I hope this is okay. On another thread, someone asked why posters are still watching the show if they are so bitter about it. Although, I feel the question was answered well, it made me think that because of the many failings in Season 4, the good stuff is often overshadowed and forgotten.

While I wholly agree with every post lamenting the lack of Clex interaction, the intolerable Lana worship and voicing angry frustration with the Chloe abuse, the lack of continuity, the underutilization of Lex/Lionel/Chloe/The Kents, the shoehorning of the underachieving and unnec. hostile Lois and the stagnation of the characters, it may be good to have a place to talk about what we did like. I’m not a pollyanna, but sometimes, after reading post after post about the negative, it is hard to feel anything positive about the show at all. And I do think they did some stuff right. It may be interesting to see what others liked about the season.

Maybe if we grouped them all together (only the good stuff, what we liked whether it be a line, a scene, the music, the direction or a storyline), it would be clear why we are still watching. So, I thought it’d be okay to have a thread with only the good stuff - to give credit where credit is due.

I realize this might be the shortest thread ever on the Smallville board and that no one else may have anything to contribute, but I thought I’d give it a go.

Here’s some stuff I can think of off the top of my head:

The flying in Crusade was an uber cool special effect and a good choice about how to show Clark flying sans tights. Also, AOT was an acting goddess in Crusade.

Tom Welling has been a revelation this season. His acting has improved steadily throughout the season. Suddenly, he has added subtle nuances to his performance. I felt very sorry for Clark during Pariah when he was mourning Alicia. (And see, I’m not even going to talk about the continuity with Recruit - only the good stuff) and I gained a little insight into what Clark is desperately seeking- to feel both special and normal at the same time.

I almost cried during the end scene of Pariah. AM and TW gave great performances in that episode. Sarah Baker was also very charismatic and at least, they realized that there was more to do with Alicia so I’ll give them credit for bringing her back at all.

MR is always excellent, but I thought he was really stellar in Onyx. I loved it when Lex told Clark that he thought about killing them all. WhooHoo!

Transference was an A+ episode and JG and TW were magnificent in their roles. I will find Mama Kent and Lionel in the loft hilarious forever. That was a bold move and I loved them for it. Lionel in Clark seducing Chloe - too hot! Also unforgettable. And Lionel’s “this one” - classic line..

Of course, Mama Kent’s “you and Lana are so last year” and calling someone a big fat ho after dancing around to Ashlee Simpson and downing all that ice cream, was priceless as well.

Blank, Run and Jinx were feel good episodes for me.

There were great line - here are a few: “crown’s mine, bitch” , “yeah, I have a pretty good idea - secrets and lies”, “ I am the villain of the story.” “You trusted me.” “We’re Luthors.” “I want my son back”
They brought the sexy - Lex in Bound, the Chlark elevator scene, Clex in the locker room in Devoted, Lionel and Chloe in the torch to name a few.

Finally, Chloe...what a great job they have done with you this year. Despite all my ire with the Chloe abuse, Chloe is increasingly dear to me. She has grown up so much and left that whiney, needy girl behind. What a great transition. They could have gone the Pete route and made Chloe angry about Clark’s lies - what a refreshing surprise that they didn’t do it. Chloe is accepting and understanding. She is a good friend, a protector and a great resource. Further,. she has learned something from the experience - that people sometimes keep secrets for good reasons. Her character progression has been a real highlight to the season for me.

I really want to contribute, Massena, but you already mentioned all the stuff that was good to me...

Oh, I know, to go into more detail about Run, I really loved Bart Allen and despite my disappointment about their incorporation of other DCU characters, I thought they did a wonderful job with him.

I felt like the nods to the comics canon were cleverer than they normally are, and seriously enjoyed them.

And Jinx was a great display of Chlark friendship and teamwork. I also very much enjoyed the process that Chloe was clearly going through of piecing together Clark's secret. And I'm cutting that thought off right there.

Hmm. That wasn't as much like pulling teeth as I thought.

Massena - I personally think this is a pretty good idea and I agree with just about everything you said too.

Transference was awesome – I love it when TW plays Clark (or in this case Lionel) as forceful and confident because it’s almost as if Lex doesn’t know what to do with him- it confuses him and I like that.

I also am loving all the interaction with Chloe and Clark this year – it has reminded me of how much I missed it.

I’m probably in the minority but I like Lois. I wasn’t offended when she was drinking in college or that she wasn’t a virgin like some – I think it makes her the mirror opposite of perfect and pure Lana. I also think her role is to be kind of the voice of reason. ED an TW do have chemistry and I (mostly) like her little talks with Clark.

Great thread idea!

Chloe's character development has been a joy to watch this season, as has the CHlark relationship. I've also enjoyed Tom's acting this year and think that Clark's struggles with deciding on a future for himself after high school has been handled pretty well.

"Pariah" was one of those episodes you either love or hate. On the first viewing, I absolutely loved it and cried during the final 15 minutes of the show. If there was ever a time for Welling to actually show emotion, this was it, and he pulled it off admirably. The final scene in the graveyard was arguably his finest performance ever since Smallville premiered.

"Transference" is without a doubt the best episode of S4. Welling was spot-on with his JG impersonation, and Glover did a great job portraying a subdued teenager.

"Onyx" was great. MR's finest episode since "Memoria". He was quite convincing as an over-the-top villian. The scenes in the basement between Alexander and Lex, and in the barn with Clark were awesome.

Oh yeah. Loved the flying in "Crusade", too.

Well, for one, I love Lois and I think she's been a great addition to the show. I'm so glad there's finally a character on SV who is actually irreverent and not manipulatively emotionally demanding of those around her. I think they've actually done a good job of setting up a character who is obviously a diamond in the rough, and they cast someone who can handle the quips and the timing in an endearing and funny way. Annoyed!Clark is a joy to watch, and I always look forward to their scenes together. I like what she brings out in him.

I loved the episode Pariah and I thought it was just palpably different from any episode of SV I'd ever seen before. It was still deeply flawed, as all SV episodes are, but I thought they captured raw pain and grief quite well in a very non-sappy way. And I enjoyed Alicia's brief return. Sarah Carter had a lot of sweet chemistry with Tom Welling, and a way of saying her lines that was very simple and unforced.

Tom has been very good this year, I greatly enjoyed him in Transference even if the rest of the episode wasn't actually that good (major directing/script issues).

I'm very glad that Jonathan Kent's role seems to have been reduced in favor of more time for Martha. Annette brings such heart to the show. I only wish they'd show her even more.

And who can forget? "Crown's mine, bitch!" The show has a much better sense of humor this year than it has had in previous years, and it really makes the show more watchable to me. It's a little more self-aware and less unbearably self-important.

This season has had some episodes that I enjoyed, Crusade, Gone, Devoted(hilarious), Run, Transference, Scare, Unsafe, Pariah, Onyx, Spirit(until the last 5 minutes), and Blank.

I liked the Alicia character and was glad to see her back. She had chemistry with Clark, and the relationship wasn't full of angst. It was simple, it was 2 people that made each other feel normal, and who cares what everyone else thought. I liked Clark's attitude of still going out with her, despite her past and what people thought. It harkened back to his quote to Ryan "I like to believe in people's best.". The loft scene was good, it was nice to see a glimpse into Superman, he felt so much pain for her death.

I have to give them props for giving us those Superman moments. In Scare, Clark is willing to reveal his secret by giving Lex his blood, if it meant that everyone he loved would live. He didn't care what would happen to him, he just wanted everyone to live. Also in Blank, he didn't care if his secret would be revealed, he just wanted to save Chloe.

Transference was my all-time favorite episode, mainly thanks to Tom's performance. What a great surprise!

My favorite relationship - next to the Clex, naturally - was Clark/Alicia. Again, Tom did a great job in those episodes, and I loved the spark between the two that doesn't exist between Clark/Lana.

AoT's performance this season has also been fun to watch. She's a surprisingly good comedic actor.

Honestly, those are the only things I love about S4. With regards to previous seasons, MR's acting really carried it along. So much has been said about his brilliant acting that it's pointless to rehash.

AM's Chloe, MR's Lex and JG's Lionel have made this season wonderful.

JG and MR work wonders together when they're fleshing out their troubled Luthor characters.

JG's Lionel loves his son in his own way and he's not above threatening his life on occassion, but he does temper that with threatening other people as well. JG plays Lionel as a very complex man with deep motives that he may not even be able to understand.

MR's Lex is still as sexy and intelligent as ever, but he's finally being alowed to be evil, and I, for one, am loving it :) His scenes in Bound and Scare were brilliant and heartfelt and he was deliciously evil in Onyx. MR is a wonderfully talented actor and he had some great moments this season.

I would love to see more of a Chluthor plot, but there is always Season 5.

AM's Chloe has it all: sensitivity, wit and intelligence. She can handle the emotional scenes like in Scare, and she can also handle humor like in Devoted, and Blank. She can also be damn sexy like in Jinx, Transference and Bound. AM has great line delivery, whether she's angry, scared or being funny, she works her magic and turns her lines into gold.

Hee, this is going to be kinda repetitive, you guys have covered it already. :) It seems we're all pretty much in agreement about what's been good....

-Tom Welling: Yes, he really is getting better as an actor. Transference was when I realized that he definitely has skills.

-Chloe: I like her new haircut a lot. It's so very cute on her. I think it's the best hair she's ever had on the show. And she's just getting to be more of a sweetheart all the time.

Jason: They don't do much with him, but I actually do like him somehow. I liked when he was being all bad-ass on Lionel recently, and I like some of the little jokingly cute scenes he's had with Lana. I'm honestly not sure a Clana scene ever made me go "awww" but some of the Jana scenes have. And considering that Lana's presense normally annoys the fuck out of me, that's an accomplishment.

-Michael Rosenbaum: He continues to be teh sex and teh wonderful. I can't get enough of him. I'd watch the man sitting there watching paint dry for an hour.

-Alicia: Alicia was hot hot hot. I adored her, even though she was unstable.

-I also liked Devoted for the Clex getting back together and Lex's relationship speech and the locker room scene and Chloe, Clark offering his blood in Scare and Lex's nightmare, evil-Lex wanting to take over the world with Clark in Onyx, stuff like that.

-But the thing S4 has been best for is all the kinky footage it's given people to use in making music vids. TPTB may try to tell us that sex is evil, but they've had enough sexy stuff that it can provide great raw material to be edited together into hot and fun sequences.

So true! I swear, half the reason people still watch is to collect new material to manipulate into something a lot dirtier and a lot better. Which I completely approve of, by the way.

Since I've probably enjoyed S4 more than most, thought I should add my 2 cents in here as well ... =)

- As mentioned, AOT's rage/grief over Clark/Kal and Jor-El in Crusade was fantastic. Kinda on par with her "This was the man I was going to marry" speech in S1's Nicodemus.

- Not a popular opinion, but I love Lois's addition. Snarky, fun, energetic, and best of all, no moping/angsting ove Clark. It's just so refreshing to have a female character who thinks Clark is a fairly nice boy (with a great body), but isn't necessarily all that impressed or romantically interested in him. The banter/bickering is cute, and I love that both characters seem to get a kick out of teasing/annoying the other. ED and TW have plenty of chemistry IMO, and I absolutely loved the adorable dunking scene in Facade (how fuckin hot was TW by the way as he ruffled his own hair!), the "in the future let's restrict our conversations to hello and goodbye" bit in Devoted, the wicked "actually, it might be fun to have a dog around" grin in Krypto ...

- Alicia: It was nice to see Sarah Carter back, and despite the gaping plotholes, TPTB pulled it off by having a good actress who has allowed to have both sweet, charming moments such as the ice-skating date in Unsafe, hot, sexy (albeit cheesy) moments such as the Las Vegas wedding, as well as more emotional moments in Pariah.

- TW/Clark: I definitely agree that he's grown as an actor. Still rather blank sometimes, but there were some highs acting-wise for him this season. I thought he was absolutely fantastic as Lionel in Transference - even better than JG as Clark, in fact, and the ending in Pariah regarding the immediate aftermath of Alicia's death was heart-breaking. Some good Clark moments: He was really funny with the whole "Uh ... I mean I'll cook you dinner" moment in Devoted, and I love that he finally told Chloe straight up that he doesn't have romantic feelings for her. I took the "not yet anyway" and kiss on the cheek not as a signal to lead her on, but rather an incredibly sweet gesture to take the sting out of his rejection. I'd hoped that would be the end of the one-sided Chlark-crap-fest ... but oh well. It made me happy for what it was worth. Being willing to reveal his secret in Blank and Scare in order to save others. Being a big brother and having fun with Bart Allen in Run, which was a really entertaining and enjoyable episode. I especially liked the "you have me" plea for Bart to stay, as well as the ending when Clark was grinning at how Bart was so much faster than he'd thought.

I would write nice things about MR ... but Onyx isn't available yet, and Lex hasn't had much screen-time or interesting moments before that, so I'll save my (hopefully) praise when I get to watch it.

John Schneider, John Glover, Michael Rosenbaum, and especially Tom Welling are all extraordinarily good-looking men.

YAY! replies! I wasn't sure anyone would join in.

In the category of little things mean a lot:

[shallow]I really like Chloe's hair this season especially since they've let her grow it out. It looks great and I hope they let her keep it that way or to shoulder length.
shirtless Lex and Jason in chains in Sacred - very memorable! [/shallow]

I liked AM/Chloe saying how amazing Clark's self-appointed heroism is in Blank and that Clark thanked Lex for his help in Ageless. I really want to like Clark and when he acts like a good friend or when someone reminds me *why* he is a good guy, it makes me feel better about the whole show.

I liked those socialites checking out Lex and pointing at him in the teaser for Bound. It took about 2 seconds of screentime, but it was a subtle reminder that Lex is sought after when he is in Metropolis and that he is a target for lots of people who want him for his very superficial reasons. It gave me more reasons to fanwank why he still lives in Smallville now that he is head of Luthorcorp. Perhaps, he likes escaping from all those social parasites. Plus - Lex in a tux! Always a good thing.

Also, I forgot to mention that the honeymoon scene in Unsafe was very hot! and I thought the director's selection of the song, "Now or Never" worked well.

I liked Bart and Clark's allusions to their trip to Miami in Run and it was adorable when Bart gave Chloe a tulip and we found out it was her favorite flower. What a charmer!

Lionel poisoning Genevieve Teague was a great idea. At least, they've never strayed from showing Lionel as extremely intelligent.

I'm very excited that they are having more scenes with a least 3 main characters. In Pariah, they had one of the best setups this season in the teaser scene with Chloe/Lois singing/ the FOTW & Jana in the audience and Clalicia coming into the Talon. With a cast this big, they really needed to have more group scenes and although they didn't go this way for a while, they've been building a trend in this direction which I think is a really good thing. In Lucy, they had Chloe, Clark, Lex and the lane girls in the talon, but in a more meaningful way, they've recently had Clark/Chloe/Lex scenes in Onyx and Blank, Clark/Chloe/Lana scenes in Spirit and Ageless and Clark/Lana/Lex in Ageless.

And in the category of saying good things about characters I don't like (giving credit where credit is due even if it hard to admit) :

Lana was hilarious in Spirit when she was possessed by Dawn. It was a great performance.

Also, in the last Torch scene in Pariah, when Lois has a heart-to-heart and hug with Chloe, I really bought that they were cousins who cared about each other which was nice to see. All the young characters on the show are only children so it was good to see two young characters interact in a familial way there. For the same reasons, and because it was both fun and hilarious, I enjoyed their singing/performance in the teaser for Pariah. Lois had a sweet side to her in those scenes.

Masseena it's funny that you started this thread, because I saw a non bitterness thread in another forum, and I thought of starting one here, but I didn't think people would post. OR at worst start sending me nasty emails. So I'm glad you had the balls( I apparently have to find mine quick). Anyway everybody has mentioned great things, so there really is nothing else for me to add.

I thought that JA was very good at the beginning of the year, and I actually liked KK and JA at that time( they did have very good chemistry) I think that the only thing that caused them to go down the Jason is bad route was because of his new pilot.

One last comment. I remember not being a big fan of last years episodes. Then I rented the DVD and watched them all in order and back to back, and I enjoyed the season so much better. So I'm hoping that when I buy this seasons DVD package(pathetic I know, but I have a bad DVD addiction)that the same feeling will come over me.

Ooh great idea. Someone once said that tptb would likely log off a thread that was full of wrath, that they are more apt to listen to views about what fans did like...so this is cool.


Jinx... really felt like old school smallville, really enjoyed that, and cheered when Chloe punched Myx in the face and said “Kinda sucks when you have to play fair doesn’t it?” Chloe kicks so much ass without any fancy moves. Warshaw wrote it, the guy who does Chloe Chronicles and the online content, which explains the old school feel wrt the characterizations. I liked the frame of reference FX in the middle of the game, I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff, as well as the football stuff and the elation sports can bring. Seeing Clark perpetually mopey and weighed down was getting hard to watch so it’s nice that they gave him a taste of some fun, and try to explain it with the “every handshake, every hug” talk with his dad.


Pariah...One of the things I liked about Pariah was the new territory they covered, using Alicia’s exasperation as a vehicle, in terms of meteor altered people “coming out”. I didn’t like that she took things into her own hands and outed Clark’s secret for him, but I thought her motivations (that she made perfectly clear to Clark, too) were interesting (“making things better...use your poison pen to enlighten Smallville for a change...so he can be who he really is....etc).

They could have easily gone the cheesy revenge route and had hurt/anger/revenge be her motivation for telling Chloe, but they wove it together in a way that made sense, since Alicia chose Chloe as both a journalist and someone close to Clark. This, along with Extinction from S3, and Chloe’s “mutant” line in Blank, gave me major X Men II vibes (esp. remembered Mystique’s saying “Because we shouldn’t have to [hide]” when asked why she doesn’t just stay morphed in human form.). It works really well when they pepper some sympathetic fotws into the story lines. No matter what Alicia did there was something about her that just made you feel sorry for her, and the way she died- essentially lynched if you want to think of it as the town of Smallville doing it in spirit, not literally- was heart wrenching. I liked that they had Clark enter a dysfunctional fucked up kind of relationship, against his parent’s wishes, wish they’d stuck longer with it. Alicia was so obviously a stand-in for Lex. Also with Extinction and Pariah, using Van and Tim, they exposed Clark to what could happen when someone takes morality judgments too far and starts enforcing their idea of “good.”


Of the Funny:

If you still have your Lucy tape, go to the the Lex/Lionel scene at the end when Lionel is trying to explain to Lex about Jason’s manhandling and they cut to Lex and he’s rolling his eyes with this bored “what the fuck ever” look on his face. I thought it was a nice, hilarious touch that Lex doesn’t usually show.

I love how they always have this prop- Chloe’s big ol green Alien head on her desk at the Torch, when there’s a real live alien sitting right across from her. And how there are like 600 flags in each episode to convince us that it’s not really Canada.

Mawn/Clark scene in Spirit. AoT just rocked that scene, along with the later “Sue Anne Gardner is a Big. Fat. HO.” line in the Talon. She just said it with so much incensed conviction. Plus I’d never seen such an assortment of “WTF” faces from Clark, in the kitchen scene. The funniest one is when they cut to his reaction when she says “Soooo this is your little secret...” Very cartoonish look.

I like the implication in Transference (even though I’d like to actually see it) that Clex joke about Bo behind his back. Makes me want to write a ficlet where they mock his platitudes as soon as he turns around.

Well, I started watch this show just because it was new and it had pretty people in it.

The reasons I still watch the show are...

The Luthors. I love them. People may love Lex the most, but I love Lionel that little bit more. JG is the man. They have the most interesting relationship on the series. I love 'em!

The Hoyay! isn't there as much, but it's still present enough for me to have laugh. So Clark isn't around as much? Bring on Jason! Jex is born.

Chloe. She's always been a fav and she continues to be. I'm glad that she knows "the secret". I like that she's handling the knowledge well.

Chloe and Clark have been working together much more than I remember them doing last season. They're making up for it now, but it's been because Lana has had less interaction with them due to her boyfriend. Keeping her away from them and letting them do some invesigating was good.

The episodes I've liked this season...Transference. So good. It brought the two best things about the show (pretty guys, evil magnificent bastards!) together. To quote Omar



The Alicia episodes were good too. Nice to see Clark with someone he liked who wasn't bloody Blana. They worked well together. The one thing that pissed me off in that ep was the Kents not saying sorry to Clark or seeming sorry about what they'd said about Alicia.

Bound was good for the Lex sex and the Chlark lift scene. :)

I'm not up on every episode like some of you guys but there have been other good eps here and there.

Now I'll stop so I don't start thinking of the negative.

Of the episodes I can remember seeing, my favorite is Transference. TW rocked. He also had great lines and scenes with MamaKent, Chloe, and Lana.

The writers are doing a great job in writing Chloe. Why they can't do that for the others is crazy. And for another thread. She is the only character that I don't have a problem with.

Massena1, you mustn't mistake the daggers of denunciation for hatred. Why is everyone so hard on the show and still watching? Well, it's love, love for the mythic status of the Superman character, that inexplicable place the story has in our hearts.

Who hasn't grown up imitating him? How many towels have been tied around a little kid's shoulders as he/she trilled the theme song and took a flying leap off the bed? Our grandparents did it, our parents did it, and we did. And of course our kids will do it too.

'Smallville' has managed to capture the magic of the myth, even embellished it in unexpectedly great ways (Chloe, Lionel). When it touches on its greatness, we're transported back to Superman as we remember it, with our rose-colored childhood glasses on. 'Lois & Clark' never came close, but 'Smallville' has done it, albeit only here and there.

I think of 'Good Will Hunting', when Ben Affleck's character tells Matt Damon that he'll kill him if he's still in South Boston in 20 years. 'Smallville' has all the tools to make a great show, but refuses to realize its potential. It's our frustration with their laziness that upsets us. But, in honor of the little kids we are inside, we can't accept what the writers hand us. It's the crime against our imaginations demanding justice.

Vote Quimby :)

joye, that was beautiful!

(except this bit)

I beg to differ. Those moments in the pilot where Martha was sewing up potential costumes for Clark, or when Superman first flew in the window of the Daily Planet with Lois in his arms.

Pure. Magic.

Does anybody actually remember the first season of Lois and Clark? Or does everyone just remember the absolute crapitude it became? Get the DVD. Just the first one.

Hey, I'm giving credit where credit is due, just to a different Superman. I did write a post with some positives, but the system gobbled it up -- and just I couldn't do it twice. <g>

Little Girl: Hi. I like your costume.
Superman: Thank you. My mother made it for me. :)

I remember him calling home for advice on how to get a Bomb stain out of his tights.

And how cool is John Shea's Lex in those early episodes? Let the games begin. I love that scene where Superman comes to try and intimidate Lex with his powers, but Lex turns the tables on him and practically talks him into giving up on the whole Superman thing, because of the danger it creates for people who Aren't invulnerable.

Yeah, I believe I'll get that DVD set, I do retain good memories from that first season.

I really liked Chloe and Lex's nightmares in "Scare," especially the incorporation of the white suit footage from "Hourglass". We saw that Lex was still battling his destiny, still fearing that he would one day be worse than Lionel and destroy the world. It's especially interesting considering that Lex has been tilting towards the dark side for the past few episodes.

I actually liked benevolent Lionel because it was so fun to watch. It was *so* obvious that he was playing everyone and they didn't see it! I thought it was hilarious.

Clark and Alicia had fabulous chemistry. Their exchange of
made me laugh out loud.

Clark seemed genuinely happy to be with her and not have to hide his powers and stuck by her even though everyone was against the relationship. I thought his reaction to his death was genuinely heartbreaking. The ending scene with Chloe talking to Clark in the graveyard was truly touching. Basically I just liked Alicia in general.

Much as it pains me to admit it, KK did a really good Dawn impression. Not as funny as AoT, of course, but good.

I laughed so hard when Lex shot Jonathan in the knee. I really do like Jonathan, but *damn* that was funny.

The dog is adorable. I love him. Clark was really cute and boyish when he was playing with him.

And it's been mentioned before, but it can't be mentioned enough: TW is really, really hot. When he wore that black shirt in "Crusade" my TV almost melted.

Another Transferance tidbit that was different from the usual... that Chloe thought of the possibility that Clark’s weirdness could be attributed to mental illness and that he should talk with someone; says volumes about how great a friend Chloe is by putting her hurt/anger/humiliation aside and caring about her friend like that even after he treated her shittily (is that a word?). Maybe it was supposed to allude to what we learn in Scare about her mother. And since AM spilled that Chloe will be looking for her mother in Metropolis I'm hoping they go somewhere with this theme

More funny....How utterly scared of girls Clark was in Devoted...his desperate “Loisss?!” as Mandy drags him off, and how when the whole decoy setup was over he literally fucking ran behind Chloe and Lois. As if to say “Save me from that...that girl. And Mandy had to ask him at one point if he was getting bored. I know they try to refrain from depicting him as a horny 18 year old boy, but jeez...that was just..wow. Haha I guess I enjoy the ever present dorktitude that’s there no matter what he’s exposed to in life.

Another awesome prop...Bo's cow cup. He gets on my last nerve but that mug with the little cows on it cracks my shit up every time. Especially when juxtoposed with whatever serious platitudy face he's making at the moment.

Let me just start by appologizing for my lurker-ish state these last few months...it's great to finally have a friend to obsess over the show with, but when she communtes and you don't and you only see eachother monday nights and tuesday afternoons...I guess when you're almost a week behind in the shows progress some of the excitement of posting deflates. Hopefully once I finish this demon of a 15 page final paper I can return to my regular TWOP regiment.

I, too, like the chances the actors have been having to stretch their proverbial wings...not only do we get to see more of what they can do, but this inner self vs. outter self we are seeing creates some interesting ideas about just what it is that makes a person who they are. The show has always done that with Lex, and it's been fun to see.

At first I didn't like the Jana, fearful of all the Clana drama it might create, but instead it provide an oppertunity for some more good inter-character chemistry: this season we've had more Chlark moments, and some of the Jana has been fun and let me like Lana a little again.

Speaking of Chlark, even though it hasn't gone anywhere romantically, it's nice to see the chemistry of the friendship. When the romantic angst angle isn't being played I feel I can better relate to the characters, since most of my friends are male, and I like to see moments of a guy and girl hanging out and having fun and being close without a constant sexual motive behind it.

While I feel bad for Chloe with finding out about her mom, I like that the issue is being addressed: so far we've looked at sex(unsafe) and drugs(red) and other such stuff, but mental illness is something people tend to shy away from, and that avoidance has done nothing to helped the stigma attatched to it. With Lex we were able to see a bit of that, but since his was from being drugged it wasn't quite the same? I'm a big advocate of this sort of thing, sorry. Before I get off my soap box, though, let me post this link:
Stop Stigma
I hope there's follow through on the show.

Oh, and Krypto made me happy because it made Clark happy, and I love happy Clark.

I used to love the Superman character, but as I got older, I found I could identify more clearly with Lex Luthor. That's why I love writing villians; they're so fucking cool.

Let's see, what else is good this season...

I saw "Run" when Smallville was on hiatus, and man, was that episode awesome or what? Made even better that my trusty friend TiVo could fast-forward through the Crapana. Kyle Gallner is the shit, and he also ruled on Veronica Mars, playing a character entirely different than Bart Allen. Dude has a future in the business, I can tell.

The influx of Jason and Lana's relationship made Lana seem more enjoyable, albeit briefly. For the first four episodes, the Jana was really sweet, especially in "Crusade", when Jason was talking loudly in the church with a French accent. That made me smile.

"Sue Anne Gardner is a big, fat ho." Bar-none the funniest line of the season, barely beating out "Crown's mine, bitch," and "I'm not sure if that's one of my abilities, but I'll do my best."

Ooh, I'll play! This season, I've liked/loved:

* Jason/Lana at the beginning of the season. There was a lightness and warmth between KK and JA that was appealing to see. Lana seemed to *enjoy* Jason and he seemed to enjoy her, and it made their scenes together a pleasure to watch for me in a way her scenes with Whitney and Clark never were. It actually kind of saddened me when the creative team decided to retread the whole tired secrets/lies things between them, because watching Lana in what started out as a fairly mature but easy-going relationship was something that made me like her at the beginning of the season.

* TW's performance in 'Transference.' It shows just how far he's come as an actor from S1, because it was so confident and commanding. I also thought he did an excellent job in the Clark-Martha scene in 'Unsafe', when Clark was explaining the appeal of Alicia to his mother. His reading of the line "she makes me feel normal and special at the same time" really got me. And I thought he was terrific in the quieter moments of Clark's grief in 'Pariah', like the scene in the loft with Jonathan and Martha, and at Alicia's graveside with Chloe.

* MR's performance in 'Onyx.' Even though we only saw Good!Lex for a short time, I thought he did a good job delineating between the two Lexes. The OTTness of Bad!Lex worked for me because MR was, IMO, clearly paying tribute to the idea of *comic book* Lex Luthor, and comic book Lex is OTT sometimes. I also like the way, post-'Onyx', that MR's portrayal of Lex suggests that the character has embraced his darkness rather than repudiating it. I was really struck by the difference between Lex in 'Forever' when the Teagues held him captive and Lex in 'Bound' when Shannon held him captive. Bound!Lex was a whiny pansy-ass, but there was a steely fearlessness to Forever!Lex that I enjoyed, and which suggested that while he may still get targeted by people, he's done being everyone's victim. I also enjoyed Lex's manipulation of amnesia!Clark in 'Blank.' It's things like that and the contrast between 'Bound'!Lex and 'Forever'!Lex that *show* me the character getting darker and I much prefer that to the series *telling* me he's getting darker.

* AoT, KK and AM were all lots of fun as the various incarnations of Dawn in 'Spirit.' KK, especially, really shone in the scene where Dawn!Lana was berating her classmates for the prom posters.

* 'Crusade'. The way the potential of the episode was wasted over the course of the season disappoints me, but it was a rollicking good start. I was fascinated by Kal-El, and the initial introduction of the idea of the Stones of Powah, via Indiana Jones!Lex, was cool and intriguing to me. I also enjoyed 'Devoted', 'Run', 'Transference', and 'Onyx'.

* Sarah Carter. Alicia was and always will be a problematic character for me, but I thought Carter played her note-perfectly. She made Alicia deeply sympathetic *despite* the character's flaws and objectionable decision-making, and she had a sexy, sweet and effortless rapport with TW that rivaled his considerable mojo with AM.

* I think the concept of Lois-in-Smallville has suffered as a result of M&G not ever having a clearly defined plan of how they wanted to use her, but I like Lois as a character and really enjoy ED's interaction with and playing off of TW. It's refreshing to me that Lois doesn't think Clark walks on water and that she doesn't hesitate to tell him when he's being a dope, and I like it that her lack of fascination with him brings out *his* inner snarkmeister.

Agreed. "Crown's mine, bitch" was funny as all hell, but "Sue Ann Gardner is a big fat ho!" STILL makes me want to bust out giggling. Hee.

Ditto on Sarah Carter, all the actors when they were playing Dawn, and TW in Transference. All excellent.

I have to say "ditto" on Clark's scene with Martha over Alicia. I felt for him there.

I can't for the life of me remember Clark at Alicia's grave with Chloe. Maybe I blocked it out because I was glad Alicia was gone. I'm grateful for that.

I forgot to AOT. I love her on this show and I love her character when it is written well.

I do, too. (Of course that couldn't have anythig to do with how Hot TW is when he smiles!) My favorite episodes have always been the one that allow Clark to drop that burden of responsibilty and actually have normal fun. The most blatant example would have to be the one where (I'm sorry , I don't remember all ep. names) that lightning bolt caused Clark's powers to transfer into that other kid (Eric?) I realize that this is one of those melodramatic WB teen dramas, but I'd love to see TPTB give Clark more opportunities to smile and laugh, and generally have normal 18-yo fun.

To that end (and staying on topic), I think that Lois has brought out a more playful side of him, and that's actually been fun to watch.

Anything else I could add would be reiteration of what others have said; i.e. AM rocks as Chloe, and the interaction between the Luthors is great. I've also enjoyed the easy-going, comfortable, no-sexual-tension friendship scenes between Clark & Chloe, like in Spirit, when she playfully throws a pencil at him for nominating her for prom queen.

Season Four love? Okay, I'll bite...

"Run" has to be one of my favorite episodes EVER. Loved Clark's interactions with Bart, and I loved Lex wanting to skin the guy who ripped him off, but doing the right thing when he sees it's just some kid. Coolness.

"Transference"? Awesome ep for reasons that have already been mentioned.

"Bound"? Only because MR is so fricking sexy in the opening scenes. And Guh.

Peter Wingfield in "Lucy". Because GUH.

AOT snarking off on Clark in "Spirit". Funniest scene in the whole series.

And I liked Jason Teague. Loved that scene in "House of Flying B.S." (tm Omar) with him and Lex on the cellphones. HoYAY!

That is all. Hee!

I have to say, the past few episodes AoT has just given really powerful performances. Not just anyone can raise Superman, and they have really let her show her SuperMama powers. I also like the depth that they're adding to the Kent Family realationship.

I love having Chloe back in the show. She just has this spark and life, and AM really does a great job. I will say I feel like ever since SV came back from the break it has gotten alot better overall. I think they have a chance of pulling it out of the crapper....

And I'm really glad that Lana hasn't been mourning over Jason. I am so proud of SV for not taking that road. Good job, you!

I'm going to take it back to the start.

I was a fan of the Superman films, so when SV was picked up, I was against it. "We don't need another Superman show."

What intrigued me was the creators take on it, especially the friendship of Clark and Lex.

They've created a universe where fans have been able to take what they need from it and build upon it to get what they need from the fandom.

They put a cast together who have created magic, who have been able to take characters that weren't fully formed (like Lionel and Chloe) and made it their own.

Hate it or love it, I thank the writers for pushing forward. Not necessarily giving us what we want, but surprising me (in a good way) with what they have given.

They've always had the right look in terms of how cinematic the series looks and for the most part, the right cast. I also think the people behind the scenes (not the writers but the other people) are pretty cool.

I like some of the ideas even if the execution really drives me nuts.

I hope to see more of MR, JG, AM, AOT and yeah, TW in the future.

Somehow I missed this thread 'til now.

I can't think of anything truly outstanding that hasn't already been mentioned. But I want to elaborate on one.

"This one" ... that line was so incredibly perfect in so many ways. It hit on fans' feelings about Lana, was a spot-on JG imitation by TW, and conveyed Lionel's ability to make everyone around him seem insignificant as well as anything JG has ever done.

Here's the kicker, though ... when someone upthread mentioned the line, my mind's eye saw JG actually saying it. Like, it took me getting through the next page of posts before it dawned on me that TW said it. That makes it, to me, the highlight of the episode that was the highlight of the season.

Thanks for starting this thread Massena1 :)

Sorry I lost who wrote this:

I thought it was really funny when Dawn's ex-boyfriend said her voice was annoying and KK was like "No! I don't know what you mean!". Really shrill. I feel like she did really good in that episode and has done well in general this whole season. Then again, I'm not a Lana or KK hater.

I echo everyone who's happy about the much improved and increased Chloe and Clark interaction this season. They're so fun together. Love it when they aren't hating each other.

And I'm in the minority camp that likes Lois. She's just so different from anyone else on the show. Like others have said, to me she brings out a fun lighthearted side in Clark which I've desperately needed to see. Also on the more shallow side I think ED is gorgeous. She has such a neat strong looking face. Am I the only one who doesn't see the "old woman" stuff at all?

No, you're not the only one. I think ED is gorgeous also and that she doesn't look like an old woman. However, she does look her age and that's not 19-20, which is what Lois is supposed to be on Smallville. I do believe that's the sticking point with most people. So in the role of Lois, ED is an old woman.

ETA: Giving my credit to JG's new do. I await the return of the Magnificent Waves but I love this hair man. I just love everything about that actor, he's awesome and gives a great delivery every time. The show is lucky to have him.

Another thing I love about the show is how they show the parental influence.

Jonathan has platitudes for days, yes, but that influence shows how Clark becomes the man he does.

I guess, I have to thank them for Memoria. It really showcased the various dynamics of the parent/child relationship.

I thought AoT looked fabulous and performed wonderfully in the finale. I'm glad that the make-up department is giving her a little more effort, as well as wardrobe. I was just really taken with her this episode.

I also liked that Clark and Chloe seemed like easy friends this episode as well.

fun props Since smallvillefanatic mentioned the alien head in the Torch office, I gotta say how much I like Lex's license plates. They get a smile from me every time. LEX XL - indeed!

remembered some more good things to mention

-I thought AM was hilarious in Devoted when she continued to do her cheerleading routine while Clark was getting clobbered.

-I thought Clark's saying Chloe could be off "chaperone duty" so he could be alone with Lex was great esp. following Chloe's "impromptu coming out party" line earlier in Blank.

-Lex's line to Lana "You can see your way out" - About time someone called her (even too mildly) on her attitude.

-There were lots of awwwww moments with Chloe and Clark that momentarily made me feel better about Clark - "I'm proud of you Clark...you're destined to do a lot more in this world than score touchdowns." , the nice Chlark kitchen moment in Onyx where for once he acted like he was concerned about her safety and of course "I think that's amazing" in Blank which reminded me that Clark *does* do some amazing stuff in between the stuff that he does which drives me up a wall.

Also, I am thrilled that Chloe is going to Met U. next year. From the start of the series, Chloe has WORKED diligently to achieve her goals/dreams and I'm glad that at least that one is going to be met. I guess it's because I'm the daughter of immigrants, but one of my core beliefs is that the American way is you work hard to make your dreams happen and in America, you can make them come true.

Also, on a shallow note, I'm excited to see what big city/Metropolis life will be like on the show next year. College is great enough with college parties, new friends, new freedoms, but to add on all that a big city offers with clubs, museums and of course, for Chloe possibly undercovering reporting on big crimes/big villains and I can't help but be a little hopeful. Maybe she can do some Alias/Veronica Mars style undercover work. Hee.

I'm glad they took a moment to observe the significance of the WOW coming down in Forever. I also liked that Chloe/Lana/Clark acted like friends at the end of the episode, although I did miss Pete being there. (See and I won't harp on Lana and Clark walking away from Chloe.)

Anwyay, Commencement got an A+ from me so I had lots of good things to say about it on the episode discussion thread. But, my absolute favorite part of the episode is when Chloe pushed Lex into the cave wall. LMAO!!! That was priceless. I love Lex, but I was cheering Chloe on. What a woman!

Also, that FOTW, Kevin Grady played by Jonathan Bennett was 1) sympathetic 2) interesting and 3) easy on the eyes - I hope he comes back with Flash.

keekee - Glad you liked the idea for the thread. :) About Lois looking old though? Ummm.... to abide by my own agenda for this thread only being about positive comments I can't reply here. But, I don't think anyone is implying that ED is old, I think it is mostly considered a makeup dept. issue as you could see if you went by the fashion thread.

I love how the show is playing around with other characters from Superman history or comic lore: Mr. Myxyzptlk, The Flash, a shout out to Jimmy Olson. It brings an element of lightness to a show that doesn't do "light" often.

I liked the little tete-a-tete between Lex and Lionel in Commencement. "You finally got the son you always wanted" before leaving Lionel to die. A nice payoff to Evil!Lex, even though it would have been a truly classic TV moment if there'd been some, any build-up to it.

I wanted to says congrats to the technical people behind the scenes at Smallville. We give the writers so much crap (mostly deserved) but the people who put together the look of the show do such a great job! I was really impressed by the "look" of the show when it was juxaposed with the Batman Begins trailer. Smallville has about a what 10-14 day turnaround for a show and a movie has a couple of months but I was hard pressed to see any difference in the quality of how the show and movie looked. Kudos.

That was so kick ass. So classic Chloe. And so Lois. The entire group watching at my house erupted in cheers for her, even the ones who don't particularly like Chloe. She was in *full* protector mode. And she didn't know what the hell Clark was doing with the stones but didn't hesitate to help now, (probably) ask questions/demand an explanation later. And wrt her reaction to what she saw, that look of sheer awe...that perhaps was the most exciting thing about the episode. They really should have ended the episode with that look.

Also about Commencement...that cheesy moment where Clark saves the little boy...the parent's reaction really made that. The relieved and desperate "thank you, thank you!", how anonymous this particular save was, since he'll have to branch out and help random people..nice foreshadowing. And while I'm on parents, Martha's shrill "You're my son! You're not going off on some suicide mission!" really got to me. Rare is it that her composed demeaner falls apart like that, especially in front of Clark, and even though *we* know he'll be all right in the end, AoT made the maternal anxiety and her helplessness in the situation palpable. Very nice. I think overall Commencement was well acted. Even ED brought some game, the combo of the hushed music, her Christina's World sprawl, and that look in her eyes communicated the town's devestation very effectively. Great job by the whole cast.

I must join the compliments, too. I know that no matter how bad the writing , Smallville is always going to *look* great, and not only because of TW's pretty face.

To try to block out the recent evidence of the stupidity of the WB's promotions dept., I am going to remember that the show itself recognizes how sexy Chloe and Lex are which makes me happy.

Case in point: Bound.

Putting aside his treatment in the rest of the episode, that teaser with Lex in a tux and his smooth moves with the lady in red in the elevator could have melted my tv screen. It's nice that they implied that Lex knows what he's doing in the sex dept. It's part of his mojo as playboy billionaire. It also really starts up my imagination as to what kinky fun Lex is into. Lex as the naughty boy is very appealing.

Also smiling about Chloe's Zalman King reference in the episode for much the same reason. I wish they would explore that more - the implication that Chloe is passionate in all aspects of her life and that she may have appetites that may be similar to those of Lex. That makes her seem more exciting. I don't think nudity is necessary for something to be sexy. And I must not be alone, here's the TVGuide guy on that episode.

Watched Spell on TV a couple of days ago (it was so bad it's good in a Charmed-type entertainment way), and I thought, what the hey, I should give some credit to poor KK. She actually put in a lot more energy and dynamism into the character of Izzy-bel than expected, and I thought she actually did a better job than both ED and AM, who were clearly phoning it in (I suppose I can't really blame them). It really sucks that TPTB didn't make Lana more of a Buffy-Coredlia type character - KK does so much better when she plays a more obvious Evil W/Bitch type character.

I wouldn't say ED and AM phoned their performance in...I just think there wasn't anything for their characters to DO besides be Izzy's coven.

I never hated Spell. I never liked it, but I never hated it either. And while I did like KK's performance as Izzy (in keeping with the threads theme), I just couldn't bring myself to care about the presence of a witch on SV.

I remember watching this episode with my GF. After it was over I turned to my Gf and said "What a fucking waste, that sucked. WTF? And I didn't know at the time how bad it was going to turn out. Now my gf loved the show(she is a charmed fan), but even she at the end of the season was screaming at the TV, and hated what was going on. Now this is a girl who has never logged on to TWOP or any other site with regards to Smallville. She knows I post, and that I'm on here way too much. She knows what some of you are saying, because I have to tell her what Cyb and Masseena says most of the time. But this was a fan who loved this show, didn't follow the bitterness threads at all, who became more disenchanted as the season went.

I've always concidered this episode the episode that Smallville officially jumped the shark.

I think Spellwas a good episode. I'm glad SV is injecting the show with humor. Spell, Devoted and to a lesser extent, Run was a great change of pace.

Now, I feel compelled to try to say something nice about Spell, of all episodes, to keep the thread positive. Sigh.

Okay, here goes.

TW's dancing was hilarious. Right up there with David Boreanaz' dancing as Angel funny.

Clark waking up after the party with those kids beside him was good for a laugh.

I agree that KK played Izzy well. I've always thought they should let KK play Lana darker/more bitchy like Gabrielle Solis on Desperate Housewives b/c KK sells bitchy.

Clark's satisfied smile with his lame attempt at gift wrapping Chloe's present was cute. Even though he didn't want to house Chloe's party and he wasn't very concerned about Chloe's feelings and he didn't get a gift for her by himself, he seemed to at least be putting some effort into something for Chloe. OK- that didn't come out as positive as I wanted. Oh well. I tried.

TW"s : "It was magic" and AOT's "I'm sure it was" was a nice exchange.

And since I'm a recent Chlois convert, I now look back with new appreciation at Clark calling out to Chloe, instead of Lana or Lois, for help.

ETA:


wrighty - When you say stuff like that, I feel a little self-conscious and wonder how I come off when I post. I hope I seem relatively sane.