Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Superman Related Smallville Series - S9 ***SPOILERS***

Katherine Kent asked that I start discussing S9 as I watch the show, episode by episode. Today, I cracked the seal on my S9 DVD and made the plunge into the first two episodes. I've got to tell you, having the power to watch the show at my leisure is so empowering, it's almost addictive.

For those of you who've patently ignored my other mentions to watching the series over the last few years... yes, YEARS, I've been slowly watching Seasons 1-8 via Netflix DVD shipped to my house. I started watching it AFTER it went off the air, back in 2011-ish. It was so long ago I can't remember when I started. It may have even been before I started writing the first book of my Wrong Trilogy. A frustratingly slow process, for someone who watched all four seasons of LnC within one month when I re-discovered it back in 2010 (or was it 2009?) on Netflix's instant list. I've had to wait for DVDs, availability, tickling in, slowly, painfully over the years. I have to admit that I wasn't in as big of a rush for the DVDs in those early years as I have been during S6-8, when Clark and Chloe finally left high school (and in a Buffyesque fashion, promptly demolished it to make sure Lois couldn't go back for a 6th year of high school for another inane reason, such as becoming a student teacher or to take over The Torch).

So, before I blather on like a Daily Planet reporter we all know and love, let's get to those first two episodes, shall we?

S9, E1 - "The Savior" - Clark Kent has given up his human life to become the Blur full time. He's given up his red/blue-ness for a more trench-coaty goth angel look out of guilt for Davis having killed Jimmy after Clark saved Davis from being the Doomsday. (I can't say it's an improvement.) And Tess has paramilitary looking house guests who somehow are young Kryptonians from Candor, one of whom is Zod?

EDIT: I just thought of something. What if the reason that Lois can't remember her trip to the future is because she slept with Clark and he wiped her memories (got to go all the way for the mind wipe in this millennium.) Anyway, just a thought.

Believe me, seasons 9 and 10 are addictive. I would watch 3 or 4 episodes at night, after my daughter went to sleep. Sometimes I would watch it until the wee hours of the morning.

Well, most of time I don't understand what's going on with Chloe. Sometimes she acts like a friend, but sometimes she seems the jealous and spiteful girlfriend and treats Lois like a rival. I guess she never completely accepted that she can't get Clark.

Oh, no! Not the amnesia kiss!

Yeah... these pesky characters refuse to stay dead. :rolleyes:

Andreia

Hmmmmm. Chloe is all about the mourning in these first two episodes. She's feeling guilty that her desire to save Davis ended up killing both him and Jimmy. She mourning the loss of her reconciled husband. She's mourning the loss of her purpose in life. She's mourning her loss of all her friends (the new JL group), who disappeared on her after Jimmy's death (that must have felt like they blamed her, more than themselves). She gave up everything to protect Clark: her job, her marriage, the life of her husband, her brain, her self-respect, and what does he do, he drops her like yesterday's news once things get hard. That's got to hurt. She's mourning her best friend who Clark seems to kill off (that would be Clark's CK side), when she needed his support the most. She's missing her cousin Lois who disappeared during this whole panic. Chloe stays at the "Watchtower" (which I have to say is a super cool set), because it reminds her of Jimmy. She even has his photo next to her computer.

Yes, Chloe is definitely feeling jealous of Lois and Clark's relationship, but I think it's more that Lois is stepping into her old role as Clark's sidekick (even calling herself that in E2, well... The Blur's sidekick). Chloe feels abandoned by everyone and all alone, when she used to have this huge group of friends she could call upon to help. I feel for her, I do. At least, Emil still gives her the time of day.

Lois won't even sit still long enough for Chloe to tell her what happened to / with Jimmy and Davis. Here, she's spent since Jimmy funeral searching for her cousin non-stop, and when she finds her, Lois doesn't care enough to stop and listen for a moment to what's going on in Chloe's life even though Chloe is trying to explain that something HUGE happened.

Chloe feels used and abused and discarded. That's got to hurt.

That being said, much of this I figured out after watching E2.

S9,E2 - "Metallo" -- hmmmm. Where have I heard that name before? Lois's sex dreams of Clark are giving her a major jonesing for her missing partner (Poughkeepsie? Clark? Riggggght. Completely understand her skepticism, here. I'm glad she called Martha to find out what was going on with Clark. I can see him totally freaking out about this.

I know that Tess and her new teenage Scooby Gang type sidekick want to pin the new Kryptonians (Candorians?) paramilitary group on Corben's transformation and surgery, but I'm not exactly sure. Mostly because if they ARE Kryptonian then they couldn't have come that close to Kryptonite. It seems almost too convenient to blame the Candorians for Corben's Kryptonite heart. I also don't see the connection Tess does between Corben's kryptonite heart and the Candorians wish for the Blur's super powers. I have to say they're doing a good job and confusing the heck out the viewers on what's going on with both Tess and the Candorians.

For a minute, after Clark learned from Dr. Hamilton that the new cyborg in town has a Kryptonite heart (which I have to say is very reminiscent of Iron Man's power source), I thought that Clark would call in his new Kryptonite infected buddy, Lana, to take Corben down, since she has Clark's powers and his resistance to Kryptonite. But the He-Man Blur instead calls upon his crush, Lois, to find out who the new cyborg in town is, instead of checking in with his usual sidekick Chloe. I have to say, Chloe has every right to feel ticked off at both Clark and Lois. Then, again, she abandoned her life and friends last season to take care of Davis, so I can see why they've moved on without her. Chloe can dish it but can't take it.

I was a bit surprised that Corben was able to recognize Clark on sight as the Blur. He never met Clark Kent, did he? He may have taken over Clark's desk, but I don't think there were any photos of Clark around on his or Lois's desks, so how did Corben seem to know who Clark was? Also, using the electromagnetic shock thing on Corben seemed almost like killing him more than tazering him, even though it didn't seem to do more than make Corben VERY VERY upset (after he woke up). Covering the kryptonite heart with a lead shield was a good plan, but doesn't that only block the kryptonite radiation from one side of Corben? Doesn't it still pass through his body and come out his back?

The Blur is becoming more dependent on Lois and he's seeing that maybe that's not a good idea, but now that he's addicted, he's going to have trouble letting her go.

Clark waking Lois up was very reminiscent of Clark waking Lois up after freezing her at the end of "AtAi". But, then, as soon as she starts to wake, he dives back into the shadows. It would have been nice, if Lois saw that it was Clark would had rescued her, instead of the Blur. When she asks to show his face, she gets this expression on her face like she recognizes him or something, even though his step forward still keeps his face shaded.

I have to say, I love, love, *LOVED* the ending banter scene between Clark and Lois. Clark is excited to be resurrected and happy to see Lois as himself. Lois is ecstatic to see Clark and bubbling about her new-found friendship with The Blur. Instead of brushing her off, though, Clark actually sits down and asks Lois to tell her all about it. We didn't really see that kind of scene on LnC. Lois more bombarded Clark with her views on Superman, but we rarely, if ever, saw him ask Lois to tell him her side of the story.

S9,E3 - "Rabid" -- Zombies.

Some of the B-plot stuff was okay, though. Oliver is drinking and popping pills too much. I have to say that Clark's pep talk at the end was anything but "peppy" and helpful. It was Clark's fault that Lois got bit, and it was a little unfair to dump on Oliver because she fell asleep onto his overloaded back. Oliver clearly was already feeling guilty about that.

Lois's connection with the Blur (whom I notice *she* still calls the Red/Blue Blur, though he's given up on his red/blue-ness) I find interesting, especially when she's giving Clark extra closeness while she's telling him this. I did like Clark picking Lois up in his arms and carrying her up the stairs when she was hurt. It was very SM of him.

Chloe is spying on the JL because she needs to feel like their over-protective big sister. I'm sure she didn't need to see what was going on with Oliver's belt buckle.... or going on when it hit the floor.

Lois is still having those flashes from the apocalyptic future from hell, but isn't getting any closer to telling anyone about them. Does she even know she went into the future? I'm guessing not.

Zod is still working on being a big baddy. I don't know what's going on with the symbols around the world or why the El one is in more than one location. We got another drip of information on that vague plot. Gee, thanks.

That's about all that happened. At least, I watched it at lunch and not before I went to bed. I could have used a little less zombie while I was eating though. Ugh.

Yup. Without Lois - whose been missing for three weeks - Clark doesn't want to have a human life anymore.

Aww. Now, for all those Clana lovers. Did Clark ever give up on his humanity when Lana left him ... multiple times ... ? And he's not actually even together - as a couple - with Lois at the moment. Yet her absence from his life had such an impact.

This has been explored in a couple of SV fics. In fact it is the premise of MozartMaid's Hidden Consequences, which I beta'd and she is currently posting.

Oh dear. The curse of Superman 2 strikes again. Everyone always assumes 'mind-wipe kiss' since that film came out. Anyway. You'll get your answer at the mid-season finale: Pandora.

I love this episode. I squealed like a fan girl when the camera pans up just before the titles and we saw The Blur - not The Red-Blue Blur. I think he looks yummy in the black. Yes, he's not quite as warm as S8 Clark, but I once saw someone explain that S8 was Clark learning to be a 'Human' Superman, S9 is him learning to be a 'Kryptonian' Superman and S10 is him learning to merge the two.

She wanted to move out to avoid the happy couple, in S8, so she nearly moved into the Farmhouse. Yes. But then she got a raise and said that she was 'looking' for her own apartment. In the end we NEVER hear that she found one, or that she moved. She still living above The Talon even in S10.

I love the black and grey. I always associated the Red and Blue (as a jacket and jeans) with him being a teenager. I liked that he looked more mature, this way.

*runs around screaming* This is one of the few things I like to ignore or I cry. I think I mentioned before that there are some ... throughout all 10 seasons. But what show, especially one running for so long, is not going to have SOME points that don't make sense, or offend certain viewers.

He's not recognizing 'Clark Kent' as The Blur, he's just recognizing that this man stood in front of his is The Blur. He never called him anything except The Blur.

Since when has any Clark Kent ever been able to let go of Lois Lane. It just took this one a little longer to realise.

She doesn't know. But I soooo wanted him to step forward even more. In the end, I'm happy with the fact that he DID take one step forward. For a moment, he was going to tell her, he wanted to tell her.

That end scene is fantastic. Lois' reaction to Clark being back is quite unexpected for him. He's decided to rejoin the Human race. Yay! They hug. He smiles at her, listening to her ramble on about her adventures. It's just great. And it gets referred to in the very end episode of the Season ... important for Clark.

Sorry to hear that you didn't like this episode. I love it. Not zombies ... I'm not a zombie fan. My hubby is, but he doesn't like this episode! Go figure.

Poor Oliver really can't cope with what happened at the end of S8 and how the League's behaviour led to two deaths. He only gets worse. I don't think there was anything wrong with Clark's talk, but ... nope, it didn't work. That was more because he didn't realise how bad Ollie was. He thought that Ollie only needed a simple 'Come on, snap out of it, you're a great hero'. Although, telling him off for letting Lois fall asleep... yeah, not helping, but poor Clark is just beginning to understand how much Lois means to him and nearly losing her scared him.

She hasn't a clue what happened in the missing three weeks, and she thinks that these are mostly dreams.

I loved the scene in the rain. Clark holding Lois while she battled against him. His face, to start with, is so full of concern and worry, that she won't get better. But then she settles and he holds her close. When she finally comes too, and the sun comes out ... *sigh* I so wanted them to kiss. It was so close, the way there were gazing at each other. Clark even brought his hand up to her cheek. *sighs again*

At the time I thought: "Zombies? Seriously?"

Do you have some fic with this premise to recommend? I'm reading MozartMaid's story and it's very good. By the way I found her story when I was looking for fics inspired in this theme. But I haven't found any other complete story. I found two, but both of them were not finished. There should be a ton of fics with this premise, but oddly I didn't find any.

I read them so long ago, can only bring 2 vaguely to mind, but they are so vague I have no idea where to go looking or what they were called. I think they were written very soon after the episode aired so it's about 4 years since. Sorry.

In the elevator, just as Lois falls asleep, Oliver is telling her that he wishes that they didn't break up. Is part of the problem that he's having coping with everything have to do with the fact that he's still in love with Lois? Or is he just being nostalgic, wishing things were as they once were, instead of so screwed up as they are now? He had a picture of Lois in his wallet, so clearly he's been thinking of her. Or does he realize what he lost now that Clark's found her?

I think it would be more clear to me about Oliver's downward spiral if I could remember him and Jimmy being friends. I don't. I know Jimmy was close to both Lois and Chloe, and they both were close to Oliver, but I don't recall Oliver and Jimmy crossing paths until Jimmy suddenly calls on him for a loan. I was like </strong> </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good point. Not that this excuses her behavior, but it sounds like to me that she's missing them and wanted to be involved in their life even if they didn't want her to be. Being that they kind-of took off without notice, I'm surprised she was able to bug them so easily. She must have had this in the works long before Jimmy's death. BTW: I wasn't condoning Chloe's behavior earlier. I meant "Big Sister" in a "Big Brother" metaphor type way, i.e. spying without permission way.

I guess Oliver is too unstable. :rolleyes: He left Lois with a broken heart and she had a hard time getting over him. Then in season 8 they become friends and he's ok with Lois falling in love with Clark (he tells her that Clark needs her in Bride). Still in season 8 he meets Tess and realizes he still loves her years after he left her with a broken heart, too. But Tess just wants to have fun and refuses a relationship with him because of his past mistakes. Then Oliver realizes he loves Lois - again. He finds out that Clark is falling in love with Lois but it doesn't matter - he decides he wants her back anyway. And then... I'll stop here because you still haven't watched the following episodes.

I guess Tess was right when she told him:

And about Jimmy and Oliver... I guess it was some off-screen moment. When Jimmy was hurt in Bride he went to a hospital in Star City (Oliver's city). Maybe they became friends there.

S9, E3 - "Echo" -

Anyway, . Way to come back from the evil dead.

Pssst... This has nothing to do with the color of his clothes, but with Lois doesn't being around. He will smile a lot more when she is around again.

Good point, again. I had forgotten she had said that. Although, recently, I believe Oliver hasn't really been into Tess, only pretending to be to use her, since he's learned that she has a similar heart to that of Lex Luthor.

It appears that Oliver is also either haunted by the ghost of Lex or he thinks he's turning into Lex having accepted that it's okay to kill someone as an option. Then, again, Clark himself said that Oliver was right and that he should have just killed Doomsday (we all know what would have happened then). I still think his original plan of shipping him off (Davis side and all) to the Phantom Zone was the best choice. His and Chloe's heart was in the right place when they tried to save Davis's soul, but the truth is a hero cannot save anyone's soul but his or her own, and apparently Chloe's deception killed what was remaining of Davis's good side. (No man likes to be used.)

Yes, as Clark Kent, Clark is smiling again, but not really as The Blur. I have an image in my head from S8 of Clark zipping into the phone box in the Daily Planet, spinning into his Red/Blue clothes and emerging with this triumphant and exuberant (okay, and somewhat boyish) grin upon his face. True, it was Lois who had put that grin on his face in the first place, but until I see such an expression of pure joy on the Black/Gray Blur's face, I'll always prefer the Red/Blue Blur. I guess, I'm like Lois in that way.

Yeah! Glad you liked it.

I love all the things he learns in this, especially the 'date' thing. Stealing her the doughnut is priceless.

Yeah, he stands her up, but not because he's chosen just not to go ... he got caught up in a 'Blur' thing - saving people. Kind of remind you of late S2 for LnC, maybe?

I seriously thought, for a while, the she was the ONLY mind he was going to be able to read. I love that he did focus in on her first, and for quite a while, before all the rest of the world came in. And of course he misuses it ... he wants to get closer to Lois, to impress her, to get her out on a date!!! Sooo very nearly. I was so annoyed that all that 'cheating' by Clark lead to nothing in the end.

She's being very forgiving, isn't she. Of course we know that he wasn't trying to scoop her story or push her away, but he wanted to keep her out of danger and this was his excuse. *shakes head* Clark, don't tell her that she's 'not needed'. She's going to believe you, and then you come off as a .... jerk/chauvinist?

Soo ... next Episode. Can't wait for your review of that!!!!

S9,E5 - "Roulette" - I wasn't sure what to expect from this title. I love "The Game" homage (terrific film, BTW), so I guessed what was going on with Oliver early on (like during the locked in the casket scene after he saw the words "Game On"). At first, I wondered if he had been buried alive as part of his shock treatment. I was kept guessing until the end, who had set up the game, though. That it was Chloe and not Tess. With Tess it would have taken on a more sinister vibe, because I don't know why she'd really want him to survive. She's got enough going on in her life to babysit a downward spiraling ex-boyfriend. Plus, she's not as good of a friend as Lois is.

I *loved* the opening Lois and Clark scene with the laundry and the "Shark" movie fest and Clark using getting more snacks to excuse himself from the room to rescue people. Yea, Lois for giving Clark what-for about keeping Oliver's depression from her! I couldn't tell what he was thinking though, when she marched out (after bashing him for his lying). Was he thinking that she still had romantic feelings for Oliver? Was he feeling guilty for keeping his Blur-ness from her? Or was he just numb? I don't know. I couldn't get a read on his expression at all. I'm glad she went to hunt down Oliver after ditching Clark. It showed us what a loyal friend she is.

I knew it was Lois in the red dress when Oliver came back into the club with his gun, so I'm glad he didn't shoot her, because that would have been bad. You don't want The Blur mad at you, because he could make Doomsday look like a nice soft kitten, I'm guessing. He should have noticed she was missing the tattoo. Really smart there, Mr. non-Observant superhero wannabee. Good job in hiring the psycho to run your little game there, Chloe. Going off script isn't exactly allowed in your perfectly controlled world, is it?

Does anyone remember what happened to Det. Jo'n Jones? He kind of faded into the ether. Probably because like Martha, he was over 40 and apparently that's deadly in Metropolis. :rolleyes: I mean, hello? Zod is the same age as the rest of this young cast and he's supposed to be Jor-El's age. Please! Yeah, yeah. I know he's going to turn out to be some kind of clone, therefore ageless, but still.

Is Oliver developing a crush on Chloe now? He seemed very admiring of her when he confronted her about the "game". She'd be wise to avoid that. She's had enough bad relationships in her life.

We didn't really get any closure between Lois and Clark after her "you lied to me, Smallville" storm. So, I'm interested to see how he's going to make it up to her. Ouch, after standing her up in 'Echo' is up to two strikes with the bases loaded at the bottom of the ninth. (i.e. he's to his last chance.) I'm glad that Lois told Oliver that she'd be there for him, but only as a friend. He needed to know that he'd had already used up his three strikes and she was already fallen for another lunkheaded ballplayer. I don't know if "beer pong" was exactly the right way to celebrate Oliver's birthday after his recent drink-fests.

When I saw the Green Arrow standing at the top of the building looking at Metropolis at the end of the episode, I figured the first words out of The Blur's mouth would be "Hey, that's my gargoyle." Sigh. Missed opportunities. I'm glad he mocked Clark's gettup. It deserves to be mocked. People will have more hope with bright colors than the black and gray (sorry, Batman, but it's true).

Okay, now that they've fixed Oliver and fixed Chloe (kind of), can they get back to focusing on Lois and Clark?

Yeah, it's a while since I saw it, but I'm pretty sure I guessed it being a game. Although the Games being set up by Chloe to show Ollie that he still has the heart of a Super Hero ... didn't see that coming.


Oh yeah. I adore that scene. When he first Blur's in and sees her there, then looks to down to see his costume. I so wanted Lois to look around and see .... *sigh*. And then, the bra that gets tangled in his fingers. Mmmmm, yeah, Clark. She's a girl. Have you finally noticed?

I saw that coming too. So glad that, even in his depression and 'nothing left to live for' he didn't automatically go for the kill.

When he lost his Martian powers, after flying Clark to the Sun, beginning of S8, the PTB must have decided that he kind of became useless in the 'wierd' investigations. I'm guessing he's being a normal detective. He WILL return.

WARNING: In answering the above comments, then then next comments, there are extremely minor spoilers for next ep and more.


Next ep, watch the next ep. Then watch it again. And again ... then watch the last five minutes of it ten more times.


Strangely enough he does get called on this, by a very unexpected source, but not till S10.

PTB: Um, okay. Watch the next episode.

Chloe is lucky that Clark didn't find out that her "perfect" plan almost got Lois killed. She seems not realize that people aren't in a virtual world. She can't have total control over their actions and reactions. As I said before, after season 8 they ruined her character for me.

I won't comment the rest because I would go into spoiler territory.

I just have one thing to say: Watch next episode ASAP!!!

I'm enjoying your assessment of these eps in a first go, VirginiaR!

KatherineKent:

/Nods and grins. Yup.

Glad I discovered this thread! I'm excited for LnC peeps to give Smallville a try!!