Smallville – Finally!

Smallville fans have a reason to rejoice this week! After what seemed to be an almost silly, throw-away episode about Lois being possessed by the Egyptian goddess Isis, it turns out the plot device actually served a purpose to finally force Clark to reveal his secret to Lois. Yes, Clark finally admitted that he is The Blur in a pretty emotional final few minutes. For a minute there, I thought he was going to cop out again, especially after Lois lost all of the nerve she had practiced so hard to muster at the beginning of the episode. Outside of Clark finally flying, this was definitely one of the top moments Smallville devotees have been waiting for and I, for one, am relieved that we don’t have to see them playing their cat and mouse game for the remainder of the season.

But will the confirmation of Clark’s superpowers eventually put Lois in danger more often than not? I really hope that’s not the case because if he now has to save her week after week simply for revealing who he is, then I’m afraid we’re all going to wish that he’d kept that secret locked up tight. Please, Smallville writers and producers, don’t spoil this moment by making Lois a victim week after week.

As with last week’s wonderfully touching episode, Erica Durance once again gave us an accomplished performance as both Lois and Isis. I don’t know if she lowered the tone of her voice or if it was done electronically, but whatever was done, she still managed to be impressive with some contraction-free dialog … because that’s how you can tell when someone speaking is from a different time period, don’tcha know! Durance made the transformation into Isis believable, and I loved how she just snapped back into Lois mode once Isis was removed from “the vessel.” After this performance, and how great she looked in the Isis outfit, I think it’s time we start that campaign to have Durance cast in the proposed Wonder Woman TV series. Who’s with me?

I also want to point out another really unsung player in the Smallville repertory company. Can we please give it up for Cassidy Freeman? I know a lot of hardcore Smallville fans really don’t like the Tess Mercer character (and does anyone know if the name is a play on Miss Tesmacher from the original Superman movie?), but I’ve been a fan since her first appearance, mainly because of Freeman’s performance. She’s run the gamut from bad to evil to good to bad again, but Freeman manages to keep the character from becoming just a caricature.

I really loved Freeman’s last bit this week, as she basically decided to become young Alexander’s mother, thanks to some unsolicited advice from a returning Cat. When Tess went to read Peter Pan to Alexander and he climbed in her lap and told her he loved her, her reaction made me well up a bit. I just fear for her sanity once little Alexander quickly develops into grown Lex, which is bound to happen sooner than later based on his growth spurt.

I also like that Clark and Oliver basically gave her the keys to Watchtower. I hope she doesn’t betray them. Like Chloe, Tess isn’t a traditional comic character so whether she survives to the end of the series is pretty much up in the air. Whatever happens, I’m sure Freeman will continue to deliver with her performance. I’m excited to see where all of this is going, but I’m already starting to feel a sense of loss as the series moves towards its conclusion.

“Billionaire by day and hero by night.  Oliver, you’re better than Christmas.” – A sarcastic Tess

“Well, it looks like you’re going to be playing in that Sahara sandbox by yourself.  Don’t get burnt.” – Lois to an intruding Cat

“I will never understand liberals.” – Cat

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.  And I thought you were a bottle blonde.” – Lois to Cat after being accused of being The Blur

“This is Metropolis.  Weird things happen all the time.  Get used to it!” – Lois to Cat

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Oct 22, 2010 @ 23:32 EST5EDT