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IvanF's Mycrowsoft Noname Brand Website - |
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Welcome to IvanF's IVT No-Name Brand Website -
- noname television,
film and video game reviews -
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Y2kk Update: - Smallville: Stiletto small Smallville Week in Review (Spoilers...) -
Stiletto wasn't really a bad episode, per say. It's just that, I would've preferred a story about a superhero specializing in knives, that's all...
And why?... well?...
... wait for it...
... ahem...
"Clark Kent gets his ass kicked by Kryptonite money? Wow, just when you think you've seen it all, Superman makes me shake my head yet again in shame. WTF?"...
And oh, did I mention that Jimmy the Bimmy was back? Not only was he addicted to drugs that were probably placebo candies in the first place, but he also was back as a hero so to speak, saving Clark Kent of all idiots in what was supposed to be the big Superman moment of the series. I'm sure there was some big significance to Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen all banding together to save the day together for possibly the first time on the series. I just don't know if I can take it seriously however, when Clark Kent is too dumbass to avoid all the glowing money floating around, Jimmy the Bimmy is getting involved in gang wars thanks to drugs to ease the Max Payne pain, and Lois Lane can somehow fall through a three or four story high window without even a scratch on her eight inch high heels or whatever sort of crap. WTF?...
There were moments that the story was fun, mainly between Clark and Lois when they didn't seem to know each other's identities. Probably the only scene that I remember fondly from this episode was when they were both waiting for the right words to be spoken over the police scanner, and it's always great to see the farmboy switch into his Red-Blue-Blur gear in true Superman fashion. I guess Chloe had her moments too, although her handling of molten human flesh at the end was probably a bit too drastic of a turn for her character, especially after seeing that she still is together with Davis Bloome in next week's preview. There were definitely sparks of romance between the lead characters of each relationship, with Clark and Lois versus Chloe and Davis mirroring each other reasonably well. I just wish Jimmy the Bimmy wasn't shoving his way back into the thick and middle of it all to fuck things up, that's all. Why can't Doomsday just finish the job already?...
Is there anything nice that I can say about Jimmy's character? He whined his way through photographing Stiletto for publicity, and making him the next Homer Simpson in terms of drug addiction was possibly the lamest character arc ever written since Willow in the first half of Buffy season six. He dragged every other character down, whether it was Chloe mentioning his Facebook status or Lois Lane feigning interest in wherever the hell Jimmy and his busted camera had gone. If the episode had simply centered around the relationship between Lois and Clark, or even put more emphasis on the fact that he took a bullet for her when he was barely as strong as a human, then maybe I would've enjoyed Stiletto for the fun hour it was meant to be. But I'm sorry, if there is a new Lana Lang on the block, it's Jimmy the fucking Bimmy. And sadly, he doesn't have the good looks to even begin to offset the horrible drug and witch storylines we've been given over the past eight years...
On the bright side, I wouldn't mind having Stiletto back for an episode or two in the future, simply because Lois Lane was oddly amusing with that horribly fake accent of hers. On the downside? Thanks to Jimmy, I hated this episode enough to want to shove a Stiletto knife right through my fucking goddam nostrils...
God, why do I even bother with this series sometimes? It's mind-boggling really, how the series is like a goddam drug...
But you know what's more like a drug?...
... the drugs...
Sunday, April 12th, 2009
Y2kk Update: - Smallville: Eternal small Smallville Week in Review (Spoilers...) -
Well, this is one episode that won't be remembered as the best and brightest for eternity, alas...
And why?... well?...
... wait for it...
... ahem...
"Why the hell is Oliver Queen so inept? He promises to take care of Doomsday's body, then five minutes later, the dead guy shows up in Chloe's basement without anyone knowing? How the fuck is The Green Arrow so fucking lazy? WTF?"
Eternal definitely wasn't all sunshine when it came to the plot. Oliver Queen may have been nowhere on screen, but the stupidity of the character still shines through. And then you have Chloe, who has turned to the dark side of the force for reasons nobody knows. It was nice last week when she put her Lois Lane ambitions behind her and finally decided to dedicate herself to the Watchtower cause. So why the hell did she suddenly turn all Gossip Girl emo-like here again, and get into bed with the one man she knows will probably destroy the world? She just helped him commit suicide, yet she still has enough feelings for Davis Bloome to keep him holed up in her basement and hope that Clark Kent with his super-hearing would never find out? Umm, is there a reason for this besides 90210 angst when it comes to Jimmy the Bimmy being addicted to smarties or whatever sort of drugs? Why are the writers killing Chloe's character? WTF?...
While the overall storyline in Eternal was far from Shakespeare, I still have to hand it to the actors and director. I actually found the plotline to be somewhat believable in terms of suspending my beliefs for a short time (about the length that Doomsday stayed dead), if only because the performances of the cast and crew were actually very strong and dark. I actually sympathized with David Bloome from time to time, as he was more than willing to kill himself in the hope of saving his soul and that of the world. Was I a big fan of the retcon job the writers did, in terms of having Doomsday come to earth on Clark Kent's kiddie spaceship and somehow only be located by Lionel Luthor? Not really sure that I am. But at least I did enjoy seeing Ma and Pa Kent again, even if they were only old skool flashbacks, and the short backstory between the young Davis Bloome and the young Lex Luthor was actually very enjoyable to watch. Now, since when did the Luthor castle actually exist in Smallville all those years ago? Whatever, like I said, the performances in the past were believable enough to temporarily suspend my belief...
Tom Welling did a decent job as well, selling the fact that he really was afraid of what Davis Bloome could do (especially after what happened during Bride). I actually could relate to his character as well in terms of the moral choice that Doomsday was making. I mean, Davis Bloome can arguably be considered an innocent in all this, even if we viewers really do know that his entire personality is just a facade that even he is not aware of. Chloe was willing to kill for the greater good again, and like I said, Davis tried to save the world by killing himself once and for all. Superman is Superman, and he will always see things in terms of black and white, in which the death of a sentient being is never justified. Though strangely enough, he never really seems to bat an eye when every random freak of the week he's captured just somehow manages to be murdered ten seconds later in Belle Reve or jail, but meh, I guess it's not technically his fault then...
I appreciated the moral dilemma that Clark Kent went through, and Tom Welling even put on a believable performance in terms of not being truly whiny when it came to blaming himself for Davis Bloome's childhood. There's just something both ironic and tragic about a boy on the streets becoming a medic in order to help people any way he could, only to find that there is a beast within that cannot be contained. I actually like the Davis Bloome storyline for what it's worth, and I didn't mind the direct parallels to Clark Kent's own path of destiny, even if the writers had to retcon almost everything to get it in, and even if we were forced into an eye-rolling scene between Tom Welling and Tess Mercer, with Clark Kent denying everything about him that was blatantly obvious yet again. Wow, he sure does give plenty of people trust issues...
Ten seconds after this episode had finished airing and right after I witnessed Davis Bloome just popping back into Chloe's basement as if Oliver Queen was too bored to pay attention, I realized all the flaws in this episode and how even Tess Mercer looking hot as fuck in the mansion was not enough to save the retcons and nitpicks of the show. But for what it's worth, I was entertained for about the whole hour through, and I appreciated the darkness in this episode as much as I did in Prey. That's mainly a good thing, or it was for an hour at least...
This was mostly an excellent episode while I was watching. But alas, the feeling simply could not last forever...
And sadly, the only thing that I will remember from this episode for goddam eternity?...
... is the retcon job, that Davis Bloome really is Crashdown...
Sunday, April 5th, 2009
Y2kk Update: - Battlestar Galactica: Daybreak (Parts 1 and 2) Series Finale Review (Spoilers...) -
"What do you hear, Starbuck?"
"Nothing but the rain."
Finally, after three fucking years of goddam torture, Battleshit Galactica is finally over...
How did it come to this though? How did the series lose its way so damn badly over the course of the past three seasons? The first year was so promising with so much potential to be a true Sci-Fi take on real world issues and real personal relationships. The first season had a brilliant commander in William Adama, played to perfection every single hour by Edward James Olmos. It had a great first officer in Colonel Tigh, thrust into the role thanks to circumstance, friendship and alcohol. It had a great dynamic and wonderful chemistry between Lee and Starbuck, not just as romantic partners but as great friends who would never betray one another. President Roslin was perhaps the more endearing leader of the people as I had ever seen back in the first season, and her love for Bill Adama was simply undeniable. That first season of the show demonstrated real world people and real world problems, and it all came together with one of the best episodes of Sci-Fi I had ever seen in Hand of God (not to mention a ship full of naked Grace Parks in the season finale). So honestly, since then, what the frak happened?...
First, I'll get the good parts of Daybreak out of the way. I'll admit that I liked the battle sequences. Sure, we had to go through God knows how many god-awful and low budget bottle episodes since The Oath to save up for the series finale, but there's no disputing that Ron Moore put on a hell of a light show, probably his best since Exodus. The actual intended plan to save Hera simply because she holds hope for both the human and the Cylon races was absurd though, considering humans could simply be fine if they found a safe haven to live. But why care about such thought dribble when we got Racetrack nuking the hell out of the Cylon base with her dying breath? Even Baltar and Caprica Six got in on the action, showing a bit of that chemistry towards one another again that they had back in that fabled first season of the show. Hell, even Helo wasn't that damn useless for once in his goddam lifetime, although I really had hoped he had simply bit the bullet when all was said and done...
Character wise, there were some decent moments in Daybreak. When it came to the first episode, the only part that caught my attention was the drawing of the line and where people would volunteer to stand. It was a nice and touching moment to see where people's loyalties did lie, although like I said, I for one wouldn't have risked it all just to save a little hybrid girl that nobody really knew the true significance of. As for the Battlestar Galactica ship itself, I do like the initial send-off it was given, one final push to save humanity from the evil Cylons with a suicide mission that quite frankly, makes me partially forgive all those goddam low-budget bottle episodes from the second half of this final season. I enjoyed the first half of Daybreak and I even thought some of the shots on our "Earth" at the end were beautiful. The soundtrack was great, touching even, and the cinematography of the sights and sounds of our fair planet were brilliant in their scope yet simplicity. If only the series had ended off on that final, memorable shot of Admiral Adama sitting on the cliff in the middle of nowhere, next to the grave of the woman he loves? Then maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have this bitter taste in my mouth that I do...
I'm sorry though, but what the hell was Ron Moore thinking? I know I've been saying this for three fucking years now, but has he simply lost his fucking mind? What was the point of the entire ham-fisted, sledgehammer to the head epilogue at the end in modern Washington, warning us about sentient AI as if I was watching Terminator 3 all over again? Why did he think it would be a good idea to knock us out on the back of our heads with the goddam moral of the story, that Hera is so important because she is the apparent genetic ancestor to all "humans" currently on earth? I mean seriously, I didn't just hate the ending because it was completely unnecessary, pretentious and preachy as hell, and I didn't just roll my eyes because Ron Moore had perfectly ruined his finish with William Adama just a couple scenes before. I also couldn't help but gag and vomit at the prospect that every single fucking human on earth is descended from Helo the fucking Belo of a bitch of all pansy wannabes. Though dear fucking God, that certainly explains a lot about the problems with our race, I guess...
Okay, just to get history straight, first Star Wars happens, then Battlestar Galactica, then Stargate, then Star Trek will, right? Am I right?...
I feel bad for the actors and the characters on the series, if this is the send-off they got. First of all, like I mentioned before, Edward James Olmos in the first season of the show was one of the best commanding officers I have ever witnessed in a Sci-Fi series in my lifetime, and that says a lot coming from me. But here in the final season, not only had he become a complete emo pussy thanks to the impending death of the Galactica, not only was he ruined with the ick factor of lying in bed with Laura Roslin before our eyes, but here in the finale I still did not understand his true motives of suddenly wanting to go on a suicide run to save one little girl that nobody even knew would be important 150 000 years down the road. I admit though, there were some nice touches with the character that I did enjoy, namely his flight in the final Viper to launch from Galactica, and the amazing love and dedication he showed to Laura Roslin whenever they were on earth. I don't even have a problem with the notion that he would want to live in the middle of nowhere all by himself for the rest of his life, considering what he has been through over the past few years. But I can blame him for acting completely dumbass in sending Galactica and the rest of the fleet to burn up in the Sun, can't I? Seriously, so what if Galactica couldn't jump anymore? It could still be used as a steward for defence, and yet he just throws away every notion of safety and security and duty and honour for his people and principles that he has had for the past fifty years of his life? WTF?...
As for his son, Lee Adama, does anyone understand what the hell the point of that pigeon was, except as some poor man's John Woo moment for explaining his love for Kara Thrace? On the plus side, I enjoyed that some of his chemistry was back with Starbuck, even though the lying bitch disappeared on him a second later. I also enjoyed the battle sequences he was in, as I've never liked the political Lee Adama that we've gotten in a suit for the past two seasons. I don't even have a problem with him living by himself in the middle of nowhere, just like his father, as I can understand where he's coming from as a personal choice in life, especially after leaving the military for law. But just like with Admiral Adama, do I believe that Lee would ever jump the shark and just let the entire defence of the fleet float away into the Sun? Do I ever think that he would just truly be able to lay back in the grass of earth for the rest of his life after upholding the law and the principles of the Colonies for so damn long? And am I disappointed that he was such a tragic figure with no place left to go, after losing Dualla to a suicidal splash commercial and now Starbuck to bad fucking writing? I mean seriously, give the man a break, or at least a hot fucking Grace Park Cylon to tide away the time. I know the writers just love to shit all over their characters, but why have Lee choose to essentially give up on everything he has ever believed in life? Whether it's being a commander, a pilot, a lawyer, a politician, a husband or a good son, the writers just seem to ignore it all. He didn't even really have any special moments with his father in the series finale. No lighter, WTF? What the frak is up with that?...
Laura Roslin? Well, I've been very annoyed with her character for a very long time, especially after the writers fell back on old habits and simply gave her cancer again for the hell of it. She's been a whiny and insufferable character for a long time now, even dragging William Adama down with her and the ship. Now, did I enjoy the music and the emotion and the cinematography of her moments on the Raptor while viewing earth from the skies? Absolutely, I even thought her death was touching to some extent, even though the Admiral just ignored her last breath like the true pimp that he is. But I still can't get past the fact that we were forced through four years of emo, Helo-like pussy moments from her, not to mention goddam prophecies that in the end pretty much led nowhere. For the record, I actually thought it was creative that the Opera House from her visions turned out to be simply the CIC in Galactica. I personally thought that was a nice twist that not only made sense in the end, but also saved the producers a ton of money for the finale. Am I disappointed though that it turned out her role in history was something that any fucking idiot on the ship could and would have done? Yes, absolutely. Leading Hera to a stand-off in the CIC where the head Cavil simply blows out his brains out of sheer laziness and an actor's request, is not my idea of a grand prophecy coming to fruition. It honestly felt like Laura Roslin was useless to the cause, except to simply turn the once great Commander Adama into the wuss he now is. WTF?...
The two main participants when it came to the final prophecy were Caprica Six and Baltar. With all due respect, while I admit that the two had chemistry here in the series finale and even reminded me a bit of their old (and likable) season one selves, what the fuck were the writers thinking when it came to their character arcs all season long? What was the point of Caprica Six getting pregnant then losing her child, when she simply went crawling back to Baltar as soon as Tigh stopped crying in his one eye? What the hell was the point of Baltar being a leader of a group of sexy harems when it turns out he completely abandons them to be a farmer when all is said and done? I appreciate some of the callbacks that the writers did, especially when it came to his father being someone that Baltar was ashamed of. But really, even though Caprica Six and Baltar were improvements on their old season four selves here in the series finale, how can I forgive the writers when they wasted away my time with them for the past fucking season or two? What was the point of Baltar becoming president but to make fun of George Bush in the end? What was the point of Caprica Six ever supposed to be with Tigh, especially when it turns out the point of the series was to prove how special Hera was as the only Cylon child all along? I liked the whole exchange in the CIC, sure, but really, that's it? That's all that four seasons of prophecies led up to? Carrying around Hera to possibly the worst possible place where she could be safeguarded, then have Tyrol go all apeshit retarded with the added bonus of Cavil shoving one up his own fucking ass? Seriously, this is what God had planned? WTF?...
For four years, we've been told over and over again that not only has all of this happened before and all of it will happen again, but that both the Cylons and God on their side have a plan. Well, while I didn't mind the revelation of the Final Five Cylons earlier on in the season, I certainly do mind how they were used since the big reveal. What plan did they exactly have except to make a bunch of Cylon wannabes with mommy and daddy issues all along? Yes, I understand the message that Ron Moore is trying to beat us over the head with, that humans and Cylons alike are flawed, which can lead to our destruction and yadda yadda yadda. Do I really care about this message though, when apparently the destruction (or safety) of our entire race depends on Chief Tyrol pulling a WWE Rock with his eyebrows and going all Smackdown on Torri's candy-ass? Really, that's the true contribution of the Final Five, making a Cylon race that barely survives thirty years before being nuked into a black hole, and having the fate of all of humanity rest on some disgruntled engineer shoving the hottest remaining member of his entire Cylon race out of the frakking goddam window? Really, this is what God and the Cylons had planned? WTF?...
I'm sorry, but everything that happened with the Cylon race was too disjointed and too fucking random and too fucking stupid in every possible way for Ron Moore ever to be forgiven. What was the point of the Cylons taking over New Caprica, was that ever truly explained? Why did Cavil decide to nuke every single human in the 12 colonies? Seriously, simply out of spite, is that the only answer? Chasing the humans down so that never live to fight another day, that is the only reason for the last four years of all this pretentious and preachy bullshit from Cylons and Ron Moore alike? And then the final payoff is seeing Ellen Tigh and Colonel Tigh screaming like a bunch of idiots at the top of their lungs in some nudie bar while William Adama pukes all over his shirt? Really, this is what BSG considers good writing? When it comes to Saul Tigh, I like how loyal his character is to the Admiral, I like that he doesn't give a shit about his Cylon origins and simply lives his life like the man he's always been and always wants to be. I am disappointed though that as the apparent leader of the Final Five, there turned out to be no real plan and no real point for these particular five to be original Cylons, except as a cautionary tale for the 12 colonies that came way too frakking late. And I am very disappointed that he didn't have more private scenes with Admiral Adama, especially after their friendship has been the only true staple of the series for the past four years. Instead, we just got more bad remixes of Over the Watchtower. WTF?...
If there was any consolation to this episode, if there is any consolation to the entire series, it's Grace fucking Park and how much hope BSG has given me that I can simply have a hot copy of her one of these days. What I cannot stand though, is that Helo the Belo not only survived but also turned out to be my goddam ancestor. Maybe ever worse than that, if Grace Park is also my great-grandmother a million generations removed, does that mean it's wrong to frak her still? Besides all that, at least the two provided some level of action and tension in this episode, although the couple still has not shown one single iota of chemistry towards one another since they've goddam met. I guess I felt a bit happy for them at the end after they got back their daughter, but it just feels so pointless knowing that four seasons of the show led up to the entire human race saving our one little hybrid girl as "God's plan" all along. Seriously, that's all this God wanted from the entire remnants of Colonial society, not to mention the entire Cylon race as well? To save one little special girl, when couldn't the Angels just done a little miracle and made a hybrid out of any fucking human and Cylon couple after finding earth as well? Seriously, I'd gladly man up and step up to plate if only God would give me my own fucking Grace Park. Why the hell was Hera the only hybrid to ever be born and breed and survive? WTF?...
And that's what the biggest problem with the series finale and the entire goddam series was. It's not that answers weren't given to the questions at hand, it's that the answers were obviously bullshit and pulled out of a hat or an island like Lost. Seriously, why was it necessary for all of humanity to be nuked into oblivion? Because God said so. Why did the prophecies of the future all come true? Because God said so. Why is Hera so special and why is it that she became the genetic Eve for all of current humanity? Because God said so. Why the hell did all of humanity and the Cylons suddenly agree to give up all technology and knowledge and security when they don't even know if they can survive bloody hell winter on this fucking new planet of theirs? Because God fucking said so. Why was it necessary for Colonel Tigh to lose his child, why did Caprica Six go crawling back to Baltar, and why did Baltar suddenly become a farmer again after being a goddam cult leader for so frakking long? Because God (Captain Picard probably in this case) made it so. Seriously, are there any other valid answers but these? WTF?...
I feel so bad for Katee Sackoff, I really do, and I'm not just talking about Bionic Woman here. She was killed off last season as a minor plot point that nobody gave a shit about, then suddenly returned with weird psychotic visions of the universe that led them all to a fake fucking earth. What was the point in that? Then, not only does Anders become a goddam hybrid computer for some goddam fucked up reason, but Starbuck doesn't even get to have the life that we fans always envisioned she would have when all was said and done. She never got to end up romantically with Lee, she never got to have the father she wanted in Admiral Adama or the mother she needed in Laura Roslin, and she didn't even stand a chance at a normal life with Zack (as the promiscuous and only decent flashbacks of the episode seemed to rather indicate). Instead, she was simply there one moment and then poof, gone the next. And why? Seriously, why? I want to know why...
Why did Starbuck die, and why was she reincarnated randomly in some nebula? Because God said so. Why did she suddenly come back, and why did she lead everyone to her busted body back on Cylon Earth? Because God said so. Why is she the harbinger of death, why did Leoban run away from her like a scolded little child? Because God said so. Why did she know the Watchtower song, and why the frak was a current song made from modern earth stuck in her head 150 000 years ago as a set of jump coordinates to our fucking planet which the angels could have simply just sent the fleet to at any fucking random point in time? Pfft, naturally, because God said so. And why the hell did Starbuck simply vanish into mid-air like some Jesus Christ type figure the moment that she felt her job was done? Well, duh, because God said so...
God has a plan? To what exactly, have Cavil blow his brains out and let Helo inherit the Earth? WTF?
Humanity has a plan? To what, honestly? To all die of starvation and get mauled by wildlife? WTF?
The Cylons have a plan? To what, seriously? To sleep with everyone they can find? I say again, WTF?
"What do you hear, Starbuck?"
"Nothing but the rain".
Thank God that's all I hear now. All Along the Watchtower, nothing but the rain.
Battleshit Galactica. It's over, it's finally over.
Thank the Lords of Kobol.
So say we all.
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
Y2kk Update: - Smallville: Hex small Smallville Week in Review (Spoilers...) -
Wow. I had forgotten the feeling. An actual Smallville episode that put a genuine smile on my face all hour long?...
And why?... well?...
... wait for it...
... ahem...
"Chlois? As in, we got Chloe as Lois Lane, and it was actually good? WTF?... The only thing better would have been Chloe in Lois Lane. Godammit, make it happen..."
I was actually very surprised, impressed and entertained by Clark and Chloe's Hexcellent Adventure. It was a good comedy episode that was great at moving forward the mythology and character arcs of the series as well. In fact, I'd even claim that this was Tom Welling's best episode all season long in terms of acting and character development. He was hilarious as the clueless reporter, standing on the roof of the Daily Planet, completely oblivious to all his acoustic powers. I even laughed when he first picked up the phone to dial 911, even though I figured it was coming. By no stretch of the imagination is Clark Kent a genius on this planet, and the character works so much better (kind of sadly, actually) when the writers use that to their advantage. Beyond all the great comedic timing here in Hex though, I was very impressed how Clark Kent essentially flew at the end with his leap above the tall building. It was a big step up (no pun intended) for the start of Superman, to finally realize that there is purpose to his existence that he simply could not live without. And what made it great was that the whole atmosphere of the episode was both comedic and epic enough, that the moral of the story was subtle for the most part yet still shined through so well...
I would actually argue that this was Chloe's best episode this season, both in terms of Allison Mack and Erica Durance. First, I've got to admit that Allison Mack looked absolutely adorable for the first time in ages (although she was evil-cute as Brainiac in a wedding dress during the writhing, ahem, exorcism scene). And her smile when she finally decided within herself that she no longer wanted the Daily Planet sort of life was absolutely infectious and remarkable. She was glowing at that point, and I'm not just talking about the special effects of the magical transformation. Even though Allison Mack didn't have that many moments on screen as herself, every second that she was there was eventful and memorable. Whether she was blowing out a birthday candle while feeling extra reflective on her birthday (a feeling I honestly do share so damn well with her character every single year), or revving her Bluetooth up to the sound of badass "Over the Watchtower" music, this was perhaps Chloe's best done episode all season long in terms of proper character development and delivery. And oh, did I mention that Jimmy the Bimmy was nowhere to be found? Thank the Lords of Kobol for that...
The biggest props of the episode have to go to Erica Durance though. Now I admit, did I really see her as Allison Mack or Chloe? That's a yes and a no. She didn't really play the body-switch role to perfection, but she definitely had a few moments of pure Chloe-ism, especially when she claimed she wasn't "dwelling" on Tom Welling and the phone messages he answered to Lois. What I will admit though, is that Erica Durance was positively adorable in everything she did in this episode, so much so that I actually prefer this Chlois of hers over the Lois Lane we've gotten for years. Whether it was the patented Chloe lip bite that's absolutely irresistible, or whether it was Erica Durance looking so helpless and confused even when crossing the street a traffic light, there was just something about Chlois here that had even more of a spark and chemistry with Clark Kent than anyone else. I for one wouldn't mind if the writers decided to integrate a bit more of this Chloe feeling into Lois Lane next year, if only to give me a new favourite girl on the block to watch in season nine...
As for the actual starring villainess of the episode, if she can be considered that? Zatanna was very well done compared to what I initially feared in the episode synopsis. In the comic books, she's arguably even more powerful than Superman, considering she can alter reality on pretty much every conceivable level when she's in a good or horny mood. Her timing in Smallville couldn't have been better, especially considering fishnet stockings are finally back in style and they certainly looked great on the actress during the birthday wish scene. Now, do I wish that she didn't make Oliver Queen look like a complete idiot and pansy for the umpteenth time in season eight? Sure, I guess, but the two definitely did share a bit of passion together that Oliver has never had with Lois or even the Black Canary on the show. The phone number scene at the end was probably one of Oliver's best moments all season long, and you could almost feel a bond (or bondage) between the both of them when she screamed out the words, "bound by chains", backwards for magical sake. She did it all with a savoury smile...
I liked Zatanna, and I enjoyed her even more when it came to her chemistry with Oliver Queen. I'd like to see her character come back, especially considering she honestly brought out the best in every single character on the series. Tom Welling became funny, Chloe was confident and adorable, Chlois was absolutely irresistible, and Jimmy the Bimmy was nowhere to be found. Wow, talk about a Hexcellent goddam miracle...
... it was almost like magic...
... still noname writing online since May 5th, 2002 ...