Spirit
Overall
This episode, while by description following the footsteps of something more like "Rush" or "Transference", was really more like "Truth" than either of the first two, comically following different characters as they take on the spirit of a character you've never seen before. Although it was another episode filled with out-of-character behavior, this would be one of the few out-of-character episodes I'd choose to keep in the season. The acting was enthusiastic and honed, the script was well-written (aside from a few points in "Details"), and it was a relief after a lot of this season's numbness, with some points so shocking that I literally gasped with laughter. It was still filler, without much relevent action, and the premise wasn't as hilarious as that of "Truth", or the execution as good as that of "Transference"; but this episode accomplished exactly what they meant it to accomplish - made me take turns smiling, laughing, and cracking up for forty-three minutes; and on watching it over, it lost little charm.
Good/Bad Moments
- "I'm Clark Kent's mo-om!" Annette O' Toole used her voice so well there. Her acting was great in this episode.
- The impact of Martha's dancing shocked me so much that I was - I admit - squealing with laughter.
- "The Talon?...Oh! right."
- Lana's finger-wagging - "Too much tape is always better than too little."
- It cracked me up when Tom Welling raised his voice to a higher pitch when he said, "I'm serious, Mr. Kent. You can't stop me."
- "You know, a year from now, all this will seem like a lifetime ago." Because Lois Lane's dialogue here was so future-oriented and distinctly symbolic, this naturally raised the question, "Does she mean that Chloe is going to die within a year?" Or it could mean that Lois Lane could die within a year - either one fits, considering the irony of her predictions (Clark Kent will never be able to keep up with her, etc.).
- It was good to see Lana and Clark dancing at last, but since their relationship has never really been defined through the season, the dance couldn't really be considered a development. One minute Jason was Lana's dream guy, the next she "couldn't trust him" (deja vu), and during this episode we weren't sure where they stood. We also have never been sure where Clark and Lana stood: one minute she was confronting him with irritation, one minute she was acting traumatized from all he had put her through, one minute she was encouraging him with whispered sweetness, and it never seemed to be based on rhyme or reason. Without that context, it was unclear whether Lana's going without Jason and dancing with Clark was an act of freedom, choosing him over Jason, or an act of irresponsibility, having a good time but not signifying anything. Like Lex's persona, Jason's integrity, and half the relationships this season, the scattered extremes seem random. The "climax" of Lana and Clark's dance meant nothing because a) all season, Lana and Clark have been pushing the idea that they aren't meant to be together, and b) they might hate each other by next episode.
Details
If you read the TV guide and watched the preview, you figure out that a girl possesses Chloe and causes Chloe (and others) to behave strangely. So the opening scene, which later is entirely re-shown with more, is a bit pointless. Not only does it come as no surprise, but once you've seen it, the rest of the episode until reaching that point again is entertainment without edification...you know what's going to happen. The climax is not enhanced by being re-shown and everything clicking - "Oh, that's what's going on." You already pretty much knew what was going on. This layout worked for "Zero", but it wasn't a good choice for "Spirit".
© Voice of Reason, 2007