reactions to SV 7.01 & 7.02
Oct. 7th, 2007 05:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
slinklingAh, Smallville. You're a big colorful comic book -- so very silly, and yet so awesome. I can't help loving you.
Assorted thoughts on season 7, so far:
- It makes me very happy that Jimmy has made it into the opening credits. I liked him last year, as a) a guy who appreciates Chloe’s fantasticness, b) a sweet fellow who isn’t working any nefarious agendas, c) a character who’s pleasingly uninvolved with all of SV’s secrets and lies. Like Lois, he makes a good foil for Clark, because he totally takes Clark at face-value. I was bummed when he got written off the show last season, and am delighted to see that he’ll be playing more of a role this year. Of course, I’ll be even more delighted once he actually shows up.
- The Chloe/Lois tension at the Daily Planet really interests me – not because I’m looking for a catfight, but because I love what’s happening with Chloe’s character arc. She’s discovering that she cannot be fully committed to being an investigative reporter while she’s also fully committed to protecting Clark’s secrets. The show has been setting this up for her since season 1 (remember when she and Clark had their first fight over this? When she started digging into his adoption, and he essentially told her she had to choose between having a story and having a friend?), and it’s now being put to her explicitly: by protecting Clark, she’s damaging her career as a journalist. This is also a nice new twist on how it’s dangerous, and a huge responsibility, for anyone at all to know Clark’s secrets. Pete knew and it almost got him killed so many times that he left. Clark told Lana, and it DID get her killed. Maybe Clark has started to think that Chloe’s the exception to the rule, but clearly she’s not: even if she’s not in physical jeopardy, sharing his secrets means she’s going to have to sacrifice her dreams. Sooner or later, you know Clark’s going to find out about this, and can’t you just imagine the guilt he’ll feel? When faced with still more proof that he can’t share the truth about himself with anybody, because it will ruin their life? The show has gone to a lot of effort to establish that, in order to become Superman, Clark’s going to have to give up a lot of his connection to humanity, and this is yet another reason why.
Meanwhile, Lois – who has always been, and remains, charmingly oblivious to the fact that Clark even HAS secrets – can chase down any stories she likes; as a journalist, her star is rising. She’s growing into her iconic role, and I love that she gets to take over this role from Chloe in large part because Chloe chooses to relinquish it. There’s really no antagonism here between Chloe and Lois, nor should there be. They’re different people with different experiences, and so they make different choices.
- Speaking of iconic roles, and Clark giving up his connections to humanity – I am SO PROUD of him for finally deciding to go for his training. Yay, Clark! Attaboy! (That Jor-El immediately sends him back to keep an eye on his cousin, however, suggests to me that Jor-El is totally just winging it at this point. And hadn’t the fortress!Jor-El been kinda dead? When did he get fixed?)
- My first glimpses of Kara made me *really* skeptical, but based on 7.02, I’m enjoying her enough to overlook a few absurdities. (How’d she learn to speak English, anyway? And did all Kryptonian girls dress in go-go boots, short shorts and midriff tops, or did she swoop by a mall after being freed from the reservoir? And – if someone other than her tries to get into her ship, it triggers a nuclear explosion? Damn, those Kryptonians really didn’t fuck around with their car alarms.) But the connection she makes with Clark, since they’re now each other’s only family (not to mention the only other members of their species), is surprisingly sweet. Something tells me Kara’s going to have a problem with keeping her powers and origin a secret. Particularly once Lex tracks her down. That has the potential to get really interesting.
More immediately, given the importance Clark has always placed on family, and as the Kent family is now totally disbanded, I like that he’s finding a new family bond from within the House of El.
- I’m really not sure yet what to make of Lex. Very possibly because I haven’t yet seen Lex interacting with Clark. (Although I couldn’t help but love Lex’s reactions to Bizarro!Clark. And I also loved that Bizarro!Clark’s first move was to track down Lex and offer to rule the world with him. Yes, Bizarro!Clark is totally at ease with his gayness.) Anyway, it’s hard to gauge what Lex will be like this season, but I’m hopeful that once he finds Kara, and realizes that there’s an obvious link between Kara and Clark, somber!Lex will take a backseat to obsessive!Lex, and things will pick up.
- The fact that the new Bad Guys are from the government is AWESOME. (And honestly, given everything that’s been happening in Smallville, it’s about damn time the gov’t noticed the presence of aliens there.) I’m very much hoping that this plotline will carry through the entire season, and will involve cameo appearances from Martha.
- On a less positive note, the new Daily Planet editor appears to be 22 years old. This makes it very, very hard for me to take him seriously.
Assorted thoughts on season 7, so far:
- It makes me very happy that Jimmy has made it into the opening credits. I liked him last year, as a) a guy who appreciates Chloe’s fantasticness, b) a sweet fellow who isn’t working any nefarious agendas, c) a character who’s pleasingly uninvolved with all of SV’s secrets and lies. Like Lois, he makes a good foil for Clark, because he totally takes Clark at face-value. I was bummed when he got written off the show last season, and am delighted to see that he’ll be playing more of a role this year. Of course, I’ll be even more delighted once he actually shows up.
- The Chloe/Lois tension at the Daily Planet really interests me – not because I’m looking for a catfight, but because I love what’s happening with Chloe’s character arc. She’s discovering that she cannot be fully committed to being an investigative reporter while she’s also fully committed to protecting Clark’s secrets. The show has been setting this up for her since season 1 (remember when she and Clark had their first fight over this? When she started digging into his adoption, and he essentially told her she had to choose between having a story and having a friend?), and it’s now being put to her explicitly: by protecting Clark, she’s damaging her career as a journalist. This is also a nice new twist on how it’s dangerous, and a huge responsibility, for anyone at all to know Clark’s secrets. Pete knew and it almost got him killed so many times that he left. Clark told Lana, and it DID get her killed. Maybe Clark has started to think that Chloe’s the exception to the rule, but clearly she’s not: even if she’s not in physical jeopardy, sharing his secrets means she’s going to have to sacrifice her dreams. Sooner or later, you know Clark’s going to find out about this, and can’t you just imagine the guilt he’ll feel? When faced with still more proof that he can’t share the truth about himself with anybody, because it will ruin their life? The show has gone to a lot of effort to establish that, in order to become Superman, Clark’s going to have to give up a lot of his connection to humanity, and this is yet another reason why.
Meanwhile, Lois – who has always been, and remains, charmingly oblivious to the fact that Clark even HAS secrets – can chase down any stories she likes; as a journalist, her star is rising. She’s growing into her iconic role, and I love that she gets to take over this role from Chloe in large part because Chloe chooses to relinquish it. There’s really no antagonism here between Chloe and Lois, nor should there be. They’re different people with different experiences, and so they make different choices.
- Speaking of iconic roles, and Clark giving up his connections to humanity – I am SO PROUD of him for finally deciding to go for his training. Yay, Clark! Attaboy! (That Jor-El immediately sends him back to keep an eye on his cousin, however, suggests to me that Jor-El is totally just winging it at this point. And hadn’t the fortress!Jor-El been kinda dead? When did he get fixed?)
- My first glimpses of Kara made me *really* skeptical, but based on 7.02, I’m enjoying her enough to overlook a few absurdities. (How’d she learn to speak English, anyway? And did all Kryptonian girls dress in go-go boots, short shorts and midriff tops, or did she swoop by a mall after being freed from the reservoir? And – if someone other than her tries to get into her ship, it triggers a nuclear explosion? Damn, those Kryptonians really didn’t fuck around with their car alarms.) But the connection she makes with Clark, since they’re now each other’s only family (not to mention the only other members of their species), is surprisingly sweet. Something tells me Kara’s going to have a problem with keeping her powers and origin a secret. Particularly once Lex tracks her down. That has the potential to get really interesting.
More immediately, given the importance Clark has always placed on family, and as the Kent family is now totally disbanded, I like that he’s finding a new family bond from within the House of El.
- I’m really not sure yet what to make of Lex. Very possibly because I haven’t yet seen Lex interacting with Clark. (Although I couldn’t help but love Lex’s reactions to Bizarro!Clark. And I also loved that Bizarro!Clark’s first move was to track down Lex and offer to rule the world with him. Yes, Bizarro!Clark is totally at ease with his gayness.) Anyway, it’s hard to gauge what Lex will be like this season, but I’m hopeful that once he finds Kara, and realizes that there’s an obvious link between Kara and Clark, somber!Lex will take a backseat to obsessive!Lex, and things will pick up.
- The fact that the new Bad Guys are from the government is AWESOME. (And honestly, given everything that’s been happening in Smallville, it’s about damn time the gov’t noticed the presence of aliens there.) I’m very much hoping that this plotline will carry through the entire season, and will involve cameo appearances from Martha.
- On a less positive note, the new Daily Planet editor appears to be 22 years old. This makes it very, very hard for me to take him seriously.
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no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 11:19 pm (UTC)Well, that's a refreshingly optimistic way of looking at the scenario that's being set up, but unless Chloe actually relinquishes journalism for something else, I don't see there *not* being a rivalry.
he fact that the new Bad Guys are from the government is AWESOME. (And honestly, given everything that’s been happening in Smallville, it’s about damn time the gov’t noticed the presence of aliens there.) I’m very much hoping that this plotline will carry through the entire season, and will involve cameo appearances from Martha.
I hope it will be a good plot development and not the lameness that the Initiative was in s4 Buffy. But the possibility of Martha getting involved in this storyline is fun--I hope they can get AOT to guest star at least a few times.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 09:50 pm (UTC)I'm not saying she's going to be happy about giving it up -- and no doubt she'll have some serious jealousy, when Lois's career is taking off and hers is stalling -- but I think this is the choice she's arriving at: protect Clark, or be a great reporter. It's one or the other. And put like that, I don't doubt what she'll choose. As a character arc for Chloe, this really excites me; I think it's the culmination of a journey she's been on since season 1.
I hope it will be a good plot development and not the lameness that the Initiative was in s4 Buffy.
I don't think I disliked the Initiative as much as you did. And even while I get excited about possible directions SV might take, I'm all too aware of the ways in which they can screw it up (as they so often have before). Still, hope springs eternal, and this has the potential to be really cool.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 10:17 pm (UTC)Ah, I suspect this is another one of those "watching the whole season in large chunks on DVD" v. "watching over a whole season" issues, because I think a big part of my issue with the initiative is that it started out all creepy and mysterious and didn't seem to live up to it when the big reveal came.
Also, Adam seemed more scary in concept than in execution to me. But I did really love Reilly. And Maggie. And Forrest. Ok, maybe I don't actually hate the Initiative as much now as I did when I was watching it. Like season 4 Buffy in general, actually--when I was watching it it seemed like a letdown after s3 (which is by far my favorite), but now I'm quite fond of it.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-07 11:42 pm (UTC)At the end of Fallout. As Raya is dieing she tells Clark that he needs to finish his training and that the crest!crystal has enough energy in it from absorbing Baerin's attacks to fix the Fortress. The last shot of the episode is the Fortress becoming all sparkly and pretty again.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 09:54 pm (UTC)So has Fortress!Jor-El just been pouting silently up in the Arctic for all this time, waiting for Clark to come back and finally get his training? How unlike him. He could have at least made some of those high-pitched screeches only Clark can hear, to register his impatience.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 10:39 pm (UTC)He could have at least made some of those high-pitched screeches only Clark can hear, to register his impatience.
Hee! It's very unlike Jor-El to just sit around and wait but Terence Stamp has been very busy for the past year so I'm thinking that maybe had something to do with it.
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 01:01 pm (UTC)I was so pleased too!! And I am camping out awaiting his arrival... it is very tease-y of them!
This is also a nice new twist on how it’s dangerous, and a huge responsibility, for anyone at all to know Clark’s secrets.
I agree. It stays true to the original concept but with a really fresh spin on it. It's a big personal sacrifice and one that makes internal sense.
There’s really no antagonism here between Chloe and Lois, nor should there be. They’re different people with different experiences, and so they make different choices.
I agree. Chloe has never complained about protecting Clark's secret and she has put that first time and time again. She's embraced that role and while she may be smarting right now, I think they've got potential to show her coming to grips with all it means.
Damn, those Kryptonians really didn’t fuck around with their car alarms
Hee!
Something tells me Kara’s going to have a problem with keeping her powers and origin a secret. Particularly once Lex tracks her down. That has the potential to get really interesting.
Definitely! *rubs hands gleefully*
as the Kent family is now totally disbanded, I like that he’s finding a new family bond from within the House of El.
I LOVE IT!
I’m very much hoping that this plotline will carry through the entire season, and will involve cameo appearances from Martha.
That would be ultimate! Even without Martha I'm totally chuffed they've gone down the gov't path... about time!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 10:08 pm (UTC)If Oliver comes back and gets it on with Kara, I will be even happier. (*is shallow*)
no subject
Date: 2007-10-08 10:11 pm (UTC)