In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Smallville
Episode Recap: "Siren"
Considering last week's episode went up against the recap of Lost, that opening scene with Black Canary almost knifing Chloe should have ended with Clark saving her from near death, not Green Arrow's arrow shattering mid-air because Black Canary has the power of sound.
That aside, it was hard to find anything redeeming in tonight's airing. Tom Welling's take on Bizarro was a lot stronger than his take on Clark's been in a while, and the relationship between Lana and the “real” him were beyond uncomfortable. Even the scenes with Lionel and Lex, who for a long time were far and away the strongest characters on the show, felt forced.
So what worked? Not a lot. Why would Green Arrow reveal his identity to Chloe, who was nothing more than a bit player in the Justice League, and not Lois, the gorgeous girl he was dating?
Why did it take this long for Lana to see herself more as a Lady Macbeth than the girl next door? On the same line, why did it take this long for Clark to realize that she's nothing but bad news? “Every time you look at me, it's like you wish I was someone else.” You're darned right about that, Clark.
As a long-time fan of the show, it borders on painful to see it going in this direction. Odd as it may seem, the Green Arrow character was the one to point it out — Clark is acting selfish, laying around on the couch while the world around him falls apart.
In tune with the comics, the first few seasons portrayed him as a selfless, sacrificial hero. Clark's unwavering sense of right and wrong was defined by his incredible parents, not Lionel Luthor and Lana Lang.
So what else happened this week? Clark fell further out of touch with his moral center and Lois, who hasn't been on the show for months, had her heart broken by the clone/former Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet for no good reason. And Chloe, who got dumped by Jimmy Olsen for Supergirl and used to be in love with Clark, fell for the Green Arrow, who used to date Lois.
If older fans of the show who've lost touch with current episodes don't think that makes any sense — don't worry. You're about as confused as current fans are.
I don't want to come off in the wrong way. Smallville is a great show with a great premise. It's just one that's lost touch with its' original premise and its' original fans. I'm excited every time it comes on: but I can't wait until it gets back to being a show that's fun to watch week in and out.
For more on Smallville, check out our Online Video Guide.
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Feb 7, 2008 11:33 PM
|
That wasn't "fake Catwoman," that was the Black Canary. Her power is the Canary Cry, a sonic pulse generated by her vocal chords. (Same character Lori Loughlin played in one episode of "Birds of Prey" a few years ago.) In the comics, she dated Green Arrow, which is pretty much what they were alluding to at the end. I'd love to see a series developed around her.
I wish they had done more with her character. I am also sick of the Clark/Lana drama. Get on with it. Break up already. Move on.
So what other superhero characters will the bring on board next? Maybe The Wonder Twins will make an appearance? LOL Actually the only remaining "main" DC characters to come on board are Batman, Wonder Woman (both of whom are evidently tied up in red tape and thus untouchable) and Green Lantern. How awesome would it be to see the Emerald Warrior drop by for a visit?
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 12:06 AM
|
James, I respectfully disagree with you. I liked this episode. I didn't LOVE it, but I like to just sit back and enjoy it without over-analyzing it.
I was very happy to see the sexy, shirtless, dimple-chinned Justin Hartley... wow, that man is hot. 
And I thought Erica Durance was very believeable in her last scene with Clark - I believed her heartbreak! Yes, I know some people will complain about how they hit us over the head with the "foreshadowing" regarding her future with Clark - how can she be with him one day considering his "destiny"? If she thought it'd be bad with Green Arrow... she ain't seen nuthin' yet! Oh, and there was also the unfortunate side effect that she made Clark empathetic to Lana's situation with him so now they're going to try to work it out - GAG!
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 12:12 AM
|
|
the only good part of the episode was lois (first time i've enjoyed seeing lois do anything i dislike her character and her acting ability) and arrow at the end, other than that it was crap and way too forced. which sucks after last week with i think is my fav all time ep. last week was briliant every step of the way and i expected this week to match and was very disapointed
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 12:59 AM
|
|
the episode sucked except for lois' performance towards the end(I DO NOT LIKE HER CHARACTER OR HER PORTRAYAL OF SAID CHARACTER) and coming off last weeks ep. which was pure gold every moment was beautiful and i think its my all time fav. i expected this week to follow the same line but was mega disappointed. and i think the actress who played the canary was a bad pick. she wasn't believable enough.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 1:07 AM
|
Aliasroks - thanks for clearing that up, just looking at her character, all I could think of was how much she reminded me of Catwoman.
Regalrobert - when Green Arrow rescued Chloe from, ah, Black Canary, and he took off his mask, she had the look on her face of a girl who'd just fallen hard. And Lois being told by someone else that Grant was back in town seemed like it really upset her. I know he's hurt her before, but that moment seemed to just crush her. I will agree that my re-cap was too editorial. I'll be more straight forward in the future.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 7:41 AM
|
Mr. Borden:
I SO agree with you on last night's episode! If there was a smiley showing a head banging up against a wall, I'd put it here! Alaina Huffman WAS miscast as Black Canary, and I'm sorry, but as the "voice of Justice" shouldn't she have known how many times Lex has tangled with the law and on its wrong side? To automatically accept that Lex was the "good guy" and everyone else were terrorists, just didn't play for me. Pretty stupid for her not to do research to make sure she was working on the "right" side. For the first half of the show, my mouth was hanging open and my mind was saying--what????? BC is supposed to be a GOOD character--not a villain!!!!!! Shoddy writing for this episode.
Her acting was flat and she came off trying to be, I don't know, like Electra? Just an empty shell, imho, which was disappointing because I did enjoy her character on Justice League Unlimited, where she and GA did have a relationship.
I also agree with the other poster about Lois's reasons for not wanting to be with Ollie. Hello???? WE, the fans, or everyone who knows the story of Superman, KNOW that Lois DOES share Superman/Clark with the world!!!! ARGH!!!! I suppose since the series won't segue into Superman 10 years down the road, it's moot, but it still irks me.
I was SO happy with that confrontation that Clark and Lana had and thinking: "YES!" She will leave and NEVER come back, then the writers had to mess it up by having them want to "work" it out. Work it out HOW when Lana herself said that it was with Bizarro that she felt really loved, blah, blah, blah...
And I guess Chloe is really forgiving, considering Lana's words to her last week about not knowing Clark as well as she thought, for her to let stay with her during her "separation" from Clark.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Lana needs to GO. FAR, FAR, FAR, FAAAAR AWAY!!!. Get rid of Kristen, and bring back Annette O'Toole.
The only other positive was seeing Justin Hartley again as GA.
Next week looks...interesting. Does anyone know if Michael Rosenbaum put on weight purposely so that Lex would look more evil? (if that makes sense.)
~Sangeeta
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 8:25 AM
|
This must have been the episode the producers alluded to where Chloe was in "Watchtower" mode again.
I didn't like the canary very much, but I didn't think the episode was horrible. I've seen much worse from this show. I was hoping for Clark to kick Lana out, but oh well. As for her staying with Chloe, I think Chloe just wants to keep an eye on her. She warned her earlier in the season that she wouldn't let her hurt Clark. Lionel's "obsession" with Lex seemed forced, like they threw it in at the last minute. Justin was beautiful as always.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 9:44 AM
|
James, I also have to respectfully disagree on some counts. I found this to be one of the stronger episodes of the season. While it's true that the whole "Black Canary works for Lex Luthor" angle wasn't handled as well as it could, it does make sense in some context. Black Canary isn't exactly Wonder Woman in the comics. She's not a 100% black/white kind of a character.
Also, she didn't remind me of Catwoman at all. She had a sonic cry as her weapon and a bunch of knives.
I do think, however, that Alaina Huffman was a bit stiff in the role. She didn't seem to lighten up even once - even when she was supposed to be flirting with Ollie.
Moving on the Chloe's role. Oliver never told Chloe he was Green Arrow. Clark told her about Bart and the whole Justice League. In point of fact, Ollie was quite ticked off about it. And when Chloe tried to tell him that he needed to tell Lois, he cut her off with a snide remark about how she was just a "sidekick".
You're, of course, entitled to your take on the episode, I never saw Chloe falling for Oliver. She's known him for awhile and has been working for him. I'm sure that's not the first time she's been saved by a member of the JL who was not Clark, and it won't certainly be the last if she continues in her capacity as hacker-sidekick. Out of all the members of the JL (aside from Clark) it makes much more sense for something to develop between Chloe & Bart, given the past interaction between them. And while she did have that look of amazement on her face, Chloe usually has that look of amazement on her face when she sees someone do a "super-hero" thing. She acted that way with Angel of Vengeance (season 5) and the sense I got was that she was also very into the Black Canary's powers, too, and her amazement was not just at Ollie, but just that two superheroes were fighting in front of her.
And while I also hated the Grant/Lois relationship, we need to give "SV" points in this episode, because they actually mentioned it! Lois says that she was hoping that Grant would help her get over Ollie. While I may not agree that it's the best reason for Lois to have jumped into that relationship, it at least told us that Lois had been analyzing the situation.
For me, the good outweighed the bad in this episode. Yes, Clark lets Lana stay at the end of the episode. But he was standing up to her and calling her on everything in this episode. That never happens! The words "it's all my fault" never left his lips! He actually threw the whole, "you were in love with Lex Luthor" thing in her face. When has that ever happened? And, at the end, when she tried to guilt trip him into saying that he knew she was the one he was meant to be with for the rest of his life, he doesn't cave. His response is, "I don't know what the future holds." The Clark Kent (pre-Bizarro) would never have said that. He would have made some melodramatic statement that he would love her forever, no matter what.
And I also thought the Ollie/Lois scenes were well done. Her response to his dual identity was incredibly well done. She doesn't jump to stay with him because her past with the General stops her. Lois has baggage, just like the rest of the characters. She's got issues from her childhood that she needs to deal with, too, before she and Clark can have a happily ever after. And, in this episode, we saw the foundation for this legendary love affair in a much more realistic manner than the "hopped up on Red-K" make-out sessions in "Crimson" of last season. (Not that I didn't enjoy that episode.  )
All in all, I had a completely different take on the episode than you. Sure, there were cringe-worthy moments, but - on a whole - I found it to be highly fun & entertaining. And it was the first episode - in a long time - where I liked Clark again.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 9:46 AM
|
|
I liked this episode for the most part, but I took issue with one thing: since when can Black Canary's sonic scream KO the Man of Steel? At best, it should have sent him tumbling back because he wasn't expecting it, but it shouldn't have caused bleeding from the ears. Only magic can affect Superman like that if kryptonite isn't involved. And if Superman is prepared, Canary can't do a damn thing to him. I know Clark hasn't come to his full powers yet, but this is wimpifying him a bit too much.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:32 AM
|
I guess what's surprised me (and maybe I haven't been paying close attention) is how cavalierly the whole "Grant was murdered" situation has been taken so far. Let's see--Lois is a lot more upset that Oliver Queen strolled back into town without giving her a call (she finds out through the tabloids which was funny) but her ex-lover Grant was murdered and she's not trying to find whodunit? (After all the 'mugger' got away). Even if he was a rebound romance, that's cold. I almost expected Lionel to turn to Chloe to do some investigating for him--and if Lionel really wanted to stir Lana up (or even Clark), he should have mentioned that Grant was a Julian clone. Didn't Clark know about Lex's baby brother?
And I'm another viewer who in no way thought that Chloe had fallen for Oliver--she was helping out because he was paying her and probably because she's always ready to stick it to Lex. But Clark's annoyance that Oliver had pre-empted his 'sidekick' was also amusing. Although the writers have stretched out the whole Lana/Clark 'where did our love go?' plot to beyond the breaking point.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:40 AM
|
FrenchCelt said: "I liked this episode for the most part, but I took issue with one thing: since when can Black Canary's sonic scream KO the Man of Steel? At best, it should have sent him tumbling back because he wasn't expecting it, but it shouldn't have caused bleeding from the ears. Only magic can affect Superman like that if kryptonite isn't involved. And if Superman is prepared, Canary can't do a damn thing to him. I know Clark hasn't come to his full powers yet, but this is wimpifying him a bit too much."
I thought the same thing! And it IS magic being the only thing that can hurt him.
I was going to say something similar, but thought I would come off as whining too much, as I already have issues with the um...straying away from characters in this show.
I really do wish Clark had stayed strong and just let Lana LEAVE without going into that stupid bit about joyriding in a sports car. 
~Sangeeta
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:40 AM
|
Erum - great take on the episode.
That point where Clark called out Lana for marrying Lex was great - and you're right, that was the first time he didn't blame himself for her mistakes.
I still hated the episode, but I'm glad you, and a lot of other fans, were able to enjoy it.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:40 AM
|
bluesheep said: "if Lionel really wanted to stir Lana up (or even Clark), he should have mentioned that Grant was a Julian clone."
I don't think Lionel knew--remember, it was Brainiac disguised as Lionel that "knew" that Julian was a clone. Unless I missed something?
~Sangeeta
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:44 AM
|
You know, when it comes to some things, I'm a heartless 'b****h. And one of the reasons I didn't give a flying fig about the WGA or their strike is because I want my shows when I want them and that's that. And Smallville and Ugly Betty were the only ones I cared about not seeing.
So then the idea to parcel out Smallvlle episodes is decided. And after last week's episode, I honestly had to wonder were these episodes really already 'in the can' or just recently shot? Because there are either a lot of glaring omissions about certain factors, or the writers just stopped caring about continuity.
Now to the good stuff: Tom Welling is a damned good actor! Clark's unhappiness with Lana was almost painful to watch. Kristen's reactions were good too.
Then we get to Chloe who took up good airtime working the computer...something Clark and Oliver should know how to do.
Then we get to Dinah Lance. Why doesn't she wear the wig when she's Black Canary? I thought she looked stupid in her secret identity mode. I also didn't think she had much chemistry with Oliver either...if that's what they were pushing for.
It was nice to see Oliver again. And his body was smokin'!
And finally my girl Lois! She is just hilarious! I felt bad for her when she broke up with Ollie and kind of angry too, since Ollie seemed to get over her really quick with that Black Canary Tramp. Her talk with Clark was sweet and odd. I think the writers have done a good job in slowly showing how their relationship has changed. She opened up to him more than I think I have ever seen her do ever...with the exception of when she spoke to Clark about A.C. at the end of 'Aqua'.
One final note, when Lana was packing her bags in the kitchen, and Clark was looking at her, Lana said, 'I'm going to go and stay with Chloe for awhile'. No dear, that's Lois's apartment. Remember that your dorm room at Metropolis University was damaged by that meteor shower....which I'm sure has been fixed by now. Which brings up the question: are either Lana or Chloe going back to college and their dorm rooms? Probably not.
|
|
Feb 8, 2008 10:48 AM
|
|
|
