Smallville“Plastique”
Air date: September 26, 2008
Charles - Two Cents Reviewer
Charles@thetwocentscorp.com
Consider me re-geeked for this series. After a few seasons of what often seemed like aimless wandering through lame story arcs, Smallville has come back strongly this season, with stories and characters that actually remind us that this is a show, after all, about Superman.
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[photo: Marcel Williams/The CW]
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Smallville
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Air date: September 26, 2008
Charles - Two Cents Reviewer
Charles@thetwocentscorp.com
Consider me re-geeked for this series. After a few seasons of what often seemed like aimless wandering through lame story arcs, Smallville has come back strongly this season, with stories and characters that actually remind us that this is a show, after all, about Superman.
And the opening shots of this episode confirm that notion when we see Clark walking toward his desk at the Daily Planet, clutching his newly-minted reporter badge. Lying in wait, Lois takes one look at Clark’s red plaid shirt and swiftly “borrows” a suit from a colleague before dragging Clark to a phone booth (!) and making him change into a mild-mannered reporter with a better wardrobe. But just as Clark is getting used to his new outfit, an explosion outside the building briefly pushes Lois into his arms before he’s out the door, ripping the roof off a bus to rescue trapped victims. Among them is one Tess Mercer (hint: say her name quickly and think warm thoughts of Valerie Perrine), who guesses in Clark’s arms that this must be her stop.
Chloe is also on the scene, and her calls for help bring not Clark, but an equally dashing young EMT named Davis, who finds Chloe’s pleas “hard to miss.” Clark finds Chloe and brings her up to speed on how his job at the Planet is going to make it easier for him to find other people to rescue, though he also has to dodge Lois to do so. Lois begins schooling Clark on her rules of reporting, but it’s Clark who gets the call to meet with the new Planet boss, the same Ms. Mercer he just rescued! Tess tells Clark that he’s on her “to do” list (meow!) and not to be afraid of powerful women. Clark warns Tess not to let the job consume her like it did Lex, and Tess intuits that Clark is a liar who is hiding something. Savvy!
Chloe stops by Metropolis General to check up on the street kid she helped rescue, Bette, who thinks Chloe acts too much like a Girl Scout. Frustrated by Bette’s resistance to her help, Chloe invites Davis to step up and get Bette off the streets. Lois is showing Clark the ropes of reporting, but when her charms and bribes fail her, Clark resorts to his super-hearing and learns that the cops are finding no evidence of bomb material on the bus. Maybe we should ask the street kid! Clark and Chloe suspect that Bette may be yet another meteor freak, but Bette says it’s not her, but her friend Tommy who’s the freak. They set out in Clark’s monster truck to find him. But Tommy doesn’t want to be questioned and runs off, causing Bette to give him the evil eye and blow him up real good! Guess Bette got a piece of the rock, after all. Meteor rock, that is.
Chloe’s back at the Isis Foundation replacing light bulbs, when tall, helpful Davis shows up and gets Chloe all confused about her engagement to Jimmy. Turns out Davis runs into meteor freaks all the time on the job and thinks Chloe should be helping those people out. If only there were a vacant foundation she could take over! Tess is still getting flack from Lex’s bodyguard, who thinks that Lex would have had Bette terminated on sight. But Tess is the new boss, and wants Bette delivered to her. Meanwhile, Lois and her collection of key cards have broken into Metropolis General with Clark to dig up information on Tommy. Awkwardness ensues when Davis shows up, assuming Clark is Chloe’s ring-bearing sweetie. Bette’s getting antsy hanging out with Chloe at the Talon, and gives Chloe’s desk a flaming once-over.
Lois learns that Tommy’s extensive rap sheet contains no evidence of meteor blood, and concludes that he is, in fact, Psycho Spice. Clark dashes off to protect Chloe from Better, who reveals to Chloe that she has been locked up in Montana, too (see last week’s episode). It was Tommy who sold her out to the pseudo-feds. Chloe confesses her own meteor powers to Bette, and advises her that killing people is wrong. Bette doesn’t buy it, and gives Chloe a burning stare down, sending Chloe tumbling over the stairway banister. Fortunately, Clark is perfecting his last-minute rescues, and is there to catch her. He’s also working on the whole heroic persona, and offers Bette forgiveness and understanding. “We all have something we need to hide,” he tells her with his dreamy eyes.
Chloe is coming to the conclusion that someone should be out there helping the freaks understand their powers. Clark, having caught Chloe’s ring, wants to know what’s up with the engagement and whether things will change between them after Chloe is married to (gulp) Jimmy Olsen, before tearful hugs are exchanged.
Tess catches up with Bette and offers to hook her up with some fellow freaks who might be interested in some kind of league, injustice-style! Lois makes the front page with her story, and proofs Clark’s obit assignment on Tommy, suggesting Clark might have a long career ahead in journalism. Wink! Chloe’s leaving late-night messages on Davis’ machine and tells him she’s reopening Isis, just in time for the weird guy in the alley outside the Talon to writhe mysteriously before the credits.
Will Clark’s new wardrobe yield him better assignments? Is Chloe looking to break Jimmy’s heart—again? Will Lois fall completely in like with Clark before Superman ever shows up in Metropolis? And when will the show get a character named Otis? Share your rules of reporting in the comments!
Well, you've yet to be wrong about TV (I still thank you for bringing Pushing Daisies into my life early on in the series), but I just can't seem to get on board with Smallville anymore!
ReplyDeleteI just don't think to watch it. It's totally off my radar. But if you're telling me you're regeeked, I'll consider it. Maybe.