GIP and Relic
Nov. 6th, 2003 07:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina20Second ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
oxoniensis
Well, I didn't hate it, which is good. It was no Dichot, but it takes a special kind of suckage to reach Dichot status. That being said, the first half hour was pretty much a waste for a few reasons. I'm still not convinces *why* it is necessary for Jor-El to have been on Earth in Smallville at any time. I'm not a comics purist by any means, but I do have to say I like the randomness of Superman. Or, at least what I've always perceived as the randomness. Krypton blows up, their favorite son is sent to the third planet and is found by two really nice people who raise him to become Superman. I liked it even more with the idea that Jor-El wants Clark to *rule* the third planet, and yet his plans are thwarted by the fact the Kent's raised a nice boy who is interested in helping his adopted race.
Okay, so maybe Jor-El is a big fat liar and it was just a test. The fact that he himself was sent to Earth and had a good experience (well, relatively; I'm assuming with age, he looks back on Louise and Hiram as examples of what Earth could be with the right *guidance* rather than the Mayor and Luthor as examples of how Earth needs to be ruled). He purposely sent Clark to the Kents to be raised because he knows they are good people who helped him in his time of need. Unless he's dumb, I don't think Jor-El would have thought that the Kents would raise someone who would rule Earth, unless it was benevolently.
I'm also divided on the Kents being chosen by Jor-El to raise Clark. Right before Clark said that to Jonathan, I was all scornful, talking about I like how it was a happy accident, and why change it, etc. But then Clark turned to Jonathan and made his pronouncement, and I got chills through me. It worked. So, I will go along with it and not complain. I guess. ;)
The first half of the episode was bogged down by the fact this should have been a two episode story, and it wasn't. While Joe and Louise were making moony eyes at each other, and walking slowly through a dream, I just wanted to know more about Joe. Which I got ... sort of. I think they could have done more. Shown more flashbacks, shown a little more of Joe just being Joe, shown him talking to Louise more, revealing more of himself than he means to, etc. I like love at first sight, but I also like when they fight against it (like Lex and Clark). It would have been great to see Louise pursuing Joe over the course of a half-hour to forty five minutes and then have the big sex and/or death scene at the end of episode one. Then they could have come back the next episode, had the flying flashback, then flash quickly back to Joe crying over Louise's body. From there, they could get more into the mystery of what happened, the Luthor mystery, etc. and tie it in a more satisfying way (for me, who is all that matters;) at the end.
I love Louise. I thought she was gorgeous, and wish Lana looked like that all the time. It just fit her so well, especially the make-up. I think the fact that it was deliberately heavy, old-fashion make-up rather than whatever was done to her first season just worked. Plus, maybe they lightened up on the pink tones. Lana's make-up the rest of the episode was just bad, and I found her even less attractive than I do normally. But Louise was great. I just wish KK could stop with that whispery thing, because a couple lines got swallowed by it and it was sad. But, bring back Louise!
I didn't understand the Chloe/Lex/Clark think. Have the writers forgotten that, as far as the audience is concerned, Lex and Chloe have only spoken once? Possibly twice, if you count Lex's first wedding, but we didn't see them interact. And we haven't seen them interact since "Cravings" in S1. So why was it so important to Clark that Chloe face Lex? "You're going to have to face him sooner or later." Why? Has she ever before? She wasn't even invited to his second wedding, and her father is the manager of Lex's plant! Unless the three of them were having some affair before "Extinction", that whole part made no sense.
I love Chloe's hair.
I did have one more problem with Joe, and that was his age. Tom Welling looked a lot older as Joe, so for a lot of the episode, I thought he *was* older. And because the character was so poorly developed, I assumed he was on some scouting mission for earth, like maybe the Kryptons (at least his family) knew their planet was in danger, so they were sending people out to scout possible planets to live. So I was ... annoyed by his fascination and the slowness of Louise and him just staring at each other. I wish they had established his exiled state of Lex-like punishment sooner, just for clarification. Because it also crossed my mind that Jor-El might actually have been looking for a safe place to send his offspring should the need arise, or looking to see if he wanted to conquer the planet starting in Smallville. And then the youngness of him later threw me, so yeah. I won't repeat myself again. ;)
I won't touch on the Luthor arc because it was fine. Beautifully played. Lionel an Morgan killed Lionel's parents, or at least Morgan did. I think Morgan did after Lionel had talked idly about it, and it was their first major crime.
Overall, the episode was okay. I'd give it a B or B- just because they didn't sell me on the need for Jor-El to be there, the crammed episode with underdeveloped characters, and the weird Lex/Chloe thing.
Why is Clark avoiding Lex? Why? Lover's quarrel?
Angel was okay, as it normally is now. Wesley and Angel seemed a lot like lovers in this episode, but I can't tell if the vibe between them is that of lovers getting together or coming apart. There was a weird, half way vibe there. It was comfortable between them, but it was like neither was quite sure where they stood with the other. It was actually very lovely.
oxoniensisWell, I didn't hate it, which is good. It was no Dichot, but it takes a special kind of suckage to reach Dichot status. That being said, the first half hour was pretty much a waste for a few reasons. I'm still not convinces *why* it is necessary for Jor-El to have been on Earth in Smallville at any time. I'm not a comics purist by any means, but I do have to say I like the randomness of Superman. Or, at least what I've always perceived as the randomness. Krypton blows up, their favorite son is sent to the third planet and is found by two really nice people who raise him to become Superman. I liked it even more with the idea that Jor-El wants Clark to *rule* the third planet, and yet his plans are thwarted by the fact the Kent's raised a nice boy who is interested in helping his adopted race.
Okay, so maybe Jor-El is a big fat liar and it was just a test. The fact that he himself was sent to Earth and had a good experience (well, relatively; I'm assuming with age, he looks back on Louise and Hiram as examples of what Earth could be with the right *guidance* rather than the Mayor and Luthor as examples of how Earth needs to be ruled). He purposely sent Clark to the Kents to be raised because he knows they are good people who helped him in his time of need. Unless he's dumb, I don't think Jor-El would have thought that the Kents would raise someone who would rule Earth, unless it was benevolently.
I'm also divided on the Kents being chosen by Jor-El to raise Clark. Right before Clark said that to Jonathan, I was all scornful, talking about I like how it was a happy accident, and why change it, etc. But then Clark turned to Jonathan and made his pronouncement, and I got chills through me. It worked. So, I will go along with it and not complain. I guess. ;)
The first half of the episode was bogged down by the fact this should have been a two episode story, and it wasn't. While Joe and Louise were making moony eyes at each other, and walking slowly through a dream, I just wanted to know more about Joe. Which I got ... sort of. I think they could have done more. Shown more flashbacks, shown a little more of Joe just being Joe, shown him talking to Louise more, revealing more of himself than he means to, etc. I like love at first sight, but I also like when they fight against it (like Lex and Clark). It would have been great to see Louise pursuing Joe over the course of a half-hour to forty five minutes and then have the big sex and/or death scene at the end of episode one. Then they could have come back the next episode, had the flying flashback, then flash quickly back to Joe crying over Louise's body. From there, they could get more into the mystery of what happened, the Luthor mystery, etc. and tie it in a more satisfying way (for me, who is all that matters;) at the end.
I love Louise. I thought she was gorgeous, and wish Lana looked like that all the time. It just fit her so well, especially the make-up. I think the fact that it was deliberately heavy, old-fashion make-up rather than whatever was done to her first season just worked. Plus, maybe they lightened up on the pink tones. Lana's make-up the rest of the episode was just bad, and I found her even less attractive than I do normally. But Louise was great. I just wish KK could stop with that whispery thing, because a couple lines got swallowed by it and it was sad. But, bring back Louise!
I didn't understand the Chloe/Lex/Clark think. Have the writers forgotten that, as far as the audience is concerned, Lex and Chloe have only spoken once? Possibly twice, if you count Lex's first wedding, but we didn't see them interact. And we haven't seen them interact since "Cravings" in S1. So why was it so important to Clark that Chloe face Lex? "You're going to have to face him sooner or later." Why? Has she ever before? She wasn't even invited to his second wedding, and her father is the manager of Lex's plant! Unless the three of them were having some affair before "Extinction", that whole part made no sense.
I love Chloe's hair.
I did have one more problem with Joe, and that was his age. Tom Welling looked a lot older as Joe, so for a lot of the episode, I thought he *was* older. And because the character was so poorly developed, I assumed he was on some scouting mission for earth, like maybe the Kryptons (at least his family) knew their planet was in danger, so they were sending people out to scout possible planets to live. So I was ... annoyed by his fascination and the slowness of Louise and him just staring at each other. I wish they had established his exiled state of Lex-like punishment sooner, just for clarification. Because it also crossed my mind that Jor-El might actually have been looking for a safe place to send his offspring should the need arise, or looking to see if he wanted to conquer the planet starting in Smallville. And then the youngness of him later threw me, so yeah. I won't repeat myself again. ;)
I won't touch on the Luthor arc because it was fine. Beautifully played. Lionel an Morgan killed Lionel's parents, or at least Morgan did. I think Morgan did after Lionel had talked idly about it, and it was their first major crime.
Overall, the episode was okay. I'd give it a B or B- just because they didn't sell me on the need for Jor-El to be there, the crammed episode with underdeveloped characters, and the weird Lex/Chloe thing.
Why is Clark avoiding Lex? Why? Lover's quarrel?
Angel was okay, as it normally is now. Wesley and Angel seemed a lot like lovers in this episode, but I can't tell if the vibe between them is that of lovers getting together or coming apart. There was a weird, half way vibe there. It was comfortable between them, but it was like neither was quite sure where they stood with the other. It was actually very lovely.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
great points!
Date: 2003-11-06 07:32 am (UTC)As for Joe, that was my main problem with the ep too. When some people pointed out the parallels to Lex and his exile I liked it better but it still seemed bad to me. Plus, why did he seem so human? I guess I think of Clark as being raise here so therefore he is but I think Joe even acted like he had been there before. Not sure what I expected.
and why did Lauchlan rob Louise in broad daylight with a gun on a crowded street IN Samllville? I thought we were in Gotham for a sec.
Hope your story is coming along.
Re: great points!
Date: 2003-11-06 08:01 pm (UTC)Well, I think that was the implication they were going for. Like a, "Look, Chloe, you messed up, but you can't just avoid Lex from now on. Go apologize and get the information we need." The problem isn't that Chloe and Lex didn't discuss it, it was that there is *no* history between the two of them to really support the tone of Clark's conversation. I've only seen it once, but both my sister and I felt that Clark was implying that Lex and Chloe were, if not friends, then close aquantinces. That they'd known each other, had a history of more than just one or two conversations. But they don't. They've been in one scene together and then, in this scene, the main history between them is implied (by the tension and Lex's bitchiness), but not spoken off. So it was just a badly cobbled together scene.
Plus, why did he seem so human?
I didn't even think of that, but it's a good point. Maybe he'd been here for longer than a few days, but even so, he shouldn't have been so well assimilated. They could have explored that a little more if they'd done it in two episodes rather than one.
and why did Lauchlan rob Louise in broad daylight with a gun on a crowded street IN Samllville? I thought we were in Gotham for a sec.
Good point again. On that note, what was he doing in Smallville? Lionel would have already had to be born (if he's in his fifties), and they were living in Metropolis which has a much larger and richer "to be mugged" population. Why *was* he there, unless he was hired by Tate. *shurgs*
The stories coming along. Second draft it nearing completeion.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-06 10:32 am (UTC)I think so too.
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Date: 2003-11-06 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-06 02:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-06 08:04 pm (UTC)Yeah, that scene only really works as is if they'd been interacting on a regular basis, of which there is no evidence. I wish they did, but they don't. It was just an oddly written scene that didn't mesh with the past canon of the show.