Smallville: Covenant

[fajrdrako]

As usual, I have many thoughts on the Smallville episode tonight, and I want to say something before I am influenced by other people's comments, while my first impressions are still fresh. So... My reactions to Covenant...

1. Just in case anyone thinks my stance has changed, let me reiterate my litany of Clexiness: I love Clark, I love Lex, I love it when they're affectionate together and I love it when they're fighting because they're such so hearbreakingly sexy either way. It broke my heart that Clark rejected his friendship with Lex; it broke my heart again to see the way it broke Lex's heart; it broke my heart again to see Clark fighting with tears and misery and ready to turn away from mankind because of what he had lost. I feel for them.
   
   
2. Chloe, Chloe, Chloe. My wonderful Chloe. I loved all her scenes: her courage in standing against Lionel, her continuing search for the truth, her need for a new identity. I haven't a second's doubt that she is alive and well and will continue to look for the truth (and good stories) for seasons to come. I love her more all the time.



3. Who is this strange person who is masquerading as Lana Lang but not dressed in pink? Her scenes were appropriately short, and unusually interesting. These two facts are probably related.



4. Lionel, Lionel, Lionel. Caged but untamed and scarier than ever. A magnificent beast. Loved his "violin" scene with Lex. Loved all his scenes, in fact. (Sowhat else is new?)



5. At last Martha had a few more lines than she's had in, what, all season? And something beyond offering food to Kara. She was motherly with Clark, and I was pleased to see it. I also liked her objections to the decisions Jonathan made without her. Also loved her seeing the Kryptonian symbol burning on the lawn... Are we supposed to have the clues to know what that symbol was? It wasn't the same as the Namaan/Segeeth symbol as far as I recall, but my visual memory is poor.... Is it a Kryptonian word? Must research.



6. Kara in the comics is one of my favourite DC characters ever. This inverse-Kara was fascinating; in fact, I am increasingly fascinated by the whole portrayal of Jor-El and Krypton in this show. Is Jor-El really so unrelievedly evil? Or is it even Jor-El, is it someone else who has stolen his identity? I was thrilled that Lara was mentioned again, and I hope that her role will continue and expand.



7. Is Lex trying to kill himself, or is someone trying to murder him? If someone is trying to murder him, who? There are a number of suspects (Lionel among them) but my money at the moment is on attempted suicide. (I reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.) After all, he's lost the person who is more important to him than anyone else in the world, and I don't mean Lionel.



8. I thought this episode had some of the best visual imagery they've done yet, and it's consistently been a show with good visual imagery. There has been some hokey imagery too, including that which was endearingly hokey, but on the whole this is a cut above other shows not just in production values but in creative values. This time they outdid themselves. Favourite example: Clark coming down the glowing blue steps in the Chamber of Clark Kent. No - even better - the curled, naked Clark at the end, within the shape of the Superman symbol. Embryonic Superman. Other visually wonderful moments were the scene when Lex visited Lionel in prison; Lionel's haircut - "Do it." Oh, beautiful! - and Clark with the rose at the airport.



9. No Pete, no mention of Pete. Though I thoroughly disliked the character and no one is happier than I am to see him gone forever, that was a bit of a letdown. So quickly forgotten. Though, to be fair, with Clark dealing with the devastation of despair in his break with Lex, Pete's going away is small potatoes, emotionally speaking.



10. I expected some of the things that happened tonight, but there were some things I expected to see that didn't happen. I thought we would see Dr. Swann in this episode.



11. There are some comments I tend to make after every episode, which I'm sure is tiresome. But I have to say it... even more than usual.... didn't Lex look wonderful?



12. Did Lana really go to Paris? She certainly looked as if she was getting on that plane. I wish I could really believe she didn't get off before it left the runway. I expect next season to begin with Chloe and Lex still alive, and Lionel still plotting, and everyone but Pete still around.... The difference is, I want the others to come back next season. I don't want Lana back. Ah well, it's not all about what I want, is it?



13. Difficult though it is, I love Clark's anger. He loves Lex very much and now thinks... fears... Lex was using him, pretending affection with ulterior motives. Of course Clark feels alone and betrayed and hurt. Lex himself has been betrayed and hurt a lot, but Clark is more paranoid and untrusting than Lex has ever been. Perhaps it's because the Kents are so insistent on his keeping his nature a secret; perhaps because of his sense of guilt; perhaps because he really feels he doesn't dare to trust people, Clark is isolating himself and tormenting himself unmercifully.



14. Clark is angry and Lex is sad. They so need a hug. From each other.

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

You think Jonathon's dead?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Jonathan, dead? Nope. Not a chance. The only person in this episode who died was Kara.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

Granted I haven't seen it yet (the torrent I want isn't even up yet), but I got the blow by blow, including dialogue.

Is Lex trying to kill himself, or is someone trying to murder him? If someone is trying to murder him, who? There are a number of suspects (Lionel among them) but my money at the moment is on attempted suicide. (I reserve the right to change my mind at any moment.) After all, he's lost the person who is more important to him than anyone else in the world, and I don't mean Lionel.

I thought that myself, that it's attempted suicide. Just like I thought after S2 finale, if Lionel wanted his son dead, he would be dead, and we know Lex isn't dying. For one thing, I don't think Lionel would kill him, even now. That would not be in character. (Can't trust the SV-PTB to maintain him in character, of course, but abstracting away from that...) He would twist the knife of revenge, but he would not kill him. After all, the key wedged between Clark and Lex is the appropriate retribution, betrayal for betrayal, making them both deal with another truth.

A suicide also ties in with Lionel's comment in Forsaken about Judas hanging himself with his own rope. He knows his son, knows what makes him tick and what to aim for.

Lionel, Lionel, Lionel. Caged but untamed and scarier than ever. A magnificent beast.

I can't wait to see those scenes. All through the ep (reported to me faithfully in chat) I kept saying how much I love that man. I need a word bigger than magnificent.

[imaginarytiff.livejournal.com]

Clark mentioned Pete to Lex. Still, it seems like they're trying to forget about that character as quickly as possible. (not that I mind, but yeah.)

Truly gorgeous visuals in this ep!

I'm reeeeeally hoping you're right about Chloe. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

if Lionel wanted his son dead, he would be dead

Well, yes. And I see no reason to think Lionel wants Lex dead: he can't manipulate Lex if he's dead. I think they need each other.... There might be others who want to kill Lex (Helen, Morgan Edge, any of those monsters in Belle Reve, etc.) but I'm still betting it's suicide.

A suicide also ties in with Lionel's comment in Forsaken about Judas hanging himself with his own rope.

Exactly!

I kept saying how much I love that man.

Oh yes. Yes indeed. Lionel is incomparable. Impossible though it seems, he just gets better and better through every adversity. When you find a bigger word than "magnificent" do let me know. "Bastard" seems way too tame these days.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm reeeeeally hoping you're right about Chloe. :)

Yeah. We won't know for sure till the fall, but I'm sure she's okay and will turn up unexpectedly just as we least expect her.

Gorgeous visuals, yes, especially of Clark and Lex!

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

Lionel is incomparable. Impossible though it seems, he just gets better and better through every adversity. When you find a bigger word than "magnificent" do let me know. "Bastard" seems way too tame these days.

I've been looking for a word that would give the range of meanings incorporated in 'magnificent' and retain the stylistic effect as well. Checked thesaurus.com and the number of theologically related words was quite amusing.

Ended up with a 6 word short list: glorious, divine, majestic, exquisite, illustrious and sublime. If "awesome" hadn't lost its power in slang use, it might have been a contender.

These are the best I could come up with, but none of them seems exactly what I want, although the first three are closer. Any opinions? I'd make a poll, but my unpaid lj won't allow those (and my readership is very limited anyway).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh your list, I think the word "majestic" is the best - though it doesn't quite convey the right touch of menace and dominance. You're right about "awesome", too bad it's spoiled. Hmm. Shall I call him the Majestic Beast? No, entirely too benign. I will continue to think.

I go overboard about words too, and I'm not a language professional, just a language-lover.