Episode 178 - 9x04 Echo

Hi. My name is Tom Welling. I played Clark Kent on Smallville and you are listening to Always Hold On to Smallville. Welcome to Always Will One to Smallville. In this podcast, we talked about each and every episode of the Young Superman Show. Then we'rep from two thousand and one to twenty eleven on WB and the CW. I'm your host, Zach Morning. I'm joined by mister Daniel Prue. What's up, Daniel, how's it going. It's been a hot minute since, uh we've been on the on the mics together.

But it's good to be back. It has been a while, hasn't it. Now we've settled in for for you to come on the show. When Clark gets new powers. Yeah, and I guess he hasn't gotten a new one in quite some time. It seems. It's got one in new one in a while, it seems. And this one's only temporary, it seems. It's funny this. So we're talking about echo here, and I remember, way back like early Smallville, like season one or two, they

interviewed the producers I think was Alan Miles. We're talking and they're like, yeah, superpowers are like puberty, so there could be an episode where Clark comes downstairs and he's great and we can have some fun with that, like where it's a temporary thing. I'm like, Okay, that might have been fun. And I could see like early more lighthearted Smallville doing something like that, never what I expect him to do something like that, you know,

deep in deep in the show and then seriousness of the later seasons. I don't know, what do you think about that? Would you have liked an episode like that per se like we're, yeah, something out of left field,

something that's not what we would expect. Yeah, I mean I think that would have been fine for an episode, and it definitely especially you know early on if you sort of broke up the freak of the week with just sort of like Clark now has to deal like you said, if he's green or you know, he has three feet or something like you're like, what would you And if it's just a temporary thing, I think that could have

been fun. Obviously that's not what's happened here. But no, this is where something that's that sounds so much like a super boy like Silver Age comics or something like oh you get third foot? Ors liked something like that that would I don't know that that's not I don't know. I don't think that although that that kind of whimsy might have fit. More like they had a lot of fun with heat vision and even X ray vision and stuff like that.

That had some fun. Even when he got the super breath, it was like there was fun things about it, right, and they always had it good. They always had fun when you got the new powers. And I think, I don't know, even something something like that, like it's the same reason they changed the Red Kryptonite, you know, like in the comics, Red Kryptonite does something crazy. You every now he's an aunt or

something like that, stumb we're not doing that. It's effective emotions. They probably looked at all that like okay, let's let's not do anything like that. So then we get this new power, which is mind reading, which is interesting power for Superman to have. He has so many powers, as we know. I'm glad that this is not one of them because at that point, like who needs anyone else like that, like Martian Man Hunter,

Like Martian Man Hunter can do mind stuff and Superman can't. And that's like a big like a big thing, and he can pade through stuff too right, So like that to me, like the mental stuff, I'm glad Superman doesn't have that ability on the regular, you know. Yeah, when I was watching the episode, it was so funny to me because I was like, I don't like this because it's so weird because it like it seems like a really inconstant almost like you know, compared to his strength and his speed

and is in vulnerability. It's not that big of a deal, but in a weird way to me, it like made him too powerful, like there was nothing to stop him from like you said, like just kind of you wouldn't need anybody at that point. You can just like do whatever he wants. I don't know why that tips this yels for me, but I was like, I'm glad this isn't like a thing he normally has. Yeah, you know, this isn't like you know, in the anywhere in the comics

or any other shows or anything like that. But I'm I just I was like, Okay, but then they do have a little bit of fun with her, of course lowis and stuff, but right it almost kind of feels pointless. We'll probably talk about it, we'll get you know. You said that, and I thought about it too. I was like, are there any other versions of Superman or comic books? Like, I don't know,

right, there's eighty five years of com books. I'm sure sure there was some issues somewhere they might have tried, probably probably some silver righted Superboy story. I know on Lois and Clark, like in like the fourth season when other Kryptonians showed up, they did some mental like telepathy stuff. And I'm I'm no Lowis and Clark scholar. I'll leave that to Matt SRICKX, but I know they did they sits. I'm like, oh, well, the Kryptonians do that with each other. I'm like, okay, I guess that's

fine. I guess for if they were gonna do it like for each other or if they really wanted to go that route. But that's as far as I as I know, they've ever done anything like that. Was Man because like people have enough, he's a challenging enough character for people, right without him solving every problem, and like you said, like this, he can he can find any answer right, get any truth right. So it's it's it's smart to not have him do this, timpery. But well we can

get in the weeds of this Bay. We're here in season nine, Daniel, what are your feelings here in the in the stretch run, here, we're in the we're in the last phase, or the Metropolis years. We're in season nine. What are your thoughts on this era of the show? Well, I, you know, initially, when I when I was first watching the show, I only watched until I think season five or six, so I want to say, and it didn't I didn't come back until goodness,

years and years later. I've actually only watched that the back half of the show once. So, uh, picking this up to watch this episode was interesting because I'm like, I forgot Tessa was a character, and oh, I don't remember how Lex died. And also and so there's like there's all these threads in the episode, and I'm like, I kind of had to do a bunch of research just because it's been so you know, it's been a few years since I've done my full watch the previously on Smallville.

Didn't prepare you first, Well, I get Clark's matt At I'm not like at Oliver, uh, and uh, but I don't I just don't remember was he actually responsible for the death of Lex. He was he was he he uh, well he framed toy Matt. Well we'll talk. We'll talk about the little little so SOT conversation here. But but yeah, this is I can only imagine like you thrown into something like this is, especially being unfamiliar with it, even I who loves season nine and I ranked season nine

is one of my favorite seasons. That the whole Oliver test subplot here, I was like this, I have no memory of this, like even me, because I feel like they they kind of in these first batch of episodes they kind of did the same sort of thing with all of it, like, oh man, he's depressed and drinking and sad about some stuff that happened, and and anyway, it all just kind of blurred together for me, no pun intended, blurred together. Yeah, no, that will be fun.

It's it's it's certainly a different vibe. But I think at this point it was necessary for the show to change it's approached because I mean, how how long can then? That's why those those college dropout youres like, oh, I'm kind of dragged on. It's like, what you're still living on the farm, Alna is still around. You're not gonna marry or so what

are we doing? Like, you know, it's the show. It kind of rebooted itself in season eight, and then it like kind of rebooted itself again almost in season nine because he's the blur now it's a whole other thing when he's running around that's on his chests and stuff. So anyway, it's one of my favorite eras, and it's fun to revisit, and I you know, I haven't as much as I enjoyed it, I haven't rewatched it much as much either because just by the nature of it coming near the end

of the show. Yeah, you know, in those early years, you get to DVDs, you watch them and they becoming favorite episodes over and now, and then it becomes so much and it's like, well, I'm just gonna wait for the next episode, and then the show's over and then like, well I'll do this podcast and I'll go back to the beginning. So's I really haven't. I've tried not to like watch ahead or anything other than

if I'm doing like a commentary on the Patreon or something like that. Like, other than that, I don't like randomly watch ahead because I want to come to these relatively fresh, because it's so fun to not even remember stuff, which we'll talk about in our conversation here, So anyway, let's get into it then Echo. Well, no one has the right to take the law into their own hands, not even the blur don't try to run or you will die. Smallville All new episode on its new night Friday at eight

seventh Central. Echo is the fourth episode of Smallville's ninth season. It aired on October sixteenth, two thousand and nine. Was written by Ryan Q. Miller and directed by Wayne Rose. A couple notes there, Brian Q Miller goes on to write the Smallville season eleven combooks because there are also the comic writers and they worked on smallvill so perfect person to write those. And I looked up Wayne Rose. I'm like, that name does not look familiar to

me. And this is the only episode they directed of Smallville, directed a whole lot of Bowstar Galactica. Oh all right, one episode of Smallville though, and then nine episodes of Power Rangers Ninja Storm. Ok, there you go. Is Power Rangers also filmed in Canada? You know that's a good question. In the two thousands of apparently Power Rangers Ninja Storm a series that I am not familiar with, of Power Rangers in the early two thousands.

They probably did shoot that the the the non Power Ranger stuff, because you know they ship that out to America. All that, all the Superhos stuff shot in Japan, and then they put the I don't know the quote unquote human the Senti stuff in Japan, and then the rest of the stuff when

they're hanging out of the juice bar, that's that's where they should. They probably were shooting in Canada, and he probably was a Canadian director, knowing that a lot of those CW shows as well shot out there, So that is probably why. So what we're doing here in this last era of the show, dan As, I'm asking people about the ratings watch is what we call it. What do you think this episode got ratings wise on a Friday night? Now, remember they're on Fridays, okay, on the CW.

Now for a little context, right, last week's episode, Rabid the Zombie episode got two point three million viewers, okay, and the season premiere Savior two point five eight. So that there's your context here, we are what do you think this episode got in the ratings? Let's say that it's still going down consistently, so we'll say two point one. All right, you would be wrong two point six to one. WHOA went up? People love zi It's the early two thousands, mid two thousands. People love zombies.

Dad, all right, Okay, so I guess they're like, I love this show. I'll watch another one. I was just trying to think of, like, like even like in the in the trailer for the episode, what would be there to draw people in? And I don't know that there

was enough there. But Okay, I guess I'm wrong. But like I joked about off the top with you talking about getting caught up, there is a previously on Smallville, Justin Hartley says, it's previously on small But we get little bits and pieces about Clark and Jireau and their training and toy Man big stuff from season Dave tory Man episode Wherelex got blown up. Oliver did pin that murder on the toy Man, so that's why he's after revenge here.

And then we got Oliver burning his green arrow costume, which she did in the last episode because he's in a dark place. And he's in a dark place because he kind of fumbled the ball with the whole doomsday situation last year and Henry James Olsen died and that is why Oliver Queen is upset. I think Chloe's also have some blame in that also. Everybody had some blame

how that went down, but Oliver's taking it especially hard. Now. He's he is in a dark place, but he's he's physically in a very bright place. He's in Mexico, right, So he's so I just wanted to point that out this seats. It's the juxtaposition of his internal external circumstances. Brilliant started telling air, but the episode starts out and it's it's all these bound and gag sweatshop workers. It seems like in a storage unit. It

seems that way to me. Apparently it's a subsidiary of Queen Industries. Yeah, I don't know if well, you know, maybe he's not doing things above word, but yeah, why would you? Okay, I guess that's that's what it was. Yep. I feel like they I feel like they didn't quite have the budget for whatever it was supposed to be, and they're

like, we'll just shoot it like a sturge in it. And then it became when it became perhaps because I guarantee you I don't know what it's from, but that when we see like a helicopter and I'm like, that's got to be from a movie or some WV stock footage, Metropolis, PD, the Swat Team all that. But hey, this is where it's cool. This air of the show, we see the blur show up. Clark just

shows up on a roof and surveys the scene. And I don't know, he's gotta be a little more careful though, because usually he's like in the shadows and stuff, but he's it's the daylight, man, Just stand up, someone's gonna see you. Yeah. They're lucky that this was like right

right. His iPhones were coming out, you know, so yeah, yeah, cell phone cameras were not what they were back then, so I think you could still get away with this, But today absolutely no way Clark could get away with this with this no bass stuff or have no secret identity. Basically, it's pretty cool effect. We see everybody tied up, and we see like a little like toy looking masks. I think I think like it looked like a toy mask on one of the main guy with the gun,

right, I don't know, yeah, something like that. At first, I was like, is that gonna be the toy man? Is that going to be the guy? But it was like a reveal later, but we see like the black blur of him, like blurring in saving the people. It's a it's a pretty fun save. I think, yeah, no, it was good. It was good. I guess he thought that the guy was the toy man too, because he throws him and I don't like, this guy look like a hostage. I don't know, like I don't.

It's a good thing he got this mi reading thing because I figured he read the situation wrong, which I guess triggered what happened, right, I don't know. I was surprised. Yeah, he just kind of chucks him across the room and then just like I'm okay, I did my thing, and I'll burn the thing on the ground and leave. And I'm like, you didn't really do any I mean it's not you did save people and you and you ate the bomb, but maybe you know, do some fact checking.

I guess that's the lesson he learns, right. I guess it is right because I mean, yeah, well, well we'll get to any times, Darrell. But like I'm like, I didn't. I was confused. I was like, well, because I was like, is that toy man? The mask comes off, it's not. It's a guy with a bomb. It looked like he was tied to a chair too, so it didn't look like he was like responsible. I don't know, but Clark, Yeah, he sees this bomb, he hugs it, it blows, it blows the

s off his chest. I thought for a second, like, are they gonna do somewhere Buddy comes in but they don't know he's the blur because his s is gone. But they didn't. They didn't really do that. He's just kind of like we see like and I guess they're there. It's very similar to like what they do for Superhero, where like everything gets kind of like blown out all around him and like blown out visually. You know when when when it like has the mind reading and that's what the you know,

that's what this is, right, He's he's kind of confused. He's taking so long to get out of there. I'm like, someone's gonna see you. Yeah, there's a big hole in the wall and he's just sort of standing there and I'm like, God, yeah, you need to get out, but this is apparently what triggers this new power. I did like how he changes in the phone booth. Huh yeah, And again I love this there of the show where where Tom Willens dressing his age finally you know,

he's wearing like a nice fitting dress shirt and tied. He's just missing the asses Dan right, Yeah, you know, maybe that's that's for the next power he needs. He needs to get a prescription maybe so. So he gets out of this film with he's looking around and he almost gets hit by Lois. It's kind of irresponsible driving. Frankly, Yeah, it's only the first of two times she almost runs him over in this episode. True, it's all that. It's all that, the tension, that unresolved tension.

I think it is between the two of them manifesting. Yeah, Clerk's like, yeah, we're just trying to call you, and she's like on a payphone, which is you know. I like how they use the payphone here, like the phone booth, Like that pays homage to the classic Superman changing in the phone booth and the whole thing. So I think that's a fun way to incorporate that in the twenty first century, where where I mean, there are there are no payphones anymore, right, I mean I haven't seen

one. I probably hadn't even seen one for ten years when this came out, so yeah, it's been a long time. But then he starts hearing all these things like Lois trips and he catches Serge, Oh Hello's and all this stuff and hot stuff and and he Clark is so slow in the uptake here what's happening? But I think I think that's very in character for him,

though, isn't it. You know, it's interesting because I was watching it, I'm like, man, he is he's kind of dumb like here, Like he's just like, it's pretty simple to see what's happening, Like she's clearly not moving her mouth or anything like that, and uh, you know, it's got that echo of fact of course that all you know, teleopathy has. And he's just like what is what? Like, what what's going on? I mean it's like, you know, come on, man,

put this. Put two and two together here. I think you could figure this out. Now. This is a storytelling trope. So I don't know what we call this a movie plot as an episode, because I don't think it's necessary, Like I think about like what women want or something like that for example, right right, But it's not. It's more like this has been a Twilight Zone episode like this. This is a trope in fiction. So I don't know, would you call this a movie plot as an

episode or not? Oh god, I mean that plot line. There's the thing is, there's so much going on in this episode. It's really tough to like because that's only part of it and it only lasts for half the episode. You know that's true, Thanks Dad, We'll get there. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know if it counts or not, but I think that's a good point. I think you know, when you think of the when you think of these famous like famous listen to you guys know what I

mean, small old fans. We all know fast and the various right that the Saw episode, which is probably the most egregious, but it's actually really good b for BT plot point for plot point. This this is an element. So yes, even though we've seen this in other forms of media, I'm not gonna I don't think we should count it. So that's a good call there, good call there, all right, But that's our that's our big stinger out to the opening credits, like like Lois thinking something that she

doesn't say. It's so it just throws straight. They're usually so good about like the punctuation work, but there's not. It's just kind of weird to me, like I was anyway, it's all playing into Clark just not figuring this stuff out. So he cuts the open credits and we come back and Clark is He's in an elevator. He's kind of overwhelmed by Lois's thoughts. Lo is the only person he's hearing so far, and then later he hears everybody, which I don't. I don't think they really explained that, did

they? No, they did not. It wasn't clear and she only only heard her sometimes. But you know, he takes advantage of the situation. It does she is a lie here about uh? Or he does one of them does about I'm not a mind reader. I was like, ah, but you are what you are anyway. I thought that was cute. But he is so slow, and he's like leaning in looking at her mouth. He's close. Did you say something? Yeah? It just makes him look you know, he's bumbling. He's bumbling Clark at this at this moment.

So I guess, so he really is playing playing the part here, right, but he hears, like you said, he starts to as any of us would, right, use this steer vent and she's like talking about how she's hungry. He missed the lat stonenuts, so he goes and gets her one, and you know he's he's playing that up. But they find through the research here about this bombing because they you know, she wanted to she's always after the blurb, but they missed him, and they want to find

out what was going on with this bombing. And it turns out this this sweatshop is a subsidiary of Queen Industries, which is which is which you know plays into Oliver later. Apparently Clark could call Chloe and they meet on the street. I guess they wanted some exterior scene here. Usually, like Rick Clark, he should just go up to the watchtow or whatever and talk to her, but they just catch up over a cup of copy walking down the sidewalk about his new power. Huh yeah, I mean yeah, I guess

that's it. But it was just weird because like he calls her right away. I guess, like like as soon as he gives low as the doughnut he just goes do but whatever, that's okay. Now, he says that he's only hearing Lois's thoughts, which which Chloe is like annoyed by. I gotta tell you, man, like, yeah, you you know you've been You've been on on episodes over the course of this podcast. A big Chloe

fan here, right, My stock has dropped so much on her. I'm like Chloe, she's so like jealous in some way about Clark in Lewis, but it's like she always uses some other reasons to be upset, which is maybe justified, but the way it's played and the way it all comes off, it's like I don't like it. I don't like it, and and this is like the first it's just that in this episode, like, oh

yeah, I don't like the vibe that Colo is giving off here. No, totally, she's a yeah, she's not very nice about the entire situation. You know. He's Clark literally just he confides in her and he tells her what's going on, and he's looking for some advice and she's just sort of she's not having it. So yeah, go go talk to your dad about it, you know, the cryptity because he had been training, which

Orella as we see, Sochloe's like it's gonna take off. And then and then Clark's standing on the street and I and I thought, maybe he's gonna, like you hear somebody like if I miss this, I'll be fired or this or that, or he hears all somebody hears all these things, right, all these potential crisis happening, And I thought, oh, maybe maybe he'll use this power to to save someone. But he doesn't. Yeah, but he just he just hears all this stuff. And I was like,

oh, okay. So we go from him being like overwhelmed cut to the Fortress of Solitude, like there's no like I just I just was kind of hoping like he'd like stop a car accident. Could you see a woman in a car? And I'm like, okay, well this is setting up. I don't know. I don't know, but I'm like, I feel like there might have been an actually scene here they wrote, and they're like,

we don't have the budget. They cut it, so like a scene like in Superman Returns where he just is sitting up, you know, in orbit and listening to everybody. Yeah, he's like trying to like focus and find the one person that's in trouble or whatever. Yeah, I could see that. Yeah, and it is it is very similar. Again, it's very similar to the Superhero, isn't it? Because it's just it is him just absorbing stuff and the only thing is it's thoughts and not speech. But it's

it's the same. You think the same process would apply with him sifting through right things he was picking up on his transmitter or whatever you want to call that. So, so we do cut to the fortress. Clark and Jurrell. They're on good terms. You know, they've been training. Terrence Stamp Special guests appearance. Now, if you had to guess Dan how many episodes of Smallville Terrence Stamp was in as Jarrell. But what would your guess be? My goodness, Wow, he's got to be in every It feels like

he's in every finale and premiere. I feel like he's or most of them. I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say twenty okay, very close, twenty three ooh nice, And some of these are like, you know, stock audio or something. So that. So, for as far as when Karen's Stamp actually did new work, you might be right about twenty What did it

surprise you to know that this is his last appearance in season nine. That would be yeah, I would find that because it's only episode four, right, so right, especially especially if he's got like such a like Jooryl's keeping such good tabs on Clark that he's like he knows what he needs and it's like giving him, I don't know, some sort of weird powers to teach him a lesson. But okay, I guess I planted within you the seed for this trial. I'm like, what, like, what does that mean?

Like does it like when he was training there, like he just slipt the little thing and his and his sub Jeorrel. I mean, as we know on this show, these Kryptonians way too powerful. They can reverse time, They can you know, freeze you, uh, resurrect and clear disease and do all kinds of stuff. Right, So god level Jorel here is in play. You're just giving him a power. This is him explaining because car said, hey, did you do this? What's the deal man?

That was? It's crazy to me because looking at it, I was thinking, like, okay, was in this series finale? I think he's in the one for that because he talks to Kara Supergirl, and then I was like, I don't know, is he in any other ones? And he's in the season as you're to your point premiers of Allege. He's in the season premiere of season ten because Clark talks him like in the Afterlife, and then he's in stock Audio and Kent, which is the alternate universe episode where

Clark gets the other Ultraman to go to his fortress and stuff. But it's like, wow, like in a season where we actually get a physical Joerel later and Zod is here and all these Scryptonians, right, they don't you Terrence Damp at all. It's strange to me, Like, as you said, like they're so close now and we're four episodes in you think this is just setting up more to come, but no, this is it. Yeah, So like, yeah, that would make total sense if Darrell and at

some point interacted, you would think that they probably should have. Wh why not? Maybe I know he goes to the fortresses, you refuse to speak to me, which I'm like, Okay, I can see that that's a nice way around that I'm not talking to this guy, right, But anyway, it's just interest because weird like, there's we have far more episodes of Terrence Stamp behind us than ahead of us, which is just surprising to me. As we get further into Superman and mythology and stuff, you think that

stuff would increase. But anyway, Darrell gave Clark this power to work on his Kryptonian intuition, and I do like how Clark's like, hey, don't underestimate who wins, and Clark's like, when you should you? Because it works both ways. Clark's like, well, don't underestimate him, but Drell's like, hey, like you, you're underestimating them by just taking everything to say face value. So I thought that was interesting. He says perception can

be the difference between life and death. Very true. Yeah, okay, I don't know if now is the right time to talk about this, but this makes no sense to me. I don't perception like okay, So by giving him an extra ability and then taking it away from him, I don't think that teaches him about the ability of perception. I'm not really sure what he learned or when. I Like, at the end of the episode, right he's talking to Oliver and he's noticing that Oliver sat and I guess that's

normally he would have just ignored that or something. Is that the lesson he takes away from this. I'm not sure what the plan and the payoff was. I mean, that's fair, but this clerk, I believe it all right, It's true, like it's almost too too small of a sample to

make any real difference. But I guess, I guess throughout the episode, like he and especially with his stuff with Lois and stuff like you see, like he's realizing like, oh, people don't always say what they need or think, which is a ridiculously base level lesson, but apparently he needed it. I mean, you know, as a as a living being, a conscious living being, you think he would have gleaned that at the age of two like the rest of us. But that's fine, Okay, that's you

mean, people lie anyway. But then we go to we go to the hospital, Troupel's General. We have turns out three plus ones over the course of this. I don't know more people went, but we saw three different people in the three in the hospital beds, and that's what we're counting for

this episode's sake. But the first person that they talked to, it's apparently an undocumented worker, because Clark has to tell him like, I'm not with the I n S. Because she hears her where You're like, oh no, they're gonna send me back, and my baby, I'm like, god, yeah, y'all, like this is Queen industries. Like do do you understand the implications of what you're saying? I don't think they did. Yeah, yeah, it seems like it's a kind of an oversight, or maybe

it's just so far down the chain that I don't know. Yeah, it's so weird. It's so bizarre because it's obviously important enough that it brings Oliver back into the world and he's aware of it, so like, yeah, just feels like it's weird that it's like under the books textile making like in Kansas, Like I like, I don't know what is going on here,

but okay, that's fine. Yeah, it's strange. It's strange. So yeah, because Louis is trying to talk to her and she wanted talking to Clark mentions the whole like, oh we're not you can talk to us, and then she opens up and the next guy is like a very excited liar. He's like he was he was short and fat, and then he was tall and thin, and and then Clark kind of zones in on him and

hears that. He's like, oh, man, maybe maybe seen in we'll talk to me next or so like he sees like glory and then the attention of it all, and then Clark calls him out. He's like, well, you understand that if you lied to us, it'll just bl and Lois seems really like turned on by Clark's assertive this year. I thought they just

pay a lot of attention to her reaction to it. I thought, yeah, he he We get like a glimpse of Stern talking uh Clark, and yeah, I guess she's into well it makes sense, you know, her father, that kind of kind of man, so maybe that's a thing. But yeah, she's picking up what he's putting down there, and he's like, oh the liar hospital patient. He's like, oh, I didn't see anything. You guys are right. So they move on from him. We got a third guy later, the alleged bomber, they think at this point,

but we'll get to him later. And then Lois brings Clark like a bagel or something to be even when he butter donut and they're like, all right, let's call it a night, and then she leaves. She's like, oh yeah, I have plans and with lifetime and ice cream and that kind of thing. So then Clark he decides to seize this opportunity. He's like, oh, well, then, Lois, I was thinking that we could go out together. And then he hears her think, oh, it's Clark KNT asking me on a date, and he's like, well, no,

like a date. And then it's I think it's a very fun back and forth here. What about you? Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm unabashed, unashamed Lois fan, so anything anytime she's on screen, especially when they're being cute together, I'm like, so that was the best part of the episode for me. I love when they're all doing it. Although Clark, you know, tripping over himself again, he knows he can read her thoughts. And then when she's like, oh, is he ask

you me on a date? He's like no, I'm like you are though, like why are you Why are you surprised by this reaction? I just that's the thing, right, Like, but yeah, you should, this is your goal, Like, so why are you playing it down just to just to be safe anyway. I know they have a lot of baggage over the years between the two of them, but but no, to me, like, I really enjoyed this episode and it'll be interesting that I haven't really

decided what I'm gonna give it at the end. I forgot our conversation with the terminate. But the strengths of this episode is them, their interplay, their relationship, the back and forth. It's pretty adorable. You know, it's been established that Lois likes this for whatever reason, monster truck rallies. It's a thing on the show. So he hears her think about that, and then he's like, well, you know, we could go to this monster truck rally and she's like, oh my god, Like he hears how

excited she is. I did like this rule of like two cars and no drama standard procedure. Yeah, yeah, that was good. I guess it's the most Midwestern thing that they could think of, Like like, maybe that's what it is. Have you ever been to a monster truck rally? I don't think I have. I have not either, and I've seen ads for them and I just never saw the appeal. I'm like, oh, a big truck crushing cars or cars. Yeah, okay, yeah, I don't know, but Hey has a huge fan based Lewisling among them. Yeah.

Then we cut to Mexico. It's very obviously Mexican. If you know it was Mexico yet you could tell by the giant Mexican flag on the side of the wall and all these things. And Oliver, Yeah, yeah, very Mexico, very Mexico. Oliver wanders in to a bar, already drunk, clearly, and I I had zero memory of this at all. I was like, what is this? Why how I been? I guess it's not very that memorable. It's just just typical, like, oh, I'm a rich guy, and look at all those cars and what I got to narrow

I've got purple stuff. Anyway, Oliver being Oliver, I guess, yeah, it was. It was fine. I guess the point across. I guess he was, you know, flirting with some married ladies that I guess wanted his money. Yeah. Yeah, apparently, because you think it's just like, oh, some women at a bar, like, oh, who's that cute new guy. Apparently they're wives of some like, you know, tough guys, because one of them comes up to the to oliveries of hey, why hit him my wife? And he's like, which one's your wife?

And he's making fun of like the other his henchman or his wife, and then they get in a big fight and then out of nowhere, Anosi goes off and it's tests what is this? I mean, if you want to clear a bar, it is a good way to do it. I guess I don't know if it would sort of pass inspection today, but that she does a lot in this episode. And I forgot like sort of what kinds of things she gets into, but apparently it's everything. Yeah, that's

the thing. She's kind of a I mean, they define her character's time goes on, but like she's kind of blank slates. They can kind of do anything with her. I guess she's so new. I mean she's only been on the show for a year. But I was like, oh, oh, Test is here this episode doing stuff I didn't I had no memory of any of that. By the way, you watch This is Us,

Yeah, okay, on This is Us. Justin Harley plays a character and called Kevin Kevin Pearson, and he has like struggles with like alcohol and and addiction, and he gets into dark places a lot, and I'm like, this is his like demo real for that It's it seems now it's he's fine here. But I gotta tell you, man, this Is Us is a really great show. I do recommend it. And he really justin Harley Man. Like, I'm not saying he was bad on Small Villa or anything.

He was fine, and he was he was really good at certain times, right, but it never did. I watched this like that guy is gonna win Emmys one day, right, you watched This is Us and like, this guy deserves an inny. So I'm just saying I could see a lot of Kevin Pearson in this dark place, Oliver Queens in these in these early episodes season nine? Is he the lead on that show? It's about three siblings they call himselves the Big Three. He is one of those three?

Okay, and Peter Petrelli is his dad. Oh okay, if you cheer ros yeah yeah. Anyway, Wait is that enough? Is there enough age difference? Okay? Well, there's flashbacks and stuff. It's all. It's all told the different time periods. It's just kind of the hook of the show, which is like the most interesting conceit so anyway, check it out if you're looking for a show to watch. It's on Hulu, just like Smallville, so at least it used to be. It's probably on Peacock.

Now I don't even know, at least at least streaming services whats where. But uh, we cut to Lois getting ready for her date. She's cutting up, cutting up jeans and getting her getting her stuff on. Now you know, I have a category here called Lois's costume Closet, and I want to I want to include this in the category because she's getting all dressed up to go this Monster Truck Rally. What do you think is is that a

fair Talyboard edition? Dan? I would think so. It is interesting that she doesn't have, knowing that like we do, how big of a fan of Monster Truck Rallies that she is, She doesn't have jeans that are already cut up. I don't know how often one would need to cut up new genes. But you know it's fine, it's fine for this. Well, it's because she's going with Clark, all right, she wants to wear something

special. Maybe that's where I'm gonna hate Kennon. And usually I usually I use this category for like stuff she's gonna go sneak into something with and I'm like, ah, we gotta count it's fun. It's fun. So she's making a new outfit, that's why Ki. But then of course, buzz kill Chloe comes in. It's like, oh, look at you, who's the Prince Charming? Who the f do you think it is? Chloe? Like who else would it be? She's like, oh, and this is

cute because look they've they've had to come along. I was not sold on Clark and Lewis like you were from the from the start. They have to

have to come a long way to get here. But they're doing the work and I respect it because they had like a brother sister vibe that started, and they to me, they had way too many like we don't like each other because we're gonna be married in the future jokes and that was so there was too much of it for my taste, right, But now they realized that, like, okay, we did all that nonsense, but we need

to get back to what the core this should be. And they're doing it because Lois is like, look, I never thought I'd said this out loud, but it's Clark Kent and she's really excited about their date, and then Chloe's action was like, eh, it just like Chloe, stop it. Yeah, and she doesn't even I don't think it feels like Lois doesn't even clock it, Like no, like normally she would, you know, really

maybe snipe back a little bit or say like what's your deal? But yeah, Chloe is just a big old stick in the mud the whole time. And it's like that this is And at that point in the episode, I was thinking, is this episode trying to tell us that Clark using his power to go on a date with Lois is bad, like like it's him abusing his power or something. We're taking advantage of Lois in some manner of fashion,

but that the episode never goes in that direction. Oh, I guess I would pick a direction, right, because that's an interesting idea, Like, Oh, I got this new power and I'm kind of it's like a crutch and I'm using it too much for my own benefit. I need to like get some perspective, like have that conversation, like maybe have a follow up at Jorell, who I thought maybe we'd have a follow up with, but no, he's gone. Thanks Dad, that's it. Uh? I

keep I keep quoting that because it's such a strange thing. We'll get to it at the end. But yeah, like Chloe, I guess she's the only person to wear this happening, so she's the only other point of view we have. And she seems like, oh, it's like he's guessing what you're thinking. Huh back, why are you so upset? Like he's making her happy? What is the problem? You know? M hm. He's not nefarious about it. It's like stuff they would have done anyway. Anyway.

I just buzz go Chloe here, and it's just like, yeah, I don't she's not jealous of Clark anymore. I shouldn't be. It's just I don't know. I get I get flashbacks to like old petty jealous Chloe, and like it's not a good look on you from like season two, right, Like it's like that same like same energy, and it's like, man, they're just going up, they're just going to the monster trucks.

Just let them go have fun, you know. And she was having such a nice moment, like Loe's just like I I maybe me and Clark against the world, and I'm like, that's that's nice. That's a yues support that support your cousin and your friend when she's going out with your other friend,

you should be happy about this. Well, while this is going on, Clark is hanging her out the hospital to get more information with his with his new mental powers, and he and he hears the who they thought was the bomber but really isn't like or not the mastermind of it all anyway. I don't know if he was an accomplice or what he was actually, I

don't think they really they haven't really let us know. But he hears him like thinking to himself or something about toy Man and basically incriminating the toy man here and this is our third person in the hospital, so plus three total.

That's why Clark's like, oh Winstel shot toy Man. He's back, right, And then we cut to like the outfit of the toy Man somewhere in the newspaper article we saw from a previously on of like you know, toy killer on the toy bomber on the loose or something, which is which is after he had he had quote unquote kill Lex Luthor. And then he picked up a little sunglassess like, oh what the guy's for good. Do you remember the toy Do you have a strong feelings or impressions about the toy

Man on Smallville? No, I mean, you know, I he toin into me always strikes me as a Batman villain. I don't I just don't know. I don't get why he's ever a Superman villain. But it's fine. I forgot that he was on Smallville, and then when I saw him here, I'm like, Okay, I see what they're doing. He's crazy and he likes toy bombs. Yeah, like that's his thing. I guess it's just weird when you see it, like sort of played straight, you know what I mean, Like like he's an actual threat. And we'll get

to the other scene. I really want to talk about Clark melting his face off, because I've forgotten that's hardcore. Yeah, that's like so in Smallville. The Fisial Magazine number thirty three available wherever magazine just sold. There's an interview here with Chris Gothier, who plays toy Man. Now you might recall that he played the It guy in season three, the episode Delete. It was just one scene like Lex goes down to like the the It and it's

this guy, and it's funny how this kind of worked out. So anyway, they talk about this in the interview, Chris Gothia says this quote, it's so cool how that worked out five years ago. I for Lex, I thought that was great how that panned out. People have been casting illusions that this was in the works that I was hired five years ago for this five seasons from now, keep your schedule free. I had so much fun on the set because he had worked for Lex and then for Oliver Queen and

they did the timeline works. So Mike, Hey, Cannon, that guy Alex saw that one scene wasn't a toy man. It's totally cool. But you mentioned like how he played and stuff. So he's talking about how he played the toy man and he says, quote, I didn't want to play him too over the top because it's TV. I also didn't want to be too crazy, So I hope I met a happy medium. I wanted him to be creepy. If he was too over the top, it would have

been cheesy. I wanted to have some realism in there. At the same time, he is an insane figure obviously for that evil and kill people. Something's messed up in you. I did a little bit of research about the character. I'm a fan of cult things. I looked at Wikipedia, and I just went with ma instincts. So I know, I actually really enjoy

him on Smallville. I think he's a very comic book villain in this world which doesn't have a lot of comic But that's every Hey, it's Comico show every now that it's if every villain were like this, i'd be like, but look for every now and then little flavor. I like it. Yeah, when you were talking, we were talking earlier about like the like sort of the tone and the feeling of season nine, I'm like, this is definitely something that doesn't exist in an earlier Smallville. You know what I mean,

it's not like this word's because it does. It leans way heavier into that, like the comic stuff, like the really really comic y stuff. When then yeah, like you said, it's it's fine. Yeah, I think my favorite toy Man, I think all my favorite versions of all the Superman villains or Superman the animated series. Yeah, because that's a creepy just a creepy dowing Man guy. That's a good call, Like he'd fit our idem with the Riddler or something, right, like why why is this?

Why is this guy who who decided this should be a Superman villain? Yeah? I think they got their Yeah, their notes mixed up because h one, the one guy there is in Batman the animated series. He has the ventriloquist dummy. I can't remember the scarface. Yeah, yeah, yeah, is that who I'm thinking of? Yeah, well there's in the Gray Ghost episode, the one that of West there's a there's villain called the Toy Bomber okay maybe, and he has plain remote control planes and stuff, and he's

got toys and stuff and like that's almost like a toy man. But it's like, no, that's a that's a Superman villain. But anyway, but then you got villains like a prankster. The guy was on Leelson Clark a couple of times. He's from the comics, so these are you know, you gotta sympathize with the comic writers, and like I have a running out of ideas for villains, so they just start copying Batman and stuff. But anyway, but he's here. I Requiem was a very complicated episodes, the

one where they lot of got the Kryptonite and the kill Lex. All this crazy stuff is going on with his last appearance, but I thought he was a highlight of it, and I'm glad he's He's part of the smuvele Mythos here. So anyway, we do you see him again? Two? Right? We do we see him again? In season ten? Uh? He in the second to last episode of the series. Oh wow, he forms the Legion of Doom, which goes nowhere because it's the end of the show.

So anyway, so then we get to Tests and Oliver, she's like, you know, talking like, hey, what are you doing? Like I one of my favorite lines, she says, I wrote it down is your stock is worth less than you think of yourself. Just now I thought was pretty good. H And she doesn't know why he's punishing himself because she doesn't know any of this stuff about how Jimmy died or any of that happened.

So this is like a good feelings is actually good emotionally connecting the scene between the two of them, and then Oliver like he can Oliver's back is to her the whole time. He can tell like it's kind of getting to it WI and then he kind of pulls himself together, and I guess he's intuitive, which is the theme of this episode, because he's like, what

do you want to sounds like you need to do the talking. Apparently she needs him to address the shareholders because you know, our our sweatshops are being blown up and we need we need our CEO to address it. Yeah, why it's so weird. It's I keep coming back and that I'm sorry, but it's so straight. It doesn't it's it is bizarre. I mean, it makes sense right that toy Man knew to target it so that now he has a reason to go back and go into the public sphere. But like

you said, it's just why pick that of all things? But yeah, so Oliver, I don't know if he was hoping, like for an actual thing. Here's like, so is that all you want her? And she says, I've learned not to expect too much from you, Oliver, Like damn, yeah, because they had you know, they had a relationship in

the past, and I thought that was I always always mentioned this. I think it was clever to tie tests into Oliver's past because that kind of helps like justify her presence on the show, because obviously they made her up in season eight, right, there was not even a thought of her. But I'm like, okay, well she knew her and him, like you can kind of put the pieces together, and it just kind of helps es her into the show, her place in this universe. So I don't I still

know why she showed up like looking like Laura Croft. It's for this scene. But anyway, yeah, yeah, because she least like wheels up in twenty like we military tests now all of a sudden. But anyway, then I swear I swee come back to the Daily Planet. Clark chills back up there, and here's Chloe. He's like, well, if he could read my mind, we can He's like, or else what chloy? Because she did because last time she knew Clark could only hear Lois, but now he

hears everyone. She's liked, well, you're here breaking my cousin's heart. And anyway, yes, he stood her up on this. This was actually I think they could have done but they were They could have done this a little further, like we didn't see Clark like cancel with her or anything. It just all of a sudden, like he didn't go I don't know. That was a little messy to me, what do you think, Dan, Yeah, I mean it is weird because you know, why wouldn't he also

tell Lois because it's not like she's not involved in what they're doing. It's like, yeah, I guess maybe what does he think is going to like does you think it's going to be I don't know, maybe he just thinks it's going to be dangerous or something. But yeah, it's weird that we don't get it. Yeah, I mean there are ways you could have played it off to not like, I don't know, man, like you've been working on this. You guys have had a lot of failure to launches.

You could have tried to make this one work a little better. Fortunately it turns out okay in the end, all things considered. But I think he thought he could have to go do Blur stuff, and you don't want to involved and be danger because the toy man, you know, dangerous guys got bombs and prisoners and and all this sort of stuff, So he didn't want to get her too involved. But she's already kind of circling this story.

So I do like how Clark clarifies so well, it wasn't really date, It was not date like that makes it like that made it okay any better? Have you learned nothing? You know from your mind powers? They're on the case, right. He gets her to kind of, you know,

do her investigation, get to watch Tower and do your superhero thing. I'm gonna go to this party at the it's at the Ace of Clubs, so that they find out that Oliver's back in town and he's making this big announcement, so that this obviously this is all part of the plan for uh toy man to draw it. Oliver, he uses his mental powers to to read the bouncer's name, to read the bouncer's mind as he's reading the names off the list, to just pick a random one to say that's so he is,

Huh, if only were that easy to get into these parties. Yet well, you know, he could have just looked at it as well, you know, with his X ray just saying he doesn't need Yeah, that was kind of a flimsy use of that, but that's okay. He forget that's the very superman thing, Like he gets these other powers, then he

forgets he has the other powers, like older powers. But well, even he has trouble keeping tracking on a lot, there's a lot to know, so and then like Clark, he gets in under some fake name and like do you have a plus one? And then on cute, a giant monster drug shows up and I al wants HiT's Clark. I gets it two times in one episode. Uh level, someone sits him. And so we're to believe that she got one of the monster truck guys to drive her to this

party because she heard Oliver was back. Is that where to believe? That makes more sense than what I was thinking, Well, we did. I thought she drove it, but I guess she did get out of the right side of it, so that makes way more sense. When she left her person in the car, she tells Clark that they hope they has an open bar because they left the person. Now she's wearing something totally different than we

saw her dressing up for, which also confused me. Yeah, I guess the idea is that he she also had the driver stop and get a very fancy dress for this black tie affair that she was trying to crash and she found out because I don't I don't know, does has that ever explained? She just shows up. It's very convenient. It's all very convenient. And look, I look, I enjoy this episode quite a bit, but there are some plot holes here that could have filled in, and they're just a

little messy. And this is one of those messy spots. Okay, it's one of these messy spots because they just had to get them here at the same time. But they could have done they could have just avoided the monsters. Now rewriting it, but I'm like, you could avoid the monster truck thing entirely. I'm like, hey, b a plus one to this thing that we have tickets for to see, all right, you could have just it could have been a little more organic. Do you think that maybe?

Uh, like in Toronto that week there was a monster truck rally and they just were able to get one for cheap and that was and maybe that's why. You know, that's a good point because that's not that they spend a lot of time on it. But it is a giant monster truck prop. I mean, if you're trying to save budget, why would you put that, Why would you even put that in the episode? But it is very comical. It's very low stlane to show up in a monster truck from a

monster truck rally, so so get on to their show. She says something like, you can't you can't keep things from you small, I have the Internet on my phone, so two thousand and nine. It's so cute. So yeah, that's really funny. But she she's basically her theory is that Clark, you know, ditch your for this and bros. She says, bros. Before hose, Well, there you go, quote unquote from Loew's lane herself get to go see Oliver and keep the story or something like that.

That's kind of where she is about it. That's where he is about it. We get in there and Clark starts scanning the crowd and hearing just all kinds of nonsense and and then he gets these mixed messages from Lois Like. It was strange to me that I thought she was saying, Oh, I'm just gonna go, and then he was hearing like conflicting things, and I thought she was like, and this is a classic blowest anything, like I'm just gonna get some there, I'm gonna, you know, give me

a drink. And then she goes off and does more investigative stuff. But I guess she really did just really just went home. This time, Dan, Yeah, she was just you know, they didn't want her there for the scary stuff I guess the bomb and the uh Oliver pouring his heart out and that was it. She just was gone. Yeah, So why get there first? Why even be there like at all? Kind of again,

yeah, I think it's a monster truck thing. Man. I think that's just because there's not really she doesn't really serve much purpose going there and then just leaving. Yeah, yeah, like why even never show up at all? Strange? Like it doesn't like bother me, But I'm just confused, Like it's just like, yeah, because she gain how many times have we seen like Clark and Lewis show up somewhere and they both make their excuses to go do you know her lowest Lane thing and he go does his Superman thing?

Right, Uh, but she doesn't really just go home. But then she went home, She went off there you go. But then we have Oliver addressing the crowd and uh, it's kind of funny. He has well

Test introduces him and he comes out. He's like,'s see if I'm gonna stay up right long enough to say this, And he's like, huh, speechwriter's got a sense of humor and everybody laughs, you know, you know, like because you think you don't know where this is coming from yet, but apparently the speech is coming from the toy man boy put on the ear piece and then like there's this big everybody hears some big sound, right. I don't remember the sound part, but it's visual. I don't know,

like Clark lost his power here to hear right, right? But I thought everyone was everyone reacting to it or was that just the visual light of like him that Yeah, I don't remember. I don't recall thinking that anything odd happened. I was confused because they were trying to show you that, like he lost his power, and the way they show this power is like, you know, the overblown light sort of thing. And I wasn't sure, like are people reacting to this or not? I don't know. And

then Clark's like, huh, thanks Dad. Just such a strange reaction for him talking to like him talking to himself about Darrell saying that about him losing his power. It's very strange. I again that that whole plot like is just so so bizarre because like, okay, so he chooses this moment for now Clark to learn the lesson about perception. But I don't know how he

does that. I'm not sure what happens next that facilitates like his plan moving forward, But it shouldn't matter what even happens next, because how would he even know? Yeah, well, yeah, I guess. Well, yeah, that's another issue entirely. But it real exists out time, outside of time in space clearly. So toy Man starts saying, like, we're gonna

play game, toy Man says, and they're shooting. They're shooting toy Man real tight, so you can't see where he is, which I think is clever because it kind of pays into like the double reveal later you see his like his eyes or his mouth or something like that, and reveals that Oliver's on this pressure play this bomb, right, so like if he steps off of it, it's gonna blow up and he has to stand there and he has to read the cell prompt everybody it's gonna die, right, So he's

reading this pretty damning speech about himself. He's like a silver spoon in my mouth and all that. Although it turns out to be pretty good therapy for Oliver at this point. H Yeah, he says, it's a he says it's a fact sheet. Yeah. So yeah, he's talking about how he's a liar and a cheater, and he says, did you clock this? He says, my name is Oliver Queen. He says that I'm like he

said the thing from Arrow. You have failed the city. No, no, no, we can't do I never thought I never thought that this. Oliver Queen said, my name is Oliver Queen. It was so funny to find it in like this speech here in this episode. But Clark X rays everything and he sees that he sees the bomb with like a like a timer on it. He tells Chloe like to get the building, clear it out. So she she's hacking away and and hacks into the alarms. Just everyone

evacorad the building. And you know, I don't know, like in the old days, you just be like, a right, we need everybody out, Like Clark would have pulled a fire alarm or something. Why why okay whatever if we have hacker Chloe here to to say the day here. But toy Man really wants him to do uh, to confess that he killed Lex, And he's like, you didn't have any problems telling him I killed Lex?

So which is a good point, like like toy Man shouldn't be doing what he was doing, but Oliver shouldn't have pinned the murder flexing with her on toy Man, right. I mean it's toy has killed a lot of people, but he didn't kill like suth Her. Yeah, So everybody clears out and then we get this reveal of toy Man like on the balcony or something close to the balcony, right, and then Clark just goes over to him and man handles him, and I love it. He says, I

don't know who you are. Well I was gonna ask that too, because I'm does does do they not interact in the first episode that he's no, it's all it's all Oliver, and it's all like lex uh working with toy Man and then a toy Man like getting Oliver queen because he's he's fixated on Oliver because that's the guy who like fired him and all that stuff. So it's like Avengers endgame switch. It's like you took everything from me. I don't even know who you are. So my other question was does he is

He also not concerned about his identity. That is a problem. See that's and that actually actually that that plays, and then when he comes back and the end of season ten, like he knows his identity, which I'm like, yeah, because you just carelessly sped up to this guy was like gonna

throw him off a balcony or something. This is where I believe we're supposed to learn how Clark uses in tuition to defeat toy Matt right, because we keep cutting back and forth to like Oliver on the on the podium, like preparing himself for dead. I think some good moments of Oliver like collecting himself

and breathing, like like just mentally preparing for what's gonna happen. But then Clark's like with real winslow shot and this and that in the game, Like I think we're supposed to take that Clark would not have come to these conclusions without his telepathic power. I guess, I guess if. But what if he still had his power and then he wasn't reading this guy and that could

have been the reason that that the reveal happens. That's good idea, But I counter that and say he can't use the temporary power to save the day, right, because that would because that would defeat the purpose, and that's a crutch he's not gonna have. They didn't think this through. I mean, yeah, they should have made it more clear, like, oh, from what he learned from this my reading stuff, he's able to read this guy that he otherwise wouldn't have been able to. Okay, sure, and

that's what they think they're doing. I don't know if they are or not. I don't know because I'm because Man's a crazy guy and it's an android. It turns out Clark just heat visions his face off. I was I was blown away, honestly. I was like, that is a lot uh

to do if for something you're not one hundred percent certain on. First of all, I didn't like the path that he takes to get there, Like you said, all those facts that he goes through, toy Man wouldn't do this, and you wouldn't be human error and all this stuff, and I'm like, you're like literally jumping from conclusion to conclusion here, and also what if you're wrong? And also why not like just just X ray vision this dude. They should have put in a shot of X ray vision. Absolutely,

they should they should have done that. And then he kills him. But that was so shocking, though we would have lost the shock factor if he had just melted his face off in this in the smovel toy Man we have not seen never about before in the comics. That's a very common thing

like that. There's a whole thing where I believe and this is get kind of kind of dark here, but like and as I understand it, in the comics, a toy Man killed Cat Grant's son, but then they kind of softened the character later, Well, that was an android duplicate of toy Bad. So like that's they've done that before. And and I think on Supergirl even because the son of toy Man Win shot well Kara's friend at the at the CatCo on Supergirl Show, but there was an episode of the first

season with his dad, the proper toy Man. I think he was like an android in that too, So that's a that's a thing like that, that's a thing for the character. But in this universe to have a perfect because he's there's no indication this guy is an android, Like he's just acting like normal and all that stuff. It's it's a big leap. And we just had Metallo a couple episodes ago and that was Oh luka, there's advanced really in technology. Even this guy over here just made a freaking what the

what's the life model decoy? Right? Yeah, this is some wild tech. I mean, like, I just am still shocked that he just heat visions his eyeballs out, and like, like what made him think that that was a good idea even if it like like even if it was a robot, he was not in any danger. No, Like it wasn't doing anything. It was just talking to him. I was just I was shocked when I saw it. I'm like, that's a very like Superman thing to do

if he knows he's dealing with a robot. But like, this is Clark Kent who's not exactly sure of himself and is confused right now, and I'm just gonna, okay, I guess we're going for it. Hey man, We're in season nine, now, Okay, this is what we do.

This is how we handle our problems. And then he's like, no one wins a game if you both lose, Like I think that was supposed to be a profound statement, but I'm like, well, yeah, obviously, yeah, that's like his like I got you to you in right, So it turns out that it was on a timer, right, the the the bomb that Oliver's standing on, and Clark kills me like, well you you wouldn't want to be blown up too. You want to dance on his grave. So that's how I know you're an android or whatever. Right, So

Oliver steps off the plate, he thinks he's gonna die. Clark's like, oh, well, how did you know it wasn't real? And Oliver's like I didn't. Clark's like, oh, you were more disturbed than I thought. Yeah. That just kind of hangs there for a while. It's like they really want you to know that that Oliver is kind of has a death threat. He's a he's not in a good place mentally. That's rue,

yeah, you know. And they followed up with a scene on like the balcony with Oliver and Clark, and I think it's a pretty good back and forth. And Clark's like, yeah, there's danger all around me and I was missing the warning signs and and that's why he needed this lesson apparently, And uh, he does mention that Chloe followed the feed from the ear piece that toy Man had Oliver where and they already arrested toy man. I'm like, okay, And for a minute, I was like, are we ever

gonna see the real toy man this episode? At all of it? But see, but that's why those those shots of like his eyes in his mouth are really were clever, because you thought, oh, it's because he's in the crowd and they want to reveal that. No, it's because he wasn't even there. Like that tracks like it's as absurd and blindsided as we were by that robot tracks from what they showed us to that point. Anyway, if we're to assume he's he's a mechanical genius, which I guess test does.

But arm was there, right, Okay, need to play some math here, Oliver says. And he's talking to Clark and they're reconnecting here and Clark apologizes for not being their first friend and stuff. So Oliver starts talking about he was five years old when his parents died. Okay, okay, his parents died in nineteen eighty nine. First shot of Smallville is the one of the first shots of novels. Whyn't Luther read that newspaper Queen Industry ceo

missing it? See, so that means Oliver was born in nineteen eighty four. Okay, okay, tracks Lex was nine years old for the meteor shower. He was nine when he lost his hair. Was born in nineteen eighty That means Lex is four years older Oliver, although they're played as contemporaries.

And if you remember in season six that the whole episode where they go back for like a like reunion to that private school they were at, and they're like all the same age, and they're either all the same age or Lex was always played as younger than Oliver and his like frat boy friends because they used to pick on him for his comic books and stuff. So somebody messed up on the timeline here, Oliver. Why couldn't Oliver have been nine when

his parents died, they would have the same age. Or I was twelve and he's older and he's an upperclassman picking all Lex, right, And I'm like, that's like, I know, it's a little thing, but like that annoyed me when I did when I ran the numbers, Yeah, maybe maybe the script said nine and he just said five. You know, he's been drinking a lot. That's true, that's true. He just had in

your death experience. He was confused about the facts of his life, brought to you by the show that showed you a tombstone for Jonathan Kent, which said he was born like six years before we saw his mom pregnant with him in flashback episode in season three, So no surprising. Look, I don't say this to like tear the show down. I find it fun to kind of try and make these things work because I know they got lots of people

and lots of episodes and seasons apart, and no one's no one. Now, if I were running a show, I would have some master timeline or something, but you know I don't have that kind of These people are trying to crank out twenty two episodes of season Okay, things like this are gonna slip with the cracks, right anyway, we're Star Trek fans. We know how it is. We certainly do, that's for sure. But you're telling me that, Oliver, that means he's That means he's twenty five right now

like his man's twenty five. That means he was twenty two and season six and he was around with the Green Arrow. Yeah, he definitely does not seem that age. No, I mean to be fair, none of them do. None of them are age appropriate. Yeah, Clark seems like he's thirty now he's actually twenty one. But look, this is a good pep talk between the two of them, and they seem to, you know, we'd be back on the same page after having a rift, which was developing

all through last season and especially at the finelle. So I like how there's some sirens and Olivers like sounds like they're playing your song, Go Go Save the world, don't go be here. That was cute, I thought, Yeah, So then Clark runs off and and and then oliver S's reflection in the window and who is it? Dan? It was lex Or or somebody that looked a little bit like lex someone who looked vaguely enough like micro rose

mom if we put him in the shadows. Now, I thought, did they get the same guy from recrihem the last toy Mate episode, because you know Darth Lex as we've called him, run with the mask and the shadow and the bandage because that I don't know what they did that CGI trickery or whatever they did that was like that looks like micro roseam would a bandage like. I thought they did a good job with that. This guy was like, uh, Aaron Howie is the actor. This is the only thing he's

ever been in. Wow. But he did write something called Dance of the White Tiger. Those are his only two IMDb credits. So I guess they just thought they put out some casting call for someone who would shave their head and look vaguely enough like micro Osamon if we put enough shadows on him. But this is just to show you that, like Lex's murder is haunting Oliver and he he throws a drink at the reflection and then it the I don't know, this is kind of cool. The liquid phase down and becomes Oliver

like he's you know, I don't know like that was that was. It was totally needless and melodramatic, But fine. I guess they couldn't really pay for micro Rosenbaum's rights for a reflection. They just want you to know. Oliver is not in a good place there, it is, even even though he just he just had a good talk with Clarke. He'sid not cured so

to speak. Right, he needs a hug. I think, really he doesn't need a hug so because the toy man, real toy man, real toy man and any custody here he screaming that he wants a lawyer, right, and then Test walks in. I had known memory of this. But Test is doing all, like you said, testing all kinds of things. Yeah, she can do whatever she wants. I mean, is he him

just jail? Like is he just like County jail or like you know, Metropolis jail, because she says she bribes the guard but there's more than one person out there. Whatever, it's fine, it's easy. It's just such a way to get her in there. But she shoots a guy. I mean, she shoots in fullice custody, so you know, me and the guard. After understanding, you try to escape and he shot you in the leg, and now you're gonna get solitary. I noticed that she's like she's

like wearing like more eyeshadow because she's evil in this scene. It's something I noticed when she first showed up in season eight, Like the first couple episodes, they weren't like sure what they were gonna do with her, Like, well, she's the new legs and she's bad, and like they kind of like gave her that I don't know, like the heavy eye makeup, implies you're evil. That's TV language. We all know this, right, So she's more in this scene and uh, she's like, no, Solitaire is

gonna be good for you and your new toy. And she opens up this case and it's Metello's heart from a couple episodes ago, and she wants him to figure out how works. And they're on the same page about it. He's excited about it, she's excited about it. That actually makes a lot of sense because apparently winslow Shot is a cybernetic genius. Sure ye like robotom. Now he just needs to put a crypt kryptonite hard in one and Clark won't be able to laser. I guess yeah. I don't know if they

ever call back to this. I mean, Metalla does show up later in the in the season again, and then when and then when toy Mann is forming a legion of dow Uh, a stunt double of Brian Austin Green is there at the table and Shadow I'll say that, so there's a connection there, But I don't I don't ever remember this coming up verbatim anyway for the rest of the season. But but he's going away for jail for a while and the next time we see him, he's in jail. So I think

he's been in jail this whole time, do you okay? Again? Her plan is to give him this advanced alien technology so that he can work on it while he's in jail. What is he working on it with? Like? What is he just looking at it like holding it, like absorbing it through his fingertails. It's just he doesn't have too old lady, like, what is he supposed to do? That's that's fine, it's fine. That's a good point. Lex would have taken him out of jail, put him

in the level thirty then one or something. But she doesn't want to hold anyone against their will. She's gonna let the state hold them against their will, right anyway. But I think that was a fun way, and I forgotten about that. I think it was a fun way just kind of connect things, especially earlier in the season, and it does track and it makes sense. So then you gonna wrap up Seat of the Daily Planet. Lois comes in wearing sunglasses. I took that a shorthand like she had a hangover.

Maybe she went home and drank some because she was depress about all they things went with Clark, and we see a an article that Clark had written with a byline with both of them take a screenshot of this. It's fun and I think this is a very smart and very cute way for Clark to kind of patch things up with her. Yeah. No, I again, I've already mentioned how much I love all this stuff, but it's it's really good relationship building, where like she's she was upset and still is too little

to a degree, but he is making right. He's making it right. He understood that he screwed up and is trying to help her, and it's so cute. It's such a great little scene. And then they talk about a real date at some point as well. Yeah. Yeah. And in Smallville the Official Magazine number thirty four with Erica Durantz and she talks about this episode a little bit and where Lewis is the Clark, and she says, quote, Lois is still trying to figure out what she's feeling for Clark.

She's drawn to the blur as well. In some ways she sees something unique in Clark, so she's drawn to him first. It's very confusing for Lois, and I don't know if Lois really believes Clark feels that way about her. Again, Lois is protecting herself, which is why there's a constant cover whenever she's around him. What if he doesn't feel that way, then it would be really awkward. Right now, Clark is a great friend, so it's more her fear of messing up another friendship, especially as this one is

so important to her. She's basically afraid to move forward and really step out on a limb to tell him. Speaking of that quote, I laughed out loud in her and she's like, is that supposed to be an oli branch because there's gonna be a whole tree in there. Yeah, that was good. Her one liners are always funny. But you know, it's interesting that just listening to that and then thinking about because in this episode, I mean, it's it's very clear that she definitely has feelings for Clark, like she

she in her head. She's getting all excited every time they're talking, even when she's talking to Chloe, like she's excited about it. So she you know, she's there, Her character is there in that place. They're just I think teasing it for even a little bit longer, did you cock the Lois is left handed. Apparently I didn't. I did not. She takes because of course, like, oh, you help me with this article, and she started marking up and I'm like, whoa. First, I guess

Erica durantsmust have left handed. I'll else, why would you do that? But now I'm like, have we ever seen this? So we were? Do we know this before? Like, I'm just so fascinated about it? You're not left handed? Are you dead? I am not? No? Okay, dad, the odds are the near of us were because this is only two I don't know, Like, I just I'm gonna keep an eye on for that now and never I never get it a second thought before. I'm sure we've seen Lowis Wright things on this show, but I don't know.

They just just the fact that, like they dwelled on it a little longer. I'm like, wait a minute, that's her left hand, So I'm gonna keep an eye out for that. But no, this is this is real. This is real cute. And they talk about being stood up and about on a date and Clark's like, well, it's a good thing. It was just like a date, super cute. He's really trying. Uh, He's used that excuse like three times in this episode. He thinks it gets him out of everything, and does it? Does it? Does?

They talk about second chances and he's like, well, you know, how would a guy get a second chance? She's like a slow news day and he's like, well, those doesn't happen very often. She's like, yeah, well, hypothetically speaking, and he's like, well, hypothetically speaking, and then she says, my thoughts exactly look at that episode about mind reading what a line and on. And then they do this like kind of like camera like does it like almost like a like a like a half circle

around just to see them and Daily Planet logo. I'm like, okay, I get why you did that. I don't think we needed that. But it's like, remember it's low as the clerk in the Daily Planet. An unmotivated camera move, I guess is my commentary there at the end. But no, that's a really cute scene. And so that's the thing. Like we've been talking through this and we've been poked some holes in it, but I just like the strength of this episode is the two of them and their

interplay, isn't it. Yeah, it definitely is, And I wish I mean, you know, God, I kind of wish there was less Oliver stuff and just more of that, like like make the whole episode sort of

farcical and fun like that. You could keep the toy man stuff maybe and I don't know how you'd be able to tie it in at this point, but you know, maybe something else then, but maybe maybe two less scenes of Oliver in Mexico and just have him show up at this yeah event, right, So yeah, that's true that they almost didn't go because in my mind I was like, Oh, that's the fun and where he has the mind powers, right yeah, And I'm like, oh, it's it's Oliver

and tests and she has a newsy and there what are you doing? So anyway, No, no, no, that's great and and but you end on this on this little moment, and you know that the season's been building more towards like them finally being a couple, and and this is just really building towards that. So it's a really delightful and to what I thought was a really delightful episode Small Vale season nine on Blu ray and DVD. Between two worlds, You sent me here to fulfill destiny Between two lives t boos

and fate loss one hero must decide his destiny. You have no idea what's up against this? Now season nine sores with amazing extras that take you into the heart of the Justice Society of America. Small Ville season nine on Blu ray and DVD September seventh. Echo got an eight point two out of ten on IMDb, and Neil Billy from The Superman Hope Age gave it a three zero point five out of five, and his exact quote is, quote, Eh, wasn't that bad? Wasn't that great? Cool face melt I give

a three point five five. So even even Neil, who has been pretty down on this show, was won over by the face melt. Dan, It's a big moment, man. It's a It's a bold choice, that's for sure. Now. On the letter grade scale A to F, what would you give this episode? It's it's tough for me, it really is. It's just it's it's parts of it are weird and like disconnected and and

there's a lot going on. But I just love the Clark and Lewis, you know, I'd say, given a strong B, maybe B plus, I'll give it to B plus And on the on the the strength of those two characters, and I thought the Toyman stuff was interesting as well. Uh, and then of course you know the face melter, So what else can you say? Yeah, you know, going in this, I was like, oh, miss, let's like an A A minus like talking through it. There are some some messy parts of this episode. So I'm gonna be

in align with you. I'm getting you hear a B plus on the strength of them, on the strength of performs. Hey, I enjoyed toy mat right and then and then then and then that faceball gives it the plus absolutely. But yeah, the Oliver stuff, I didn't remember it, and I understand why because it's so just disposable and forgettable. And have they lean more into the and or had a message of like, yes, and this is why you shouldn't abuse this power, or this is what you've learned from this.

But there's no like I thought there should be like a recap of Jorelle or something like, well, thanks for giving me that. I guess now you have unlocked the But there's none of that, right, not that it's necessary, but I don't know, like it just it feels like they got really far in this idea and then just is kind of like, just like the episode itself, that just take the power away, like it's done, We're done with that. It just away exactly. But that's gonna be a

B plus for me, a B plus for you. Let's go to the tally board. Just a couple of things this week, Hospital visit plus three, the three uh workers from Oliver Queen's sweatshopoes. I guess yeah, that's gonna be my biggest takeaway now this somede. But that's gonna bring us to one hundred and thirty nine. One hundred and thirty nine so far. I am hoping, and I think we have a shot we can get to two hundred before this show's over. Hospital visits, we'll see, uh, but

that's one hundred three nine so far. And then Lois's costume closet, like we discussed, Hey, she's making literally making an outfit to go to this monster truck rally plus one. That's gonna bring us to ten so far. And hey, Bechdel test fail, big time fail, because all Chloe and Lowe's talk about is clark yep. Oops, oh there you have it. There you have it. Well, then always a pleasure to have you on. I'm glad Clark got another power, so we can talk about another episode.

If people want to find you and your podcasts out there online, where can they find you? Yeah? I host a Star Trek podcast over on the Nerd Party Network. It's called SETI Off the Three. We three guys, we just chat about all things Star Trek and who boys are a lot going on in Star Trek right now, so uh, come give it a liston. It's a good show. Uh, and that's where you can find me. Awesome. Yeah, I hate The Card season three, right, dream come true? It was a thing, that's for sure. Oh maybe

not a dream come true for you. Go check them out on City Off the Three. So they had to think about The Cards three. I loved it. I love the Card season three. I was. I was not too excited about The Card season one and two, but season three gave me everything I was looking for. So anyway, no, no coachat now, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go right now and find out what you guys talk about it over there? So there what a tease? What are But anyway, well, well we'll have you back on. Uh you know before

the show's over. I might not have to be a new power episode. But that's always fun talking small with the dance, and we'll find a spot.

So sounds good, sounds good. But we'll be back next week talking about Roulette and until then, Always hold on to Smallville, Always Hold On To Smallville is part of the Always Hold On To Network of podcasts and brought to you by listeners like you, Chris Fuchs, Cavante, Chillis, Joey Dienberg, DJ dewinna Isaiah Goodrich, Corey Moore, Nathan Roth, Thatcher Ative, Sheic, Thomas Navin, Andrew Parker, Adam Sullens, markids Foppin,

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