What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 9, Episode 6 “Crossfire” (C-)

The premise of this episode is absolutely ridiculous. There’s no getting around that. However into journalism Lois might be, trying out for television does not seem like something she would do. She’s also got it wrong – television isn’t the predicted way to survive the death of the newspaper, it’s the web. Having Clark come along with her to the audition didn’t really make a lick of sense, and his befuddled expression continues to be in stark contrast with his ultra-suave, very secretive blur personality. I realize that’s the point and that it’s a throwback to the old days of the geeky, bespectacled reporter Clark Kent changing quickly into Superman in the phone booth, but the two don’t seem to align here. I can’t understand the purpose of this show and the way that the producers give the two of them so much responsibility with so little monitoring right at the beginning of their short-lived careers. The cardboard cutout of the two of them is pretty ridiculous, and I can’t imagine the two of them actually posing for it. Oliver’s story is so completely disconnected from anything and everything, though I’m hopeful that Mia will be a positive addition to the cast. The return of Zod in businessman form was a good reminder that all of the Kryptonians are out there, and the improbable takedown of his Kryptonian disciple by Tess signifies that she really is one tough chick. I’m a bit uncertain of her green plan for Metropolis being so effective if she’s insistent on leaving her holographic display on for hours at a time. The most satisfying part of this episode, and possibly the last six or seven seasons of “Smallville” in general, is the ending kiss between Clark and Lois. With Oliver’s insistence on confessing his feelings for Lois on camera and Clark whining to Chloe about how Oliver keeps popping up at the wrong moment, it seemed like this would never happen. The most wonderful surprise was that the usually hapless-in-love Clark was the one who instigated the kiss and not the considerably bolder Lois. No need for conversation, just a kiss. What’s next? I’m excited. Let’s forget about the rest of this episode and focus only on those last thirty seconds.