68 replies to this topic

[TWoP Tennison]

Zap2it:

Lois makes a drastic decision after finding a tape made for her by her mother (Teri Hatcher); Tess makes a discovery in the mansion.

[FuzzyPink]

Tess continues to kick ass. As excited as I was for the Furies, they were pretty expendable. Granny was downright creepy, as she should be. And thank you, show, for not retconning Tess' prior backstory.

Oh, there was another plot? Right. Hatcher's appearance was moving, as were those of Slater and JULIAN SANDS, but this was definitely the B plot. And that's okay with me.

Definitely my favourite of the season so far.

[CtLady]

Parents were very wealthy, powerful people + red hair = Tess is a Luther.

I called it before hubby did.

Wow!

[Lantern7]

I'm sorry . . . Lutessa? LUTESSA?!?

This was a good episode, and I think this is as close to an A-minus (or higher) than this show will ever get. But seriously . . . LUTESSA?!?!? I know Lionel had an ego, but seriously? And I kinda wish we could've seen his face in the end.

The Teri Hatcher-as-Lois's Mother thing was overblown, with just one scene, and on tape at that. It's shades of an ailing William Hartnell in "The Three Doctors." I kept expecting Marcia Cross to poke her head into frame and say, "Hey, Teri. Whatcha doin'?"

Granny Goodness . . . I know that the whole point of Smallville is to tell the same story without the four-colored bombast. That said, I would've preferred Ed Asner in drag over an evil Mrs. Garrett. The Female Furies were pretty badass, especially with Mad Harriet and Lashina.

It's weird . . . I'm nitpicking a lot, and I still like this episode. Must be the end of the world.

ETA: Shelby! Still very cute, and pretty much the best actor of the lot on a bad day.

Edited by Lantern7, Nov 12, 2010 @ 9:09 PM.

[jediknight]

Shelby! Awesome to see Shelby back. It's been far too long since we've seen Shelby. Of course Lois still isn't allergic to him, like she was in season 4.

You knew Tess was going to wind up a Luthor. That was obvious when Granny said that Tess' parents were powerful people. They really didn't try to hide that. But it would have been cool to get a glimpse of Lionel, though.

[missbonnie]

I would've preferred Ed Asner in drag over an evil Mrs. Garrett.

Is that who that was? WOW I didn't even recognize her. Awesome episode. I'm sad we are coming to the end just when we've gotten past all the Lana crap and Chloe is awesome stuff.

[FuzzyPink]

Is that who that was?

No, it wasn't. They were referring to the character being the operator of an orphanage, but that is canon, after all.

[wingster55]

And thank you, show, for not retconning Tess' prior backstory.

Maybe not an outright retcon..but it's stretching credibility.

[FuzzyPink]

It's not a retcon at all. What we knew of Tess previously was that she was raised in Louisiana by abusive parents. That fits in exactly with what was presented tonight; she was born a Luthor, raised, probably by Pamela, for a few years and then shipped off to the orphanage where Granny erased her memory of it. Then Lionel demanded she actually be placed with a family far away, which is how she ended up in Louisiana.

[Sub Zero]

Of course Lois still isn't allergic to him, like she was in season 4.

Actually in Spirit Lois went to get medicine for her allergies to dogs(which is how she got possessed at the hospital so Dawn-in-Lois could get Clark to go to the Prom). We didn't see Lois sneeze in Commencement for instance.

As for the episode I thought it was great and bonus marks for the fact the writers figured out a way for Clark to get out of a trap using his brain, where were these writers in S5-7(I always knew with a little creative writing you didn't have to send people to the ends of the earth to save Clark and make him look useless). lol

Edited by Sub Zero, Nov 12, 2010 @ 10:34 PM.

[benteen]

Real good episode.

-Definitely enjoyed the Tess/Granny Goodness storyline the most. Goodness was an effective, creepy villain and we got to learn a lot more about Tess. I always assumed she was in love with Lex. If that's true, it adds are really creepy and freaky element to that relationship. I bought though that she was Lionel's kid.

-Cool appearance by Teri Hatcher. That was quite a score for the CW to get her, the star of a major show on another network, on Smallville. Her scene definitely worked and she did a good job. She wasn't mailing it in.

-Awesome seeing Jor-El (Sands does an excellent job with the characters) and Lara-El.

-Finally some stuff on the Darkseid front. Wasn't Godfrey discredited though?

-I'll also give points to the writers for having Clark figure out a way to get out of his situation himself, without any help. At the same time, he loses point for lying to Tess at the orphanage. Instead of lying that he needed to get something from his car, he should have just told her he heard something and she should keep her eyes open.

-Jor-El didn't want Clark to get his flaws and ego but instead he got his douchiness.

Edited by benteen, Nov 12, 2010 @ 11:30 PM.

[Kayla2]

YAAAY! YESYESYES! I'm dancing my Happy Dance! _-_-_-_-_ TESS IS A LUTHOR!!! So how does Tess feel about Lil' Lex/Alexander now? I actually cried tears of joy, and other water flowed out from me elsewhere as well. SMALLVILLE you owe me a new couch. ;~)

[benteen]

Read somewhere that one of the women on Granny's wall is the CW President Dawn Ostroff.

[Peace_47]

I thought the stuff with Lois's mother was really touching, although too short. I felt like a dinosaur, though. Teri Hatcher is my quintessential Lois Lane, so to see her play Lois Lane's mother (even if she was a 15-years-ago version of said mother) ... wow. I'll just go get my walker and Centrum Silver. I continue to be impressed by Erica Durance. The writing and other actors are not always (or even often) there for her, but she really puts in a great effort. I would have also liked to see Lois's loss of her mother related to Clark's loss of his "real" father, Jonathan. That seems like a more apt comparison in terms of emotional trauma, as well as something that really gives Lois and Clark some common ground.

I don't always pay close enough attention when I watch this show, so I always have questions. AI Jor-El had shut down on Clark a few episodes ago because he lost faith in him, I thought. That Jor-El was giant, giant douche. But then tonight, the Fortress DVR fired up and replayed actual Jor-El saying he would never lose faith in Clark. Seemed like an okay guy. He also said that the AI was stripped of his ego and faults. So is the AI faulty because it lacks emotion? Is the removal of the emotion the reason that AI Jor-El is such a jerk? It didn't really seem like Clark drew a distinction between AI and recorded real version, though. Also, is AI Jor-El back and open for business after Lois's speech? I wasn't missing him while he was gone.

As for the episode I thought it was great and bonus marks for the fact the writers figured out a way for Clark to get out of a trap using his brain

Seconded.

Edited by Peace_47, Nov 12, 2010 @ 11:52 PM.

[LTG]

I was just happy to see Delores Herbig as GG. And that wad a pretty sexy Desade at the end.

But did Clark just leave all those little girls in Granny's clutches?

[wingster55]

t's not a retcon at all. What we knew of Tess previously was that she was raised in Louisiana by abusive parents. That fits in exactly with what was presented tonight; she was born a Luthor, raised, probably by Pamela, for a few years and then shipped off to the orphanage where Granny erased her memory of it. Then Lionel demanded she actually be placed with a family far away, which is how she ended up in Louisiana.

They've kinda jerked her story around. Bio student who Ollie cheats on, works for Lex, is a checkmate agent, now a fury and a Luthor?

[lrdmordain]

So what exactly happed to GG in the scene with Clark in the basement? He freeze the forge chain, she gets a zappin on his head, chain snaps and lip falls down, GG is suddenly no where in the room? Does she have magical teleporting power or something?

[FuzzyPink]

They've kinda jerked her story around. Bio student who Ollie cheats on, works for Lex, is a checkmate agent, now a fury and a Luthor?

But it all works on a linear timeline. Tess was a bio student (I think PhD, but that's never been confirmed by the show) when she met Oliver, this was after she got herself out of Louisiana and went to Harvard at an incredibly young age. After that she goes to work for Lex. Checkmate approaches her because she's working for Lex. She didn't get a chance to become a Fury because Lionel demanded she be placed in a home far away. But Granny never forgot her. And yes, now we find out her biological parents were Lionel and Lex's nanny from S1. None of this contradicts anything else. Tess has just had a really, really crappy life.

[Xenith]

But seriously . . . LUTESSA?!?!? I know Lionel had an ego, but seriously? And I kinda wish we could've seen his face in the end.

Maybe her mom gave her that name. She wasn't a Luthor, and she had to know that Lionel wouldn't acknowledge her...so she wanted to give her baby something that relected her true relation to make it hard for Lionel to deny? BTW I forget what was Tess' full first name prior to this ep?

Cool appearance by Teri Hatcher. That was quite a score for the CW to get her, the star of a major show on another network, on Smallville. Her scene definitely worked and she did a good job. She wasn't mailing it in.

Teri Hatcher completely saved that subplot for me...in the initial scene with L&C I could care less. It seemed way too early in the episode for the show to try and make me care about some (unearned) emotional plot which had no buildup whatsoever. But then TH came on the screen...and managed to suck me right in.

-Finally some stuff on the Darkseid front. Wasn't Godfrey discredited though?

Image tarnished yeah, but discredited...for liking kinky strippers? Can't see a radio station firing him for that. So he would still be getting his messages out.

At the same time, he loses point for lying to Tess at the orphanage. Instead of lying that he needed to get something from his car, he should have just told her he heard something and she should keep her eyes open.

I'm pretty sure that lie was for granny's benefit who was standing right there, not Tess. He said it with some inflection in his voice that Tess should have known something was likely up.

So what exactly happed to GG in the scene with Clark in the basement? He freeze the forge chain, she gets a zappin on his head, chain snaps and lip falls down, GG is suddenly no where in the room? Does she have magical teleporting power or something?

Clarks eyes were closed when the lid fell...so I'm going with he blacked out for just a couple minutes. Meanwhile the lid falling was enough to alert GG that something was up, or she got some kind of summons for the meeting we later see her at and left.

Edited by Xenith, Nov 13, 2010 @ 1:55 AM.

[SleepDeprived]

I was just happy to see Delores Herbig as GG.

Delores Herbig! Yes, that was her! I kept thinking I knew who the actress playing creepy Granny Goodness was yet I couldn't quite place where I'd seen her before. Good casting choice, show! And, now, I think it's time I got my DLM DVDs out again.

I always wondered if Tess was a Luthor. And, man, that was such an awesome reveal at the end! It's kinda making me excited about that storyline. As well as the whole Darkseid big bad plot. Not so awesome? Her real name. As has been expressed... Lutessa. Seriously? It kinda made me LOL.

Cassidy Freeman has been really great this season. Knocking scenes outta the park that one. Tom Welling? Not so much.

Edited by SleepDeprived, Nov 13, 2010 @ 4:55 AM.

[Tippi Blevins]

I can't get over the awfulness of that name. Lutessa! It sounds like a prescription drug for lactation problems or something.

I don't get why Lionel would wait years to put her up for adoption. Did he only just then find out she wasn't his child or something? Also, I thought Tess and Lex had had a relationship of some kind. You know, of the sexual kind. I don't remember if that was mentioned in the show or if I just assumed it.

But did Clark just leave all those little girls in Granny's clutches?

Maybe he went back, off screen. They didn't show any kind of wrap up for that part of the story, though.

Edited by Tippi Blevins, Nov 13, 2010 @ 7:50 AM.

[Ganymedeone]

I can't get over the awfulness of that name. Lutessa!

In the comics Luthor had a niece named 'Nasthalthia', and, yes, it was shortened to 'Nasty'! Cringeworthy names for Luthor females is nothing new. Nice that Tess got the middle name of Lex's comics sister though. Not a bad episode. Still not sold on Lois nor her family, but it's far too late to whine about that. The ring this early? Really?

[benteen]

Tess has a long backstory but I think it works. But then again, look how they retconned portions of Lionel's backstory with the whole Traveler/Veritas nonsense. Even Lex an I think. Ollie have some issues. Ollie is orphaned at nine, then five. Ollie bullied Lex in that school but they apparently knew each other due to the Veritas nonsense. Hell, Lois's mother died when she was young, then she talks to Clark about her mother being there for her prom, and now her mother died when she was young again. It's a confusing mess.

I would assume Clark and Tess called the police after they got out. Tess was there long enough to get her birth certificate. It was really bizarre though. Clark frees Tess and the next moment he's racing back to the farm and we start the whole Fortress business. They really could have used a throwaway line explaining it. Kind of like a few weeks ago when Lois mentions that the cult was arrested.

Still think Clark should have told Tess that he heard something.

Also, Clark wanting to ask Lois to marry him? Already? Ridiculous.

Edited by benteen, Nov 13, 2010 @ 9:48 AM.

[Scorpiosrule]

I would've preferred Ed Asner in drag over an evil Mrs. Garrett.

THIS.

And sorry, but Tess as a Luthor? WTF? I can't be happy about this, it's such utter bullshit.

And Jor-El as Clark's real dad? Really show? You're going to down that road? FUCK NO. Jonathan was Clark's REAL father. It's HIS death that left a HOLE in Clark which lead to his douchiass behavior these past 4 seasons. Why Clark didn't tell Lois that Jonathan was his real father after telling her that Jor-El was a computer is beyond me. Why bother have Jonathan come back as a ghost or whatever in the premiere then, if Sands' Jor-El is his REAL FATHER, and the "separation" has left a HOLE in Clark. Again, I'm calling bullshit.

I did like that Clark used his breath to freeze the chains to free himself.

The furies were just pathetic.

SHELBY! A Shelby SIGHTING! I really wished he would have growled as Lois continued to snoop for the key into the fortress. But no, Lois knows WHAT'S.BEST.FOR.CLARK. After all, her mommy told her so!

I had to giggle when Teri Hatcher was wearing the do when she played Lois.

Now I'm hoping for scenes where Clark actually gets mad/angry at Lois, instead of her having that right.

[FuzzyPink]

BTW I forget what was Tess' full first name prior to this ep?

She'd only ever been referred to as Tess.

Also, I thought Tess and Lex had had a relationship of some kind. You know, of the sexual kind. I don't remember if that was mentioned in the show or if I just assumed it.

Tess was in love with Lex, but I don't think there was ever any reciprocation on his part. Alexander's comment "you don't even know who you really are" to Tess in Harvest make it pretty clear Lex knew who she was and beyond that, Lex was hung up on Lana when Tess worked for him. I've always assumed it was completely one-sided on Tess' part.

[Lantern7]

Scorpiosrule . . . for the record, I don't think Garrett Goodness was bad. It's just so hard to top an animated character with Ed Asner raising his voice a few octaves. "Children, defend your Granny! GET HER!" Good times.

As for "Lutessa" . . . I kinda remember an episode of Lois & Clark where Supes had to disarm a bomb (or something), and the passcodes were what Lex would've named his kids with Lois. I'm too lazy to check, but I'm sure none of the names were as . . . unique . . . as "Lutessa."

[Scorpiosrule]

for the record, I don't think Garrett Goodness was bad. It's just so hard to top an animated character with Ed Asner raising his voice a few octaves. "Children, defend your Granny! GET HER!" Good times.

So TRUE. Which is why I was under the misapprehension that Granny was a man in drag, lol. Couldn't they have made her look...oh I don't know, UGLIER? And I wonder when we'll see Kalaback? (sp?)

But Ed Asner will ALWAYS be Granny Goodness for me.

[Enter4None]

BTW I forget what was Tess' full first name prior to this ep?

She'd only ever been referred to as Tess.

It's Tess Mercer (googled it to confirm)....I'm pretty sure (didn't checked this) that it was first said during her character introduction to the show (Lex's will reading or something) and to some characters, like Clark and Ollie.

Took me a while to recognize Dolores, and I'm a hardcore DLM fan!, physically changed a lot, but she was perfectly casted. Bring her back before for the season finale! make her wear a Kirby era based uniform, I'm sure she can pull it off!

[Davina]

-Finally some stuff on the Darkseid front. Wasn't Godfrey discredited though?

Wasn't he also depossessed benteen? Xenith mentioned he probably could still have followers even if some of the other stuff came out, but I thought the SPN/LOST smoke monster left his body? I can't keep up and there's not a lot of story here, which is sad.

They've kinda jerked her story around. Bio student who Ollie cheats on, works for Lex, is a checkmate agent, now a fury and a Luthor?

Agree wingster, it's not so much retconned as retrofitted, as Fuzzy explained. I seriously doubt they planned on her being yet another Luthor spawn cause surely they didn't expect 10 seasons of this crapfest, right? So I'm with Scorpiosrule on calling a little bullshit on yet another shoehorned tie-in to the mythos but then.. this is Smallville. Like Tippi mentioned it puts a different spin on her allegiance to and possible love of Lex, then his betrayal of her (the implant spying). I didn't pick up on little Lex's "know who you really are comment" Fuzzy, so maybe OffScreensville Lex did know her real identity. But in light of that episode's "Luthors grow up evil" mandate, will she fear her own fate, that she will be evil just because she's a Luthor? Reveal her biodad to Clark and Oliver as she's now a part of their team? I've never gotten Tess before b/c her story is so all over the place and yet, the wackiness of it all plus CF make her one of the most watchable things about this show right now. Which is good and bad, depending on my general mood.

Teri Hatcher completely saved that subplot for me.

Same here Xenith... not liking these therapy-session episodes as they work through emotional baggage and ancient history one issue at a time. Secret revealed? Check. Family past? Check. Death of parent in common, abandonment issues? Check. TH really put a lot into that scene and her speech wasn't even that badly written, so I gotta tip my hat to the stunt casting for that one, otherwise this plot was snoresville.

And Jor-El as Clark's real dad? Really show? You're going to down that road? FUCK NO. Jonathan was Clark's REAL father. It's HIS death that left a HOLE in Clark which lead to his douchiass behavior these past 4 seasons.

Oh Scorpiosrule, I hear ya. It's like Kara being his only family, despite the Kents and friends he has. So when he buried Jonathan's watch it was a final goodbye, and we're on to whatever version of Jor-el they're showing this week? I don't remember the exact line but something about Julian Sand's speech giving Clark freedom, sending him to be a hero or savior, always supporting him despite trials, was contradictory to a lot of what Jor-el's done over the years, I remember calling bullshit. Whatevs.

that wad a pretty sexy Desade at the end.

Agreed LTG though I don't know who he's supposed to be, much like GG and Godfrey. Guess that's the point, make me watch to figure it out. The sexy will help in that.

[FuzzyPink]

Wasn't he also depossessed benteen?

Godfrey was, yes, but it seems that the simple fact that he was possessed at all has made him the final choice. Comically, Godfrey is an Apokoliptan and one of Darkseid's minions, so I guess this is SV's way of keeping him as such even after Darkseid left his body.

Agreed LTG though I don't know who he's supposed to be, much like GG and Godfrey. Guess that's the point, make me watch to figure it out. The sexy will help in that.

Desaad is Darkseid's favourite torturer, hence why he's running S&M clubs. But he doesn't in any way, shape or form look like SV's, so that's just some pretty CW casting for us to enjoy. :)