April 5, 2010 - "Escape" is first and foremost about relationships and
it's definitely the episode's biggest strength. Lois and Clark have
been fumbling through the semblance of a relationship for sometime now.
While they make a cute couple they still suffer from their respective
lives getting in the way of their time together. This week, they finally
get that opportunity to be alone. Again, it's cute, and we've seen a lot
of that from Lois and Clark but it's time for their relationship to
evolve. The awkward "getting into bed" together scene is a phase I
thought we'd left in the past with Lana Lang. Cute, yes, but Clark is a
lot more assertive than that.
Later in the episode we thankfully discover that Clark has learned, from
his father Jor-El, how to control his superhuman seed so he doesn't blow
a hole threw the top of Lois' skull. I would have loved to have been a
fly on the crystal walls of the Fortress of Solitude for that training
session. For now we'll have to settle for the awkward, yet priceless,
conversation with Chloe about the situation. It may not seem like much,
but this is a big moment for Smallville, which has finally shed the
ridiculous notion that Clark could damage a woman while having sex with
her. I can't believe there were entire story arcs based on that silly
premise.
On the other end of the spectrum we have Chloe and Ollie who are engaged
in a much more adult relationship. I really appreciate the no-baggage/no
strings attached approach that they both have to their situation and
it's refreshing to watch a relationship without complications on a show
that once thrived on that very premise. It was a little odd that Chloe
exploded at Ollie for giving her a gift. Their situation is clear but
for someone who wants to keep things "simple" she really overreacted
about a small trinket.
There was some great dialogue between both couples. I really enjoyed
Clark and Ollie's awkward exchange at the breakfast table after Chloe
and Lois had departed. That clip had been making the rounds on the
Internet for a couple of weeks prior but it's a funny natural exchange
between the two and I'm a sucker for silly superhero banter.
The B-Plot dealt with Tess discovering Zod's powers and then promptly
sleeping with him. Tess' allegiances and motivations seem to fluctuate
week-to-week. It will be interesting to see what she has planned now
because after this episode I'm not too sure what she is trying to
achieve. She's shown Zod that she has the power to counter his abilities
which gives her a certain amount of control over him. We'll just have to
wait and see how she utilizes it.
Zod's plan to pretend to be the Blur in order to use Lois for his own
gain is a great concept. Actually, now that Zod has his powers he seems
to be dressing in nearly the exact same attire as the Blur sans the S-
Shield. I have a feeling we may see Zod impersonate the Blur at some
point in order to destroy the image that Clark has created.
A vengeful spirit murdering men at a quaint bed and breakfast is
certainly a great idea but the story never really comes together here.
With the distractions of the Zod and Tess storyline and the writers'
focus on exploring the relationships of Lois, Clark, Chloe and Ollie,
there wasn't much screen time dedicated to building up the lore behind
the Silver Banshee. And when the Banshee finally becomes intertwined in
the main narrative she is mostly used as a tool to put our two couples
in even more awkward situations. I'd love to see a cut of this episode
were a lot more time is given to actually building up the threat so I
actually feel a shred of suspense when Banshee finally appears in her
true form. I will admit though, the Banshee did look quite a bit like
her DC counterpart.
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