Smallville: Talisman

[fajrdrako]

I saw Smallviile this week a day late, but anticipation just added spice. My goodness: another episode that had me on the edge of my seat. Rich in plot. Filled with ambiguities. We're on a roll. I loved it.

Details under wraps to hide spoilers.

1. I love Lionel more than ever. Without his shirt on... well, he is certainly magnificent. And tied spread-eagled to a rock - oh, yes! I had to look up who it was that got that treatment in classical myth. It was Prometheus, of course - chained to a rock with an eagle eating his liver. Liver, right. I'm suprised Lionel didn't make a speech about the discovery of fire.



2. I loved the way Lionel and Lex both reached for the knife, leaving the ambiguity in the Kowachee prophecy.



3. I really can't see why everyone purports to be taking the legends seriously, even as myth. I mean - we know Clark has superpowers; and the Professor maybe has a reason to take the legends of the tribe seriously, but - everyone else? I don't see the Kents reading Nostradamus or living by their daily horoscopes. Ancient legends may be written in stone, but they aren't reliable indications of the future. Or is it that everyone believes that Jor-El and the caves are inextricably linked?



4. I love it whenever Lionel calls Clark "special".



5. I loved it that the octagon was mentioned, and Lionel has a scheme to recreate it. Want to bet it will be mentioned next episode, too?



6. I found the final scene amazingly sexy. Lex and Clark, nose to nose, staring at each other, discussing veiled allegories of their future. Lex in his long coat. Each wondering what was in the mind of the other.



7. Usually I find Jonathan fun but tedious. This time, I actually liked him, and his advice to Clark. Follow your own path is what it boils down to, and after two years of hearing bad advice from him, I applaud this.



8. Assuming that Jonathan has not suddenly become some kind of spontaneous faith healer, are we to believe that he is still somehow possessed by the spirit of Jor-El? Or that Jor-El is still using him as his "vessel"? Or that the ship is? Or both? I like the way Kryptonian artefacts can discorporate and reincorporate (the ship, the knife, and presumably the octagon).



9. The scenes between Lana and Lex were fascinating. I enjoyed them thoroughly. When Lana asked Lex why he backed the Talon if he wasn't in the least interested in the coffee business, and he said, "Isn't it obvious?" I thought, "Of course it is, you did it because Clark wanted you to." And when he said it was for her sake, I chortled at the lie. No, he can't tell her he joined her business venture because of his obsession with Clark and because he consistently does what Clark wants. So he does what Pete Ross did with Chloe in "Truth" - he told her something else that was true: that he liked the way she contrasted with the businesswomen he dealt with in Metropolis. He was probably thinking of Victoria Hardwick.



10. I loved the line when the agent trying to sell the Talon said "the faux Egyptian decor is tacky". It sure is! I'm so glad someone noticed. Don't get me wrong: I love Egyptian style, as anyone who has seen my living room knows. And I can't believe that Lana Lang managed to make the most beautiful art style in the ancient world look ugly.



11. I even liked the Pete Ross subplot, something I would never have believed or expected. So... his father is alive. Uncertainty on the subject (since I'll swear the man hasn't been mentioned before) maybe was part of the reason I didn't anticipate what Pete's problem was. I loved it when he yelled at Chloe. Is he going to be like Whitney - get interesting and then leave the show?



12. I usually like scenes where Clark uses his powers but I didn't like the effects on his fight with Jeremiah. At least we didn't get the ghastly inside-the-eardrum superpower though.



13. As villains go, I liked Jeremiah better than most. That might not be hard - most of the Krypto-mutants are a sorry lot even by old DC standards. (No offense intended, but they really were a strange bunch!) Greg Arkin remains my favourite but Jeremiah had an interesting background and is worth ten of the Seans, Justins, Byrons, Tinas and so on.



14. I like the talk about "who owns the caves". I loved it when Clark said to Lionel, "My family may not own the caves, but they own this barn. Get out." I love it that Lionel loves it when Clark stands up to him.



15. I love it when Lex does the soft stare, swallows, and gets a sad look in his eyes. Ah, Lex, Lex. Is Clark ever going to smile at you again? Come to think of it, when did we last see Clark smile at anyone? Given that and the talk about his identity, and his own comment about how he can't even manage his own life, I think the boy is badly depressed.



16. I'd like to see Warrior Angel mentioned again. It's been a while. (Not since "Ryan".) Lex's fival speech to Clark reminded me of that - another context, another legend, another analogue to fate.



17. I still don't believe in the rift, of course.

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

I can always count on your for a good review of what I didn't see. ;)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What a nice comment! So what did you think of the story?

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Very good, lol. I hope Lana goes soon. I hope there is more Clark/Lex love. When is the finale?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Season finale is two weeks from now. Next week is "Forsaken", then there's "Covenant".

[jfc013.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I needed that!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to have been of service! Which part did you need - the there-is-no-rift comment? Or just... all of it?

[jfc013.livejournal.com]

Guess! :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I know! It was insult to the Talon's colour scheme that you liked!

[jfc013.livejournal.com]

*bop* Yeah, right.

I'm busy spinning so my series doesn't sink under the weight of the anger, and you're redecorating. Feh.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I have my priorities. Seriously, I'm feeling a little encouraged about the Clex relationship. I was afraid it would decay or disappear. It's edgy but it isn't bland, and they clearly care about each other, which is what matters to me.

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

Liver, right.
with an eagle eating his liver. Liver, right.

Oh, yeahhh...*light bulb comes on*


I found the final scene amazingly sexy. Lex and Clark, nose to nose, staring at each other, discussing veiled allegories of their future. Lex in his long coat. Each wondering what was in the mind of the other.

Yeah. I'm figuring they threw each other to the loft floor directly after the fadeout. We've gotta write it!

He was probably thinking of Victoria Hardwick.

Hopefully! or any of a number of others.

I love it when Lex does the soft stare, swallows, and gets a sad look in his eyes.

*melts*

I liked Jeremiah better than most.

No kidding! I thought he was incredibly wooden and boring.

I love it whenever Lionel calls Clark "special".

Marian's said more than once lately, with something between a chortle and a scoff, "Everyone knows Clark's secret, don't they? Why doesn't he (Clark) just give up trying to hide it?!"


As usual, your abilities to see the best in our show rival Clark's in super-strength!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm figuring they threw each other to the loft floor directly after the fadeout.

Of course they did! They were smouldering.

We've gotta write it!

I will if you will.

I thought he was incredibly wooden and boring

Let me think... Why did I like Jeremiah? I liked it that he had a reason for doing what he did - he was already politically predisposed to it before anything ever happened. I liked it that he refused to shake Lionel's hand, that he opposed him from the beginning. I like it that he had glasses and an academic look. I liked it that the knife gave him delusions of being a superhero and a legend.

Marian's said more than once lately, with something between a chortle and a scoff, "Everyone knows Clark's secret, don't they? Why doesn't he (Clark) just give up trying to hide it?!"

She is so right. I think the only person who doesn't know is Chloe.

As usual, your abilities to see the best in our show rival Clark's in super-strength!

There are those who think I'm just delusional! And of course there have been episodes I hated - only a few, I'm happy to say. Others where there were aspects I liked, aspects I didn't. I love the metaphorical subtexts and the mind games.