On the issue of who asked who, and who was to benefit from casting Kane and Ashley, I think the credits are rather revealing: Glenn Jacobs and Ashley Massaro are credited as "Kane" and "Ashley." I wouldn't have known what their real names were if it wasn't for a wrestling site that mentioned it. So if they were cast like any other "actor," why not list them like any other "actor?" Answer: stunt casting on the part of SV's producers in order to attract more viewers, in this case, wrestling fans.
On the issue of casting actual wrestlers over standard Vancouver day labor, think about it gang? Ashley was cast just for the name recognition (among WWE fans), but where else would you look for a hulking 7ft guy who knows how to make a fight look "real" without it actually being real, and can act reasonably well, even over-the-top, if necessary? C'mon folks. Professional wrestlers are the way to go - and I don't watch wrestling. It just makes sense no matter how you look at it.
well then you should be hoping that his Pilot doesn't pan out
LOL!
There was some good Clark stuff in this ep, but overall it felt like a mess. Even the score was bad, excessive, overdone, and sometimes just tonally...inappropriate for some of the scenes. The homoerotic exchange between Lois and Athena was just unnecessary. Some good action in here, such as the moment in Hulk's avvy, but even that couldn't save this ep. Oh, and what the hell kind of turn or resolution in the baby story was THAT? Ugh. Waste.
I actually liked the music. It was different and fit the ostentatiousness and glitter of professional wrestling and a "thunderdome" like theme.
The homoerotic exchange gave me a chuckle, but I agree it was completely unnecessary. That said, it seemed to, um... get a rise out of a few gents here, so maybe the writers were on to something, I dunno. I can tell you I wouldn't mind seeing more shirtless Clark scenes, so if they want to throw a few bones out for the boyz, who am I to argue? LOL
As far as the resolution to the baby thing, Pfft! You kidding? The whole damn story arc was a waste, IMHO. It became a joke in my house that "baby-related" scenes were only good for bathroom breaks. I kid you not. And unfortunately, it's not over yet. *sigh*
Back when the concept was first teased, I made no bones about it; I had ZERO interest in a baby arc on SV. I hated it back then (when I knew nothing about it), and I hate it even more now. That, combined with Lex marrying Lana, drags the episodes to a screeching halt - worse than any other story "advancing" idea they ever had, IMHO.
Don't get me wrong; I'm hanging in there with the show. I just haven't been interested in discussing that side of the story because I hate it so much. I'd rather see Clark and Lana ride off into the sunset - and if you know me, that's pretty radical LOL.
So Combat came as a very welcome and pleasant surprise. I was a little worried considering how bad Static was and how much I was psyched to see that ep. Was Combat cheesy? Yeah, quite. LOL But it was a very fun, enjoyable episode for me. In fact, I think there was more character development in Combat than there was in Promise, but I'm biased to Clark, and I'd rather see him move forward than dwell in the past. It's bad enough he's got his own human vs. alien issues to address, not to mention all of the meteor freaks, 33.1 and PZ'er threats to take care of. Lana made her own bed and now she's sleeping in it - with Lex. It'd be nice to see her "save" herself from her mistake this time. Other than having a room with her name on it at SMC, she gets off too easy most of the time.
[ducks and runs]
Thank goodness Serene is on vacation.
