[livstevi21]

Yep.

Caught up with the last two episodes watched;

Arrow

Much more engrossing episode, loved the whole thing with the Green Arrow 'bandit' as Lois calls him stealing highly precious artefacts from filthy rich billionaires that were bought from the black market. Lois going after her first proper story for the Inquistor was fun to watch. Loved the scene with Clark and Oliver meeting for the first time, Oliver thought that Clark was more of a geek by the way Lois talked about him. I liked all the scenes with Green Arrow, especially the scene where he's about to steal back a valuable necklace in a high security room and Clark stops him. I liked how Clark uncovers Oliver's secret identity. Didn't like how poor Lois was kidnapped and dunked into water being asked who the Green Arrow is. But Green Arrow did make an awesome save. I also liked how Clark stopped Lois from uncovering his identity by letting him escape and then tells him to return what he stole. So the next day, Chloe reports that seven of the stolen artefacts was recovered and refers the Green Arrow as a modern day Robin Hood as large donations were also left. It's nice that Clark doesn't even tell Chloe who he is to respect his secret, he knows all too well how hard that is. I also liked the end scene with Oliver turning up at Clark's barn. Clark tells him that his relationship with Lois won't work out if he doesn't tell her the truth. Which is pretty ironic advice given that Clark gave himself plenty of opportunities to tell Lana, did tell her but then it backfired on him and then decided that it was more important than ever not to tell her. Oliver knows that Clark lost Lana to Lex, but he doesn't intend to stop his Green Arrow duties. He believes he has a duty to help people and gives the diamond necklace back to Clark. He's definitely far more grown up than Clark is, but then I guess he is a few years older than Clark. He tells Clark that Lionel bought the diamonds from a Bosnian warlord to launder money. Clark looks conflicted and asks if stealing is right, if it's for a good cause. Oliver tells him yes, without any hesitation. Clark is not so sure and still believes breaking the law still negates the good deeds. I like that they are already shown to be very different in their approach as super-heros. Oliver says that Clark should use his abilities to help everyone, not just those close to him. He tells Clark to let him know when he is ready to use his abilities to help the world. Very sound advice, and while Clark does travel the world, he did help rebuilt what was destroyed during Dark Thursday and look for the Phantoms that escaped from the PZ, he certainly doesn't usually expand his heroics much further than Smallville and Metropolis. Timely advice, I'd say.

As for the Lexana stuff. Lex testing Lana's loyalty to him and dare I say it his influences on her as a ruthless Luthor….yeah, she does not fail. She's become a Luthor already and she's not even married to him….yet. Lionel didn't mind being part of Lex's test as long as he could be a part of his son's life. Obviously, Lex is past wanting a real relationship with his father anymore. I liked how Lex told him that he's been so convincing to the Kents' that he is a good man that he almost believes it himself.

Reunion

Interesting episode showing Lex and Oliver in high school Excelsiar. Back then, Oliver and his two friends were the bullies, Lex only had one good friend, Duncan and seemed to have good intentions but wasn't without his father's traits. Oliver was just a bully, but Lex went behind Duncan's back and went nuts beating him up - that was a pretty nasty past. Especially when Duncan then got run over and 'killed'. So at the Excelsiar reunion, Lex and Lana meet Oliver and Lois and Oliver's old friends. How awkward lol. In the space of five minutes both of Oliver's friends are killed in freak accidents, the first being killed by a spire from a statue very reminiscent of that scene in Hot Fuzz and the other blown to pieces in a car explosion. Chloe and Clark discuss her findings about the remaining Phantom escapees and conclude they need the only remaining satellite images from Queen Industries, so Clark decides to collect that favour Oliver owes him. I like the next scene with Oliver practising his archery with new arrows, and Clark just comes in and catches one. Oliver says Clark needs to learn how to knock and it's true. Oliver asks Clark for another favour in return and tells him he thinks Lex could be the one behind the attacks and about what happened to Duncan. Clark then visits Lionel who admits that Duncan is actually still alive but in a vegetative state and in exchange for Duncan's mother keeping with the story that Duncan died, he funds a huge amount of money into the research of the brain and experiments to treat Duncan. Once again, meteor rock is used as a means of experiment and makes Duncan able to telepathically move things including being able to kill Oliver's old friends. Hasn't anyone learnt that that green stuff only makes people go wackadoodle? lol. Love the scene with Oliver and Lex fighting, only for them to be almost killed by Duncan, convenient that Lex is the one knocked unconscious so Clark isn't seen by him saving them. Not sure I appreciated seeing Lana end up in hospital once again, though did love how Clark and Lex spelled out just what I was thinking, that Lana has ended up in hospital a lot when she was with each of them I like how Lois first wants to get to the bottom of what happened to write her story for the Inquisitor but by the end, with what happened to Duncan she decided not to write it as it would be in bad taste. That certainly showed her great reporter skills for the future and that she was human. And the last scene where Chloe and Oliver first meet, I can see the chemistry there already! Even when Oliver was with Lois and they had great chemistry themselves. I loved how Chloe was like 'Wow'. She had a crush on him at the start! Chloe shows Clark the satellite images which show that Raya had emerged from the Phantom Zone. I forgot that Raya was still alive!

[eternalfate]

Good review on both... I'll respond to Reunion cause I haven't watched 'Arrow' in a long while.


Reunion. I disliked younger Oliver and understood younger Lex, but also disliked his actions... sadly it's how some teenagers act. ... which shows you why Clark Kent is so perfect.
I started shipping Chloe/Oliver during their first scene together, they were my AU pairing so I was extremely happy during Season 9. I never really believed it would happen but yeah... lol

[livstevi21]

Yeah, Oliver was a jerk as a teen and Lex was just misunderstood. Funny the way it turns out differently with them.

Fallout

Better episode than I remembered. Another Phantom falls to earth and possesses a teen just outside Metropolis, looking for Kal-El. Raya returns, arriving at Clark's barn, and they spend some time together in his world. I liked these scenes with them together, especially when they talked how tough it was for him growing up without anyone who could really understand him. Raya informs Clark that he should have started his training with Jor-El, but he tells her the fortress is dead. The phantom, Baron arrives and attacks Clark but Raya manages to fend him off. Meanwhile, Jimmy is after a big story and takes photos of Lex's car and the guy who gets out (he was meeting with Lana). He thinks something big is going on and asks Chloe for help but Chloe doesn't think there is a story, despite how suspicious Lex always is. So Jimmy goes to see Lex and confronts him with the photos. Lex just throws him out, but Jimmy manages to take a few sly pictures with his mini camera, which he shows to Chloe, to be Kryptonian symbols. Chloe shows Clark and Raya and Raya recognises it as the Brain Interactive Construct, aka Brainiac and informs that if the Phantom feeds off the box he will generate indefinite power, enough to kill herself and Clark. Baron unfortunately already gets to the box at Lex's mansion (which Lana had managed to retrieve back and given him an ultimatum - her or that box) and absorbs it. Clark and Raya head to the Fortress, as it's the only way to beat Baron. Raya calls for him just in time before he is about to kill Martha. Clark uses Jor-El's symbol to stop him, but is initially thrown off, and Baron attacks Raya. Clark fights back and manages to get Baron out of his vessel and into the symbol. Sadly, however, Raya dies. SO sad, poor Clark, such a sad scene. She tells him with her last words that the symbol will now have enough power to reawaken the fortress. I liked Raya a lot. Liked the scene at the end with Clark and Martha and Clark realising that he must stop running from his destiny (following Raya's advice and with respect from her death) and start his training with Jor-El, but only until he has returned all the Phantoms that escaped with him in the Phantom Zone. It felt like we were actually getting somewhere for Clark in this episode, but instead later episodes just focused on the Clexana soap opera. Clark certainly didn't start his training after this season, but why? All Phantoms were returned by the end of S6, weren't they?! This is the episode that should have been the foreground of future S6 episodes, so what happened?

I liked Chimmy in this episode, poor Jimmy getting fired thanks to Lex, but manages to stay at the DP but in the basement. Chloe reckons he will make a great photographer one day. Aww. Also love the scene where Clark visits that boy who was possessed by the Phantom, that was really sweet.

By the way, I tried to bring over my old reviews that are on my memory stick earlier. Problem is, I typed it using Microsoft Word on my old laptop, which I currently cannot connect to the internet. I tried everything to bring it over to my mac (and my mum's 'cause she has a Mac version of Word) but for some reason it won't work. Then I saw that I'm actually missing the last few episode reviews for S10 and I haven't got any other save file on my old laptop anymore. Bummer. Sorry about that! (It'd take me forever to re-type it. I think I must have done over 200,000 words and about 150 pages. Yeah. )

[livstevi21]

I'm way ahead now. Better not post all my reviews at once or you'll be here forever. (will be watching Justice tonight)

Rage

Good episode. Clark discovers that Oliver is taking healing drugs - he was shot as Green Arrow and he finds him completely recovered. You can certainly understand Oliver's worry when out there saving people he can get hurt, wanting to feel bulletproof like Clark. The drugs have a serious side effect, however, which makes him have raging outbursts of anger and loses inhibitions. I liked how Clark stopped Oliver from making a big mistake and saves Lex's life. Love Lois and Oliver in this episode.

Lana discovers she's pregnant and is left rather shocked and shaken. But I remember it was all a fake pregnancy that Lex set up. That whole plot was pretty mind-boggling to say the least. The best part of this episode is the ending with Clark, Martha, Chloe, Lois, Oliver & Lionel actually all getting along and having a lovely Thanksgiving dinner together. Funny how Oliver would obviously have had to put on a face for it with Lionel being there. Funnier still, is how Martha values her friendship with Lionel. All I can keep thinking is how in S2 when she was his assistant when he was blind…and also what Jonathan would be thinking if he saw her and Lionel almost kiss, especially when his last angry words were with Lionel. I'm glad they never got to that, quite right that Martha was never ready to find out what that something is between her and Lionel. I wonder just what Jonathan would think now, the fact that Lionel seems quite sincere and trustworthy in keeping Clark's secret….I'd just love to know. Anyway it was a lovely Thanksgiving scene with Clark seeing how happy his good friends are and it makes him smile. Poor Lana, in stark contrast, having a very formal Thanksgiving dinner with Lex, sitting at either sides of a long table at the Luthor Mansion. How very depressing. I'd much rather go to the Kent's for Thanksgiving no matter how bad Lois's cooking is (Martha's always looks so good though).

I suppose I'd better make a mention of those two Clana scenes. The first where Lana arrives at the Daily Planet and sees Clark, they both look at each other awkwardly as if they hadn't seen each other in years since their break up. But they ALWAYS bump into each other awkwardly, it's happened at least every other episode. You'd think they would have gotten used to it by now, but they just seem to get even more awkward around each other. Then there's the scene where Clark arrives at the mansion looking for Lex (always opening those double doors with prominence I might add - not to mention unwelcome ) to find Lana looking quite shaken (having just found out she's pregnant) and he can see something's wrong and tells her she can tell him what's wrong. She just asks him if there's anything he'd wish to turn back time and he answers "all the time". He asks her if she needs any help but she just tells him to go. Clark was obviously very concerned for her and she was so shaken there was less of the awkwardness between them. I think by this point, Lana could be regretting getting into a relationship with Lex, and also could see she still has feelings for Clark deep down. Lana later tells Chloe her secret and I like how Chloe respects her friend's secret by not telling Clark when he asks her if Lana's ok.

[Becwelling]

That's a great review Liv, I remember this episode well. Yes, I don't think Jonathan would if been too happy about Martha's friendship with Lionel, he was very hard to trust! But I do think his intentions with Martha were good that pregnancy storyline was awful, they really didn't need to do that I'll rewatch this episode the weekend

[livstevi21]

Oh yes, there's no doubt Lionel really cared for Martha. You could tell his good intentions. It was awful, seemed like it was the only way Lex could get Lana to say yes to marrying him.

[Becwelling]

Yes, it was very odd the way Lex went about it, he was so desperate to keep her, he went to desperate measures, in that way I'll always feel a little sorry for him

[livstevi21]

Yeah I guess Lex had become desperate...not sure if I feel sorry for him by this point though. I always felt sorry for him in the early seasons especially with his relationship with his father, not to mention his ruthless upbringing. He always seemed to have had good intentions back then. But by this point he has broken out of his father's grip (well for most of the time) and forged his own ruthless ideas and intentions. His deteriorating friendship with Clark didn't help matters.

[eternalfate]

Originally Posted by livstevi21 (View Post) Yeah I guess Lex had become desperate...not sure if I feel sorry for him by this point though. I always felt sorry for him in the early seasons especially with his relationship with his father, not to mention his ruthless upbringing. He always seemed to have had good intentions back then. But by this point he has broken out of his father's grip (well for most of the time) and forged his own ruthless ideas and intentions. His deteriorating friendship with Clark didn't help matters.

I agree with this.
By the time Season 4 hit, he really wasn't under his father's control anymore but his ending friendship with Clark was probably the downfall for him.

And I love those reviews!

[livstevi21]

^ Exactly. Kinda sad.

Thanks! Glad you like them.

Static

Not one of my favourite episodes at all, but it does set up the whole 33.1 thing for this season where Lex is using it to experiment on meteor freaks. Lex goes missing. AGAIN. Seriously, how many times is his mansion taken breach of security? His security has always been so lax. Anyway this was basically a Lexana episode with 33.1 being bought up again, (been a while since it's been mentioned?!) by a guy who can move between frequencies and traps Lex in another frequency and demands to know where 33.1 is when he discovers it gone. Again old plot?! Jitters much…. Lana had doubts of her relationship with Lex earlier but now wants nothing more than to see him again. Blah blah blah. So that plot was wrongly the A plot. And Clark, which the show should be kept focussed on, is sidelined to a B plot where he goes in search of other phantoms. This time he travels near Seattle to discover a flesh eating alien who turns out to not be a Phantom. Clark is in serious trouble when he discovers he can't use the symbol and is almost eaten himself when a mysterious being (later known to be the Martian Manhunter) saves his life and then flies off faster than Clark. You barely get 10 minutes of Clark here. What?!

Ok, so I did enjoy the Chimmy scenes and how Jimmy knew how to get Lex back and stuff, he was really cool this episode, and I loved the Chlark scene towards the end where Chloe tells him such good advice when Clark is unsure about this mystery being who saved his life. "Look, I understand that you feel like all these psychopathic space invaders are your fault, but you can't keep it all inside. You feel the need to carry the world on your shoulders, and that's noble. But there are other people out there who want to help you fight the good fight, and you need to let them in. Because sometimes even heroes need to be saved." That scene pretty much made up for a really poor episode. Oh, and Lex asks Lana to marry him. Yeah.

[Becwelling]

Good review Liv, not one of my favourites that one

[livstevi21]

Yeah it was pretty weak.

Subterranean

I barely remembered this episode, but it's actually better than I remembered…well a little bit anyway. Gotta say this first. Why was there always creepy music playing with the Lexana scenes?! Is that supposed to make us think their relationship was toxic? I guess it was. So Lex is waiting for an answer from Lana. And he sends her off to Amsterdam in style and she comes back realising money is not just a luxury, it's power. Subtle, Lex, making her realising it on her own. I laughed so hard when Lana told Clark at the end that she's not a puppet Lex can manipulate. Is she really that stupid here?!

Anyway. I'm glad we at least have more Clark in this episode. He helps a Mexican teenager who arrived in Smallville, illegally, to see his mum but ends up working in a farm down the road from the Kents that's not quite what it seems. Love when Martha walks in shocked that Clark kept it a secret that he was harbouring an illegal immigrant and is angry at him. But then I LOVED when Martha tells Clark "Sometimes when you're dealing with extraordinary people, you need to take a risk. That's a lesson I learned from my son." Ok, this episode is much better than Static, that's for sure. Love Jimmy in this episode. To Clark; "I'm your bro, not your foe"

I could have done without the whole thing with lame Jed McNally meteor freak…but that scene with Lex at 33.1 at the end was really cool.

[livstevi21]

Hydro

An episode essentially driven around the Clexana drama, which mostly aggravates me. But I did actually enjoy the majority of this episode. The best story of course, was when Lois discovers Oliver may be the Green Arrow after recognising the same wound on the Green Arrow's shoulder she saw from Jimmy's photos on Oliver's shoulder. So Clark and Oliver set up a scheme to throw her off course. Clark makes Lois think he agrees that she is onto something and so 'invites' Clark to Oliver's for a movie night. Lois 'forgets' the ice and goes out to get some, whilst actually calling Oliver pretending to be mugged in a dark alley. But then real guys show up, and Jimmy helps but there are a lot of them. But when the Green Arrow does turn up, it's actually Clark in the green tights not Oliver. I love how you could tell 'cause he wasn't so quick at getting his arrows from the quiver lol. Then Lois kisses him, calling him Oliver. Realises from the kiss that he's not Oliver and Oliver is like "hell of a thank you" lol, then she punches him. Funny how that should have technically hurt her hand…maybe she didn't really get his face. Then Clark speeds away and takes the mask off, with quite the smile on his face. Obviously enjoyed it. I love the scene at the Talon apartment where Chloe is having great fun when she discovers Clark had pretended to be Green Arrow from seeing Jimmy's pics and gets Clark to listen to Lois's side of the story. This whole scene was priceless.

The whole thing with Linda Lake was off putting. She was so annoying. Not to mention Tori Spelling is a horrible actress. Lana tells Chloe about Lex's proposal and that she hasn't given him an answer yet. Chloe guesses it's because of Clark, and Lana admits that when she was with Clark she would have said yes without hesitating. Sadly, Linda, another FOTW who can turn herself into water heard the whole thing and their conversation ends up front page news. Horrifying for Clark and Lana. If Martha wasn't now famous as a state Senator, no one outside of Smallville would have known Clark outside of Smallville, especially reporters…and Lana wouldn't have been juicy gossip had she not been dating Lex. Clark goes to see Lana, but Lex tells him she's not there. Clark tells him it must be eating him up that Lana hasn't given him an answer yet, but then Lex tells him she's carrying their child. I almost hated it when Clark was angry at Chloe for not telling him that Lana was pregnant, but Chloe brilliantly fought back saying how incredibly unfair it was to be expected to keep secrets for one person and then to be judged for keeping secrets of another. I'm glad she told him that 'cause he definitely needed to hear it. It's actually one of my favourite Chlark moments, cause Clark then hugs her. "For the record, I prefer intergalactic traveler over alien from another planet".

Lana eventually says yes to Lex, after admitting that she still loves Clark…she loves both of them. Oh and she's suspicious of the secret she knows Chloe is keeping for Clark. The snooping around begins!

[eternalfate]

Clark/Lex/Lana drama did nothing but made all characters look bad.
The Linda Lake storyline was a mess, that I agree. I never liked that.

Clark reaction to the Lois kiss... seems like that was the kiss of his life with his reaction.

I agree the best storyline was the Oliver/Green Arrow identity stuff.

[livstevi21]

Exactly!

I hate that they bought Linda Lake back in S8.

Yeah his reaction there was priceless.