Hypnotic

Overall

I came to this episode with a few preconceptions, along the lines of gimmickgimmickgimmick. And, well, I still think the premise was a gimmick. But the writers handled this episode with a lot more taste than I expected (despite the fact that I turned the television off during certain scenes), and the advancement of the arc was surprisingly intriguing. Several times I thought, "That's the cliffhanger. Now they'll go to commercial," and instead it kept going with more cliffhangers and hooks. And still…they kept it all personal.

I think sometimes in the past season the writers have tried to be epic and ended up being impersonal at the same time ("Aqua", anyone?), and it doesn't work. This episode wasn't epic (though some of those sweeping scenes of Honduras made me think about the old days),

but it was personal enough that we were able to root for someone, invest ourselves in it, which we weren't able to do with "Aqua" and its new hero, or "Exposed" and its helicopter-catching. This episode the most epic special effect was a shattered stone – but suddenly we understood Lana's heartbreak, and how extremely vulnerable she is; we suddenly understood Clark, and his mixed relief and fear and self-sacrifice and lifted burden all in one; and we even understood the dynamics that being hypnotized put into the relationships.

I thought that this would end up being a "possessed" plot, the type that abounded in Season Four, where a bunch of people suddenly act extreme and barrel over people. But there was no barreling. Martha waving good-bye to Clark and Simone with that motherly smile on her face was ten times funnier than the girls carousing as giddy witches or Chloe in a cheerleader's outfit; and Chloe's horror at knocking Martha out with a rolling pin actually put us in her place for a moment, understanding the whole weird dynamic. Everyone's actions were understandable – both the way they reacted to the hypnosis, and the way others reacted to them. That was where this story succeeded.

Yes, I think that having Clark break up with Lana while under an external influence – something he admitted he didn't have the guts to do by himself – was gimmicky. But the writers knew the risks. They learned from their S4 "possessed" failures, and were very careful to let us into his head, to help us see – often without words, through a silence, a tightening of the jaw, a sunrise-watching – what was going on in his head. That he was tormented by having to hurt her, that he hated the lies but saw them as a necessity. In the beginning of the season, Clark was lying without blinking an eye, even when he didn't have to. The writers have come a long way to get to this episode. For the first time in a long time, I was really on Clark's side. When he knelt down in front of Lana and looked up at her, I thought, "That boy needs a hug." That's…amazing. The last time I thought that was S3's "Asylum" (...and when he went to the party at the end, I was back to being annoyed with him). This episode, the writers formed a compelling argument for liking him again.

Good/Bad Moments

1. "I know who you are." Milton's finger turns into a metal claw. "[You're a state government agent.]" Milton's metal claw turns into a finger again. That was brilliant. Wordlessly, it conveyed that Milton had unknown but specific uses for Lex – that he had laid elaborate bread crumbs for him, with that backup government worker identity – but that if Lex found out his identity, that was enough for him to overturn everything. Wow. My favorite moment in the episode.
2. "If it was red k, you wouldn't be doing chores, and if it was silver k, you'd be afraid that pitchfork would turn you into a shishkebob." I liked that line. I liked it that it made me laugh, and I liked it that it made Clark laugh. It demonstrated Chloe's gift with words very aptly, even if it was one of her only brainy-writer lines this episode.
3. Well-handled moment - Chloe hesitating before taking the kryptonite. It was good to show that she understood the seriousness of using it (especially since this is the second time she's used it on him), plus it raised your anticipation. Chloe is rarely key to the plot any more - she dispenses advice, but nothing depends on her. This time it was good to play up her tough decision.
   
4. Lois's sunglasses made the "knocking out" moment better. It wouldn't have been the same if she hadn't been wearing them.
    
5. Wonderful acting by Annette O'Toole after Simone told her to be overjoyed by Clark's departure. She looked as if she was trying to be happy but was getting confused and hurt.
   
6. I liked it that Chloe pulled Clark's disappearing act. It was a nice connection between them - someone turning away for a moment, then turning back to an almost-empty room.
   
7. "Clark, you've been hypnotized. How else could you have that strength?" Lex should have a concussion, and instead he comes out with that line. That didn't seem like the first thing he'd say. It was good to have an explanation of why Clark gets away with it, but even if Lex was enlightened by being slammed against his furniture (hey, it happens), the writers shouldn't have made it quite so glib – almost like he was talking straight to the audience. Give him a moment. (Lex: Clark, you've been hypnotized. Clark ignores him. Lex, insistently, backing away: Clark, look at yourself. How else could you have gotten that strength?) That makes it look like him trying to persuade Clark. As is, it looks like Lex trying to persuade us.
   
   
8. It was a good idea to have Clark hesitate as Lex exposed the truth about Simone. The great task in this episode was to show that the hypnotized people remained balanced and stable and open-minded except for that one compartment of their lives. Besides, as my brother pointed out, Clark's had the following conversation about ten too many times: "Lex, we need to talk." "Clark - " "I don't want to hear it!" And that's when he's not hypnotized.
9. They should have shown more clearly what happened to Simone. The shooting happened so quickly that I wasn't sure if she was dead or just superficially injured.
10. I wasn't sure if the writers should have made Lana go to Lex quite so soon. The result was that her emotions and her dialogue, the whole rhythm of that scene, was very confused. She's truly heartbroken over Clark, but the only reason she would immediately go to Lex when she knows how he feels about her would be to initiate another relationship. Since she came so soon, it was like the scene began with Lana's emotions in one direction and ended with them in another. Her emotions were contradicting themselves through the whole scene. On the other hand, that's lifelike. I can believe that she would enter the room in a mindset of "Clark doesn't love me. I'm done with Clark. That jerk. Lex will comfort me," and then have her grief wash over her again, and think, "I can't believe this is happening. I loved him so much. And Lex is nothing now." It was lifelike…but was it a good way to end the episode? I'm undecided. (By the way, I'm positive that they should not have ended it with Lana marching in to Lex's and making a play for him. My indecision is whether they should have ended with Lana's confusion, or let her tell Lex later, after she had worked through the break-up and was more stable and had a chance to get over Clark. And, now that I really think about it, I'm inclined to like this way better…but I'm not sure.)
    
    Ready for revenge...
    
    Broken again.
11. I liked the way Michael Rosenbaum played Lex. It was subtle. He had his designs, he was even spying on Clark, but he wasn't the Gene Hackman version of Lex Luthor - yelling and fumbling and taunting. He had depth. He had a good front built by years of self-control. He didn't immediately start whispering comforts to Lana but had the savvy to sit apart from her, not taking the liberty of hugging her or wiping her tears the way he did in the third season. When Lex became a human with a history, I found him so much more believable.
    
    We know he broke Lana and Clark up...but his demeanor doesn't give it away. And he never stated point-blank, with a camera zoom-in, that he wanted Clark and Lana to be history. That's what made it unnerving. Almost a moral schizophrenia. Now that's believable.

Details

1. Simone's role was unclear. It began with her hypnosis of Clark – at that point, we don't like her. Then we find out that she's being blackmailed, she's doing this against her will, and we begin to feel sorry for her. She's just caught, wrong place, wrong time. Then she protects Clark's secret from Lex, and by then she's sympathetic. We think there must be something good in this girl, even if she's made some wrong choices under bad circumstances. Then we find out that she murdered her father for the stone. Oops. The writers sent out confusing messages about her, leading us on that trail of we hate her, we feel bad for her, we like her and want her to get out of it, she's a villain. There was just too much likeable about her. (Part of it was the actress – she had a likeable countenance and portrayed her murderous Simone sympathetically. As opposed to Jason, who had the dream boy part and who aroused everything hostile in us. Actors really can change the viewer's entire pathway of thought.)
2. Speaking of which, Tom Welling and Kristin Kreuk had a stellar week. Lana shaking with sobs, sinking down outside the barn, trying to stifle them; her quietness when she came to Clark knowing about the hypnosis yet broken from the experience – everything about her was totally sympathetic and understandable. She's come a long way from her delivery of "Did you get that from a fortune cookie?" Tom Welling restrained himself when Clark was impatient with Chloe in the barn, attacking Lex in his study, and shakily recovering from his hypnosis. Those are all scenes that he's tended to overdo before – especially the anger scenes. This time he played them just right – perfect to a T. And his interaction with Lana had also stepped up a notch. Clark's brief unwillingness to look her in the eye, his concern for her as he knelt down in front of her, were unparalleled. I've never seen Tom Welling that good before.
   
   That restraint also came into play when Clark addressed Lana and Martha without any defiance or guilt. That was a much harder feat than any yelling scene. He looked sorry for Lana because she couldn't understand, but all-knowing when he talked to Martha. Our multi-dimensional Clark was back.
   
3. They need to stop parting Chloe's hair so far over. She looks like a poodle with its curls combed out.
   
4. Milton was panting a lot this episode. Was his strength diminished by being divided among the lookalikes, or was it just James Marsters?
   
5. It was nervy (or foolish) enough to go through Simone's wallet while she was in the room...but to do it without standing between Simone and the wallet? It seems like blocking Simone's view would be instinctive, yet Chloe the experienced investigator doesn't seem to think of it.