SV5.08 Solitude
Nov. 19th, 2005 11:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bop_radarMy review this week is somewhat hampered by being on painkillers and penicillin, as I had my wisdom teeth removed a couple of days ago. So it’s going to be short and simple this week!
Fine
Fine played Clark so perfectly it was painful to watch. He exploited very real weaknesses in Clark’s psychology simply and powerfully. The cracks showed where that Clark is not yet prepared for a life fighting powerful adversaries.
Clark has reached the stage of adulthood where he no longer confides everything in his parents. He now confides in Chloe for some things, keeps other things entirely to himself and turns to an authority figure such as Fine to help him with some of his big questions. When trouble strikes, Clark is forced to reveal more of the truth. Yet he makes some bad judgments on what to tell people and when. His most fatal mistake is trusting Fine too completely. Yet he also misjudges by not having shared his fears about Jor-El with Chloe earlier, or having confided in his parents about Fine sooner.
Having missed the opportunity to discuss his emotions with someone else, Clark is driven in emergency by overwhelming emotional responses. This works in Fine’s favour. He exploits Clark’s fear of Jor-El perfectly. When Fine tells him that Jor-El was a dictator, Clark accepts it because it fits well with Clark’s own surface understanding of Jor-El, who has appeared as an abstract omnipotent force in Clark’s life, surrounded my pain, loss and confusion. He has no time to question things further, as he needs to save Martha.
While Fine is revealed as an enemy and Clark now knows his statements about Jor-El were false, it is evident that Clark harbours lingering anger and resentment towards Jor-El. Jonathan tries to talk Clark into a more general understanding of life’s pain. Loss is a part of life and Clark will have to face it. Yet Clark is trappped in child-like rage at life’s unfairness and he places all the blame at Jor-El’s feet. This is understandable from a psychological point of view: Jor-El is the perfect abstract force to blame. He pronounces painful truths without offering comfort or compassion, he is unforgiving and in a sense soulless. But Clark does not really listen to what Jor-El has to say: it is fate and destiny, not Jor-El himself, who will rob Clark of a loved one. And Clark’s own actions precipitated that, not Jor-El himself, who merely stated what would happen. It’s infuriating, certainly, but Clark cannot afford to remain in fury. He needs to reach a more mature place of understanding, or his actions will continue to be fuelled by anger and his retribution could be damning: as seen in this episode, he hearly destroyed his last link to Krypton. Until Clark is able to bring his emotions under control, he will be exploitable by powerful opponents such as Fine.
One of the most interesting things for me about the Fine versus Jor-El battle is that Fine drew out Clark's passionate defence of the human race. I believe he did so to galvanise Clark's anger against Jor-El even further: Fine tells him Jor-El wanted to recreate a Kryptonian utopia on Earth, wiping out humanity. He knows this will anger Clark and it does. Fine shapes Clark into articulating his beliefs in humanity in a way that he hasn't had to for Jor-El. Jor-El's own beliefs about humanity remain ambivalent and unclear, but Clark's battle with Fine has pushed him further on the path to becoming humanity's 'guardian angel'.
Lionel and Chloe
The real mystery of this episode lies in Lionel’s motivations. He set Chloe on the path to alerting Clark about Fine. His motivations for doing so remain obscure. He continues to take a playfully deceitful approach with his son as well. Mysteriously he knows about both Fine and the spaceship, but his true purpose is not yet clear.
Lois
I was charmed to see Lois getting her own canon development in this episode. I am even more delighted that her prompt to become a reporter stems from her own story. Her run-in with Lex worked perfectly for me. She is a passionate defender of those who she adopts as friends and family. She thinks of Martha as her ‘new best friend’ and she defends her more than Jonathan or Clark in the scene with Lex at the Talon. Lex himself is amused by her until she presses him one time too often. Then he retorts in true Lexian fashion with a call that is both true and cutting and is fair at a stretch considering the provocation.
Lois can’t walk away from an argument and it’s convincing to me that she would get drawn in to battle with Lex this way. He affronts her personally but he also represents many things she dislikes. Lex may be the catalyst for Lois to explore her political stance and sense of injustice, and if that’s what sets her on path to journalism, that would be wonderful.
Some light observations
No Lana! Wow. Being Clark’s girlfriend is evidently the best way to write her out of the show.
I love Lois and Chloe as an investigative team. Clark’s going to be a real let-down for Lois after Chloe!
The more evil Lex gets, the funnier he is: his temper tantrum at the loss of his spaceship was a comedic delight.
Photocopy room at the Daily Planet! Look, people! Photocopy room! Clark and Chloe were there! (ok, that's just me ...)
I may revisit this episode later in the week when there is less pain! (actual pain I mean! the ep itself was bearable!)
Fine
Fine played Clark so perfectly it was painful to watch. He exploited very real weaknesses in Clark’s psychology simply and powerfully. The cracks showed where that Clark is not yet prepared for a life fighting powerful adversaries.
Clark has reached the stage of adulthood where he no longer confides everything in his parents. He now confides in Chloe for some things, keeps other things entirely to himself and turns to an authority figure such as Fine to help him with some of his big questions. When trouble strikes, Clark is forced to reveal more of the truth. Yet he makes some bad judgments on what to tell people and when. His most fatal mistake is trusting Fine too completely. Yet he also misjudges by not having shared his fears about Jor-El with Chloe earlier, or having confided in his parents about Fine sooner.
Having missed the opportunity to discuss his emotions with someone else, Clark is driven in emergency by overwhelming emotional responses. This works in Fine’s favour. He exploits Clark’s fear of Jor-El perfectly. When Fine tells him that Jor-El was a dictator, Clark accepts it because it fits well with Clark’s own surface understanding of Jor-El, who has appeared as an abstract omnipotent force in Clark’s life, surrounded my pain, loss and confusion. He has no time to question things further, as he needs to save Martha.
While Fine is revealed as an enemy and Clark now knows his statements about Jor-El were false, it is evident that Clark harbours lingering anger and resentment towards Jor-El. Jonathan tries to talk Clark into a more general understanding of life’s pain. Loss is a part of life and Clark will have to face it. Yet Clark is trappped in child-like rage at life’s unfairness and he places all the blame at Jor-El’s feet. This is understandable from a psychological point of view: Jor-El is the perfect abstract force to blame. He pronounces painful truths without offering comfort or compassion, he is unforgiving and in a sense soulless. But Clark does not really listen to what Jor-El has to say: it is fate and destiny, not Jor-El himself, who will rob Clark of a loved one. And Clark’s own actions precipitated that, not Jor-El himself, who merely stated what would happen. It’s infuriating, certainly, but Clark cannot afford to remain in fury. He needs to reach a more mature place of understanding, or his actions will continue to be fuelled by anger and his retribution could be damning: as seen in this episode, he hearly destroyed his last link to Krypton. Until Clark is able to bring his emotions under control, he will be exploitable by powerful opponents such as Fine.
One of the most interesting things for me about the Fine versus Jor-El battle is that Fine drew out Clark's passionate defence of the human race. I believe he did so to galvanise Clark's anger against Jor-El even further: Fine tells him Jor-El wanted to recreate a Kryptonian utopia on Earth, wiping out humanity. He knows this will anger Clark and it does. Fine shapes Clark into articulating his beliefs in humanity in a way that he hasn't had to for Jor-El. Jor-El's own beliefs about humanity remain ambivalent and unclear, but Clark's battle with Fine has pushed him further on the path to becoming humanity's 'guardian angel'.
Lionel and Chloe
The real mystery of this episode lies in Lionel’s motivations. He set Chloe on the path to alerting Clark about Fine. His motivations for doing so remain obscure. He continues to take a playfully deceitful approach with his son as well. Mysteriously he knows about both Fine and the spaceship, but his true purpose is not yet clear.
Lois
I was charmed to see Lois getting her own canon development in this episode. I am even more delighted that her prompt to become a reporter stems from her own story. Her run-in with Lex worked perfectly for me. She is a passionate defender of those who she adopts as friends and family. She thinks of Martha as her ‘new best friend’ and she defends her more than Jonathan or Clark in the scene with Lex at the Talon. Lex himself is amused by her until she presses him one time too often. Then he retorts in true Lexian fashion with a call that is both true and cutting and is fair at a stretch considering the provocation.
Lois can’t walk away from an argument and it’s convincing to me that she would get drawn in to battle with Lex this way. He affronts her personally but he also represents many things she dislikes. Lex may be the catalyst for Lois to explore her political stance and sense of injustice, and if that’s what sets her on path to journalism, that would be wonderful.
Some light observations
No Lana! Wow. Being Clark’s girlfriend is evidently the best way to write her out of the show.
I love Lois and Chloe as an investigative team. Clark’s going to be a real let-down for Lois after Chloe!
The more evil Lex gets, the funnier he is: his temper tantrum at the loss of his spaceship was a comedic delight.
Photocopy room at the Daily Planet! Look, people! Photocopy room! Clark and Chloe were there! (ok, that's just me ...)
I may revisit this episode later in the week when there is less pain! (actual pain I mean! the ep itself was bearable!)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-11-20 01:58 am (UTC)I find it interesting that Clark always so easily believes the worst about Jor-El. Just like he does about Lex.
And I wonder if Lionel is only Lionel or Lion-El. His actions for the last few episodes just don't make a lot of sense to me. Lex is finally starting a path that will lead him to become a man Lionel always wanted his son to be, and he's doing everything to stop it. And like you said - he knows too much.
*nods to part about Lois*
Excellently put!
And I think all the time she spend with Jonathan also has something to do with why she doesn't like Lex too much. Plus - Chloe also doesn't trust him a lot lately.
And I loved those two in a scene together. He just knows how to push her buttons.
And he said exactly the right thing to get her motivated. It was awesome to watch. Plus - muffin peddling dropout - hilarious! *g*
Lex acting like a five year old was priceless! I kept hoping he'll stomp his foot, but alas - didn't happen. lol
And that last look he gave Lionel when he hold his face? Perfect! Rosenbaum was brilliant in that scene!
Lol @ photocopy room! :)
I hope painkillers are working. :)
no subject
Date: 2005-11-20 03:15 am (UTC)Yes - Clark assumes the worst about Jor-El to a frightening degree. It's as if the surface markers of authority and power set off alarm bells for him and he sees them as a threat. This fits with his response to Lex: the more he exercises power, the more uncomfortable Clark is with him.
I want the Lion-El thing made clear! I am an impatient viewer when it comes to that... I need to know what's going on!!
Yes, Lois is immensely loyal and for all that she joked with the Kents and seemed to take advantage of their generosity, she clearly loves them dearly. So I agree she has loyalty to Jonathan as well. But I'm really touched by her friendship with Martha. She has invested a lot of heart in that relationship. And Lex got under her skin perfectly! He was obviously initially amused by her cheek but then she pushed just a little too far and he swatted back at her. Lois had no comeback to the muffin-peddler line (with that beautiful 'banana blueberry' line as a bonus!) and she would *hate* that. Dear Lex. He doesn't know he's created a lifelong adversary with one throwaway line!
I'm glad to see the Lois-Lex relationship fleshed out a little. For me, it was clear she didn't buy into his image in Lucy. She was willing to take his help, but she insisted on coming along and taking charge with him (and bagging his car while she was at it!). I liked their subtle powerplay in that episode - they both define themselves in the 'take charge and solve things' role so they work well as a threat to one another. It makes sense that they ruffle one another. Plus Lois says she hates the type of guy who wants to own the world - and Lex seems/is that type. I'm glad to see it developed further.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-20 09:46 pm (UTC)The way I see it, she lost her mother when she was little, and we all know how Martha is and always plays a mother role with everyone. So it was to be expected for Lois and her to bound so well.
Lois had no comeback to the muffin-peddler line (with that beautiful 'banana blueberry' line as a bonus!) and she would *hate* that.
Well the main reason she had no comeback is because he told the truth. I hope this will get her thinking, ans she'll not only get interested in journalism, but decide to get back in college as well.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-22 12:05 pm (UTC)