Smallville: Bound
One of the things that's hardest about this show is that as a viewer, we know where all this going to end, so sometimes the discoveries along the way aren't as shocking to the audience members as the character in the show. Such as this week's dramatic revelation that--gasp!--Lex Luthor has a dark side. Yeah, no kidding. You don't grow up to be a meglomaniac bent on world domination and not have a tiny little dark side.
As much as I liked this episode, I came away wholly unsatisfied by it. Why? Becuase nothing in the history of the show remotely suggests Lex picks up women, beds them and then tosses them aside. If anything, he's looked for serious relationships only to have the women betray him in some way or another. It might have been nice if the producers had thought ahead about this and sewn some seeds of this if not in previous seasons, then at least in this one. But, nope. Instead it's the "someone is pissed at Lex and let's get some backstory to go with it." It worked in season one because that was season one and you could get away with tricks like this. By season four, you'd hope they'd have a better grip on the characters. Apparently not so much. And it's this little trick that mars an otherwise enjoyable episode--espeically Lex's idea that the world might be better off without him.
I think I've said this before, but I love the dual standard Clark has. He constantly judges Lex for lying and keeping things from him, but Clark has pretty much done the exact same thing or worse to Lex since day one. Remember that last year, Lex went to the looney bin because (indirectly) of Clark. No wonder Lex hates Superman so much when Supes finally arrives on the scene.
Meanwhile, the Lana plotline. Lana meets Jason's mother, who she saw the night before in a dream. Why Jason is still around I'm not sure--he was fired and Lana is, well, a certifable looney. How many guys do you know that would stay around after all the crazy crap that happens to Lana and not think--maybe something ain't right here. And then the scene in the back of Dr. Quinn'....excuse me, Jason's mom's limo...the only thing it didn't have was neon lights going off saying "Foreshadowing! Foreshadowing!" Yeah, you gotta love the subtlety.
The Amazing Race
If you want a hilarious and snark-filled recap of this week's episode, you can't go wrong with
Stacy's recap over at
Outwit, Outblog, Outsnark.
You know, I hate to say it, but I am having difficulty coming up with a team that I am rooting for to win this thing. Yes, I know it's only two weeks into the season, but last year we had all kinds of intereting teams and people to root for. This time around, all I can do is bring myself to pull against people--such as Jonathan and Victoria, the professional wrestlers Lori and Bolo and the fomerly-dating-but-might-be-back-together couple of Adam and Rebecca. Boy, watching this year, Jonathan sure makes Colin look tame and sedate. He yells at everyone. It makes you wonder if he's like this all the time not just during the stress of the race. This week, his style of leadership (I wills shout until everyone does what I want!) helps his boat come in a distant second. You can tell during the challenge that his fellow racers are looking around wondering what reality TV god they pissed off to get stuck with him. Meanwhile, Adam and Rebecca fight over his taking off his glasses and leaving them in the boat. And did anyone else think Phil looked scared that Bolo was going to pile drive him in joy when Phil told them they were fifth? I bet Phil will be glad to see these two go...and will the rest of America, I think. I have to admit, part of me was kind of pulling for the roommates to pull it out--especially when Freddy and Kendra were given the penalty (did they think the cameras wouldn't catch that?!?). But, alas, it wasn't to be. Also, I love how Lena and Kristy are popping out of their tops in the cars, but when they run up to the mat to check in, suddenly they get all modest, holding their coats closed across their chests.
Scrubs: My Unicorn
In case you missed the umpteen commericals, Matthew Perry guest starred last night on Scrubs. Certainly if half the people who tuned in to see the Friends finale tuned in to Scrubs, they might discover the best comedy that not enough people are watching. Once again, Scrubs mines gold out of a guest star. I admit I was worried that Perry would do nothing more than give us Chandler reheated, but instead he shows a bit of range here. The role of a son who can give his father a kidney was well done--especially based on the big revelation halfway through he's not dad's biological son. I loved seeing how Perry's character and J.D. are both looking to guy who aren't their biological fathers for guidance in the story. Also, I loved the subplot about Elliot trying to use her femine wiles to achieve the results she wants and how that affects her chances for a fellowship next year. The Janitor running out to buy her a ring and then showing up with the orange soda were hysterical.
How has this show not won an Emmy yet?!?
posted by Michael Hickerson at 11/24/2004 10:06:00 AM |
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