I should totally let my future wife know where I am from time to time…” because one of his co-workers pointed out that this should happen. He should figure it out on his own.

 

Final Watchtower Scene

I really loved it. I had some quibbles, of course. Like I said, I would have liked Clark and Lois to walk in holding hands. I thought it was odd that Tess looked so damn happy to see Lois there. (The “finally” was a bit much.) But, I love me some Tess-Lo, so I’ll take it. Can I also just say that Tess seemed more excited that Lois was there than Clark did? Like Tess looked like she wanted to jump Lois. I swear… there are some people out there who ship Tess/Clark & I have never understood it. Not because I don’t want anyone to ship people with Clark, but rather because I feel like if the show has explored ANY sexual chemistry, it’s been Lois and Tess.

Anyway… that was a random aside. Yeah, the final scene. I really loved it because it was nice to see Clark stand up and kind of tell everyone what was going on. It had an epic feel to it. I loved that Chloe wasn’t mentioned (although I did think it was odd that they all pretended Tess had always been Watchtower. I guess that was a conversation for OSV? Who knows with SV? At this point, I could imagine Chloe coming back and Lois going, “WAIT, you were WATCHTOWER??!? No one told me!!” It really could go either way.).

Also, it was a very good contrast to "Pandora". That episode ended with Clark/Oliver/Chloe at the Watchtower while they brainstormed how to prevent Zod from taking over the world. What really galled me about that moment was that they only reason they even KNEW that Zod was taking over the world was because of Lois's memories of her trip to the future. And Lois totally kicked ass in the future. But - still - Lois was nowhere to be found in that scene, because she wasn't allowed to know the secret. It made sense for Lois to be there and help them take down Zod. 

So, I felt like this scene made everything "right" and put things where it should be. Even if Chloe had been there, I still would have felt this way. Lois has earned her right to be there, in the midst of things, while everyone on the "team" gathers around and tries to prevent the end of the world. And I'm glad that show finally Went There.

It's also interesting, because the convo in "Pandora" was pretty different in tone. Oliver and Chloe were skeptical of Clark's plan, but - in this case - Tess, Oliver, and Lois were completely onboard with Clark and understood that they needed to be on the same page.They were a true team in the way that Chloe/Oliver/Clark were not back in "Pandora". 

The pure of heart thing was a head-scratcher. Tess made some sort of comment about how no one is pure of heart & everyone kind of nodded silently. (I think it was Tess, I could be wrong.) But… um… did I miss something? Because I recall that in “Supergirl” we had that moment where the darkness tried to take over Lois and then got all disgusted because she was pure of heart and he couldn’t take her over. Now that episode kind of sucked, so I could be remembering wrong, but I actually thought that was a bit of a big deal. Because I figured that would factor in the back half of the season when I expect Clark to be possessed by the darkness and for Lois to be one of the huge factors that brings him back.

So… uh… are to assume that this is – in fact – not the case? That Lois can be possessed along with the rest of them? If so, that sucks. Why’d they stick that into “Supergirl” then?

Anyway… that’s it. I’m stopping now. I think that this whole review probably leads one to believe that I hated this episode. But I actually didn’t. I enjoyed it. Mainly because I think Welling is a great director and that he managed to keep the episode moving along at a fast clip and that he juggled three different locations (military base, Metropolis, and Florida) and the simultaneous events taking place at these different location VERY well. We’ve seen other episodes where this sort of juggling had to take place and the directors really screwed them up. (“Harvest”; “Echo”; “Escape”.) I really wish he would have amped up the sexual chemistry between Clark and Lois, but who knows? Maybe he went over schedule with the dolphin shoot and had only two hours to film the Clois scene. LOL

Massively looking forward to “Luthor”. As in: I can’t stop thinking about it. Welling playing a dark Clark??

**SHIVERING IN DELIGHT.**

Comments

[audrey229.livejournal.com]

Sana, this is an awesome review. I agree with pretty much everything you said. I don't have a ton of time to type more now but one quick thing....did you know that there is actually a comic where Lois compares her relationship with Clark to her mother waiting for her father? It's from the 90's right pretty soon after Clark reveals that he's Superman to Lois. Clark vanishes for a time period and Lois is worried sick. She can't find him and has no idea where he is. (I believe if I'm remembering it correctly that he was lost in time with Booster Gold but I could be wrong on that one.) But Lois actually has a line that almost mirrors your line in your fic (I remember that) and the line in this episode. So I thought that was pretty cool. The parallel of Clark/General Lane and Lois/Ella is canon.

[sanalayla.livejournal.com]

I actually did not know this. That is pretty damn cool. I had no clue that this comic existed. Thanks for letting me know!

[audrey229.livejournal.com]

I'll try and find the scan for you. I just saw it very recently. I'm trying to remember if I Saw it at Ksite or at ScansDaily but I def. just saw it in the last week or so. When I find it I'll send it to you.

[nakimura.livejournal.com]

Oh Sana. How much do I love you. Your ramblings are gold! I agree with all you pretty much said. I think Tom's directing was the saving grace of this episode. Like you said, the way he transitioned scenes was great. And with such a script, it definitely could've been worse. I still enjoyed this episode for what it was.

I have to say this is my fave:

Welling: Okay, let’s try that line again. This time with more… conviction.
*Actress tries line again.*
Welling: Ah… all right… this time with LESS conviction.
*Actress tries line again.*
Welling: You know what? I give up. Just unzip your shirt.

I snorted coffee up my nose again thank you. LOL I seriously believe this is how it happened. He couldn't do much with those two. Jeez. Time to bust out the nekkid. Now if only we saw more of Clark wet and bare chested *sniff* Tom you need to sacrifice yourself :P

I can't wait for Clark Luthor. Dear Lord, it will do me in. I know it. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

[wrennscorpio.livejournal.com]

Sana great review. It was like you were reading my mind. I enjoyed the episode but I did not enjoy Mera. The only satisfaction I had from the character was that she was the one being mean to Lois and not the other way around. It's only because when spoilers came out about their scenes, some people claimed that it would be Lois not providing a warm welcome.

Oh, Clois how I love thee, but they make my emotions go from one extreme to the other sometimes. I loved the dialogue from the porch scene but I pulled myself out of it because of the distance between them and the lack of affection. It doesn't take much time to place a hand on the chest, a peck on the cheek. Give me something, please. I felt this way at the beginning of Abandoned. I want a hug where Clark kisses her hair or something.

(I've been watching old episodes of LnC:TNAoS and all the affection shown, during those episodes, I think to myself, "That would be so awesome if SVLnC could do some of that.)

When they get engaged...Are they still going to keep this up? I hope not, I maybe going overboard with my fear, but I'm scared the engagement still may not change this and we'll still get scenes like this from time to time.

Anyways, I really enjoyed the ending Watchtower scenes. Especially because Lois and Tess were in the same room once again. I loved their elevator scene as well. I can't get enough of these two.

(Someone get Cassidy Freeman, Erica Durance, and Brian Austin Green together in a show airing in Fall 2011 STAT.)

OMG!!! I was thinking the same thing. My sister watches the show with me and we had a conversation about those three. I would definitely be a devoted fan of that show. LOL

Lois the journalist is so BA that I would have love to see her on her own show.

I'm looking forward to Luthor, but at the same time I'm nervous. I know it's an AU and Tom Welling is all kinds of sexy in any role he plays. So, I'm just going to focus on the shallow aspect and the fact that Lois and Tess have scenes.

[esra88.livejournal.com]

This is the second episode in a row where they’ve had these sorts of problems, so I hope that they stop doing it. I don’t need to see Clark shove his tongue down Lois’s throat in every episode, but I do expect to see him brush against her gently or lightly place a kiss on neck or forehead. Or just give her a hug from behind. Or stand at least 1 foot away from her, instead of six feet.

This so much! It gets annoying. Like you said, we don't need to see make out sessions every episode, but they can show at least small gestures. There are 10-12 episodes left, I really wanna see the love:(

[flytrue.livejournal.com]

I agree about this episode--I think I just ignored Mera to an extent, because the acting was so bad; mainly I kept noting how fantastic a director Welling really honestly is. And one thing stuck out at me:

"As I said above, I think Welling plays Clark as stronger and more commanding when he directs and I saw that here."

Frankly? I think it's because when Welling's the one in charge of the direction, he doesn't have some half-brained idiot telling him to play Clark as a woobie or spineless or wishy-washy or bowing down to some minor character's will or something, and gets to just play freaking Clark Kent already. He's been doing this for years--he knows the character better than most people. Let him play Clark Kent and we're good.

I also do want to say that I took something kind of different out of the conversation between AC and Clark--namely, the acknowledgment of "Okay, so maybe I should've consulted you and your calmer approach before performing random acts of terrorism." Like the Watchtower scene later, it's a JL member learning to look to Clark for a moral compass and an example of how to do the job--and Superman is just that, hope and a symbol of justice not just to the lay general population, but even to the other heroes. So while it wasn't a great conversation, I found that in there, and that was a great thing.

I really do wish we could get more of the whole Planet/Blur dichotomy already--Season 9 was better for that, unfortunately, because I really want to see our reporter/superhero being himself thanks very much. But seeing Lois kick everyone's butts by just being Lois was definitely awesome. Then, too, the calm and casual way she covered for Clark with Tess (unnecessary though it was) was also fantastic: she was unruffled. Even Chloe and sometimes his parents always had a minor "feet shuffling I am lying" kind of attitude about it; Lois is more than up to the task of helping him. So yeah, I really wish we could get the TV show that is SV Lois and Clark working at the paper, doing stories and investigating and her getting into trouble and him rushing off to save the day. THAT would be an awesome show.

(Oh, wait, that would be LnC with SV Lois and Clark--who I honestly prefer in some ways to Cain and Hatcher. No wonder I am wistful for it.)

As much as I have no idea how Clark got out--I think the implication was "strong enough to survive it even with relatively mild Kryptonite exposure" (I mean, he wasn't writhing on the floor, so it can't have been strong)--I did like that even trapped by Kryptonite he was trying to save Slade up to the last minute. I'd've liked to see more Action Clark in this episode, but the Inspirational-and-Leaderly-and-Smart!Clark mostly made up for it. Besides, Welling was busy directing--can't ask him to do it all at once.

And... yeah. Welling is going to knock the acting on "Luthor" out of the park, I think, just from the previews. *Shivers* He does bad-boy particularly well. I have never seen anything quite so terrifying as evil!Clark.

I'll shut up now.

[fates3.livejournal.com]

Love the review, Sana!

I agree, when I take a hard look at the Clois stuff, it does leave me dissatisfied. And I know a lot of people rave about Tom's directing, but he's the one who set up that porch scene, and I don't really get what he was going with there, with them both so far apart from each other. There should have been something with her reaffirming to him that she is there for him, period, and identifying him and her with her adored father and mother. That was pretty huge. And yet...nothing. I don't need them sticking their tongues down each other's throats everytime either, but I think they touched more when they weren't dating, then they are now that they are together!

The AC/Mera stuff bugged me to some degree, but I do like the way that Erica played that last scene. I didn't get that she was so much grateful to Mera for her approval, as taking it for what it was: a sign of "hey, girl, been there, done that, you're more then I thought you were, you'll get through it" kind of thing from another woman who has had the same issue. I don't know how I can explain it. I never got that Lois had a lot of admiration for Mera, but unlike some bitchy characters *cough Mera, Chloe, Dinah cough* Lois gives people props, even if they have been raving bitches to her. Mera was backing down, admitting she was wrong, and Lois kind of went, "OK" and moved on from it to appreciate the words Mera was saying, without acting like her stamp of approval meant the world to her. Does that make sense? I guess I just liked the Lois side of it, because it was like she accepted the words, admitted what was going on with her, but it wasn't this huge "OMG, Mera is so cool and she just approved of me" moment from her for me.

And count me in as one who doesn't get why Clark can hang around the WT with Emil and Oliver, but can't give Lois a call? I didn't get the sense that he was in such urgent situations all week long, that he could never pick up the phone and talk to his girl. I mean, THEY LIVE TOGETHER! For a week, he never made it home and he never managed to pick up his cell and just text her "Love you, honey, won't be home again tonight, seeing Kara across the world." It just didn't make sense. He wasn't in that kind of situation where it was nonstop go for him, that he couldn't be bothered to call Lois. Why wouldn't he take her calls or listen to her VMs? And why leave a gift on her desk? THEY LIVE TOGETHER! Wouldn't he have just dropped it off at the farm?

That being said, with the issues that I have with this episode when it comes to Clois, I still have to say this is one of my top episodes because LOIS LANE KICKED ASS AND WAS AWESOME AND PEOPLE RECOGNIZED HER AWESOMENESS! LOL! OMG, she so rocked in this episode, SO.DAMN.HARD! I love it for the Lois stuff alone!

I love her kicking ass and doing what she can to protect the people she loves. She got in to see Slade, she handled Slade AMAZINGLY, she blew everyone away with what she found out! I mean, Tess with the WT facilities didn't even know what was going on, the superheroes were stymied with the lack of blueprints and knowledge of the prisons. And who saves the day? The Amazing Lane, that's who! I just love that the power-free human with the cell phone, who is being kept out of the loop for some stupid reason, is the one who SAVES THE DAY!!!

Plus, I just love how everyone was in awe of her, LOL! Oliver was all "the world's gonna need you, cause you have to save Clark from himself and you're the only one who can!" Emil was all "Damn, that woman almost killed me but she's frakking COOL!" Slade was all admiring, even though he thought she was on the wrong side. AC recognized that Lois Lane kicks ass and is the only one who can handle being by Clark's side. Mera recognized it. Tess looked like she wanted to a happy dance now that her wannabe girlfriend is joining the team. And Clark gave Lois a little admiring look as he realized again how much his girlfriend kicks ass when she showed him the plans.

Yes, there were many things wrong with this episode, but the Lois Lane stuff, just sent me into spasms of fangurl appreciation, LOL!

That's my .02!

[svgirl-203.livejournal.com]

As always, I enjoyed reading your take on this episode. I agree with a lot of it.

When they got to AC and Clark's last scene together all I could think was, "Hopefully this time the understanding they came to will actually last." I get the storyline they were trying to sell but it went against everything that happened in Aqua and in order for it to work it relied on AC not growing as a character since then.

I would have been more accepting of AC having his wife with him if we weren't supposed to see them as a couple Lois and Clark should learn to be more like. What the hell? That is about as a ridiculous as you can get. Why should they? Because he relies on her and involves her in his hero life? I want Lois to be more involved too but being more like them? No thank you.

I thought they had Mera (with Lois) and AC (with Clark) both come on too strong right from the beginning. And both times all I could think was, "What the hell?" I had no idea what Mera's problem was and I couldn't decide if I was supposed to actually take her opinion seriously. Turns out I was. (I really need a rolling my eyes emoticon right about now.) When Mera came around with Lois and praised her I feel like it should been a great moment but I still could care less about her opinion on Lois. They didn't give me any reason why her opinion should matter to me.

I get Clark wanting to keep her away from the dangerous side of his life but her not knowing about Tess made no sense. I'm not sure how that didn't come up if he's been sharing things with her. Not even that it didn't come up in conversation (that Tess knows) but considering how often Tess has interferred in his life in the past few seasons how exactly did he manage to leave her knowledge of his secret out of it. The small bit in Harvest made me think that she's been questioning him on past events and he's been filling her in so how'd they avoid the subject of Tess exactly?

Lois investigating is one of my absolute favorite parts of the show. I loved that part of the episde. That scene between Lois and Slade was brilliant. I love these moments where they show us just how great she is at her job. I also love when other people see it too. You made a good point about Lois actually investigating and doing the leg work. If only we'd actually get to Clark doing that more often.

I also loved the scene with Emil. Yep, he was definitely impressed with her. His reaction to her at the end was awesome. I need more scenes between them. Actually I need to see more of Emil in general. He hasn't been around much this season.

I liked Oliver, too. I didn't care for the way he made Clark's actions seem but the rest was fine. I either liked him or was meh about him. Considering my feelings for him nowadays that's a really good thing. I like that there was another Oliver/Lois friendship scene. Love that little moment between them.

I thought this was a good episode for Clark. I esepcially liked that speech in the end because like you said it had a epic feel to it. But mainly because the Darkseid stuff wasn't really interesting me so much. That speech really helped with that. A lot. I was a little more excited for this storyline at the end.

I loved that last scene in Watchtower. One of the best scenes of the episode. Lois getting a warm welcome from Tess was really great. It's was so good I didn't even care if it made sense for them to react to each other in this way. Everything about that scene worked for me. Tess/Lois, Clark's speech, and all of them there together.

I noticed how this was the first time this season that every main character interacted with every other character. With only four main characters it's kind of weird we don't see stuff like this more often. That was another reason why I loved that scene with all of them together.

This was good episode for the most part and I liked the idea behind it. I just think they the did a sloppy job at times getting the point across. I liked this episode anyway though.

Again, great review. I can't wait for Luthor as well.

[brijeana.livejournal.com]

Aw! I liked the opening sequence with AC and Mera. It was like AC was the star of his own action movie and he was living out the happy ending.

But, just in case you didn’t get the memo: they love each other. They are the bestest example of superhero couples EVAH. Don’t believe me? Well, just ask them. They’ll tell you.

LOL!

I have to say that imagining THAT conversation made me giggle:

Welling: Okay, let’s try that line again. This time with more… conviction.
*Actress tries line again.*

Welling: Ah… all right… this time with LESS conviction.
*Actress tries line again.*
Welling: You know what? I give up. Just unzip your shirt.


If that is what really happened, then I want to be cast as a bad actress on “SV” and have Welling be my director. I’m just saying.

LOL!

Hmm... I only watched the episode once but I didn't see any problem with the way Oliver told Lois about Clark. It was clear that he was preoccupied with getting Lois to cover his story. I thought Lois jumped to conclusions and Oliver couldn't really get a word in edgewise.

The way Clois changes from episode to episode doesn't bother me because 1) This is an episodic show so lots of time passes between episodes and 2) The writers regulate important things to offscreenville. So I usually just jump on board whatever train is passing. Oh Clois is dealing with this issue now, ok. Relationships have ups and downs. I can buy it.

They have a moment, though, where they both realize something. Clark can't take her for granted, but Lois also has to give him space and support on the terms he needs it.

Seriously DO THE WRITERS READ YOUR FANFICS? This is what I loved most about this episode. AC/Mera bad acting aside, this was the heart of the episode for me. Clark and Lois learn these things. Yes it could have been better written and maybe directing and certainly acted, but I think it's HUGE, especially for Lois... that they learn these lessons about each other and their relationship. <3 <3 <3

(Someone get Cassidy Freeman, Erica Durance, and Brian Austin Green together in a show airing in Fall 2011 STAT.)

Oh yum! :D

Re: Clark being weird. I think he's still compartmentalizing. He unpacks his heart with Lois regarding things that are most personal, most important to him. The business as usual stuff he keeps separate from her. I think his whole hero life for the most part he keeps separate from her. I think we are seeing where Clark's line between Clark and Superman is. He had to learn in this episode that Lois is welcome on both sides of the line. I don't think it had to do with protecting her. Just... getting used to Lois knowing everything and the fullness of what that means.

I think Mera and AC said several times that they were not like Clois. By the end Mera realizes that despite their differences, Lois is right for Clark. Yeah no one cared because she sucked and/or they weren't looking at her face/listening to what she was saying. But... I liked the writers highlighting the wonderful difference between Lois and Clark. I love that about them.

I was originally one of the people who liked the distance. I still like the distance in the JLA scene. But there are moments on the porch scene where there should have been intimacy. Basically whenever Lois is unsure, I like her backing away, but part of Clark reassuring her should have been walking toward her. I like Clark keeping his distance while talking about the darkness. But when Lois reassures him she should have touched him. And you're right I hug would have been PERFECT. That intimacy would have been the perfect counter to the distance in the JLA scene. I like that because there's strength in Lois and Clark standing apart and Lois kind of staying in the background a bit in that scene. It's like they are putting the earlier conversation into practice.

I agree with pretty much everything else you say in your review Sana. Journalism Lois is awesome. I didn't like the Emil scene. It could have been better with tweaking.

I'm so glad they are rewriting the dumb darkness. I don't care of Jor-el COMPLETELY contradicts his statements in Lazarus and the show DOES NOT EXPLAIN IT. I hated the original explanation of the darkness. So retcon away I say.

Great review!