8.05 - Committed - Discussion Thread (Spoilers)

[b24]

i loved the clark's statistically speaking this the safest way to travel

 

[b24]

i loved the clark's statistically speaking this the safest way to travel

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I really enjoyed this episode. Reminded be a bit of the SAW franchise with some things switched around. I loved it when Clark said " It's the safer way to travel".

I'd probably rank the episodes like this so far.

1. Odyssey
2. Committed
3. Instinct
4. Plastique
5. Toxic

And Tom and Erica have done a tremendous job this season.

 

[Mikelus]

Awesome episode.

LOVED seeing Lois in Clark's old \8/ football jersey. Heh. Nice.

I was bored with all of the Tess/Oliver scenes. Well, except for the duel; that was well done. (Though the resolution was predictable.) Not sure why they're drilling those character's backstories though. In fact, I'm not sure why Jimmy's parent's are that important to the big picture either, or why their background deserved five minutes of precious screen time. C'mon show; stick to the mains, k?

I think the Olitess scenes were pretty good, it adds tension and should have consequences down the line, specially once Tess villain league starts creating havoc, there could be a very tough, emotional confrontation between them later in the season, so they have plenty of potential as characters. I agree the Chimmy is kind of the weakest link, but as long as episodes are not centered on them like "Sleeper", it should be fine.

The episode was really fun, what a difference from last year Clanadrama crap. We could say that the first five episodes of this season beat the ones from last year, even the weakest from the pack 8.03 "Toxic", was better than 7.03 "Fierce", and next week looks pretty good. S8 is the best one since S5 IMO, that's why it should be the last to avoid dragging Clark's story without reason, he's ready to be Superman now.

 

[Zing79]

As has been stated: SV hasn't been this good in a long time. Even eps that I think have the potential to bore me to tears still end up being enjoyable.

Another has been stated moment: Tom as Clark, Erica as Lois - hole e **** they can chew scenery together. Any time those two are on screen together I seem to get a giant arse grin on my face without even realizing it.

It's amazing. Based on how rejuvenated it feels I think if they let loose the restrictions* I fully believe they could keep this show on the air another 3-4 years without it outstaying its welcome. If you had asked me that before this year started I NEVER would have said the preceding.

*meaning they let this turn into a Superman show.

 

[Cmill216]

I was just glad to see Oliver back interacting with the rest of the characters outside of his JL duties.

 

[SpideyVille]

I think the Olitess scenes were pretty good, it adds tension and should have consequences down the line, specially once Tess villain league starts creating havoc, there could be a very tough, emotional confrontation between them later in the season, so they have plenty of potential as characters.

That's a good point, assuming that's where they're headed. Also, if my memory serves me right, Tess doesn't know that Oliver is GA, so the moment that she finds out could be big, esp since she claims he hasn't done anything like with his life like Lex has.

 

[javphonic]

i loved the clark's statistically speaking this the safest way to travel

me too

I really enjoyed this episode. Reminded be a bit of the SAW franchise....
And Tom and Erica have done a tremendous job this season.

I agree, blurted it out while watching

This season is turning out really good, most series get stale by now, but it seems Clark's move to Metropolis as well as an adjustment in cast has really refreshed the show, I hope the momentum continues

 

[LostSon88]

I really credit Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Todd Slavkin, and Darren Swimmer.

Miles & Millar were holding back the show's potential for far too long.

 

[Webhead2006]

Well i thought it was a pretty decent episode. Nothing bad to really say about the episode itself. I loved that lois got drunk at the start of the episode and then ended up at clark's and when she woke up she thought he and she got it on. That was a pretty funny scene there.

As for jimmy/chloe i know alot of people hate the relationship with them and i do too at times but tonight it wasnt that bad. There scenes were pretty good together and you can see how much they really do like each other. There scenes with the kidnapper were pretty good too. I liked the chairs/electric shocks on lies. That was pretty niffty there.

I loved the sub-plot with lois/clark decided to be a fake couple to get on the trail of the kidnapper. The scene in the jewlery store where they pretended to be a couple was very funny and so classic that ollie walked in then and they had to play up the getting married thing.

As for tess/ollie i wonder where they are going with them? Its a bit weird to see ollie hooking up with her when he knows she is pretty bad person right now and all that. It was pretty great to see lois reveal she does really love clark, to bad we didnt see clark answer his question. Though i thought it was a pretty creative way how he got rid of the kryptonite braclet the guy had on, and took him out.

As for next week's episode it looks very promising and i hope we do get to see a good glimpse of doomsday form.

Also what did jimmy say about his family, my sister called me during that scene and i didnt catch all of his lines.

 

[LostSon88]

That he lied about them...that his father is in reality a dead-beat drunk and he's actually doesn't know his mother.

Basically that everything he told Chloe about his family was a lie.

 

[Webhead2006]

ok thanks as i said i didnt fully catch what he said due to my sister calling me.

 

[b24]

i liked how clark beat up that villian

1st he headbutted him freed himself, and when that killer got up clark was standing infront of him literrly staring at him like saying"i m gonna kick your a** now"

also i have to say clark has been really proactive this seseaon or what unlike last previous seseoans where he was proactive in one episode then next he was lovesick i don't care about my destiny

even this seseaon when lana returns he doesn't seem to regress back because spoilers of legion and buletproof suggest calrk is still heroic self even after lana returns

 

[b24]

That he lied about them...that his father is in reality a dead-beat drunk and he's actually doesn't know his mother.

Basically that everything he told Chloe about his family was a lie.

at 1st i thought he was gonna either say

"i am gay"

or

"i am batman"

 

[LostSon88]

Anyone notice Clark's little squirm after Lois answered, "Yes."...like he was totally expecting to be shocked. Then the quick WTF look he gave when he wasn't...

I thought that was funny.

 

[javphonic]

Anyone notice Clark's little squirm after Lois answered, "Yes."...like he was totally expecting to be shocked. Then the quick WTF look he gave when he wasn't...

I thought that was funny.

I lol'd too, very funny

and that was so unslick when Lois spun the story in the elevator and Clark bought it... sighs

 

[Superfreak]

KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE

very impressed with the season so far... if they can keep this up over all 20 episodes I will be very happy

 

[The Caped Knight]

This episode continues to prove what I've been saying from since the very start of this season Lois & Clark are the main reason for Season 8 Super success .

Erica & Tom were Outstanding in this episode .

 

[Captainhulk]

For some reason I want Lois to know about clark.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

you know what I thought of this morning, with Lois' little comment to Clark in the elevator about how she "slipped the censor off her finger." She was completely full of it. Why, if she slipped the censor off her finger, say "Yes" to the "do you love Clark?" question?
She could've answered either way and if the censor wasnt on her, it wouldnt have moved regardless. Why choose the answer to the question that's going to A) validate the psycho's reason for putting you in the chair in the first place, and B) make things REALLY awkward with Clark?

 

[mellyM]

you know what I thought of this morning, with Lois' little comment to Clark in the elevator about how she "slipped the censor off her finger." She was completely full of it. Why, if she slipped the censor off her finger, say "Yes" to the "do you love Clark?" question?
She could've answered either way and if the censor wasnt on her, it wouldnt have moved regardless. Why choose the answer to the question that's going to A) validate the psycho's reason for putting you in the chair in the first place, and B) make things REALLY awkward with Clark?

I thought it was pretty clear she was lying

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

I thought it was pretty clear she was lying

oh yeah of course, i guess I sort of phrased my post badly. I meant to say more or less that it was a REALLY poor lie

 

[RakuMon]

Anyone notice Clark's little squirm after Lois answered, "Yes."...like he was totally expecting to be shocked. Then the quick WTF look he gave when he wasn't...

I thought that was funny.

YES! I was worried I'd be the only one to catch that. Great job, TW!

For the fourth time this season, I went in with mild-to-low expectations and came out blown away. (The only time I had high expectations was for "Toxic," and that didn't meet them unfortunately). When I saw last week's preview, I thought this was going to be the first real filler of the season. So glad I was wrong. The best thing so far about PS3's stewardship of the show is that they're letting so-called "filler" episodes be just as well made as their event ones. One of the problems with GoughLar was that they readily admitted that they had to drop the ball on some eps just because "that's the nature of episodic television." That's how we got eps like "Fierce" or "Exploding Baby." Because the quality control was lax. This season though, it's like the 'runners are saying, "filler" episodes need as much adherence to continuity and top notch acting as the "important" ones, so Bravo!

So, the good:

--Lois' party dress. Yowza.
--Clark's football jersey (Have we ever seen Lana rocking the football jersey and nothing else? Seems like the Lane cousins are the only ones, huh?)
--Clark and Lois really are the saving grace of this season. Every time I see them together, doing their thing, I have a grin like Kal-El 8. At the same time, it's so frustrating because Tom & Erica really are the best Clark & Lois I've ever seen. No disrespect to Reeve/Kidder or Cain/Hatcher, but Welling/Durance have them both beat because they combine the best parts of each of the previous Clark/Lois pairings. But it's frustrating because we'll likely never see them fulfill their justified place on the big screen.
--Clark being proactive AGAIN! I loved that he constantly wanted to investigate on his own, but Lois wouldn't have it. So classic! And when he finally got the chance to superspeed away? Brilliant. Also, loved the way he took out his captor. The headbutt and the "I'm gonna kick your ass" look was made of awesome. Even the way he said "let her go" screamed bloody Superman (give this guy the franchise already!). I addressed his use of his powers in another thread, but I'll reiterate it here. His heat vision is invisible to the naked eye. It's only visualized for viewers watching the show. It can be confusing because in recent seasons, they've made his heat vision more red, but when he first got it in Season 2, it was just heat emitting from his eyes and not traditional laser beams. So, Lois didn't actually see Clark use his HV to take out the pipe. But the fact that he even thought to take out the pipe in the first place shows that Clark FINALLY understands how to be mask his Supermanliness.
--Loved the "safest way to travel" line. Great homage, but even better? Tom delivered it perfectly. Also loved how Clark got a bit deflated when he bought Lois' lie about slipping off the sensor. He played that on two levels. On the one hand, you could tell he was going to enjoy teasing Lois about her admission, so he was disappointed about that. Secondly, he's starting to realize his own feelings for Lois. Which again, is AWESOME.

The Bad:
Chloe/Jimmy and Ollie/Tess.
Obviously, the tastiest bits of this episode was all the Lois/Clark goodness. I think the strength of that pairing, though, is hurting the other two "relationships" because it exposes how weak they are.

I'll say it again, Chloe and Jimmy are just bori...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... Oh sorry, what was I saying?

Seriously, the whole "my parents are deadbeats" scene was five minutes wasted. I know Allison is second-billing this year, but she and Jimmy should never be the A-plot because there's nothing interesting there. Every scene with just the two of them, I'm looking at my watch and waiting for Clark or Lois to come back.

Tess and Ollie is different. Individually, they're both very interesting (my man love for Justin is well known). But together, something's missing. I know that's kind of the point, the mystery about their relationship prior to this season, but I'm not intrigued by that. Also, didn't Ollie say at the end of "Odyssey" that the "new head of Luthorcorp is more deceitful than Lex ever was?" He was talking about Tess, I thought? If so, why's he bedding her (unless, he's doing this strictly on JLA business--which I can live with).

That said, I'll give Tess and Ollie a few more eps to win me over. But I've had it with Chloe and Jimmy. Even though their engagement is a major plot line this year (culminating in "Bride" I guess), I'd rather watch the Clark and Lois show.

All in all, another fantastic episode. I agree with Pat, Smallville is fun again!

 

[Superfreak]

oh yeah of course, i guess I sort of phrased my post badly. I meant to say more or less that it was a REALLY poor lie

indeed, but what I liked was that it was enough to make Clark think twice and get confused (that, I really liked). I like how they were both lying to each other to hide the truth, but that Lois' lie convinced Clark that his lie was unneeded... the confusion on Clark's face right at the end of the interchange was good (did she? did she not?)

 

[Brainiac 8]

Ok, here is the deal. After reading the CW write up, I wasn't as looking forward to this episode as I had been the previous four. I mean c'mon, a Kryptonite powered lie detector...boy am I glad they got that part wrong. The way the episode played out was far better.

It was fan-freakin-tastic! This is by far my favorite episode of the season so far, and I have loved the previous episodes. I think after these five episodes, it shows the real weakest link Smallville had was Al/Miles, they had to have been holding the show back something fierce.

To those who say Welling and Durance don't have chemistry, watch this episode, and shut your friggin mouth. They absolutely sizzled on screen everytime they appeared together. It was like watching an episode of Lois & Clark, only without the huge amounts of cheese that show had. (Even though I loved that cheese) When Tom got electrocuted, watching Lois' concern when she pleaded for the villian to stop hurting him was heartbreaking...these kids need to hook up before this show ends.

The plot was even interesting, the villian had a twisted sense of honor behind him, in that he would release the prisoners if they passed his "test". The villian had a sympathetic motive, and to top it off he didn't die in some arbitrary way like most of the villians have in this show. The Kryptonite bracelet didn't bother me at all. Kryptonite jewelrey is an established fixture on the show, and it made much more sense that he wore something like this considering he was a Jeweler.

Welling, where do I even begin. I know, let me quote my wife last night: "Will they just go ahead and put the tights and cape on him already!"

My sentaments exactly honey.

He was proactive, he found a way to cover up his escape from Lois, and the way he appeared in front of the villian, you just knew someone was about to get a beating. Is it just me, or does Tom's arm look extra ripped this season? I also enjoyed the Lois/Clark banter, the joke about getting dressed in the kitchen...for an hour was hilarious, as was the whole jewelry store scene. I did enjoy that before anything, Clark tried to reason with the villian by appealing to his vulnerable side. He was all 100% Superman in this episode, and it didn't require any expensive special effects to make it happen. See what happens when you pay attention to character BEFORE plot.

Oh, and on a side note, yes, his heat vision has been established as invisible to the naked eye. They have made it more noticeable for our benefit. That is all.

On to the more negetive or neutral aspects of the show.

The jury is still out on Oliver and Tess for me, but my god if that dueling scene wasn't awesome. Tess is hiding a far darker secret than Oliver even realizes..my guess.. she was one of Lex's supersoldier experiments.

Jimmy and Chloe....what can I say? They don't bother me like some people, but they were the least interesting part of the episode. Fortunately, they didn't take up much of the screen time. Clark's toast and saving of Lois during the shower was fantastic. The scene with Jimmy/Chloe that I did like was the when they had to answer the questions, since they showed alot of chemistry in that scene. It seemed real. The confession of Jimmy though, fell much more flat than I think the director was hoping. I never wondered nor cared about his parents...they appearantly thought I did. This wasn't enough to ruin the episode at all though.

Also I just want to mention the focus on remembering continuity this season. It makes me very happy. I thought they did mostly ok before, but it's much more appearant that they are trying to tie in past continuity much more this season, and I love it.

At the end, Lois lied about slipping the moniter off her finger, and I'm not so sure Clark bought it actually. We'll see though. That look at the end was the lightbulb, he finally realizes his feelings for her. That look he gave was fantastic and made the Superman fanboy in me squeal. Oh, and the homage...yea it made me smile, and isn't it funny how much more natural it sounds coming out of Tom...interesting no?

All in all, after my longwinded comment about the episode...it was a 5/5 without a doubt.
So far my season looks like this:

Committed
Instinct
Plastique
Odyssey
Toxic

Awsome season so far.