Episode 506 - Exposed Review




"Exposed" Review

Written by Chris

DISCLAIMER - Please remember that this review does not represent the opinions/viewpoints of everyone; it is the personal opinions of the reviewer only. Thank you.

This episode was a tribute to John Schneider's success on his earlier series "The Dukes of Hazzard", with his co-star of that series, Tom Wopat playing this weeks guest star, Senator Jack Jennings. An underlining theme of this episode was the disillusionment of heroes as Clark learns his father's long time friend and Clark's childhood hero, "Uncle Jack" is not the man he thought he was.

Unfortunately, the episode was filled with badly written plot devices and would be considered filler except for the possible set up of Jonathon Kent running for State Senator against Lex Luthor.

Tom's Performance: Tom was fantastic in this episode. He looked stunning and all grown up as he donned a full suit in the strip club scene, yet played the uncomfortable, innocent farm boy out of his element to a tee. He was absolutely adorable with his expressions and body language as he showed his uneasiness, to shock when he discovers Lois as a stripper.

The Good

Clark: It was great to see Clark take the initiative to investigate the murder allegation against Senator Jennings. He was determined to prove his father's best friend was innocent. When Lois gets in over her head, we see Clark in true heroic fashion super-jumping to the helicopter, hooking it and pulling it back down to the rooftop.

Chloe and Lois: It was great to see the two cousins working together and we got a little foreshadowing of Lois in a more investigative role.

Clark and Lois: Tom and Erica's scenes together were great with standout performances as they interacted in the strip club. Lois as a stripper was completely played for laughs as Erica portrayed her very much in character, awkward, inexperienced and really having no idea how to be a stripper. Clark was shocked to discover Lois on stage, as Lois was equally shocked to find Clark a patron of the strip club. Coincidently, they are both there for the same reason to investigate Melissa's murder.

Tom and Erica have great chemistry and play the back and forth banter well. I really enjoyed their last scene. Even though Lois is oblivious to Clark's actual rescue with the helicopter, in her own way she still takes the time to thank him for being there. My favorite part was when she tries to threaten Clark if he ever tells anyone about the lap dance and we get to see Clark get in the last word "Aye, Aye, Sailor" for once leaving Lois lost for words.

Clark and Jack: Clark was compassionate, yet honest as he spoke to Jack about his father's reaction. He stood up for his father's high standards, saying it's usually because he is right and only expects from others what he expects from himself. It was played out nicely and you could see a mature Clark who has learned from his father.

Nod to Mythos: This episode had quite a few nods to the mythos and some continuity for earlier seasons. We got another appearance by the now promoted to detective, Maggie Sawyer from the comics. She had earlier appearances in "Insurgence" and "Exile" and we got to see another flash of the Superman symbol shaped Metropolis PD badge from earlier seasons. When Clark prints out a copy of fake passport for Lois the name on it is Margot Neill. It was a nice tribute to two of the other actresses who have played Lois Lane, Margot Kidder and Noel Neill.

We find out Lex is running for State Senator the start of his political career, which leads to his Presidency in the comics. His campaign poster was a nice foreshadowing of this with his slogan "Looking to the Future." We also had the helicopter scene where Clark rescues Lois and even though the scene was very different there was a homage to the helicopter scene in "Superman: The Movie."

The Bad

Lois the stripper: Even if it was played for laughs, I still find it unnecessary to put such an iconic female character as Lois Lane in the position of a stripper. I know she was really there to investigate a murder, but we hear the owner of the strip club tell Lois to take off her clothes to see what she's got and we're left to believe that Lois is forced to degrade herself in this situation. Completely played for ratings, they once again tried to advertise Lois in a skimpy outfit and doing a strip tease. Even if the scene didn't play out as sexy, I still feel they used Lois' character in an unacceptable manner.

Jonathon and Lex: I know that Jonathon has a lot of back history with the Luthor's, but I don't like to see him immediately and so strongly blame Lex for setting up fake pictures of Jack with the murdered stripper. Once again we see Lex played in a positvie light, giving Jonathon the proof that Jack does have a relationship with the girl and he is only there to give him a warning.

Clark and Lex: It looks like they are back to building on the Clark and Lex friendship. This week Lex is portrayed as the good guy who is falsely accused by Jonathon and Clark. In the end, Lex even points out to Clark that even the best heroes are far from perfect. I'm curious how many times they are going to redeem Lex and show him as the good guy?

I give "Exposed" a rating of 3 out of 5 stars.

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