Episode 610 - Hydro Review




"Hydro" 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.

Hydro was an episode that was mostly about relationships. Actually, it reveled in them, and portrayed the further deepening of an already extraordinary relationship (Clark & Chloe); the intimation of the beginnings of two legendary ones (Clark & Lois, Lois & Jimmy); and the unsatisfying closure of a fourth (Clark & Lana). Hydro was also about the keeping of legitimate secrets, otherwise known as one's personal life and the right to privacy.

THE GOOD

Tom as Director: Tom Welling returned as a director of SV, and proved himself to be a natural. Indisputably, the director must have had something to do with bringing out some of the best performances of Allison, Erica, Aaron (he's never looked so relaxed and confident), and, of course, Tom himself.

Clark & Lois: Clark & Lois' relationship was depicted as becoming more mature and substantial, rather than based merely on quick witted repartee. First, Lois expressed some sympathy for Clark when she read that he was one of the victims of tabloid gossip (or the invasion of privacy): "A broken heart is hard enough without having it splashed all over the newspapers." Second, Clark & Lois had a serious discussion in which they disagreed on nature of secrets. Initially for Lois secrets were no more than loopholes against lying. She came across as intemperate and lacking good judgment and wisdom. (She later changed her mind about finding out the GA's true identity, that is, until Clark showed that he knew her better than she knew herself.) Clark, more than anyone, understood that, "People keep secrets for a reason." He was always able to differentiate the morally justified reasons for keeping something personal and private, especially when it affected no one else adversely and even served to protect others from harm.

The Kiss: Perhaps SV fans have been utterly spoiled by watching Tom Welling kiss throughout the years, but the kiss between Clark (disguised as GA) and Lois left something to be desired. Let there be no misunderstanding, it was a good kiss, but it simply wasn't as riveting and as passionate as we have come to expect from him. Their kiss was short, with very little close-up shots, and staccato—interrupted by cuts to Jimmy as he shot pictures of them. There was more "oomph" in Lois' subsequent slap than in the kiss. Tom excels as a director, but every human being has his/her limitations. Maybe Tom can't direct his own kisses...yet. However, the look on Clark's face after the kiss was amazing. One of the marks of Tom's exceptional acting talent has always been his skill at portraying emotion with an incredible range of facial expressions, from the blatant to the subtle. Here, it seems that he presented us with an entirely new expression to convey what it was like to kiss Lois.

Clark & Chloe: The chemistry between Clark & Chloe was wonderful! Whether it was a fleeting dispute that ended in a conciliatory hug or Chloe's playful teasing of Clark as Lois recounted her kiss, their interaction was a joy to watch. Chloe, the "Fort Knox of Secrets," demonstrated that she is a woman of tremendous integrity by keeping Lana's confidence as well as Clark's. That's how Clark can be sure she is inherently trustworthy.

Lois & Jimmy: How appropriate for Jimmy to help Lois in her quest for the GA's true identity. It was a pleasure to watch Jimmy slip slightly into what would become his future role as Ms. Lane's photojournalist sidekick.

Clark & Lana: The final closure (we hope) to Clana was as drawn out, as circular, as confusing, and as angst-ridden as their relationship had ever been. Clark & Lana will always love each other in some way, but they've moved on. And Clark genuinely wished her well. It was strange that right up until the end, Lana was still concerned with finding out Clark's secret.

THE BAD

The Wormhole Effect: The human characters travel back and forth from SV to Metropolis as if SV were an outer borough of Metropolis, rather than a 3 hour drive to the country, not just in this episode but in many others, starting last year. Does Chloe live at the Talon apartment and commute to the DP? Because she was wearing the same clothes at work that she arrived at home in. And in this episode, Lana travels to Met 3 times to have rather short conversations with Chloe. Granted, SV's genre is fantasy & adventure in which the viewers are required to "suspend disbelief" for the story to make sense. But there are still some made up rules that govern this fantasy world; there still has to be some logic and order.

Lois's Slap: After discovering that the GA wasn't Oliver in disguise, why was Lois' first response to slap him violently? She kissed him first. It's not his fault she wasn't kissing whom she thought she was. And slapping the GA doesn't square with the way her face lit up and her eyes danced and her eyebrow arched as she recounted to Chloe & Clark what an amazing kisser the GA had been. Why would she slap such a guy?

I give Hydro 5 out of 5 stars.

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