Smallville 8.02 "Plastique"

[abby82]

This is like a week late but I've been busy and I haven't had time to post so, anyway, "Plastique". Well I certainly enjoyed it but mainly for the Lois/Clark interaction because I pretty much only skimmed the rest of the episode. I do think though that "Odyssey" was a better episode overall but "Plastique" was pretty solid.

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• I have a soft spot for Clueless!Clark but I think it was stretch to think that Clark would have gone to his first day on the job dressed in flannel. He isn't that clueless and it borders on ignorance. I realize it's purpose was to set up the Lois wardrobe change and Superman phone booth anvil and perhaps to visually shift Clark from flannel=childhood to dress shirt=adulthood. The SV wardrobe department is notorious for using clothing as symbolism. Clark, after all, is the same guy who has a closet filled with blue and red plain T-shirts and jackets. That's not real world normal. It's frustrating and annoying but it's never going to change. This however was unnecessary. Clark doesn't live in a bubble. He knows what appropriate work attire is. ::grumbles:: On the other hand, I got a vicarious thrill of catching a bit of Clark skin through the phone booth doors because yeah I was totally looking. And I did kinda go awww that Clark brought in backpack of his high school days complete with the red and yellow "C" button.

• I love that they're showing more of what the DP is like. I want the DP to be more that just a set where character interaction occurs. I want it to be a living breathing organism and for us the viewers to get a glimpse that. It's clear that in her time there Lois has already made herself a well known fixture with her coworkers. One greeted her while she waited for Clark to change and of course the one that preceeded it was Lois' theft of a fellow reporter's work clothes. "Personal space, Lane!" LOL. I want Lois' interaction with other reporters to be a running gag. Doyou hear that SV writers? Also I think they're giving the slight impression that Lois is further up in the totem pole than she really is. She's still in the basement. I don't know maybe it's just me.

• Sometimes I like the Jimmy/Chloe relationship. Other times I'm indifferent to it and could do without it but I do have a problem with Chloe flirting with another guy while engaged to Jimmy. I've never really bought that Chloe truly loves Jimmy enough to marry him. Chloe is hopelessly devoted to Clark and Jimmy is insecure about Clark's role in Chloe's life. I'd much rather they use Jimmy with Lois and/or Clark rather than attach him romantically to a character but hey this is Smallville and relationship triangles always reign supreme often to the detriment of the storylines. And newsflash Chloe, you do not accept a guy's proposal of marriage even after he gave you an out and then throw Clark an "I can be available if you're interested" signal. It sucks that were still on a Chlark merry go round but it's fine if you still have unresolved feelings for the guy. Just don't string another guy along in the process.

• Chloe taking over Isis in problematic for me. I sorta liked the symmetry of the Chloe, the girl who spent her entire time in Smallville writing about the meteor freaks and all the crazy effects kryptonite did to the populace, actually being a meteor freak herself. They were just a story to her and now she has some empathy for the situation they find themselves in but at the same time I don't feel counseling them is the storyline for her. I suspect it's just going to be a place for her to hack when she's not involved with the Jimmy/Clark/Davis merry-go-round that looks to be brewing.

• The Lois/Clark highjnks were fantastic and the highlight of the episode. I especially liked the scene with the cop at the explosion site. Lois continues with her "Let me show you the ropes, kid" routine and then her demonstration fall flat. But of course she's "just getting started. "It 's clearly evident that Erica Durance is relishing the opportunity to play a more active Lois. Durance's line delivery was spot on and it's fun to see her facial expressions convey her emotions, especially in the bullpen scene when she thinks she's being summoned by Tess but in actuality she wants Clark. The hospital scene was another highlight. And Clark standing around holding the flowers was hilarious. I loved his dumbfounded, "I'm getting married?" moment.

• I'm still liking Tess. I loved her seduction of Bette scene.

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• Lois proofed Clark's obit. Um ok but isn't Lois the one with the atrocious spelling. I've always seen Clark as the one with the immaculate grasp on how the grammatical rules that pertain the English language.