Smallville: Exile....

[fajrdrako]

Another opening, another show!

Being the middle of a three-part story, "Exile" doesn't resolve anything much but it was fun watching it happen. I liked a lot of it and disliked some other aspects.... Not in terms of being unhappy with it or wanting to gripe, but in terms of "some of this isn't they way I most like Smallville episodes to be."

Disliked

• Clark on red k. I don't much like bad!Clark. I'll be glad when we have innocent and sweet Clark back. When we have only bad!Clark, I am left feeling that Clark himself is missing from the episode.
  
  
• The fact that Clark and Lex were not together at any point, didn't mention each other, didn't interact. No, given this plot, they couldn't interact, but I prefer episodes were they do. Did Lex say Clark's name on the island? I liked that.
  
  
• The way Lana screws up her face when she's upset. (Which is usually.)
  
  
• The way everything is so unresolved. In some ways I thought this episode was a bit of a place-holder, a bridge between "Exodus" and "Phoenix" but free of plot in itself.
  
  
• I like urbane Lex better than feral Lex (but I love Lex anyway, in all aspects).
  
  

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<br>
Another opening, another show!

Being the middle of a three-part story, "Exile" doesn't resolve anything much but it was fun watching it happen. I liked a lot of it and disliked some other aspects.... Not in terms of being unhappy with it or wanting to gripe, but in terms of "some of this isn't they way I most like Smallville episodes to be."

<b><i>Disliked</b></i>

<ul>
<li> Clark on red k. I don't much like bad!Clark. I'll be glad when we have innocent and sweet Clark back. When we have only bad!Clark, I am left feeling that Clark himself is missing from the episode.

<li> The fact that Clark and Lex were not together at any point, didn't mention each other, didn't interact. No, given this plot, they couldn't interact, but I prefer episodes were they do. Did Lex say Clark's name on the island? I liked that.

<li> The way Lana screws up her face when she's upset. (Which is usually.)

<li> The way everything is so unresolved. In some ways I thought this episode was a bit of a place-holder, a bridge between "Exodus" and "Phoenix" but free of plot in itself.

<li> I like urbane Lex better than feral Lex (but I love Lex anyway, in all aspects).

<li I wish Chloe had been in it more.

<li> SuperJonathan. Makes me cringe.
</ul>

<b><i>Liked</b></i>
<ul>
<li> Chloe found Clark! Yay for Chloe.

<li> Chloe found Clark and she didn't tell Lionel. Yay for Chloe.

<li> Morgan Edge. Morgan Edge is great.

<li> Clark went to Lex's funeral. Even when living on red k.

<li> The way Clark dresses in Metropolis.

<li> Clark's initial phone call to the Kents, in the phone book. Sniff.

<li> The wonderful conversation with the bartender about how Clark always comes with a girl but leaves without one - "are you some kind of a monk?" Heh. "No, I just miss my boyfriend. His plane went down."

<li> The Kents lost the farm.

<li> Martha is wonderful.

<li> Clark goes back to the barn, even just to listen - a glimpse of 'real' Clark.

<li> Anything with Lex, though I'm not so happy with 'out of control' Lex. I like his feverish thinking, though. And projecting his circumstances on his pal. And the way his pal fondled his shoulder. I also really liked his rescue.

<li> The confrontation between Lionel (love him more than ever!) and Helen. Whoo. Greedy killer-wife goes shopping.

<li> The way Lex refuses to condemn Helen.

<li> That Morgan Edge sends Clark to rob LuthorCorp.

<li> The moment where Lionel is sitting in Lex's library.

<li> Lionel's "destined for greatness" speech about Lex, and then his accusing Helen of hypocrisy.

<li> Clark's line about the scar on his chest being his father's doing.
</ul>

<b><i>Comments and Speculation</b></i>

<ul>
<li> Jor-El seems more palatable now than he was in "Exodus". I love the way the apparent destruction of the brave little ship makes no difference to his presence and intent.
<li> Is Clark undergoing red kryptonite poisoning? At first I thought he was being affected by green kryptonite, but apparently not.
<li> I liked it that Lana was standing with the Kents at Lex's funeral. I can't recall any other scenes that have had her in the same time and place as Jonathan. Am I forgetting something?
<li> I hope Morgan Edge continues to have an ongoing role. Perhaps the most intriguing thing about him is that he knows Clark is invulnerable and has superpowers.
<li> Why does Clark have the symbol burned into his chest?
<li> I am totally delighted by everthing about Helen in this episode. In her true colours, she's great! in a tacky, terrible way.
</ul>

Hey, on <i>Angel</i> - no, I'm not watching it, I don't watch <i>Angel</i> - they sang a song from <i>The Pajama Game</i>! I like that. One of my favourites, too. This whole Wolfram and Hart scenario is so like the plot of <i>Wolverine</i> a few years ago that I'm wondering if the same people are behind it. It's been driving me mad that I can't remember the name of the interdimensional company in <i>Wolverine</i> or the woman who represented them. And with a line like "I have no problems with spanking men", why don't I love this show? Ah well, rhetorical question, it doesn't matter why I don't like it. I'm just peeking at it for a glimpse of Spike.

Comments

[mlleelizabeth.livejournal.com]

So many good points!

Clark on red k. I don't much like bad!Clark. ...

Nor do I. This is one of the more disturbing parts of the episode that I forced myself to ignore. And I don't think I'll be too pleased with the way they handle the aftermath, either.

The fact that Clark and Lex were not together at any point, didn't mention each other, didn't interact. No, given this plot, they couldn't interact, but I prefer episodes were they do. Did Lex say Clark's name on the island? I liked that.

I didn't hear Lex mention Clark's name, but I hope you are right and that I just missed it. Their lack of interaction actually didn't bother me all that much, as I knew that it was temporary and because their storylines were so obviously parallel. If there had been no connection between them, it would have been awful, but instead they were basically two halves of a soul having the same experiences in different locations, with different props. They even had the same costuming for a good part of the episode. So that made it okay for me.

SuperJonathan is way too much of a convenient, badly done deus ex machina for that part of the story to have worked, and it ties in too neatly with what's going to be wrong with the aftermath of Clark's evil deeds. *sigh*

But there was good stuff, including shirtless Clark and shirtless Lex and oh boy is Helen a bad, bad girl and Clark all excited about breaking into Luthorcorp and showing up for Lex's funeral and yeah, there was some very, very good stuff. *g*

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I've been wondering for a while now why I'm not in love with Angel, the series, and I think I figured it out tonight. In one respect, it's my own fault for wanting it to be another Buffy. I'm not letting it be itself, and that's my problem. But the things it lacks -- really interesting, quirky characters with whom we could nevertheless identify, fast and furious humor and deeply moving drama working side-by-side, fiercely witty dialogue and deft delivery of same -- it hasn't really replaced with anything that particularly appeals to me. And in fact, much of what's going on seems like a Buffy retread without the deft touches.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the aftermath will be, but I'm trying not to take bad!Clark too much to heart.

You're right, I too like the parallelism of Clark's and Lex's situations here. Intersting that the person who accuses the woman in his life of betrayal is Clark not Lex, while Lex appears to still believe Helen is innocent.

SuperJonathan is just... too much of a bad 60s comic plot. It isn't what I like about Jonathan. But it doesn't bother me a lot: it just isn't a favourite thing. I don't remember any interaction between Jonathan and Jor-El in the comic ever, so it was nice to see. Mind you, I've never read all that many Superman comics, especially in the past two decades, so I've missed a lot.

were basically two halves of a soul having the same experiences in different locations, with different props

I really like that interpretation.

oh boy is Helen a bad, bad girl

Yeah! I like her that way.

Sounds as if we reacted the same way to this one.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Mostly I just don't like Angel-the-Character (contrasted to Angel-the-series). Sometimes I'll watch a show even if I don't like a major character - Richie in "Highlander", say - but Angel is just a little too central to ignore and there's nothing in the show that offers a lot of incentive to watch regardless.

Funny how I tend to watch shows based on whether I like characters in them or not. I watched "Queen of Swords" even when I didn't like Tessa - my mild dislike of her was completely eclipsed by my fascination with Helm and Montoya. Besides, my distaste for Angel is far greater (and far less rational) than my disinterest in Tessa. It can also be noted that though I loved first and second seasons of Highlander, my attitude changed entirely when Methos came along, and from that point on all espisodes without him seemed like a waste.

I probably shouldn't confess this but when I watch Angel I have a great deal of trouble remembering who anyone is, which is a sign of major indifference on my part: it all goes in one eye and out the other even when I *try* to watch it and pay attention.

Bottom line: it takes a lot to make me like and watch a TV show, which is why I usually only watch one or two series per year - or none at all. And what it takes is a complex amalgam of things like character, writing and evocation of style, not to mention originality - a quality I find most lacking in most shows. I'm not sure I've ever liked a spin-off.

"Firefly" is an example of a show where I liked everything - character, situation, style, and by gum it was original. But it didn't last.

Let me know if you find anything really good on this season, okay?

[dargie.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched much of AtS, so I thought it was just me, but I barely remember who these people are either. No real personalities. That's why I'm afraid Spike is just going to rampage in and take over. Much as I like the character, it's such a big one that it takes some serious work to stand up to him. And I'm not sure a lot of these people are up to it. Bottom line: I just don't find AtS very interesting.

[mlleelizabeth.livejournal.com]

I don't know what the aftermath will be, but I'm trying not to take bad!Clark too much to heart.

I probably sounded too cryptic there. *g* I really just mean that Clark's not going to turn himself in for the crimes he committed, be prosecuted and serve the time he really should serve, but he's still going to be the "good guy." I have to remind myself not to care about that when I watch this show. I'll join you in not taking him too much to heart, and just appreciate his shirtless body and cute new hairdo. ;)

[penm.livejournal.com]

Bah, I haven't watched Smallville yet. I need to start...

I already ship Clark/Lex. This is just not right -- I've never seen an episode and I already have a ship.

Oh well.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought of it the way you express it - since I have no interest in the integrity of Angel as a show itself - but you're quite right, Spike is so strong he's likely to overshadow everyone. Which as far as I'm concerned, is okay: he can take over and make it The Spike Show and I might actually watch it regularly. But. That isn't the way it ought to be.

I'm still boggled that Buffy chose Angel over Spike. That's like choosing Austen Grey when you could have Lymond. Well... sort of.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Bah, I haven't watched Smallville yet. I need to start...

Maybe. What you really need to do is watch first season - the Pilot especially. That'll start you off right. It's hard to see where they're going with the relationship between Clark and Lex now - putting distance between them in various ways. It's still sexy, but it used to be sexy and warm and hot and lingering.

I've never seen an episode and I already have a ship.

Yes - obviously you have a fine appreciation of the important principles involved!