Things started out so well on Smallville this week. Clark and Lois, fresh from the intimacy they shared at the end of last week, were — at the suggestion of Lois, that minx — about to engage in some porch-swing sex (I know, I was pretty shocked myself ). Then who should arrive but Lois’ father, the General Sam Lane (Michael Ironside) and sister Lucy (Peyton List).
Grumpy General was in full military camouflage and in full-on anger mode right from the start. He not only interrupted our happy couple with a lot of bluster about how super-heroes “incite violence” and “commit acts of terrorism”; he was also backing the “Vigilante Registration Act.”
Now before you yelp that this Registration Act is a rip-off of a recent Marvel Comics story line, I’ll remind you that this kind of legislation has existed before in the DC Comics universe, in everything from Infinite Crisis‘ “New Earth” storyline to the New Frontier miniseries to (the admittedly out-of-continuity) Watchmen. Anyhoo, the General is a backer, and he had a grudge against Clark. Why? Because he’d had a government investigation conducted (!) and possessed photos of Clark with cousin Kara in her costume, which in the General’s mind meant Clark was a dirty collaborator with superheroes, including the Blur.
The parallel militaristic story line followed the return of Rick Flag from The Suicide Squad, who invoked patriotism and freedom as well in opposing the Registration Act — he’d set his sights on demolishing the General, launching a General-seeking missile while reciting some of the lyrics to “The Star Spangled Banner.” Decorating the edges of the hour were Green Arrow and Tess, arguing and becoming friends again in the Watchtower while monitoring much of this stuff. (This material felt like some dutiful labor that had to be worked in to excuse Chloe’s ongoing absence.)
I suppose this episode, titled “Ambush,” was partly a holiday-themed edition: after all, the General and Lucy had shown up to share a Thanksgiving meal with Lois. But its best moments centered on father-daughter issues. Ironside’s interpretation of the General was to play him rather over-the-top, and so it fell to Erica Durance to convey the painful pull and pluck it requires to put aside the powerfully controlling instincts a child has to obey a domineering parent. (“That’s an order, young lady!”) Their face-off was better than all the rockets bursting in air, or the Blur-fast rescues.
This was, like last week’s “Harvest,” an uneven episode with, as I’ve detailed, some fine emotional moments. And given how good Durance has been this season in particular, I’m really looking forward to next week, when Teri Hatcher appears as Lois’ mother.
How about you?
Twitter: @kentucker
No comments:
Post a Comment