Episode 603 - Wither Review




"Wither" Review

Written by Babaluwee

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.

The Good

Excellent acting by Tom Welling & Allison Mack. Tom has always delivered great acting, but he has refined the subtly of his facial expressions in conveying complex emotions, for example, when he realizes Chloe and Jimmy are beginning a relationship (at Lois' apartment and at the hospital).

The whole episode is worth watching just to see Tom's heart-stopping smile when he meets "Gloria" in the forest - the only time he smiles in this episode.

The beginnings of new and healthy relationships between Chloe & Jimmy and Lois & Oliver.

The Bad

The worst thing about Wither is that almost the entire episode is an unsuccessful contrivance for getting Lex & Lana together, rather than about Clark & his journey. IMHO, the writers inexplicably distorted & warped the Lana character in Season 5, making her less sympathetic & likable. Even if Lana wasn't your favorite character prior to last season, they have now made her insufferable. (Credit also Kristin's acting.) Do the writers really expect us to believe that Lana does not know by now precisely who & what Lex is? And that is why they have Clark warning Lex in the greenhouse, "The closer you get to Lana, the closer she is to finding out who you really are." Excuse me? After 5 years, especially after the events of last season, Lana is exceedingly & incontrovertibly well aware of who Lex really is!

In the beginning of the episode, Lana addresses Lex directly, "I know you. You desire what you can't have. So what happens when you get it?" Right, Lana, you know exactly the kind of man he is, so why is there even a question here?

Later Lana seeks out Chloe's normally sage advice about whether she should trust Lex & become involved with him. Is there still a question here? In the most futile attempts at logical & emotional gymnastics in order to make this plotline work, Lana explains that it's really herself that she doesn't trust. Her own judgment is unreliable because she made mistakes in the past, so this gives her the warrant to make the colossal mistake of getting involved with Lex, even though she doesn't love him & knows first-hand what he's capable of. Lana's lines in this scene are a complete load of gobbledygook about "dragging Clark's ghost around" and having "trust issues." But she also voices the fear of "losing her identity" with Lex. You know it, sista, you may lose your immortal soul with him. So why is there still a question here?

Chloe's advice is completely out of character, disclaiming, "I don't know if Lex is right for you..." Excuse me? Razor sharp Chloe also knows first hand just how "not right" Lex is for Lana. Then Chloe uses the most inane analogy of Lana sitting on the water's edge, while happy people are splashing around, effectively encouraging her to take the plunge with Lex. Chloe knows Lex is not the safe, calm waters of Kansas' swimming holes. Lex is a fetid, murky cesspool loaded with toxic waste. It was Chloe who had warned Lana about getting involved with Lex in Void; Chloe tried to make her see that she might be tempted to do so just to hurt Clark.

At the beginning of Wither, the writers tried to prepare the viewers for the inconsistencies and illogic that were to come by setting up the premise that "people change." Clark looks at the front page of the newspaper, & observes, "It's like [Lex & Lana] are different people." Martha explains that even Clark is a "different person," the product of all his experiences. The writers were setting up a moral equivalence: "See, everyone changes, even Clark has changed. So it's alright for Lana to be the kind of character who would now choose Lex." But when a character changes, there is a creative tension between continuity and development. The developments/changes in both Clark & Lex preserved the continuity of their characters over 5 years. With Lana, there is no continuity. Her character is simply twisted and her behavior makes no sense.

A final comment on the Lana & Lex sex scene (it wasn't "lovemaking"): Eeeeeewww.

Does Lana trust that Lex's "security cameras" aren't trained on the them in the study? Eeeeeww.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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