Triplet...

[tonytr1687]

Wheres your Lockdown review?

[triplet]

I sent it to Craig last weekend but the run up to Reckoning has been keeping Craig busy, so I'm not sure what's up exactly with that.

[tonytr1687]

Thanks. Hope to see it soon along with your thoughts on Reckoning.

[Red]

I am was about to ask the same question.

[triplet]

He has just posted them both.... :D :up:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/reckoningreview.htm

http://www.kryptonsite.com/lockdownreview.htm

[avidreader]

Hey guys they're all ganging up on Triplet over at Ksite, we need to go and show her some support. :)

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1826415#post1826415

[triplet]

Yikes... Some people really don't like my review.

:eek:

[Red]

Hey guys they're all ganging up on Triplet over at Ksite, we need to go and show her some support. :)

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=1826415#post1826415

See now thats why I don't post at K-site i have an acount (Kal), but I hardly ever post.

[avidreader]

Yikes... Some people really don't like my review.

:eek:

They're attacking you and your writing, not the content.

I invited them, on your behalf to question a so called plot device. I havent seen anyone pop up.

That's why that site annoys me. Everyone has these great opinions but they cant back it up with any logic.

[triplet]

See now thats why I don't post at K-site i have an acount (Kal), but I hardly ever post.

Well, it doesn't usually get quite this heated in my review threads...

[BaK]

He has just posted them both.... :D :up:
http://www.kryptonsite.com/reckoningreview.htm

great review dudette..
:)
great mention of the emotional scale this thing had..

[triplet]

great review dudette..
:)
great mention of the emotional scale this thing had..

thanks... :D

[triplet]

Ooops... weird.

[triplet]

weird triple post...

[Red]

Yeah great review Trip, i have to agree on Tom's performance in Reckoning, Superb.

[triplet]

Yep, I totally agree. He was awesome... :up:

[JAX]

Yep, I totally agree. He was awesome... :up:

Nice Trip....your own thread! Lets try to beat the reckoning thread :)

[KikiDee]

Wow, Trip you're very own thread! Gives a whole new meaning to "It's all about me!" :)

J/K great review and I think everyone who doesn't get it should find a way to rewatch the episode. It's alot easier to enjoy when you don't set yourself up for disappointment. I thought it was fabulous personally, but then again I get distracted by shiny things so what do I know?

[triplet]

Nice Trip....your own thread! Lets try to beat the reckoning thread :)

*snort*

:D

That won't happen... ;)

Wow, Trip you're very own thread! Gives a whole new meaning to "It's all about me!" :)

Didn't you get the memo? It is ALL about me.. :D

J/K great review and I think everyone who doesn't get it should find a way to rewatch the episode. It's alot easier to enjoy when you don't set yourself up for disappointment. I thought it was fabulous personally, but then again I get distracted by shiny things so what do I know?

Apparently I'm either an ass-kisser or in on Smallville's payroll according to the posters over on the k-site forum...

I don't care however.

I loved it and I'll be honest no matter what other people think.

Although, if anyone could figure out a way I could make money from my reviews, I'd be all ears...

:D :up:

[green]

weird triple post...


A triple post from Triplet...who'da thunk it?:confused:


Nice review.:up:

[Pixiedust]

Wow, Trip you're very own thread! Gives a whole new meaning to "It's all about me!" :)

J/K great review and I think everyone who doesn't get it should find a way to rewatch the episode. It's alot easier to enjoy when you don't set yourself up for disappointment. I thought it was fabulous personally, but then again I get distracted by shiny things so what do I know?

Exactly. If people would just put aside their preconceived notions, what they expected to happen or wanted to happen and watch the ep on its own merits, I think they might reconsider their negative opinion.

Your review was great, Trip. There was no need to point out all the flaws with the writing of the ep when you didn't see them. I certainly didn't see them. Though not perfect, I thought it was a very tight script unlike the guy who was a writer who disagreed with you in your thread. He made sure to point out that he was a writer in just about every thread he commented in that I saw. So therefore his opinion must be more valid than yours or mine? He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but just because he's a writer doesn't make him right and us wrong.

[triplet]

Exactly. If people would just put aside their preconceived notions, what they expected to happen or wanted to happen and watch the ep on its own merits, I think they might reconsider their negative opinion.

Your review was great, Trip. There was no need to point out all the flaws with the writing of the ep when you didn't see them. I certainly didn't see them. Though not perfect, I thought it was a very tight script unlike the guy who was a writer who disagreed with you in your thread. He made sure to point out that he was a writer in just about every thread he commented in that I saw. So therefore his opinion must be more valid than yours or mine? He's certainly entitled to his opinion, but just because he's a writer doesn't make him right and us wrong.

Thanks, Pixie.

I think I am in the minority over there in my thoughts on that episode, so I wasn't really surprised at all the negative comments in that thread.

That one guy was giving me a headache, so I think I won't go back again today....

[The Incredible Hulk]

it's amazing how your reviews catch more venom on a Smallville site than mine do on a site that is mostly populated by hardcore comic fans.... God I hate the K-Site forums

[AgentPat]

They're attacking you and your writing, not the content.

I invited them, on your behalf to question a so called plot device. I haven't seen anyone pop up.

That's why that site annoys me. Everyone has these great opinions but they cant back it up with any logic.I'm not a big fan of Buffy-site, if only because they lay into Clark and SV in general every chance they can get, and you guys KNOW how that drives me crazy. I love the show, warts and all, and hanging around people that constantly put it and its characters down is not fun for me. That said, there were indeed plot holes and contrivances in Reckoning and an overly rushed feeling to just about every scene, which pulled me out of the fiction. The acting was spot on, but the writing and editing were far from perfect. I wouldn't give the ep a 5 out of 5. Maybe 4/5. The story itself was... okay.

I watched the ep again a few times and enjoyed it more than the initial outing. They're always better on repeat viewings. But I'm still not happy with certain aspects because I feel as though I was emotionally played just for the sake of an end result. eg: We have to end the episode with Jonathan's death, but we also have to make people believe it's going to be Lana, so how do we get from point A to point B and do it in 43 minutes?

SV has turned the idea of using its own genre clichés into an art form. Like the landing party that always has some ensign in a red shirt that dies first, Clark and Lana's relationship will always be a mind numbingly frustrating seesaw. (This is why they invented foam bricks for throwing at TV screens.)

Somebody in that thread at K-site said it would have been nice to have a few episodes with Lana knowing Clark's secret. Yeah, actually, capital idea. That WOULD have been nice. It's what made scenes between Clark and Alica so unique. He could be himself *and* be intimate at the same time. And with Lana, perhaps naysayers wouldn't have labeled it T&A for ratings. It would have been romantic and sweet - something we RARELY if ever get on SV.

No dice. Not this time. *sigh*

Then there's all the plot contrivances. Lois' "accident" is a perfect example. It's established that Lois and Lana planned to meet at the talon. "Sorry I'm late," she tells Lois. Lois drives it home when she adds that other folks can't do the bunting, or something along those lines. So Lana and Lois were meeting at the Talon regardless. Why didn't Lana show up as planned the second time? She had plenty of time, and no excuses for her absence were offered (I'm guessing the dialog was probably left on the cutting room floor with all the other scenes they hacked out due to timing constraints.) And the meeting took place sometime in the afternoon. It certainly didn't happen just before the election results were announced because Lois was still decorating. So the timing is completely out of whack - which is kinda funny since the episode did involve time travel of sorts LOL. Lois would have been electrocuted that afternoon, not at 11pm when Clark rescued her. How long would it have taken for that sink to overflow? Five minutes? Tops?

Yes, there were some pretty deep plot holes if you dissect the episode.

Clark's reasoning for not telling Lana the second time is week. Very, very week. His phobias run the gamut when it comes to Lana. Just what IS it that he's worried about? Pick one...

- She won't accept him 'cause he's an alien.
- He'll unintentionally physically hurt her because he doesn't have full control of his abilities.
- Somebody else will hurt her because they want to get to Clark through her.

In take two, he tells Chloe "there will always be somebody trying to find out about me," or something like that. What?! Why? That's a new one. He's had former FOTW's come after him, but Lana knowing or not knowing had NOTHING to do with her being in harm's way. If he's so concerned for her safety, he should have broken-up with her after the events in Mortal. Done. Good-bye. Sorry Lana. But no.... he tells her his secret anyway, and then proposes to her. :rolleyes:

Now don't get me wrong; I absolutely LOVED the first half of the episode. Loved it!!!! Chloe tells Clark if anybody deserves to be happy, it's him. Yeah! Right on! But the second part of the ep was the epitome of a deus ex machina plot. A time crystal that can only be used once. And he's only got one of 'em. LOL! Niiiice. One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small, so choose wisely. It's all so Matrixy - if not Alice in Wonderland with a little Indiana Jones mixed in for good measure. I don't think people had a problem with the lesson learned - clearly, it's an important part of Clark's journey - but it's how the writers chose to have it told.

I've already discussed the disappointing speed at which the ep moved. It's okay for an action movie, but this was a character driven piece if there ever was one. The whole proposal scene at the beginning was ridiculously fast. And I'm sorry, but Lana's reactions were NOT natural. She was practically stoic, and it's not because she was speechless. She doesn't look around enough when they "land" at the fortress. I'd be like, WTF? Where the hell are we? What just happened? What IS this place? Then Clark just launches into his I'm from Krypton speech, Lana has NO reaction other than to touch his face (??!) and before you know it, they're jump-flying (LOL) to the top of the fortress. Lana's taking everything in stride, asking questions like "what makes this time different" (the same question I might add she asked Lex when he showed her the spaceship), and then Clark shows off some more insane powers and proposes. Cut to credit role. GAHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Now, I'm not for dragging things out, but come on! Greg Beeman just showed up Michael Bay. LOL

Finally, from an entertainment POV, I do believe the ep suffered from an over amount of hype. I really was expecting something epic here. The death of a major character changes a lot of things, but it doesn't automatically make it a "great" episode. I know I'm in the minority on this, but it's how I feel. And you guys KNOW I will defend SV always - even this episode - but I just wasn't as thrilled with it as everybody else. After leaving my comments on the board that night, I felt I had said my peace and would just let it pass, especially since everybody else was so ga ga over it. I don't want to bring everybody else down 'cause I don't like it when it's done to me. I'm glad Zing, Hulk, Triplet, et al loved it, but I just thought it could have been better. Ah vell. I'll live. I'm looking forward to Vengeance.

PS: Triplet, I enjoyed your review. :up:

[BaK]

He made sure to point out that he was a writer in just about every thread he commented in that I saw. ..
what a tool..
even hitler wrote a book..
and i believe it had something to do with ''super'' too.. (irony)..
yep, super race.. :down

[KikiDee]

Finally, from an entertainment POV, I do believe the ep suffered from an over amount of hype. I really was expecting something epic here. The death of a major character changes a lot of things, but it doesn't automatically make it a "great" episode. I know I'm in the minority on this, but it's how I feel. And you guys KNOW I will defend SV always - even this episode - but I just wasn't as thrilled with it as everybody else. After leaving my comments on the board that night, I felt I had said my peace and would just let it pass, especially since everybody else was so ga ga over it. I don't want to bring everybody else down 'cause I don't like it when it's done to me. I'm glad Zing, Hulk, Triplet, et al loved it, but I just thought it could have been better.


First off I just want to say that I absolutely love reading yours posts. They are usually extremely detailed, well-written and very insightful or at least entertaining.

I'm not exactly disagreeing with you, but from my pov it's all about the fantasy. I didn't have a problem with Lana not freaking out or at least showing some form of shock in the FOS. To me it would have felt unnatural and taken away from what was happening between the two. I love being wrapped in a story with the music and the emotion of the moment.

There's a lot of wonderful points in your post, but I decided after the first time I went to a movie that was translated from a book that I loved to let go. It's never going to be the same as what you've played in your head time and time again. This is somewhat along those lines.

I laugh at the things that really don't make sense and I revel in the things that elicit a response whether it be anger, grief or sheer pleasure.

It's easy for someone like myself to "fill in" the things that aren't really cohesive. So, for me, it was a roller coaster of pure emotion. I didn't stop to think. I just went for the ride. I'm just sorry it didn't give that to you.

Sometimes it's nice to be ignorant.http://www.superherohype.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[BaK]

oh common Pat..
Lois - Lana thing can be explained in so many ways..
don't be so - ''unimaginative''.. :) (and a lazy viewer too who needs everything shown/played/resolved)..

Lana could have been distracted even more then first time around
by Clark's and hers new status (broke up) so she simply doesn't go there..

Things were not happaning the same 2nd time around, and for a good reason - Lex/Lana too..

[avidreader]

Then there's all the plot contrivances. Lois' "accident" is a perfect example. It's established that Lois and Lana planned to meet at the talon. "Sorry I'm late," she tells Lois. Lois drives it home when she adds that other folks can't do the bunting, or something along those lines. So Lana and Lois were meeting at the Talon regardless. Why didn't Lana show up as planned the second time? She had plenty of time, and no excuses for her absence were offered (I'm guessing the dialog was probably left on the cutting room floor with all the other scenes they hacked out due to timing constraints.) And the meeting took place sometime in the afternoon. It certainly didn't happen just before the election results were announced because Lois was still decorating. So the timing is completely out of whack - which is kinda funny since the episode did involve time travel of sorts LOL. Lois would have been electrocuted that afternoon, not at 11pm when Clark rescued her. How long would it have taken for that sink to overflow? Five minutes? Tops?


You make some very valid points in your post Pat but I have to agree with Kiki's summation of it all. Let me get lost in the fantasy.

However, I will give you my thoughts on this scene. Lana didnt go to Lois's apartment in the second play because she had just had a fight with Clark and was likely not wanting to be in the company of anyone else. My guess is she went straight back to the dorm and Chloe met up with her there.

We dont know what time it was that Lana went there the first time, as we never got to see a clock, so it could have been late afternoon and the water on the floor was rising and spread throughout the whole room. It wasnt just about to spill over the sink. I'd have to watch it again to see why the toaster only decided at 11.00 to short out.

I cant get past this nagging feeling that Lana is going to somehow remember all of this via dreams or whatever.

[avidreader]

Okay, I had to go over to DTS and see what they were saying about the episode and as you would expect most of the ones that hated it are the Clana fans. However, I think the majority were very favourable of the episode and understood what was actually happening.

I think there are only a few at Ksite that didnt like it, but they tend to speak louder than the ones that did.

[tonytr1687]

I have a feeling she'll find out for real in the season finale. As for Lana's reaction to Clark revealing his secret...you can chalk it up to her having had her share of suspicions for many years, as well as the fact that when you witness something like that your first reaction isn't freaking out but moreso shocked...and Lana was certainly shocked in the Fortress. But it was a silent state of shock. Remember how she just stood there in the loft with Lois, staring into space with that perplexed look on her face? Her reaction was realistic IMO. And we already know that there was some dialogue cut out of the opening scene so perhaps some of her other emotions in that scene were cut out.

[avidreader]

I thought all of that Fortress Scene in the beginning was very whimsical, the music, the lighting. It was a great way to portray because effectively that scene never actually happened.

[BaK]

I have a feeling she'll find out for real in the season finale.
I would more then love if they choose to go the path of her slowly getting to know what actually had (not) :) happened that day - in some ''magical'' way..

How exactly - that would be a challenge..

[NHawk19]

Finally, from an entertainment POV, I do believe the ep suffered from an over amount of hype. I really was expecting something epic here. The death of a major character changes a lot of things, but it doesn't automatically make it a "great" episode. I know I'm in the minority on this, but it's how I feel. And you guys KNOW I will defend SV always - even this episode - but I just wasn't as thrilled with it as everybody else. After leaving my comments on the board that night, I felt I had said my peace and would just let it pass, especially since everybody else was so ga ga over it. I don't want to bring everybody else down 'cause I don't like it when it's done to me. I'm glad Zing, Hulk, Triplet, et al loved it, but I just thought it could have been better. Ah vell. I'll live. I'm looking forward to Vengeance.



Hey I'm right there with you. I love the show but SV just frustrates me to no end some days, and usually simple things can correct it.

This ep is what I expect week to week from the show, but it didn't deserve the level of hype it recieved. In terms of it being the 100th episode and all the hype it got this one should have been more. No silly time warps no gimmicks, just character driven plots that push the story of Clark Kent to new heights.

[avidreader]

I would more then love if they choose to go the path of her slowly getting to know what actually had (not) :) happened that day - in some ''magical'' way..

How exactly - that would be a challenge..

The way I see it. She'll keep working with Lex, and finding out more, he'll keep feeding her stories about Clark and how untrustworthy he is. And she may start connecting some dots in her subconcience, leading to dreams of the events that didnt happen. She wont tell him what she knows, but she'll start to feel resentment towards him pushing her towards Lex until she see's Lex's true colours and finally understanding why Clark never told her.

Next season will be all about her encouraging Clark more to fulfill his destiny. She has to play some part of this and not just in the last couple of episodes.

[musclesforsupes]

shout out?:D

[GothicPowerMix1]

The way I see it. She'll keep working with Lex, and finding out more, he'll keep feeding her stories about Clark and how untrustworthy he is. And she may start connecting some dots in her subconcience, leading to dreams of the events that didnt happen. She wont tell him what she knows, but she'll start to feel resentment towards him pushing her towards Lex until she see's Lex's true colours and finally understanding why Clark never told her.

Next season will be all about her encouraging Clark more to fulfill his destiny. She has to play some part of this and not just in the last couple of episodes.

A) Why would Lana blame Clark for her going to Lex ? That was Lanas choice.

B) I do hope Lana does find out eventually how Lex REALLY is then Lana can understand why Clark is the way he is towards Lex

C) If Lana finds out on her own I think she will be just even MORE ticked off at Clark then she already is & rightfully so

D) Hopefully once Lana sees Lex helping Zod, Braniac. the other 2 Kryptonians that will most likely give her a hint right there what kind of person is. I am sure Lana would not be thrilled that Lex is helping aliens that tried to kill her in the Premiere

[avidreader]

A) Why would Lana blame Clark for her going to Lex ? That was Lanas choice.

I dont think she will. If you got that out of what I said, then I didnt mean for it to come off like that.

B) I do hope Lana does find out eventually how Lex REALLY is then Lana can understand why Clark is the way he is towards Lex

She has to, otherwise she will end up with Lex Luthor, and I dont think that happens in any continuity

C) If Lana finds out on her own I think she will be just even MORE ticked off at Clark then she already is & rightfully so

That's what I was saying in my post, which is where the misunderstanding may have come as you said in your first point. However, I dont think rightfully so is what I would say. She has a lack of understanding what his motivations are so I can see why she would be ticked off.

D) Hopefully once Lana sees Lex helping Zod, Braniac. the other 2 Kryptonians that will most likely give her a hint right there what kind of person is. I am sure Lana would not be thrilled that Lex is helping aliens that tried to kill her in the Premiere

Well Lana is terrified of the 2 kryptonians as it is now, so hopefully she will reach this conclusion.

[triplet]

shout out?:D

*sigh*

:rolleyes:

[musclesforsupes]

*giggles*:D

[tonytr1687]

A) Why would Lana blame Clark for her going to Lex ? That was Lanas choice.

B) I do hope Lana does find out eventually how Lex REALLY is then Lana can understand why Clark is the way he is towards Lex

C) If Lana finds out on her own I think she will be just even MORE ticked off at Clark then she already is & rightfully so

D) Hopefully once Lana sees Lex helping Zod, Braniac. the other 2 Kryptonians that will most likely give her a hint right there what kind of person is. I am sure Lana would not be thrilled that Lex is helping aliens that tried to kill her in the Premiere

I dont think Lex is going to know that hes helping Fine free an alien dictator. Fine will probably manipulate Lex into unknowingly helping him. I'm thinking Lana will slowly connect the dots and figure it all out, Lex will suspect this and Lana will start to see Lex's dark side come out. That first instance between them in Reckoning was foreshadowing.

[Red]

Any idea when your Vengance review is going up trip?

[triplet]

Any idea when your Vengance review is going up trip?

Well, probably sometime after I've written it... *sigh*

Getting over a pretty nasty cold so I haven't been in the reviewing kind of mood...

I hope to have it done before Tomb airs on Thursday.

[Red]

Oh ok just wondering.

Hope you feel better.

[BaK]

A) Why would Lana blame Clark for her going to Lex ? That was Lanas choice.
It's her choice, all right, but you can't just completely take out Clark's ''Spaceship..? what spaceship?'' attitude/handling of it as a cause for her making that kind of choice..

[avidreader]

It's her choice, all right, but you can't just completely take out Clark's ''Spaceship..? what spaceship?'' attitude/handling of it as a cause for her making that kind of choice..

I watched Lockdown last night, and Lana said that she had only been working with Lex for two weeks on the spaceship.

They've been working together on it since Splinter, so she wasnt being totally honest either.

[Red]

I watched Lockdown last night, and Lana said that she had only been working with Lex for two weeks on the spaceship.

They've been working together on it since Splinter, so she wasnt being totally honest either.

Is she ever?

[Serene]

:rolleyes:

[BaK]

I watched Lockdown last night, and Lana said that she had only been working with Lex for two weeks on the spaceship.

They've been working together on it since Splinter, so she wasnt being totally honest either.

I don't think it's been established anywhere precisely when did they start ''working'' on it together, so she could not have lied.
But do correct me if I am lying..:)

[tonytr1687]

I dont think Lana specifically mentioned it was 2 weeks. She just said "me and Lex have been researching the spaceship for weeks."

[avidreader]

Nope. She definitely said a couple of weeks, when she was talking to Clark in the Loft. A couple usually means two. And they became partners in the spaceship research in Splinter.

But I dont think she's usually in the habit of lying, she was just attempting to play the whole thing down so Clark wouldnt get upset.

WRONG!

[Red]

Great review trip, i pretty much feel the same about vengance.

[triplet]

Thanks.... working on the Tomb review now.

:D

I'm not going to have as many nice things to say, I don't think, about this one.

EDIT: Actually on the second viewing it's better... The final scene between Chloe and her mom was very nice, actually, and it probably helped to pull this one out of the cellar.

[Red]

Hey trip, i was wonder after reading your Aqua review and while back now Cyborg airing.

What did you think of Run?

[triplet]

I loved Run. I was reviewing on the now defunct TVtome back then so the review's not online anymore.

I gave it a five... You want to read it?

What can I say about this episode? It was a blast. It was fun to watch and Bart is a great character. I really liked the way the writers referred back to the other iterations of The Flash, by using them as aliases that Bart used on the various drivers licenses Clark finds in his hotel room.

I also liked the fact they had The Flash's lightning bolt symbol on Bart's backpack and belt buckle.

Tom was, as usual, wonderful. Clark is getting more and more Superman like as the season goes on. He took command at several points, especially during the confrontation with the fence and his thug. Also, his growing comfort level with his abilities, and his acceptance of them, will help make his transition to the adult Superman more believable when (or if) we ever see that on Smallville.

It was a nice change of pace to see Clark having some fun with his abilities. Bart's observation was right on about how Clark treats his gifts like a curse when he should "crank it up" instead. I don't think Clark will ever really become like Bart, but them meeting was as good for Clark as it was for Bart. It advances Clark closer to his destiny. They came closer together: Clark learning to have more fun and Bart learning some responsibility. The episode also helped set the stage for the friendship they will share later on as adults.

Hopefully these lessons will stick with Clark in subsequent episodes. It was great to see Clark smile a little bit more and finally have some fun with his powers.

I liked the tension that's now clearly there between Lex and Clark. They both still have some trust issues, and their own agendas to deal with. They both continue to lie, despite Lex's statement about friends needing to be honest with each other. This Lex/Clark cold war gives their "friendship" an edge which it had lacked in previous seasons and it's a good thing, given where their friendship eventually ends up.

Michael Rosenbaum is always excellent as Lex and this episode saw a new side of him that I don't think we'd seen before. He kicked some major bad-guy butt in the confrontation he had with the fence and his thug. And it was great to watch. I hope we see more action from him.

Lana and Jason had a longish kissing scene to start off with. So much so, it seemed gratuitous to me. Given the early prime-time hour that Smallville is broadcast in and the fact that kids watch the show, perhaps the producers should considering dialing down on this kind of thing. It smacks of being a ratings ploy and wasn’t necessary to the plot. I've seen a lot of complaints on online forums about this, and one comment on this topic even made to the last Smallville newsletter. It doesn't really bother me all that much until it gets gratuitous, which seems to be what's happening. The kissing in that scene wasn't sexy in any case, it was just tiresome. If it doesn't advance the plot, they shouldn't do it.

All in all, however, the episode was excellent and is probably one of my all-time favorites.

Wow... my reviews were a lot shorter back then. That's kind of a yucky review, actually, but that's what I thought about Run.

It's one of my favorites of the series, probably in the top ten anyway.

[Red]

Interesting read trip.

I've always really liked Run its one of the (very few) episodes of season 4 I can just watch again and again. The guy playing Bart just has fun with the role and makes the episode just enjoyable to watch. The Flash referances are also done well, and not forceful *cough*, *cough*, Aqua *cough*. I really liked how the Clark/Bart relationship was shown also with both character's learning from each other



P.S Your right, your reviews were shorter back then. ;) but not necessarily better

[musclesforsupes]

shout out?:(

[triplet]

Interesting read trip.

By interesting do you really mean "it stunk"??? :D It's okay, you can say it... It stunk.

I had only started reviewing with the start of the fourth season, so that was from really early in my reviewing "career."

I've always really liked Run its one of the (very few) episodes of season 4 I can just watch again and again. The guy playing Bart just has fun with the role and makes the episode just enjoyable to watch. The Flash referances are also done well, and not forceful *cough*, *cough*, Aqua *cough*. I really liked how the Clark/Bart relationship was shown also with both character's learning from each other



P.S Your right, your reviews were shorter back then. ;) but not necessarily better

LOL! Thanks....

Yeah, Craig had sorta offered to host my reviews from tvtome but I went through and reread them and I didn't even bring it up with him again. Not worth the effort to fix them... The earlier ones especially are hardly readable they're so awful.

I am rather fond of my one for Sacred... It was snarky and I think it was reading that one that made Craig think I would work well for him as a reviewer.

[triplet]

shout out?:(

*sigh*

No.

[user123456789]

By interesting do you really mean "it stunk"??? :D It's okay, you can say it... It stunk.

It stunk... bad!

Your reviews now are sooooooo much better.

Run review: :up:

Now: :up::up::up::up::up:

[triplet]

It stunk... bad!



LOL!

:D ;) :p

[avidreader]

By interesting do you really mean "it stunk"??? :D It's okay, you can say it... It stunk.

I had only started reviewing with the start of the fourth season, so that was from really early in my reviewing "career."



LOL! Thanks....

Yeah, Craig had sorta offered to host my reviews from tvtome but I went through and reread them and I didn't even bring it up with him again. Not worth the effort to fix them... The earlier ones especially are hardly readable they're so awful.

I am rather fond of my one for Sacred... It was snarky and I think it was reading that one that made Craig think I would work well for him as a reviewer.

Have you still got your Sacred review that you could post for us. I'd be interested in reading.

And looking back on your review for Run and the Jason/Lana kiss, its funny how a comment like that all seems so redundant now. That's the trouble when they bring a character like that in for one season only and he doesnt leave much effect behind for the current characters.

[triplet]

Yeah, I still got it... not as funny as I thought it was when I first wrote it, maybe, but still better than the review for Run but I don't think Serene will like this review very much at all:

What a ride! Wow. I loved this episode.

I read the spoilers, saw the trailer, saw the advanced clip, and still this episode was far better than I had thought it would be.

Frankly, the whole Mulana thing (thanks Omar from TWoP for the new Lana/Isobel hybrid moniker!) was a bit worrisome. I wasn’t sure how well this one would turn out, but this is one of the best episodes so far this season. Maybe it wasn’t quite as good as Transference, but it was pretty darn close.

Wow. Where to start?

Well, I must say that despite Margot Kidder’s protestations to the contrary, I don’t think that the Millar & Gough have an exploitive bone in their bodies. The gentle, respective and elegant way with which they dealt with the untimely and unexpected death of Dr. Swann was wonderfully touching. Tom Welling very movingly portrayed the confusion and dismay a teen would feel at the sudden death of someone close. As he read the letter from Swann, I got the feeling that Tom wasn’t really thinking about Swann at all but Christopher Reeve.

Annette O’Toole (Martha) and John Schneider (Jonathan) both showed real, heart breaking emotion during the scene. The scene was moving and the sentiment spoke as much about Dr. Swann as it did about the man who portrayed him; a man to whom the Superman mythos meant so much: the late Christopher Reeve.

The final line of the news reader from the TV news bulletin says it all, about both men: “The world will remember his many contributions, and man will benefit from his gifts for generations to come.”

This was a job well done by writers Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson. With the unexpected bowing out of Kidder after her “contract dispute” with producers Millar & Gough, it must have been a real juggling act to come up with a different, yet respectful, way to reveal Swann’s death to Clark. Kudos.

Okay, it was good to see Clark and Lana be pals again. Maybe they’re finally over their jealousy and mutual distrust. Lana has been kind of annoying for me lately and she was far less so in this episode. Maybe there’s hope that they’ll finally be friends.

Jason, Lex and Lana getting tortured in such a painful way made the third act pretty dark. Being electrocuted doesn’t look fun, but you know what? Any sympathy I may have felt for them got ruined because Kristin Kreuk still doesn’t do pain well. I believe I complained about that in my review for Memoria, where she unconvincingly suffered from what is probably the most painful break you can have: a broken femur.

Personal Aside:

Tom, on the other hand, has always done pain really well. Kryptonite poisoning looks really painful. I think it must be hard for an actor to "do" agonizing pain well. Maybe he should give her some tips.

She needs them. The painful jolts of electricity coursing through her body hardly looked more painful than a stubbed toe. I would have thought she would have improved her pain technique by now, more than a year after Memoria.

Maybe she didn’t read my review for that episode. I did write it well after the fact; after all I didn’t start reviewing until just before the 4th season started. Hopefully she’ll read this one, but I’ll spell it out just in case it’s not clear:

Kristin,

You need to work on doing that pain thing better. Kinda broke that fourth wall for me, babe. I’d appreciate any steps you can take in improving that for the next time.

Thanks,

triplet

Anyway, I absolutely love the lavender effect Lana gets in her eyes when Isobel takes over. It is really quite a striking look. Kristin Kreuk should really consider getting lavender contacts. I don’t remember if Spell carried over the lavender colors into Isobel’s magic as much as the FX people had it do this time, but it was a nice touch. Very well done.

Oh, one more thing about that torture scene. The strange effect of Lana’s head whipping back and forth while being tortured and then getting taken over by Isobel was strange beyond measure.

What the heck were they thinking when they were in the editing bay? That we easily confused viewers wouldn’t get that Isobel was back in possession of Lana unless her head went into some weird time warp thing?

Hopefully for the next time they’ll think of something better to show that Lana gets taken over by Isobel.

Oh! And why would a dirty, junk-filled, half-flooded temple basement have a beautiful silk Chinese style dress just lying around? It wasn’t that Kristin didn’t look great in the dress, black is really her color, but it made absolutely no sense.

Unfortunately, over-acting Kristin showed up for the confrontation with Clark. Kristin’s performance was very uneven in this episode, too bad. She should have shone. It was all about her.

I’m glad that Jason has reformed himself a bit by being such a nice guy, even if a little misguided, to Lana. I like him. I’ll miss him next year if Jenson’s other show, Supernatural, gets picked up.

And was it Lana or Isobel in the apartment afterwards… She had a very strange smile on her face after Jason gave her the stone and she hugged him. Interesting thought to ponder…

The episode presented more questions than answers but, despite some oddities, overall I loved this episode. It was tons of fun and it greatly advanced several storylines.

Those oddities probably kept the episode from being a five, so I give it 4.5 stars.

[avidreader]

Nice review Triplet!

Point to note, it was Shattered and Asylum where Lana broke her leg, not Memoria. Did anyone say anything to you about that?

[Red]

What about Red trip? Ever review that?

[triplet]

Nice review Triplet!

Point to note, it was Shattered and Asylum where Lana broke her leg, not Memoria. Did anyone say anything to you about that?

LOL! :D

True and no one pointed that out until now.

:D

[triplet]

What about Red trip? Ever review that?

Nope, never did...

[Red]

Nope, never did...

Can I ask what you thought of it?

[triplet]

Can I ask what you thought of it?

Oh, it's a classic. One of my faves over the whole series.

Nothing better than Red-K Clark...

Tom's acting wasn't totally at it's best in that episode, he had a few rough spots I think, but all in all that episode is tons of fun.

:up:

[Lara]

Cool Triplet has her own thread!hey Triplet do they archive at K-site your past reviews ( that you've done for them) and if so where? They aren't under columns.

[triplet]

Cool Triplet has her own thread!

LOL! But it wasn't my idea... a PM probably woulda worked but this works too. :D :up:

hey Triplet do they archive at K-site your past reviews ( that you've done for them) and if so where? They aren't under columns.

No, not at all but you can find any of my reviews there by using this formula:

www.kryptonsite.com/<put the name of the ep here>review.htm

Like this:

www.kryptonsite.com/tombreview.htm

.... or this:

www.kryptonsite.com/onyxreview.htm

I started reviewing at KryptonSite with Onyx, so as long as you know which episodes followed it you can find any one you want to find.

[TKodami]

While not all of the reviews are linked from the page, http://www.kryptonsite.com/epguideseason5.htm has links to most of Triplet's reviews for Season Five. That is, in case you're like me and don't enjoy typing out the urls if you don't have to. :D

[triplet]

While not all of the reviews are linked from the page, http://www.kryptonsite.com/epguideseason5.htm has links to most of Triplet's reviews for Season Five. That is, in case you're like me and don't enjoy typing out the urls if you don't have to. :D

well, what do you know? I didn't know he'd done that.

Proving yet again that no one tells me nothin'... :p ;)

He had talked about doing that at one point in an email to me, but I didn't know he'd done it. (Thanks, Craig.)

:D

[TKodami]

well, what do you know? I didn't know he'd done that.

Proving yet again that no one tells me nothin'... :p ;)

He had talked about doing that at one point in an email to me, but I didn't know he'd done it. (Thanks, Craig.)

:D

I'm glad that your older Season 5 reviews aren't in no-man's-land anymore. Hmmm...your Season 4 reviews might still be. (*starts digging around on KSite*)

EDIT: http://www.kryptonsite.com/columns.htm has some of your Season 4 reviews on it, but is missing "Ageless" and "Forever."

I shouldn't complain, though. I just really like your reviews, Triplet. :)

[triplet]

I'm glad that your older Season 5 reviews aren't in no-man's-land anymore. Hmmm...your Season 4 reviews might still be. (*starts digging around on KSite*)

EDIT: http://www.kryptonsite.com/columns.htm has some of your Season 4 reviews on it, but is missing "Ageless" and "Forever."

I shouldn't complain, though. I just really like your reviews, Triplet. :)

Thanks, TK... :D

You make me feel better, which I need today.

I just got through writing my first assignment for the newspaper I'm freelancing for...

<---- note custom title...

Man, I am SO not a journalist so writing that was harder than I had thought it would be. I hope the editor likes what I sent him anyway.

I guess we'll see but my difficulties with that piece have my confidence is down in the gutter right now so thanks again. You picked me up. :up:

For those of you who haven't heard, I got hired as a freelance reviewer for a local weekly paper, which I know I can do. The pittance I get paid for each article would at least pay for the movie ticket and some popcorn, what could be better? However, my first assignment was to interview some people about a play... Yikes. :eek:

[TKodami]

Thanks, TK... :D

You make me feel better, which I need today.

I just got through writing my first assignment for the newspaper I'm freelancing for...

<---- note custom title...

Man, I am SO not a journalist so writing that was harder than I had thought it would be. I hope the editor likes what I sent him anyway.

I guess we'll see but my difficulties with that piece have my confidence is down in the gutter right now so thanks again. You picked me up. :up:

For those of you who haven't heard, I got hired as a freelance reviewer for a local weekly paper, which I know I can do. The pittance I get paid for each article would at least pay for the movie ticket and some popcorn, what could be better? However, my first assignment was to interview some people about a play... Yikes. :eek:

Wow, you sure are braver than I am, Triplet! I'm a creative writer (I've taken four years of fiction & poetry workshops at UCI) who decided long ago that the time demands & writing style of journalism just wasn't for me. I'm really impressed that you're making that leap.

I understand how nerve wracking sending work off to an editor can be. Especially when the assignment isn't clicking. For what it's worth, I really enjoy your clear prose style. From what I know of literary journalism, your reviews demonstrate a good handle on what makes a good journalist. You always communicate your biases (such as in your Mortal review), you write concisely, you take multiple perspectives on an episode (I love how you note cinamatography & set design as well as more obvious points like acting & writing)--not to mention you analyze character development superbly.

Or, in short, I'd say: "don't worry too much about it." :)

[triplet]

Wow, you sure are braver than I am, Triplet! I'm a creative writer (I've taken four years of fiction & poetry workshops at UCI) who decided long ago that the time demands & writing style of journalism just wasn't for me. I'm really impressed that you're making that leap.

I understand how nerve wracking sending work off to an editor can be. Especially when the assignment isn't clicking. For what it's worth, I really enjoy your clear prose style. From what I know of literary journalism, your reviews demonstrate a good handle on what makes a good journalist. You always communicate your biases (such as in your Mortal review), you write concisely, you take multiple perspectives on an episode (I love how you note cinamatography & set design as well as more obvious points like acting & writing)--not to mention you analyze character development superbly.

Or, in short, I'd say: "don't worry too much about it." :)

Thanks... :blush:

[triplet]

If anyone cares, the editor liked my piece and it will be published in this week's issue.

:D :up:

I didn't even take the angle on the article he originally had wanted and he still liked it. I'll be interested in seeing how much he edited it...

The pay sucks but I'm excited about seeing my name (well, my pen name anyway) in print. I'm writing under my maiden name.

[TKodami]

If anyone cares, the editor liked my piece and it will be published in this week's issue.

:D :up:

I didn't even take the angle on the article he originally had wanted and he still liked it. I'll be interested in seeing how much he edited it...

The pay sucks but I'm excited about seeing my name (well, my pen name anyway) in print. I'm writing under my maiden name.

Way to go, Triplet! See, I told you not to worry. :)

[triplet]

Hee! See the article here:

http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=2499

The editor didn't change it much, just streamlined a few things and clarified others, so I'm pretty happy.

:D :up:

[musclesforsupes]

where is my shout out review?

[Red]

Hee! See the article here:

http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=2499

The editor didn't change it much, just streamlined a few things and clarified others, so I'm pretty happy.

:D :up:

Way to go trip :up: You deserve it

[triplet]

where is my shout out review?

Muscles, muscles... you never give up do you?

:rolleyes:

[Red]

Any word when your Cyborg review will go up?

[musclesforsupes]

no I cant cause I was given a shout out in lexmas :)

[triplet]

Uhm... I sent him an initial version last night then reread it and changed a few things and sent him another version this morning....

I haven't heard back from either email so I don't know.

[NHawk19]

no I cant cause I was given a shout out in lexmas :)

You could start hitting her up for a mention in a news article now you know.




Yes trip I must encourage him :p :D

[Red]

You could start hitting her up for a mention in a news article now you know.




Yes trip I must encourage him :p :D

Please don't

[triplet]

You could start hitting her up for a mention in a news article now you know.




Yes trip I must encourage him :p :D

Maybe I'll change my screen name for here but I'd hate to give up my huge tommy beefcake avatar so I guess I won't go to that extreme... :D ;) :p

[Red]

Maybe I'll change my screen name for here but I'd hate to give up my huge tommy beefcake avatar so I guess I won't go to that extreme... :D ;) :p

Just add him to your ignor list :)

[Red]

Problem solved

[triplet]

Naw, I'm just teasing...

He's harmless but if it gets too annoying I will put him on ignore.

[musclesforsupes]

Im just like chloe sometimes you love me sometimes you hate me.

[triplet]

Im just like chloe sometimes you love me sometimes you hate me.

That's a very appropriate comparison... :D LOL!

Do you have flippy blonde hair and a light up the room smile just like her too?

[Red]

Im just like chloe sometimes you love me sometimes you hate me.

More like Lana, you hate sometime...and thats it.

[tonytr1687]

More like Lana, you hate sometime...and thats it.

Yeah hate her b/c she's beautiful and wants Clark to tell her the truth...ohh how I wish you all could see how normal everyday ppl think of Lana on the show. They love her and they're getting annoyed with Clark not telling her.

[Serene]

Hee! See the article here:

http://www.inweekly.net/article.asp?artID=2499

The editor didn't change it much, just streamlined a few things and clarified others, so I'm pretty happy.

:D :up:

Awesome job! Congrats. :D :up:

[TKodami]

Great article Triplet. The prose is very smooth & clear. But...now I want to go see that play. :(

[triplet]

Awesome job! Congrats. :D :up:

Thanks. :blush:

Great article Triplet. The prose is very smooth & clear. But...now I want to go see that play. :(

Could you tell I faked knowing anything about that play?

I have never seen it and hadn't ever seen the screen version with Elizabeth Taylor either...

Research on the internet is a beautiful thing. :D

[TKodami]

Could you tell I faked knowing anything about that play?

I have never seen it and hadn't ever seen the screen version with Elizabeth Taylor either...

Research on the internet is a beautiful thing. :D

No, I couldn't tell that you hadn't ever seen it. I just thought you were really good about presenting the core themes of the work without revealing anything crucial about the plot. I'm going to give your review another thumbs up for the excellent integration of internet research. :up::up:

[musclesforsupes]

maybe I am like pete ross :(

[triplet]

No, I couldn't tell that you hadn't ever seen it. I just thought you were really good about presenting the core themes of the work without revealing anything crucial about the plot. I'm going to give your review another thumbs up for the excellent integration of internet research. :up::up:

:D :up:

You can find almost anything you need to on the internet. It's a beautiful thing. :D

[Red]

Anymore word when they will put your review up trip?

[Hush]

Red X Tight freakin Avatar!!!!! That is so freakin amazing!!!

[triplet]

Anymore word when they will put your review up trip?

Funny you should ask:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/cyborgreview.htm

[user123456789]

triplet, do ya write the recaps yourself?

[triplet]

Yeah, why? They suck?

[user123456789]

Yeah, why? They suck?

Nah, they're actually the opposite. Does it take you a long time to write em?

[triplet]

Oh, thanks...

Well, I write the first draft of the recap right after my initial viewing of the episode. If I have to watch it again to firm up my feelings on an episode (With Ageless I had to watch three times to decide how exactly I wanted to rip it apart, with Reckoning I had to watch it twice before I could even process it all...) I'll tweak it and make sure I didn't get stuff out of order, which happens from time to time. Then once I'm done with the review and recap, I'll watch it again to see if I missed anything and then send it off to my two proofers.

They help me do sanity checks on the reviews before I send them to Craig and they usually help me make the the recap clearer and more concise. (Craig doesn't have time to edit my reviews, so before I started doing that some weirdness got put up online.)

Although I'm a writer, my grasp of grammar leaves a lot to be desired so I need some proofing.... Sometimes my sentences are funky too... I dunno why. They help me clarify things a lot.

(Thanks to my proof readers.... you know who you are.)

As for how long they take, sometimes they're easy to write and other times not. More complicated plot points can be difficult to explain in a short recap.

I do the recaps mostly to get that out of the way. Started doing that when I reviewed on TVtome (they required recaps in all their reviews) but kept on doing it once I jumped ship to k-site so I didn't end up writing a recap every week instead of a review, like a lot of reviewers tend to do. I hate that.

[avidreader]

Triplet have you noticed that they've changed the long add break to appear now after the 1st act. Why do you think they did that?

[triplet]

I don't know...

[user123456789]

Triplet have you noticed that they've changed the long add break to appear now after the 1st act. Why do you think they did that?

there are long ad breaks? never knew that...

are those the acuvue plugs, ford plugs, etc?

[avidreader]

there are long ad breaks? never knew that...

are those the acuvue plugs, ford plugs, etc?

They used to take an extra long break at the halfway mark. More commercials, more advertising of WB shows, it used to go for about 3 or 4 minutes. Now the halfway mark seems to be just a 1 or 2 minute break and the longer break is after the 1st Act.

Triplet gave me a very good description one day on add breaks and act breaks etc etc, so I wondered if she knew why they changed the long break.

[triplet]

There's probably a reason behind it but I don't know what it would be....

[user123456789]

Its probably something we're all just lookin too deeply into.

[triplet]

Well, the reason they used to do the extra long break at the halfway point to begin with is to help keep people from switching channels to something else.

So, they would have an extremely strong cliff-hanger at the end of the act break right before the half-way point so you load up on all the commercials you can then when your audience is more or less captive. (You know, they'll stay tuned through all the extra ads and NOT change channels because they can't wait to see what happens next.)

As for why they might change it? I dunno. I hadn't read anything that would explain it, the reasoning probably isn't the same it used to be (ie: what I just wrote above).

[triplet]

never mind...

[TKodami]

Well, the reason they used to do the extra long break at the halfway point to begin with is to help keep people from switching channels to something else.

So, they would have an extremely strong cliff-hanger at the end of the act break right before the half-way point so you load up on all the commercials you can then when your audience is more or less captive. (You know, they'll stay tuned through all the extra ads and NOT change channels because they can't wait to see what happens next.)

As for why they might change it? I dunno. I hadn't read anything that would explain it, the reasoning probably isn't the same it used to be (ie: what I just wrote above).

I don't have a good explination for why they decided to change the long commercial break's position, but I do like that it slows down the pace of the first half of the show and lets the exposition sink in, while the rising action / climax fly by with smaller interruptions.

[Red]

trip where have your season 4 reviews over at k-site gone?

[triplet]

I checked them, they're all there.

I only started with Onyx....

[Red]

Really? I can't seem to find them. Anyway the reason I was looking for them is I rewatched the pilot and it reminded me of something you said in your the Onyx review.

I thinkl you said that the episode's writer forgot that Lex had never been in the mansion till he moved to smallville, but in the pilot Lex tells Clark that the mansion was moved brick by brick from Scotland, their for Lex must have been in the mansion when he was younger.

[triplet]

Really? I can't seem to find them. Anyway the reason I was looking for them is I rewatched the pilot and it reminded me of something you said in your the Onyx review.

I thinkl you said that the episode's writer forgot that Lex had never been in the mansion till he moved to smallville, but in the pilot Lex tells Clark that the mansion was moved brick by brick from Scotland, their for Lex must have been in the mansion when he was younger.

http://www.kryptonsite.com/onyxreview.htm

He told Clark, "My father never intended living here. He's never even stepped through the front door."

I suppose if they'd used the castle in Scotland before it got shipped to Kansas that might explain that line in context of what Lex and Alexander talked about in the cellar, however that is seriously splitting hairs, Red.

[Red]

http://www.kryptonsite.com/onyxreview.htm

He told Clark, "My father never intended living here. He's never even stepped through the front door."

I suppose if they'd used the castle in Scotland before it got shipped to Kansas that might explain that line in context of what Lex and Alexander talked about in the cellar, however that is seriously splitting hairs, Red.

Fair enough i just thought of it when i saw the pilot again.


Did you ever do a Crusade review?

[triplet]

Fair enough i just thought of it when i saw the pilot again.


Did you ever do a Crusade review?

Yeah, I did but not on KryptonSite... it was on TVtome, which is now defunct which is a good thing since you don't want to read it.

I had just been starting reviewing back at the start of Season 4 so it's pretty bad.

I think I gave the episode a 4 or a 4.5, if that helps... I can check it later if you want.

[Red]

Did you did it? The review that is.

[triplet]

Did you did it? The review that is.

Oh, do you mean did I find it?

Yeah... you want me to post it anyway?

It's not that great a review and I wasn't too impressed with Tom's performance in that episode at the time, although now I don't think I woulda been that hard on him.

Well, you asked for it:

In all, with a few lapses, this is probably one of the better episodes. It had a little bit of everything, love, laughter, amnesia, Superman mythos, sexual tension, mystery and Tom Welling naked. What else could you ask for?

Tom, aside from side benefit of showing a lot of skin, probably could have done better. He seemed a bit stiff, and I'm not sure that was solely motivated by being Kal-El for the most of the episode. Apart from this, the acting for the rest of cast was pretty good.

I must say the best part of this episode was the special effects. It started off with the lightning and the pulse of energy that landed Clark in the corn field. It took off with Kal-El's flight. That was really cool, for lack of a better adjective.

I found the black kryptonite crystal effect splitting Kal-El and Clark apart interesting, but admittedly also a bit strange. It was inexplicable how this also seemed to heal Jonathan. I hope they explain that one later, hopefully in the same episode where they explain Lana's tattoo…

Technically the episode was top notch. Glen Winter's photography was brilliant and the show was beautifully shot. I especially loved the fact that he sold a sand pit in Vancouver as the Egyptian desert. It looked hot. The scenes in the cave with Kal-El the lighting evoked his cold emotionless self so well. It was harsh and bright. And once Kal-El was gone and Martha was holding Clark in her arms, the lighting had become warmer and earthy. It was very well done.

I also liked the new wardrobe for Lana. A lot. I know that in previous seasons Lana was known for pink and pastels, so much so that Kristin Kruek even would get sent pink items as gifts from fans… She hates the color apparently. I don't blame her, it doesn't really suit her skin coloring as well as the darker shades she's wearing in this episode. I hope she never goes back to pink.

This episode, of course, marks the series debut of several new characters. The beautiful Erica Durance bows as Lois, but in an uneven performance.

She sparkles when it comes to more intimate moments, but hasn't quite gotten the street smart, single-mindedness of Lois down just yet. I found a majority of her scene with Martha in the Kents' kitchen annoying. She was talking and walking around so fast, it was almost like she was jacked up on way too much caffeine. However, at the end when she was explaining why it was so important to find out what happened to Chloe she pulled back quite a bit and delivered a remarkably powerful moment.

Maybe once she does a few more episodes, she'll get the hang of it. She undoubtedly has a great onscreen chemistry with Tom Welling and her scene at Chloe's grave was extremely effective. Lois' scene with Lionel was close to brilliant. You have to admire an actress who can hold her own with John Glover.

Jenson Ackles is seriously cute, and exceedingly charming, as Lana's new love interest, Jason Teague. He clearly has some great onscreen chemistry with Kristin Kruek, which is wonderful. I'm not sure I really ever saw any between Kristin and her season 3 love interest Ian Somerhalder (who played the ill-fated Adam Knight). Jason seems to bring out a lighter side of Lana which I think will be welcome. She is always so serious with Clark, even in this episode you can still see that side of her. So I can't wait to see how the love triangle between Clark, Jason and Lana works out and how this affects Lana's relationship with Lex. I'm really looking forward to this season.

In this episode Margot Kidder shows up in the first of two planned guest appearances as Bridgett Crosby, Dr. Swann's assistant. Like Erica, her performance was a bit uneven to start but once she warmed up I liked her character. I hope she explains the black kryptonite thing in her next appearance.

I like the way the mythos is being explored in this episode, but the massive number of references made to the Superman Universe in it was probably overkill. Some of the references were amusing, like Lois saying that she likes geeks with glasses. I laughed out loud at that one. And Clark wearing the red blanket like a cape was a subtle nod to his future self.

And about the flying: As cool as it was, it's probably partly a ratings ploy that worked. Against the ratings juggernaut that is Lost, they did very well coming in fourth. I understand that Al & Miles had a "no flights, no tights" rule but come on. It was Clark who flew, no matter who he thought he was at the time.

It's strange that he flew as Kal-El but can't, or won't, now that he's Clark again. It's patently ridiculous, actually. Millar and Gough broke their own rule and made up some silly reason why it doesn't count, "After all: it wasn't Clark, it was Kal-El." Yeah, right.

Whatever.

They should keep Clark flying. It was way cool and could come in very handy but they probably won't... Too bad.

4 and half stars outta five.

[musclesforsupes]

Tuohs Tuo

[Red]

trip have you got a copy of your Lockdown review?

[Super_Ludacris]

lol@ Trip getting harassed for her review

[BaK]

lol@ Trip getting harassed for her review
where ?
ksite ?

[triplet]

trip have you got a copy of your Lockdown review?

Uhm, it's up on K-site:

www.kryptonsite.com/lockdownreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/lockdownreview.htm)

Yeah, Ludracris... some of my reviews have been less than successful when it comes to some K-siters.

Sometimes it can get pretty hateful, actually.... People have taken exception especially when I have loved an episode they hated and several have even accused me of being on the WB's payroll.

I wish.

I could use the money.

:D

[Red]

This is why I asked Trip. See its missing from the lockdown section.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8559/ultr2sf.png (http://imageshack.us)

[triplet]

This is why I asked Trip. See its missing from the lockdown section.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/8559/ultr2sf.png (http://imageshack.us)

Weird...

[Red]

Weird...

Indeed. I noticed it a while back when looking for that Lex poster, just thought I would mention it.

[Super_Ludacris]

Uhm, it's up on K-site:

www.kryptonsite.com/lockdownreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/lockdownreview.htm)

Yeah, Ludracris... some of my reviews have been less than successful when it comes to some K-siters.

Sometimes it can get pretty hateful, actually.... People have taken exception especially when I have loved an episode they hated and several have even accused me of being on the WB's payroll.

I wish.

I could use the money.

:D


Yeah but there idiots. You doing reviews for them is like being the teacher for the "special" class

[triplet]

Yeah but there idiots. You doing reviews for them is like being the teacher for the "special" class

LOL! :D

Yeah, I get upset and sulk for a day or two and then come back and slam them hard without getting personal.

One good thing about being a writer is that I can usually hold my own in a written format without crossing the line... ;) :p

It can get quite heated. A few times has it gotten so bad people have gotten banned over ugly comments they've made in my review discussion thread...

[Super_Ludacris]

They should just shut that garbage board down

No...wait, scratch that they would venture out

[avidreader]

They should just shut that garbage board down

No...wait, scratch that they would venture out

Would they be capable of doing that? ;)

[triplet]

Part of me really enjoys the discussions in the threads for my reviews, another part of me is tired of hearing the same **** each and every time.

After Cyborg, an episode I absolutely loved, got so trashed on the forum and people started piling on me for saying I loved it in my review, I was thinking maybe I shouldn't have Craig keep making those threads.

The Tom forum and the thread where my reviews are discussed are really the only forums I frequent. If I had Craig stop starting the discussion threads, I probably wouldn't venture into episode discussion forums at all...

The inanity is crazy sometimes. Some people thought that Tom had an earpiece so he could hear someone to read him his lines... Apparently it showed in the scene in Vengeance after Clark saved Lionel and they were talking in the window.

Silly.

I don't know why they thought that and I hope I squashed that rumor.

Itold them that I work at a TV station and I've seen those things anchors and reporters wear. They're obvious and would show. Not only that, they are actually plugged into the station's sound system with a long wire and are run from a control room.

TV shows don't have control rooms, they're filmed not taped, for one thing, and the script supervisor will prompt an actor with forgotten lines for another. That's part of her job.

He doesn't wear an earpiece.... silly.

[avidreader]

I saw them going on about the earpiece too, not in your thread though.

They also said he wore it in another episode, cant remember which one. The funny thing is the pictures that they were showing didnt show any such thing, other than someone with very clean ears.

And how could they possibly feed him lines and have him saying them whilst the camera is rolling. I mean the synchronization would be totally screwed.

[triplet]

It's silly... I think they see a light reflecting of the inner curve of his ear and think he's wearing an earpiece, it's called an IFP, btw.

I keep meaning to ask what that stands for but haven't yet, so I have no idea what it stands for...

The wiring is ridiculous, they have to plug into the set and the IFP's are big... they'd be very obvious. No way tom's wearing one...

[Red]

Any word on your void review?

[Super_Ludacris]

Wait they hated the Cyborg episode?

[musclesforsupes]

what the heck...oh triplet!!!


Shout Out? :D

[Serene]

what the heck...oh triplet!!!


Shout Out? :D

LOL!

Muscles.. sometimes it's the familiar things that bring the most comfort (and amusement). Who says these forums suck? ;)


For that, you get a *hug*. :)

[triplet]

Any word on your void review?

It's done and in Craig's inbox, but it's not been posted yet...

I vacilated between a 3.5 and a 4, but ended up giving it a 3.5. There's much to love and so much groan worthy stuff too.

When it's posted it'll go here, but clicking that now gets you a page not found error:

www.kryptonsite.com/voidreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/voidreview.htm)

He uses the same convention for naming the page everytime.

Oh, and muscles:

No shoutout.

:rolleyes:

[TKodami]

It's done and in Craig's inbox, but it's not been posted yet...

I vacilated between a 3.5 and a 4, but ended up giving it a 3.5. There's much to love and so much groan worthy stuff too.

When it's posted it'll go here, but clicking that now gets you a page not found error:

www.kryptonsite.com/voidreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/voidreview.htm)

He uses the same convention for naming the page everytime.

Oh, and muscles:

No shoutout.

:rolleyes:

*Waits for the page to go up patiently*



*fidgets*

*checks page again* :D

[thebigtree95]

It's silly... I think they see a light reflecting of the inner curve of his ear and think he's wearing an earpiece, it's called an IFP, btw.

I keep meaning to ask what that stands for but haven't yet, so I have no idea what it stands for...

The wiring is ridiculous, they have to plug into the set and the IFP's are big... they'd be very obvious. No way tom's wearing one...

Actually it's IFB, interruptible feedback device. Hope that helps.

[triplet]

Actually it's IFB, interruptible feedback device. Hope that helps.

Right.... I know the correct abbreviation now but thanks. I still didn't know what it stood for.

But still Tom doesn't wear one, btw... :D

At work they are always talking about them mostly because it becomes a problem because the talent don't like wearing them or they sometimes don't work when the reporters have live reports. This morning the live report the reporter missed his cue to start because his IFP wasn't working... We stared at him waiting to talk for several seconds as the producer was screaming "Cue! Cue!" before he finally figured out he was supoosed to talk. :D

Yesterday, one of the anchors who likes taking his IFB out of his ear during breaks did an entire block with his on his shoulder because he forgot to put it back in. However, because he was on air and not wearing his IFB no one could tell him to at least move it so it wasn't dangling where it could be seen.

The weather anchor tried to signal him to move it but there's no international sign for that... :D He actually asked during the break, What the hell were you doing? Only then did he realize it was laying on his shoulder.

Pretty funny...

[triplet]

*Waits for the page to go up patiently*



*fidgets*

*checks page again* :D

LOL!

It's up now....

http://www.kryptonsite.com/voidreview.htm

[triplet]

Wait they hated the Cyborg episode?

Yeah, a lot did.

I don't understand it personally. I thought it was a wondeful episode.

[Red]

Yeah, a lot did.

I don't understand it personally. I thought it was a wondeful episode.

Its one of my favorites from the season so far.

[Super_Ludacris]

Yeah, a lot did.

I don't understand it personally. I thought it was a wondeful episode.


That was one of the best episodes of the year. I mean look I always K-site were SV purists (hence the Lana hate) who always were hard on the show because it could do better but when they hate what was blatantly one of the best episodes this season, man then they just stupid.

[triplet]

Yeah, I don't understand it. I thought it was one of the best episodes of the series, makes my top ten anyway.

They get their panties in a bunch about some minutia and forget to see the forest for the trees...

Read the comments on my review here:

http://www.kryptonsite.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=52438

It got so bad, some dude got banned over what he said about my thoughts on the episode. I loved it, he didn't and took the opportunity to bash the hell out of me. I only saw his first post, not the second one that got him banned.

*shrug*

[Super_Ludacris]

Man why is K-site like this? lol I mean I havent browsed it since like 2004 but I remember back in 2002 it was actually a pretty normal message board. Where are all these purists coming from? Matter of fact forget K-site, where all these purists coming from period. I thought they knew what Smallville's agenda was back in Season 1 when it was real light. Its like constantly looking for the show to be something that's it's just not.

[triplet]

I don't know...

You take the show for what it is, not hating it for what it isn't.... I can't see watching a show that I hate as much as some people do and yet they don't miss an episode.

I hate a show, I don't watch it. My TV viewing time is limited and I don't have any time to waste on shows I don't like....

[avidreader]

The best time to visit the Ksite Forums, is the day that a new episode airs. Go to the Episode Forums and check out the threads for that night's episode and its one big barrel of laughs.

I even saw a familiar poster from here, make a couple of posts this morning. ;)

[triplet]

Tried posting this over on k-site and it wouldn't take the image link for a thumbnail for some reason....

Happy Easter everyone...

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9697/hpim1453crop0gr.th.jpg (http://img182.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hpim1453crop0gr.jpg)

[Super_Ludacris]

I painted some badass Spiderman Easter Eggs today....

[Red]

Another word when the last two episode reviews will be up?

[triplet]

Naw.... I emailed Fade's review yesterday and haven't heard a thing about what was up with him not posting Mercy. I gave it to him late, I had a rough week last week and this week ain't really looking any better, but he's not replying to my emails...

*sigh*

I'll post 'em here....

[triplet]

MERCY:

Wow... this episode was better than I was expecting from the trailer, like "one of the top episodes of the season" better.

Scribe Steven DeKnight delivered one of his best episodes to date. Despite my suspension of disbelief getting stretched to the breaking point on Chloe's extremely high level computer hacking skills, I don't think I had a single problem with the writing in this episode. However, even Chloe's computer-hacking superpower can perhaps be forgiven as a necessary (and time saving) contrivance.

The tease was fantastic and the pace throughout the show kept up the tension really well. I loved the scene between Lex and Lionel. It was funny that while Lionel thought Lex was talking in double entendres, Lex was really just talking about Chess.

I also loved the "games" that Lincoln Cole played with Lionel. The tasks that Lionel was given were highly character revealing. Lionel was stripped down, both literally and figuratively, and the Magnificent Bastard became extremely vulnerable for once. Lionel also explained a lot.

Lionel's contradictory and inexplicable actions since the season premiere now make sense, for the most part. He has helped Clark from afar over and over again yet also plotted a hostile takeover of Luthorcorp and tried to sabotage Lex's senatorial campaign. Lionel knowing Clark's secret, trying to protect him and being in love with Martha explains a lot but I don't think it explains everything. Why was he pressuring Jonathan with images of Clark's superhuman heroics? If he wanted to help Clark and cared for Martha, why hurt Jonathan that badly? Hopefully that part of it will be explained later...

I liked the more subtle than usual nods to Superman's future. Martha talking about "truth, justice and the American way" and Clark agreeing that they were "words to live by" was just too cute.

It's fascinating that Lionel has seemingly abandoned Lex in favor of Clark. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. Maybe the rift between the former "best friends" will come in part thanks to Lex's father loving Clark more than Lex.

John Glover was totally awesome in this episode. Lionel went from the height of Magnificent Bastard mode to adept bargainer trying to negotiate his way out of a bad situation to a hopeless wretch to a man totally astounded to have escaped the ordeal alive... What an amazing arc for Lionel to go through and John totally sold it. I'm not sure a lesser actor could have made the changes that Lionel went through believable, but John did.

It's such pleasure to watch him work with Annette O'Toole as well. They're both such charismatic actors. Annette said in a recent interview that she loves to work with John and it shows because their chemistry is amazing. However creepy it might be for Lionel to hook up with Martha, especially given what he's done in the past trying to learn Clark's secret, the way it's being played is fantastic. I can't wait to see where they're going with the storyline.

Speaking of creepy: Lex seemingly has an agenda, but will Lana find out just how bad he really is? I don't think she will discover the truth about Lex this season, after all where would the tension and drama be in that? However, I like what I'm seeing so far. Kristin and Michael have chemistry and their scenes sizzle. It's a more adult relationship for Lana and from how well Kristin is doing with this new storyline that she seems to enjoy playing it. Michael also seems to be having a great time with the new relationship for Lex.

Tom Welling's Clark was very Supermanly in this episode. This was a very Lionel- and Martha-centric episode, so Tom wasn't in it much. However, he made extremely good use of the screen time he did have. I especially loved the final scene where Clark confronted Lionel. Tom perfectly played Clark's growing fury at what he saw as Lionel's manipulation of his mother, culminating in Clark threatening the Magnificent Bastard. It was positively chilling. The way he physically intimidated Lionel and his voice dripped menace was amazing....

Guest star Ian Tracey was perfectly cast as Lincoln Cole. He had a seemingly innocuous appearance yet his voice was so rich... In a role that required the actor to act most of the show with a mask over his face, being able to convey his intent solely with his voice was vital. He did an excellent job.

The episode was beautifully photographed by Barry Donlevy and wonderfully designed by James Philpott. The rooms and elevator where Lincoln put Lionel through the games were all wonderfully creepy and industrial looking. Barry did a great job lighting the sets and locations so that feeling was reinforced. I also loved how Barry filmed the scenes in the monitor. His use of a wide angle lens somehow made the mask-wearing Lincoln seem much more menacing and creepy than he was already was.

I think the only problem I had technically with the show was where Clark broke through the wall before he rescued Martha and Lionel... The way the wall broke and one piece was knocked out perfectly seemed more like something that a cartoon Clark would do in Superman: The Animated Series rather than something Smallville's live action Clark would do. Smallville doesn't usually do cartoonish effects, so that totally broke my suspension of disbelief.

Aside from Chloe's unbelievably good hacking skills and the less than successful Clark-breaking-through-the-wall effect, this episode was close to perfect. It had a great character revealing story that was also exciting and seemed to help the series build up to what I hope will be a huge cliff-hanging season finale.

4.5 falling elevators out of a possible 5

[triplet]

FADE:

Writers Al Septien & Turi Meyer in their sophomore effort (the pair had previously written "Vengeance") produced what is, more or less, pretty standard Freak-of-the-Week fare. That said, aside from some typical contrivances (Chloe being able to hack into any computer nearly instantaneously and Clark revealing his weakness in conversation just so the bad guy can overhear), it was a fairly solid episode. It was well paced and the dialogue was better than average and Graham's power was a tad more interesting way for invisibility than had been achieved before in Smallville. (In first season's "Shimmer," a kid used rose oil from kryptonite infected flowers to make a light reflecting lotion.) However, I wish they had explained his power a little more or why Graham wasn't found by Chloe in her usually spot-on google searches... Another misstep was that they laid the hints a bit thick on who Lois' future husband might be.

One thing the writers did do extremely well was to effortlessly advance several of the series' storylines. The Lex/Lana relationship has seriously picked up some steam and Lex's virus work with Fine is starting to get results. Another thing they did well was the way they inserted the AOL product placement into the story. It was more organic than the more ham-handed infomercials the show has had before for the car in "Solitude" and the contact lenses in "Vengeance," so kudos to them on that.

Acting-wise, guest star Alexander Scarlis's less than successful work aside, the cast did a very good job. Tom Welling had Clark being typically Superman-like and added some nice moments when Clark was so hurt by Lana and Lex's relationship. He especially did well when Clark watched from outside Lex's hospital room as Lana and Lex shared an intimate moment. Tears welled up in his eyes in a quiet moment that was also heartbreaking.

Michael Rosenbaum's was also in typical good form as Lex's machinations start to bear fruit. Michael is doing a good job playing the different sides of Lex: a man who is growing closer to Lana even while manipulating her; a man who fundamentally distrusts Fine, and yet continues to work with him in developing the super virus. The depths he is willing to stoop to is seemingly bottomless and will likely burn him in the end.

Erica Durance did especially well with this episode as Lois was being endearingly abrasive toward Clark even while she showed a great deal of concern for Clark's safety. I liked her tender moment with Annette O'Toole as they discussed Lois' less than ideal romantic choices.

Director of Photography Barry Donlevy again shot another beautiful episode. I especially loved the point of view shots for Graham when he was invisible... The soft focus, slightly overexposed, hand-held shots were a wonderfully effective way to indicate we were looking through Graham's eyes.

All in all "Fade" was an enjoyable, even if an average, episode. 3.5 stars out of a possible 5.

[TKodami]

Thanks for posting your reviews here, Triplet. Once again, I'm in complete agreement with you about both Mercy & Fade. Mercy is easily one of my top-10 favorite Smallville episodes (no wonder, since the number one ep on that list is Insurgence). Following on its heels, Fade did well advancing the overall plot lines, but it just seemed to lack a sparkle that otherwise might have made it a good episode on its own merits.

[Red]

Thanks trip :up:

Any reason why the Fade review was a bit shorter than normal?

[triplet]

Thanks trip :up:

Any reason why the Fade review was a bit shorter than normal?

I just didn't have anything else to say, I guess.

*shrug*

It was good, not great, but my head wasn't really in the right place to do a review. I've been having some RL issues that made writing what little I did very difficult...

I needed to get out of my own brain a bit and Fade just wasn't good enough to do that.

[Red]

Any idea when Oracle is going up Trip?

[triplet]

Any idea when Oracle is going up Trip?

It's up now...

www.kryptonsite.com/oraclereview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/oraclereview.htm)

Vessel should be up tomorrow. Once it is it will no doubt be here:

www.kryptonsite.com/vesselreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/vesselreview.htm)

[BaK]

It's up now...

[/URL][URL="http://www.kryptonsite.com/vesselreview.htm"]www.kryptonsite.com/vesselreview.htm (http://www.kryptonsite.com/oraclereview.htm)

good.. :up:

you sort of ask/imply there that zod's plan ain't clear..

I thought he said revenge.. with big R.. :)

[triplet]

good.. :up:

you sort of ask/imply there that zod's plan ain't clear..

I thought he said revenge.. with big R.. :)

Oh, I"m sure there's more to it than that since putting Clark into the Phantom Zone is probably revenge enough on Jor-El...

Or maybe it isn't, it could be just part one of a multipart scenario, but Craig doesn't like it when I theorize on future storylines in my reviews so I have to keep that stuff to a minimum...

[avidreader]

Oh, I"m sure there's more to it than that since putting Clark into the Phantom Zone is probably revenge enough on Jor-El...

Or maybe it isn't, it could be just part one of a multipart scenario, but Craig doesn't like it when I theorize on future storylines in my reviews so I have to keep that stuff to a minimum...

Is that right?

[triplet]

Is that right?


Yeah, that's right.

I did include a theory about an upcoming storyline in a review once last season and he cut it and suggested (nicely) that I not do that again.... He doesn't mind spoilers about the episode itself, but spoilers about a future episode based on my own speculation isn't really reviewing the episode.

He has a point...

[Red]

No mention of Masters performance Trip?

[triplet]

No mention of Masters performance Trip?

He was great, as always... that was an oversight on my part.

*shrug*

I had to get it done by Sunday (self-imposed deadline) and I had one hell of a saturday, so some things maybe didn't get mentioned that I shoulda talked about.

Several K-siters seemed shocked that I didn't mention the *KISS*.... :eek:

*sigh*

[avidreader]

Yeah, that's right.

I did include a theory about an upcoming storyline in a review once last season and he cut it and suggested (nicely) that I not do that again.... He doesn't mind spoilers about the episode itself, but spoilers about a future episode based on my own speculation isn't really reviewing the episode.

He has a point...

That was my major complaint about that other review, so in my opinion I guess he is right. :up:

[triplet]

You talking about Scarlett's? I haven't read it and have decided to not to.

I really don't like reading other people's reviews anymore, except maybe for Hulk's.... most turn into rips on the show lately, especially when shipping biases are added into the mix, and I don't really want to read that.

Of course, a lot of people over on k-site think I'm too positive on the show so maybe I'm not the kind of reviewer some people want to read.

*shrug*

[avidreader]

You talking about Scarlett's? I haven't read it and have decided to not to.

I really don't like reading other people's reviews anymore, except maybe for Hulk's.... most turn into rips on the show lately, especially when shipping biases are added into the mix, and I don't really want to read that.

Of course, a lot of people over on k-site think I'm too positive on the show so maybe I'm not the kind of reviewer some people want to read.

*shrug*

Yeah that's the one I was talking about. ;)

You are optimistic. However at the same time you can point out the good and the bad within an episode. If that's the way you feel then what's the problem.

You certainly werent optimistic with that episode that shall not be named. ;)

[triplet]

You certainly werent optimistic with that episode that shall not be named. ;)

No, I wasn't...


*shudder*

I LOATHE that one... ;) :D