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WARNING:
Okay, you know the drill. If reading spoilers
isn't for you, you should read this after you've
watched the episode.
Wow.
Okay...
That
totally wasn't what I had expected but before
I go into the episode review itself, I think
the first thing I want to do is take stock on
the whole Lana situation.
She
actually wasn't in this episode much, considering,
but some unexpected things happened regarding
her. So, I want to sorta sum up all the weirdness
that has been her character this season:
1.
She faked her death at end of last season
and was hiding out in China.
2.
Somehow Lex is still fond enough of her to
get her off from murder charges (Well, I'm
not sure how hard that was because there wasn't
really a murder since she'd used a never-really-alive
clone to fake her death.) and didn't press
his own charges for her embezzling money from
him.
3.
She held Lionel captive and had him tortured
(that steel trap on his hand), although no
one's pressed charges on that either. Perhaps
it's okay since she did that apparently out
of concern for Clark's safety.
4.
Lana wanted to spend money to help the "meteor
infected" but used that as a cover to
stalk Lex. Oddly, he doesn't really mind and
again didn't press charges since it means
he still means something to Lana. (Weird,
but it is Lex... I guess he takes whatever
love he can get since Clark no longer loves
him.)
5.
Finally able to make love to Clark, after
they'd been holding back for reasons not really
explained, Lana inexplicably barely looks
like she enjoyed kissing him.
6.
Clark had finally discovered some of the terrible
things she's done and begun to question his
feelings for her.
7.
Clark's mother, Lara, told Lana to be very
careful and not let the darkness inside her
take over. (How she could tell that, I'm not
sure. Maybe it's some freaky super-ability
that only replicants of Kryptonian mothers
have...)
8.
Lana herself has said that she's afraid of
not being able to "come back" from
the brink.
I'm
not sure at this point she's just taken on Luthor
tendencies, it seems like she's becoming Lex.
Next she'll tell Clark she stays with him because
he's the only thing keeping her totally going
over to the "dark side."
You
see, I've been curious where this was all going
and even sorta gone along with it as a story
because I thought Lana was only making mistakes.
I thought she'd been letting the desire for
revenge overpower her better judgment. I never
thought that she was evil deep down. However,
it seems like they're turning into that and
I believe that an outright evil Lana is a very
bad idea.
I
can see her being influenced by Lex and his
evil machinations and manipulations of her,
but becoming truly evil? I hope this is going
to a good place because I'm totally confused
why they they're turning Clark's childhood sweetheart
into a female version of Lex.
And
exactly how was Clark able to hold the kryptonite
to trap Zor-El? Did the blue-k cancel out the
green? I wish they woulda explained that bit...
And
did anyone see Grant Gabriel really being Julian
Luthor coming? I know I didn't. It explains
a lot about why he's helping Lex and why Lex
feels entitled to meddle in his personal life,
but how the hell had Julian survived? He was
smothered in his crib as an infant by his mother,
Lillian.
"Memoria"
is one of my favorite episodes. It was beautifully
directed, shot, acted and written, so have seen
it a lot and remember most of the details. When
Lex has the flashback to when he found his mother
standing over his Julian's crib, she was holding
a pillow. She'd clearly smothered her child.
If
Grant really is Julian and his father knew the
baby had survived because he'd helped cover
it up, why was Lionel so rocked when Lex revealed
that it had been his mother who had killed Julian?
Lionel would have known that Lillian was innocent,
he shouldn't have been that upset. That was
a great scene, by the way. John Glover deserved
an Emmy for just that, so is Lionel that good
an actor? I mean is he up to laying the blame
on Lex's shoulders for 20 years for a crime
that had never been committed? I don't think
so.
Also,
Lex was 12 years old during the events in "Memoria"
and now is about 30. Grant is young for a managing
Editor of a major Metropolitan newspaper, but
doesn't look 18. So, none of that makes any
sense at all, but maybe it will when they explain
it. I really hope so, anyway.
And
what about Lucas? Why does no one mention
the half-brother Lex had back in the Season
2 episode, "Prodigal?"
I
was surprised that Kara was so easily
taken in by her father's machinations,
but she is still fairly naïve so
maybe that explains that. She wanted to
believe he wasn't the monster she'd seen
in those flashbacks in Lara. I can understand
that but too bad she was wrong. However,
her getting lost and losing her memory
at the end of the episode was an interesting
twist. Did she lose her powers too? Weird
that she didn't pull the door off when
she tried to open it.
I'm
surprised Clark got so wrapped up in saving
his "mother." He's not as naïve
as Kara and smart enough to know that she wasn't
really his mother, but I guess Clark acting
out of character is just another problem with
this script. Despite all the times he should
have learned to pay attention to the disembodied
voice in the arctic, he still ignored Jor-El's
warnings. Maybe he deserves whatever "consequences"
that Jor-El has planned for Clark. Jor-El's
threats were a menacing end to the episode,
but certainly made what led up to it seem even
more contrived.
I
guess Todd Slavkin's and Darren Swimmer's writing
kept my interest, despite how perplexing the
story was. However, it was like a warped puzzle.
The pieces, by themselves, all looked good,
but put them together and the totality just
didn't make much sense.
The
actors all looked good (except I didn't like
what they did with Tom's hair) and even Helen
Slater did a reasonably good job acting-wise.
Too bad they all didn't have less improbable
storylines to work with.
You
know, I'm just so disgusted with this episode
(still trying to wrap my mind about Julian being
alive and Lana being truly evil) I'm not sure
I have much else to say. I know I don't have
it in me to watch this again to try and figure
something out, so this is going to have to be
it.
Overall,
I guess the episode was okay on the surface
but I'm going to have to deduct points big time
for the totally nonsensical plotlines. I give
this episode 2 inexplicable plot-contrivances
out of a possible 5.
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